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Carroll Manor Crusader
4434 Carroll Manor Road
Baldwin, MD 21013
Principal:
Assistant Principal:
Phone: 410-887-5947
Fax:
410-887-4948
William Cirrincione
Angela McNelly
http://carrollmanores.bcps.org
We will incorporate 21st century skills into daily instruction as we provide an academic foundation for
globally competitive students. The blended learning environment will promote optimal learning in all
content areas within a safe and nurturing setting. Students will have the tools to satisfy not only their
intellectual curiosity but meet the challenges of a successful career and a lifetime of improving the society
in which they live.
Principal’s Message
The month of March has started just like the entire month of February was cold with a mixture of snow, sleet, and rain. I
think we all are ready for spring weather to arrive so that the students can get back outside for recess. Believe it or not we
have no scheduled holidays or professional development days in the month of March.
The Challenge 24 club held it’s fifth grade tournament on Friday, February 27th and we would like to congratulate all of
the students who participated in the tournament. The top two finishers in the tournament were Tate Kahalas, and Ben
Lipchin and both boys will represent Carroll Manor at the Baltimore County Challenge 24 Tournament on Saturday, March
28th at the North Baltimore Plaza Hotel.
It was great to see the numerous families and faculty who enjoyed the dinner and the Silent Auction on Friday, February
6th. The evening was a big success and we want to thank Kim Cook for organizing and coordinating the Silent Auction and
Kim Culley and Katie Burton for organizing the dinner. The food was delicious and the salad had olives which are my
favorite! The event was also a success due to all the PTA volunteers who worked so hard throughout the evening. The
Talent Show was another exciting evening at Carroll Manor. We would like to thank Mina Campos and Katie Burton for
organizing the evening. It was truly awesome to see all of the talent we have at Carroll Manor and how brave the students
are to perform in front of so many people. We would also like to thank Mrs. Oberle for hosting the Talent Show, she did an
amazing job!
Maryland’s statewide assessments are changing. During the month of March students in grades three-five will take a new
test called PARCC, which stands for the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers. The PARCC
tests are designed to match the State’s new academic standards, the Maryland College and Career-Ready Standards, and
will provide a better assessment of whether students are meeting grade level expectations and are ultimately on track to be
ready for college or a career by the time they graduate from high school. Most of our students will be completing the
PARCC assessment in the computer lab using an on-line version of the test. I know that our students will do an excellent
job on the PARCC assessment and please remind them to just try their best.
Carroll Manor will be holding registration for the 2015-2016 school year on Monday, April 20th in the Library. If you
know of any students who will be coming here next year please let those families know the date and to call the office to
make an appointment for April 20th. Thank you for your help and support.
The Crusader Newsletter
March 2015
Dates to Remember:
3/13
3/16
3/18
3/23
3/26
3/27
3/30
3/31
Spirit Day (red and White)
Chess Club
Papa John’s Night
Chess Club
Knitting Club
Spirit Day (Fancy Friday)
Chess Club
Grade 2 Field Trip
Mrs. McNelly’s “Updates”
March Madness
Please keep in mind that March is the month for
administering the PBA (Performance Based Assessment)
portion of the PARCC. The window is from March 2 nd to
March 30th (an extension was granted due to weatherrelated closings). If there are additional weather-related
closings, the schedule may be adjusted and/or extended.
The second round, EOY (End of Year), is from May 4 th
through June 1st. If possible, we ask that you avoid
scheduling any out of school activities/appointments on
the dates that your child is being tested. For more
information about PARCC, you may visit the following
website: http://www.parcconline.org/for-parents .
The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College
and Careers (PARCC) is a group of states—including
yours—that have come together to develop high-quality
student assessments aligned with the new Common Core
State Standards in English language arts/literacy and
mathematics. These computer-delivered assessments will
replace previous state tests in those subjects. The
PARCC assessments are designed to measure whether
students are on track for college or careers. To this end,
PARCC assessments ask students to demonstrate criticalthinking and problem-solving skills in an in-depth
manner. Students are asked to answer various types of
questions, show their work, and explain their reasoning.
For example, in math, your child will be asked to explain
mathematical reasoning, not just get the answer correct.
In English language arts/literacy, your child will be
asked to read complex passages and identify evidence
that can be used to make a persuasive argument. PARCC
assessments may be different from assessments your
child has taken in the past. For example, PARCC
assessments:
•• Are built on a computer system that is easy
for students to learn and use. Schools will be
able to use a range of devices from desktop
computers to laptops and tablets—the same
technology that your child uses for instructional
purposes throughout the year.
•• Ask students to read real-life texts and solve
meaningful problems based on high-quality
classroom work.
•• Provide useful information about students’
academic achievement — what they are doing
well and where improvement is needed—in a
timely manner.
•• Show whether students are on track for
success in college or a career.
•• Build in accessibility features that help all
students do their best, and expand access for
students with disabilities, English learners, and
English learners with disabilities by providing a
range of accommodations.
In addition, fifth graders will participate in the Science
MSA on Monday, April 13th and Tuesday, April 14th.
These are the first two days back from Spring Break.
Please keep this in mind when scheduling appointments
or vacations. Thank you.
As spring approaches, March is also a good time to focus
on continuing to follow the school rules. Student
behavior on the buses has been much improved over the
past few weeks! Let’s keep up the good work by
reminding our students that teasing and roughhousing on
the bus are unacceptable. Students should also remain in
their seats at all times, keeping their hands, feet, and
possessions to themselves. Thank you for your
understanding and support!
Art Smarts
In March, our Baltimore County Public Schools Visual
Arts Department celebrates Youth Art Month at The
Walters Museum in a Youth Art Month Exhibit to
showcase the wonderful artwork of our students.
We congratulate our two student artists who are
representing our school. Each has had their artworks
place on exhibit at the Walters Art Museum from
February 24 – March 22, 2015. They have received an
invitation to the student artist reception held on March
1st from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Our artists are Caroline
Gallegos and Peter Buttarazzi, both in grade 3, who
created wonderful city street collages inspired by
American artist Romare Bearden. They used a variety of
different kinds of papers, yarn, color pencils, cotton,
magazine and newspaper pictures, and lots of
imagination to create them. We are so proud of them,
and congratulate each artist, whose work was selected to
be in this wonderful art exhibit!
Even though it’s winter, it’s time to begin thinking about
summer fun for your children. Baltimore County Public
Schools’ Summer Art Enrichment Camp 2015 is a
wonderful two week art camp, and an art immersion
experience for your child. You will find the brochure,
application, and description of camp experiences at
http://www.bcps.org/offices/visual_arts/ under the
heading Summer Arts Enrichment Program. The
camp is open to all students entering grades 3-12.
Students who are considering preparing an art portfolio
for the Gifted and Talented art classes in middle school
should seriously consider this camp to extend their arts
education.
Mrs. Steelwright
Gym Shorts
I have many exciting activities planned for the month of
March. First and foremost, please make sure students are
dressed appropriately and wearing athletic shoes on their
assigned gym days.
Kindergarten and first graders will work on gymnastics
skills, movement skills including twisting, turning,
stretching and relaxing, individual rope jumping skills
and rhythmic movement skills.
change, bagged purchases, and broke the fair down,
too…..all with patience, insight, kindness, and ease! Our
book fair was a SPLASH!
Our total sales were $8,253.79. (That’s a lot of
$4.99s!!!) We earned 25% of this amount for the school
library. These funds go toward buying new books and
supplies for our library which gives us a huge advantage
in keeping our library collection interesting and current!
There were 1,125 goldfish in our estimation contest jar.
Cadigan Kimball in Mrs. Evan’s third grade class
estimated 1,126! Kenley Mowery in Mrs. Wagner’s
Kindergarten class estimated 1,111! Congratulations to
both of these students. Good job!
Once again, I believe the success of our book fair
reflects the encouragement, guidance, and support our
students receive at home which naturally develops into a
life-long love of reading. Thank you to the Carroll
Manor community for making our book fair a success.
Ms. Williams
Catching Up with the Counselor
Second and third graders will work on tennis skills and
lead up activities, individual rope jumping skills, and
rhythmic movement skills.
Fourth and fifth graders will work on track and field
skills and lead up activities, rhythmic movement skills
and tennis skills and lead up activities.
Have a great March!
Mr. Wall
Media Matters
Scholastic Book Fair
Thank you to everyone who came and shopped at the
Scholastic Book Fair! We had a wonderful adventure at
our “Book Fair Under the Sea!”
March is here, and along with it the much anticipated
PARCC test, a standardized state assessment. Whether
you are approaching the test with dread, excitement or
ambivalence, it is still most likely marked on your
calendar as an important day for our teachers, students,
and school community.
Most teachers have presented the test to students as an
opportunity to shine, and let everyone know the skills the
children have mastered over time. A small amount of
jitters and anticipation is normal and to be expected. But
too much stress can be harmful, and even negatively
impact your child’s performance. Here are some things
that will help the situation when it comes to the PARCC,
or any assessment your child may be facing in the
coming weeks. You can find this, and more information
at www.uft.org/parent/test_anxiety

Captain Snorkelpants swam by each day to inspire us as
we explored an ocean of books. Parents were thoughtful
and generous in making their children’s wishes come
true. Children came, browsed the shelves, and selected
their very favorite books to buy. Our book fair captains,
Ellen Franz and Tiffany Kaminski, and all of our
volunteer staff including Wendy Kahalas, Yvonne
Harris, Kim Cook, Robin Znamirowski, Mickie Barczak,
Katie Burton, Jen Sibila, Mary Seiler, Holly Musselman,
Jennifer Collins, Mary Laudeman, Malini Glueck, Kristy
Bleach, and Dolly Owens, made the book fair enjoyable
in many ways. They set-up the fair, helped children find
books, calculated total costs for each child, counted




Reassure your child that being mildly anxious is
normal.
Listen to what your child has to say about the
test, and his or her feelings about it.
Remind your child that it is ‘just a test’, and that
by working hard in school, they have prepared
themselves to be successful.
Share with your child an experience that made
you anxious or nervous, and talk with him/her
about how you handled that stress in a healthy
way.
If you are concerned about your child’s anxiety
level, be sure to talk with your child’s

homeroom teacher, or myself, about your
concerns.
And most of all, don’t underestimate the
helpfulness of the tips you have heard
repeatedly; a good breakfast, plenty of sleep,
and a positive attitude really do make a world of
difference!
Good Luck!
Mrs. Fitzsimmons
Music

Student Absence REQUIRES a note to the
teacher:

If your child is out for any reason (illness,
vacation etc.) for 3 or more days please call me
and let me know. When the child returns to
school please send a note to the teacher
explaining the absence and the dates. (Call Mrs.
Rupert, RN- 410-887-3455)
Just a reminder:
The fifth grade chorus and second grade classes will be
presenting the musical 101 Dalmatians Kids on Tuesday,
May 19, 2015. This production would not be possible
without the generous support of the PTA. If you are able
to help with the costumes, scenery, or props please
contact me at mwenck@bcps.org. The students are
working really hard for this performance!
The kindergartners continue to respond to the steady beat
of music. They have been singing, moving and playing
classroom instruments with seasonal songs.
The first graders continue to practice rhythms as they
listen for long and short sounds. Their new rhythms are
the quarter note and the eighth notes. They are enjoying
singing, playing and moving with these rhythms in
familiar songs such as Bingo and Yankee Doodle.
The second graders will learn about the instruments of
the orchestra. They will be listening to the classic
musical story Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev.
The third grades has learned how to read all of the
pitches on the treble clef staff! They will continue to
practice reading note names by playing the soprano
recorder.
The fourth grades are also enjoying playing the soprano
recorder! Playing the recorder is a great way to practice
reading music.
Teresa Wenck
NOTES FROM THE NURSE
Health Records:
If your child is going to see the dentist or going to the
doctor for a yearly physical exam please call me before
the appointment so I can send home a “Dental Health”
form or a “Physical Exam” form so these can be updated
in the student’s health file. Remember it is important for
me to be aware of any new health changes, new long
term medications etc.
Head Lice
It is not something that is only on someone because they
are dirty. In fact whenever I have found nits it is on the
ones whose hair is clean. Please check your child(ren)’s
hair from time to time. If you find anything you are not
sure about please feel free to give me a call. Head lice do
NOT jump or fly. They can move very quickly though.
The first thing you may notice is the nits (eggs) attached
to the side of the shafts of the hair, usually near the scalp.
The eggs hatch in 7-10 days after being laid and in
another 7-10 days these nymphs are mature and will lay
eggs. The key is being vigilant in picking out all the eggs
even after treatments. Remember it is important to talk to
the parents of your child’s friends so they can examine
their child’s hair too. You don’t want to go to all the
work of ridding your child of head lice only to get reinfested because the source did not do the same.
Volunteer Orientation NOW Online !!
Go to the BCPS website: http://www.bcps.org/ click on
“ COMMUNITY” then go down and click on “Volunteer
BCPS”. On the right hand side of that page click on
“Volunteer Orientation” and go through the program.
You must see it says completed after each itemOrientation; Handbook; and Quiz. Once you finish the
Quiz and go back to the Main page, at the top-middle of
the page it says “Get a certificate of completion”. Please
print that out and bring it in or send it to me (or Susan
Hardesty) with your child.
You must also complete a new volunteer application
every year. It is also on the website. You can fill it in
online but you must sign it when you print it out before
you turn it in.
You can also email me (crupert@bcps.org ) to let me
know you’ve completed the training so I can make sure
the certificate and application gets to the proper place.
Band News
Fourth Grade Exploratory will be finishing up the String
unit this month. They are just finishing their playing test
next week and will be completing their final the third
week of March. I will be giving them a study guide to
help with preparation. Any assistance you could give is
always appreciated. Our next unit is the Woodwind
family and they will learn to play the Clarinet.
The band students are making good progress with the
Spring Concert music they have received. Please
continue to monitor and sign their practice charts. Please
be mindful of the importance of commitment for the
Dulaney Festival and the Spring Concert. The Dulaney
Festival will take place on Monday May 4th for Band
and Tuesday May 5th for Strings. The concerts are at
7:00 but the students will have a rehearsal at 5:45. They
must be dressed and fed before the rehearsal starts. All
students are required to stay for the entire concert. If that
is not possible, they will not be able to participate. If you
ever have any questions or concerns, please contact me
at school on Thursday and Friday. You can also e-mail
me at bdoak@bcps.org. I will respond as quickly as
possible.
Thank you for your support.
Brian Doak
Box Tops for Education
Remember, you can always order online at
www.marketday.com
CMES 2015-2016 Kindergarten-Grade 5
Registration
CMES will hold registration for Kindergarten through
Grade 5 on Monday, April 20, 2015 from 9:15 a.m. to
3:00 p.m. in the library. Please call the school at 410887-5947 for an appointment and registration
information.
Carroll Manor Night at the Orioles –
Save the Date
Join fellow students and staff on Friday May 15 th as your
Orioles take on the Los Angeles Angels. Tickets are
only $10. Order forms will be sent home in early
March.
A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will benefit
the Carroll Manor PTA. For any questions please
contact Michael Patterson
(mickeypatterson@yahoo.com). See you at the Yard !!
Please send in any Box Tops from Betty Crocker or
General Mills that have a box top with this appearance.
Support Carroll Manor PTA!
Each box top collected will earn Carroll Manor 10 cents.
When our school accumulates enough Box Tops, we
receive a check that can be used for any of our school’s
needs. So, please have your family, friends, and
neighbors collect for us. Box tops can be collected all
year round, so use the collection sheets and give Carroll
Manor a jump start reaching a new goal this year. Thank
you to everyone who takes the time to cut their box tops
and return them to school. Box Tops can be placed in the
container outside the school office.
THIS PROGRAM NEVER ENDS. IT CONTINUES
ALL YEAR, EVEN DURING THE SUMMER, KEEP
SAVING!!
Papa John’s Pizza Day
Thank you for your continued support of Papa John’s.
The next Papa John’s Day for Carroll Manor will be
Wednesday, March 18, 2015.
Thanks for your participation in this worthwhile
fundraiser for Carroll Manor Elementary School.
Market Day
Thank you for participating in our Market Day
fundraiser. Our next Market Day pick-up will be
Wednesday, March 12, 2014 from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Use your purchasing power to provide the money for
Classroom Supplies, Unfunded Capital Projects and
Teacher Support.
Amazon will now donate 5% of your purchases to an
organization of your choice. Choose Carroll Manor
Elementary PTA! Here’s how:
On your next visit to AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com),
you need to select a charitable organization to receive
donations from eligible purchases before you begin
shopping. We will remember your selection, and then
every eligible purchase you make at smile.amazon.com
will result in a donation.
Or you can bookmark this CMES PTA link and choose
start shopping to directly benefit our organization.
http://smile.amazon.com/ch/23-7031454