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3/29 |
6th Grade Students in Group A return |
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4/1 |
6th Grade Students in Group B return |
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4/2 - 4/6 |
Spring Break- schools closed |
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4/7 |
Virtual Parent Orientation for Returning 7th and 8th graders in Group A & B, 7PM |
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4/12 |
7th & 8th Graders in Group A return |
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4/14 |
3hr. Early Dismissal, End of 3rd marking period |
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4/15 |
7th and 8th Graders in Group B return |
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4/22 |
Report Cards posted |
Dear Patapsco families:
We want to acknowledge that our Asian American and Pacific Islander community is hurting right now and as #OnePatapsco, if anyone is hurting- it impacts all of us. We were saddened to hear about the violence last week in Atlanta that took the lives of eight people, six of whom were Asian women. We mourn those who have been killed and recognize the need for action to address the rising tide of violence facing Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities.
Since the onset of COVID-19 pandemic, AAPI individuals have been increasingly targeted with discrimination, verbal abuse, and violence. As principal and assistant principal, it is our responsibility to ensure that all students are provided a safe and nurturing learning environment. We want to share an article that we shared with our staff this week that provides a perspective from a child in the cafeteria. We encourage you to read this and share it with your children. It is imperative that we are Upstanders for each other and not tolerate hurtful comments and actions that have a lasting impact on others.
Please know that our students can contact a counselor (Ms. Lee and Ms. Kempthorn), administrator (Mr. Babe and Mrs. Harmon) and our international liaison (Ms. Kim) for support.
Let's continue to be #OnePatapsco and make sure each and every student is seen, heard and valued.
In Solidarity,
Mike Babe
Principal
Andrea Harmon
Assistant Principal
Complete the symptom checker
Bring all materials (wear a mask at all times)
Bus Riders- arrive to bus stop 5-10 minutes early
Car riders should be dropped off between 8:15-8:20AM and picked up between 3:15 – 3:20PM. These times will allow for most of the buses to be cleared for less traffic on campus. Parents will follow the white arrows that take them in the small circle to the drop off/pick up area near the bike rack, which is where car riders will wait (upon arrival and during dismissal). Also, there will be staff outside directing cars and buses.
Breakfast and lunch are free and provided to all students
We will have maps, schedules, and additional masks for each student in first period
Staff will be outside and around building to assist students where to go
Students will come to the front door and ring the buzzer.
Once the student’s name has been verified by the secretaries, only the student will be admitted into the building, and may go directly to their class. Parents/guardians may not enter the building with the student.
Parents/Guardian will come to the front doors and ring the buzzer for early dismissals.
We will ask Parents/Guardian to hold their driver's license up to the camera for secretaries to see.
Patapsco Middle School's advanced debate team participated in this year's county-wide debate. This year's debate was virtually held on Wednesday, March 24th in front of volunteer judges from around the county and at central office. The resolution was "Be it resolved that year-round schooling be implemented in Howard County Public Schools". Both our affirmative team and our negative team won their debates! Congratulations to our Advanced Debaters on a job well done!
Sheyas represented Patapsco Middle School at the Annual (virtual) Howard County Spelling Bee this month. He scored an impressive 47 out of 50 words correct.
Great job Shreyas!
A virtual Parent Orientation for Returning 7th and 8th graders in Group A & B is scheduled for Wednesday, April 7th at 7:00 PM. We will use google meet for the virtual orientation (PMS-orientation) and you must use your student’s HCPSS credentials.
If you have not received these emails and believe you signed your child up to return to school 2 days a week, please re-check your email (and your spam). If you can’t find the email please reach out to us at 410-313-2848; I want to make sure you are not missing other important information regarding your child’s return to school.
Information to prepare for In-Person Learning
Video and PowerPoint for families to learn more about In-Person Learning
A/B group designation is available in HCPSS Connect. Parents/guardians may view your child’s group designation at any time by taking the following steps:
Log in to HCPSS Connect Synergy Using parent/guardian credentials.
Select Student Info from the left panel
Scroll down to the Other Data section to see the Student group for the attendance field.
Below are some important upcoming dates for students in Group A & B:
March 29- Grade 6 students in Group A return (2 days per week)
April 1- Grades 6 students in Group B return (2 days per week)
April 12- Grades 7 & 8 students in Group A return (2 days per week)
April 15- Grades 7 & 8 student in Group B return (2 days per week)
If after logging in you do not see the options, please confirm you are logged in with your credentials and not as your child. If you need additional assistance, please contact one of our secretaries at 410-313-2848.
If you are eligible for, and opted into receiving transportation services, you can now login to the HCPSS Bus Stop Locator for locations and times.
Students attending school in-person should bring their fully charged HCPSS assigned Chromebook and power adapter to school on their assigned days. If your student does not currently have a Chromebook, they may pick up one from our school's Media Center on their first day of in-person instruction. HCPSS has developed a new webpage for students, Chromebook Care, which includes tips on caring for and transporting Chromebooks, as well as student mobile technology duties and obligations and additional resources.
Save the Date!
The Women's Roundtable presents:
YES SHE CAN! How Women Are Paving The Way (panel discussion)
Learn about dynamic opportunities for women in the construction industry. You'll hear from a diverse group of leaders on the career path that led them to where they are today. Along with understanding the cycle of construction, you'll be able to ask questions about specific skills required to achieve great things in construction.
WHEN: Wednesday, April 14th
TIME: 8:30am - 10:00am
REGISTER: https://tinyurl.com/2ztcvcrf (see registration on flyer as well) Here is the flyer
Community Sharing Session: What Helps Me - A discussion of Coping & Connection
Howard County Sources of Strength would like to formally invite you to a student-led community sharing session in the spirit of having conversations about mental health, reducing stigma, and building coping skills and strength. We are hosting a virtual workshop on April 21st at 7 pm, which will focus on the unique challenges our community has faced this school year, the connections that have helped us persevere, and resources where students and families can access more support.
To register for the event, you can click this link, or head over to the What Helps Me Eventbrite page. We hope to see you there!
For more information, you can contact Leah Bulka at lbulka@howardcountymd.gov or by phone at 410-313-6240.
Summer School Update:
The Synergy Parent Portal will accept enrollment requests from March through June starting the 15th of each month at 6 p.m. and will remain open for two weeks. For programs and courses that are not full, enrollment requests may continue to be made each month through June.
The first enrollment request window opened Monday, March 15 at 6 p.m. and remain open through Monday, March 29 at 6 p.m.
March enrollment requests are limited to current HCPSS students only.
March enrollment requests for Innovative Pathways High School are limited to mathematics and science course requests only. All courses will be open for enrollment on April 15, 2021.
For more information, please visit the HCPSS Summer School Programs website linked here- https://www.hcpss.org/summer-programs/
Medication Drop Off
Medication Drop off for all students will be every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday between 8:30-2:00.
When you arrive at the building, please go to the door and ring the buzzer. Let the front office know that you are dropping off medication and the nurse will come get the medication from you.
Please make sure all medications have a physician order, and that both the physician and the parent have signed the medication order form. All prescription medications must have the pharmacy label on the bottle. All over the counter medications must be in a new unopened bottle. Be sure to check that the medications are not expired. Please have the medications and orders clearly labelled with the student’s name and grade in a zip lock bag.
If you are unable to drop off medications during these days and times please contact the nurse at Megan_Blouse@hcpss.org or 410-313-2848 to make other arrangements.
Here is the link to medications forms:
https://www.hcpss.org/health/medications/
Parents of 6th grade students…
Reminder that all students entering 7th grade are required by the State of Maryland to have the MCV4 and Tdap vaccines prior to the first day of 7th grade. 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 email an updated copy of your child’s immunizations to Megan_Blouse@hcpss.org.
**Symptom Check Daily**
Parents/guardians, please remember to perform a symptom check daily, prior to your child’s departure from home. Please reference the Health Room Updates Google doc for details.
Please ensure your contact information is current and up to date so that we can contact you in the event of an illness or emergency. If possible, have a secondary emergency backup person identified who will be able to pick up your child if you are unable to. All ill students must be picked up from the health room.
Information and resources, such as this tip sheet on virtual learning, are available online to aid families and students in the transition to hybrid and concurrent virtual learning. HCPSS’ Help site provides answers to hundreds of questions about hybrid learning, health and safety, transportation, and more.
COVID-19 Dashboard: Read More.
2021-2022 Academic Calendar: Read More.
Online Bullying Reporting Tool: Read More.
HCPSS Translations: https://www.hcpss.org/2020-2021/translations/.
Google Meet Expectations for Students and Parents/Guardians: To ensure a positive and productive virtual learning experience, it is important that all students and parents/guardians adhere to these Google Meet expectations, and review the virtual instruction responsibilities, expectations, and best practices provided online.
Please join us virtually to learn more about how to be better advocates for the LGBTQ+ Community at our second HoCo Rainbow Conference. With over 24 concurrent sessions and local as well as national speakers, we have a full day of fun and learning lined up for Saturday, May 15, 2021. Session speakers include Jane Clementi and Joshua Patel of the Tyler Clementi Foundation, Rae Sweet of the It Gets Better Project, Maryland House Majority Leader, Eric Luedtke, Kevin Naff of The Washington Blade, Ying Matties and Robyn Page of Community Allies of Rainbow Youth (CARY), and many more! Registration for this FREE conference will go live on Friday, April 2nd. Until then, you can browse our conference website to learn more about the sessions and view the conference schedule here. We hope many of you will join us!
Free Food Distribution at Ducketts Lane ES The Catholic Community of Ascension and St. Augustine has partnered with Lancaster Foods, and we have received a grant from the US Department of Agriculture to distribute boxes of food that contain 30.5 pounds of fresh fruit, vegetables, dairy, and meat. The boxes will be distributed on Saturdays in March beginning at 10:00 am and ending at noon, or earlier if the food is gone. The distribution will take place at Ducketts Lane Elementary School, 6501 Ducketts Lane, Elkridge, MD 21075, on the following dates:
Saturday, March 27, 2021
Each vehicle or walker will be eligible to receive one box of food, and all participants must wear a face mask during pickup. There are no income or documentation restrictions. We have requested over 2,000 boxes of food, but once the food is gone it is gone. You are welcome to come each week that the program is available to receive food. Questions? Please contact ccastafooddistribution4@gmail.com
Howard Community College Thursday, April 1st and Friday, April 30th Food Give Away.pdf
All previous newsletters are posted under News at http://pms.hcpss.org/
In response to community requests for resources, HCPSS’ new Community News and Programs website makes it easy for families to find educational and recreational resources, events and after-school programs beyond the school day by non-profit organizations.”
Community organizations requesting their announcements be shared in school newsletters should visit community-programs.hcpss.org for more information. Questions should be directed to the Public Information Office at publicinfo@hcpss.org.