White Marsh Elementary School
2023 - 2024
Week of October 2 - 6, 2023
Greetings, White Marsh Families!
Our first Dress for Success day was so much fun! Our Bears were dressed so nicely, and this definitely impacted their work ethic during the day! Thank you to our teachers, our Bears, and Bear families that supported this activity! You can see some of our pictures below.
Our Spirit Wear Sale continues, and will end on Friday. Be sure to check out this year's design and place an order this week. Orders can be placed online, or by sending in the order form that was sent home with your payment.
On Monday, we will recognize our Building Service Workers, Ms. Diane and Mr. Frankie, as it is Building Service Worker appreciation day! We are lucky to have 2 amazing staff members taking care of our building and helping to keep it clean and safe! On Tuesday, there will be a PTA meeting at 6:30 in the cafeteria. We always welcome new members- you can join in person or virtually with Zoom!
Wednesdays in October will be "Walktober" during each recess! Students will be invited to participate in a walk around the perimeter of the grounds to encourage walking, movement, and healthy habits. Special thanks to Mrs. Baril, Mr. Guy, Mrs. Cox and Principal Steele for leading the walks! Wednesday is Running Club; those students participating will stay after school until 4:20. Please pick them up promptly and remember your photo ID. Friday ends the week with our White Marsh Spirit Day! Wear White Marsh apparel or blue to show your school spirit! There is also a WMES Site Based Volunteer Training on Friday at 9:30 in the cafeteria. Remember, if you wish to volunteer or chaperone at WMES, this training is mandatory each year prior to working with students.
Have a great week!
The Bear Crawl is Coming!
The Book Fair is Coming
**Remember, you must be a SMCPS approved volunteer and have completed the WMES training already this school year. Thanks for your help!
Parents of 4th and 5th graders:
Be on the Lookout for Several SMCPS emails
Our First Virtual Day is approaching!
This day is also designated for Parent Conferences. Please look for information from your child's teacher about arranging a beginning of year conference. The best way to conference is in person, but our teachers are willing to conference by phone if needed. Please take advantage of this opportunity to meet with the teacher and learn how your student has been performing. We encourage you to be a partner in their learning!
Kindergarten families- click below for a copy of the KRA letter!
WMES Spirit Wear Order Starts Wednesday!
From the Music Room...
Please review with your child the band and strings supply letter. Students should have all supplies by the end of October. Band and Strings students are asked to bring their instruments to school every Wednesday! Sincerely, Mr. Guy
Picture Day is Coming- October 17
Volunteer/Chaperones Reminder
1) register to be a SMCPS volunteer
2) attend a WMES Site Based Volunteer Training.
The SMCPS Volunteer information can be found on the WMES Family Links document, and the next WMES Site Based Volunteer Training can be found on the WMES website by accessing the calendar.
Have you Completed the Acceptable Use Agreement for your Student(s)?
SMCPS Calendar Revisions
Early Sign-outs and Late Arrivals
Snacks at lunch
Upcoming Events
Oct 9 Virtual Instruction Day and 2 hr. Early Dismissal; Parent Conference Day
Oct 11 Running Club
Oct 12 Gr 2 (Arnold) and Gr 5 (Cord) to Sotterley
Oct 13 Gr 2 (Myers) and Gr 5 (Wathen) to Sotterley
Oct 13 Kindergarten field trip to Pumpkin Farm
Oct 16 - 20 Bus Driver Appreciation Week
Oct 16 - 20 Mobile Aquatic Agriculture Lab comes to WMES!
Oct 17 Picture Day!
Oct 18 Unity Day
Oct 18 - 25 WMES Book Fair!
Oct 18 No Running Club
Oct 19 School Dance! 3:45 - 4:30 pm
Oct 20 2 hr. Early Dismissal
The following are general reminders:
Student Discussions
WMES Family Handbook
WMES Links for Families
All Students Must Have!
Field Trips and Volunteers!
Methods of Communication
There are lots of ways we will communicate with you. Once school begins, you should receive a weekly email with the WMES Smore Newsletter for the week. (It will come on Sunday evenings; contact the Main Office if you don't receive the newsletter.) Be sure to review it every week; it is kept up to date with important information for you and your student. We also communicate via Twitter, and our PTA has a facebook page. If you have not elected to receive texts from SMCPS, please do so! This is our fastest way to communicate in the event of a delayed bus, or other important information. Finally, our teachers also have a variety of ways to communicate with our families; you will receive more information the first week of school.
Important Information: Electronic Devices
Chronic Absenteeism
Chronic Absenteeism: Students are chronically absent when absent 10% or more of the school days while enrolled at that school. For example, a student who is registered to attend a school for 30 days and who is absent 3 of those 30 days is considered chronically absent.
WMES will follow up with chronically absent students through the Pupil Services Team, Pupil Personnel Worker, and the Department of Student Services. In order to reduce the number of our students with Chronic Absenteeism, incentives to encourage good attendance include participation in the Bear Crawl, Running Club, and School Dance.
Text Alerts
SMCPS Text Alerts are a great way to get information quickly. They are not sent often, and usually only in the event of an unexpected school delay or closure. On occasion, WMES will send a text alert about a late bus, substitute bus, or school event. Click the link for information about registering for text alerts.
White Marsh Elementary School
Email: jwsteele@smcps.org
Website: wmes.smcps.org
Location: 29090 Thompson Corner Road, Mechanicsville, MD, USA
Phone: (301)472-4600
Twitter: @wmes_smpcs