The Cedarmere Elementary Panther Paw
Together we value, inspire, and hold each other to high expectations.
Laura Brown
Principal
Arlene Moore
Assistant Principal
Important Dates
5/26
5/28
6/1
6/9
6/10
6/12
6/13
6/16
Closed for Memorial Day
Pre-Kindergarten Screening
Cedar Day
Field Day
Field Day Rain Date
Fifth Grade Farewell, 9:05
Kindergarten Graduation, 1:30
Schools Close 3 Hours Early – Assessment Day
Last Day of School - Assessment Day – Schools Close 3 Hours Early
Dear Cedarmere Families,
The final weeks of school are going to be busy ones for the students at Cedarmere Elementary
School. Students in the intermediate grades are preparing for vocal and instrumental music concerts. All
students are working on increasing their speed, agility, and stamina in preparation for this year’s Field
Day. Our fifth grade students are anticipating their end-of-the-year activities and their Farewell
Ceremony.
It is often challenging to keep the students focused on learning as the weather turns warm, the
days grow longer, and the children anticipate the arrival of summer. Please continue to emphasize the
importance of school and learning by checking to ensure that your children have completed their
homework, discussing what your children are learning, and assisting your children to prepare for
assessments.
Cedarmere’s kindergarten registration was held on May 14th. Families that were unable to
register on the scheduled day are urged to contact Mrs. Knefel at school to arrange a time to complete
the enrollment process.
Baltimore County Public Schools announced the schedule for the end of the school year. Classes
will end three hours early on Friday, June 13th, and on Monday, June 16th. June 16th will be the last
day of classes for all students. Cedarmere’s Farewell Program for fifth graders and their families has
been scheduled for Thursday, June 12th. It will begin promptly at 9:05. A detailed flyer will be sent
home to our families.
The administration would like to thank all of the teachers and support staff at Cedarmere for
their dedication to the education of the students. The week of May 5th – 9th was recognized as Teacher
Appreciation Week. This week provided an opportunity for our staff to be recognized and honored for
their commitment to your children and their education
Finally, I wanted share the announcement of Mrs. Christina Beroes’s retirement as of April 1st.
After several years with Baltimore County, she decided to begin the next chapter in her life. We wish
her much happiness!
Fondly,
Laurie Brown
PLANS FOR NEXT YEAR
Will your child be attending CES in the 2014-2015 school year? If the answer is no, please be sure to
complete the attached form or call the office at 410-887-1100. This information will assist us as we plan
next year’s grade level organizations. This information will also allow the office staff to prepare the
necessary withdrawal paperwork that you will need in order to enroll your child in another school. The
secretaries will need a minimum of one week to prepare this paperwork for you, so please do not delay.
If you have a 5th grade student currently attending CES, who will be attending a private school for the
2014-2015 school year, please contact the office as soon as possible. This will allow the office staff time
to prepare your child’s records to be mailed to the school that they will be attending for the 2014-2015
school year.
FINAL BOOK CHECKOUT
As of May 22nd, book checkout will be completed for the 2013-2014 school year. Mrs. Peterson, Library
Media Specialist, will be sending home notices to students who have outstanding accounts. Please send
in any books that may turn up. If you should have any questions, please contact Mrs. Peterson. Thank
you for your help!
CHANGE OF ADDRESS OR PHONE
As the school year progresses, we frequently find that we no longer have accurate emergency contact
information for students. This becomes a safety issue when we are unable to reach you during the
school day. Frequently the home and/or work numbers have been changed or disconnected with no
forwarding phone numbers. For the safety of your child, we ask that you review, and if necessary,
update your child’s emergency contact information.
APPROPRIATE SPRING APPAREL
As the weather improves and the temperature rises, it is important that you discuss guidelines for
appropriate school apparel with your children. Children spend recess time outside on fair weather days,
and they should be wearing shoes that will protect their feet. Wearing flexible shoes that enclose the
entire foot (like tennis shoes that tie) helps to prevent injuries and insect bites/stings on the playground.
A person’s foot is less likely to slip, causing a fall, when they are wearing appropriate shoes. To minimize
distractions children should not wear short shorts, short skirts, or revealing tops. Tee shirts containing
negative statements or inappropriate content should not be worn to school.
5TH GRADE TRANSITION YEAR RESIDENCY VERIFICATION
All resident families with students currently enrolled in grades 5 or 8 are now required to verify
residency with their sending school (Cedarmere Elementary School) prior to the start of the 2014-2015
school year. Letters were mailed out to the parents/guardians of our 5th grade students. Failure to
provide this information will result in the receiving school (the students’ projected Middle School)
withdrawing the student prior to the start of the 2014-2015 school year, as indicated in Baltimore
County Public School Policy Rule 5150.
SHARED DOMICILE INFORMATION FOR PARENTS/GUARDIANS
Shared Domicile Renewal Forms were sent to the homes of all families residing with another family.
Your child’s enrollment must be renewed each year as long as you live in a shared domicile living
arrangement. If you received a form and are no longer living in a shared domicile living arrangement,
proof of residency must be provided for your new address. If you have any questions about the
documentation you need to provide, please call Mrs. Knefel at 410-887-1100. These forms must be
returned to the office by June 30, 2014, or your child will be withdrawn from Cedarmere Elementary
School. Baltimore County Public School Policy prohibits us from making any exceptions for forms
turned in late.
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
We have great news from the world of Science and STEM! Cedarmere was represented by third, fourth,
and fifth grade students with Safe Racer and STEM Investigations at the Baltimore County STEM Fair
Competition. We are proud to announce that our third grade Safe Racer Team, Firebirds, won third
place in the northwest county division; they were in the top 11 schools out of 115. The racers are Saher
Saeed, Ryan Paul, Clarke Roberson, Cory Zufall, and Bryan Villalobos. Our fourth grade STEM
investigator, Aldous Simms-Clark was a first place winner in the county for his investigation, Measuring
the Effect of Temperature on How Marbles Roll. That placed him in the top 25 out of the 2,000 STEM
investigators in the county. Our fifth grade STEM investigator, Ashley Paul, also earned a first place
award for her investigation on water quality placing her in the top 25 of the 2,000 STEM participants in
the county, as well. PAWS UP TO OUR OUTSTANDING STUDENTS!
We also want to acknowledge and commend our teachers for their delivery of highly effective
instruction throughout the STEM units, resulting in stellar student projects!
ATTENDANCE
Please help your child establish good attendance habits. It is critical for even our youngest students to
learn that it is important to come to school on-time every day and stay until the end of the day. When
children arrive on-time, they are able to eat breakfast, talk with friends, unpack and transition into the
morning routine. Teachers often use the morning arrival time to conference with students, discuss
assignments or assist with make-up work. When they dismiss on-time, they are present for the entire
day’s lessons and are able to organize and collect the night’s homework. Please do your best to
emphasize the importance of good attendance!
ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL SAFETY
Please make sure you and your children stay on the sidewalks and use the crosswalks when crossing the
bus loop. It is unsafe to walk between the buses. We will be enforcing this safe behavior.
HEALTH NOTES
It’s not too early for allergies! “Allergens” include dust, pollens, molds, weeds, grasses and air pollution.
You may have allergies if you have cold like symptoms (congestion/stuffy nose, sore throat, watery/red
eyes) that last more than a week and happen at the same time each year. A persistent/non-stop cough
not relieved by drinking water and/or blowing the nose is often a sign of asthma in children.
Tree pollens can be released as early as March; grass pollens increase in late spring to early summer and
weed pollens late summer to early fall. This is why you may experience symptoms at different times of
the year depending on what you are allergic to. Many people are allergic to more than one allergen;
children are often allergic to molds and pollens. When pollen counts are high, even those who are not
allergic may have symptoms because of the large amount of particles in the air (the same with dust and
other air pollutants).
Do’s and Don’ts for allergy season that will help decrease or prevent your symptoms DO:
 People with allergies do best when they work with their health care provider to anticipate the bad
times and take simple steps to minimize exposure to their allergens. Take medications prescribed by
your doctor regularly and as directed. Non medicated salt water nasal spray or eye drops can be
carried by students without an order and may help decrease symptoms and nosebleeds. Medicated
drops, such as Visine or Afrin nasal spray, may not be carried by students and require a physicians
order.
 It’s very important to drink water all day even if you don’t have allergies! This prevents
dehydration and keeps the throat clear of allergens. Water bottles are encouraged!
 Prevent allergens from coming indoors! Before going indoors: brush off your hair and clothing.
Once indoors: blow nose, wash hands, splash face and eyes with cool water and take a drink!
When at home you may want to change your clothes, wash your hair and/or shower before bedtime
to remove pollens. Also, brush pets when before they come inside to remove pollen.
 Stay indoors when the allergen count is high and. Remain indoors when grass is cut, pollen counts
are high on windy days when pollen and dust are blown about. Avoid playing in fields of tall grasses.
This is especially important for those who have asthma triggered by these allergens. If you must go
outside minimize early morning outside activity (between 5:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.).
 If eyes become red and irritated don’t rub! Rinse eyes well with cool water then hold (not rub) a
cool wet paper towel to eyes for at least 15-20 minutes. If this doesn’t help and/or you begin having
thick colored drainage from eyes see your health care provider.
 Keep windows closed at night to prevent pollens or molds from drifting into your home. If needed,
use air conditioning to cool the air.
DON’T:
• Wait until your symptoms are severe to talk to your doctor. If you know you have spring time allergies,
contact your doctor before the season begins. If you suspect you have seasonal allergies keep a record
of the time of year you notice symptoms on a calendar.
• Take more medication than recommended. Alert school nurse and staff of any medications given at
home so we can watch for possible side effects and/or in case of a medical emergency.
• Hang sheets or clothing out to dry. Pollens and molds may collect in them.
• Grow too many, or overwater, indoor plants if you are allergic to mold.
VOLUNTEER TRAINING
2014
Volunteer training is now available online. Cedarmere Elementary will be using the online training for
the remainder of this school year. For information about the Baltimore County Public School’s
Volunteer Program, please visit the website below.
www.bcps.org/community/volunteer_info.
Once the training is completed, each volunteer must print and submit a copy of the volunteer
application and the certificate to Cedarmere Elementary or any other school where they will be
volunteering. Once you finish watching the information section and then take the quiz, you will be able
to print out the certificate. The certificate and application should be sent to school attention Chris
Millirons.
The volunteer application will be processed, and you will be notified when your name has been added to
Cedarmere’s approved volunteer list. After all requirements are completed, a note will come home with
your child indicating that you have finished the process. A copy of your application and certificate will
be kept on file at Cedarmere. Please make sure you keep a copy to forward to other schools as needed.
Please allow at least a week after you complete the training for us to process your information.
The approved volunteer list is available to all staff members and must be used when scheduling
volunteers.
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about the online volunteer training. Thank you for
your interest in being a Cedarmere volunteer. We appreciate your time and effort.
Chris Millirons, School Counselor
410-887-6944
cmillirons@bcps.org
THE PANTHER PAW AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Paper Delivery:
Announcements in paper form will be sent home with “carriers,” who are the youngest students in your
family. Please look for written communication in your child’s Cedarmere Home Folder.
Electronic Newsletter Delivery:
In an effort to reduce the amount of paper we use, we will be sending the monthly Panther Paw
Newsletter home via email, and it is also accessible on the school website http://cedarmerees.bcps.org.
Of course, families that do not have access to email or would prefer to receive a paper copy of the
newsletter may still do so.
IF YOU HAVE NOT ALREADY DONE SO , please fill out and return the form below. Thank you! 
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The Cedarmere Panther Paw Newsletter Distribution
Child’s Name: _______________________________________________________________________
Homeroom Teacher: __________________________________________________________________
Child’s Name: _______________________________________________________________________
Homeroom Teacher: __________________________________________________________________
_____ I would like to have the newsletter emailed to me.
My email address is: ______________________________________________
_____ Please continue to send me a paper copy of the newsletter.
Please return this form to Mrs. Knefel in the office. Thanks!
PLEASE COMPLETE ONLY IF YOUR CHILD IS NOT
RETURNING TO CEDARMERE NEXT YEAR.
My child(ren) _______________________________________
is/are not returning to Cedarmere for the 2014-15 school year
because:
We are moving to another Baltimore County Public School.
We are moving out of Baltimore County.
We are moving out of the state/country.
My child will be:
Going to private school
Homeschooled
Parent Signature: ___________________________________