Principal: Mrs. R. Lynn Birus rbirus@aacps.org

Asst. Principal:

Dr. Catherine Martino cmartino@aacp.org

410-222-5805

410-721-1054

School Website

Vision Statement

Crofton Woods

Elementary is a

respectful, responsible

community providing

engaging experiences

and inspiring tomorrow’s

leaders to discover,

integrate, and grow.

School Year 21-22 September 2021 Crofton Woods Elementary Newsletter

Hello Crofton Woods Families!

We are so excited, and we are all getting ready to “blast off” into another school year! While we

still may face many challenges, this school year is going to be amazing! Our theme this year is:

Learning Has No Limits! That is true in so many ways! Our boys and girls are certainly limitless

in their abilities, and they prove to us every day that they are rarin’ to go and ready to let their

learning take off!

The question is how do we approach this school year with energy for whatever we encounter?

How do we keep propelling forward when we don’t always see the end in sight? The answer is

already in us. Our teachers continue to be fueled by our love of children and our deep sense of

purpose. What we do matters. We resolve to remember that despite facing extraordinary issues,

we really have no limits on what we ourselves, and more importantly, our children can do. If

nothing else, we have already proven that point again and again. The possibilities really are

unlimited.

So we will buckle up, set a course and take off! We will continue to fulfil our mission of helping kids

to Discover, Integrate and Grow. We will renew our thinking and re-refine our teaching, and have

some fun doing it! This year is going to be a blast!

Speaking of a blast, several staff members have taken off to other places they wanted to go while

others have landed right here in the home of the Woodchuck! First off is our newest co-pilot! We

are so excited to have Dr. Catie Martino on board! She’s already been suiting up for a great year

at The Woods and has met many of you. She is fired up and raring to go! She will join me, Mrs.

R. Lynn Birus, Principal, in the cockpit!

The building is ready to be the learning launch pad thanks to Mr. Jones and his crew. We are so

appreciative of him, Mr. Johnson, Mr. Rodriguez, and Ms. Stubbs! We know that a clean and

organized building makes a huge difference and really can ignite creativity!

We have quite a few new folks who are coming to have a big impact on our students alongside

with us! Fifth grade has added a 6th crew member! Mrs. Ort makes us 6 teachers to go! She

joins Mrs. Trish Kerner, Ms. Jessica Beamon, Mrs. Josalyn Brown, Mrs. Erin Anderson and Mrs.

Elaina Baden.

Fourth grade had a lot of movement going on as we welcome Mrs. Katherine Roth to the team

who will be connecting to Mrs. Caitlin Adams, moving up to the 4th grade team, with Ms. Mary

Milligan, Mrs. Amal Houck, and Ms. Chelsea Miller!

(continued…)

Third grade will get a big boost from Mrs. Amber Rhodes as she tops out the 3rd grade world with Mrs. Carolyn Haroth, Ms. Megan

Federline, Ms Holly Romans and Mrs. Sara Kyser!

Second grade continues as the “Two Crew” with Mrs. Julie LaPlaunt, Mrs. Becky West, Mrs. Debbie Chiodi, Mrs. Candace Schroen and

Mrs. Lisa Hart. They will be ready to count down to go time!

The first-grade team is still orbiting nicely together with Mrs. Ashley Butters, Ms. Kristen Elder, Ms. Kathy Walker, Mrs. Amy Eisenbeiser

and Mrs. Sandy Oravec.

The Kindergarten team is out of this world with Mrs. Margie Schuetz, Mr. Dean Borowsky, Mrs. Patricia Crawford, Mrs. Aubree

Campolongo, Mrs. Chris Ogden and Ms. Sarah McNeice. Staying in their solar system are the awesome K assistants, Mrs. Lauri Bell

and Mrs. Cassidy Fuentes.

Our Special Ed group is in mid-flight with Mrs. Gena Batchelder, Mrs. Elaine Macaso and now Mrs. Shelley Ziegler who landed safely

with the team. Mrs. Lauren Johnson will continue to be our SLP (Speech & Language Pathologist) and she will keep our speech kids

grounded. Mrs. Linda Poore will continue to be our astronomical Occupational Therapist. Our Special Ed teaching assistants, Mrs. Julie

White and Ms. Jaleesa Ennis continue to shine.

We have new support in cultural arts this year. In the music galaxy, along with Mr. Scott Hughes, we have Mrs. Leah Miller teaching

music, Dr, Diana Curtis with our Strings students, and Mr. Lee Nicholas orchestrating the Band. Our PE team is eclipses all others with

Mr. Nick Seitler and Mr. Chris Hersl in command. In Art, we have Ms. Sammy Lerch taking the lead as we open the hatch for Ms. Liz

Milligan as the part time Art person.

The media center will have a new constellation shining in welcoming Mrs. Angelique Jones and Mrs. Christina Marquez with Ms. Kathy

Braatz continuing to be our media assistant.

The health room Mrs. Laura Keimig RN, School Nurse will be in the sick bay and join Mrs. Mary Quick as the health assistant!

Speaking of out of this world, we love our tech Mrs. Janet Schmermund!!!! She’s back again to keep us operational. Our cafeteria team

will keep making a big bang with Mrs. Elizabeth Hawk and Mrs. Linda Knight.

The best support team on the planet will continue to be Mrs. Angie Martin and Mrs. Abike Anoka as school counselors, Mrs. Kristen

Cullen as our psychologist, Mrs. Sharon Green and Mrs. Joanna Bibeault as our rocket ready reading

teachers, Mrs. Laura Melendez as our ESOL teacher and Mr. Michael Roberts who will continue to be

our PPW and really explore worlds unknow!

And of course, mentioned last but always first, our Mission Control is manned, as always, with Mrs. Nila

Brown, Mrs. Erika Cornett and Mrs. Cindy Hall.

This year is going to start out with a big bang that will bring the learning of our kids to infinity and

beyond! So strap in, check your instrumentation and enjoy the ride!

P rincipal Birus

AACPS buildings and offices will be open for

business from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through

Friday, though public interactions will be by

appointment only.

September 2 Kindergarten Orientation

10am Kindergarten Sneak a

Peek11am

New Student Orientation 1pm

Gr. 1-5 Sneak a Peek

2pm

September 8 Schools Open for grades

1-5

September 8 & 9 Kindergarten Conferences

September 10, 13, & 14 Kindergarten Staggered

Opening

September 14 Back to School Night -

6:30 pm

September 16 Schools Closed - Yom

Kippur

September 20 Chick Fil A Spirt Night

Hello parents and guardians!

The new school year is here, and we are

happy to see our students in person! We

are here to help you and your child(ren)

through the transition back to school and throughout the year.

As we start back, you can help make it a successful year by

setting the stage for learning. Share these three R’s with your

child: Readiness, Routines, and Responsibility.

Readiness: Ensure that your child goes to school ready to

learn every day:

Speak positively to your child about school and teachers.

Your attitude toward learning will send a powerful message

to your youngster.

See to it that your child gets at least 8 hours of sleep and a

nutritious breakfast so he’ll feel rested and alert.

Routines: Develop simple routines for smooth, stress-free

mornings:

Help your child pick an outfit and pack a lunch in the

evening.

Together, create a regular morning routine.

Responsibility: Teach your youngster responsibility by

helping her/him get organized:

Make sure your child writes down assignments and due

dates. You can show a younger child how to mark dates on

a calendar so you can both keep track of when

assignments are due.

Suggest that your child tuck permission slips and notices of

special events into an envelope so they don’t get lost.

We look forward to getting to know you and your child and

we wish everyone a happy and healthy school year!

Your School Counselors,

Mrs. Anoka and Mrs. Martin

October 4 PTA Meeting - 6:30

October 20

2 Hour early dismissal

October 21 2 Hour early dismissal

Parent Teacher Conferences

November 11 & 12

End of 1st marking period 2 Hour early dismissal

November 22

2 Hour late arrival Parent Teacher Conferences

November 23

2 Hour early dismissal Parent Teacher Conferences

November 24 - 26

School Closed

AACPS Calendar

September 14th

6:30 pm

PowerSchool Parent Portal is a powerful, easy-to-use,

secure communication tool connecting parents/

guardians and schools.

Using the PowerSchool student information system,

the Parent Portal allows collaboration to improve

student achievement.

Online access to student schedules, assignments,

class grades and attendance information makes it

easier for parents to monitor progress of students, in

grades 1 through 12, in real time.

Brightspace for Parents!

Brightspace is a learning platform that teachers and parents will use to connect to student

learning! Learn more about it by following the link below!

https://www.aacps.org/brightspaceforfamilies

Please adhere to the BOE policy, for the safety of our students

and those who are dropping off and picking up students before

and after school,

DO NOT BRING DOGS ONTO SCHOOL PROPERTY!

Although a dog may be loving and friendly to its owners and

family members, it can easily turn against strangers and is a

liability issue for you, as well as a “clean up” issue too. Pets can

remain in the car with adult supervision.

Thank you for you cooperation!

School Hours

Doors open at 8:50

Instruction begins at 9:05am

Dismissal begins at 3:30pm

Please call the office in the morning if your child will be absent or late to school.

410-222-5805 or 410-721-1054

Face Coverings in School

All persons in school facilities must wear a cloth face covering in accordance with applicable state and local mandates, except when eating meals. Face coverings are recommended to be worn at the bus stop and are required to be worn on the bus.

Choose face coverings with breathable material that fit snugly, but comfortably over the nose and mouth.

Neck gaiter and other similar products are not acceptable as cloth face coverings. • Label your child’s face covering.

Indoors, all students and staff – regardless of age or vaccination status – will be masked except in limited circumstances. More information can be found at www.aacps.org/fall2021.

Face coverings must be worn over the nose and mouth and securely around the face.

Arrival Procedures: **Arrive between 8:50-9:00… no early students please!

Walkers:

Walkers in Grades K, 2, and 3 will enter under the awning by the media center (see signs for each grade)

Students in Grade 1 will enter through the front main entrance.

Students in Grade 4 and 5 will line up by the fifth-grade hallway entrance in the front of the school.

Students must follow the signs and utilize the dots … on the ground.

Parents cannot stay with students in line and should say a fond goodbye and leave the area as quickly as possible.

Car Riders:

Please drop off in the car rider lane only (side parking lot)

Car riders must use the Student Drop Off area.

All students should exit the car on the passenger side only.

Please do NOT park on the Parkway and walk students up.

Adults do NOT need to get out of the car, a staff member will open the doors for your child.

Keep the sign that will be provided visible on the visor of the passenger side.

Have your child ready to get out.

Dismissal Procedures: • For safety purposes we dismiss students in the following order:

1. Car Riders 2. Bus Riders 3. Walkers

Car Riders: “car riders” are only those students whose parents are in the car rider line in the car, waiting to pull forward.

Parents who are out of their car and not in the Car Rider line will NOT be permitted to take their child from the car rider area.

Whomever is picking up the student must put the special sign (provided) on the visor of the passenger side of the car

Pull forward as far as you can to allow for unloading and loading multiple kids.

walkers are dismissed only when the car rider lines are clear and most busses are off the

lot*.

*NOTE: The first few weeks will take longer than usual but the dismissal time will reduce as

we continue with the year.

Newly Returning Students: Arrival and Dismissal Procedures

Each year, school children have accidents. Medical costs can be expensive, and unexpected bills can cause hardships. Even if you have other insurance, it is often not enough as coverage can require high deductibles or co- insurance payments.

Anne Arundel County Public Schools does not purchase blanket accidental medical or dental insurance for sports, school sponsored activities, or student activity while school is in session. However, we have made arrangements with Bob McCloskey Insurance. to offer acci-dent coverage to all enrolled students at a modest premium. Through this program, parents/guardians have the opportunity to purchase this pro-tection for their child.

Some of the advantages of this insurance include:

At-School Student Accident Coverage: This provides insurance for the hours and days when school is in session and while students are attending school sponsored and supervised activities on or off school premises. Coverage is provided during:

The school day, on school premises, while school is in session.

Direct and uninterrupted travel to and from home and scheduled classes.

School sponsored and supervised sports (excluding high school football).

Travel to and from school sponsored and supervised sports while in school approved vehicle.

Once effective, coverage continues until the earlier date where the enrolled students coverage has been in place for twelve

months or the first day of the next school year.

Around the Clock - 24-hour Accident coverage: This provides insurance coverage around-the-clock, anywhere in the world. Cover-age is provided:

Before, during and after school.

Weekends, vacation and all summer including summer school.

School sponsored and extracurricular sports (excluding high school football).

Once effective, coverage continues until the earlier date where the enrolled students coverage has been in place for twelve

months or the first day of the next school year.

All coverage becomes effective on the date that the completed application and premium are received by

Bob McCloskey Insurance. or online enrollment is completed.

YOU CAN APPLY AND PAY ON-LINE AT: www.bobmccloskey.com/K12Voluntary and click the “Enroll Online” start button. You have a choice of different benefit schedules.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call Bob McCloskey Insurance. at (800) 445-3126. Their representatives are available to assist you

in your inquiries or go to www.bobmccloskey.com/K12Vol

TO ALL PARENTS/GUARDIANS OF

ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS

C W E S