Mission Statement

To provide a learning environment which fosters mutual respect among all members of the school community, emphasizes high expectations for student achievement, promotes positive perceptions and attitudes about learning, respects the individual needs of all learners, and promotes a share responsibility for the education of all students.

Attention Charlestown Parents!

Dear Parents as the school year comes to a close we would like to remind you about our Cash for Trash program in partnership with Terracycle Inc (http://www.terracycle.net/).
This program involves our Green Team collecting and turning into the school certain unrecyclable items from their home or school lunches. These items are then shipped to Terracycle to be turned or “Upcycled” into useful products that are sold worldwide.

Here is a list of items that would normally be trashed and take up space in our landfill; Any brand juice pouches like Capri Sun, Kool Aid etc…, Any size empty Frito Lay product bags like Doritos, Popcorn etc…, and any size Nabisco brand Cookie wrapper. All of these companies and more are sponsors for this very cool program that helps to teach our children the value of taking care of the environment, and not to mention earn money for our school as well.

That brings us to our next program, My Coke Rewards for Schools, Now, by drinking the products that you and your families enjoy every day, you can donate points to provide our school with the resources we need. Any My Coke Rewards® points, earned through codes found on participating brand packages can be donated to our school.
My Coke Rewards points can be found on a wide variety of beverages that can fit your family’s individual tastes and needs. Here is a list of participating product: Coca-Cola® Classic, Diet Coke® ,Coca-Cola Zero™, Sprite, Dasani®, POWERade®, Minute Maid®, Lemonade, Minute Maid® Orange Juice, VAULT™, Pibb Extra®, Fanta®, Fresca®, Barq’s. You can go to www.mycokerewards.com/schools to register and start donating to our school today, or bring your points in, their will be a collection bin setup in the lobby. We have set a moderate goal of 5000 points before the end of the school year and we are almost there with a little over 3000 points so far. Don’t forget to also keep collecting those box tops and Cambell soup labels these are also very good programs for helping your child’s school.

One final note Charlestown Elementary will be starting the process of becoming a Maryland State recognized Green School, via the Maryland Green School Awards Program , sponsored by the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE), has recognized Maryland public and private schools pre K-12 that:

•  Use their school site and curricular instruction to prepare students to understand and act on current and future environmental challenges facing all Marylanders.
•  Model environmental best management practices (BMPs) in building and landscape design, operation and maintenance.
•  Build and maintain partnerships with the local community to enhance environmental learning and to design and implement projects and programs that result in a healthier environment.

This will involve the Charlestown Dragon Green Team in many future worthwhile environmental projects, while having fun and learning how best to become better stewards of the environment.

 Recycling is everyone’s responsibility.

Dress Code

Cecil County Public Schools seeks to promote good citizenship, to provide a safe and comfortable environment conducive to learning, and to prepare students for adult professional life. Certain clothing types and styles are deemed not appropriate as school-day attire and in addition may present an unhealthy or unsafe situation. Appropriate dress is expected of all students. The responsibility for appropriate student dress lies with the student and his/her parents or guardians within approved standards set by the Board of Education and the schools.
Prohibited clothing and accessories are those that:
• Are not acceptable to the work or learning environment
• Pose a safety or health hazard
• Interfere with or disrupt the educational process
• Advocate unsafe or inappropriate behavior
• Are vulgar, obscene, revealing or offensive
• Demean others on the basis of race, color, ethnicity, gender, disability, or other attribute
• Promote the use of tobacco, drugs or alcohol.

Examples of prohibited clothing and accessories include but are not limited to:

• Pants or slacks that drag on the floor, footwear that pose a tripping, falling, or safety hazard or clothing that conceals the identity of the wearer.
• Clothing that is vulgar or obscene; promotes drug, tobacco, or alcohol use; demeans or defames others; or promotes violence or antisocial behavior.
• Tube tops, spaghetti straps, single strap shirts, backless shirts or blouses, halter-tops, muscle shirts, or tank tops
• Excessively short skirts, dresses, skorts, or shorts
• Skin tight pants or shorts
• Pants or shorts that hang below the hips
• See-through shirts, blouses, pants or other apparel.

Homework Hassles!

Some evenings homework hassles can affect the whole family. If you follow these four simple steps you will be able to eliminate “Homework Hassles.”

1. Establish a regular time to complete homework.  Do not fight with your child about when homework will be completed; he/she will benefit from a regular routine. Some children work better right after schoo,l others need a break and will work better in the evening or right after dinner. You can give your child a choice but once the choice is made; stick with it. Homework should be as routine as brushing his/her teeth.

2. Homework time happens daily. There should be time set aside every day. This will solve the problem of “I did my homework at school.” It is important that you check over your child’s assignments to be sure that they are complete. If your child truly has nothing to do; he/she can read a library book or do some extra practice problems for math. It is important that he or she will spend time doing something that with help her/him do better in school.

3. Ask your child questions when he/she doesn’t understand something. In math for example, ask your child to explain how they had solved other problems? You could also say, “Could you do that here, too?” In reading for example, have your child reread the directions; then try breaking the task into smaller parts.

4. Don’t ever do his work for him/her. Teachers want to know how much your child knows by checking their homework. If you do the work for your child; the teacher will not know whether your child needs to be retaught the material.

I hope that these hints are helpful and make your life easier.

Bus Riders

The safest way for your child to travel to and from school is by bus!  Research conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Association has proven that more children are seriously injured in car accidents on their way to school than in bus accidents. 

Walkers

Walkers should arrive at school no earlier than 8:30 a.m.  If your child is late, after 9:00 a.m., please bring them to the front office and sign them in on the “Late Arrivals” sheet. 

Walkers are dismissed before the buses.  A staff member is outside to help supervise students at 8:30 a.m. and at the end of each day.

Car Riders

Car riders can be dropped off in the morning no earlier than 8:30 a.m.  Please do not drop students off unless a staff member is there.

At dismissal please wait in your car and students will walk out to meet you.  This is for child safety.  An over crowded hallway and lobby is an invitation for mistakes in steering students in the right direction.

Early Dismissal

If you have an occasional need to pick up your child at the end of the day, please sign them out on the “Early Departure” sheet in the front office and wait for your child to be called from their classroom by someone in the office.
***Please be sure your child knows where to go in case of inclement weather.  Keep in mind, if we are closed, the Boy’s and Girl’s Club is closed.

Students are expected to ride the same bus to and from school on a daily schedule.  Please make sure your child knows where to go after school and what bus they should be riding.  Travel arrangements should stay the same throughout the year.  Please do not call the school and ask to change your child’s “after school destination”.   We cannot interrupt classroom instruction unless it is an absolute emergency.  If it is necessary for your child to ride a different bus or be picked up by someone different, please send a note.  We cannot accept e-mail requests for changes in your child’s daily transportation.  Students will not be permitted to go home with classmates unless both parties send notes. 
If you have any questions or concerns regarding buses please call the school, or the CCPS Department of Transportation at 410-996-5414.

All visitors must come in the office, sign in and get a pass before going down the hall.  No one is permitted passed the office without a pass.  Thank you.

Reminders
Please do not send home made goodies for your child to share with other students.  Goodies to be shared with other students should be store made and wrapped.

Because our AC is still on, your child may need a sweater or sweat shirt in the classroom.

Office hours are 8:00 AM-4:30 PM

Did you know that each year the local Lions Club in your community offers free vision screenings to Pre-K and Kindergarten students at each elementary school?  These screenings are conducted to help detect the presence of vision problems which could place your child at risk for developing amblyopia, more commonly known as “lazy eye”.   The exam simply consists of an instrument screening the child’s eyes.  There is no physical contact made with the child’s eyes and drops are not necessary.