Important Dates:

 

1/15- Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Schools and offices closed

1/17 -Schools close 3 hours early

1/18 - Rising 6th grade Parent Orientation

1/19- End of Second Marking Period

1/22- Professional work day- School closed for students

1/23-1/25- MATH Map Testing

1/30-2/1- ELA Map Testing

1/30- Report cards issued at 4:00 pm via Synergy

This week’s Motivational Message

Since the beginning of the school year,  Ms. Jones and Ms. Horozczak  have been delivering motivational messages to our students every Wednesday via the morning announcements. These messages focus on fostering positive peer interactions, building a strong school community, and promoting values such as compassion, empathy, diversity, commonality, and overall student well-being. Here is this week’s message.

As we approach the end of the quarter and the first semester, let's take a moment to hit the reset button. At the beginning of this month, we celebrated the start of a new year, and last week, Ms. H. highlighted many positive things happening at Lime Kiln.

I encourage each one of you to stay focused on your goals—academically and personally. Your commitment to doing well in school, making good decisions, and upholding the expectations of ROAR makes a significant difference to me, your teachers, and your family.

Keep pushing yourself, stay positive, and embrace the opportunities for growth. You're capable of achieving amazing things! I am proud of you!

Remember that you have the power to make this day great, on purpose

 

LKMS- Spelling Bee Winners 

 

Congratulations to 6th grader Sophie Y. for winning the 2023-2024 LKMS Spelling Bee. Also, congratulations to 6th grader Emily K. for earning 2nd place. Best of luck in the future rounds of the competition.

 

 

2024-2025 High School Course Registration Opens December 18

From December 18, 2023 through January 16, 2024, current 8-11th grade students may view their teachers’ course recommendations and submit course placement requests for the 2024-2025 school year. The Counselors will be in all 8th grade Science classes on 12/18/23 and 12/20/23 to work with students on this process and we are requesting that families wait to complete their registration until the students have been given all of the information. Detailed instructions explaining how to register will be sent home to parents/guardians on 12/20/23. Please reach out to your child’s Counselor if you have any questions.

 

Beth Lucas (A-L) blucas@hcpss.org

Anna Miles(M-Z) amiles@hcpss.org

 

 

Lime Kiln  Rising 6th grade Family Orientation

Save the date if you have a current 5th grader or let your neighbors know. We have our rising 6th grade student Parent Orientation on January 18 from 6:00-7:00 PM (January 25 snow date). Families can learn about middle school, the academic schedule, and the Gifted and Talented program. We cannot wait to meet our future Leopard families!

 

 

Lime Kiln Middle Orchestra Interest Form 

Click here

 

 

 News from Gifted and Talented

 

Dear Parents and Guardians,

 

It is hard to believe that we are approaching the time of year to make recommendations for the 2024-2025 academic year. Our teachers will make most of our recommendations so sections can be determined. 

 

Starting this year the CogAT testing for Gifted and Talented placement will be administered countywide in grade 3 only. Placement for Gifted and Talented courses will be determined by teachers using the following criteria:

• 90th percentile or higher on the Fall MAP
• 90th percentile or higher on the Winter MAP
• Level 4 on MCAP

 

Other aspects of the G/T Placement Process remain the same:

• Criteria include content-related scores from each measure (e.g., CogAT Verbal and MAP Reading for English placement).
• Additional measures, including class performance, are included in the placement process.
• Families may enroll middle and high school students in G/T classes via the Course Placement Process via HCPSS Connect if the desired course differs from the school recommendation.

If you are inquiring about placement for your child in a G/T class, you should contact the classroom teacher and discuss your student’s current progress. The staff will meet and go through the criteria listed above to determine placement for next year. 

Once placement recommendations have been made, you will be notified of your student’s course schedule in Synergy. If you disagree with the school’s placement decision, you have the option to complete the Course Placement Review form available online. We encourage you to consult with the G/T Resource Teacher before completing the form. Once enrolled, if students are not meeting the expectations of a GT class they will not be recommended to continue. G/T students are expected to master curricular standards outlined for each content class.

If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Spillman at tracy_spillman@hcpss.org or (410)-880-5988.

Sincerely,

Tracy Spillman

Gifted and Talented Resource Teacher

 

Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest

 

Dear Lime Kiln Community,

 

Once again Lime Kiln has entered the Samsung Solve for Tomorrow Contest and we are a state finalist.

We are on a timeline to solve a problem that incorporates technology. Our idea is to help our local watersheds that flow into the Chesapeake Bay. We wrote to the Howard County Government and Stormwater Management. We have decided to put a net bag on the pipe leading into our retention pond on our school property to collect plastic and debris. Furthermore, we want to create a sensor that mounts onto the net to indicate when the bag is full. The students will have to create and code this sensor prototype.

This is where we need you. If anyone is interested in mentoring our Creative Problem Solving students with coding or programming we would love any or all help. We have decided to use micro:bits since we have them in our school but we are open to other suggestions. If you are interested please contact Tracy Spillman or Stefanie Taylor. You can email us at tracy_spillman@hcpss.org or stefanie_taylor@hcpss.org.

 

Thank you in advance for your consideration,

 

Tracy Spillman

GT Resource Teacher

Stefanie Taylor

Media Specialist

 

 

 

LKMS-PTA Fundraiser

 

River House Pizza Co. is coming to you for one day! Order your pizza kits, frozen pizzas, pizza stones, and pizza peels. It's so easy -- place your orders, pay for your order via Cheddarup, and the pizza van will be in Maple Lawn on February 15th for pickup. Don't miss it - River House is one of the best pizza restaurants in Howard County! Click below to order!

Riverhouse Pizza Co. Fundraiser - Cheddar Up

 

 

 

LOST AND FOUND

 

We have a large amount of lost and found items. They are on a shelf in the back of the cafeteria. Please remind your child if they have lost something to please check there. Any items leftover will be donated on January 19, 2024.

Recess Reminders

As the weather becomes colder, please remind your child to dress appropriately for being outside; i.e., coats, hats, gloves, etc. Students that go outside for recess, should expect to stay outside until the whistle is blown and should be dressed as such.

The following factors are considered in determining if recess is to be held outside:

• Temperature and humidity
• Wind chill
• Heat index and air quality
• Age of students
• Length of time outdoors
• Adequacy of the children’s clothing
• Condition of the playground
• Falling precipitation (more than a sprinkle or mist)
• Thunder and lightning

Generally, students will have access to outside for recess when the temperature combined with the wind chill is not less than 20 degrees Fahrenheit or the heat index reading is less than 95 degrees. Children with certain health conditions may need special accommodations during extremely hot or cold weather. Parents of those children should provide medical documentation and may be consulted to determine if other arrangements are necessary.

CELL PHONES - MIDDLE SCHOOL

This is a friendly reminder to our community that per HCPSS Policy 8080, middle school students “will not use personal technology devices during non-instructional time, to include but not limited to transition between classes, lunch, recess, or in bathrooms.”  Please remind your students that their cell phones should be off and away during the school day. Students are always welcome to use an office phone to reach out to a parent during the school day. If you need to contact your child at school, please call 410-880-5988.

 

HCPSS Emergency Notifications
As we head into winter weather, families are reminded that in emergency situations (including inclement weather), information will be shared with the community only through the HCPSS website, email and text, Twitter and the HCPSS weather hotline. Be sure your Family File is up to date and that you have opted into texts to receive emergency messages.