Dear Pasadena Elementary Families:

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends.

Thank you for attending our American Education Week events to participate with your student. We hope that you were able to gain insight into the classroom to observe the new literacy program, Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA). Thank you for joining us for parent teacher conferences to continue our home-school communication. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions.

Many thanks to our PTA and families that supported the annual fundraising event. This year PTA hosted a Dance for Education. Thank you to the volunteers who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to coordinate and keep track of class progress, and volunteered the day of the event. See the PTA section below for class and grade level recognition.

With the winter holidays quickly approaching, AACPS will be participating in a district-wide initiative, #AttendtoAchieve, to increase attendance rates. It is important for students to attend school regularly.

We have several activities coming up (see calendar). We will collect hats, gloves/mittens, scarves, and fleece blankets for the Tree of Warmth service project. We hope you can join us for the Winter Concert on December 17 at 6:00pm. Performers need to arrive according to direction sent home by the music teachers. We also have a winter spirit week planned.

With the outside chill in the air, please dress your student in layers of clothing for the fluctuating temperatures and daily outdoor recess, weather permitting. Students should have hats and gloves daily. Be sure to monitor inclement weather on the AACPS homepage, and ensure your contact information is updated at the school. In the event of a school closing, this will help you to receive the information quickly.

For safety reasons, a valid state identification is required when attending a school sponsored event during school hours, and/or signing your student out prior to the end of the school day. Students may not be called out of class, nor allowed to leave the property, without proper identification provided to the Main Office. Please display the hanging tag in the car rider line to help expedite dismissal.

At this time, the school is closed to visitors during the school day. Please schedule an appointment in advance of coming to the school.

AACPS will be closed for winter break from December 23 - January 1. School will re-open from the break on Thursday, January 2, 2025. I hope you have a joyful and memorable holiday season with family and friends. Enjoy the twinkling lights, festive music, and have a Happy New Year!

Sincerely,

Jennifer Quirino, Principal

Nearly 10% of PES students are chronically absent, meaning they have missed two or more days of school each month, or at least eight days since August 2024. Attendance is key to your child's academic success. It is important that students show up each and every day. Pasadena Elementary's strategic goal is to increase the number of students who are NOT chronically absent. With your partnership, we can make this happen! Below is the PES November Chronic Attendance:

Dear Families,

December Classroom Counseling Topics

Pre-K - 2nd Grade - Problem Solving

3rd-5th Grade will finish up with our Substance Abuse Lessons.

Third Grade - Recognizing prescription vs. nonprescription drugs -safe use, choices and problem-solving, and an introduction to what opioid drugs are. They will be using a book: Charlie and the CuriousClub: Candy or Medicine.

Fourth Grade - Learning about the physical effects of drugs, understanding why substance abuse is a problem and what addiction is, and identifying how they can contribute to solving the problem of substance abuse on a community level. They will be working with materials from KidsHealth.com and recent newsclips to define the problem and discuss how to address the problem.

Fifth Grade - Learning and practicing strategies to deal with peer pressure, using refusal skills to build confidence to deal with situations when they might be asked to do drugs, recognizing the effects opioids can have on the brain. Students develop strategies and receive a pocket card with strategies and resources on it.

Substance Abuse Lessons can be found on the AACPS website here.  

Please let me know if I can be of assistance,

Michele Noble, School Counselor

The Anne Arundel County Literacy Chapter is now accepting submissions for the 2024-2025 Young Authors' Writing Contest. If your child loves to write, please encourage them to enter this contest! The school-based winners will advance to compete with other entries from across the county.

The Elementary School Young Authors' Contest is for students in grades 1-5. Students may submit a short story or a poem.

· Short story entries must range between 100-400 words in grades 1-2

· Short story entry must range between 300-800 words in grades 3-5

· Poetry entries will consist of a single poem, any style from a minimum of 25-150 words.

All entries must be original work and submitted in 12-point Times New Roman font. Entries must not include graphics.

Please note that all entries must include a Cover Sheet (Spanish Cover Sheet) and can be sent to homeroom teachers or emailed to cnash@aacps.org no later than Friday, December 13th.

We can’t wait to read some awesome creative writing from our Pasadena Panther.

Cathryn Nash, Literacy Teacher 

Did you know?

• To promote water safety and foster physical fitness and emotional health in children and adults with special needs, the S.E.A.L.S. program offers comprehensive adaptive aquatic lessons and training from basic swimming skills through competitive swim team. All S.E.A.L.S. programs are provided through grant funding and are free to qualified participants. For more information, visit: https://www.spcommunitycenter.org/s-e-a-l-s/.

• Anne Arundel Education Citizens’ Advisory Council (AA-SECAC) is a partnership between parents, families, community leaders, advocates, educators and administrators. The committee works to enhance services available to students with disabilities and to advocate for positive changes in special education in the Anne Arundel County Public Schools. Active, involved parents and supporters of children receiving special education services comprise the Anne Arundel Special Education Citizens' Advisory Committee (AA-SECAC). AA-SECAC meeting information can be found here.

• The Developmental Disabilities Administration's Low Intensity Support Services (LISS) Program serves children living at home with their family and adults with developmental and/or intellectual disabilities living in their own home in the community who are not receiving any support services from the DDA. For more information, or to apply, visit this site: https://health.maryland.gov/dda/pages/liss.aspx

• The Autism Waiver (AW) is a partnership between Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) and the Maryland Department of Health (MDH). The AW is designed to provide community-based, long-term, person-centered therapeutic services and support to eligible children and youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to enable home and community living as an alternative to institutional care. For more information on the Autism Waiver call Autism Waiver Helpline Office at (866) 417-3480.

Recognizing the value of student engagement with STEM experiences, the Office of Advanced Co-Curricular Programs is sponsoring a Future Makers Virtual STEM Club for students in Grades 3-5. Families with students in Grades 3-5 are invited to request enrollment in a four-session Future Makers Virtual STEM Club that will be hosted January 8 - February 5, 2025. Four synchronous sessions, led by an AACPS instructor, will include an accompanying STEM kit for students to create, design, and explore along with peers online.

Click the below links for more Information & Registration

Parent Letter - English or Parent Letter - Spanish

Enrollment Request

In case you did not know…there are many ways to earn money for the school. The funds are used to purchase equipment, technology, training, supplies, and incentives for your child’s classroom and teachers. Please consider helping and/or supporting in the following ways.

Office Depot: While shopping for school supplies at the store or online, please designate the school number 70047113.

Harris Teeter: Every time you shop at Harris Teeter, using your bonus card, Pasadena Elementary will earn money for our school. Be sure to designate Pasadena Elementary School.

Weis: Every time you shop at Weis, using your bonus card, Pasadena Elementary will earn money for our school. Be sure to designate Pasadena Elementary School.

Clothing to Cash Recycling Bin: Please drop off gently used clothing, shoes/sneakers, textiles, and towels to the recycling bin in the front parking lot. The school is paid for EVERY pound collected. Help support the school and our environment. Clean out your closets!

FYI - The Paper Retriever Bin will be removed from PES in the coming month. Unfortunately we can no longer accept paper for recycling.

Parents who are active military or who live or work on Federal Property in Maryland are asked to complete this year’s Federal Impact Aid Survey that became available on September 30, 2024. You will be asked to verify your home address and identify if it is located on federal property. You will also complete sections identifying if a family member is in the military or works on federally owned property in Maryland. The survey should only take a couple of minutes to complete and, be assured, all data collected is kept completely confidential.Why Complete This SurveyAnne Arundel County Public Schools, like many local school districts across the United States, include within our boundaries parcels of land that are owned by the Federal Government or that have been removed from the local tax rolls by the Federal Government. Federal property is exempt from local property taxes. By submitting an application to the Department of Education each January, AACPS receives approximately $2 million to assist in educating all our students.To complete this survey, please visit: https://secure.aacps.org/webapps/SEFP/OOF/Federal

Anne Arundel County Public Schools does not provide medical insurance for injuries to students that occur while the student is at school or when off of school property while they are involved in a school-related activity. However, AACPS has selected Bob McCloskey Insurance to provide several student accident insurance coverage options that parents/guardians may purchase. If you do not have health insurance, this insurance may be a resource to consider. To learn more, visit www.aacps.org/studentaccidentinsurance.

Text START to 98900 to ensure you are receiving the latest communications from PES and AACPS.

Anne Arundel County Public Schools prohibits discrimination in its educational programs, and in employment, on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity, or disability.