All schools and offices will be closed on Monday, September 4th, in observance of Labor Day. Tuesday, September 5th, will be an A DAY.

Please review the SMCPS Dress Code Policy when planning your outfits! All parts of the Dress Code Policy must be followed.

Picking students up early from the main office - We cannot call down children for early sign-out before your arrival. We do not have the front office space to house students as they wait for parents to arrive and sign them out early. Also, we will not be able to sign students out at the office starting at 1:55 p.m. because we are in the process of making end-of-the-day announcements and calling for bus riders. If you need to sign out your student early from the office, you must do so before 1:55 p.m. After that time, they will have to be a car rider.

For students arriving late - Parents do not need to enter the building. Students will sign themself in if they arrive late. Parents can wait and ensure their child enters the building from the parking lot.

Bus passes are only written for emergencies. We do not write bus passes so students can go home with their friends. Additionally, all emergency bus pass requests must be submitted to the main office no later than 11:00 a.m. to ensure we have time to complete the bus pass.

Appointments Required - If you need to speak with an Assistant Principal or Guidance Counselor, it is required that you call before to schedule an appointment. Assistant Principals and Guidance Counselors have a full schedule of working with students, lunch duties, and other tasks. We cannot accommodate walk-in parents. Please call to schedule a time. Thank you!

All students in K-12 have been issued a SMCPS laptop and charger. The laptops and chargers are the property of SMCPS and come with the same responsibility as any other school-issued resource. Parent(s)/Guardian(s) and students should visit the SMCPS Website to review the SMCPS Student Handbook, Code of Conduct, and the device accountability resource document, which all outline information in regards to reporting damage, costs incurred for damage or loss, and the consequences for damage to school issued property. As of August 2023, current pricing can be found here. The Acceptable Use Policy must be signed electronically by all SMCPS families. Please complete this form as soon as possible.

In preparation for the start of the school year, students need to locate their laptops/chargers, run updates, and make sure they are ready for school. The slideshow below will be reviewed with all students at our back-to-school assemblies.

6th-grade students will begin the laptop swap process this week. Please review the document below for more information.

This year, free breakfast will be available for all students who would like one. Students will eat in their homeroom class. Grab-and-go breakfast stations will be in the following locations: sixth grade in the main gym, seventh grade in the cafeteria, and eighth grade in the back hallway. Free and reduced lunch meals will only be available for those who qualify using the Meal Benefit forms for SY 2023-2024. More information and resources can be found here. Please make sure to complete this form as soon as possible! Use this link to put money on your child's lunch account.

Fall intramurals will begin the week of September 18th. We will offer Wiffle Ball, Running Club, Field Hockey, and Tennis. Look for the permission slips in next week's SMORE and in the cafeteria during lunches on Monday, September 11th.

The SMCPS Middle School Task Force is working with New Solutions K-12, a scheduling consultant, to review and provide revision suggestions for consideration to the current middle school schedule. We want to ensure we are meeting the needs and wants of our students as it relates to more student choice in electives and more potential entry pathways. Seventh and eighth-grade students will be taking a survey to share their input. Our goal is to obtain honest feedback from students, so the survey will be confidential and completely anonymous. It is expected to take approximately five to seven minutes for students to complete. Students will take this survey on Tuesday, September 12th, during homeroom. Please contact your child's grade-level Assistant Principal if you have any questions.

6th and 7th-grade students will participate in a unit of study entitled Family Life and Human Sexuality, which their health/physical education teacher will teach during their assigned marking period of health. Please see the letter below that all health/physical education teachers will also post in Schoology. This letter contains information and allows for the option to opt-out.

Parents who wish to examine all materials and ask any questions can do so on September 22nd between 8:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. If you cannot visit the school but have questions regarding either the unit or the materials, please contact your child's health/physical education teacher. Approved materials that may be used by staff may also be viewed on the SMCPS School Health Council Google Site.

Our Fall Picture day will take place on Wednesday, October 25th. More information to come soon!

Website: https://schools.smcps.org/ems/
Location: 22790 Maple Road, Lexington Park, MD, USA
Phone: 301(863)4016
Twitter: @ems_smcps