April 10, 2025
- Message from Admin
- 3 R's Winners
- Field Day T-shirt Orders Due
- Blacktop Beautification Project
- Parent Consideration Form
- Grade 5 Simulated Congressional Hearings
- MCAP Testings
- A Note from Music
- National Arab History Month
- April is the Month of the Military Child
- PTA Spring Carnival Thank You
- Drug Free Howard County
- Gifted and Talented Summer Programs
- Free Resource: Children with Executive Dysfunction
- Outdoor Recess and Weather Conditions
- PTA Meeting Dates
- Important Dates
A Message from Admin
Dear HES Community.
As we embrace the season of Spring, we want to express how much pride we feel for our students for the remarkable improvements and progress they’ve made towards their individual goals and our school-wide goals up until this point in the school year.
We look forward to celebrating another new beginning shortly after the break during our Blacktop Ribbon Cutting Ceremony on Sunday 4/27 at 3:00 pm. This will be an outdoor event only, with no access to the building, so please plan accordingly! See below for more details.
We wish you a warm, joyful, and safe Spring Break!
Heather Moraff, Principal
Nykia Mapson, Assistant Principal
3 R's Winners
Congratulations to our 3rd quarter award winners. Students are nominated by staff and then randomly selected.
The Tuffy Award goes to students who are consistently showing the 3 Rs.
The Achiever Award goes to students who show growth, improvement, and consistently trying their best.
Field Day T-shirt Orders Due Tomorrow 4/11
Preferred payment method is online: https://osp.osmsinc.com/p/DA022-94
Cash and checks accepted. Checks made payable to Hammond Elementary School
Blacktop Beautification Project
Our PTA is doing an exciting blacktop beautification project. We ask the community to please refrain from using the HES blacktop during Spring Break to allow the execution of the project.
Parent Consideration Form
Our staff is excited to look ahead and begin planning for next school year. As part of this process, we would like to give you the opportunity to share some information that you would like for us to consider as we begin to make class groupings for the next school year. This consideration form is for you, as parents, to relay specific information about your child that you feel would be beneficial as our teachers meet to determine next year's placements. Class placement changes after class lists are finalized are extremely difficult and often cannot be accommodated.
This form closes on May 16th, 2025 for current HES students. This is your opportunity to voice what you would like us to consider in your child's placement for the next school year. The time, thought, and commitment put into the completion of this form is appreciated, valued, and highly regarded.
When placing students, the staff and administration utilize a wide range of criteria, which are supportive of the Howard County philosophy of heterogeneous grouping. Some of these criteria include, but are not limited to:
• the personality of the child
• the balance of female and male students
• racial and ethnic diversity
• written output
• test results
• reading strengths and needs
• special education requirements; IEP goals
• structured versus non-structured needs
• information from previous teachers and school counselor/Student Services team
There are certain concerns that we cannot consider as part of this consideration form: therefore we ask that you not use this form to propose the following:
• specific teacher requests
• placement based on siblings’ experiences
• grouping based on friends
• grouping based on hearsay about teachers or other children
Your input on this form will be used in our planning for your child rather than a letter requesting a specific teacher. Your response is OPTIONAL but is a very valuable source of information to the school staff and to the next teacher. If a situation arises over the summer that changes the information you write on this form, please email Mrs. Moraff (Principal) as soon as possible.
If you have multiple students, please submit a separate form for each of them. Your time and input is greatly valued! (You may opt to fill in "N/A" for any section of the form.)
This form is only for rising Kindergarten through 5th graders. Current 5th grade parents do not need to fill out the form.
Please access our Parent Consideration Form here.
Thank you in advance for your valuable input!
Grade 5 Simulated Congressional Hearings
Dear 5th Grade Parents and Guardians,
Please join us on Friday, May 23rd here at Hammond Elementary for our Simulated Congressional Hearings (SCH). Hearings will take place from 10:15-1:00 in the 5th grade learning cottages. More specific details about your child's presentation will be provided the closer we get to the hearings.
Come Be an SCH Judge
The 5th Grade Team would like to invite you to be a judge in Hammond Elementary’s 2025 We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution Simulated Congressional Hearings (SCH). This is a great opportunity for you to be involved in an inspiring and uplifting event that showcases what our students have learned. It would be an honor to have you judge in-person for our 2025 SCH.
Our SCH is scheduled for Friday, May 23rd from approximately 8:30-1:30. A finalized schedule will be sent out to those who elect to participate.
This event is a performance assessment that culminates our fifth-graders’ year of social studies instruction. The students will serve as experts on issues related to the constitution. Your role will be to simulate the role of a congressperson by listening to students, asking questions, and providing feedback. For those that have judged before, this year we have made several improvements to ensure what you see and hear is truly what the students have learned. The responsibility is on the students to compile their speech and research the follow-up questions.
You do NOT need to be a constitutional scholar to be a great judge. It will be the students’ job to teach you. We will provide all the training you need on the morning of the event prior to the start of the hearings. The civic participation of community members like you is critical to the success of the program.
To respond to this invitation, please RSVP online at: http://tinyurl.com/2025-SCH-RSVP .
Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP)
Students in grades 3-5 will take the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) during the month of April and/or May. The MCAP assessments measure student achievement on the Maryland College and Career Ready Standards in English language arts and math. To learn more about MCAP, please visit HCPSS Maryland Comprehensive Assessment page.
Students in grades 3-5 are encouraged to bring in their own corded headphones (if possible). Wireless or bluetooth headphones are not permitted during the MCAP Assessments.
Before testing, make sure your child gets a good night’s rest and eats a hearty and filling meal before testing.
Updated MCAP Testing Dates
***Makeup testing will take place during the testing window.
Students who are absent on the testing dates will participate in a makeup session during the April 7th-May 30th
A Note from Music - Spring Chorus Concert
Come out to support the Hammond Elementary School and Hammond Middle School Choruses in our Spring Chorus Concert in the Hammond High School auditorium on Wednesday, May 21, 2025 at 7pm.
Orchestra and Band Spring Concert
Thursday, May 15, 2025 at Hammond Middle School Gymnasium
Orchestra at 5:30pm (students report at 5:15pm)
Band at 7:15pm (students report at 7:00pm)
National Arab History Month
April is the Month of the Military Child
PACT Act Veterans Claims Clinic & VA Health Care Information Fair
Tue. Apr 22, 2025, 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
These events and connections help to foster a sense of belonging for our families who are in the military.
https://www.va.gov/maryland-health-care/events/77771/
PTA Spring Carnival Thank You
Drug-Free Howard County
Free Parenting/Grandparenting Classes - Open to parents, guardians and grandparents residing in Howard County or with school-age children/grandchildren residing in the County. Evidence-based, interactive prevention program that provides families with the skills and knowledge to reduce the risk that their children will use drugs and alcohol or engage in other dangerous behaviors. The curriculum was written for families with children 9-14 years olds, but we believe it is appropriate for K-12 families. Class dates: March 18, 21, 25, 28 and April 1 from Noon to 1:30 p.m. on Zoom. Visit HC DrugFree’s website for more information and register at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Spring2025GGC
Drive-Thru Medication and Sharps Disposal – Saturday, April 26 in the Wilde Lake Village Center Parking Lot near the Swim Center from 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Safely dispose of prescription and over-the-counter medication, EpiPens and other sharps, vitamins, pet meds, vape devices, inhalers, and more! Need student, adult, and medically-trained adult volunteers. Giving away 100 medication lockboxes.
For more information: https://hcdrugfree.org/drug-take-back-day-1/
To sign up to volunteer: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/4-26-25TakeBack
Teen Advisory Council - Open to Howard County students in grades 8-12. Earn Community Service Hours and make meaningful contributions to the community. Next meeting: Monday May 19, 2025, from 5:30-7:00pm on Zoom. For more information, visit: https://hcdrugfree.org/teen-advisory-council/
Gifted and Talented Summer Programs
Gifted and Talented (G/T) Summer Institutes for Talent Development
The Gifted and Talented (G/T) Summer Institutes for Talent Development offers additional advanced-level instruction and enrichment experiences not regularly available during the academic school year for students entering grades 1-8. Rigorous instruction focusing on talent development is offered in mathematics, science, social studies, language arts, technology and fine arts.
No testing nor prior G/T coursework is required for enrollment in these enrichment offerings.
Location: Burleigh Manor Middle School
Session 1: June 30 - July 11 (no class July 4)
Session 2: July 14-25
Hours: 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Cost: $330 per session (Financial assistance is available for students participating in the Free and Reduced Meal Program.)
Students may attend Session 1, Session 2, or both sessions. While the program is half-day, after care is available on site via Howard County Recreation and Parks. Snack is provided.
A few highlights ---
- Bus transportation to area collector stops!
- Exciting courses in Humanities, STEM, and the Arts!
For more information on how to register, please see this registration guide.
Contact: GTSummer@hcpss.org or 410-313-6671.
Free Resource: Children with Executive Dysfunction
Outdoor Recess and Weather Conditions
We wanted to remind you that students will still be going outside for recess each day. Please make sure you send your child to school with weather appropriate clothes. All clothing needs to be labeled with your child's name.
Below you will find the HCPSS criteria we consider when having outdoor activities.
• Temperature and humidity
• Wind chill
• Heat index and air quality
• Age of students
• Length of time outdoors
• Adequacy of the children’s clothing
• Condition of the playground
• Falling precipitation (more than a sprinkle or mist)
• Thunder and lightning
Generally, it is assumed that students will be outside for recess, physical education, or
any other outdoor activity when the temperature combined with the wind chill is not less
than 20 degrees Fahrenheit or the heat index is less than 95.
Final PTA Meeting
Begins at 7:15pm
May 13th
Important Dates 
4/14-4/21 Spring Break; School Closed
4/18, 4/21 Schools and Offices Closed
5/5-5/9 Staff Appreciation Week
5/30 Field Day
5/20 Enrichment Fair
5/21 Spring Chorus Concert 7pm at HMS
6/6: Schools dismiss three hours early
6/9 HCPL Summer Reading Program visits during RA
6/9-6/13 Full school day
6/16 -6/17 Schools dismiss three hours early
6/18 Last day of school; schools dismiss 3 hours early