TERPS TIDBITS

Dear Arnold Families,

Congratulations Arnold Elementary! We are now a Maryland Green School!  

We received certification as a Maryland Green School after demonstrating and documenting a continuous effort to integrate sustainable environmental management practices, environmental education curriculum, professional development opportunities, and community engagement into our daily operations.

MCAP Testing

This week our third, fourth, and fifth grade students will participate in our state testing, MCAP. Students will take the Language Arts section of the test this week and the Math section next week. A good night’s sleep and a healthy breakfast is always a good way to start the day for students taking the test and for all other students.

Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast-New Date

Save the Date: Tuesday, May 27, 2025

We will be hosting a Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast for our amazing volunteers. More information will be coming soon!

Girls On The Run

Congratulations to our Girls On The Run students and volunteers! They completed the Annual GOTR 5K today in Baltimore!

School Spirit Day

This Friday we will have a school spirit day. Students and staff are encouraged to wear their favorite sports team attire.

Have a great week!

Shauna Kauffman

Principal

Kristin Addleman

Assistant Principal

TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK

Teacher Appreciation Week is just around the corner! During the week of May 5-9, we will be celebrating our amazing Arnold teachers and staff.  Our theme this year is Board Games. If you are able to donate any items, please sign up below.  Please drop off all items to the front office by Friday, May 2. Thanks!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0B4BAFA62EA57-56216880-teacher

Strings News

As we approach our final concert on the year on Thursday, May 15th at 6:30pm, students should be focusing on fine tuning their concert pieces. We will begin large group rehearsals to practice ensemble skills. Our 2 dress rehearsals (noted on the lesson schedule) are graded rehearsals so students must have their instrument & music and be punctual. 

Students have been working diligently during the lessons to prepare a great performance for you. Thank you for supporting your young musician at home🎶🎻

Spring Book Fair

The Book Fair begins May 5th. All the information is on the Arnold Book Fair Homepage- including how to volunteer, sign your child up for an EWallet and a new feature called Share the Fair which allows you to donate money so students in need can purchase books. Thank you for all you do to support and promote reading at Arnold. Please contact Ms. Basile at abasile@aacps.org if you have any questions.

https://www.scholastic.com/bf/arnoldelementaryschool4  

Kindergarten Registration

It is that time of year again. Kindergarten Registration is almost here. Kindergarten registration begins on Tuesday, April 8, 2025.

Please use the link below to enroll your Kindergarten Student.

https://secure.aacps.org/webapps/SEFP/en-US/OSS/Enrollment

Children must be five-years-old on or before September 1 to enroll in kindergarten.

Your child will not be enrolled until all required documents have been received.

Please contact Ms. Becky at rshavatt@aacps.org with any enrollment questions.

Moving?

Over the summer many families move to new homes outside of the Arnold attendance area. When a child transfers to another school, there are certain documents that need to be completed and given to the family to take to the new school when they register.

If one of the scenarios below applies to you please complete the transfer/ withdrawal form linked below and return it to the school by Friday, May 30th, 2025.

• I will be moving out of the Arnold attendance area over the summer

• I will be attending a private school next year

• I have a 5th grade student who will NOT attend Severn River Middle School

If none of the instances mentioned above apply to you, please disregard this letter.

With this information, school personnel will be able to accurately complete the necessary transfer forms, which will be given to your child on the last day of school. These transfer forms must be taken to the new school at the time of registration.

Transfer/ Withdrawal Form

If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Becky at rshavatt@aacps.org.

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.

• Monday, May 26th – Memorial Day

• June 14th-August 24th-Summer Break (Dependent on inclement weather days)

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.