About Us

Welcome to the Veterans Elementary School official web site. We will update this site on a regular basis to bring you the most up to date information about Veterans Elementary School. Parents can also access the county curriculum and support links at www.hcpss.org. This website is just another effort to keep you informed. School security is always a concern but it has been made even more of a priority with the Sandy Hook tragedy. I am asking all of our parents and other visitors to please adhere to our policies regarding signing in and signing out, as well as, picking up and dropping off your children. As the county explores other options for helping to make our school campus even more secure, we all need to practice diligence in keeping your children and each other safe. There are so many changes coming to education. The transition to the Common Core Curriculum, new evaluations for teachers and administrators, and the creation of new assessments to measure your childrens' success with the curriculum are all issues that become more of a reality in 2013. Our defining goal is to implement programs and practices which prepare your children to be college and/or career ready by their graduation. Our School Improvement Team makes use of CFIP (Classroom Focused Improvement Process) to analyze and use data to make educational decisions about what your children need to be successful. The Veterans Academy helps some of our students accomplish their goals. Other programs include Before School Math Tutoring, Check In/Check Out, and a renewed focus on making students more purposeful writers. Our goal continues to be to establish a collaborative environment where all staff works together to ensure that students get the skills they need to be successful. The Maryland State Department of Education issued a School Progress Index for each Maryland school. This index is based on standardized achievement scores (MSA), the reduction in gaps among our student groups, and the growth of all students. The index is on a scale from 0 to 2.00. Schools are then placed in strands indicating the amount of interventions, support, and recognition they will receive. The strands range from 1 indicating that the school met all targets and 5 that means that the school met no targets set by the state. The Veterans Elementary School Progress Index for this year is 1.0497 and has been placed in Strand 1 indicating that the school achieved all targets set by the state in 2012. We will continue to analyze our data and make changes that benefit our students. All of this is to support student learning and to encourage a community where students truly respect learning. Sincerely, Robert C.Bruce, Principal

I'd like to extend a warm welcome to each of you as we begin our new school year. As a staff, it is our commitment to uplift the Strategic Call to Action by ensuring that every student and staff member embraces diversity and possesses the skills, knowledge and confidence to positively influence the larger community. We want all of our students to experience a high-quality and well‑rounded education in a supportive and restorative culture that values connections, relationships and partnerships between home, school and the community. I received my Elementary Education Master of Arts Degree from Notre Dame of Maryland University, and my School Administration Master of Science Degree from John’s Hopkins University. This year marks my 17th year as an educator with Howard County Public Schools. I have taught at Deep Run Elementary, St. John’s Lane Elementary, and Cradlerock Elementary. I currently reside in Howard County where I enjoy spending time with my husband, three children, and my cockapoo Raven. When I am not at school, I participate in community service projects throughout the county. Also, I love to travel, dine out with friends, and watch football with my sons. I am truly looking forward to a great and productive school year!