EMMS Eagle News - 10/30/2020

Sat, 10/31/2020 - 4:43am
Ellicott Mills Middle School  
EMMS EAGLE NEWS
Friday, October 30, 2020

#EMMSOneMillOneFamily
#EMMS_Pride

UPCOMING: 
  • November 1st – Daylight Savings Ends (Set clocks back one (1) hour)
  • November 3rd – Election Day – Schools & Offices are Closed
  • November 4th – Virtual PTA Meeting @ 6:30pm (details coming)
  • November 6th – 3 hour Early Dismissal Schedule;End of First Quarter
  • November 16th – First Quarter Report Cards Issued; Available Online Only
  • November 23rd – 3 hour Early Dismissal Schedule for Parent Teacher Conferences
  • November 24th – 3 hour Early Dismissal Schedule for Parent Teacher Conferences
  • November 25th – Schools Closed for Parent Teacher Conferences
  • November 25th & 26th – Schools and Offices are Closed
  • December 2nd – Virtual PTA Meeting @ 6:30pm (details coming)
  • December 24th through December 28th – Schools and Offices are Closed
  • December 29th through December 30th – WINTER BREAK
  • December 31st through January 1st – Schools and Offices are Closed
  • January 4th – Students Return to Virtual Classes

Message From The EMMS Front Office

Happy Friday EMMS Community,
 
It is hard to believe that we are only one week away from the end of the first quarter. This weekend, please consider dedicating some time to log-in to Canvas with your child and check their grades and assignments.  Now is the time to complete any outstanding assignments. I cannot stress enough how important and useful the Synchronous Support Sessions can be to provide your child with the direct support needed to help them clarify assignment expectations or help them complete make-up work. Many times students will be one-on-one with their teachers; that sort of direct support is invaluable. There is no better way to get them the help! If you are unsure when support sessions are scheduled, please see the sample schedule shared here
 
As teachers provide extended opportunities for students to complete make-up work or opportunities for second chance learning, please understand that providing students with these opportunities also creates additional assignments to create and grade. Teachers are working extremely hard to be flexible and responsive to your child’s needs, thank you for keeping that in mind regarding grading turnaround times.
 
Quarter 1 ends on 11/6. ALL students will receive a quarter 1 grade, even if they are in a semester class in which they are technically at the midway point. Semester class grades will be an average of quarter 1 and quarter 2 grades. Any asynchronous assignments posted this Monday for semester courses will count toward their 2nd quarter grades as the due date falls on the start of the second quarter or 11/9. Electronic report cards will be issued on 11/15.
 
Also, please remember Quarter 2 begins November 9th. Parents and students can check on Canvas to see their quarter 2 class schedule. CLICK HERE to download.
 
Again, if your child is struggling with an assignment or has make-up work to complete, please have them log into Synchronous Support Sessions!
 
Have a great weekend!
 
Peter Gaylord
Principal, EMMS

EMMS General News

Intramural (After School) Program Information:
  1. Best Buddies is now accepting applications from students who would like to be a peer in this amazing program. Please go to Best Buddies online application and fill out the application form. Best Buddies is where you sign up to be peer buddy who commits to a one-on-one relationship with a student who has intellectual or developmental disabilities for an academic school year. We will also participate in group activities throughout the year. Come support a fellow student, make new friends, and have fun! To find out more information Check out the Best Buddies website. Should you have any questions, please contact Ms. Eikenberg (deborah_eikenberg@hcpss.org).
  2. EMMS Open Up Student Book Club on Thursdays from 3:15-4:15pm.  Check out this flyer to learn more about this terrific opportunity for students to read high-interest novels that focus on themes of inclusivity, cultural identity, and lived experiences different from your own. Each Thursday afternoon, you will participate in engaging and meaningful discussions with your peers in a Google Meet setting. If this sounds like something your student is interested in, please complete this application and permission slip by October 30th. Reach out to Mrs. Batelka with any questions (christina_batelka@hcpss.org).
  3. EMMS Council of Student Voices Hey Eagles! on Tuesdays from 3:30-4:30pm for 18 weeks starting November 10th. Looking for a way to get involved? There's a new intramural opportunity; The EMMS Council of Student Voices! Please have your student complete this interest form and review this Video from EMMS teaching staff; Slide show from EMMS Staff. We can't wait to collaborate! Ms. Hoffman and Mrs. DePola (NOTE: Links may only be accessible through your students Canvas log-in information) .
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 devices on-site to distribute. EMMS is currently waiting for more devices to come to use from HCPSS. Devices that we are handing out are the best that we have at the time of distribution.
 
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.
  • If you recently received a Dell device from EMMS, please check out the following links:

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: Anjali Nair
Grade 7: Timothy Ju
Grade 8: Phoebe Hogle
 
Thank you for Making Great Things Happen at The Mill!

HCPSS NEWS

Stakeholder Input on Spring Semester Instructional Model: Parents/guardians, students, staff and other stakeholders may provide input and feedback to the Board of Education regarding the spring semester instructional model by emailing spring-input@hcpss.org. The Board will review all emails; however, due to the anticipated volume, individual responses should not be expected.
 
HCPSS Invites Stakeholder Input on the School Resource Officer Program: The Howard County Public School System invites students, parents and guardians, staff members and community stakeholders to share their input about the School Resource Officer (SRO) Program in HCPSS schools. Feedback about the program may be provided by emailing SROinput@hcpss.org. All messages will be reviewed; however, due to the anticipated volume, individual responses should not be expected. The feedback provided will inform HCPSS' ongoing review of the roles, purpose and outcomes of SROs in Howard County schools. An update was presented at the October 22, 2020 Board meeting.
 
HCPSS Update concerning school meals: Meals will be provided at no cost to any HCPSS student, and all children 18 and under, throughout the 2020-2021 school year, subject to U.S. Department of Agriculture funding availability. Read More.
 
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 responsibilitiesexpectations and best practices provided online.
 
Virtual Public Hearing: Policy 8090 Non-School-Hour Curricular Programs: Thursday, November 5th, 7 p.m.; register to testify by Monday, November 2nd, 4:30 p.m. Board meetings are currently held virtually, live on the HCPSS website and on Comcast 95/Verizon 42Learn about pre-registration and testimony. Register online to testify by Monday, November 2nd. Specific instructions on testifying virtually will be emailed to each registrant prior to the public hearing.

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.
 
FREE HOMEWORK HELP! ACHIEVE SUCCESS TOGETHER is offering free middle school homework help. All middle schoolers are welcome to get matched to an experienced high school tutor! AST is a student-run community organization now celebrating its fifth year. Our tutors are carefully vetted, flexible, and love teaching! Sign up at achievesuccesstogether.org          Questions? Email astofficers@gmail.com.

Howard County Association of Student Councils (HCASC): HCASC welcomes all middle/high school students our next virtual meeting on November 11th from 7:00-8:30pm. Click Here to Read More About HCASC.

 
HC DrugFree Updates for Parents/Guardians: HC DrugFree and the Howard County State's Attorney's Office, partnering with HCPSS and the Health Department, will once again provide an evidence-based classes for families to gain skills and knowledge to reduce the risk that their children will use drugs. This 4-week series will be held online from 6:30 to 8:00pm on Tuesdays, October 20th, 27th and November 10th, 17th. Parents/guardians must register at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HCDrugFreeFall2020. If you have questions, email Joan Webb Scornaienchi, HC DrugFree’s Executive Director at Admin@hcdrugfree.org or call 443-325-0040.
 
HC DrugFree Drive-thru EpiPen, Medication and More Collection: Howard County's next convenient drive-thru collection for over-the-counter and prescription medication and “sharps” (needles, syringes and EpiPens) will be held on Saturday, October 24th between 10:00am and 2:00pm in the Wilde Lake Village Center parking lot near the Swim Center and The UPS Store. HC DrugFree and the Howard County Police urge you to clean out your medicine cabinets. Please visit HC DrugFree’s homepage at www.hcdrugfree.org for more information about the event or email Joan Webb Scornaienchi, HC DrugFree’s Executive Director at Admin@hcdrugfree.org or call 443-325-0040.

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

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.
 
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.
 
Need to Get in Touch with Anyone at EMMS? 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 different Virtual Office Hours, check out our EMMS Calendar for more details.

Connect with Us:

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

 

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