January 16, 2025
- Message from Admin
- Primary Math Night
- Upcoming Winter MAP Assessments
- Young Authors’ Contest Winners!
- Career Day
- Family Support for Students with Disabilities
- Wellness Wednesday
- End of Quarter 2 Celebration
- Fifth Graders: Middle School Information Nights
- Fifth Grade Baby Pictures Needed
- Outdoor Recess and Weather Conditions
- PTA Meeting Dates
- Important Dates
A Message from Admin
Dear Parents,
The end of quarter two is fast approaching! We wanted to provide you some information about the upcoming parent/teacher conferences. Parent-teacher conferences are a valuable opportunity to discuss your child's progress in detail. Please see information below on the conference set up at HES.
Parent-Teacher Conferences February 5th & 6th
- All elementary schools will close 3 hours early on Wednesday, February 5 and Thursday, February 6, for parent-teacher conferences. There is no school for students on Friday, February 7.
- Due to the limited number of available time spots, we ask that you schedule a conference if you have a concern or have questions specific to your child’s progress.
- On Wednesday, February 5th, afternoon conferences (1:10-4:10 p.m.) will be in person only. Teachers will hold all afternoon conferences in person at their schools and parents may only attend their scheduled conferences on this day in person.
- If you have a conference with a 5th grade teacher, their in person conferences will be held in their learning cottage (relocatable behind the school). If you need assistance finding the cottage, please come through the front office.
- On Wednesday, February 5th, evening conferences (4:10-7:40 p.m.) will be virtual only. If teachers choose to hold conferences on Wednesday evening, parents will only be able to attend evening conferences virtually.
- On Thursday, February 6th, afternoon conferences (1:10-4:10 p.m.) will be virtual only. If teachers choose to hold conferences on Thursday afternoon, parents will only be able to attend conferences on this day virtually.
- Scheduling opens in Synergy on January 23rd, at 8:00 a.m. and closes at 4:00 p.m. on January 31st.
- Since GT teachers met with 4th grade parents in November, they will now hold February conferences for 5th grade only.
- All grades are scheduling conferences for math teachers (if conference is needed).
- Click here for directions to schedule a conference. We ask that you leave at least 15 minutes between sibling conferences to allow for transition time.
- If you wish to conference with a related arts teacher, please email them directly to set up a conference.
Nykia Mapson, Assistant Principal
Primary Math Night is January 28
Please use this form to RSVP for this awesome event! This Math Night is geared towards our primary students (Gr. K-2). Our Reading Night in the Spring will be geared towards intermediate students (Gr. 3-5).
Upcoming Winter MAP ASSESSMENTS
Students in grades 1-5 will take the Measured Academic Progress (MAP) assessment during the month of January or February. The data from the MAP assessment will help schools and teachers measure your student’s academic progress in the areas of Reading and Math. The MAP test does not affect grades and the difficulty adjusts depending on how your child responds. It is normal for students to only answer about half the questions correctly. To learn more about the MAP assessment, please visit: https://www.nwea.org/the-map-suite/common-questions-families/
Teachers in grades 1-5 will administer the assessment during the following testing window dates. If your child is absent, makeup testing will be offered when they return to school. Grade Level Teams/Teachers will share specific dates or changes to dates with you via Canvas announcements.
- Grade 5 Testing Window: January 6th-15th
- Grades 1-4 Testing Window: January 27th-February 27th
Young Author’s Contest Winners
Congratulations to Hammond's grades 1-5 students who won our schoolwide Young Authors’ Contest! We wish the winners luck as they move on to the county judging! We had 24 poetry and short story entries this year, and we hope to have even more students participate next year! Thank you to all the students who participated!!
The winners of the poetry category are:
Grade 1 - "Cheetahs Can Do That" by Courtney Fox (Breedlove)
Grade 2 - "The Witch's Story" by Oliver Jacobs (Rocco)
Grade 3 - "Hello Forest" by Sarah M. Henry (Pearman)
Grade 4 - 'Taylor Swift" by Kaitlin Ashton (Zeller)
Grade 5 - "School Days" by Zainub Sharif (Canterbury)
The winners of the short story category are:
Grade 1 - "Mermaid Mayhem" by John Davis (Breedlove)
Grade 2 – "Marathon the Protector" by Anya Kalaria (Narron)
Grade 3 – "Stranded in Africa" by Siddharth Modi (Pearman)
Grade 4 – "The Curious Fairy' by Arna Kalaria (Montgomery)
Grade 5 - “A Flower Cries" by Gloria Teng ((Serkes)
The Book Fair is Coming!
Career Day
We are looking for volunteers to speak to classes for Career Day on Thursday, March 13th. Please fill out this form if you are interested in coming in to share more about your career. You will be asked to share about your career for about 15-25 minutes (depending on grade) and answer questions students may have. We will reach back out once we gather responses with sign-ups for specific times.
https://forms.gle/Cj6bysvXvyKGPNeU6
Family Support & Resource Center for students with Disabilities
The Family Support & Resource Center assists families in advocating for their child with a disability. Services include:
- Workshops for parents and caregivers
- Guidance in the IEP/IFSP process
- Lending library including disability and special education related books and DVDs
- Facilitation of parent groups
- Weekly emails with upcoming events for you and your student
- Service, community and recreational resources to support the specific needs of your family
Contact FSRC@hcpss.org. Services are free
Wellness Wednesday
End of Quarter 2 Celebration
Fifth Graders: Middle School Information Nights
For those students who will be attending Hammond Middle School:
Tuesday, January 21 from 6-7pm in the HMS cafeteria will be the informational meeting for rising 6th graders.
For those students who will be attending Patuxent Valley Middle School
On January 22 Patuxent Valley Middle School will be hosting our Rising 6th Grade Family Orientation from 6pm to 7:30pm in the school cafeteria.
Come and learn more about middle school, the academic schedule, and the Gifted and Talented program, and get a chance to see the building and meet some of our amazing staff and students. Contact Richard Smart, richard_smart@hcpss.org with questions.
Fifth Graders: Baby Pictures Needed
Outdoor Recess and Weather Conditions
Cold weather has arrived!!! 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 warm
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.
Future PTA Meetings
January 14th All begin at 7:15
March 11th
May 13th
Important Dates 
1/20 MLK Day - Schools and Offices closed
1/21 Rising 6th Graders: HMS Informational Meeting
1/22 Wellness Wednesday
1/22 Rising 6th Graders: PVMS Informational Meeting
1/23 Parent-Teacher Conference scheduling window opens at 8am
1/23 End of Quarter 2
1/24 End of Quarter 2 Celebrations
1/28 Math Night
2/4 Report cards available
2/5 3-Hour Early Dismissal for students
2/5 Parent-Teacher Conferences. School dismisses 3 hours early
2/5 PTA Restaurant Night: Chuck E. Cheese
2/6 Parent-Teacher Conferences; School dismisses 3 hours early
2/7 No School for students
2/10-2/14 Book Fair
2/17 Presidents’ Day - Schools and Offices closed
2/27 Talent Show