Dear Families,

Our NMES Leadership Team recently reviewed and analyzed middle of year student data. Our school improvement plan contains goals for math and ELA proficiency/growth and student attendance. Below is a quick summary for the middle of the year:

• As of February 28, our overall student attendance rate is 95.0% which is 1% away from the MSDE goal of 96%. This is a .4% decrease from late fall. Thank you for your support of sending your healthy child to school every day and on time.
• As of February 28, our NMES chronic absenteeism rate is 10.7% which at this point would earn NMES 12.5/15 ESSA (Every Student Succeeds Act) points. Chronic absenteeism is defined as a student who misses 10% or more of the school days in a year. This is a .6% increase in our chronic absenteeism rate from late fall. Thank you for your support of sending your healthy child to school every day and on time.
• In ELA, 71.6% of our students met expectations on the iReady reading assessment for the middle of the year. This is a 13.3% increase from the beginning of the year. iReady is a diagnostic assessment administered on a chromebook.
• In ELA, 79% of our students met or exceeded expectations on the DIBELS assessment for the middle of the year. DIBELS is a foundational skills reading assessment.
• In Math, 60.6% of our students met expectations on the iReady math assessment for the middle of the year. This is a 28.3% increase from the beginning of the year. iReady is a diagnostic assessment administered on a chromebook.

Our Leadership Team analyzed the middle of year data to determine areas of strength and need. Action plans were also developed for teams to adjust instruction. This work is another example of our school mission: "To serve and support every student by name and need." We are proud of our teachers and students for their hard work and effort.

As a reminder, you can support at home in a variety of ways. Our Leadership Team created a helpful document titled "NMES Home-School Connection". Click HERE to view. The document has practical ideas to use at home to support your child's attendance and academic progress.

Dr. Lockard, Principal

Karen McGaha, Assistant Principal

NMES Home-School Connection - Click HERE to view the document.

FCPS 2024 - 2025 Calendar Handbook

FCPS 2025 - 2026 Calendar

• Monday, March 3: MISA testing for all grade 5 students
• Tuesday, March 4: MISA testing for all grade 5 students
• Wednesday, March 5: Interims issued
• Wednesday, March 5: PTA meeting at 7:00pm in the cafeteria
• Friday, March 7: PTA Walking School Bus (during arrival time)
• Friday, March 7: FCPS Career and Technology Center visits grades 4 and 5
• Wednesday, March 12: Deadline to order a NMES Yearbook
• Monday, March 17: St. Patrick's Day - wear green!
• Wednesday, March 19: PTA event "Healthy Minds, Healthy Kids" at 7:00pm
• Friday, March 21: World Down Syndrome Day - wear fun socks to recognize this day
• Monday, March 24: Spring Picture Day
• Thursday, March 27: 2-hour early dismissal for all students
• Thursday, March 27: Term 3 ends
• Thursday, March 27: NMES Staff Basketball game at LHS - game starts at 6:30pm
• Friday, March 28: Teacher Work Day - Schools closed
• Monday, March 31: Term 4 begins - Set goals to end the year strong!

For all attendance related emails or transportation changes, please email nmes.attendance@fcps.org and include your child's teacher. Transportation changes must be made prior to 3:00pm.

Consistent attendance is important for your child's academic and social success in school. MSDE sets the attendance goal at 96%. Below are the attendance percentages for each grade level and for the school overall as of the end of February:

Pre-Kindergarten: 93.9%

Kindergarten: 94.9%

Grade 1: 95.1%

Grade 2: 95.2%

Grade 3: 95.2%

Grade 4: 94.8%

Grade 5: 95.0%

Overall School Attendance Percentage: 95.0%

You can support by sending your healthy child to school each day on time. Instruction promptly begins at 9:00 each morning. You can also support by planning vacations around the FCPS calendar. Thank you!

Save the Date for New Market Elementary School's Annual Staff Basketball Game! Please join us on Thursday, March 27th at Linganore High School to see your favorite teachers and staff on the court! The game will start at 6:30. We hope to see you there!

Please join us in congratulating Mrs. Lei Ann Woozley! Mrs. Woozley is a fourth-grade teacher at NMES. Mrs. Woozley was recently recognized by the Maryland Gifted and Talented Advisory Council. A banquet was held on February 22 and she was honored. Mrs. Woozley was recognized as being a changemaker in gifted and talented education. We are so appreciative of her teaching talents!

Please join us in congratulating Ms. Meagan Cooley! Ms. Cooley is a fifth-grade teacher at NMES. Ms. Cooley is our NMES Teacher of the Year nomination. Ms. Cooley was nominated by staff for her excellent teaching skills and ability to reach all students. We are so fortunate to have Ms. Cooley as a classroom teacher and leader at our school. As of this publication, Ms. Cooley is a quarterfinalist for this honored recognition!

Please join us in congratulating Mrs. Keeley Carl! Mrs. Carl is a school counselor at NMES. Mrs. Carl was nominated for the FCPS School Counselor of the Year. Mrs. Carl was nominated for her dedication, commitment and passion for serving students, staff and families. Our school and school system are blessed to have Mrs. Carl serving our community!

With classes on our fields and playgrounds at various times throughout the day, for the safety and security of our students, we ask that our community refrain from using our school grounds, including our fields, walking track, and playgrounds, during school hours. This does not apply to parents/family who walk their children to and from school during arrival and dismissal times. Thanks so much for your help in supporting this important safety measure at New Market Elementary School.

As the weather warms up we can’t wait to see more of our NMES Wolves Walking and Wheeling to school. We only have a few more First Fridays left in our school year! Join us for our March Walking School Bus - Friday, March 7th. This Walking School Bus is sponsored by Tree Trekkers! All participants will receive a special prize courtesy of Tree Trekkers! Meet with friends at 8:15am at any of our three neighborhood routes and walk to school.

• Brinkley Manor

• New Market West Playground

• LOUYAA Parking Lot

Plus, save the date for our Bike to School event in May! Similar to last year, students will meet to bike to school early and participate in a Bike Rodeo on the NMES Black Top. Look for more information in April.

Author Visit

Author James Riley will visit 3rd-5th grades at NMES on Tuesday, April 1st, to discuss his new book, The Dragon's Apprentice. This visit is sponsored courtesy of the Curious Iguana! We thank them for providing these opportunities for our students! Interested families can purchase an autographed copy of the book at http://curiousiguana.com/product/newmarketjamesriley/ by March 16th.

Book Fair

Mark your calendars now! The spring book fair is just around the corner! It will be held in the media center from April 4th-11th. Be on the look out for more information, including a volunteer sign up, to come home later in March!

The following students were nominated by their classroom teacher as a "Role Model Monday" nominee. These students demonstrate our Be a Wolf expectations on a regular basis across the school day. These students are recognized on our morning announcements by Dr. Lockard. The students receive a certificate and small prize for being a great Wolf each and every day! Also, the parents receive a Good News Phone Call from Dr. Lockard.

• Ethan Wharton, third-grade student in Mrs. Imboden's class: Mrs. Imboden shared the following about Ethan: " Ethan is kind, hardworking, and respectful. He has displayed the traits of an NMES Wolf since his first day here. He is a friend to all and an excellent role model."
• Brooklyn Keller, fifth-grade student in Ms. Macker's class: Ms. Macker shared the following about Brooklyn: " Brooklyn is a wonderful student! She is always on task, trying her best, and working hard during the school day. She comes in every day ready to learn with a smile on her face. Brooklyn is kind to her peers and respectful to her teachers, showing what it truly means to be an NMES wolf."
• Sadie Fischer, first-grade student in Mrs. Kocher's class: Mrs. Kocher shared the following about Sadie: "Sadie is a true NMES wolf. She is on task and working hard each day. It does not matter the subject, she is giving it her best! We are so lucky to have Sadie in our classroom."

Check out all the unique holidays that occur in March with our optional choice board. Find it at https://bit.ly/NMESMar25Board.

Click HERE to read important information from our school counselors, Mrs. Blake and Mrs. Carl. Some highlights include:

• Career Day information
• Upcoming PTA event "Healthy Minds, Healthy Kids"
• March clothing drive

The NEXT PTA MEETING is Wednesday, March 5th from 7-8pm in the NMES cafeteria. Everyone is welcome and encouraged to attend. We hope to see you all there!

And you can always stay up to date with checking out our website at https://newmarketpta.givebacks.com and our Facebook page @NewMarketElementaryPTA

Cindy Alvarado Race Series Sponsorship Opportunity

We are preparing for our 2025 Cindy Alvarado Race Series which will take place on Saturday, May 3rd. The race series will feature both a 1K and 5K fun run for our NMES community. It is in honor of beloved NMES teacher and administrator Cindy Alvarado. Cindy was the originator of the 5K event. When she lost a hard-fought battle with cancer, it became important to the NMES community to honor her legacy by naming the 5K event after her.

All funds raised by this event go directly back to our students, teachers, and staff at New Market Elementary. If you are interested in being a sponsor please click HERE to see our different sponsorship opportunities.

Information about registering to participate in the 5K or 1K races will be made available at a later date.

Volunteers for Concessions at Staff Basketball

It’s our favorite event of the year - the NMES Staff Basketball Game! Each year the PTA provides concessions for the event. In order to reduce wait times, we will be hosting two concessions tables. But that means we need some additional help from the grown ups! Please check out our sign up to help us staff the concessions tables. Proceeds from concessions go to our PTA budget that helps fund our Artists in Residence program! SIGN UP TO HELP HERE!

Project Linus Update

Thank you to all our volunteers and students for participating in Project Linus. Together our NMES students crafted nearly 100 blankets! These blankets are donated to area hospitals through the Frederick County chapter of Project Linus.

Health Minds, Healthy Kids

Wednesday, March 19th 7:00-8:00pm

Back for the second year in a row, NMES families are invited to attend our Healthy Minds, Healthy Kids program.

This year will include two informational sessions for parents to choose to attend:

• In the cafetorium, we will have a mental health professional to address the common occurrence of school anxiety. The speaker will provide tips for parents in helping their children feel more at ease with attending school.

• In the library, Special Agent Scott Kohler with the United States Secret Service will present NetSmartz, an educational program that teaches parents, guardians, and communities, teens, tweens, and younger children about online safety and digital citizenship. This presentation will make use of online resources, videos, and expert tips to educate, engage, and empower children and adults to be safer on and offline.

Please note the informational sessions will run simultaneously, so be prepared to choose which to attend. These sessions are also tailored for adults, please see information below for our children’s activity.

During both presentations, elementary age children will have the opportunity to participate in Fit2Shines’ Mindful Kids programming in the gym. This program is free to attend, but all participants must register in advance on our PTA Givebacks store.

Looking Ahead…

Coming up in April: Spring Sprucing(4/6) and the DANCE(4/25) which is CARNIVAL themed this year. Time to get excited!!

FCPS County Science and Social Studies Fair

March 29, 2025 at Tuscarora High School 9-11:30am

Detailed information on the county fair was sent home with students, and it was emailed in the FCPS Community Newsletter.

Please click HERE to access our NMES Multicultural Bookshelf. The month of March features titles celebrating Women's History Month, Ramadan, Eid al-Ritr and Holi. Enjoy these read alouds with your children!

NMES Career Day will take place on May 15th from 9:00 - 10:45 at our school. Volunteers are needed. If you are interested in speaking about your career to our 4th and 5th graders on May 15th, please contact Keeley Carl, School Counselor, at keeley.carl@fcps.org . Thank you in advance for your support!

When school is in session, you can reach the front office from 8:30 - 4:00 at 227-203-1460.