Otter Families!

Our end-of-year celebration dates and times have been finalized!

• Thursday, May 23rd
• 5th grade Field Trip - Blue Crabs game - 9:30 am - 3:00 pm
• A separate communication has been sent to 5th grade families
• Monday, June 3rd
• PreK - 4th grade End-of-Year Picnic Celebrations
• PreK - 10:00 am - 11:00 am
• K and 1st Grade: 11:30 am - 12:30 pm
• 2nd and 3rd Grade: 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
• 4th Grade: 2:30 pm- 3:30 pm
• Tuesday, June 4th
• 5th Grade Picnic at Dorsey Park
• 9:30 am - 2:30 pm
• Awards Presentation @ 11:00 am

"Otterly" Yours,

Mrs. Anderson

Our PreK Staff, under the leadership of Mrs. Bradburn and Mrs. Simonds, earned a LEVEL 5, the highest level, quality rating.

Congratulations to the entire PreK team of Mrs. Bradburn, Mrs. McCollum, Mrs. King, Mrs. Simonds, Mrs. Gibson, and Mrs. Hayden!

Maryland EXCELS means quality. Public school programs that participate in Maryland EXCELS are committed to providing the best possible education and care. High-quality education builds stronger communities, supports family success, and improves student outcomes in school and in life.

The office will be open Monday - Friday from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm.

The SMCPS School Board approved the following changes to the calendar for the end of the school year due to unused inclement weather days.

Thursday, June 6th - Last day for PreK students; Two Hour Early Dismissal

Friday, June 7th - Last day for K-5 students; Two Hour Early Dismissal

Tuesday, June 11th - Last day for 10 month employees

We value your input on how Boosterthon fundraising money for the 2024-2025 school year should be spent to enhance the experience and education of our Otters at OES. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey. Your feedback will help guide our decisions and ensure the funds are used in ways that benefit our students. Our Boosterthon fundraiser is scheduled to take place in early September 2024.

Media staff will work to send out messaging to students via Destiny. Schools can make announcements via newsletter and Schoology for students to turn all library books, novels and textbooks as soon as they are done using them for the SY. Anything not returned will be marked as LOST which assesses a debt. Students keep laptops and chargers.

SMCPS will be offering summer meals to go at LHS, CHS, OES, and SRMS offering 5-day meal pick-up on Mondays starting June 10th. Parents must pre-register their children by filling out the form linked below or bringing them to the site when they pick up meals.

PreK registration for the 2024-2025 school year is now open. Please find all needed information in the document linked below.

Check you what's available to scratch your artistic itch this summer!

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. Don't miss this opportunity.

• https://www.stmaryscountymd.gov/recreate/camps

• https://www.stmaryscountymd.gov/docs/thescoop.pdf

Our school's overall attendance rate, as reported to MSDE, for the school year so far is 93.88%. The goal is 94%.

This is the time of year where I switch to sharing data about attendance on a weekly basis and how it changes from week to week. Below are the attendance rates for each grade level for the week of

May 13th - May 17th.

PreK: 91.89%

Kindergarten: 95.83%

1st Grade: 94.46%

2nd Grade: 93.93%

3rd Grade: 94.6%

4th Grade: 93.05%

5th Grade: 93.42%

The grade level with the highest attendance rate for the ENTIRE school year so far is 3rd GRADE with a rate of 94.6%

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 has been added to our weekly school newsletters.

All parent(s)/guardian(s) must complete an Acceptable Use Policy each school year. Click HERE to complete the Google form. School staff will be in touch with all families to complete the form throughout the month of August and September.

A WEEK

Saturday, 5/18

Mental Health and Wellness Wave Resource and Education Fair

10:00 am - 3:00 pm at the Tech Center

Monday, 5/20

8:45 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.

• 3rd grade MCAP testing
• PTA Spirit Night at Ledo's

Tuesday, 5/21

8:45 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.

Wednesday, 5/22

8:45 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.

• Kindergarten and 1st Grade Music Performance at 10:00 am and 2:30 pm

Thursday, 5/23

8:45 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.

Friday, 5/24

8:45 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.

Hello OES Otter Families,

I hope everyone is keeping safe and healthy. Be sure to eat right, get plenty of sleep and rest, exercise, cover your cough with your elbow, and wash your hands frequently. Don't forget to get vaccinated against the Flu and COVID.

We are looking forward to a great school year!

President: Beth Johnson Hill

Vice President: Stefanie Wines

Treasurer: Kim Burroughs

Secretary: Megan Russell

One community committed to the learning and safety of all children.

Community is important to us. We strive to have the words "goal-oriented", "fun", "inclusive", and "thriving" used to describe our community. We believe that children learn and adults work best in an environment where they feel respected and safe. We are focused on four areas in our development of community: 1) Cultivating respectful, supportive relationships among students, teachers, and parents, 2) Emphasizing common purposes and ideals, 3) Providing opportunities for service and cooperation, and 4) Providing opportunities for independence and influence.

Email: lpdietz@smcps.org
Website: https://schools.smcps.org/oes/
Location: 26410 Three Notch Road, Mechanicsville, MD, USA
Phone: (301) 373-4365
Facebook: facebook.com/smcps.org
Twitter: @OES_smcps