EMMS Eagle News - 10/2/2020

Fri, 10/02/2020 - 1:21pm
Ellicott Mills Middle School  
EMMS EAGLE NEWS
Friday, October 2, 2020
#EMMSOneMillOneFamily
#EMMS_Pride

Message from Principal Gaylord

Good Morning EMMS Families,
 
Happy Friday. I hope you have an opportunity to enjoy some of that crisp and fresh autumn air that has made its way into our region. As we continue to seek more effective ways in which to communicate and support your child’s learning, I want to highlight the daily Synchronous Support Sessions. Intentionally built into your child’s schedule, the time is intended to provide direct access to your child’s teacher for any questions or supports your child may need. These supports can include content, assignments, re-teaching or clarification. Every student has two optional support sessions per class, per week. Students are not required to stay the entire time; it is more of a pop-in and pop-out format. Our Student Support Team has found that these sessions are not being well attended, yet the volume of emails to teachers requesting support and/or clarification remains extremely high. We believe strongly in a personal approach tailored to our students' needs, and while not perfect, Synchronous Support Sessions, via a Google Meet provide a better means of academic and social support for your child. I highly recommend that you encourage your child to attend these sessions as the best means to receive additional support. Thank you.
 
Mr. Gaylord
EMMS Principal

Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Administration

On Wednesday October 7th and 14th, students in grades 6 to 8 will take the Measured Academic Progress (MAP) assessment. The data from the MAP assessment will help schools and teachers measure where your child is starting the year academically. The HCPSS intends to also give the assessment in winter and spring to measure how your child’s learning is progressing throughout the year.
 
The MAP test does not affect grades and the difficulty adjusts depending on how your child responds. It is normal for students to only answer about half the questions correctly. To learn more about the MAP assessment, please visit: https://www.nwea.org/the-map-suite/common-questions-families/.
 
MAP Reading test will be offered on October 7th at 9AM and 1PM. MAP Math test will be offered on October 14th at 9AM and 1PM. We are encouraging students to attend the 9 to 11 AM session, as students tend to perform better in the morning. Additionally, should they need additional time, as MAP is an untimed test, they can return at 1PM to finish. If your child is unable to attend, makeup testing will be offered during asynchronous learning times.
 
An email message from me will be sent to students with their Google Meet codes and testing group by Monday, October 5th. If you have any questions, please contact me at michele_doyle-wetzelberger@hcpss.org or call 410-313-2839.
 
Students who are exempt from MAP are any who are enrolled in high school mathematics courses and 8th grade GT ELA classes as the test does not go into those content areas.
 
Stay well,
Ms. DW
EMMS Assistant Principal and Testing Coordinator

EMMS News

EMMS Cafeteria asked us to HIGHLIGHT: Student Meals During 2020-2021 Fall Semester:Meals will be provided at no cost to any HCPSS student, and all children 18 and under, through December 31, 2020, subject to U.S. Department of Agriculture funding availability. The food services program during the 2020-2021 first semester (Sept. 8, 2020-Jan. 28, 2021) will consist of Grab-and-Go meals served any day school is in session, Monday through Friday from 8–9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.–12:45 p.m. Breakfast and lunch can be picked up at either mealtime. Read More.
 
Need Us? Check out or website to see if your answer is there. We highly encourage you to email our staff due to the decrease in front office staff availability (click here for staff contact information). EMMS is offering many different Virtual Office Hours, check out our EMMS Calendar for more details.
 
Need to return anything to EMMS? Our vestibule doors are open on the bus loop side from 7:30am to 3:30pm. Feel free to park, come into the vestibule and leave any item on the carts located on the left side.
 
Distribution of 2020/2021 Student Materials: EMMS is reaching out DIRECTLY to families as we have items to distribute to their student(s) based on request and class registration. Please be aware that we do not have any Chromebooks to distribute. EMMS is currently waiting for more devices to come to use from HCPSS.
 
Does your child need a Chromebook and/or internet access? Read More.
 
Family Technology Support: Before contacting the Technology Support Team, please make sure that you have checked all of the resources available to you @ hcpss.me. If you still have a Canvas or Synergy technology-related question, please complete this form, and a member of our support team will be in touch with you within 2 school days.

EMMS CELEBRATING OUR EAGLES

Teachers and Staff at EMMS and Elliott the Eagle are proud to announce the Eagle Eye Drawing Winners for this week!
 
Grade 6: Muthu Annamalai
Grade 7: Jackson Blasic
Grade 8: Kylie Salzler
 
Thank you for Making Great Things Happen at The Mill!

HCPSS NEWS

[NEW] Schedule Adjustments for Scheduled Early Dismissal Days: The HCPSS 2020-2021 calendar includes four scheduled 3-hour early dismissal days:
  • Friday, October 16, 2020 
  • Friday, November 6, 2020 
  • Monday, November 23, 2020 
  • Tuesday, November 24, 2020 
The virtual schedules have been adjusted for these scheduled early dismissal days to provide students with synchronous learning for each class. Additionally, both full- and half-day PreK classes will meet on these days using a modified schedule. Early dismissal day revised schedules for all elementarymiddle, and high school grades are provided on the 2020-2021 School Year website.
 
[NEW] FARMs Participation Supports Schools Through Title I Funding: Many families have been financially impacted by the pandemic and may now be eligible for FARMs. Families are urged to check their eligibility and complete a FARMs application by October 10th because the number of qualifying students directly impacts schools’ eligibility to receive valuable federal Title I funding. Read More.
 
[NEW] Review of School Resource Officer Program: Superintendent Martirano recently presented the “School Resource Officers in Schools” report, initiating the first step in an extended conversation about the roles, purpose and outcomes of School Resource Officers (SROs) in Howard County schools, which will involve all school system stakeholders. Read More.
 
[NEW] HCPSS Educational Partnerships 2019-2020 Annual Report: “Together” is the theme of the just released Report. Each school’s partners are listed, as well as system wide (at-large) and curricular and program office partnerships. In the report, you will see examples of how partners help care for students and staff. Click here to download report.
 
Bright Minds Foundation Golf Classic: Proceeds from the Golf Classic, on Wednesday, October 7th at the Waverly Woods Golf Club, support the work of Bright Minds Foundation, the official educational foundation of the Howard County Public School System.
 
HCPSS to Introduce Small Group, In-Person Supports for Selected Students: Read More.
 
Google Meet Expectations for Students and Parents/Guardians: To ensure a positive, productive and enjoyable learning experience for all participants, it is important that all students and parents/guardians adhere to these Google Meet Expectations.

COMMUNITY NEWS

HCPSS Community News / Events: Please visit the Community News and Programs page on the HCPSS website for announcements of upcoming events and programs sponsored by non-profit organizations.
 
Congratulations Mount View Middle School! The U.S. Department of Education recently recognized Mount View Middle School as a 2020 National Blue Ribbon School. Read More.

HCPSS / HELP   https://help.hcpss.org/technology

If a parent/guardian is not receiving emails and/or texts, please complete EMAIL / TEXT HELP FORM and HCPSS Tech Staff will look into the issue. The majority of the time, the user has unsubscribed or marked us as spam, and we can quickly add them back in to restart communication. Occasionally there is a break in the system, and we need a deeper dive into the issue.
 
There are links to many resources at HCPSS Connect and additional resources available within the Canvas LMS and the Synergy SIS. For additional support, please contact your child’s school. To report a Login issue, visit HCPSS Connect Help. For resources on using HCPSS Connect, visit HCPSS Connect Guides.

Connect with Us:

 
Address
4445 Montgomery Road
Ellicott City, MD 21043
 
Phone
410-313-2839
 
 
Twitter
@hcpss_emms
 
 
 

 

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