This fall many students have elected to eat school meals in the outdoor dining tent that was put in place at each HCPSS elementary school as an additional health safeguard during the pandemic. Now that winter is on our doorstep, and we expect to have much colder temperatures and precipitation, the tents will soon be removed for the winter months, December through February. This is necessary to ensure the safety of our students and staff because the tents are not designed to sustain heavy snow, wind, or ice accumulation; they cannot be safely heated, and lowering the sides that are currently left open would not allow adequate outdoor air ventilation to occur.

HCPSS plans to reinstall the tents outside all elementary schools at the beginning of March 2022, with the specific timing dependent on weather conditions.

We will continue to designate outdoor spaces at our school throughout the winter months where students may choose to eat their meals as weather conditions allow. As a reminder, please send your child to school dressed appropriately for weather conditions, especially if they plan to eat lunch outdoors.

Thank you for your support and collaboration in ensuring a safe and healthy learning environment for all students. Please don’t hesitate to contact Mr. Anderson (derek_anderson@hcpss.org) if you have any questions.

December 8th - 17th - School-wide LoES Food Drive (see flyer below)

December 15th - Half Day for HCPSS students

December 15th - LoES Storytime at 6:00 pm (Google Meet Code: loes-storytime)

December 22nd - LoES Storytime at 6:00 pm (Google Meet Code: loes-storytime)

December 23 - 31st - Winter Break - HCPSS Schools Closed

Click HERE to access the full HCPSS calendar for the 2021 - 2022 school year

This time of year impacts not only humans but many animals living all around us. We are teaming up and helping a LOCAL partner that helps our wildlife in so many ways. We will be accepting donations in a designated bin in the vestibule from December 15 to December 22. Learn more HERE.

LoES Storytime is Back!

LIKE is a film-based education program exploring the impact of social media on our lives and the effects of technology on the brain. The goal of the film is to inspire us to self-regulate. Social media is a tool and social platforms are a place to connect, share, and care … but is that what’s really happening? Click HERE to register for this free virtual event.

Keep in mind:

During cold winter days, many students will want to retreat to a cozy place inside with access to electronic devices. This is the perfect time to review your family expectations and guidelines for safe, age-appropriate use of social media, websites, gaming, and other platforms/devices. An intentional safety discussion and periodic spot-checks are not too old-fashioned or intrusive. Check out some of the ideas linked below:

• This "Parenting in the Digital World Checklist" may help

• Check out Screen Time alternatives in this article

Parents/guardians who work on a federal property in Maryland and/or are a member of a uniformed service qualify HCPSS to receive additional federal funding. The Federal Impact Aid programs provide financial assistance to school districts that enroll federally connected children. At HCPSS, Impact Aid supplements the operating budget to enhance the teaching and learning that takes place in Howard County classrooms.

In order to qualify for funding, parents who identified themselves in Family File as working on federal property in Maryland or as active duty military should log in via HCPSS Connect Synergy to complete the Impact Aid form by confirming the information and providing a digital signature before Dec. 31, 2021.

If you did not complete Family File this year and work on federal property in Maryland or are active duty military, please log in and complete the Federal Impact Aid section of Family File prior to completing the Impact Aid form.

In instances where families are federally connected both by work location and membership in the uniformed services, the digital signature only needs to be completed by one parent.

To complete your online Impact Aid form:

1. Log in to HCPSS Connect using parent/guardian credentials

2. Select More Options from the left navigation

3. Select Federal Impact Aid from the middle

The family’s federally connected information along with the digital signature will qualify the school system for applicable funding.

Learn more about the Impact Aid program and view answers to frequently asked questions online.

Effective October 25, all volunteers and chaperones who interact with students, and parents/guardians who are conducting classroom observations were required to use the PinPoint platform to show proof of full vaccination at least five school days in advance. Please refer to the HCPSS website for additional information.

Parents/guardians should keep their children home if they are experiencing symptom(s) associated with any communicable disease, including COVID-19. In addition, parents/guardians are to perform the following COVID-19 health check every day before the student leaves home.

A child should NOT come to school with any of these symptoms:

• Fever of 100.4 degrees or higher


• Sore throat


• Cough


• Difficulty breathing


• Diarrhea or vomiting


• New onset of severe headache (especially with fever), or


• New loss of taste or smell


For persons with chronic conditions such as asthma, the symptoms should represent a change from baseline. Children exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 may not attend school.

• Please visit the HCPSS website for additional information on self screening, contact tracing and quarantining procedures. Additionally, visit the HCPSS website for more information on the 2021-2022 school year and answers to frequently asked questions.