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Pride Post

January 2021

Seven Oaks Promise

Seven Oaks P.R.I.D.E. Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Discipline, Excellent

Farah Springer, Principal Phone (410)222-0937

fspringer@aacps.org Fax (410)305-2590

Amy Fee, Assistant Principal https://twitter.com/sevenoakses

afee@aacps.org https://www.aacps.org/Page/4973

Principal’s Message

Season’s Greetings SOES families, It is incredible that we have almost completed two marking periods so quickly!!! Where did the time go? If you have not yet had a conference with your child’s teachers, please contact them to set up an appointment. As we prepare for the 2nd half of the year, please review information on our AACPS website regarding the spring semester planning & implementation. I look forward to the second half of the school year. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Wishing you all the best,

Farah Springer

Principal

January Dates/Events 1 All Schools & Central Offices closed. 4 Schools open for teachers and students. 18 Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Commemoration— All Schools & Central Offices closed. 28 - 29 End of second marking period. (44 days) Two-hour early dismissal for all students, teacher workdays. Schools

closed for p.m. Prekindergarten.

In this issue: Grade Level News- Pg 2-7 The Counselor Corner pg 8 Office Hours- Pg 9 Internet Connectivity- Pg 9 Chromebook- Pg 10 Enrollment- Pg 10 Attendance- Pg 11 Fall Schedule- Pg 11 Learning Backpacks- Pg 12 Virtual Learning- Pg 12 Free and Reduced Lunch- Pg 12 Chromebook Care-pg 13-14 Chaperones/Volunteers– Pg 15 Video Viewing- Pg 16 Harris Teeter/Giant Rewards- Pg 17 Clothing for Cash- Pg 18 Healthy Children pg 19 FLU 101/ Masks Pg 20 Twitter- Pg 21 School Cameras- Pg 21 Save a Tree- Pg 22 Math Tutoring Pg 23-24

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Grade Level News

Pre-K Dear Pre-K Families Let us start off with a WAHOO! You guys are doing so well with Virtual Learning! I am proud of both my students and parents for tackling our crazy technology mishaps, introductions of new technology skills, and mastery of skills that have been taught! Happy January and Happy New Year!

Let's keep working hard!

Kindergarten

Happy January and Happy New Year kindergarten families!

Thank you so much for your continued support and partnership! We are so grateful for our amazing

families! 😊 We are excited to embark on this new year with you!

Way to go kindergarten! We have seen increases in time spent on iReady for math and reading. This has

a positive impact on student achievement and growth in math and reading. Our students have made

growth and progress that we are so proud of!

For Phonics and Phonemic Awareness Skills, the expectation is that students can identify all upper and

lower-case letters of the alphabet and produce the primary sound for each consonant by the end of

January. We will continue practicing reading, building, and writing sight words. It is important for students

to use strategies to decode words, such as stretching the word out. This is a strategy our students are

familiar with that will help them problem solve when they encounter unknown words in books. Please

utilize the Scholastic reader resource on class-link. This is where you can locate leveled books starting at

level-A.

In math, the expectation is that students can count to 61 by the end of January. We will continue to

practice counting each day. Students are expected to represent the number 10 through drawings and

models, compare numbers, and explain mathematical thinking.

In writing, we will continue to work on making our writing the best it can by utilizing a checklist, words from

our word wall, vowel charts, and reading our writing to make corrections.

We are currently looking into a fun virtual field trip! We will notify families once we work out all the details

and set an official date.

As always, thank you for all you do!

The kindergarten team

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Second Grade Hello Families,

We hope you had a warm and happy holiday season. We are looking forward to starting the new year with

new energy and continuing the awesome virtual learning. Please remember to check in with your student to

ensure that all work is completed.

The Second Grade Team 😊

Third Grade

Hello Families,

We are excited about our student's progress in the first part of the second quarter. In January, our students will be

working on describing connections between historical events as they stop and jot to answer text dependent

questions in Literacy. In Writing, our 3rd graders will be working on researching facts and ensuring text accuracy

as they continue to revise their Informational writing pieces. In Science, our students will be investigating how

animals cope with changes to survive. They will also be analyzing and interpreting data to provide evidence on the

varied inherited traits of plants and animals from parents and siblings. In Social Studies, our students will be

learning about the elements of different cultures and how they are represented in our communities. They will also

be learning about how people who have contributed to our society are honored. In Math, our 3rd graders will learn

about the relationship between multiplication and division. Please continue to encourage your student to put forth

their best effort.

Please continue to utilize your student's teacher's office hours for questions and concerns. Thank you for all your

support.

Please remember to stay connected and stay safe.

Yours Respectfully,

3rd Grade Team

First Grade

Welcome Back! We hope everyone enjoyed the winter break. We are almost halfway through our school year, but there

is still lots of exciting learning in the days ahead! First grade will start off the New Year with learning about how culture

connects people through shared beliefs, traditions, and experiences.

We will continue focusing on first-grade standards which will help prepare our first graders for second grade. One

strategy to do so, is to encourage productive struggle. Students are becoming more independent, but your help is needed.

Never miss an opportunity to remind your child that they can be successful at anything if they keep trying! Let them

know you believe in them, as you help them to understand that struggle is just one tiny step away from success! Our

expectations have and will continue to increase. Each week, we will have an assignment in each of the following

subjects: Math, Writing, Reading, Science and Social Studies. These assignments are part of second quarter grades, so it

is important to complete and submit the assignments throughout the week. We strongly encourage every student to

actively participate during live instruction. The material covered is connected to the graded assignments, so it is very

helpful to be a part of the live instruction and discussion we have every morning and afternoon.

Again, thank you for all your hard work at home and patience as we move forward into this new month.

First Grade Team

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Fourth Grade

Hello Families! Welcome Back!

We hope you had a warm and happy holiday season. We are looking forward to starting the

new year with new energy and continuing the awesome virtual learning. Please remember to

check in with your student to ensure that all work is completed.

Fourth Grade Team

Fifth Grade

Happy December!

Happy New Year! We hope 2021 brings lots of positivity to everyone! Fifth Grade is excited

to close out quarter two soon as we continue our online learning journey with our students.

We have had many more positive referrals being received by our students. Positive points and

class incentives are also looking great! This month, our students will continue to explore

themes in our content areas. In Mathematics, we will be multiplying and dividing fractions.

They will continue to build off their knowledge of comparing and rounding decimals and

relate it to our new fraction’s unit. Within Science, students will continue their “Star Light,

Star Bright” unit, and then begin the “Four Spheres of Earth” unit. During the “Four Spheres

of Earth” unit, students will learn about the lithosphere, biosphere, atmosphere, and

hydrosphere. In Social Studies, students are continuing with the Road to the Revolution Unit,

where we learn about the many causes of the American Revolution. Within Literacy, students

will continue to learn useful strategies to boost their fluency and comprehension. We

continue to learn about concepts such as: scan and skim, multiple main ideas, write to source,

and relationships between events and main ideas. For Writing, we are continuing our

Informational unit. Students will research a college that interests them and their career choice

and create a robust informational writing piece. We are all hoping for an amazing close to

Quarter Two!

Fifth Grade Team

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Media

Happy New Year! We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday break. This month, students are working on

searching eBooks in MackinVia to checkout and read. We have many eBooks and many databases available that

provide great reading opportunities for all readers.

The primary grades will participate in lessons identifying features of both fiction and nonfiction stories. The

intermediate grades will participate in lessons identifying the features of databases and understanding website

reliability. All students will continue practicing their coding skills throughout the school year.

As always, please reach out to us if you have any questions about accessing any of our sources in MackinVia.

Happy Holidays,

Media Team

Art

Hello Families!

Get ready for a New Year with New art!!

Art Team

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Arts & Humanities

This Month in Triple E students in all grades are going to get to experience a Virtual

Theater!

We will be exploring storytelling through theater throughout the entire month of January!

What an amazing way to start off the New Year!

The performance is by Synthetic Theater

Hansel & Gretel

As Hansel embarks on his own wonder-filled exploration of his everyday

surroundings, he and his sister fall into a magical realm that takes them far away from

home. In this wordless production, themes of inclusion and acceptance are explored

when this well-beloved Grimm fairy tale embraces the fantastical through the eyes of

those who see the world through a different lens.

Any concerns or questions please email,

Mrs. Bowen bsbowen@aacps.org

Ms. Doner rdoner@aacps.org

Special Education

Happy January and Welcome to 2021!

Our special education team is excited to bring in this new year and to see the continued progress students are making.

We hope you took the time over break to relax and enjoy time with family/friends. Please remember to continue

practicing your i-ready work and keep up the reading skills that you have been working on since the fall.

Read and Write is an extension on google chrome that includes several features such as text-to-speech, speech-to-

text, prediction, voice notes and highlighting. For most students, it is already included as part of your aacps account.

The icon will appear as a purple puzzle piece.

You can find more information about read and write here https://sites.google.com/aacps.org/aacpsreadwrite/home

Here is a link to the numerous features available for read and write:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KU3NVL_9fSSixBlegpyQPxhWcyMtkmSPZrRo_vog98o/edit

Special Education Team

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Physical Education Happy New Year Seven Oaks Elementary students’ families and friends! During the month of January, we will begin with all grades starting our unit focusing on dribbling with our feet. In addition, we will continue to develop our Aerobic Fitness, Muscular Strength/Endurance, and our Flexibility during each class. Please remember to be prepared for Physical Education class each week and if you have any questions feel free to reach out to us at any time. Mr. Chandler Mr. Ludlam Physical Education Team

General Music

HAPPY NEW YEAR SEVEN OAKS FAMILY! I hope you and your family are well and had a

great moment of rest. We are going into the new year with expectancy that it is going to be better

than ever! This year we hope to introduce new activities and music sessions as we march on

through the school year. Be on the lookout for Chorus news and activities coming soon! Let's kick

off 2021 with music excitement!

Instrumental Music

Winter Concert

In lieu of an in-person concert, students are preparing two pieces to perform. They will have the option to either record

themselves performing for friends and family or perform for their peers during a specific lesson (date varies by lesson group).

Recordings must be for an audience, and the student and instrument must be visible in the video for an accurate assessment.

Students will receive a performance grade for the concert and are encouraged to wear concert attire for their performance. More

information can be found in the Winter Concert assignment in their Instrumental Music Google Classroom. I look forward to

students demonstrating their progress!

Beginning Strings

We are continuing to work on our left-hand fingerings. This month we will learn songs that use notes on the A string, and next

month we will learn how to hold and perform with our bows.

Advanced Strings

We are continuing to work on exercises that use our 4th finger. This month we will learn songs that use the notes of the E string.

Beginning Band

We are continuing to work on exercises that use the first 5 notes of the Bb Major scale. When practicing at home, students should

focus on developing a steady tone, and keeping fingers on their home keys to build confidence when switching between notes.

Advanced Band

We are building on our range of notes and learning songs in ¾ time. This month we will begin performing our Major scales.

Mr. Curran

mscurran@aacps.org

Google Voice: 301-744-7296

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From the School Counselor Ms. Elam

Tmorgan-Elam@aacps.org Google Voice/Text (302) 393-5209

Office Hours: Monday – Friday; 8:00am - 4:00pm

As the weather begins to change families are looking for additional in-home activities for their children. Please see these local resources for options.

Anne Arundel County Parks and Rec

https://anc.apm.activecommunities.com/aarecparks/activity/search?onlineSiteId=0&activity_select_param=2&viewMode=list

Anne Arundel Public Library

https://aacpl.librarycalendar.com/events/upcoming?library_branch%5B346%5D=346&submit=Apply&form_id=lc_calendar_upcoming_form

Behavioral Health

Flying into a New Year! I would like to thank everyone that have been reaching out to me and including me in virtual learning it has been a awesome experience In each classroom. January I will start the push into breakout rooms and google meet with our PRIDE ROCK! students. I will continue to visit classrooms for community building, lessons, lunch bunch, and will start incorporating Social Emotional Lessons (SEL) with our P.R.I.D.E. ROCK! Students. Looking forward to working with staff, students, and parents. If you have any questions or concerns, I can be reached by email. lcampbell1@aacps.org

PBIS

Congratulations to all students who have earned Positive Office Referrals this month. Keep up your hard work and always remember to show PRIDE!

Health Room

A note from the Health Room:

I hope everyone had a peaceful and joyous holiday season and you were able to spend time with your family and recharge. I

hope to see you all at some point in the new year. If you have been contacted by the health room, please reach out to us. We

are working hard to make sure we are prepared when students return to the building, and we need your help. Please be sure

your child has all the necessary immunizations and screenings needed for school. If you are missing any, you have been

contacted by the health room. Please reach out to your health care provider and return all necessary paperwork to the health

room after the break.

Thanks for your help. Stay healthy, be well, and have a Happy New Year!!

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Internet Connectivity

It is important that all AACPS students are able to log into the Internet reliably. Teachers will be providing daily real-time instruction where every student is expected to be present online and participate. Every student needs to be able to engage virtually via the Internet.

We are working hard with Comcast, Verizon, Broadstripe and our many community partners to help support all families to get connected in the next few weeks. Through the generosity of community members and organizations along with government grants we have received, we have funding to support the remaining families to get Internet Connectivity so their students can fully engage in virtual learning this fall. AACPS is ready to help all families who still need to be connected to the Internet in their homes. Please follow these steps if you still need to get Internet Access in your home:

o Email or call your youngest student’s school or school principal to let them know you still need Internet Connectivity. A school list with email addresses and phone numbers is available here. Please give them your name, your address, email address, and phone number where you can be reached.

o Please send an additional email to our AACPS Technology Staff at internet@aacps.org to let them know you still need Internet Connectivity. Please give them your name, address, email address and phone number where you can be reached. Tell them the school(s) where your student(s) will attend this fall.

o An AACPS staff member will reach out to you soon after your email or call to assist you to get Internet Connectivity.

https://www.aacps.org/Page/8830

Chromebook

In the effort to fully engage students in virtual learning, AACPS will be issuing Chromebooks to every student. Although there will not be enough Chromebooks to start the school year, it is our goal to ensure that every student receives an AACPS Chromebook. To help support families with the most technological needs first, please take a few minutes to complete the survey at the link below. We will do our best to accommodate as many families as possible before the school year begins; however, we ask that any students with devices already at home wait until later to receive an AACPS device. We appreciate your compassion, understanding, and support in this initiative to support all students across the district based on their unique needs. We need all AACPS families to fill out the Chromebook Request Survey as soon as possible Complete the AACPS Chromebook Request Survey below:

• English - https://secure.aacps.org/webapps/SEFP/en-US/OSS/Device

• Espanol - https://secure.aacps.org/webapps/SEFP/es-ES/OSS/Device

https://www.aacps.org/Page/8819

Office Hours The office is open by appointment only. Please contact the main office at 410-222-0937 between the hours of 8am-4pm.

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Enrollment

Welcome to Seven Oaks Elementary School! If you need to register your child at our school, please click on the following link: https://www.aacps.org/enrollment. There you will find helpful step-by-step guidelines on how to enroll at AACPS. Feel free to call our main office at 410-222-0937 if you have any questions. Phone calls will be answered between 8:00 am and 4:00 pm. We look forward to providing your child with a superlative learning experience!

Attendance

Regular school attendance is an important factor in student success. As a parent, you can encourage proper attendance by ensuring that your child gets adequate rest, eats a healthy breakfast, and has adequate time to connect to virtual learning. How will my attendance be taken this fall?

For students in kindergarten through Grade 5, attendance will be recorded based on participation in one live

class during the virtual school day.

When a student cannot attend virtual live learning, how will this impact their attendance? If they are not in

synchronous teaching, does this count against their attendance?

A family must register their student with their school as a student who cannot participate in Virtual live -

learning time on Monday and Wednesday, for example, due to the following circumstances: (provide

reasons). The request is reviewed. If approved, then the student will be counted present, if the student

watches the recorded classroom lesson videos and completes the associated assignments in a timely fashion.

Parents and guardians must fill out the form below for each day a student is absent from school. Absences shall be treated as unlawful until we receive a written or electronic note justifying the absence. Additional documentation is not required unless requested. If a student has missed five or more consecutive days, a doctor's note will be required. Please allow 24-48 hours processing time for this to be reflected in the AACPS Parent Portal. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdx_YTwMsUT4G1Y5NsxMY0dABLQU-Qy_gIc4Gy3gAYXNj-Ksg/viewform

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SPRING 2021 STUDENT & TEACHER SCHOOL SCHEDULES

AACPS is excited to welcome students, families, and teachers to view Spring 2021 school schedules. As you know, students will continue to learn virtually as we return to school in January. We modified student virtual schedules to support additional need for instructional support. However, there is time for relationship building, time for social-emotional growth, morning and afternoon blocks of real-time synchronous learning with teachers and students live online, and time for learning support through class time and during teacher office hours/connection blocks. We will continue with Friends & Fun time at the elementary level and Activity/Club time for our middle and high school students. We want to engage, excite, and energize students and teachers to have a wonderful January 2021 opening to school that will lead to a successful completion of the 2020-2021 school year. Hopefully, as health data allow, students will be learning virtually and eventually in person sometime during the spring semester.

Schedules can be accessed at https://www.aacps.org/Page/9197

Learning Backpacks

AACPS will be supplying a backpack with supplies to every PreK through 5th grade student in the fall. Please do not feel the need to purchase school supplies as the backpack will have everything your student will need for Virtual teaching and learning. Students receiving special education services enrolled in early childhood intervention (ECI), K-12 specialty site programs (ACC & Autism), the three developmental centers, and students attending a non-public school who are working towards a certificate of program completion will receive learning materials and other resources. Items include basic school supplies, various learning visual aids and math manipulatives. Please call the main office at 410-222-0937 to schedule an appointment to pick up a backpack. https://www.aacps.org/Page/8790

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SPRING 2021 PLANNING & IMPLEMENTATION

Based on the COVID case rate, the work of committees, stakeholder feedback, Superintendent input, and the Board of Education vote, the decision was made to have students remain in virtual learning through the Fall 2020 semester. The work of these committees has continued with their current work focused mainly on the Spring 2021 semester. They continue to work on models to be used to bring back students to hybrid (in-person & virtual) learning when it is deemed safe to do so. Committees have worked to produce viable options for reopening school for the Spring 2021 semester. More information can be found at https://www.aacps.org/spring2021

Free and Reduced Meals

All students may apply to receive free or reduced-price meals at AACPS. Online applications are now accepted for the 2020-2021 school year. The online process has proven to be fast and accurate, is available in English and Spanish, and can be completed on a computer or smart phone. Please click on the following link to apply: http://aacpsschools.org/nutrition/apply-for-free-or-reduced-price-meals/. Families of students who qualified for free or reduced-price meals last year must re-apply and submit a new application

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Chaperone/Volunteer Background Investigation Application

Background investigations are required for all overnight chaperones, volunteers, and student teachers who have unsupervised access to students either on or off school property. Unsupervised access is defined as an adult having responsibility for a student or students not in the direct and continuous view of a school staff member. A background check is required regardless of how brief the unsupervised time will be.

Background investigations forms must be submitted online* and a minimum of three weeks prior to the event. Applicants are required to review and acknowledge the AACPS screening criteria for chaperone and volunteer

background investigations before applying for a background check.

Please consider submitting your application now so that you will be cleared for any upcoming events.

https://www.aacps.org/Page/1869

Mandatory Volunteer Video

In addition to the background check, volunteers are required to watch a short video prior to volunteering.

You may use the link below to view the Volunteer Video:

https://md02215556.schoolwires.net/Page/2460

Please fill out the form on the next page after viewing the video and return to school.

Thank you for your assistance to keep our students safe!

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SOE Parents and Supporters!!!

Seven Oaks Elementary joins Harris Teeter's Together in Education (TIE) program to

help raise funds for our schools. It is easy and it's FREE.

Complete either of the following to link your VIC card:

• Simply give the cashier our code, 4062, and your VIC card when you check out and your card will be linked for the entire school year;

• Go to the TIE page (https://www.harristeeter.com/together-in-education#/app/cms) and link your card directly;

• Contact Jackie Johnson (jjohnsonpta@gmail.com) to link your VIC card to our school.

That's it!

Once your card is linked, Seven Oaks Elementary will receive a percentage of your

Harris Teeter brand (Harris teeter, H.T. Traders, Harris Teeter Organics, HT Farmers

Market, and purchases in the HT Pharmacy) purchases credited back to our

account. This program does not interfere with your VIC savings or cost you any

money!

Please contact Jackie Johnson (jjohnsonpta@gmail.com) for assistance.

Giant's A+ School Rewards

Seven Oaks Elementary is participating with Giant's A+ School Rewards! This is a great opportunity to

participate in and earn CASH from A+ School Rewards, a great fundraising program run through your local

Giant! Our school ID number: 05579

To participate, just visit www.giantfood.com/aplus and scroll down to the center of the page to select

REGISTER YOUR CARD from the red box on the right marked FOR CUSTOMERS.

To earn points, use your registered GIANT CARD each time you shop at Giant, and you will earn CASH for our

school. You can track the number of points you are earning for our school by checking your grocery

receipt.

Please encourage your family members and friends to support our school. This could result in more CASH

REWARDS!

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A little birdie told me...

Seven Oaks

Elementary

is now on Twitter!

Follow us

@SevenOaksES Get news and updates

from our school and AACPS

Video Camera System

Seven Oaks Elementary School is equipped with a video camera system. It covers selected interior and exterior public portions of the building and grounds. It is not monitored constantly but is monitored during emergency situations. During certain events, when the safety or security of students may be in question, authorized personnel from local, state, or federal police or fire emergency units may be given access to view images projected on the camera system. If you have any questions about the system, you may call the office of School Security, at (410) 222-5083.

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ELEMENTARY

MATH VIRTUAL FAMILY SUPPORT AACPS now offers Elementary Math Virtual

Family Support to parents, guardians, or other

adults who help students learn virtually.

Come with questions about Pre-K through grade 5 math concepts or

in search of help understanding current problem -solving teaching/

technique. If the question cannot be answered on the phone, a Google

meet code will be shared where a math teacher tutor can provide a

response visually.

Primary Link HERE

Intermediate Link HERE

____

Open Tuesday and

Thursday evenings

6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

English and

Spanish support

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MATEMATICA

PRIMARIA APOYO FAMILIAR VIRTUAL

AACPS ofrece apoyo familiar virtual en

matemáticas de escuela primaria a los padres,

tutores u otros adultos que ayudan a los

estudiantes a aprender virtualmente.

Venga con preguntas sobre conceptos matemáticos de prekínder a

quinto grado o en busca de ayuda para comprender la enseñanza /

técnica actual de resolución de problemas. Si la pregunta no se puede

responder por teléfono, se compartirá un código de reunión de Google

donde un profesor tutor de matemáticas puede proporcionar una

respuesta visualmente.

Enlace Escuela Primaria HERE

Enlace Escuela Intermedia HERE

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Abierto martes y

jueves por la noche

6 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Apoyo en Inglés y

Español

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