Welcome to
Hamilton Elementary Middle School
Home of the Hawks
Greetings Hamilton Elementary Middle School Students and Families,
Thank you for supporting your student(s) as we navigate rapidly changing circumstances related to COVID-19. We are writing to update you about optional in-person learning opportunities at your school.
For the second semester, City Schools will expand optional learning to include Hamilton students in kindergarten through 5th grade.
Participation is optional: families may elect to participate in in-person learning or continue with virtual learning. In-person learning will begin on the following dates:
· Kindergarten through grade 2 begins Tuesday, February 16
· Grades 3-5 begin Monday, March 1
· There will be a future announcement to bring back pre-kindergarten and grades 6-8 on a later date.
With this announcement, we need to gather a count for who will be returning on the dates above and who will continue with virtual instruction so that we can plan for a smooth transition. If you prefer your student to remain virtual, he/she must continue with virtual instruction until at least the end of quarter 3. No one will be permitted to switch from virtual to in-person instruction once the final counts have been made. Please complete the survey no later than Friday, January 22, 2021. The survey link is: https://forms.gle/p76sNkV5G9vhSG4eA
Family Town Hall
City Schools will be hosting a town hall for families on January 21, at 5:30 p.m. to share updates and answer questions. The event will be streamed live on [facebook.com/baltcityschools] Facebook and YouTube.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Pouncey, Mrs. Randall, & Mrs. Muhammad
Virtual Instruction Information:
Attendance --School Starts at 8:30 a.m.
Attendance and punctuality is very important. Yes, even in the virtual world. Students are expected to attend school daily. We are still required to follow all district and state attendance and truancy guidelines. Students should also be on-time. We start our day with community circles and other community building activities. It’s vital that we take the time to make these connections. Our teachers then go right into instruction. We understand that at times your child may need to be late or miss some class time. Those times should be kept to a minimum. You can reach out to your child’s teacher or school administration if you have any questions. Again, we are here to support and understand that some of our families may require additional support or assistance. Please don't hesitate to reach out.
Middle School- Afternoon Classes
This message is for all students but particularly those in middle school. Students must attend all classes including afternoon classes. Our middle school does not end until 3:15 p.m. Students finish their last live class at 2:45 p.m. They then have time to complete their asynchronous (class) work or attend coaching sessions with their teachers. We have noticed that some middle school students are not attending their afternoon classes. Please review your students schedule and reach out to their teachers if you have any questions. Again, middle school students should be logged in until 3:15 p.m.
Amplify Reading and i-Ready
We have completed our beginning of the year (BOY)assessments. Based on the results from our BOY assessments, we have two programs to support our students academic growth. Your child can receive both intervention and acceleration support with these programs. Please make sure that your child utilizes these resources. We recommend that your child spend 45 minutes a week on the math program and 45 minutes a week on the reading. Both of these programs can be found through the CLEVER app. You should have already received your child’s log-in information from his/her teacher. Please reach out to your child’s teacher or a school administrator if you have any questions about how to access these programs. Please see the appropriate program based on your child’s grade.
Amplify Reading is for students in grades K-5th.
i-Ready Reading is for students in grades 6-8th.
i-Ready Math is for students in grades K-8th.
Remember students should begin each day of virtual learning by logging into Clever. The Clever Portal provides a single point of entry and simplifies the sign-in process for our students.
Material and Device Distribution
We have reached out to each family to provide students with a device. We have provided devices to all students/families with an expressed need. If you do not have a device please reach out to Mrs. Muhammad at zmuhammad@bcps.k12.md.us. Ms. Muhammad will be able to schedule an appointment for you to pick up a device. You must have an appointment to pick up a device. If your device has been damaged due to a cracked screen you must reach out to the district at 443-642-3000. They will be able to schedule a time for you to bring the device to the district headquarters to be serviced. We can not service cracked screens at the school. We do not have any hot spots at this time. If you still require a hotspot please contact Ms. Muhammad and you will be added to the waiting list.
Material distributions have ended. If you were unable to pick-up your child’s materials during the material distribution windows please contact the main office at 410-396-6375 to schedule a time to pick-up your child’s materials. We will have the materials ready for you during your appointment slot. No visitors are permitted inside the building. The items will be given to you at the front door. You must make an appointment. We are enforcing this requirement to limit the amount of people on site. Our top priority is the health and safety of our entire school community.
Grading
You can view your child’s grades through the parent portal. Please click on the Campus Portal Flyer below to create an account if you do not have one. We will not be mailing report cards home. You will need to view it on Campus Portal.
Overcoming Any Barriers
I want to thank you all for your patience and grace as we continue to navigate through this unprecedented school year. We know there will be some bumps, hurdles, and mountains to climb, but we can overcome them all by working together, recognizing each other's gifts, and being kind to each other in this process. I know each of you has worked tirelessly to meet the demands of virtual learning. If we face a hurdle or become frustrated with an issue, please let's continue to work collaboratively to resolve them and stay in positive communication. I know we will not just survive virtual learning but here at Hamilton we will thrive! I am in awe of your strength, tenacity and commitment. I wouldn’t want to be going through this with any other school family. Together we can do VIRTUALLY anything!
If you have any additional questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We are here for you!
Best,
Mrs. Pouncey
Principal
Mrs. Lorrie Randall
Assistant Principal Elementary School
Mrs. Zaakira Muhammad
Assistant Principal Middle School
Campus Portal
Do you need to update your phone number, email, and/or address? Please log into the campus portal link.
https://baltimore.infinitecampus.org/campus/portal/parents/bcps.jsp
You can also check your child's grades online in Campus Portal.
To create a new Campus Portal Account, please click on the Campus Portal flyer link:
Quick Links
Did you miss the 8th grade virtual closing?
Click here to watch and celebrate our 8th graders as we send them off to high school.
