EMMS Eagle News - 9/18/2020

Fri, 09/18/2020 - 3:21pm
Ellicott Mills Middle School  
EMMS EAGLE NEWS
Friday, September 18, 2020
#EMMSOneMillOneFamily
#EMMS_Pride

Message from the Principal

Thank you for making last night’s Back to School Night such a special event. Hosting the event virtually certainly wasn’t the same, but in many ways allowed for new possibilities and access. Overall, I was excited to witness our dedicated and innovative staff sharing their curriculum and highlighting the digital tools they will be using to engage our students in learning.  It was heartening to witness a true sense of community, a shared compassion and empathy for our lived experiences we are all trying to make the best of right now. Thank you for a great night.
 
Many parents and guardians noticed that the GT BTSN portion of last night’s event was canceled.  EMMS feels that the most appropriate place for discussion around our Gifted and Talented curriculum and content lies with the teachers teaching the GT content. If you have general questions about the GT program please feel free to contact Ms. Betsy Adelman, our GT Resource Teacher @ betsy_adelman@hcpss.org. The other major topic covered during previous GT BTSN presentations is seminars; however, seminars are not solely relegated to students enrolled in GT courses, but rather open to all students. Therefore, in the effort to provide greater opportunities and access to enrichment activities for ALL students, we are in the process of planning an Instructional Seminar/Co-Curricular information presentation in the near future. Please be on the lookout for more information. 
 
Have a great weekend,
 
Mr. Gaylord
EMMS Principal

High School Assessed Courses in MS

Reminder: Credits for High School Courses Taken in Middle School
  • High School courses which are offered at the middle school level are eligible for high school credit. These courses follow the same policy as all other high school courses.
  • Middle school students enrolled in high school level courses this policy applies to include: Algebra I, Algebra I GT, Geometry GT, Algebra II GT, AP Statistics in any grade level and World Language in grade 8.
  • Students who withdraw after the published withdrawal date, September 25, 2020, will receive a "W" on their high school transcript. Courses with W codes will not receive credit and will not be calculated into the cumulative GPA.
  • The student’s course grade will be recorded on the high school transcript.
  • The student’s grade will not be calculated into the high school grade point average. Refer to Policy 8020: Graduation Requirements for full details.
  • If a student re-takes one of the high-school courses that was taken in middle school for which credit was earned:
    • The high school grade(s) will be calculated into the GPA, and
    • Only the first credit will be awarded.
  • If a student is receiving a full year of high school world language content within one middle school year, one high school credit will be awarded at the completion of that year. If a student is receiving the course content over two or three years, the high school credit will be awarded upon completion of the final year.
Please contact your student’s counselor if you have any questions.

Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Administration

On Wednesday October 7th and 14th, students in grades 6 to 8 will take the Measured Academic Progress (MAP) assessment. The data from the MAP assessment will help schools and teachers measure where your child is starting the year academically. The HCPSS intends to also give the assessment in winter and spring to measure how your child’s learning is progressing throughout the year.
 
The MAP test does not affect grades and the difficulty adjusts depending on how your child responds. It is normal for students to only answer about half the questions correctly.  To learn more about the MAP assessment, please visit: https://www.nwea.org/the-map-suite/common-questions-families/
 
MAP Reading test will be offered on October 7th at 9 AM and 1 PM.  MAP Math test will be offered on October 14th at 9 AM and 1PM.  We encourage students to attend the 9 to 11 AM session and should they need additional time, return at 1 PM. If your child is unable to attend, makeup testing will be offered during asynchronous learning times. Teachers will share Google Meet information and your student’s testing group as we get closer to the Oct 7th date. 
 
If you have any questions, please contact me @ michele_doyle-wetzelberger@hcpss.org.
 
Stay well,
 
Ms. DW
EMMS Assistant Principal and Testing Coordinator

EMMS News

Need Us? 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 many different Virtual Office Hours, check out our EMMS Calendar for more details.
 
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.
 
Family Technology Support: Before contacting the EMMS Technology Support Team, please make sure that you have checked all of the resources available @ 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 48 hours.
 
Does your child need a Chromebook and/or internet access? Parents/guardians can identify student needs in HCPSS Connect using the following directions:
  1. Parents/guardians should log in to HCPSS Connect.
  2. From the left menu, last choice, select “More Options” then choose “Student Technology.”
  3. On the HCPSS Student Technology screen, use the drop-down arrows to indicate the Technology Requested for each student. Changes are saved immediately. No confirmation will be provided, once you make a selection the request is registered with HCPSS Technology Office.
  4. If a device has already been issued, it will appear in the inventory list. If a student already has a device issued, a new request will not be processed.

EMMS CELEBRATING OUR EAGLES !!!!

Teachers and Staff at EMMS and Elliott Eagle are proud to announce today's Eagle Eye Drawing Winners!
 
Grade 6: Akshita Sharma
Grade 7: Dario Manley
Grade 8: Nick Marrow
 
Thank you for Making Great Things Happen at The Mill!

HCPSS NEWS

[NEW] HCPSS 2020 Seasonal Flu Vaccine Clinics: HCPSS, the Howard County Health Department and the Maryland Partnership for Prevention again this year will offer flu clinics at no cost for both students and staff. Have questions, please contact Suzanne Wingard RN, School Nurse for Ellicott Mills Middle School, at Suzanne_Wingard@hcpss.org. Read More.
 
[NEW] HCPSS to Introduce Small Group, In-Person Supports for Selected Students: Recently, Superintendent Martirano announced that in-person supports and services will soon be offered to small groups of selected students. Read More.
 
Parent Empowerment Conference: Sessions will be led by HCPSS Special Education staff and community partner organizations on topics related to supporting your child and participating in the IEP process during virtual learning. The conference is free and open to anyone interested. Pre-registration is required by September 28th.
 
Free Student Meals: The food services program during the first semester of the 2020-2021 school year will consist of free Grab-and-Go meals served Monday through Friday from 8-9 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. at all schools except Burleigh Manor Middle School and Hammond High School. Meals are free for all students through December.
 
Google Meet Expectations for Students and Parents/Guardians: To ensure a positive, productive and enjoyable learning experience for all participants, it is important that all students and parents/guardians adhere to these Google Meet Expectations.

Community News / Events

[UPDATE] Howard County Youth Program, Inc. (HCYP) Basketball @ The Mill: Boys Basketball tryouts – NEXT WEEK!
6th / 7th Graders (JV) – Tuesday, Sept. 22, 6-7:30, outdoor court behind EMMS
Please visit the Howard County Youth Program, Inc. (HCYP) website and email the coaches for Ellicott Mills Middle School if you are interested.
FYI – There is no word concerning a Girls’ team, please contact HCYP with questions.
BJ Borden – HCYP, Director of Basketball Operations, bj@hcypbasketball.org
 
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.
  • PTA Coat Drive Donations accepted: Tuesday, September 22 and Thursday, September 24, 11 a.m.-7 p.m., Howard County Multiservice Center
    • HCPSS PTAs are collecting coats, hats and gloves for an annual coat drive to help keep Howard County families warm this winter.

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

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.
 
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.

Connect with Us:

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

 

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