Dear Manor Woods Community,

The parent teacher conference sign-up window opens on Friday, January 27 at 8 a.m. and closes on Friday, February 3 at 4 p.m.

When registering for conferences an issue has been discovered that causes both boxes for in-person and virtual conference to display for all the available time slots and when one is selected both are automatically selected for the same time slot. Additionally, the automated email parents/guardians receive after scheduling the conference will include both. This issue is causing confusion on which type of conference has been selected. 

Please see below for information on how you can confirm which type of conference you have scheduled. 

For Manor Woods Elementary School parent-teacher conferences will be held Feb. 9-10 

Feb. 9 - Afternoon conferences will be held in person from 12:30 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.

Feb. 9 - Evening conferences, for those teachers who are offering them, will be virtual starting with the 3:30 p.m. conference slot

Feb. 10 - All conferences will be virtual

Parents/guardians can register via HCPSS Connect Synergy beginning at 8 a.m. Friday, Jan. 27 through 4 p.m. Feb. 3. Directions on how to register are available online.

When making a selection for a conference slot, the conference will be recorded in the system correctly within the above time parameters. 

Parents can verify the selection in-person or virtual registration by selecting More Options from the left navigation menu and selecting Conference Scheduling (View or Schedule ARL/DigEd). On that page, conference locations are displayed properly and you will see a room number/location (for in-person) or a Google Meet URL (for virtual) in the Location field.

Parents will receive reminder emails prior to the scheduled conference that will indicate the correct location, in person or virtual.  

Directions to Select a Conference Time:

Login to hcpss.org/connect
Select Conference from the left-side choices
Select Parent Scheduled Conferences at the top right
Select a time slot for your conference
*Note in-person and virtual options
As a reminder, all students will be dismissed three hours early on Thursday, February 9 and Friday, February 10 to allow for parent teacher conferences.

Kindly,

Carol DeBord, Principal

Jennifer Zinn, Assistant Principal

 

 

 

                       

 

 

Happy New Year

Welcome to 2023

 

Important Dates

February

2/2/23 - Vision and Hearing Screening
2/9/23 - 3 Hours Early Dismissal (Parent/Teacher Conferences)
2/10/23 - 3 Hours Early Dismissal (Parent/Teacher Conferences)
2/20/23 - Schools and Offices Closed

 

School News

 

Winter Map Dates

 

MWES Kindness Matters Challenge 2023

In recognition of The Great Kindness Challenge and Random Acts of Kindness Day, Manor Woods will combine these initiatives to celebrate The Manor Woods Kindness Matters Challenge January 24 - February 18. Students and staff will use this 28 Day Kindness Challenge Calendar to spread daily acts of kindness at school, home and in the community. We encourage families to participate in this fun and meaningful initiative. "Sometimes it takes only one act of kindness and caring to change a person's life.

FROM THE HEALTH ROOM

We are looking for a few Volunteers for our annual Vision and Hearing Screening on Thursday, February 2nd. The screening will take place in the morning after the announcements. Please contact the Health Room if you are interested in volunteering (410) 313-8326. Thank you!

Students Attendance Procedures

MWES would like to remind families about our attendance procedures. If your child is going to be absent from school, or if you need to provide a note to excuse your child’s absence from a previous day, please use our school absence inbox by emailing MWESABSENCE@hcpss.org, put the student name on the subject line.  You may also send in a note the day your child returns to school. 

Your message must include your: 

• Child’s First And Last Name

• Grade/Teacher

•  The Date Of Absence

• The Reason For Absence

 Please see the policy for attendance here:  HCPSS Policy 9010: Attendance. 

Important Health & Safety Message

All HCPSS students and staff must stay home if they are experiencing symptom(s) associated with any communicable disease. Families, students, and staff should perform daily health checks and stay home if they have symptoms of a communicable disease, including the seasonal flu, COVID-19 and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). Families are encouraged to consider taking advantage of flu and COVID vaccines and boosters.

Recess Update

The Office of School Safety and Security and Risk Management, in collaboration with School Management and Instructional Leadership, reviewed county wide practices regarding school visits and it has been determined that parents are no longer able to attend recess. Parents can continue to eat lunch with their child(ren) if they complete the following:

Go to the HCPSS Web site to review information about the school system volunteer process.

Review the “Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Procedures Online Training” PowerPoint.

Sign the Certificate of Completion for the “Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Procedures Online Training” form and provide it to the school when signing in.

Review the "Confidentiality Training for Volunteers" PowerPoint

Sign the Confidentiality Agreement and provide it to the school when signing in.

Sign in at the front office using the Lobby Guard sign-in system (a valid photo I.D. must be provided).

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Counselors Corner

Mrs. Heinlein and Mrs. Salapata, School Counselors, are here to support our students and families. Mrs. Heinlein works with grades K, 2, 3 and 5. Mrs. Salapata works with grades 1 and 4. Please reach out to us through email or by calling 410-313-7165 if we can be of assistance. monica_heinlein@hcpss.org; christina_salapata@hcpss.org 

A Note From The Health Room As a friendly reminder, cold and flu seasons are approaching quickly.  Please remember if your child is sick, we ask that you keep them home.  If your child has a fever of 100.1 degrees or higher, they will need to remain home until they are fever-free for 24 hours with no fever reducing medication.  Frequent hand washing is the best practice to prevent illnesses. Outdoor Recess Guidelines Generally, students will be outside for recess when the temperature combined with the wind chill is not less than 20 degrees Fahrenheit or the heat index reading is less than 95. Children with certain health conditions may need special accommodations during extremely hot or cold weather. Parents of those children should provide medical documentation and may be consulted to determine if other arrangements are necessary. Manor Woods Elementary School is super excited to be celebrating Maryland Reading Month  We will be having special days throughout January: Friday, Jan. 20th - Wear a Readable Shirt day (shirt with words)  Friday, Jan. 27th - Wear Maryland Colors (red, black, yellow, and white) Tuesday, Jan. 31st - Dress Up as Your Favorite Book or Character   PTA News SNOWFLAKE FUN RUN - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4 Get ready, get set, GO – to the 2nd annual Snowflake Fun Run sponsored by the MWES PTA! Please join us on Saturday, February 4th for a FUN 1-mile run at Marriotts Ridge High School. Manny the Duck will lead the pack through obstacles, twists and turns around the track! Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades will run from 9:30am – 10:30am, and 3rd, 4th and 5th grades will run from 11:00am – 12:00pm. Hot chocolate and goodies will be waiting at the finish line. Event is free, but registration is required so we can plan accordingly. Feel free to contact Sandy Lucchesi at sandy.lucchesi@gmail.com for any questions. Click here to register now!  Snowflake Fun Run Flyer  Save the date for our other upcoming Restaurant Nights: Tuesday, February 21 at Bare Bones Monday, March 13 at Crazy Mason Milkshake Bar SNOWFLAKE FUN RUN - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4 Get ready, get set, GO – to the 2nd annual Snowflake Fun Run sponsored by the MWES PTA! Please join us on Saturday, February 4th for a FUN 1-mile run at Marriotts Ridge High School. Manny the Duck will lead the pack through obstacles, twists and turns around the track! Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grades will run from 9:30am – 10:30am, and 3rd, 4th and 5th grades will run from 11:00am – 12:00pm. Hot chocolate and goodies will be waiting at the finish line. Event is free, but registration is required so we can plan accordingly. Feel free to contact Sandy Lucchesi at sandy.lucchesi@gmail.com for any questions. Click here to register now! YEARBOOK COVER CONTEST - DUE FEBRUARY 17 All students are invited to enter the Yearbook Cover Contest. Teachers and staff will vote for their favorites, based on creativity and representation of the yearbook theme. First and Second Place will be displayed on the front or back cover of the yearbook. All other entries will be displayed throughout the yearbook. Yearbook Cover Contest  Submission requirements: • All entries MUST use an 8 ½ x 11 sheet of white paper with a vertical orientation AND include: 1.     Our current yearbook theme: “Ducks Fly Together” 2.     “Manor Woods Elementary School 2022-2023” 3. First and last name of the student artist and classroom teacher on the BACK of the picture. Entries with names on the front will be disqualified. • Only one entry per student • Submission Due Date: February 17, 2023 Envelopes will be available in all classrooms for students to submit their entries. Tips for a good entry: -Use a lot of colors including the background  -Use up the entire sheet of paper and leave minimal white space - The bigger the better - Markers and dark colors are preferred, but you may also use other art medium (crayons, paint, colored pencils)

 

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

To learn more please visit:  https://www.hcpss.org/diversity/#discipline-practices

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion - DEI Participation

DEI Participation

As we continue to work on celebrating our differences through cultural events at MWES, we are looking for more parents to participate in the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Parent Team. The mission of DEI is a school community where every member feels seen, heard and empowered. 

Volunteers Needed

• Black History Program - "Taste of Soul" February 24th from 6pm - 8pm at MWES

• Book Club - April

• Multicultural Night  - May 11th from 6pm - 8pm at Marriotts Ridge HS

Please contact DD at demikajohnson@gmail.com or Jasmine Brenan at jbrennan1217@gmail.com if you would like to join or have questions.

Community News & Events

HCPSS News

Families are encouraged to visit the HCPSS website for all your needs, including:

• HCPSS website

• HCPSS News

• HCPSS Help 

• HCPSS 2022-2023 School Year

• 2022-2023 Health & Safety

• A-Z Guide to Back to School

Important Health & Safety Message

All HCPSS students and staff must stay home if they are experiencing symptom(s) associated with any communicable disease. Families, students, and staff should perform daily health checks and stay home if they have symptoms of a communicable disease, including the seasonal flu, COVID-19 and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV). Families are encouraged to consider taking advantage of flu and COVID vaccines and boosters.

Recess Update

The Office of School Safety and Security and Risk Management, in collaboration with School Management and Instructional Leadership, reviewed county wide practices regarding school visits and it has been determined that parents are no longer able to attend recess. Parents can continue to eat lunch with their child(ren) if they complete the following:

1. Go to the HCPSS Web site to review information about the school system volunteer process.

2. Review the “Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Procedures Online Training” PowerPoint.

3. Sign the Certificate of Completion for the “Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Procedures Online Training” form and provide it to the school when signing in.

4. Review the "Confidentiality Training for Volunteers" PowerPoint

5. Sign the Confidentiality Agreement and provide it to the school when signing in.

6. Sign in at the front office using the Lobby Guard sign-in system (a valid photo I.D. must be provided).

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.

Sensory Friendly Story Time

The OEIS February Sensory Friendly Story Time with Howard County Public Library System will be offered at the Central Library Branch on Wednesday, 2/8/23 at 11:00 AM. This sensory-friendly class includes stories, music, and movement in a supportive, judgement-free environment.  Please note, space is limited and families must register. We hope to see your families there! 

PDF version: February Story Time

Nature Summer Camp 

Registration opens on 1/18/2023 at 12 noon to the public

Summer Camp Brochure 

Essential Resources Day

Columbia Community Care is hosting an Essential Resources Day on Saturday February 4th from 10AM-2PM at HCC. and ALL students & families are invited. It is an opportunity to expunge criminal records as well as learn more about both financial freedom and generational wealth. There will also be a free grocery giveaway. Free food, transportation, and child care will be provided.    Please have your families/students fill out this short survey if they are interested! https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CLBHLJQ  Please click in message for additional information.

Affordable Internet

 Affordable Connectivity Program to assist with reducing the cost of high-speed internet.

• Eligibility

• How to apply

• Participating Vendors

Comcast               Free Internet with the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) | Xfinity

Verizon                Free Internet with the Verizon Forward Program and ACP | Verizon

MRHS Music Foundation Second Annual Bingo Night!!

The Marriotts Ridge High School Music Foundation is holding its second ANNUAL BINGO FUNDRAISER on Saturday, February 25th at FOP Lodge 69 in Catonsville. Amazing prizes --  Kate Spade & Coach bags, Gift Card Extravaganza, Car Detailing, Solo Bonfire Smokeless Fire Pit, Tailgate Party and many more!  

Tickets are $30 now/$35 at the door and include 20 regular games & door prizes! 

Order here: https://tinyurl.com/MRHSMusicBINGO

And here is a QR code that could be used; there is a bingo flyer below that:

MRHSMF Bingo!  2/25/23

            Order Tickets Now!

https://tinyurl.com/MRHSMusicBINGO

School-Based Mental Health Services 

Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) is expanding its school-based mental health services. Previously available in forty-five schools across the county, these services will be available at all HCPSS schools by the end of the first semester of the 2022-23 school year. The services, including therapy provided at school buildings during the instructional day, are provided by HCPSS’ school-based student services teams in collaboration with community mental health agencies. For more information please click on the following link: https://news.hcpss.org/news-posts/2022/10/hcpss-to-expand-school-based-mental-health-services-forstudents/

HCPSS School Messages

 All parents/guardians are in our system to receive HCPSS and school emails. Please do not attempt to create a new account with your child’s 2022-2023 school. Additionally, unsubscribing from any HCPSS or school messages will block you from receiving all messages from the district and your child’s school. Please do not unsubscribe. To opt in to receive text messages from HCPSS you must text “YES” to 67587. 

HCPSS Student & Parent Handbook

Click HERE for the county's 2022-23 handbook