Eagles:
Typically I’d be writing to you about the logistics of getting to school and preparing for the start of an in-person learning experience for our students. This year makes it a little different. Though I do hope to be writing to you about how to get a parking permit at some point this school year, for now there are a number of tasks that require you to power up your laptop and complete some asynchronous work prior to the first class on September 8th.
Before we get to that list, I’d like to take a moment to address the press conference held by Governor Hogan and the State Superintendent on Thursday as a follow-up to the email message sent by Dr. Martirano following its conclusion. I want to assure you that, as previously announced, Howard County Public Schools will hold a virtual first semester beginning on September 8. Careful plans are in place to ensure that every student will have a robust learning experience that is centered on live, teacher-led virtual instruction.
Our teachers officially returned to work on Tuesday, August 25, and have been taking part in intensive professional learning to prepare to welcome students back on the first day of this school year. I say ‘officially’ because just about every single one of our educators have been working through the summer to ensure they are ready not only for a virtual learning platform, but for teaching in a 4x4 model. Ensuring they are ready to teach your students is a priority for our teachers. They have not been sitting back and waiting to prepare: they have been working harder this past summer than typically is required.
On October 22, our Superintendent and Board of Education will begin to evaluate plans for the second semester, and that discussion will be informed by our experiences during the initial weeks of school, the status of the pandemic at that time, and further guidance from the state and Howard County Health Department. This will be the first meeting to be held before a final decision about Semester 2 is scheduled to be made at the meeting on November 19. Between now and then, we are also awaiting the finalization of plans to bring some students into school buildings in small groups to receive in-person support. This was always a part of the school systems plan and we will continue to work toward that goal.
As you know, the conditions related to the pandemic are rapidly evolving, and we realize this can be a confusing and stressful time. Your patience and understanding is appreciated as we work together to ensure students have a safe and productive learning experience. Be assured that school system leaders continue to hold the well-being of our children and staff members as the highest priority, and we are all looking forward eagerly to the day when we can welcome our students back to school in person.
Now, back to business! This week, we will hold our New Student Orientation and Back to School Events on September 3. Parents and students will both need to access Meets for these events using the student login credentials. The best way to ensure you are accessing using the student hcpss.inst email address is to go to hcpss.me to launch Meet. We find people who are having trouble accessing forms and meetings that are restricted to HCPSS users results from browsers defaulting to a personal email account when attempting to login. For details about our orientation and Back to School events, please visit this page on our website.
Below is more information for you including three homework assignments for students and parents. We ask that you work to complete the first three tasks on the list below by the close of this week and no later than the first day of school.
Wishing you good health as you wind down your summer and prepare to get busy!
Cindy Dillon, Principal
Family File: We currently have a 37% completion rate for updates to the Family File. Please complete this important annual update as soon as you are able! It only takes about 10 minutes. Login here to get started now: https://www.hcpss.org/connect/
Canvas Orientation Module: Student and Parent Orientation modules and resources have been uploaded for your review. Canvas will have a new ‘look and feel’ this year. These updates have been made to help standardize how content is presented and organized for student and parent use. Students should review the module prior to the first day of school. Access the module here: https://hcpss.instructure.com/courses/9495
Policies and Procedure Review: This year, the Code of Conduct and Student Handbook will not be provided in hard copy. These reference materials are available for your review online. We are asking students and parents to review these documents using this guide and to submit this form affirming you have reviewed the information together with your student.
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Recovery of Learning Packets (ROL): Students with 'Incomplete' grades from Q4 need to submit packets by 9/30. Here's how...
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Testing Updates: The fall administration of the PSAT is being postponed until January 26. SAT/ACT will be held in September and October. Get more information here.