UPCOMING EVENTS:

9/15: Canvas Parent/Guardian Information sessions

9/16:  PTA general assembly meeting (outside) 5:30 PM

9/17:  Back to School kNight (Virtual) 6:00 PM  

9/28: Schools and offices closed - Yom Kippur

9/29: Music Boosters, 7:00 PM

 

Dear Patapsco Middle School Community,

It has been a wonderful first week back to school. I have enjoyed seeing many classes this week and seeing the connections that students and staff are making! I sent a welcome video to our students this morning on Canvas (you can view it too under Patapsco Middle Student Resources page) and I look forward to traveling to more classes next week. Thank you to all of our students for their excitement, to our families for their support, and to our staff for their commitment to a high quality education for our children!

Today we are reminded that nineteen years ago, on September 11, we witnessed unthinkable acts of terrorism within the boundaries of the United States. Since that day in 2001, September 11 has been designated as Patriot’s Day and serves as a time to remember those who were lost on that day.  A moment of silence was observed today to honor those who continue to fight for our freedoms, and as a day of service for our nation.

I look forward to seeing you at one of many upcoming events. We have our Canvas Parent/Guardian information sessions this Tuesday, our upcoming PTA outdoor meeting this Wednesday, our Virtual Back to School Knight at 6 PM this Thursday, and our Virtual Music Boosters meeting at the end of the month.

Thank you for being part of our #OnePatapsco community!

Mike Babe, Principal

Back to School Knight

We are looking forward to seeing you at our Back to School Knight next Thursday, September 17 at 6 PM. This year we will have a virtual Back to School Knight. All families will begin in their child’s Homeroom/SEL period for a welcome video at 6:00 PM. You will use the google meet code that is listed in the previous link and you must use your student’s HCPSS credentials to access the room. After the video, all families will travel virtually to periods 1-4 for semester one using the assigned google meet codes that your student uses. If you have not done so, please view your explore the Canvas pages of each class and view the Welcome videos that our teachers have created. This is a great introduction to our teachers and a great practice for you to log-on with your student’s credentials.

More information including the class Google Meet codes will be sent out next week as an individual newsletter. **To access all the classes and homeroom, you must use your student’s HCPSS log-in username and password.**

Family File

Please update your Family File by Friday, September 18th! You will need to go through the file, even if you do not have any changes, and hit "submit" at the end of the last page. That will complete the submission process.

Please click here https://www.hcpss.org/connect/ to log in to your HCPSS connect and complete the Family File Form.

Please click here https://www.hcpss.org/connect/guides/#family-file-guides for more information and instructions on how to complete your students Family File information.

Canvas Overview Session for Parents/Guardians

Tuesday, September 15th,  Mrs. McNabb, our Media Specialist, is offering a Canvas Overview Session for parents/guardians with supported work time built in for you to customize your notification settings and to download the parent app. She will provide basic information on your role as a parent observer in your child's Canvas courses and directions for viewing grades and using the inbox feature.  

Two sessions will be offered during the following times: 

2:00PM to 3:00PM 

6:00PM to 7:00PM 

Use the Google Meet login information below: 

meet.google.com/bop-odve-iqb

Join by phone 

(US) +1 443-648-3952  

PIN: 392 059 934#

If you have trouble getting into the meeting, send email to Suzanne McNabb at mmcnabb@hcpss.org

Joining Google Meet 

If your student needs assistance with joining a Google Meet, we have provided step by step directions here which is located on our website.

Spanish Speaking Families

Hola padres hispanohablantes,

Me gustaría presentarme y darles la más cordial bienvenida a este nuevo año escolar, en especial a aquellas familias que por primera vez ingresan a nuestra escuela.

Soy la Srta. Anderson, una de las secretarías aquí en Patapsco. También estoy aquí para ayudar a la gente hispanohablante de nuestra escuela en todo lo que pueda. No duden en ponerse en contacto conmigo si necesitan algo. Con mucho gusto hago lo más que puedo para ayudarles. Mi dirección de correo electrónico es ashley_anderson@hcpss.org.

¡Por favor, tengan mucho cuidado en estos tiempos difíciles, y espero que su año escolar sea un año de éxitos, perseverancia, aprendizajes, y sobre todo de alegrías! Pasaremos esto juntos.

Sinceramente,

Ashley Anderson 

Secretaría de los profesores

Hello Spanish-speaking parents,

I would like to introduce myself and extend a very warm welcome to you for this new school year, especially to those families that are new to our school.

I am Ms. Anderson, one of the secretaries here at Patapsco. I'm also here to help the Spanish-speaking families at our school in any way that I can. Feel free to contact me for anything you may need. I will gladly do what I can to help. My email is: ashley_anderson@hcpss.org.

Please be careful in these difficult times, and I hope your school year is full of successes, perseverance, learning, and above all happiness! We will get through this together.

Sincerely,

Ashley Anderson  

Teachers' Secretary

Recovery of Learning Packets (ROL)

If your student completed a Recovery of Learning Packet over the summer from 4th quarter, students/families must confirm packet submission by completing this Google form https://bit.ly/HCPSSROLreturn (Links to an external site.) or by calling 410-313-1526 to confirm submission. Families and students needing language support to submit the Google form may call the HCPSS Call Center.

• Chin: 410-313-5968
• Chinese: 410-313-5920
• Korean: 410-313-1592
• Spanish: 410-313-1591

Completed packets can be submitted one of three ways:

•     mailed to the central office, care of “ROL return”
•     place the packet in the “ROL return” box at the Board of Education,
•     scan and email completed packets to rolreturn@hcpss.org.

Student Class Expectations in Google Meets

• Adhere to HCPSS Policy 8080 Responsible Use Technology and Social Media and other relevant HCPSS policies.
• Follow the school’s 3 R’s - (Resilient, Responsible, and Respect)
• Students will only be permitted into a Google Classroom session with a HCPSS email account.  All students can be identified through their HCPSS email account.
• Inappropriate/offensive/threatening comments, misrepresentation of identity, and/or disruptive participants (invited or uninvited) during Google Classroom sessions will not be tolerated.
• Sharing login information violates the confidentiality rights of other students and places them at risk of having to witness disruptive behaviors from students who are not members of the class or school community. 
• Students who are disruptive and/or “trespass” Google Classroom sessions will be immediately reported to administration and will receive appropriate consequences in accordance with the HCPSS Code of Conduct.  Consequences may result in temporary or permanent loss of technology access, which will also result in a student's inability to participate in Google Classroom sessions; arrangement for receiving instruction and assignments will be established by administration communicated and arranged with parents.

Student Attendance

Active student participation is the key to student achievement, both in the classroom and during distance learning. Teachers will design engaging lessons and activities, both for virtual live classes and online assignments. Regular participation is essential for student growth, and students are expected to engage in learning activities every week.

Student attendance for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday instruction will occur as follows:

• At the middle and high school level, each teacher will take period attendance, noting whether students were present online for synchronous instruction.
• Daily attendance will be based on teacher-recorded attendance for the entire school day.
• If there is technical difficulty, a student may submit asynchronous work for a particular day to receive credit for attendance and should contact the teacher.

Student attendance for Wednesday instruction will occur as follows:

• A student will be counted as present if they do one or more of the following since the previous Wednesday:
  • Submit assignments to their teachers
  • Engage in synchronous instruction with their teacher
  • Complete work in the Canvas learning management system

If a student has to be absent from school, a note must be submitted to pmsabsence@hcpss.org

Virtual Instruction Technology Supports

We recognize there may be times that technology may not work as anticipated. This may be due to the nationwide increase in demand on these services or an issue with your local internet provider. We know this may be stressful for both you and your child, and ask for your patience as we work through any challenges that may arise. HCPSS teachers will be understanding and flexible if interruptions to technology services cause delays in assignment submissions and missed virtual learning sessions. 

Please find below suggestions on how to proceed if your student experiences an issue.

What should we do when technology is not working?

First, please utilize our links and supports on our website. 

Occasionally, students may have issues with Canvas, Google Meet or other learning platforms used by HCPSS. If your child is having difficulty:

• Logging in to Google Meet - Directions on joining a Google Meet can be found online. If your child is still unable to join, have them send their teacher a message via Canvas or you can send the teacher an email to make them aware. Your child can work on other assignments in Canvas and/or you can have them focus on another learning platform used by their teachers, such as Actively Learn, until the issue is resolved.
• Logging in to Canvas - Have your child attend any scheduled virtual learning sessions and/or have them focus on another learning platform used by their teachers, such as Actively Learn. Make sure to let your child’s teacher know about the issue via email. 

HCPSS Student Code of Conduct, Student Handbook & Google Meet Expectations:

Each day we work to recognize and celebrate positive behaviors, but we also must follow the Howard County Public School System countywide discipline code.  For your convenience, click here for the HCPSS Student Code of Conduct.   During the first few weeks of school, teachers will be reviewing expectations and procedures for their classrooms, and teachers and staff will review important county policies that every student is responsible for understanding and following this year. It is also important for parents/guardians to review these policies with your children.  Please take time over the next week or so to review the policies contained in the Student/Parent Handbook, as these are important for you to be familiar with throughout the duration of your child’s time in HCPSS.  This is also a good time to review Google Meet Expectations for Students and Parents/Guardians  to help ensure a positive virtual learning experience. Knowing and understanding the expectations regarding policies and procedures for the year will lead to a positive and engaging learning experience for all.

Meal Distributions

Remember, Patapsco Middle is a food site and students may access Grab-and-Go meals at Patapsco.  Please drive to the back of the building for access. A sign is posted.  Meals will be served Monday through Friday between 8-9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Breakfast and lunch can be picked up at either meal time. Meals will be provided free of charge for all students, subject to USDA funding availability. Detailed information about meals for the 2020-21 school year are provided online.

Patapsco Music Boosters

Save the Date!  The first meeting of the Patapsco Music Boosters will be held virtually at 7 PM on September 29, 2020.  More meeting information will follow, but please mark your calendars now.  The Boosters are a parent and teacher non-profit group that provides supports for and advocates for music ensembles in our school.  We invite all parents of children in Band, Chorus, and Orchestra to join us for our first meeting of the year.  You'll get to meet the Music Directors and help discuss plans, student needs, and opportunities for the 2020-2021 school year.

PTA News

Become a PTA member today!

Purchase this year’s PTA memberships in our new online store -- https://patapscomiddle.new.memberhub.store/store

We’ve added new PTA membership levels and family memberships this year to give you more flexibility as well as additional donation options. Your donation helps us reduce fundraisers and increases the quality of our events throughout the year! Remember, PTA memberships are ANNUAL – so you do need to sign up every year!  As always, your donation directly benefits our teachers, staff, and students. Please follow us on Facebook to view and all the ways your donation will support our school.

Being a PTA member means that you are part of an association that focuses on programs and initiatives that strengthen your child's education and the family-school partnership. Your dollars directly support your child, your teachers and the PTA builds a stronger, more diverse, and inclusive school community. There's no wrong way to PTA. We invite every family to participate. 

Patapsco Middle School PTA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 23-7077082). All donations are 100% tax-deductible. Your store receipt will be your donation receipt and membership card if you select a PTA membership. 

Thank you to all families you have already signed up for a membership and/or made an additional donation.  Our PMS community rocks!

Join us at our first meeting in the school parking lot on Wednesday, September 16th at 5:30pm!

Spirit Wear

The Patapsco Spirit Wear Store is open.  You can order now through September 15th.  All orders will be shipped to school for curbside pickup in October!

https://patapscomiddleschoolknights.itemorder.com/sale  

Beth Schaeffer

Patapsco Middle School PTA President 2020-2021

Message to Patapsco Middle Current 6th Graders

If you know a former 5th grade student, let them know that we have left over 5th grade t-shirts from the end of the year. See below. We had enough for all 5th grade students. We will leave the box of t-shirts in our front foyer for any families that want to pick up the t-shirt for their child. This is a special memory they may like to have.

Hollifield Station T-shirt.pdf