The Cedarmere Elementary Panther Paw

Together we value, inspire, and hold each other to high expectations.

Laura Brown Arlene Moore Principal

Assistant Principal

Important Dates

Thursday, April 3 Picture DayThursday, April 10 Report Cards Go HomeApril 14 -21 School Closed for Spring BreakApril 23-May 2 BCPS Mobile StarlabThursday, April 24 STEM FairFriday, April 25 Cedarmere Talent ShowSunday, April 27 Cedarmere Day at Oriole Park

Dear Cedarmere Families,

I truly believe that the home/school partnership is the foundation of success for any child and an important element to successful schools. I thank you for all the time you devote to your child’s education. Time is precious! One of the best ways to give a child the gift of time is to spend time reading to them. All elementary aged children benefit greatly from having a family member read to them and with them every single day. You can reread stories that they have read in school or read your favorite stories from your childhood. If you speak a language other than English, please continue to read to your child in your first language. Enjoy every precious minute that you are able to spend reading with your child. They grow up so quickly and these will be moments that you treasure.

Fondly, Laurie Brown

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

We need volunteers during the school day to help small groups of students with their sight words and/or basic math facts. There will be a meeting at school on Tuesday, April 8th at 4:00 for all of those interested in helping. In order to schedule your volunteer time, please bring your calendars!

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

We are pleased to announce that Alicia Poling has been selected as a 2014 Carson Scholar. This is a very competitive process. We are very proud of Alicia’s accomplishment, and we are thrilled to say that Alicia stood out as an exemplary student and role model. With this honor, Alicia will receive a $1,000 scholarship award that will be invested for her college education. In addition, she will receive a medal and certificate. Also, to honor Alicia’s accomplishments, Cedarmere will receive a nameplate to add to our current trophy. Alicia will be honored in front of her family, peers, and educators at the Carson Scholars Fund 18th Annual Awards Banquet on Sunday, April 6, 2014.

BLACK SAGA

We are very proud of our Cedarmere Black Saga Club led by Mrs. Koslowski and Mr. Peters. The members include Jade Brumback, Alicia Cao, Jahsim Casimir, Daniel Diaz, Eric Ekey, Gia Jenkins, Jayce Jenkins, Soraya Lemonius, Tynera McFadden, Neha Mupparapu, Shiv Patel, Zainab Saeed, Pierre Wabeno, Howard Yates, and Michael Yates. The Cedarmere Black Saga competition was held on February 6th. The results of this competition formed two teams that went to the county competition on Feb 12th. They were Team One: Zainab Saeed, Jahsim Casimir, and Gia Jenkins and Team two: Soraya Lemonius, Pierre Wabeno, and Alicia Cao. Team One placed fourth at the county competition so then moved on to the state competition on March 15th where they placed ninth. We couldn’t be more proud of all the club members’ achievements!

24 MATH CHALLENGE

Our Cedarmere Math 24 Challenge Club showed their smarts as they manipulated numbers and math operations to reach the number 24. The following fifth grade students participated in this club: Kennedy Brumagin, Nicole Bullock, Jahsim Casimir, Jas Deol, Sara Herrera, Hakima Hurullaeva, Gia Jenkins, Jayce Jenkins, Jennifer Lam, Mekhi Lewis, Nina Markland, Neha Mupparapu, Noemi Natareno, and Dua Sajid. The School Tournament was March 13th. Our single digit champion was Jayce Jenkins and our 2-digit champion was Mekhi Lewis.

STAR LAB

The BCPS Starlab portable planetarium is visiting Cedarmere April 23rd to May 2nd. The planetarium has been upgraded to a fully digital planetarium system. The new planetarium will provide our students with enhanced graphics and capabilities for exploring space. The dome has been upgraded so that students and teachers will no longer have to crawl through a tunnel to enter the Starlab. Instead, they will enter the Starlab upright through an “airlock” entrance! We are looking forward to exploring space in this brand new “spaceship!”

AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH

April 1st starts Autism Awareness month. The entire school will be celebrating by matching up all the students’ strengths and likes onto puzzle pieces that will be displayed throughout the school. There will also be tips on how to be friendly and socialize with each other. Please have your students wear BLUE on Wednesday, April 2nd in honor of “LIGHT IT UP BLUE”, a national day devoted to Autism Awareness.

ATTENDANCE

Please help your child establish good attendance habits. It is critical for even our youngest students to learn that it is important to come to school on-time every day and stay until the end of the day. When children arrive on-time, they are able to eat breakfast, talk with friends, unpack and transition into the morning routine. Teachers often use the morning arrival time to conference with students, discuss assignments or assist with make-up work. When they dismiss on-time, they are present for the entire day’s lessons and are able to organize and collect the night’s homework. Please do your best to emphasize the importance of good attendance!

STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION

Thank you to our Student Government for taking the lead in planning our first annual Cedarmere Bullying Prevention Week. Our school community rallied support against bullying and promoted a

school that appreciates diversity. One Love… One Heart… One School!

ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL SAFETY

Please make sure you and your children stay on the sidewalks and use the crosswalks when crossing the bus loop. It is unsafe to walk between the buses. We will be enforcing this safe behavior.

NEW STUDENTS2014-2015 SCHOOL YEAR

Kindergarten/First Grade Round-Up has been scheduled for Wednesday, May 14, 2014. Children born between September 2, 2008 and September 1, 2009 will be kindergarten age for the 2014-2015 school year and should attend round-up. Children born between September 2, 2007 and September 1, 2008, and presently in a private kindergarten program who plan to attend Cedarmere for first grade next year will also need to register on May 14th.

Screening for prekindergarten age students will be held on Wednesday, May 28, 2014. Children born between September 2, 2009 and September 1, 2010 are eligible to apply for the prekindergarten program. Code of Maryland Regulations (COMAR) mandate that automatic eligibility for a prekindergarten program will occur when a child meets the age of entry guidelines and is at least one of the following:

Is from an economically disadvantaged background (i.e. eligible for free or reduced-price meal program as established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture).

Is homeless

In addition, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provides that a child is automatically eligible for prekindergarten if the child:

Has been identified through the IEP team process with the development of an IEP as necessitating special education classroom instruction within a general education setting.

Children who do not meet the automatic criteria for eligibility listed above will be considered for prekindergarten enrollment based upon availability of space and prioritized criteria.

Children presently in the prekindergarten program do not need to attend kindergarten round-up.

An information sheet will be coming home with your child shortly. We would appreciate you sharing this information with neighbors who would not receive a newsletter, but have children who would be eligible to attend Cedarmere next school year. Early registration helps us in planning effectively for the upcoming school year.

If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Knefel at 410-887-1100.

THE PANTHER PAW AND ANNOUNCEMENTS

Paper Delivery:Announcements in paper form will be sent home with “carriers,” who are the youngest students in your family. Please look for written communication in your child’s Cedarmere Home Folder.

Electronic Newsletter Delivery: In an effort to reduce the amount of paper we use, we will be sending the monthly Panther Paw Newsletter home via email, and it is also accessible on the school website http://cedarmerees.bcps.org. Of course, families that do not have access to email or would prefer to receive a paper copy of the newsletter may still do so.

IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY DONE SO , please fill out and return the form below. Thank you!

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The Cedarmere Panther Paw Newsletter Distribution

Child’s Name: _______________________________________________________________________

Homeroom Teacher: __________________________________________________________________ Child’s Name: _______________________________________________________________________

Homeroom Teacher: __________________________________________________________________

_____ I would like to have the newsletter emailed to me.

My email address is: ______________________________________________

_____ Please continue to send me a paper copy of the newsletter.

Please return this form to Mrs. Knefel in the office. Thanks!