Deep Run Digest 8-27-2021

Fri, 08/27/2021 - 8:08am
Important Dates

Aug 27   New Student Orientation  1st-5th 10:00   

Aug 27   PreK and K Orientation 1:30   

Aug 27   Open House Prekindergarten-5th grade 2:00-3:00

Aug 27   Community Cook-Out and Backpack/School Supply Giveaway 3:00

Aug 30   First Day of School for K-5  Doors Open at 9:10, Late Bell at 9:25

Sept 2    First Day of School for PreK/RECC

Sept 6     No School--Labor Day

Sept 7     No School--Rosh Hashanah

Sept 9     Back to School Picnic 6:00-7:30

Sept 13   Back to School Night Prekindergarten-2 @ 6:30 pm

Sept 14   Back to School Night 3-5 @ 6:30 pm

Sept 16   No School--Yom Kippur

News

Covid-19 Self Screenings

All parents/guardians are to perform a COVID-19 health check every day before your student leaves home. Students are not to come to school if they are experiencing any symptom(s) associated with COVID-19 or other communicable disease.

Annual Back to School Open House and Back to School Bash--August 27

We are looking forward to welcoming families in-person for the back to school open house from 2-3. Following the open house there will be a Back to School Bash with backpacks of school supplies and free food from 3-5.  Masks will be needed.  Flyer in English and Spanish

Arrival and Dismissal Procedures

The safety of our students and staff is our number one priority.  In order to ensure their safety during arrival and dismissal, please adhere to the following guidelines.  
We use the following terms to identify how students are dismissed at DRES.  Understanding these terms will create a more efficient dismissal.

  • Car Rider-  A student whose parents use the carloop to pick up or drop off. Parents DO NOT park, get out of their car, or walk up to the school building.  They remain in the car and students are brought to the car by school staff.
  •  Walker– A student who walks to or from the school building. If a parent drives to the school, then parks and walks up to the building to retrieve a student, this student is considered a WALKER.  These students will be dismissed out of the front door or side door.
  •   Bus Service—We strongly encourage students who live in an area served by bus transportation to ride the bus to and from school.  Please enter your address in the HCPSS school and bus locator to find your assigned stop and bus information.

We highly encourage our families to walk to school if they live in our walker zone.  If you drive, please review the attached Deep Run Car Loop flyer, available in English & Spanish, for an overview on how to ensure safe, friendly, and efficient arrival and dismissal procedures for our school community.

Afternoon Car Loop.

We dismiss our walkers and car riders at 3:55. Please be alert for directions from our staff. We begin by loading students into cars on Old Waterloo Road along side the school.  As soon as buses leave school, parents will be directed to drive to the curb in front of the school.

Please be on time to pick up your children.  Dismissal is at 3:55.  Additionally, students should be in school until the very end of the day. The only reason to leave early is for an occasional doctor's appointment.  There are no early dismissals after 3:30 pm.

Bus Schedules Online

The 2021-2022 bus stop locator is available online. Users can locate bus stops by entering the student's grade, street address and zip code in the search menu. Updates to the site are still being made, and parents are advised to double check the site this weekend to verify bus stops, numbers and times. Families may notice earlier pickup or later drop-off times than expected, which reflects the need to extend some routes due to severe driver shortages.

Please note:  there is no bus transportation from Paragon or Deep Run Park.

Students in Prekindergarten, K and 1st

At the start of the school year, students in prekindergarten, kindergarten and first grade will have access to Chromebooks at school when needed for instruction. These devices will not be assigned to individual students.

Students at these grade levels who currently have Chromebooks assigned to them will be asked to return them to school.

Students in PreK, K, and 1st grade should return any Chromebooks they used last school year.  Please bring the Chromebook and laptop to school at the Open House or on the first day of school.

Cafeteria/Lunch Updates

To uplift Covid-19 safety, Deep Run Elementary will offer limited outdoor eating spaces during each lunch shift to reduce the number of students in the cafeteria.

Outdoor seating option

  • Tables and chairs will be provided 

  • A tent will arrive in September

  • Space for about 36 students per lunch shift

  • Assigned lunch monitor 

  • Assigned seats

  • Available as weather and staff permit

  • Parents may request their child be considered to eat outside

Indoor seating

  • Assigned seating

  • Limits to the number of students at a table

  • Plexiglass shields

  • Masks will be worn at all times except when eating

  • Assigned lunch monitors

HCPSS Cafeteria Protocols

Please complete this form if you want your child considered for outdoor seating. To accommodate all requests, we may not be able to offer it to your child all 5 days each week. 

Student/Parent Handbook

The 2021-2022 Student and Parent Handbook is now available on the HCPSS website. This resource is helpful for navigating the school year and includes information about HCPSS practices, policies and services available to support and enrich learning. A printed version of the handbook is no longer provided.

Volunteering at Deep Run

We welcome volunteers at Deep Run Elementary.  Volunteers need to complete two on-line trainings prior to volunteering.

Worth Repeating

Deep Run PTA
Learn about our very active PTA.  Read more
 
Howard County Recreation and Parks Fall Activities at Deep Run ES

The Howard County Recreation and Parks Office has scheduled several fall activities for elementary students that will be held at Deep Run either before or after school.  Here is the guide:

https://www.howardcountymd.gov/recreation-parks/resource/fall-activity-guide

Here are some of the activities available at Deep Run:

  • Chess
  • eSports
  • Bricks4Kids Legos

Back to School Resources for 2021

Welcome to the 2021-2022 School Year

Learn about Health and Safety and other information for the new school year.

Free Vaccines at HCC on August 30th and 31st.  Learn more.

Family File is Open Now for Returning Families

HCPSS Family File is where parents input and find all of the information located on their child's Emergency Procedure Cards, contact information and medical considerations.  For the safety of your child/children, it is very important that this information remains current. This information must be updated every year. Please ensure that it is completed prior to the start of school. Once logged in, parents/guardians will be asked to verify or update the following information: Student Information, Parent/Guardian Contact, Emergency Contact, Medical Information, Arrival/Dismissal Procedures, Photo Approval, Data Confidentiality, and PTA/PTSA Directory.

Please read these Family File directions to begin. To update your Family File, go to https://www.hcpss.org/connect/. 

Parents who may have forgotten their log-in credentials can request assistance using the help link in the HCPSS Connect page. If you need help, click here. Please revise and/or complete your family contact information as soon as possible. We appreciate your efforts to complete this important task right away.

*New HCPSS families will receive login credentials beginning the first two weeks of August*

Free and Reduced Meal Applications

Families may complete the Free and Reduced Meal Application for the 2021-2022 school year.  FARM applications must be completed as soon as possible! Please find the application at this site.

Food and Nutrition Services

HCPSS will continue its free food service program to meet the growing need to feed hungry children and families in Howard County and fill the nutritional gap. All meals will be provided at no cost to HCPSS students during the 2021-2022 school year.

Technology Accounts for New Deep Run Students

Beginning the week of August 2, families with students new to HCPSS and whose registration has been finalized will receive an email from noreply@hcpss.org with the subject “Technology account information for new HCPSS student.” The email will be sent to the email address used during the student registration process. The email contains personalized and important information regarding new students’ technology accounts. If you have a child new to HCPSS and do not receive the email and/or cannot locate the email in the junk/spam folder of the email account you used during registration, you can use the Forgot Password or Username button on the hcpss.me student landing page to retrieve both your child’s username and password. Directions for Account Self Service directions are posted online.

Here are translated messages for new Synergy families:

English

Spanish

Chinese

Korean

Medication Information

If your child requires medication at school for the upcoming school year, please go to the link below. Here you will find all the information and forms that are needed for students that need medications at school. There are links to the Epi-pen order form, diabetes order form, and medication order form. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Mrs. Adriane Breck, Cluster Nurse, at Adriane_Breck@hcpss.org or Ms. Melanie Hanson-Boone, School Health Assistant, at Melanie_Hanson-Boone@hcpss.org.