Arnold Elementary
Dear Arnold Families,
Happy March!
In honor of National Read Across America Week we will have a school spirit day tomorrow! Students and staff are encouraged to wear cozy clothes and read! In addition, we will have guest readers in media classes this week. Please check your email for more information about how to volunteer to read.
Our next PTA meeting is this Thursday at 6:00pm. We hope you can join us.
Have a great week,
Shauna Kauffman
Principal
Kristin Addleman
Assistant Principal
Reading Fun!
In the month of March, Arnold Elementary School is thrilled to introduce two engaging reading initiatives for our students.
The first initiative is an exciting at-home reading challenge that encourages students to read in unique and amusing ways. Students are encouraged to read in funny places, in funny ways, or to certain people. To participate, students will fill a coffee mug with marshmallows and return it to school by Friday, March 14th for a school-wide display. While the mugs and marshmallows are made of paper, we encourage students to use their creativity to decorate their mugs.
Additionally, Arnold Elementary is proud to announce our participation in the "Read and Hit a Homerun" program sponsored by the Chesapeake Baysox baseball game. Students who read four books during the month of March will receive TWO FREE TICKETS to the Friday, May 16th Chesapeake Baysox game. Let's all come together to read and enjoy a baseball game!
We are excited to see our students embrace these reading initiatives and look forward to celebrating their accomplishments. Thank you for your support in promoting literacy and a love for reading among our students.
Music Notes🎶: A Message from Dr. Semos
Strings: All groups are progressing nicely. Please assist your child at home in practicing WITH the videos I sent home via email 2 weeks ago and also uploaded to the String Bright Space page. Advanced students should be working on their 4 concert pieces and preparing for chunked assessments. Beginners should be practicing the D Major scale AND arpeggio (memorized) in addition to the circled weekly assignment in the lesson book.
No practice = no progress. Taking the instrument out at home is crucial for your child's growth!
NOW HIRING!
Crossing Guard(s) for our School
$20.60 per hour
Contact: Jim Whalen - AA County Recruiter for details Email: p94204@aacounty.org $1000 signing bonus
Phone: 410-222-1995
Vacation Planning
To help you with vacation planning and to avoid extra days out of school, we want to share a list of the weekdays between now and the end of the school year that are holidays or break time. Hopefully you will plan family vacations during these days off so your child will not lose important instructional time and fall behind.
April 14th – 21st – Spring Break (vacation could be from 4/12-4/21)
Monday, May 26th – Memorial Day
June 14th-August 24th-Summer Break (Dependent on inclement weather days)
DISMISSAL CHANGES
Please note that last minute same day dismissal changes can cause confusion with students and staff. Due to the high volume of daily dismissal changes our school receives throughout the day, families need to call the main office by 1:30pm for any same day dismissal changes. Teachers and office staff are not always able to check their emails during the instructional day. We understand emergencies happen; however, we ask that you keep dismissal changes to a minimum.
Important Dates to Remember..
3/13 - 1st grade field trip to MD Science Ctr
3/18 - 2-hour early dismissal/Unity Day
3/27 - 2-hour early dismissal
3/28 - 2-hour early dismissal
Daily Schedule
7:40 AM Arrival- Building Open
7:55 AM Announcements
8:00 AM Instruction Begins
2:25 PM Dismissal
Student Dismissal Plan
Please make sure your child's teacher knows their daily dismissal plan.
Our last early dismissal time is 2:00 pm. If you are picking your child up from school early, it has to be done before 2:00 pm.
Attendance Notes
AACPS uses eCollect on the PowerSchool Parent Portal for parents and guardians to submit absence notes when their child is out of school. Parents and guardians must have access to the student's account on Parent Portal to submit an electronic attendance note. If a parent or guardian doesn't have a Parent Portal account, please contact Ms. Becky in the main office at rshavatt@aacps.org .
Please do not send messages regarding absences through the Rooms App.
Volunteer and Chaperone Information
Thank you for showing interest in chaperoning/ volunteering at Arnold Elementary! We appreciate you taking the time to help our school, however, in order to volunteer/ chaperone, you must complete either a commercial background check or get fingerprinted at the Board of Education. Here’s some information on what you should do!
All applications should be submitted electronically at least 3 weeks prior to the intended school event.
Best practice is to complete a background check at the beginning of the school year!
Commercial Background Checks
Who needs a commercial background check?
All chaperones and volunteers without one-on-one unsupervised or unrestricted access to students
Must be done through AACPS, regardless of clearance or completion through another provider.
If you already have a fingerprint card, you do not need to complete a commercial background check! Please bring the fingerprint card to the school so that we can make a copy of it to have on file.
How long does a commercial background check last?
Two (2) years
How much does it cost to complete a background check?
They are free to apply/complete!
How do I apply for a commercial background check?
Go to https://onboard.screenid.net/gen/inquiries/ and select continue.
Input the information required and select submit.
Once you press submit, go to your email and continue with the process via the link in the email from ScreenID
Fingerprint Cards
Who needs to get fingerprinted?
All overnight volunteers or chaperones
All drown proofing volunteers or chaperones.
All Polar Bear Plunge volunteer and chaperones
Any volunteer or chaperone with one-on-one unsupervised/ unrestricted access to children
Student teachers
All Student Services Interns/ Practicum students
Any intern with one-on-one unsupervised/unrestricted access to children
How long does a fingerprint card last?
Forever/ We keep fingerprint cards on file for as long as your students are in the school.
Keep your fingerprint card where you can find it
Once you receive it, stop by the school so we can make a copy of it to have on file.
How much does it cost to get fingerprinted?
Sixty-five dollars ($65.00)
How do I get fingerprinted?
Fingerprint-supported background checks must be scheduled through the Fingerprinting Office at 410-222-5045.
The Fingerprinting Office is located at the AACPS Central Office on Riva Road and is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, during the school year.
Volunteer/ Chaperone Video
Where can I find the video?
You can find the Sexual Harassment/ Child Abuse Training Video here at https://www.aacps.org/Page/2460
Do I need to fill out the Volunteer Video Verification form?
Yes! Please fill out the form after watching the video and submit the form to the main office!
Please contact Ms. Valerie at vaholland@aacps.org with any questions regarding your background check.