Cedarmere Elementary The Panther Paw

November 10, 2017

Our Mission

To provide a safe and positive learning environment that provides students with stimulating experiences that encourage educational

excellence while promoting high self-esteem and respect for the uniqueness of others.

Laura Brown Kristin Bull

Principal Assistant Principal

Important Dates NOVEMBER 13-16 American Education Week 16 Report Cards Distributed No School for Pre-Kindergarten Students Pre-Kindergarten Conference Day 17 CONFERENCE DAY – SCHOOL CLOSED FOR STUDENTS Magnet School Application Deadline 21 Family Dinner Night - Chipotle 23-24 SCHOOL CLOSED / HAPPY THANKSGIVING 27-12/1 Book Fair 29 School Picture Makeup Day 30 PTA General Meeting/Book Fair 6:30 PM A LOOK AHEAD TO DECEMBER 7 PTA Movie Night 25-1/1 SCHOOL CLOSED FOR WINTER BREAK School reopens January 2nd

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

Dear Cedarmere Families,

On November 6th we began the second marking period of the school year. Report cards

will be distributed to students on Thursday, November 16th. The purpose of report cards is to

share your child’s progress each marking period and to identify their strengths and

weaknesses. Here are some ways you might respond to your child’s report card.

Praise your child for their effort.

Acknowledge all the positive grades.

Ask your child to identify any areas of weakness. Allow your child to talk openly about

what they think they could do to make improvement.

Work in cooperation with your child to set up goals for improvement in one or two

areas. (Too many goals may be too overwhelming and therefore not attainable). Seek

advice from the teacher if needed.

Inform the teacher about any goals, so that feedback can be provided or an incentive

program can be put in place. Students are working hard every day to be the very best

learners that they can be!

Please remember that you no longer need to wait to see your child's progress as all parents

now have access to BCPS ONE, our online grade reporting system.

On Friday, November 17th, all elementary schools are closed for parent conference day,

and the teachers will be available to discuss each child's academic progress at a scheduled

meeting with parents.

BCPS has posted a guide to help you understand your child’s elementary report

card. This guide can be found at http://www.bcps.org/academics/grading/ and may be

accessed directly by scanning the QR code below.

Fondly,

Laurie Brown

ABSENCE CALLS There is a new policy in effect for all Baltimore County Public Schools. If your child is absent, you will receive a phone call at approximately 10:00 am, notifying you that your child is not in school. There is no need to call the school if your child is absent. Please send a note explaining the absence when your child returns to school.

Please use the resources below for up to date information about closings, delays, cancellations and

postponements.

Information about school operations is announced publicly as soon as possible on local radio and television stations and other media including the Internet.

BCPS Now for Android and iOS

BCPS Web Home Page links to page displaying emergency announcements

BCPS TV, Comcast Cable Channel 73 & Verizon Fios Channel 34

BCPS Telephone Information 443-809-5555

Local radio and television stations

Schools-out.com

ATTENDANCE

Cedarmere is made up of a school community who respects and values education. Almost every day of

this school year we have had more than 95% of our students in school. Some of our grade levels have

had 100% attendance on multiple days. I am thankful for your support in sending your child to school

each day and on time.

The Maryland State Standard of schools for each day is:

96% or more students present – Excellent

94%-95.9% students present – Satisfactory

Less than 94% - Unsatisfactory

The Maryland State Department of Education has yearly attendance expectations and ratings:

Perfect Attendance – Outstanding

1-5 days absent – Excellent

6-8 days absent – Satisfactory

9 or more days absent – Unsatisfactory

Cedarmere Elementary has an Attendance Committee to help monitor and improve attendance. Our

mission is to:

Identify students who have frequent absences

Contact parents/families when students’ absences become chronic

Develop a plan to improve chronic absences

Celebrate students who attend school regularly by acknowledging them quarterly

Student absences impact a child’s academic progress. When students are chronically absent/tardy, they

miss the necessary skills and concepts that are taught at that grade level. Their homework, classwork,

and test performance may suffer. It is not uncommon for students who are frequently absent to have a

report card that reflects lower achievement than the child is truly capable of achieving.

We understand that there may be circumstances in which your child cannot attend school due to illness

and/or family emergencies. If they are absent, please send a note documenting a reason for the

absence.

At Cedarmere Elementary School, we care about your child and your family; please let us know if we can

support you in any way!

AMERICAN EDUCATION WEEK

“Great Public Schools: A Basic Right and Our Responsibility”

November 13-16, 2017

Classroom Visitation Schedule

Monday, November 13: 5th/McCourt

Tuesday, November 14: 4th/Pre-K/Kindergarten

Wednesday, November 15: 3rd/1st

Thursday, November 16: 2nd/Meekins

To make this day special for your school-aged child, please make other arrangements for younger siblings while you visit classrooms. Please plan to visit classrooms during American Education Week. Come to see why Cedarmere is such a great place for children to learn.

Baltimore County Public Schools has installed computer systems in all schools for screening visitors. The system, known as Raptor, scans photo IDs. When parents or other visitors enter the school for the first time each school year, they will be asked to present a government-issued photo ID or driver’s license to a staff member in the school office. The ID will be scanned and the following information will be collected: photo, name, and date of birth. This information will be used to check in the visitor, create an ID badge, and compare the visitor’s information against sexual offender databases throughout the country. If the visitor’s name appears on any of the lists or if the visitor refuses to allow the school to scan their ID, the visitor will not be allowed access to the school. Once visitors have their IDs initially scanned, the system will recognize their information and the check in process will be brief.

QUARTERLY SPECIAL RECOGNITION This year, our quarterly Special Recognition will be posted on the door of each homeroom. Our students

will receive recognition for Awesome Attendance. Listed below are the criteria:

Awesome Attendance: Students whose quarterly attendance rates (percentage of days

present) are at or above 94%.

Math Homework Helpers

Math Homework Helpers is a LIVE program, staffed by teachers, that is available to help your child with

their math homework. It airs on WEDNESDAYS from 4:30-5:30 PM on BCPS-TV (Comcast channel 73 or

Verizon channel 34). Every caller wins a prize and has the opportunity to spin the prize wheel for a

bonus prize. In order to get through to the show, you must call 410-494-1459 during the scheduled time.

We hope you take advantage of this program!

We acknowledge birthdays every day at Cedarmere on the morning announcements. Every child receives a birthday sticker. In order to support a healthy lifestyle and avoid food allergy issues, we ask that you refrain from sending in any food for any celebrations. In order to celebrate your child’s

birthday or any celebration, please consider “goodies” like pencils, erasers, or stickers. You may also consider donating a book to the classroom library in your child’s honor. Perhaps a board game or puzzle to be played during indoor recess would help the celebration continue throughout the year. Thank you for understanding how important a healthy lifestyle is for our students.

Welcome to November and the month to reflect on all the amazing things in our life! The PTA board is

extremely thankful to all of its members, those who sold Kid's Stuff Coupon books and those who

celebrated Trunk or Treat with us! It was a truly fun night had by all. A huge shout out to the Krell's for

chairing the event! As we transition into November we have more exciting adventures planned and we

need your help.

Membership: Thank you to those who signed up already!

Our membership is currently low and we need to get those numbers higher! The following list shows

what the money from dues collected funds:

1. State and National dues for insurance purposes (your dues-we do not see it unless there is an issue

that insurance needs to get involved... Let's hope this never happens)

2. Money fundraised goes back to our events: Trunk or Treat, SnowBall, Paint Night, Movie Night,

Cedar Day, etc

3. Money fundraised goes back into the school: Assemblies, PBIS programs, SGA, Library, Art

program, etc.

** Perks of being a member:

Special items at events

Attend Snowball for free

Entered into fun free raffles

The PTA is a non-profit organization meaning we are not out to make a profit but to give students safe,

educational and fun activities to enhance their educational experience.

So, we have extended our membership drive into November! As before, the teacher and class that has

the most signed up will win a party and a teacher basket. In addition, all families who have signed up will

be entered into a Turkey raffle! YES, YOU COULD WIN A TURKEY! (The turkey was donated by the Narine

family). Please sign up either on our website or by a flyer that is going home! (Do not forget to put your

child's teacher's name on your membership).

Budget: Our Budget is currently being revamped due to the loss of a fruit sale and we did not earn as

much as was projected on the Kids Coupon Book. If you are interested or know of a company who is

interested in donating to the PTA please contact Summer Quisgard at Squsigard4@gmail.com.

BOOK FAIR: We will be having our Wild West Book Fair the week of Nov. 27! Online orders are open

starting Black Friday! We are searching for Book Sheriffs (volunteers) to help us man the coral. No

experience required; we will teach you all you need to know. Also, all those who sign up to help will be

invited to the VIP night! Last but not least the Book Fair will be open after our General Meeting Nov.

30th. Keep a look out for our promotions!

MOVIE NIGHT: Get your ticket to ride the Polar Express! On December 7th, the Polar Express is making

it's way to our school. The movie is free to Cedarmere families, but members receive a few free items

from us! Keep an eye out on our Facebook page and flyers for more information!

If you have any questions please feel free to email us anytime. Squisgard4@gmail.com

Sincerely,

PTA Board

What a great experience we had during 5th grade ballroom dance the last week in October!

I want to thank all the parents and visitors who came out to support our finale on Friday the 27th!

I hope your student was able to show you some new dance moves when he/she got home. Mr. Chiles

did a wonderful job teaching different dances each day and tying them all together for our finale. They

put on a wonderful show. As he mentioned, if you are interested in any type of dance, please contact

him to further any dancing that you desire! His email is chilesv@gmail.com. This month we are

continuing our 4th grade intramurals which will end on November 9th. Thank you for filling up all the

spaces I had available. At the end of November, we will be starting our Movement Education Equipment

Unit. This is when I set up large climbing equipment in the gym and go through multiple levels and skills

about climbing (which all the students love to do)! Thanks a ton for your continued support as we make

this year the best one yet!

Your PE Teacher,

Vincent Crocker

CHARACTER EDUCATION

Cedarmere Elementary will highlight a specific character trait each month while still reinforcing many others on a consistent basis. The character trait will be taught daily at school by staff, teachers, and students in a variety of ways and will be incorporated into daily instruction and homework whenever possible. We will recognize students displaying the character trait of the month in as many ways as possible. (intercom announcements, bulletin boards, verbal and written comments, and calls to parents are a few examples) Please help us at home by reinforcing the character traits and having discussions with your child about them on a regular basis.

Virtue of the Month for November---------“Gratitude”

The virtue for the month of November is “gratitude”. “Gratitude” is the quality of being thankful, a

readiness to show appreciation for something and to return kindness. Synonyms for “gratitude” are:

gratefulness, thankfulness, thanks, and appreciation. In our community circles the classes have been

discussing the meaning of “gratitude” and what they are grateful for. Each and every day, we should all

stop and think about this important virtue. There are so many things that we can be thankful for and

this is a great time to continue to recognize them and talk about them with others.

Thank you to Mr. Peters’ class for sharing their thoughts about the virtue for November.

I am grateful for:

-being in a family that knows two languages. (Hiroaki)

-my mom and dad. (Chris)

-having a family that doesn’t scold me. (Melody)

-myself, my family, video games, sports, and technology, (Mile)

-my parents because they give me lots of love! (Alesha)

-my mom and dad who give me what I need. (Arya)

-my family. (James)

-my parents, my brother, my sister, and my grandparents. (Amir)

-my family. They keep me company. (Sophia M.)

-my mom who keeps me from being bullied. (Yankee)

-my friends who treat me nice and are kind. (Eden)

-my parents who keep me safe and teach me things. (Milvia)

-my family because they help me and make me feel special. (Eliana)

-my family, friends, Halloween, food, and my pets. (Sophie O.)

-my family because they stayed with me after my five surgeries. (Corri)

-my mommy and my daddy and life! (Ava)

-what my mom and dad do and buy for me. (Malachi)

- my friends. (Tyler)

The Cedarmere staff is thankful for our wonderful students and their families.

Chris Millirons, School Counselor

cmillirons@bcps.org

Student Government On Monday, October 30, 2017, the candidates running for Student Government offices gave

their speeches during an assembly for grades 2-5. The candidates did a wonderful job and we

are so proud of each and every one of them. The audience also did a great job. They were very

respectful of the candidates.

Congratulations to the following students.

Officers:

President – Makayla W.

Vice-President – Bryce W.

Secretary – Ruby C.

Treasurer – Kevin W.

Parliamentarian – Dana A-C

Members-At-Large:

Kendall G.

Iza L.

Tucker R.

Bella D.

Bailiy A.

Heena S.

Chris Millirons, School Counselor

Claire’s Gourmet Fundraiser Cedarmere parents and students rock! A big “paws up” to all who participated in the Claire’s fundraiser.

It was a big success thanks to you. We sold approximately $4,000 worth of products. This is wonderful.

Our profit will be approximately $1,000. This money will be used to support our PBIS program. Thank

you for helping to make this such a great fundraiser! We appreciate your support, dedication, and hard

work. This was really a worthwhile activity and the students will truly benefit.

The following students were able to sell Claire’s products and raise money for our PBIS program. Thank

you.

Oluwadamilola

A.

Camryn H. Lundin P.

Temiloluwa A. Daniel H. Michael P.

Chioma A. Olivia J. Khloe P.

Malik A. Khloe K. Cody R.

Liam C. Anriola K. Simona S.

Shantell C. Anjola K. Autumn S.

Alanna D. Markus M. Nigel S.

Kenyon F. Angelica M. Leila U.

Madison F. Sophia M. Joel V.

Kendall G. Carsen O. Cailyn W.

Thank you to all parents and students for your patience during pick-up. It was important to us to check

over your order with you and assist you in loading your car as much as possible. We certainly appreciate

you and your time.

Thank you once again for making this fundraiser such a huge success. We hope that you enjoy your

Claire’s Gourmet products.

Our top seller this year was Shantell C. She sold over $500 worth of products.

Congratulations Shantell! She won the $100 cash prize.

Chris Millirons

School Counselor

cmillirons@bcps.org

NURSE’S CORNER

Healthy Notes from Nurse Kick

This is the time of year that illnesses are often spread as the weather forces us to stay indoors

closer to others. Children who are young and/or unable to perform healthy personal hygiene habits are

at greater risk of becoming ill. We continue to try to reduce the spread of illness by teaching the

importance of proper hand washing, using elbows or a tissue to cover coughs and sneezes.

We need your assistance in enforcing good hygiene and following the recommendations listed at home

as well.

Adults and children can reduce the spread of illness by staying home when not well. Your child will be

healthier faster and not be exposed to additional illness. Common contagious illnesses include colds, Flu,

Strep throat, Conjunctivitis (also called pink eye), stomach viruses, head lice and ringworm.

If you suspect that your child may have a communicable illness, keep them home and seek proper

medical treatment. Ill children should not be sent to school for evaluation by the nurse as they can’t

diagnose or order medications. Feel free to call the school nurse as she is always happy to provide

advice. Notify the school nurse as soon as your child is diagnosed and before they return to school as

some illnesses require that your child remain home for a specified time. This will also put us on alert for

others who may develop the same symptoms.

Please be considerate and follow these recommendations:

When your child feels ill use a thermometer to obtain their temperature before you give them any medications. Children with a fever of 100ºF or above should stay home until fever free (without any medicine for fever) for 24 hours.

If they experience vomiting, diarrhea or sudden rash they should be symptom free for 24 hours before returning. Also consider keeping children home if they have a persistent cough, sore throat, or excessive nasal drainage.

If your child feels sick to their stomach and unable to eat breakfast they need to be monitored at home until they can eat. Sending them to school on an empty stomach may result in vomiting and affect their ability to learn. Consult a medical provider if this problem occurs frequently.

Keep our records updated when phone numbers change. Parents or a designated adult should be available to pick up sick children at school within an hour; sooner if they have a chronic illness (such as Asthma). Children with fever, vomiting, diarrhea or have active symptoms related to a chronic illness can’t be sent home on the school bus.

VOLUNTEER TRAINING All volunteer training now takes place online, at your own discretion. Every person who plans on attending a school field trip or event must be an approved volunteer. Once you complete the online training you must print your volunteer application and the certificate of completion and bring it in to the main office to Mrs. Millirons. The training only takes about 15 minutes to complete, and must be completed every year. Log onto the official Baltimore County Public Schools website, http://www.bcps.org. Locate the “Community” tab under the heading. Open the community tab and scroll down to “Volunteer with BCPS”. Follow the directions under “Volunteer Instructions”.

BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION

Earn cash for our school!

Save your box tops and send them to school.

Clip Box Tops from hundreds of participating brands. The Box Tops will be collected in every classroom

and each quarter the two classes with the most Box Tops will win a prize. It is so easy for our school to

earn additional funds for our children.

1. Clip Box Tops from Hundreds of your favorite products. Each Box Top is worth 10 cents for our school. Some are worth more.

2. Send the Box Tops to school with your child and they can deposit them in a collection bag in each classroom. The Box Tops are collected throughout the year and sent to Box Tops for Education.

3. Twice a year, Box tops for Education will send our school a check. 4. We collect Box Tops all year long. Also save them over the summer and send them to school in

September.

Visit boxtops4education.com for more information.

If you have any questions, please contact Chris Millirons, School Counselor.

cmillirons@bcps.org

VISITORS

“The safety of all students and staff in Baltimore County Public Schools (BCPS) is of utmost importance to all of us. Our school, as well as all Baltimore County Schools, is utilizing a visitor check-in system. The system is called V-soft by Raptor otherwise known as Raptor. The information collected will not be shared outside of the school and is stored on a secure server. When you visit our school for the first time, you will be asked to present government issued photo identification (ID) or a driver’s license to a staff member in our main office. The ID will be scanned and your photo, name, and date of birth will be extracted. This information will be utilized to log you in and compare your information against the national sexual offender database. Once your ID is scanned and you are cleared, a visitor pass will be printed for you. You must wear your ID in a visible location while in the building. You will need only to show your ID on future visits. You are to check out with the office staff upon completion of your business so that we know you are no longer in the building. If you do not want your ID scanned, the only alternative to this process is to allow staff to see your ID to verify your name and date of birth so that this information can be manually entered into the system. This method does not store information. Therefore, you must go through this process each time you visit the school. If you refuse to show your ID, you will be denied access to the school. If you are matched to any of the National Sex Offender Registry, you will be denied access to the school. Only the principal can override this decision and identify conditions under which you may visit. Your assistance in keeping our students and staff safe is appreciated.”

SMOKING

Baltimore County Public Schools is committed to providing a healthy, comfortable, and productive environment for its students and employees. The use of tobacco in any form in the school building, on school property (including the parking lot), and at school-sponsored functions (including field trips) is prohibited at all times.

The Lost and Found is located outside of the cafeteria. Please check this area if your child is missing a jacket, sweatshirt, gloves, etc. There are many nice articles of clothing, as well as other items. Every quarter we donate the articles, so soon all of the items will be gone.

THE PANTHER PAW NEWSLETTER

The Panther Paw Newsletter will be published once a month on the second Wednesday of every month. It will contain a calendar of events for that month and the following month as well as other important information concerning our school. We encourage you to read the newsletter and post the calendars on your refrigerator to refer to them throughout the month. In our effort to go green and reduce the amount of paper we use, we are planning to send our newsletters electronically to anyone who provided a working email address on your child’s emergency contact form at the beginning of the year. All newsletters will be posted our school website http://cedarmerees.bcps.org

Nov. 1 at Parkville High School

Nov. 9 at Woodlawn High School

Nov. 14 at New Town High School

Nov. 16 at George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology

Nov. 27 at Dundalk High School

All run from 6 -7 p.m.

Contact: Office of the Chief of Staff, 443-809-8706

THE NORTHWEST AREA EDUCATION

ADVISORY COUNCIL INVITES YOU TO OUR

GRADING AND REPORTING MEETING BCPS Curriculum and Instruction staff will present information and respond to questions about the current state of Grading and Reporting procedures in Baltimore County

Date: Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Time: 7:00pm – 8:30pm

Location: Sudbrook Magnet Middle School

4300 Bedford Avenue

Baltimore, MD 21208

.

For additional information contact Clifford Collins at ccollins3 @bcps.org.

Reisterstown United Methodist Church

308 Main Street

Food Pantry Hours:

Weds. 6 to 8 pm Saturdays 9 am to noon

Food Pantry Guidelines:

1. Serving Residents of Reisterstown, Owings Mills, Glyndon, and Finksburg -

ID is required.

2. One food bag per month per family.

3. Wawa items and Panera bread are available any Weds. and Saturdays

depending upon quantity.

4. Gently used clothing and household items are free “as needed”.

5. Do not park in the eye doctor’s lot,

in the grass, or along the driveway.

When the parking lot is full, please park behind the main church.

The First Half Hour is when the food pantry is the most crowded. If you do

not want to wait in a line – consider coming during the second hour we are

open. We will only let in 4 people at a time due to the size of the room – regardless

of rain, heat or cold. Please be considerate of our volunteers and each other.

Church Office: (410)833-5440

246 Main St. Reisterstown, MD 21136

www.rumcweb.org

Winter Clothing Give Away November 4 from 8:30am to 11:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall at the rear of the church. Free hot lunch follows.

Community Luncheon:

Join us for a free hot lunch on the first Saturday of every month in our hall

located in the rear of our main church building. Serving from 11:30am - 1:00pm

The Son’s Kitchen – Free Lunch

3rd Saturday of the month - 1:30-1:00 pm The Reisterstown Baptist Church

25 East Chestnut Hill Lane (410)833-0149 ******************************************** Mission of Mercy - Offers medical and dental care (limited to the first 5

clients) to adults and children with no insurance: Meets at RUMC on the

second and fourth Tuesday of the month in our fellowship hall – off the back

parking lot and through the double glass doors.

Call (410)980-4199 for more information – you must leave a brief message and

your number and they will call you back.

Community Crisis Center – serving residents of Reisterstown, Owings Mills, and Glyndon. 410-526-7111 725 Main Street, Reisterstown 21136 Mon 5-7 pm, Tues–Fri 10 am–12:30, Sat 10-12

Alpha Pregnancy Center – (410)833-7993

His Hands and Feet Homeless Ministry Reisterstown United Methodist

Church 308 Main Street, Reisterstown, MD 21136

Serves Reisterstown, Glyndon, Owings Mills and Finksburg Contact Linda Finley at lindafinley@verizon.net

Showers & Food; Clothing and blankets as available Thursdays 10am – Noon

Wawa Sandwiches and Panera Bread available Wed.6-8 pm; Sat. 9-Noon.

Need immediate help? Call 211 24 hrs./7 days If you cannot reach 211, call (410)685-0525 in the Greater Baltimore area or Contact the Community Crisis Center (410)526-7111 (for food and other

assistance) Mon.5-7 pm. Tues. thru Fri. 10am-12:30 pm