dec 4 cobra connection - glenwood middle schoolgms.hcpss.org/sites/default/files/newsletters/dec 4...
TRANSCRIPT
December 4, 2015
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Principal’s Message Dear Glenwood community, !It is hard to believe that we are almost half way through our school year! The school year is well underway and we have had wonderful success stories from our academic and performing arts programs. As we enter our winter season, we are eagerly an?cipa?ng con?nued successes. We encourage you to come out and enjoy an extra-‐ curricular performance this month or simply visit a class. The dates for our orchestra, choral, and band concerts may be found in the leD column of this newsleEer.
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Important Dates
Please mark your calendars for these upcoming events:
• 8th Grade Academic Celebration Wednesday, December 9 at 1:55PM
• Interim Progress Reports issued Thursday, December 10
• Winter Choral & Orchestra Concert at Glenelg HS Tuesday, December 15 at 7PM
• Winter Band Concert at Glenelg HS Thursday, December 17 at 7PM
• Schools closed for Winter Break December 24-January 1, 2016.
• Classes resume Monday, January 4, 2016
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Building UpdatesAs a reminder, the latest air quality updates are always posted on our GMS website. (www.gms.hcpss.org).
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Glenwood Middle Cobra Connection
December 4, 2015
Next week, interim progress reports will be sent home (Thursday, December 10). In addi?on to the interim report, students will receive their 2014-‐2015 PARCC scores for English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathema?cs. (Some students have already received math scores.) Please review the informa?on with your student. More in-‐depth explana?ons can be found at: hEp://www.hcpss.org/academics/tes?ng/parcc/.
If you haven’t had an opportunity to review the report on the environmental condi?on of our building, I encourage you to do. The report, conducted by Mr. Ed Light of Building Dynamics, shows that Glenwood Middle School is in excellent condi?on and is a safe learning environment for our students. Mr. Light has been very open and willing to answer any ques?ons. His contact informa?on may be found in the report.
On a final note, this year we began celebra?ng the academic achievement of our student with Academic Celebra?ons. Below are numbers that highlight the outstanding academic achievement of our students and why it is necessary to promote the remarkable and dis?nguished accomplishments of our Glenwood scholars!
Total number of students at GMS – 562
Total number of students on Honor Roll – 410/562 or 73% (almost three quarters of the school!)
6th Grade Honor Roll Students – 161/198 or 81%
7th Grade Honor Roll Students – 126/168 or 75%
8th Grade Honor Roll Students – 123/196 or 63%
A sincere thanks to our teachers, parents and students for your hard work! !
Wishing you all a terrific weekend! !Robert A. Motley Principal
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Online Payment Option
Parents have an option to pay for many school activities using our Online School Payment program. No more worrying about misplaced checks or students carrying cash to school.
For first time users please go to:
For first time users please go to: http://gms.hocoschools.org/sites/default/files/ospparent.pdf
OSP Website https://osp.osmsinc.com/howardmd
OSP does charge a small fee.
!HoCo Parks & Rec
Registrations for Howard County Recreation and ParksPlease visit the Howard County Recreation and Parks website for all of their current programs and registrations. There are lots of sports and adventure opportunities. Visit today!
http://www.howardcountymd.gov/DisplayPrimary.aspx?
id=6442460647!!
December 4, 2015
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Cobra !Please congratulate the following Band Students who have been selected to play in this year's Howard County Middle School All-County G/T Symphonic Band: ✦ Sieun Park - Flute
✦ Ava Dutrow - Clarinet
✦ Abby Jones - Alto Saxophone
✦ Brian Preece - Baritone Saxophone
✦ Zachary Sultzer - French Horn
✦ Maria Koutsoheras - Tuba
✦ Ben Sultzer - Percussion
!Please congratulate the following Chorus Students who have been selected to sing in this year's Howard County Middle School All-County G/T Chorus: ✦ Susanna Hoffman
✦ Kara Kimos
✦ Kelsey Flavin
!6th Grade HoCo Honors Chorus students:
✦ Isabella Reyes
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✦ Melissa Amoss
✦ Jaden Carstea
✦ Victoria James
✦ Hannah Roberti
!Congratulations to the following Glenwood Band Students on their recent accomplishments:
✦ Abby Jones, 8th Grade Alto Sax: Maryland All-State Band for the second year in a row
✦ Andrew Misener, 7th Grade Alto Sax
✦ Mitch Walker, 7th Grade Trumpet
✦ Michael Yang, 8th Grade Trumpet for all making Howard County Middle School Honors Band
!Congratulations to the following art students whose artwork was selected to represent our school at the Howard County Board of Education's Eighth Grade Showcase from December 7th through February 1st. :
✦ Nate Baker
✦ Abby Jones
✦ Zac Sultzer
✦ Morgan Murray
✦ Sydney Martin
✦ Logan Bruner
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HOWARD COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM
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DECEMBER 7, 2015 – FEBRUARY 1, 2016
December 4, 2015
!An opening reception will be held on December 10th at 5pm at the Board of Education Gallery.
A special shout out to Nate, whose artwork made the cover of the invitation!
!We are very proud of all of our remarkable
& dis<nguished GMS students!
SCHOOL NEWS !
GMS Orchestra and Chorus Winter Concert
Tuesday, December 15th, 7pm @ Glenelg High School
Admission is Free Doors open for audience at 6:45pm !
Winter Concert Bake Sale! !This bake sale will help fund a portion of the Hershey Park Music in
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the Parks Festival 2016 and provide materials for the GMS choral and orchestral ensembles. !Please consider helping, donating, contributing, and buying at the Winter Concert on December 15th. We made over $400 at last year's Winter Concert Bake Sale. Let's beat it!! !
We need 2-4 people setting up and running the table as well as many donations of baked goods and water bottles. Your support is what keeps our programs running successfully and allows our students to flourish! To sign-up and help with the bake sale please click here. !There will also be a tip/donation jar for people to donate if you don't want to purchase anything. !
We’ve got some fantastic bakers in our community so hope to see you at our Winter Bake Sale!
!Our annual Young Authors' Contest is underway! Students are able to submit a poem or short story between now and December 18th.
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!Guidelines and cover sheets can be picked up from your child's English teacher, Mrs. Storr, or Mrs. Smith. !Winners of the school contest move on to the county contest. The county winners are entered into the state contest. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Smith at [email protected]. !Good luck & remember, everyone has a story to share!
!GMS Spelling Bee 2016! !
It’s un”BEE”lieveable that it’s time, once again, for the GMS Spelling Bee! This year the competition will be held on Dec. 23, 2015 during Iirst period. The winner of the GMS Spelling Bee will go on to compete in the Howard County Spelling Bee on March 11, 2016 at Reservoir High School. !
The list of words that will help you prepare for the school wide spelling bee can be accessed here. !Participation in our Spelling Bee is optional. If you would like to participate, please complete the form below and return to Ms. Eklund or the front ofIice. Contact Ms. Eklund ([email protected]) with any questions. !GMS Spelling Bee When: Dec. 23, 2015 during 1st period !Name:_________________________________________________ Grade___________ !!Homeroom Teacher:____________________________________________________ !!First period teacher_____________________________________________________ !
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!! ! ! ! ! ! ! !! ! !Hello Parents/Guardians,!!We recognize that creating a safe learning environment is a critical part of helping each child achieve academic success. This year we will introduce Sprigeo, a new online system that students can use to report bullying incidents and school safety incidents. Sprigeo will give your child another medium for communicating with our school administration when bullying or school safety incidents occur. All information sent through the Sprigeo system goes directly to selected central office staff who will then send the report to our administrators through a secure online connection.!!How does the Sprigeo system work? !Students can access the reporting form directly through a link on our school web site or they may go to the Sprigeo.com website. After completing the reporting form and clicking the “submit” button, the report details are sent in a secure email to selected central office staff who will then send the report to our administrators through a secure online connection. Over 90% of students include their name when using the Sprigeo system. However, reports can be made anonymously.!!Does the school system receive false reports? !Over 95% of reports sent through the Sprigeo system have been confirmed as authentic requests for help with a bullying incident or school safety incident. Unlike text messages or Facebook posts that can be shared among students, all Sprigeo reports are viewable only by selected central office staff and school administrators, minimizing the impact one student has to falsely accuse or abuse another student.!!Why is there a need for an online reporting system? !The number one reason why children do not report bullying or abuse is the fear of retaliation from their peers. The Sprigeo reporting form can be accessed from the privacy of a home computer or other Internet equipped device, eliminating the possibility of being identified by another student.!!We are happy to have this resource for our families to use.!!Sincerely,!Robert Motley!Principal!
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Leo's Club News The Glenwood Middle School Leo's Club is a group of over 30 students dedicated to service. We work closely with the Glenwood Lions Club and focus on service to others as well as learning leadership skills and having some fun too.
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Our largest project is our bike drive. We collect bikes in any condition, and we prepare them for shipment. Our next pick-up day will be in May, but we have storage space in the old Bushy Park Elementary School. If you have any old bikes you would like to donate, please leave them by the front door to the old Bushy Park building anytime, and they will be put in
storage there for the May pick-up date. Last year, we donated almost 200 bikes to the organization, Bikes for the World. They transport them to developing countries. We already sent 50 bikes to Costa Rica in October.
If you, or anyone in your family, are expecting new bikes for the holidays or just have an unused bike or two, please consider donating your old or out-grown models to our Leo's Club.
Thank you for all your support.
Mary Powers
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BUS DRIVER APPRECIATION
Our bus drivers do a tremendous job of getting our children to and from school safely everyday!
It’s that time of year to say thanks, and as is our tradition,
GMS would like to create a gift bag for each of our bus drivers with a $5-$10 gift card to places like Dunkin Donuts or Subway inside. If you would like to contribute a small gift card for our dedicated bus drivers, please drop it off in the front office in an envelope marked for the bus dirvers. Thank you for your support of our amazing drivers!
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Notes from the Health Room Sick Policy Reminder Tis the season for sniffles. But please remember, according to school policy, if your child is ill during the school day, s/he needs to go to the health room. The Health Assistant will then determine if your student needs to go home. Students should not text parents directly to pick them up. They will still need to see the Health Assistant prior to leaving school. !Illnesses Cold and Flu season is upon us. Students who are ill and have a fever should remain at home until the temperature has been normal, without the use of fever reducing medications, for 24 hours. Students with symptoms of acute illness such as vomiting, diarrhea, rashes, and persistent coughs should be observed at home and evaluated by their health care providers when necessary. If your child is diagnosed with a contagious illness (such as strep throat, pink eye, Fifth’s disease, etc…), he / she may not return to school until they have been on antibiotics for 24 hours or until cleared by the health care provider. We also request that you please inform the Health Room staff of these diagnoses, so that we may observe for additional cases. !Medications All medications, even over-the-counter medications, require a complete written order form from the student’s physician or health care provider. Parents / guardians are required to have this form completed and must provide the Health Room staff with the appropriate, properly labeled, unopened supply of medication. If medication will need to be administered to your child during the school day, please contact the Health Room staff.
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Absence - A student must bring a note from home within the first TWO days back to school after an absence, explaining the reason for the absence(s). After two days, the absence is marked unexcused. The note is to be taken to the front office immediately upon arrival to school. A secretary will take the note and stamp the student’s agenda book to be shown to the teachers. Students are responsible for make-up work. The best way to meet this responsibility is to ask the teachers or check a classmate’s agenda book for assignments.
Extended Absence - A student may lawfully miss no more than THREE (3) days per year for a purpose determined by a parent/guardian. Request for days beyond 3 will have to be coded as an unexcused absence. For an unexcused absence, a student may make up work but will not receive a recorded grade. Extended Absence forms are available in Student Services and on Glenwood’s website.
Lateness - A student arriving at school after 7:40 a.m. will report directly to the office. The student must bring a note from home with a legitimate reason if the lateness is to be excused. All students are expected to be in their homeroom by 7:35 a.m. before the late bell
(7:40).
Early Dismissals - Students needing to leave school before the normal dismissal time should bring a note from home to the front office at arrival and receive an early dismissal pass. The note should state the time of the early dismissal and the person picking them up. Students MUST be signed out by a parent/guardian or by the authorized person stated on the note.
Homework Requests - When a student has been absent for TWO DAYS IN A ROW, homework may
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be requested. A parent must call the Student Service office by 8:30 a.m. to let them know that the student will be out and that homework should be collected. The parent must pick up the work after 2:30 p.m. or arrange to have someone pick it up. If a parent wishes to have another student pick up the work, it must be prearranged by the parent but not all work may be available at that time
PTSA NEWS
Gift of Thanks for our Teachers For families who wish to participate in group giving that expresses our community's gratitude for our wonderful teachers during the upcoming holiday season, a drop-box for contributions, marked "Gift of Thanks," is in the front
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Questions? Please contact Mrs. Rhinehart in Student Services.
[email protected] or call 410-313-5520.
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office through December 18. The drop-box will be emptied at the end of each school day during the contribution period. The PTSA will accept the following types of contribution:
1. Cash.
2. Checks made payable to GMS PTSA.
3. Gift cards in amounts of $15 or less, ONLY for the following vendors: Target, Amazon, Panera Bread, & Wal-Mart.
After December 18, all contributions will be consolidated and distributed equally to GMS teachers in the form of gift cards from Target, Amazon, Panera Bread, and Wal-Mart — the vendors most popular among our teachers.
This service is not meant to replace or otherwise conflict with the choice of families who give separately and in their own unique ways. It is simply an alternative for families who wish to participate in a group gift. Please feel free to indicate whether you want your gift to be anonymous or acknowledged in a list of contributors.
Any questions, please contact Steve Kimos at [email protected].
HELP WANTED
Our School Store needs some volunteers to sell items to the students during their lunch hour.
Please click on the link to sign-up. Thank you for your support and gift of time!
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SCHOOL SPIRIT TASTES GREAT
��� !Make dinner a selfless act by joining us for a
fundraiser to support Glenwood Middle School PTSA. Come in to the Chipotle at 439 E
Ridgeville Rd in Mount Airy on Monday, January 18th between 5:00pm and 9:00pm.
Bring in this flyer, show it on your smartphone or tell the cashier you’re supporting the cause to make sure that 50% of the proceeds will be donated to Glenwood Middle School PTSA.
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Here is what’s going on with your Glenwood Middle School PTSA this year!
!LOOKING BACK…Your PTSA provided
the following services:
!• Felting residency for 7th grade - PTSA
funded (and secured grant funding for) the artist in residence.
• School dance - PTSA hosted a fun night for our students!
• Family Math Night - PTSA funded pizza & ice cream and provided childcare for energetic youngsters.
!HAPPENING NOW…Your PTSA provides the following ongoing activities:
!• School Store - We need volunteers to keep the school store open every
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday!
• Spirit Wear - Orders ready for pickup soon!
• Gift of Thanks - Drop-box in front office, seasonal group giving for our wonderful teachers!
• Project Birthday - Celebrating our children as they become teenagers.
• Hospitality - Meals for teachers, celebrating American Education Week and other special occasions!
• Classroom supplies - PTSA reimburses teachers for expenditures that enrich our students’ time in class.
• Support for school activities - PTSA contributed funding to Cobra Kudos shirts and provides financial services for Intramurals.
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LOOKING AHEAD…Your PTSA will provide the following services:
!• Shakespeare residency for 8th grade - PTSA will fund (and has secured
grant funding for) the artists in residence.
• Spring fun for students - Maybe a dance or another fun activity—stay tuned!
• Opportunities for involvement - Join us at our general membership meetings and plan our future & let your voice be heard!
!Help Homewood Center stock their shelves for their annual Recycled Treasure Sale. A donations box will be in the GMS lobby from December 1st through December 15th to collect new and gently used items including:
✦ Toys/stuffed animals ✦ DVDs ✦ Video games ✦ Sporting goods/sports related gifts ✦ Fashion jewelry ✦ Lotions ✦ Ladies scarves ✦ Purses
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✦ Hats/gloves ✦ New clothes (with tags) ✦ Holiday gift bags and tissue
!Students from this Howard County school will then get to shop for their families using credits they have earned for exhibiting positive behaviors.
COMMUNITY NEWS !
Swing over to Glenelg High School for Disney's Tarzan the Musical!
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Bring the whole family to see over 60 students perform in Disney's "Tarzan" at Glenelg High School on December 3rd and 4th at
7pm and December 5th at 2pm & 7pm. !
Tickets are $10 and are available for purchase in advance at Glenelg, online at http://osp.osmsinc.com/HowardMD/
and at the door. Call GHS at 410.313.5528. !
Don't miss the high Ilying excitement that is fun for the whole family!
UPCOMING GLENWOOD LIBRARY CLASSES
!!Lego Challenge
Bring your best building skills at our monthly LEGO® challenge! Ages 9-‐17. Date: Saturday, Dec 5th Time: 3:30 -‐ 4:30PM !
Got Code? Celebrate Computer Science Education Week with an introduction to the Scratch programming language. Code your own interactive games, stories,
animations, and more. Ages 9 & up; 60 min. Date: Thursday, Dec 10th Time: 3:30 -‐ 4:30PM
Registration: http://goo.gl/c87IVN !!Musical Writing Workshop:
Meet the Composer of Peter Rabbit Have you dreamed of your work being performed? Local writer and
composer Dustin Merrell leads a theatrical writing workshop and discusses
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how to take ideas from your brain to the page, then to the stage! Merrell presents selection from his new musical Peter Rabbit, which premieres at Red Branch Theatre Company in Columbia this December. Bring a favorite
book to adapt. Ages 11 & up. Date: Tuesday, Dec 15th
Time: 7 -‐ 8PM Registration: http://goo.gl/TtQpe6 !!
Hedgehog Tales Jennifer Smith of the Hedgehog Welfare Society discusses African Pygmy Hedgehogs and what to know about them as pets. Meet her two adopted
hedgehogs, Khaki and Belle, then make a craft. All ages; 60 min. Date: Saturday, Dec 19th
Time: 11:00AM Registration: http://goo.gl/mL4V6m !
Celestial Searchers Young Astronomers Club Join Dr. Goodman of the Howard Astronomical League for a discussion of the Star of Bethlehem from an astronomical perspective. After, make an astro-‐
themed holiday greeting card. Date: Monday, Dec 21st
Time: 7 -‐ 8PM !!Knit 'n Chat
Beginners and experts welcome! Spend time with other teen knitters and learn to make cool items. Supplies provided. Ages 11-‐17.
Date/Time #1: Friday, Dec 11th , 3:30 -‐ 5:00PM AND
Date/Time #2: Tuesday, Dec 22nd, 6:45 -‐ 8:15PM
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REFLECTIONS, a nationally recognized art contest, is looking for student submissions in the following categories: dance choreography, Iilm production, literature, musical composition, photography and visual
arts. !To enter, create work in
response to the theme “Let your imagination Ily” and submit to Mrs. Rocheleau in the front ofIice by December 11th. !
The top three entries in each category will go on to be judged on the county level. !
For additional information, contact Jenny Glazier at [email protected]. !!!!
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