Harfordhillses.bcps.org



DATES TO REMEMBER

October

8 Claire’s Gourmet Orders Due

9 Schools Closed for Students - Yom Kippur and Professional Development Day

10 Chick-fil-A Spirit Night (Parkville) - 5:00- 8:00 P.M.

15 Ident-a-Kid Pictures Taken

17 PTA Meeting (Library) - 5:30 P.M.

Room Parent Meeting (Library) - 6:30 P.M.

18 Schools Closed for Students - Professional Development Day

23 School Pictures Taken (Students and Staff)

24 Reading on the Avenue at Barnes & Noble Bookstore (White Marsh) - 5:30-7:30 P.M.

25 School Spirit Day - Jersey Day

31 Fall Costume Parade - 2:00 P.M.

November

4 Canned Food Drive Begins

8 First Marking Period Ends - Schools Close 3 Hours Early at 12:20 P.M.

11 Claire’s Gourmet Pick Up - 3:30-5:30 P.M

13 Chick-fil-A Spirit Night - 5:00- 8:00 P.M.

15 Canned Food Drive Ends

21. American Education Week

18-21 Book Fair

20 PTA Meeting (Library) - 5:30 P.M

21 School Spirit Day - Backwards Day

21 Report Cards Distributed

22 Conference Day- Schools Closed for All Students

25 Pre-K Conference Day – Schools Closed for Only Pre-K Students

28-29 Thanksgiving Holiday - Schools Closed

The month of September has passed so quickly that it’s hard to believe October is here. It is my pleasure to report that the 2019-2020 school year is off to a great start at Harford Hills Elementary School. Students arrived at school excited and ready to learn. They came back with their behavior right on target and with wonderful manners. Thank you for attending Back to School Night to meet your child's teachers and to learn more about the curriculum. We had an amazing turnout this year. We firmly believe that a strong home-school partnership is necessary in order for students to meet with success. Learning is not an easy process. It involves sharing ideas, making mistakes, and attempting new experiences. Learning involves hard work by everyone - the teacher, the parents, the principal, and most importantly, the student. Thank you for your continuous support. We are looking forward to a very successful school year!

VISITING HARFORD HILLS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Thank you for your cooperation as we continue to make Harford Hills Elementary School a safe place for our children. In an effort to keep the school as secure as possible, the doors are locked after the students arrive. Visitors should ring the buzzer to be admitted by one of the office staff. Students are not permitted to open the doors for anyone. All visitors to the school must present their driver’s license at the front desk so the secretary can scan it in our sign-in system. You will be given a visitor’s badge that must be worn if you are volunteering or visiting a classroom. No one will be allowed to go to classrooms to deliver lunches, birthday cupcakes, forgotten books, etc. These items should be delivered to the office, and students will be called in their classroom to pick them up in the office.

If you would like to visit your child’s classroom, please call the office at least one day in advance, if possible, to schedule a visit. This will enable us to ensure that you will be visiting the classroom and observing your child at an optimal time. An administrator or the school counselor may join you during your visit.

STUDENT EMERGENCY FORMS

It is imperative for your child’s safety and welfare that his/her emergency information is always

up-to-date with correct contact and dismissal information. Please contact the school office immediately

if any information changes, such as a telephone number or address or individuals authorized to pick up your child, for example. If you have any questions about the emergency form, please call the school at 410-887-5236. Please remember that if all Baltimore County public schools close early, Harford Hills Elementary School will follow the emergency dismissal plan listed on each student’s emergency form. Individual phone calls will not be made. If weather conditions appear threatening, such as snow or ice, be sure to listen to the radio or TV or check the BCPS website for updates on school hours for delayed opening, early dismissal, or all-day closing.

VOLUNTEER TRAINING

We welcome volunteers at Harford Hills Elementary School and appreciate the assistance they provide with PTA activities, classroom activities and parties, library tasks, instructional materials such as making copies, Thursday folders, field trips, and Field Day. If you plan to volunteer at any time, you must participate in the BCPS Volunteer Orientation.

• Before volunteering in any BCPS school or being eligible to chaperone a field trip or assist with school or classroom activities, each volunteer candidate must complete a BCPS Application for Volunteer Services Form and the online Volunteer Orientation.

• Training information is on the BCPS website () under Parent Resources or can be accessed through the Harford Hills Elementary School website ().

• Each volunteer should provide a copy of the application and training certificate to the school. Volunteer training must be completed every year.

• Volunteer training should be completed early in the school year if possible, but no later than one week prior to the activity or field trip.

• All volunteers are required to register in the school office and pick up a volunteer badge each time they come to work in the building.

To take the online training, go to . Locate “Parents” at the top of the website and select “Volunteer with BCPS” from the pull-down menu. Locate “Volunteer Training Resources” on the left and scroll down to “Instructions for the BCPS Online Volunteer Orientation.” Click on this

Thank you for your cooperation. Volunteer orientation and screening helps ensure that students and staff members work in a safe environment.

MAGNET PROGRAMS APPLICATION INFORMATION

Baltimore County Public Schools provide educational choices to parents of students with different interests, talents, and aptitudes, in an environment that enhances students’ educational success. Applications will be available online from the Magnet Programs’ Web site (BCPSMagnet) beginning on September 16, 2019 until 1:00 P.M. November 15, 2019, or by calling 443-809-4127. The application deadline is Friday, November 15, 2019.

WHAT PARENTS CAN DO TO HELP THE NURSE CARE FOR THEIR CHILD

• Fill out and sign the contact information/discretionary medication form. Please

update any new contact information.

• Take your child for a physical every year, and to the dentist twice a year.  Always send the documentation to the school nurse to update your child’s health file.  Discuss any known health problems with the school nurse.

• If your child needs to take medication prescribed by a doctor during the school day, please provide the school nurse with a written order from the doctor and a pharmacy labeled container.  All medication must be given to the school by an adult in a labeled package/container.  Never send medicine with a child.

• If your child is sick (temperature over 100 degrees taken with a thermometer) or you have witnessed vomiting or diarrhea, please keep your child at home.  Your child can return to school when he/she has been 24 hours fever/symptom free without medication.

• If there is no fever and the complaints are vague, encourage your child to come to school.  Don’t reinforce sickness as a way to avoid frustration or to get attention.  The choice to be sick or feel miserable can be learned.  Don’t reinforce sick days with payoffs, such as staying home and watching TV or playing video games.  Make sure all make-up work is completed.

• Reinforce sneezing/coughing into their sleeves, and washing their hands.

• Drink water.  Not drinking water (poor hydration) is the major cause of headaches, constipation (stomach aches), fevers, and itchy skin, which are the main reasons for visiting the school nurse.

• Make healthy eating and physical exercise a family priority.  Provide a nutritious breakfast.  Encourage your child to be healthy and expect wellness.

FALL COSTUME PARADE

The fall costume parade will be held on Thursday, October 31, at 2:00 P.M. Please adhere to the

following guidelines:

• Children may not wear their costumes or makeup on the school bus. Please make sure your child brings his/her costume in a bag or backpack.

• Look-alike weapons are not allowed on school property and should not be a part of your child’s costume.

• Makeup should be limited and very simple.

• Masks can NOT be worn.

• Props that go with costumes should be kept at home. Please remember that the parade is an opportunity to have fun as a school community. It is a brief school event, and prizes are not awarded for costumes. Therefore, students’ costumes and makeup should be easy to be put on and take off with minimal help in no more than 10 minutes. All parents and community members are invited to attend the parade. If you would like to help with the festivities in your child’s classroom, please contact the Room Mother assigned to your child’s homeroom. If you are assisting in the classroom, please don’t forget to sign in and out as a visitor in the main lobby and take a visitor badge. With your assistance, we will be able to provide a safe, enjoyable parade for our children.

Please note that any parents who prefer that their child not participate in the fall activities should send a note to their child’s teacher. Alternate activities will be provided for these children. Please make sure that you park in the visitors’ parking lot off Harford Hills Drive. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

THE VIRTUES PROJECT

Harford Hills will be continuing to promote positive behavior and good character with our schoolwide program, The Virtues Project. Each month we will focus on a specific virtue. Students will learn the definition of the virtue, why we practice it, and what it looks like. Each day students will have the opportunity to be rewarded with Virtue Vouchers for demonstrating positive behaviors.

During the month of September, students focused on the virtues in the school promise. The School Promise states, “We are peaceful with our words and our actions. We are responsible for one another and ourselves.  We are respectful of people and things. We are enthusiastic learners and always work with excellence.” 

When focusing on respect, we encourage students to treat everyone like they would want to be treated. We focus on being polite and using kind words. When we focus on responsibility, we encourage students to do what they are supposed to do. This includes coming to school prepared, following directions/rules in school, and taking care of their things/things that belong to others. In addition, we focus on peacefulness by encouraging students to get calm during a conflict so that they can fully understand what the problem is. We emphasize being fair and respectful. We thank you in advance for helping us to support this project.

 

Throughout October, we will be focusing on the virtue of COURTESY. Along with these virtues, we will be emphasizing the virtue of KINDNESS all year long. When you visit school, be sure to look at our “Kindness Tree” in the lobby for signatures of students who have demonstrated the virtue of the month.

ANNUAL CANNED FOOD DRIVE

The annual canned food drive will be held from Monday, November 4, through Friday, November 15.  Please encourage your children to participate in this worthy cause. 

Individual Celebration/Birthday Parties

In order to promote a healthy school environment and not interrupt classroom instruction, BCPS has established procedures for individual student celebrations. If you want to provide treats for your child’s birthday:

• Check with the child’s teacher. It is up to the classroom teacher if and when these celebrations

are to be held. Teachers will determine a time of day that will not interrupt classroom instruction.

• The items need to be sent in at the beginning of the school day and left in the office.

• If sending in baked goods, they must be purchased from a commercial food establishment.

• Healthy treats are encouraged.

• Food items cannot be taken into the cafeteria and distributed to groups of students. If treats/food are distributed in the classroom, each teacher will know their students’ allergies, dietary restrictions, and religious beliefs. This will ensure that all students are treated fairly and all students are kept safe.

Please do not send birthday invitations for home parties to be distributed at school. Thank you for your cooperation.

CELEBRATIONS AND FOOD ALLERGIES

If your child has a food allergy, please make sure that you send an alternate snack to school for your child so that he/she can participate in the festivities.

DROP OFF AND PICK UP PROCEDURES

Please help us keep our students safe and our line moving. Students need to arrive at school at 8:40 A.M. All walkers and bus riders must enter the building through the front doors. ONLY car riders may enter the building through the cafeteria. If you are dropping your child off, please pull up all the way to the cafeteria doors, let your child out, and then exit through the parking lot to Harford Hills Drive. No cars are allowed in the front circular drive during arrival or dismissal times. At dismissal time, all walkers need to exit through the front doors. If you want to park, you must park your vehicle in the newer parking lot so that you do not interrupt the flow of the car rider line, and then walk to the front of the school to pick up your child. ONLY car riders will be dismissed from the cafeteria. All car riders will need to have a number displayed in their car. This number must be visible every day. If the number is not displayed in the car, the driver will need to park and go to the office, show an ID, and sign out the child. Thank you for your help and support.

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Our Vision Statement

Harford Hills Elementary School believes that all students can meet with success when they are provided a safe, engaging, and rigorous learning environment. Our school community will work together to challenge all students to achieve. We will prepare our students for the demands and opportunities of the 21st century by promoting academic excellence, fostering appreciation of diversity, encouraging lifelong learning, and producing caring, respectful, responsible citizens.

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The Chanticleer

Harford Hills Elementary School

“Striving for Excellence”

Mildred Guild, Principal Robin Rupprecht, Assistant Principal

School Office: 410-887-5236 Health Suite: 410-882-3476

Harford Hills Elementary School Website: .

Brittany Cody, PTA President -Email: bcody514@

October 2019

A Message from Mrs. Guild

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