Dear Cape St. Claire Elementary Families,

What a spell of winter weather! We would also like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our families for your positive engagement and flexibility with virtual learning due to inclement weather. Your partnership makes a tremendous difference in maintaining consistency and learning momentum for our students.

As we move through the month, our students will continue participating in the i-Ready Math and Reading Middle-of-the-Year assessments. These assessments help our teachers understand each child’s progress and guide instruction to meet students’ needs. In addition, we will be administering DIBELS to monitor foundational reading skills. We are excited to see the growth our students have made and appreciate your continued support in helping them do their best.

Looking ahead, we are excited for the joy and connection that come with Valentine’s Day classroom celebrations, as well as our PTO Snowflake Dance later in the month. These events help strengthen our school community and create special memories for our students.

Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership. We look forward to another great month of learning, growth, and celebration together!

Sincerely, 

Tamara Kelly-Molock- Principal

Rochelle Barrett- Assistant Principal

Young Author's Contest

Cape St. Claire has some incredibly talented authors among us. This year, Cape had 26 entries for our Young Author's Contest in grades 1-5. Every poem or short story was truly a masterpiece, and the contest was very close. We celebrate all authors who entered. The 1st place entries will be sent to compete against other authors across Anne Arundel County. The winners for Cape St. Claire are:

1st Grade Short Story: 

1st Place Winner:  Alexandra Davis  - Capabara and the Four Seasons

2nd Grade Short Story: 

1st Place Winner:  Emmett Wagner - The Christmas Disaster 

2nd Place Winner:  Keegan Corcoran - The Elves That Saved Christmas

2nd Grade Poem: 

1st Place Winner:  Abigail Greenwood - Trees

2nd Place Winner:  Augusta Ruffo - Golden Retrievers

3rd Grade Short Story: 

1st Place Winner:  Isabel  Murray - The Realm of Enchantment

3rd Grade Poem: 

1st Place Winner:  Charlotte Hanssen - Memory

4th Grade Short Story: 

1st Place Winner:  John Healy - Shipwreck Discovery

2nd Place Winner:  Brady Robertson - The Island

4th Grade Poem: 

1st Place Winner:  James Balthrop - What is Nothing

2nd Place Winner:  Lucy Layman - Family First

5th Grade Short Story: 

1st Place Winner:  Talia Ryder - A True American

2nd Place Winner:  Charlotte Fisher - The E.L.F's

5th Grade Poem: 

1st Place Winner:  Charleston Chelius - Better Together

2nd Place Winner:  Leah McMullen - Sweet Puppy 

AACPS Cell Phone Policy

Students at Cape St. Claire and all AACPS elementary and middle schools must have their phones off or on silent mode and out of sight throughout the school day, including at lunch and in hallways during transitions between classes.

We would also like to encourage students' smart watches to be set to “school mode”, if possible. It is not required, but it would assist in our efforts.

Smartwatches should be in school mode and on silent mode during the school day. This includes riding to and from school on the bus.  If you need to deliver a message to your child, we ask that you call the school directly at 410-222-1685. Additionally, in the event of illness, our school health staff will contact parents and guardians. Please support optimal learning by reminding your students that texting during school hours on cell phones and smartwatches is prohibited. 

Thank you for your cooperation and partnership. 

To Our Families and Community,

Our school is looking to support our families affected by the furloughs, layoffs, and those in the military. We have identified a few local resources, which you are able to access for support. Additionally, we have local food pantries should the need arise. Below are resources to consider for additional information.

Maryland Resources for Federal Employees

https://response.maryland.gov/federalpublicservants/shutdown

Anne Arundel County Resources for Federal Employees

https://www.aacounty.org/federal-employee-assistance

St. Andrew by the Bay offers assistance and has a food pantry in conjunction with St. Vincent de Paul

The St. Vincent de Paul Society is committed to assist those in need on the Broadneck Peninsula. Meetings with Society representatives are kept completely CONFIDENTIAL.

Representatives are available to assist you at the Parish Center on Mondays & Thursdays from 2:30-3:30pm with rent, utility bills and other needs. If you are unable to come during these hours, please contact the office to make special arrangements.

My Brother's Pantry

Emergency food supplies are available on a one-time basis to anyone who asks for help. Continuing monthly assistance is available to eligible community members.

 For details, call 410-757-5190 or email Linda Rzepkowski.

The Caring Cupboard (Pasadena) offers diapers, frozen/cold food, call to make an appointment

8513 Fort Smallwood Rd, Pasadena, MD 21122

Phone: (443) 840-8079

Broadneck High School Pantry Information:

The next open pantry for families to pick up groceries will be on February 9th, from 3:45 to 5:00 pm.

***Due to high demand, we are instituting an APPOINTMENT system for the pantry moving forward. You must sign up for a time slot, and you will only be admitted to shop the pantry during your assigned 15-minute time slot.*** 

Use this  Signup Genius to reserve your spot (your name will not be viewable to others). Any families without an appointment will be admitted on a first-come, first-served basis after all appointments have been honored.

If you have any issues with signing up, contact Ms. Watson directly at lbwatson1@aacps.org or Mrs. Jacobo (Spanish) at sjacobo@aacps.org. 

Click here for the dates for the whole school year. Please bring your own bags if you are coming to shop. If your family is in need of groceries in between our open pantry dates, please contact Ms. Watson directly. LBWATSON1@aacps.org  

If you would like to support our Pantry with a financial donation through OSP, click here. 

At this time, we are in dire need of: laundry detergent, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, baby items, dry goods (pasta, rice, cereal, snack foods, etc.) We are currently overstocked on canned goods. 

ALL DONATIONS CAN BE BROUGHT TO THE BROADNECK HIGH SCHOOL LIBRARY OR DROPPED OFF IN THE MAIN OFFICE.

Birthday Treats

In support of our school's wellness initiatives and for the safety and comfort of our students, no food treats will be distributed to classmates for birthday celebrations. If you would like to recognize your child's birthday at school, stickers, pencils, or erasers are preferred.

The School Counselor’s Corner

Classroom Counseling Lessons:

January’s lessons focused on career exploration and goal setting. Please encourage your child to use the Xello app at home.

Students in grades K–2 explored Career Town, where they learned about different community jobs. In grades 3–5, students created a profile, researched careers, tracked goals, and built a list of possible future jobs.

In grades 3-5, the Career tab in Xello offers extensive information, with many careers linked to similar occupations. When searching, encourage your student to think in broader terms if they don’t find a specific job right away. For example, instead of searching for “Professional Football Player” or “Baseball Player,” students can explore careers under “Professional Athlete.”

Xello is continually expanding its career database, with new job options added regularly.

February’s classroom lessons will focus on Preventing Child Abuse.  You will receive a letter that describes the lesson(s) for each grade. Each grade learns about the Protect Yourself Rules. The lessons can be viewed by parents here https://www.aacps.org/documents/services/assistance-for-families/school-counseling/re quired-elementary-lessons/626222 . Please call me at 410-222-1685 or email at hbachman@aacps.org if you have any questions or concerns about these lessons.

Fifth Grade Parents: 

Information about registering for Middle School will be coming out SOON! Once I have the information to share with you, we will send it out from the office and through your child’s teacher. There is a lot to think about!!

Heather Bachman, M.Ed.

School Counselor

Cape St. Claire Elementary

(410) 222-1685 (School Office)

Here is a copy of the Protect Yourself Rules:

Cape St. Claire Elementary Spirit Days!

• February 13th: Wear Red, Pink, or Purple

• March 13th: Dress like an animal or animal print

• April 10th: Super Hero Day

• May 8th: Mismatch Day

• June 12: Beach Day

   

Did you know that as many as one in three students in the country miss 10%, or about 18 days, of the school year? Let's work together to make sure all kids show up and participate every day possible. Being in school supports students' social, emotional, and physical well-being and provides students with opportunities to learn and reach for their dreams. Let's show up together and make daily attendance a habit.

Cape St. Claire Overall School Year-To-Date Attendance (As of January 23rd) 96.2%

PreK 96.1%

Kindergarten 95.8%

1st Grade 96.2%

2nd Grade 96.0%

3rd Grade 96.3%

4th Grade 95.9%

5th Grade 96.9%

Parents and Guardians—If your student is late to school, please have them bring a note explaining their absence to the office. This can be from you or their medical professional if they were tardy due to an appointment. When they are absent, please submit an electronic attendance note through the Parent Portal, or you can write one.

Advanced Learner Programs Family Information Night

Families,

The Advanced Learner Programs Office invites you to our Advanced Learner Programs Family Information Night—an evening designed to help you learn more about our advanced learning opportunities and to celebrate the amazing work of our students. This event is a great way to explore programs, ask questions, and connect with educators who support GT and Advanced learners. This event will take place on Tuesday, February 10th, from 5:30-7:45 pm at Lindale Middle School (415 Andover Road, Linthicum, MD 21090). Families who are interested in attending this evening are asked to register for the event in advance, as this helps us plan for space and materials. Click here to register for the event.

For additional questions regarding this event, contact aacps-alps@aacps.org.

Familias,

La Oficina de Programas para Estudiantes Avanzados les invita a nuestra Noche Informativa para Familias de Programas para Estudiantes Avanzados, una velada diseñada para que conozcan mejor nuestras oportunidades de aprendizaje avanzado y para celebrar el extraordinario trabajo de nuestros estudiantes. Este evento es una excelente oportunidad para explorar los programas, hacer preguntas y conectar con los educadores que apoyan a los estudiantes talentosos y de alto rendimiento. El evento se llevará a cabo el martes 10 de febrero, de 17:30 a 19:45, en la Escuela Secundaria Lindale (415 Andover Road, Linthicum, MD 21090). Se ruega a las familias interesadas en asistir que se registren con anticipación, ya que esto nos ayuda a planificar el espacio y los materiales necesarios. Haga clic aquí para registrarse.

Para cualquier pregunta adicional sobre este evento, comuníquese con nosotros.

Cultural Arts

Art:

All of our art classes at CSCES are wrapping up the creative process of our annual Art To Remember fundraiser! Students have been busy making a variety of beautiful Maryland themed works of art. Towards the end of February fliers will come home with information on how parents and families can purchase their student’s masterpiece on a keepsake item. Please see the video below for more details: Art to Remember is Coming to your School!

Mrs. Morris’ Art Classes:

PK - Name Notepads

K - Winter Owls

1 - Winter Brown Bears

2 - Bird’s Eye View Snowman

3 - ATR MD Thomas Point Lighthouse

4 - Jim Dine Hearts

5 - ATR MD Terrapins

Ms. Howe’s Art Classes:

K - Alma Thomas Collage

1 - Gee’s Bend Quilt Collage

2 - Scientist Self-Portrait

3 - Screwpile Lighthouses

4 - Emoji Agamograph

5 - Contour Line Self-Portrait

Mrs. Morris and Ms. Howe

Triple E STEM:

As we enter the third quarter students in some grade levels will start working towards potential display of their work at STEAM Night. We’re hoping to have original Operation games from the 5th grade, pinball machines from 2nd grade, and whirligigs from 1st grade on display. Students in the intermediate grades have also started to dabble in 3D printing. This is a really cool endeavor but it requires filament to make it happen! If you’re interested in supporting our learning with the 3D printer please see the link below for our filament needs. Thank you!

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1IAR6HRB5UWOV?ref_=wl_share

Mrs. Bathras & Mrs. Shattuck

P.E.:

January was a great month in PE. All students completed a unit on striking with hand skills. All grades learned skills for a game called “Flag Ball” in which they had to strike a ball on the ground using their hand. The students also learned some volleyball type skills by striking a ball/lightweight object into the air.

As we move into February, please be mindful of when your child has PE and ensure that they are wearing athletic shoes. Crocs, boots, or other types of non athletic shoes could result in your child not being able to participate in certain activities.

During the month of February, our school will participate in the American Heart Associations Kids Heart Challenge during regularly scheduled PE classes. By participating in the Kids Heart Challenge, our students will learn how to keep their hearts, bodies and brains healthy while helping kids with special hearts live longer, healthier lives. It's a fun and meaningful way for our students to learn lifelong habits of health and helping others, while supporting and earning rewards for our school. There is an optional fundraiser for the American Heart Association that can be accessed by the link/QR below. 

http://www2.heart.org/goto/capestclairees

Thank you for all of your support!

Mr. Gillette and Mrs. Venturella

Media:

Both intermediate and primary grades will focus on research and project-based lessons. Students will be able to make connections to their grade levels current Amplify unit of study. Students will continue to use technology to support research and design. 

Mrs. Crocker and Mrs. Smith

General Music:

The 5th Grade Chorus Field Trip/Workshop at Broadneck High School in January was a success.  We look forward to another fun field trip next year. 

Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten and First grades are working on rhythm skills, following melodic contour, dynamics and high and low sounds by singing, moving and playing instruments.

Second Grade is working on identifying instruments and their instrument families. They will also be having fun singing, moving and playing to music.

Third grade is performing songs in a variety of music forms and beginning to learn how to play the recorder by reading the treble clef. 

Fourth Grade is reviewing the treble clef and playing the soprano recorders while working to earn their ribbons for “Recorder Karate”. 

Fifth grade is performing, listening and comparing songs from different time periods and styles of music. They will also begin to play the Ukulele. 

Ms. Harrison and Mrs. Rossell

Pre-Kindergarten

Happy February Families!

I have loved getting to know all of your children these past two weeks and am looking forward to all of the learning and fun we will have for the rest of the school year!

We have wrapped up Unit 3 and are beginning Unit 4: Museums. Your child will build their own collection and exhibit as well as explore fantasy as we get deeper into the unit.

In Math, we will continue to work on shapes, including more complex shapes such as trapezoids and rhombuses.

We are working on deleting and adding beginning sounds to words and continuing our letters and their sounds.

We are excited about our new unit and can't wait to share more!

Kindergarten

We can't believe that Kindergarten is already halfway over.  Our students have been learning and growing so much this year.  February is going to be another fun month! Please read the updates below and continue to work with your child at home.  We appreciate the wonderful family support! 

Language Arts: In February we will finish up Skills Unit 6 and complete Skills Unit 7. In Skills 7, students will learn and practice more consonant blends, read a new decodable reader "Seth", and continue to work on reading and writing words and phrases.  There will also be a few more tricky words introduced in this unit. Please continue to work on these skills at home.  The curriculum pages that come home are a great resource for families. In Knowledge we will finish up the Native American unit and start the Kings and Queens unit.  This is one of the favorite units! Students are working hard to retell key details, describe characters and setting, ask and answer questions, and participate in discussions about the stories.  

Math: The majority of February will continue to focus on addition and subtraction. These skills will help to lay the foundation for transitioning to first grade math next year.  Students will continue to work on solving addition and subtraction story problems with different strategies, as well as represent these story problems with equations.  Students also will be able to look at the equation and understand what it is asking and how to solve it. As always, please keep practicing these at home!  Rote counting to 100 is also a goal for the end of the year that is easy to practice at home or in the car.  

Science/SS:  Students are enjoying learning about and observing the weather! After the weather unit is finished,  we will move into Social Studies and talk about changes over time such as the current, past, and future.  

1st Grade

First grade students are excited for many special events happening in February. We will be participating in the first grade Top Dog Reader Competition. This is a special reading competition that began at Cape St. Claire Elementary many years ago and we are thrilled to keep the tradition going! Students will aim to read 100 or more books during the months of February and March. They will record the titles of the books in a packet. Students will bring their packet home and back to school each day. In addition, we will celebrate Clifford’s birthday by reading and sharing stories about the friendly big red dog! First graders are also looking forward to their Valentine’s Day party. 

In math, students will be diving into addition and subtraction word problems. They will solve real life problems where they will need to use their addition and subtraction strategies and facts. 

During our science and social studies blocks we will be exploring how communication has changed over time. How do people send messages to each other? How has communication changed our lives? We will find out! 

During our Knowledge block, we will soon enter our new unit on astronomy. It is one of our favorites! Students will learn about the planets, the sun and constellations. They will even get to create one of their own! 

In Literacy Skills, we will apply decoding strategies when reading one and two syllable words. Students will practice using past-tense verbs with the ending -ed. They will also work on using their five senses to write an informational text about an animal.  

Please continue to read through the caregiver letters and work on the activities to reinforce skills at home.

2nd Grade

We have a lot of exciting new units and activities coming up for the month of February. 

In Knowledge, we will be wrapping up our unit, Cycles in Nature. Our students will then move to our new unit, Westward Expansion.  Students will learn why pioneers were willing and eager to endure hardships to move westward. They will be introduced to Fulton’s Steamboat, the Erie Canal, the Transcontinental Railroad, and the Pony Express. We will be writing informational text in the format of a Westward Expansion Quilt. 

During Skills, we will continue Unit 4 and introduce vowel sounds and new spelling trees.  Our students will continue in their decodable reader called “The Job Hunt”, where we will work on text-dependent questions and utilize close reading approaches to dive deeper into the text. The students will learn more about persuasive communication, specifically how to incorporate persuasive writing as part of a friendly letter.  

For Math this month, we will begin Unit 7 Measure and Compare Lengths. Students are introduced to several measurement tools. As they become comfortable with these tools, they then compare measurements, relate measurements to each other and estimate the length of objects prior to measuring. Students measure using an inch ruler and are introduced to a yardstick, centimeter ruler, and meter stick.

Lastly, in Science and Social Studies, we will begin our new unit “We are Environmental Stewards”, where students will learn the word “environment” can mean just the natural world or everything around us, both natural and man-made. "Steward" means caretaker, keeper or custodian. During the month, students will research habitats in small groups, explore living and nonliving things, and learn about features and conditions. At the end of the unit, we will plant seeds from a native plant. 

We are excited about our Valentines parties coming up this month, too!

3rd Grade

It is hard to believe that we are halfway through the school year!  Please reinforce the importance of respectful and responsible behavior during February, which is Kindness Month.  Wednesday folders will continue to come home each week and should be emptied and returned the next day. Here is what we will be working on this month:

In math, we will continue working on fractions.  Students should understand how to name fractional parts, use fractions to name whole numbers, and identify equivalent fractions by looking at the numerator and denominator. 

In science, we are studying life cycles and the behavior of animal groups.  We will be observing mealworms as they go through metamorphosis and change into darkling beetles.  Be sure to ask your child about this fun project!

In social studies we are beginning a unit called "Tools of History and Democracy." Students will think like historians and analyze artifacts from the past.  They will also gain an understanding of the branches of government and the founding principles of democracy. 

In reading, we have started our study of the solar system!  Students will be focusing on informational text about the sun, the eight planets, our moon, asteroids, comets, meteors, galaxies, stars, the Big Bang theory, and important figures in the history of space exploration.  Be sure to take a look at the night sky and ask your child to share what they have learned in class!

As the weather continues to be unpredictable, please make sure your student is dressed appropriately for school.  Layers are highly recommended since the classroom temperature fluctuates.  We will try to get out for recess whenever possible, so be sure your child is dressed for outside play also!

4th Grade

Math 

Topics:  Unit 8 and 9 are all about fractions.  Baking is a great way to discuss fractions in a way that students can visualize and eat!  Yummy!

Resources: 

Math Unit Letters are linked below:

Unit 8

Unit 9

Social Studies

This quarter’s unit starts with a war and ends with a war.  We will begin with the French and Indian War and end with the American Revolution.  There will be a lot of critical thinking in this unit, analyzing British laws and considering multiple perspectives.  

Science 

The next unit is titled “Energy on the Move”.  It’s an exciting unit that focuses on types of energy and how energy can be transferred.  There will be some cool experiments to accompany this unit. 

Our world is constantly changing - and we’re going to continue to learn how and why this happens.  As part of our learning, we’ll be heading to Arlington Echo next month to find out the importance of weathering and erosion in Anne Arundel County.

CKLA  (Core Knowledge Language Arts)  

We will continue Unit 6 “Contemporary Fiction” with a focus on theme using excerpts from The House on Mango Street. 

Unit 6 Family Letter

5th Grade

Hello 5th Grade Families,

We are looking forward to a successful second half of the year with your students! As a reminder, they should be recording homework in their agenda books daily and bringing home graded work each Wednesday in their blue folders. If you are not seeing that graded work come home, please let your child’s teacher know. We have many special 5th grade events coming up this spring, so please monitor Canvas and Rooms and be sure you are checking your child’s backpack regularly so you stay in the loop as details are communicated. If you are hoping to chaperone for our Water Readiness or extended day field trip in April and May, you will need to have a fingerprint supported background check completed through AACPS (call 410-222-5045 to make an appointment).

Our Valentine’s Day parties will be held at the end of the day on Friday, 2/13. If your child will bring in valentines to exchange, please make sure they bring one in for each student in their Homeroom class. If your family is unable to provide valentines for your child to give out, please reach out to their Homeroom teacher or Mrs. Bachman for support.

See below for updates about what we are learning this month:

Math:

This month, our focus will be on adding and subtracting fractions (Unit 9). Students will build on prior knowledge and make use of manipulatives and a variety of problem-solving strategies in order to develop a strong understanding of this skill. Please continue to encourage your student to complete their homework or an i-Ready Math lesson each night.

Science/Social Studies:

Students will begin to explore matter this month in Science. They will investigate properties of matter, conservation of matter, and learn more about mixtures and solutions. In Social Studies, we will work on Theme 3: The Challenges of American Economic, Political, and Civic Life (1865-1910) and explore the impact of the Civil War on our country, especially Maryland.

Knowledge:

We will finish our unit on the Renaissance and take our checkpoint assessment towards the end of the month. Then we will begin our unit on William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” which will give students the opportunity to practice their acting skills! We will have a field trip in mid-April to see this show performed. Please continue to encourage students to complete their homework each night- it will continue to vary, with the assignment being either reading for 20 minutes or completing a take-home page from the curriculum.  

Thank you, families, for your continued support at home!

Cape Families - Please keep in mind that domestic pets, such as dogs and cats, are not permitted on school grounds. Thank you for working with us to keep all students safe!

Upcoming Important Dates

Tuesday, February 10, 2-hour early dismissal  Project Unity Day

Monday, February 16, Schools & Central Offices closed, President's Day

School Hours

8:00 am to 2:25 pm Doors open at 7:45 am

931 Blue Ridge Drive Annapolis, MD 21409

Phone: 410-222-1685

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When visiting the school, please remember to bring your government issued photo ID