January Tidbits #5

Attendance Matters:

Maryland's attendance rate represents the average daily attendance rate of students in grades 1-12. The state’s proficient standard for attendance rate is 94% and the advanced standard is 96%

TCES Currently: 91.38%

The chronic absenteeism measure identifies students that are absent (lawful and unlawful) 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.

Last year: 32% of students at TCES were considered chronically absent

Currently: 10% of students at TCES are considered chronically absent

1/22-1/25 TCES Attendance Rate: 92.16%

1/22-1/25 Grade Level Attendance Award goes to: 5th Grade at 97%

TCES Staff attendance: 98.5%

We're grateful to all for your efforts to be here! Everyday matters in the pursuit of knowledge.

You can check attendance records in HAC. If you notice any days that are unlawful (marked red), please send an email to smverhaagh@smcps.org, or submit the reason for the absence online through our school website.

Kindergarten:

• Reading
• Identifying letters and sounds Aa-Zz,
• Writing your name,
• Writing a sentence response to a story question
• Giving the main idea and retelling a story
• Math
• Identifying and counting 0-20
• Count to 100 by ones and tens
• Identify shapes

First:

• Reading
• base words with the suffix -s
• answer questions about details and photographs
• find text evidence
• informative writing
• personal and possessive pronouns
• Math
• using number lines
• adding and subtracting on a number line
• Science/Social Studies
• finishing up plants
• transportation moves things and people

Second:

• Reading
• Reading 15-20 minutes per night and making predictions using text clues and pictures
• Math
• Practicing measuring using a ruler, or tape measure
• Identifying equal measures such as 12 inches = 1 foot

Third:

• Students in the middle of third grade should be reading 105+ words on grade-level text in one minute to be considered fluent. Read with your child and time them for one minute to check on their reading fluency! The Texts for Close Reading (TCRs) from the reading curriculum that students take home are a great text with which to practice!
• Math: Fact fluency for multiplication and fraction concepts

Fourth:

• Reading: Reviewing opinion, narrative and informational writing, Identifying theme

• Math: Measuring angles, Finding the area and perimeter of shapes
• Social Studies: Forced Migration of Africans
• Science: Weathering and erosion

Fifth:

• Reading: Summarizing text and writing 5 paragraph informative essays
• Math: Multiply and divide whole numbers and decimals
• Science: Matter and energy in organisms and ecosystems
• Social Studies: Resconstruction era and immigration

We will be celebrating the 100th Day of School on Monday, February 5.

Please look for communications from teachers for the classroom activities that will celebrate this milestone.

If Mr. Nazimek has informed your intermediary student (grades 3-5) that they will need a recorder for class, you can order through MySchoolBucks. They are $6.00 each, and you have the choice of green, pink, or blue. If you need any guidance on making the purchase, use these instructions. If you run into any difficulty, please reach out to Mrs. Hertzbach (pahertzbach@smcps.org) in the TCES office.

Thank you for your support!

Mr. Kent and the TCES family

1. Let the office know IN WRITING if you are designating someone other than a guardian to pick up your child at any day and time.

2. Opt-In to the School Messenger Text Messaging Service. For more information, click on this flyer. There is also an FAQ with additional information.

Ready to rock some new Town Creek threads? A wide variety of spirit wear is available, from hoodies to sweatpants! And now, we are offering a Town Creek baseball cap! This cap is available in the virtual school store on MySchoolBucks for $15. The cap is available in two sizes, Child and Adult. Samples are on display in the lobby case. (Our model, a second-grader, is shown here sporting a Child sized cap.)

Select this link to see pictures and detailed descriptions of the items currently available in both youth and adult sizes. You can check out the samples in the case in Town Creek's lobby, too!

To order, you can print this form and send cash or check, or you can order everything online in the My School Bucks School Store. For directions on how to order through the MSB School Store, please select this link.

The items will be delivered to your student at school as soon as they arrive at TCES. Hats are immediately available!

**NOTE: Do not put money into the lunch money account for this purchase! That is a separate account from the School Store and can NOT be transferred.

Evening Counseling: SMCPS is once again offering School-Based Counseling Support in the evening for SMCPS students. Counseling support focuses on the following areas: Healthy Relationships, Social Skills, Self-Esteem, Stress Management, Worry, Sadness, and Emotional Regulation. Services will be located at Margaret Brent Middle School and Greenview Knolls Elementary School on Tuesday evenings from 4-7:30 p.m. Please complete the Parent Contact Form for Evening Counseling to request services.

Thank you to everyone who managed to attend our twice-rescheduled general meeting on Wednesday, January 17th. Here is the link to the meeting minutes. The next general meeting is scheduled for February 6, 2024 in the media center.

Want to get more involved? Be sure to fill out the membership application and join the PTO!

Questions? Contact PTO president Lydia Rivera at towncreekesptopresident@gmail.com.

*On Thursday, the entree will be tortillas instead of the walking taco.

• February 6th - Report Card Distribution (via HAC)
• February 9th - Two-Hour Early Release Day (Professional Responsibilities for staff)
• February 19th - Presidents' Day - All School and Offices Closed (Possible Make up Day)