HAMMOND NEWS
HAMMOND ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
8110 Aladdin Drive
Laurel, MD 20723
410-880-5890
Safe-to-School 301-725-9250

February 22, 2008

February 26 Club photos

February 28 Science Fair 6-8pm

March 3 Fire Truck Ride

March 6 Gianni's Pizza pick up 3:30-6:30 in the Media Center

March 12 Cultural Arts YoJo - 9:15 k-2, 10:25 3-5

March 13 Class pictures

MARCH 17-24 SCHOOLS CLOSED SPRING BREAK

SCIENCE FAIR IS COMING!
Scientifically Fascinating Facts! Statistically speaking Illinois Ave is the most landed-upon Monopoly Square. The HES Science Fair is also a great place to land! Come see the wonderful projects and go on a Science Scavenger Hunt. Mark your calendar for next Thursday, February 28th at 6:30 for a great night of family fun. Please make sure that you bring your Science Fair project on Thursday, February 28th!

HES ANNUAL PIZZA SALE!
If you have not turned in your Gianni's Pizza order, please send in Monday. Thank you for your support! Please make checks payable to Hammond Elementary and staple payment to the order form. Pizza pickup will be Thursday, March 6th, from 3:30-6:30pm in the Media Center.

KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION/EARLY ADMISSION INFORMATION.
Kindergarten registration for the 2008-09 school year will be the week of March 3-7, 2008 9am-3pm, Wednesday, March 5th will be until 6:30. To register for kindergarten, children must be five years old by September 1, 2008. Please be sure and register your child during this week, and if you know a neighbor whose child will be attending kindergarten for the 08-09 year, please encourage them to register their child as well. The parent or guardian must present the following information at the time of registration: child's birth certificate, record of immunizations, proof of residency (in form of a lease, a deed, or house contract and a recent utility bill (water, gas or electric), and a photo ID of parent or guardian.
Some rare exceptions for early admission to school may be made as well as parents requesting a one year waiver to defer entry to kindergarten. Parents should visit www.hcpss.org, once there click on schools and then kindergarten for more information.

Kindergarten Registration
Is just around the corner and the HES PTA is looking for volunteers to help the week of March 3rd. Please consider helping our wonderful staff with registration by contacting Susan McPherson at mdswa@hotmail.com or calling 301-776-5705. There are only 6 more time slots to fill - Tues. 3/4 and Thurs. 3/7 11:00 - 1:00 and Mon. 3/3, Wed. 3/6, Thur. 3/7 and Fri. 3/8 1:00 - 3:00.

PENNIES FOR PATIENTS!
HES has joined 15,000 schools nationwide in the "Pennies for Patients"� program. During January and February we will help people who are sick with blood cancers. Please help your child collect coins to put in his/her classroom collection box. Thank you for your support!

BOWIE BAY SOX
Last Friday your child brought home a letter and a reading log to participate in the Bowie Baysox Reading Program. This is an optional program. This is due no later than Friday, March 7, 2008.

CHILDREN'S DENTAL DAY
There will be free Dental Screening with questions and answers with Dental Professionals on March 1st, from 10:30-12 noon at Laurel Woods Elementary, 9250 N. Laurel Road. This is sponsored by Southeastern Howard/Laurel Chapter of the Continental Societies Inc. for more information contact Deborah Hill, Chair 410-347-2995.

SPIRIT WEAR
We still have a few remaining spiritwear items available for purchase. If you are interested, please email Erin Dorn at dedorn@comcast.net

FROM THE GUIDANCE DEPARTMENT
Autism Awareness Nights at The Rockfish Restaurant in Annapolis!
The Rockfish Restaurant is hosting Autism Awareness nights on the third Tuesday of each month starting on February 19th. Families with autistic children are encouraged to come and enjoy a family meal without any stigma. The chef will offer several items that are either gluten or asein-free and background music will be turned down to reduce sensory overload. A quiet room will be available if needed. The evening is all about acceptance and understanding and helping loved ones enjoy all the experiences that everyone else enjoys. 10% of the proceeds from each of the Autistic Awareness evenings will be donated to Pathfinders for Autism. Please call 410-267-1800 for more information.

AN OPPORTUNITY FOR FAMILIES WITH SPECIAL NEEDS
The Howard County Autism Society and AMC Theatres at Columbia Mall will be offering movie showings for families with special needs. There will be no trailers, the volume will be kept down and the lights will be kept up. Children are encouraged to take sensory breaks and all families and friends with special needs are welcome.
All showings will start at 9:30am and doors open at 8:45 am. Cost is $6.00 per person.The upcoming schedule is: 2/23/08: The Spiderwick Chronicals3/29/08: Horton Hears a Who 4/12/08: Nim's Island

Parents of Children with AD/HD!  New support group has formed!
CHADD Parent Support Group Meeting 2nd Tuesday of each month 7-8:30 pm, at the Norbel School, 6135 Old Washington Rd, Elkridge, MD, 21075. For more info, please call: Nancy Rhodes, 410-796-6700.

DO YOU HAVE AN ANXIOUS CHILD?
Access Counseling Services of Columbia is introducing a group for parents who would like to become more effective when dealing with their anxious children. To learn more about this helpful and informative group, please call Access Counseling at 410-995-5555.

FAMILY NIGHTS FABULOSITY!
The Hammond Elementary PTA would like to send a heartfelt thank you to all the Hammond families who make the effort to attend our "HES Family Nights"� at local restaurants. Our most recent "Family Night"� at Cheeburger Cheeburger was one of our most successful with many families attending and socializing with each other. To top it off, the franchise owner was extremely generous and donated an extra $100 to our PTA efforts! We are so proud to be part of this Hammond community with such great businesses and families. These types of events help pay for many wonderful extras and events for our students at HES like the upcoming Science Fair and Talent Show. If you have any suggestions for future "Family Night"� venues, feel free to contact Amy Shugar at sheashug@comcast.net. We look forward to seeing you at our next "Family Night"� Tuesday, April 15th at New York J&P Pizza.

SAVE THE DATE! The 2008 HES SPRING CARNIVAL is OFFICIAL!
Get excited and mark your calendars for the 2008 Hammond Elementary Spring Carnival. The confirmed date for the Spring Carnival is Friday, May 30th between 5pm and 8pm. We are looking forward to having a spectacular event. Expect the best in games and attractions like Turbo Tubs, Obstacle Course, Fast Pitch, Cake Walk, Dunk Tank and more! Pizza, Subs, Beverages, Cotton Candy, Snow Cones and Popcorn are among the list of food items that will be available. We need your support to make this a great event for our children. More carnival information will be posted at www.hespta.org/spring-carnival.html.

Please volunteer to help. Contact Amy Shugar at (301) 470-4196, sheashug@comcast.net or Andrea Francesconi Billings at (301) 498-9841, afjb4@yahoo.com to volunteer or if you have any questions.

RESERVOIR HIGH SCHOOL BOOSTER'S PRESENTS THE. . .
6th Annual Bull Roast & Silent Auction Friday, March 14th from 7-11pm At the Ten Oak's Ballroom
(Located at 5000 Signal Bell Lane in Clarksville). Please join us for a night of Food and Fun while supporting
all the RHS Sports and Activities. Tickets are $40 per person (Adults Only). For more information contact Whitney Breitschwerdt @ Breitschwerdt7@Comcast.net or 443-336-6779.

Nominating Committee Chairperson Needed!
The PTA's nominating committee is responsible for ensuring that all the PTA Executive board positions are filled for the upcoming school year. We are in need of a chairperson for this committee. The committee should start the preliminary nomination process for all officers in March, with a deadline for submissions in April. This job can be done at home, and involves some email, printing a few flyers (last year's flyer is available so it would only need to be updated), and some phone calls. If anyone is interested in helping out in this capacity, please contact Rachel Janush at rgjanush@verizon.net.

Emergency School Closing Information: https://www.eschoolnewsletter.com/emergency.asp