Beacon Bulletin

PPES Families:

• Our largest fundraiser of the year is right around the corner, BEACON BOLT BOOSTERTON! Each year we purchase t-shirts for our students to wear for this special event. We are looking for sponsors for our shirts to help elevate the price of the shirts. A donation form was sent home last Tuesday in the Tuesday Folder. Please consider reaching out to local business for sponsorship. It is tax deductible and a great way to build community support. Every little bit helps!
• On Thursday, March 20th, we will be having a LOCK DOWN drill at PPES.

  • In an effort to increase positive student and staff outcomes following training and drills, Maryland enacted legislation, Maryland House Bill 416, 2024 Session (Chapter 182), that specifically prohibits schools from using techniques that simulate an active assailant scenario. These banned techniques include simulated gunfire, explosions, and individuals acting as intruders. Additional MCSS requirements were enacted within the bill.

  • Active Assailant Emergency Preparedness website

• Parent and Family Engagement for Young Children: Please join us for a 6-part series of Virtual Conscious Discipline Workshops, with 1 In-Person Session, with Lead Conscious Discipline Instructors Amy Speidel and Lety Valero.

• The Maryland State Department of Education is hosting a three-part virtual workshop series for Spanish-speaking families. These sessions will focus on how families can support their children in becoming biliterate and bilingual. The workshops will take place on:

  March 27
  6:30 PM – 7:30 PM
  Facilitated entirely in Spanish
• We’ve teamed up with MySchoolBucks, an online service where you can easily and securely pay for school fees using a credit/debit card or electronic check. Using MySchoolBucks you can:
• Purchase items in our PPES online store- field trip payments
• Pay invoices
• View important school information & links
• Get started in 4 easy steps:
• 1. Download the mobile app or visit myschoolbucks.com
• 2. Create your free account
• 3. Add your student
• 4. Browse your [school name] online store
• If you have any questions about getting started with MySchoolBucks call (855) 832-5226. For any general questions please contact Ms. Adkins
• Please take some time to review the Title IX information below.
• Just a reminder if you have not completed your Federal Impact Aid form it is now due. We will be sending home paper copies with families who failed to complete it in the fall. This is very important for giving our school funding. Please return missing forms ASAP!
• U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Many citizens are concerned about reports in the media relative to ICE Raids and want to know how their local school systems plan to handle the issue. SMCPS will adhere to the guidance provided by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). Please read A Guide for Students, Families, and Local Education Agencies on the MSDE website. Our actions are bound by law, and our administrative staff consistently ensures compliance.

• The SMECO Elementary Math Challenge will be held asynchronously from school sites on Thursday, April 3

• Parent Chaperones- Please remember as part of the volunteer guidelines chaperones are not permitted to take photographs of any PPES student other than your own. We do have quite a few families that ask that their child not be photographed. Please help us to enforce this important guideline.

• Parent volunteers- this is a friendly reminder that you may volunteer in the classroom during your designated time. However, we ask that you do not travel with the students to specials, lunch or recess. We love having you here to work with our teachers and helping our students. We ask that you please follow our guidelines. PPES Volunteer guidelines

• There are so many fantastic things happening in our efforts to support SMCPS students with disabilities. Please use this survey to share your praise, story, or news about successes in your school or department!
• Parent Pick-Up reminder... If you are changing your child's mode of transportation for the day to Parent Pickup you must send an email to Jayne Worch at jdworch@smcps.org and Melissa Adkins at maadkins@smcps by 2:30 PM to be added to the list. You will not be added anytime after 2:30 and will need to come in the front office to pick up your child after dismissal. Thank you for your help with this procedure. Dismissal is a VERY busy time of the day. We want to make sure all of students get home safely. Routines are very important to our student success. If at all possible please try to not change the mode of transportation unless it is absolutely necessary.

Please take the time to read this newsletter in its entirety. It is jam packed with information to keep our Beacons shining bright!

~Mrs. Zeier

Please remember that we are working hard to keep our attendance percentage 95% or higher. We completely understand when students are ill and can not come to school. However, school attendance is a priority. If students are not here they are missing crucial learning!

Come to our School Information Night for Multilingual Families. This will be an opportunity to get a general overview of the school system in the United States, to learn about building family literacy, high school graduation requirements, community programs, and more. Don't miss out! Register here.

We are so excited to announce that this year PPES is a Class Dojo school. Please be sure to join your child's class to receive important classroom and school updates. Also, we are unable to process any changes in transportation requests through Dojo. Please continue to email those to Ms. Worsch in the front office. Let's see if we can get 100% of our families on Class Dojo!

• 3/21- 1st grade to Science Center (wear your Field trip T-shirt)
• 3/26- Boosterthon sponsored- Laser Light Show Assembly
• 3/28- 2 hour early dismissal- PTA Clean-up event
• 4/4- PTA Meeting 8 am in Conference room

1. Be sure to look up your child's bus number, bus stop, and approximate times. The HERE COMES THE BUS app will allow you to track the bus. Please remember these are approximate times.

If you have not already done so, please complete the meal benefit application if you think that your family may qualify. If you do not qualify or choose not to fill out a form, your student has the option to purchase breakfast and/or lunch each day. Payment may be in the form of cash or check payable to PPES, or by creating a My School Bucks account. Pease see link below for the application and My School Bucks link.

Click here to check your child's breakfast/lunch balance and add money to their account

If you are planning on volunteering regularly for your classroom teacher, you will need to complete the SMCPS Volunteer application. However, if you are volunteering as a chaperone on a field trip, you do not need to complete the application. You will need to sign in and out at the Main Office using your state issued ID. If you do not have your ID you will not be permitted to enter the school or chaperone on a trip. We have a 100% ID CHECK, NO EXCEPTIONS! There is no application fee for school volunteers. Parental involvement is a key component to student success. Thank you for your support.

Hi Beacon Families,

Spring has almost sprung! I am very proud of all the progress our Beacons are making this year and it has been such a pleasure getting to know everyone.

Our 5th graders are gearing up for Maryland Integrated Science Assessment (MISA) testing this week. The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) provides the following self-talk strategies to help students manage test anxiety:

Positive self-talk:

• Crush the can’ts: Students write down a negative thought on a slip of paper and tape it to an empty soda can and stomp on it to literally “crush” their can’ts.

• Positive world wall: You can use positive quotes, list test-taking strategies and include can-do attitude posters or sticky notes to let students add their own positivity to the wall.

• Personal positive story: Ask students what makes them anxious about the test, what do they think will happen, what can they tell themselves to face the anxiety, what can they do to overcome the anxiety, what’s the conclusion?

• Test anxiety argument: Why is it OK/not OK? Is it silly? What can you do instead?

• Daily positive quotes: Suggest students write positive quotes in their agenda or on their phone.

• Positive self-talk cards: Find ideas galore on Pinterest.

• Journaling: Have students express the anxiety in writing and evaluate their feelings.

*Also, don’t underestimate the importance of having a good night’s sleep on every school night, but especially before the night before standardized testing. 😴

The character trait that Beacons chose for March is:

FAIRNESS- 👀Please ask your student to be on the look-out for any classmates who are being fair and ask them to describe the situation to you over dinner.

In the classroom, we will be covering the following topics based on the Second Step Curriculum:

Kindergarten

Handling Name-Calling

First Grade

Problem-Solving

Second Grade

Taking Responsibility

Third Grade

Empathy and Understanding Others

Fourth Grade

Avoiding Jumping to Conclusions, Making a Plan

Fifth Grade

Making a Plan, Seeking Help

Feel free to reach out anytime, I look forward to hearing from you! ☺️

Email: sjweinberg@smcps.org

Telephone: 301-994-2205

Click on the link below to visit her classroom

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1HcrlfP4B9up3NXuq8pwFCQofd1wopaY8X43Wg1x0ZE4/edit?usp=sharing

• Are you looking for fun and free St. Patrick’s Day Math Worksheets and Activities to work on at home with your students?

  Sharing engaging holiday-themed math activities will give your students an opportunity to apply their math skills and develop their critical thinking while working through interesting puzzles and activities that capture their enthusiasm for significant dates such as St. Patrick’s Day.

  Click on THIS LINK to access activities. Enjoy!

  
  

Please see the information about what to do when your child is sick:

As we embark on a new school year, we want to highlight a key area of focus this year at Piney Point Elementary School: attendance. This year, we will be placing greater emphasis on ensuring that every student attends school regularly and on time.

Good attendance is crucial to your child’s success. Consistent presence in the classroom not only helps students stay engaged with their lessons but also builds habits of responsibility and discipline. It enables them to fully participate in educational activities, benefit from continuous instruction, and achieve their academic goals.

Lawful Absences

The following reasons are deemed lawful absences:

• death in the immediate family;

• student illness, for which the principal may require a physician's certificate;

• court summons;

• hazardous weather conditions;

• work, if approved or sponsored by the school;

• observance of a religious holiday;

• state of emergency;

• medical/dental appointment

• pregnant and parenting students (refer to SMCPS Board Regulations JED-R, JHCG-R)

• suspension;

• lack of authorized transportation; and

• other circumstances which, in the judgment of the principal or designee, constitute a good and sufficient cause for absence from school.

We understand that there may be circumstances that affect your child’s ability to attend school, and we are here to support you in any way we can. However, we encourage you to prioritize school attendance and to work with us to address any barriers that might arise.

Together, we can help our students thrive and reach their full potential. Thank you for your support and cooperation in this important matter.

Please review the following documents in regard to student accident insurance.

Informative Letter to Parents

Fact Sheet

Enrollment Information

Spanish versions available:

Informative Letter to Parents - Span.

Fact Sheet - Span.

Enrollment Information -- Span.

School Messenger Text Messaging FAQ's

Schoology is a very helpful tool and resource for teachers, students, and families. Please ensure that you are able to access Schoology for updates and information from the school and your child's teacher. If you need support in obtaining your Schoology log in information please email schoology@smcps.org for support. Please click Parent Notifications for directions to ensure your notifications are set to receive important information about your student.

Do you have the Schoology App?

Log Into the Schoology Mobile App

If you already have a Schoology account, download the Schoology app from Apple App Store, Google Play or the Amazon App Store. Tap the app icon to open it on your device.

You can use an email address or username to log into the application, depending on how your account was set up:

Log in through your School

1. Use the keyboard to enter SMCPS. As you type, matching choices populate in the list. The name, ID number, city, state, and zip code for the school should appear below.

2. Tap the name of your school or organization when it displays.

3. Use the email address or username to log in to the application, that was sent to you via email from Schoology with an app password. If you are an SMCPS student or teacher this is NOT your SMCPS password.

4. Tap LOG IN to complete.

If you are able to sign in with Google, and you are an SMCPS student or staff, please use that login process and follow the provided instructions in the prompts.

Want to enable notifications? Please check this document

Need to purchase a laptop charger?

You can do one of two things:

1. Email your child's teacher or the Library Media Specialist Miss Hazuda (sjhazuda@smcps.org) that you wish to pay for the missing laptop charger. A fine then can be assessed so that you can pay using My School Bucks, sending in cash, or a check (made out to SMCPS).

OR

2. Go directly to the DELL store. You can purchase directly from their website and have it shipped to your home.

Ensure one of these links is being used:

www.dell.com/mpp/smcps (click Shop Recommended Solutions to get to the discounted power cords)

www.dell.com/mpp/smcps-chargers (leads directly to the purchasing portal)

If you purchase from Dell, please make sure that you label the charger with the student's first and last name before sending it to school. If you have any questions, please contact your child's teacher or the Library Media Specialist Mrs. Anderson (lwanderson@smcps.org).

Birthday treats present the potential for allergic reactions for many of our students. They also interrupt instruction. However, we understand that some students enjoy celebrating their birthday with their friends at school. Because of all of these factors, birthday treats may NOT be edible. Gift bags with stickers, pencils, crayons, erasers, and/or other small toys are acceptable. They can also be shared at recess or the end of the day which doesn’t compromise instructional time. Parents who wish to provide birthday treats to a class are asked to notify the homeroom teacher in advance and to drop them off in the front office as early as possible.

Don't forget to join the PTA or to renew your membership for 2024-2025. The cost is $20 per family. The grade with the most PTA memberships will get a free pizza party! PTA members get VIP access to events and news via our PTA newsletter. By becoming a member, there is no obligation to volunteer or attend monthly meetings. Join here: https://tinyurl.com/PineyPointES