Dent Dolphin Details
SY24 Family Issue #33
Hello Lettie Dent Families,
Next week (May 6-10) is Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week! Our teachers and staff do amazing work each and every day. They teach with joy and foster a love of learning in our students. #dolphinpride
You can be part of celebrating our amazing teachers and staff! All are welcome to nominate an LMDES Staff Member for our Dedicated Dolphin Award.
With gratitude,
Mrs. Lindsay G. Brenfleck, Principal
Mr. Joseph D. Farrell, Assistant Principal
Dedicated Dolphin Award
Nominate an LMDES staff member!
Newsletter Contents
- Dedicated Dolphin Award
- Notable Dates
- Deadline to Order Field Day Gear is this Friday!
- May is Mental Health Awareness Month!
- Summer Meals Parent/Guardian Sign-Up
- School Lunch Highlights
- Helpful Resources & Info Worth Repeating
- SY25 Learning Environment Preference Input
Upcoming & End-Of-Year Events
Notable Dates
- Tues, Apr 30- Talent Show Rehearsal
- Fri, May 3- Deadline to Order Field Day Gear
- May 6-10- Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week
- Fri, May 10- Optional SY25 Learning Environment Input Due
- Fri, May 10- Two Hour Early Release
- May 13-17- Mental Health Awareness Spirit Week
- Tues, May 14- Primary Election Day; No School for Students
Save the Dates!
- Wed, May 22- Spring Band, Strings, Chorus Concert
- Wed, May 29- Talent Show
- Thurs, May 30- Field Day
- Fri, May 31- Vehicle Day (Career Week)
Deadline to Order Field Day Gear is this Friday, May 3!
The Lettie Dent Field Day Tee Shirt Sale is open! Paper order forms will be sent home this week so please check backpacks.
Tee shirt orders can be placed online at https://dent24.itemorder.com/ or by filling out the paper form and sending it to school along with payment.
We have a fun field day logo and everyone always looks great out there on the day of our Field Day event wearing their tees! Thank you in advance for your support!
The deadline to order is Friday, May 3rd.
PTA Chalk the Walk & Food Truck Event
Thank you to our wonderful families and dedicated staff who came out for Friday's PTA Chalk the Walk and Food Truck Event! With beautiful weather and a fantastic turnout, it was an enjoyable evening filled with laughter and community spirit.
A special shoutout to our amazing PTA for coordinating this LMDES event – your hard work and commitment are deeply appreciated!"
May is Mental Health Awareness Month! Spirit Week:
All-County Jazz Concert
Last Thursday's All-County Jazz Band performance was fantastic! "Enter the Sandman" brought the house down.
Kolby and Jaxson Tweten were phenomenal, and we are so proud of them! Kudos to their band teacher, Mrs. Holm, for teaching and encouraging our students on their musical journeys!
Spring Sports are in Full Swing!
Ms. Kemp started her Saturday by supporting her student Ayden Tucker at his baseball game. It was a little chilly but well worth it. He was excited she was there and they won!
Don't miss the opportunity to continue playing your favorite sport this summer! Summer Sports Academies: SMCPS and SMC R&P have partnered to offer the new Summer Sports Academies. Campers will be instructed by area high school coaches. Camps are held Monday -Thursday. Click below for more information. Registration begins March 1st.
5-Day Summer Meals Pickup
The SMCPS Food & Nutrition Services Department will be providing a 5-day pickup for summer meals. These meal bags will include five breakfasts, five lunches, a half-gallon of white milk, and two cartons of chocolate milk for each child.
Meal pickups will be on Mondays and we are offering two pickup times for your convenience. 11 am - 1pm or 4pm - 6pm. The schools offering pickup are:
- Chopticon HS
- Leonardtown HS
- Oakville ES
- Spring Ridge MS
Parents/Caregivers must either have signed up ahead of time using this form with their children's information or have the children in-person for meal pickup.
Contact the Food Services Office with any questions at foodservice@smcps.org or 301-475-4256 x5
School Lunch Highlights
Childhood Nutrition & Healthy Eating
Nutrition is closely linked to overall physical health and is a correlate of academic performance. Meeting both nutritional and physical activity recommendations together is associated with higher academic performance.
MyPlate (https://www.myplate.gov/life-stages/kids) has a variety of helpful resources, games, and activities to get kids started on a healthy eating adventure!
Resource: Start Simple with MyPlate
Helpful Resources & Info Worth Repeating
Spring Testing Dates - Mark Your Calendar!
Select your child's grade level photo below to view their testing dates. If your child is not able to attend school on their assigned testing days/time, your child will be removed from class for a "make-up" session. Please make sure your child brings their charged laptop to school, as this is how they access the tests.
Encourage your child to do their very best on the assessments.
Ensure they get a good night's sleep and plan to either have breakfast at home or breakfast at school.
Our students make us proud!
Dolphins are Respectful, Responsible, and Ready!
We appreciate all that our families do at home to reinforce the importance of being Respectful, Responsible, and Ready to Learn.
SY25 Learning Environment Input
Upcoming Events
Surf the Mental Health & Wellness Wave
A Resource & Education Fair
St. Mary’s County Public Schools, in collaboration with Healthy St. Mary’s Partnership, is hosting a Surf the Mental Health & Wellness Wave: A Resource & Education Fair on May 18, 2024, from 10 AM-3 PM, at the James A. Forrest Career & Technology Center. Come interact with and gather information from over 35 Mental Health & Wellness vendors. There will be numerous guest speakers and presentations on several different mental health and wellness topics. Use the QR code in the health fair flyer to view the schedule of events. In addition, there will be food trucks, door prizes, and lots of fun! Please join us!!
Pre-K Parent & Family Engagement Event
Pre-K students, their families, and local private providers are invited to attend a Transition to Kindergarten night scheduled for Monday, May 6, 2024, from 6:00-7:00 p.m. at the Dr. James A. Forrest Career & Technology Center in the Dohrman rooms. Please refer to the flyer here to register and learn more about fun learning stations, icy treats, door prizes, goodie bags, and more!
End-of-Year Events
Field Day Volunteers
Read this letter from Mr. Galeano and Ms. Buster for more details and to sign up to volunteer.
Field Day Gear
Online Store Link:
The online store opens on Wednesday, April 17.
Order online using this link or print and submit this form.
Career Week - Vehicle Day
- The details can be found in this linked document from Mrs. Holm.
Summer Sports Academies
Academy Applications & Information
Applications for STEM 6 will open on April 2 and close on April 30, 2024. No late applications will be accepted. The online application will be found on the Academies page of the SMCPS website.
More information is available via the Academy Open House Google Site.
SMCPS Approved Calendars
The Board of Education approved the school year calendars for 2024-2025 and 2025-2026.
View the calendars at http://smcps.org/calendar. Watch the BOE presentation here.
Special Education Parent Involvement Survey
SMCPS Evening Counseling
PTA News & Events: Join the PTA!
Select the link to join the LMDES PTA: 23/24 PTA Fam Membership Form - Google Forms.
Why join the PTA? With your help, we will make a big impact this year by advocating for our students, teachers/staff, and school! Your membership helps support a variety of school activities and programs while creating a fun, engaging, and positive community.
MEMBERSHIP DUES: $7.00 Single Person Membership // $12.00 Family Membership
By becoming a member, there is no obligation to volunteer but if you would like to do so, please be sure to check "YES" & complete the volunteer registration at the link provided.
Box Tops for Education
Download the Box Tops for Education app, scan your receipts, and earn cash for our school!
For over 25 years, Box Tops for Education has given families an easy way to earn for schools with products they already buy. Today, you can find thousands of participating products throughout the store — and all you need is the Box Tops app.
Thank you for your support!
Cafe & Food Services Information
Meal Benefit Application
Children need healthy meals to learn. SMCPS offers healthy meals every school day.
Breakfast costs $1.75; lunch costs $3.00.
Your student may qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
Please complete the meal benefit application.
My School Bucks
SMCPS families may pay for school meals with MySchoolBucks! View balances and purchases, schedule automatic payments, receive notifications when your student's meal balance is low, and make payments on the go with the mobile app.
School Menus
Check our Nutrislice Webpage to:
- View Helpful nutrition info
- Download our FREE mobile app!
- Print menus
Technology Information
Student Laptops
All SMCPS laptops come with the same responsibility of care and upkeep as any other loaned resources. Textbooks, novels, laptops and chargers can incur a debt if lost or damaged. Please refer to the student accountability newsletter that will be included in each weekly school newsletter.
Schoology
Schoology is the SMCPS Learning Management System (LMS).
Schoology has a Mobile App!
Directions to Log Into the Schoology Mobile App.
New families that did not receive the notification about their Schoology Parent Account should email schoology@smcps.org to inquire about their account.
Both new and previously registered volunteers must complete a new application every school year.
Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary
Mrs. Lindsay G. Brenfleck, Principal
Mr. Joseph D. Farrell, Assistant Principal
We welcome your questions and inquiries. Please call 301-472-4500, refer to the SMCPS Website, or our LMDES website for additional information.
Website: https://lmdes.smcps.org/
Twitter: @lmdes_smcps
Phone: 301-472-4500