Lake Elkhorn Summer 2020 Newsletter

Dear Lake Elkhorn Families,   Greetings and welcome to the 2020-2021 school year!  In just four weeks from today, students will start classes as we kick-off another school year in HCPSS and at Lake Elkhorn Middle School (LEMS).  Although this year’s start will certainly be different than any other, please know that our dedicated staff has been working hard to prepare for your children, and we cannot wait to welcome them back to school!    As you continue to prepare your child for the first day of school on Tuesday, September 8, I want to highlight a few items that will help make the transition back to school an easier one.  Further, I encourage you to continue to check your email and our website as we will continue to send and post updates that will help your child and family start the year strong.   In the meantime, I hope you and your family are enjoying summer while keeping safe, wearing masks, and social distancing. Together we can make a difference.   Be well, stay safe, and do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions you may have. Thank you for being partners with us in your child’s education, and we look forward to a great year!   Sincerely,   Melissa Shindel Principal melissa_shindel@hcpss.org

BACK-TO-SCHOOL NEWS AND UPDATES

SAVE THE DATES! 

9/3/20

6th Grade & New Student Orientation, 1:00 p.m.

9/8/20

First student day of the 2020-2021 school year

9/16/20

Back to School Night, 6:00 p.m.

9/28/20

Schools and offices closed


  2020-2021 FALL REOPENING PLAN The Howard County Board of Education voted in favor of the Howard County Public School System Reopening Plan for the 2020-2021 school year during its work session on August 6, 2020. HCPSS will submit its plan to the State for approval.   HCPSS PLANS FULLY VIRTUAL MODEL FOR THE FIRST SEMESTER OF THE 2020-2021 SCHOOL YEAR HCPSS will begin the school year in a fully virtual format through the first academic semester, which begins on Tuesday, September 8 and ends on Thursday, January 28, 2021. Highlights of the middle school instructional model are as follows:  
  • The virtual instructional model will be significantly more rigorous than the spring “continuity of learning” program. Students will engage in four days of teacher-led synchronous (live) instruction each week, and complete asynchronous assignments on the fifth day.
  • In addition to core classes, sectionals and GT seminars will consist of live, teacher-led virtual instruction.
  • Dedicated times are included in the daily schedule when students may receive additional support and access to meal distribution sites.
  • Students’ schedules are a 4x4 model. Students have four, teacher-led courses each semester, for a total of eight courses during the year.  Sample schedules are included in the Howard County Public School System Reopening Plan.  A sample schedule that your child can use to fill-in classes and google meet codes can be found on our website here.
The fully virtual model will be re-evaluated for the second semester at a Board of Education meeting on November 19, 2020.   UPDATE YOUR FAMILY FILE Regardless of virtual or in-person learning, parents/guardians must verify and/or update information for each child. Parents/guardians can complete Family File by logging in to HCPSS Connect.   SCHOOL SUPPLY LISTS Click here to see our 2020-21 school supply lists.  It is important to keep in mind that this list is a guide.  Due to online learning, some of these materials may not be needed in your child’s home work space.  Further,  your child will have different teachers for each subject, and there may be some variations once your child receives his/her schedule.   We encourage you to keep your receipts in case items are not needed.     NEW STUDENT ORIENTATION 6th grade students and parents – and NEW 7th and 8th graders - are invited to join us on Thursday, September 3, from 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. for orientation.  Click here for more information about our new student orientation.   IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENTS – 7TH GRADE STUDENTS Reminder to parents of incoming 7th grade students: All children must have the required State of Maryland immunizations in order to attend school, including in districts utilizing virtual instruction. The following are required by the state of Maryland for all students entering Grade 7:  ●      1 dose of Tdap vaccine ●      1 dose of Meningococcal (MCV4) vaccine   Although we are not starting the year in the school building, these immunizations are required within 20 calendar days of the first day of school.  

Immunization Clinics:  To help our students obtain the necessary vaccines, HCPSS Health Services continues to partner with the Howard County Health Department (HCHD) and the Maryland Partnership for Prevention (MPP) to offer several immunization clinics for any student who may need them. These clinics will take place outdoors at some HCPSS school buildings during the week of September 21. Multiple vaccines will be offered at no cost to families. Parents/guardians will complete the online consent process prior to the clinic dates. More details are forthcoming.  

  Click here for more information about this requirement.   Many students may have already received these immunizations, but the Health Room may not have the updated immunization record.  Please contact your child’s doctor and send/fax us an updated copy of your child’s immunizations to the Health Room.  Our fax # is 410-313-7633 or you may email a copy to Kassanadra_wanless@hcpss.org.   SCHOOL MEALS
  • Summer Meals Extended to August 28: The free Grab-N-Go summer meals program has been extended through  Friday, August 28. There were several location changes effective Monday, August 3. 
  • Free and Reduced Meals Program: The coronavirus pandemic is causing a lot of hardship for many of our friends and neighbors. Many HCPSS families have been impacted financially by the pandemic, and may be eligible now to receive benefits through the Free and Reduced Price Meals (FARMs) program. Qualifying families can take advantage of a wide range of additional resources and discounts, including testing fees, tuition, internet and more. Click here to learn more or to apply.
Important Note:  If your student received Free or Reduced Meals during the 2019-2020 school year, please be reminded that a new application must be completed each year.  For more information about school meals and programs, please visit the HCPSS website at: http://www.hcpss.org/food-services/.    GRANT AWARDS; ACCELERATION OF 1:1 DEVICE DEPLOYMENT HCPSS has been awarded over $13 million in COVID-19 Federal Relief Funds, which will provide critically needed dollars to support the 2020-2021 Reopening Plan, especially to meet technology needs for virtual instruction.  Click here for more information.   WELCOME NEW STAFF! We are pleased to welcome the following new staff members to our Lake Elkhorn community: Danny Howse Media Specialist Sean Watts Physical Education Teacher   STUDENT SERVICES Our Student Services Team is made up of professionals dedicated to helping your child succeed in middle school.  Our team consists of two school counselors, a school psychologist, a pupil personnel worker, a secretary and a data clerk. Please do not hesitate to reach out to a member of our Student Services team whenever you have questions or concerns:   SUPPORT OUR SCHOOL AND JOIN THE PTSA!  At Lake Elkhorn, we are very fortunate to have such an active, supportive and involved PTSA.    Get a jump start on the school year and join the PTSA today!  Your membership helps support our students and school community!  Click here for more information.  

UPDATING COMMUNICATION & STAYING CONNECTED

  UPDATING EMERGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION For the past few years, parents have been asked to update their child’s emergency information prior to the start of school.  The link is now open, and we ask that you get a jump start on the back-to-school paperwork and begin updating your child’s emergency contact information as soon as possible to ensure a smooth start to the school year. When you log in through HCPSS Connect , there will be a large blue button called “HCPSS CONNECT LOGIN”.  Click this button and it will direct you to login.  Once you login, there will be a menu (usually along the left side of your screen, but it may be in a different spot on a mobile device).  Find the link that says, “Family File (emergency information).”  Once you click this, you will be able to begin updating your child’s information.   As a reminder, Family File contains information such as your child’s contact information, transportation, and medical considerations.  For the safety of your child/children, it is very important that this information remains current. Please ensure that it is updated prior to the start of school. ‪Parents who do not have, or may have forgotten their log-in credentials, can request assistance using the help link on the HCPSS Connect  page: http://hcpss.org/connect. Please revise and/or complete your family contact information as soon as you are able, and preferably before the first day of school.  We ask that you still go into the Family File to confirm your child’s information – even if nothing has changed from last year.  Once you have completed this, you will get a confirmation email. If you do not receive a confirmation email, it means the updates are not complete.  We appreciate your efforts to complete this important task.  Thank you!   SCHOOL MESSENGER: STAY UP-TO-DATE WITH HCPSS AND SCHOOL NEWS Parents and guardians of currently enrolled HCPSS students automatically receive HCPSS News emails from the district and from Lake Elkhorn; this is based on the contact information currently in your child's Family File account. The program we use is called SchoolMessenger.  SchoolMessenger automatically uses your contact information in the Family File, which is another reason it is so important to update and confirm your information as soon as possible.   Contact information for parents and guardians of newly enrolled students and students changing schools (including incoming 6th graders) has been automatically added to each school’s main contact list.    Reminder:  Parents and guardians do not have to sign-up to receive SchoolMessenger emails. Your information is automatically added to SchoolMessenger based on data from the Family File.   NEWSLETTERS Our newsletter will be emailed every other Friday.   PTA newsletters will be emailed on opposite weeks.  Important news and updates will be emailed, as needed, and posted on our website.   SOCIAL MEDIA AND WEBSITES   Website Twitter Principal's Instagram    lems.hcpss.org    @hcpss_LEMS    principal_shindel PTA online

 

   PTA website    PTA Facebook Page

 

      WE HOPE YOU ENJOY THE LAST FEW WEEKS OF SUMMER BREAK AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO VIRTUALLY SEEING OUR STUDENTS ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!