The 2018-2019 school year is quickly approaching.  We hope that you are all enjoying the summer activities. Now that we are just beyond the midpoint of summer, we thought it would be a good time to provide a few updates.  Mrs. Krablin and I have spent time engaging in professional learning, interviewing and hiring prospective staff members, developing School Improvement Plans, finalizing schedules and class lists and completing the many tasks that are necessary for a smooth start to the school year! Please take time to review the information below, as it will help you plan for the upcoming school year. See you soon!

Important Upcoming Events

August

• 8/6 – Family File Went Live 8:00am
• 8/22 – Staff Returns
• 8/28 - RECC Parent Orientation 5:00pm
• 8/30 – Homeroom Information Visible via HCPSS Connect @9:00am
• 8/30 – Kindergarten Orientation 1:15pm – 2:00pm
• 8/30 – Open House 2:00pm – 3:00pm (Bring your School Supplies)
• 8/31 – New Student Orientation 9:30am (New Families)

September

• 9/3 – Schools Closed – Labor Day
• 9/4 – First Day of School (K-5)
• 9/6 - First Day of School for Pre-K/RECC students
• 9/10 – Schools Closed – Rosh Hashanah
• 9/14 – Read A-Thon Kick Off (PTA)
• 9/14 – Back To School Picnic 5:30pm – 8:00pm
• 9/17 – Back To School Night (Primary) 6:00pm
• 9/19 - Schools Closed
• 9/20 – Back To School Night GT (Gifted and Talented) 5:45pm
• 9/20 – Back To School Night (Intermediate) 6:00pm

Staffing Updates

We thank the following staff members for their service to the Atholton school community and wish them well as they embark on a new chapter in their careers.

• Ms. Shauntel Anderson will be a special education paraeducator at Bryant Woods Elementary
• Mr. Josh Castelbaum will be teaching at Deep Run Elementary
• Mr. Drew DiMaggio has relocated with his family
• Mr. Jomo Fowlkes will continue his role as a PPW at Oakland Mills Middle and High schools
• Ms. Debbie Kaminski will be teaching at Cradlerock Elementary
• Mrs. Patti Minnick will be a full time Teachers' Secretary at Patuxent Valley Middle School
• Ms. Vanessa Murawski will be teaching music in Pennsylvania
• Ms. Linda Murveit will be working with the HCPSS Early Interventions Office
• Ms. Joanna Pauley will be teaching at Deep Run Elementary
• Dr. John T. Ridgely will be the full time HCPSS Crisis Coordinator
• Dr. Jonathan Solomon will be continuing his role at Oakland Mills High School
• Mrs. Sam Wiley has relocated with her family

Teacher Internal Moves

• Mrs. Jolene Danielson –  has joined the grade 1 team. She previously taught grade 3.
• Mrs. Cynthia Grabow – has joined the grade 3 team as the team leader.  She previously taught grade 2.
• Mrs. Christine Park – has joined the grade 4 team.  She previously taught grade 3.
• Ms. Leonie van Hemert – has joined the grade 3 team. She previously taught grade 1.

Paraeducator Moves

• Mrs. Cheri Grant – will support kindergarten.  She previously worked in media.
• Ms. Susie Schaff – will support grade 1.  She previously worked with grade 3.
• Mrs. Barb Garnett – will support grade 2.  She previously worked with grade 1.
• Mrs. Jackie Maisel – will support grade 3. She previously worked with grade 2.
• Mrs. Sandy Sehman – will support media.  She previously worked in the MINC-FL classroom.
• Mrs. Lorraine Carmona – will support Pre-School and PreK. She previously worked with the special education team.
• Mrs. Jen Smith - will support our MINC-FL class. She previously worked in the PreSchool/PreK classroom.
• Mrs. Mary Wagner – will support the special education team. She previously worked with kindergarten.

New Staff to AES

Please join us in welcoming the following persons to the Atholton Elementary family.  The new staff members bring a wealth of knowledge and variety of experiences to our learning community.

• Anne Bleiler – Anne is joining our Special Education Team.  She most recently worked at Oakland Mills High School.  
• Kimberly Dinning – Kim is our new music teacher.  She most recently worked at Swansfield Elementary.
• Jason Fischer - Jason is our new .5 GT Teacher. We will share Jason with Clemens Crossing Elementary.
• Julie Gold – Julie is our new MINC-FL teacher.  She brings several years of early childhood experience and most recently taught in Montgomery County Public Schools.
• Kristin Regan – Kristin is joining our grade 2 team.  She most recently worked at Cradlerock Elementary.
• Antionette Rogers – Antionette is our new .5 teachers’ secretary.  She will be working mornings at Cradlerock Elementary and afternoons at Atholton Elementary.
• Jhonna Seifert – Jhonna is joining our grade 3 team.  She previously taught at Jeffers Hill Elementary.
• Erin Tyler - Erin is our new .5 PreK teacher
• Evan Gallena and Catherine Panzer – Evan and Catherine are our new psychologists. We will share Mr. Gallena and Miss. Panzer with other HCPSS schools.
• Kevin Lee - Kevin is our new PPW (Pupil Personnel Worker). We will share him with other HCPSS schools

Family File – HCPSS Connect
Family File went live at 8:00am on Monday, August 6th.  HCPSS utilizes Family File through HCPSS Connect for parents/guardians to complete emergency information each school year. Parents/guardians must verify and/or update information for each child, and can do so by logging in to HCPSS Connect and selecting the Family File tab and then clicking on Family File.

Once logged in, parents/guardians will be asked to update or provide the following information:
•    Student Information
•    Parent/Guardian Contact
•    Emergency Contacts
•    Medical Information
•    Arrival/Dismissal Procedures
•    Media Release (Photo Approval)
•    Data Confidentiality
•    PTA/PTSA Directory

Changes of address may not be made through Family File. If you have recently moved, please contact your child’s school as soon as possible.

Resources on how to access Family File may be found online. Parents who have forgotten their login credentials may click the Forgot Password link on the sign in page. If you need additional assistance, please fill out this Connect Help Form.

Parents/Guardians that have completed and submitted their Family File for the 2018/19 school year will be able to log into their HCPSS account on Wednesday, August 29th to see their student's classroom assignment prior to the Open House.

As new information and specific dates become available, we will continue to update you through the front page of our website and through email.

2018 PARCC Report
Parents of current fourth and fifth grade students have access to their child's English/Language Arts and Math PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness of College and Careers) test scores from this past spring in Family File. Paper copies will go home in September.

In ELA, the number of students who scored a 4 (met expectations) or 5 (exceeded expectations) decreased compared to 2017, but was higher than in 2016. In math, the number of students who scored 4 (met expectations) or 5 (exceeded expectations) increased by 5% compared to 2017.  We had a significant number of students who were very close to meeting expectations.

We are extremely proud of our students for their hard work. The data and information from this year's administration of PARCC will help teachers and administrators plan for the upcoming school year.

Proof of Residency

If your family received a letter asking for proofs of residency because your child's registration is a multiple family registration, please bring those two proofs of your address to us as soon as possible!  This information was included with your child’s last report card that was mailed.

Supply List
The supply list for the 2018-19 school year can be found under School Resources on our website. Scroll down to Family Resources, then it is the third item in the list.

Enjoy the rest of your summer, we look forward to seeing everyone at the start of our new school year.

Dr. Holden & Mrs. Krablin