Stonegate Greetings

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Monday, October 14th

• Hispanic Heritage Month

• Indigenous People’s Day, Columbus Day

• After school Avanti Soccer 3:30-4:30

• After school Spanish, 3:30-4:30

Tuesday, October 15th

• Hispanic Heritage Month

• After School Girls on the Run 3:30-4:45

• After School Boys Let Me Run 3:30-4:45

• After School Sky’s the Limit Dance Gr K-2

Wednesday, October 16th

• After School STEM by Problem Solvers 3:30-4:45

• After School Creative Adventures Art 3:30-5:00

• PTA Restaurant Night at Bear Brick Oven Pizza from 4-9 p.m.

Thursday, October 17th

• Heart Health Challenge Community Walk 2-3 p.m.

• After school Basketball starts 3:30-4:30

• After School Sky’s the Limit Dance Gr 3-5

• Math Night! 6:00-7:30 p.m.

Friday, October 18th

• NO SCHOOL

Join us for Math Night on Thursday, October 17! There will be free pizza from 6:00-6:30, and math games from 6:30-7:30. Each student who attends will receive a free math goody bag, full of math tools! We hope to see you there!

Stonegate’s Community Walk caps our fundraising campaign in support of the American Heart Association’s Kids Heart Challenge.

The goal is to raise $3000 for the American Heart Association and we are at $2504.16! If we reach our goal, the top 10 fundraisers will get to spray Silly String on our principal Ms. Jones. This will take place after the walk on October 17th from 2-3 p.m.

We will walk through the neighborhood on Thursday, October 17th from 2-3 pm. All families are welcome to join the walk. (Rain Date is Oct 24 from 2-3 pm)

Student permission slips were sent home. Please return the permission slip OR email your teacher to say you give your student permission to walk.

It is free to Register your student at Kids Heart Challenge website and if 50% of our students register, Mr. Jones receives over $500 in PE equipment! 75 of our students have registered so far - we are at 14%.

Thank you for your support and looking forward to a great walk!

Learn about Hands-Only CPR Hands-Only CPR | American Heart Association CPR & First Aid

Holiday Giving Project Brochure

Holiday Giving Project Sign up

Stonegate Elementary School partners with Kids in Need Distributors (KIND) to send free bags of food home on Fridays. KIND develops partnerships with public schools in Montgomery County by working with principals and counselors to establish the program and recruit staff members who will help deliver food each week.

If you are a caregiver that is in need of the weekend bags, please fill out this google form. If not, please disregard. Once the form is filled out, you will start receiving KIND bags.

The first delivery will be coming this week as a store gift card. The food bag deliveries will start on November 1st, 2024.

On the week of October 21st-26th we will be participating in Mental Health Awareness week. During this week we will place an emphasis on the mental health of both students and staff. We will engage in school wide activities during the day that will promote healthy minds! Parents, we encourage you to participate in the emotional well-being of your child. Below you will see a calendar that highlights how we will celebrate each day. Please reach out to the School Counselor, Mr. George, if you have any questions or concerns at Kedon_F_George2@mcpsmd.org.

The Stonegate Elementary School SGA wishes to congratulate every student who participated in the Primary Election. It takes so much courage to run for an SGA office, and we are so proud of all of you! We have 17 students that will move on to give speeches. Speeches will take place on Tuesday, October 22, 2024. They will take place virtually on Zoom.

In addition to our fall election, we will be hosting our fourth annual Fall Dance: Pumpkins and Plaid Fall Festival! This dance will be for all students and families on Friday, October 25, 2024 at 6:30 p.m. Come out to Stonegate in order to join in on the dancing, food and games that will be available. Be prepared to “fall” into a fun time with the Stonegate SGA! We are asking that students bring in a canned food item or a monetary donation to the event to help support our local shelters during the approaching holiday season. See you there!

Interested in volunteering at Pumpkins and Plaid, click here to complete the Volunteer Form.

We are looking forward to our annual Halloween and Harvest Celebrations. These are separate events that are both occurring on Thursday, October 31, 2024, from 1:50-3:15 p.m.

• For those students who celebrate Halloween, a costume parade will begin at 1:50 p.m. Caregivers and families are welcome to watch the parade. School costumes must be safe, and no pretend weapons of any kind are allowed.

• As we prioritize the safety and well-being of our students, I want to share some important information and updates to volunteers for Halloween parties. This year we are limiting the number of caregivers that are allowed to volunteer and support the classroom parties after the parade.

• Each class will be allowed up to 5 caregivers as volunteers. Teachers will reach out to caregivers to determine their interest in volunteering and to confirm sign up. Thank you for your understanding as we work to keep Stonegate fun and safe.

• Treats for all parties must be Nut/Peanut free, store bought, and still in original wrappers/unopened containers.

• Simultaneously, the Harvest Celebration will be for students who do not celebrate Halloween and will take place in the MPR from 1:50-3:15.

Please remember, any of the 5 registered volunteers who will be assisting with either of these celebrations must sign in at the front office using a driver’s license and obtain a visitor’s sticker. We want to ensure the safety and security of all students and visitors in the building. Thank you for your cooperation. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your classroom teacher.

Details and registration information on Stonegate’s Website under Extracurricular Activities tab:

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/stonegatees/homepage/extracurricular/

NOTE: There is no Activity Bus after these clubs. Students must be picked up when classes end.

As always, keeping our students and staff safe is our top priority. To help us maintain a secure environment, we kindly remind all families and caregivers of the following procedures:

• All visitors must enter through the main office and wear a visitor’s badge while inside the building.

• If you are dropping off items such as lunchboxes or musical instruments, our staff will deliver them to the classroom.

• If you need to meet with a teacher, please schedule the meeting ahead of time so the teacher is aware and we are prepared for your visit.

We work hard to ensure a safe school environment, and we appreciate your cooperation and understanding.

Once again, caregivers cannot be in the building without a visitor badge, entering through the main office, and prior notification. For any pre planned activities or meetings during the school day, you will be asked to sign in with your ID at the main office.

Thank you for your understanding.

Use this link to find all the ways you can connect with MCPS to receive emergency operational information from the school system: Emergency Information Sources

You can read and review this Emergency Preparedness Brochure for families(.pdf)

English | 中文 | Français | 한국어 | Español | Việt Nam

To enter, decorate a fake pumpkin as your favorite book character and bring it to the library between October 21-25th. Staff will vote for their favorite! The winner for each grade will each receive a $20 gift card to Amazon. Winners will be announced on the Morning Announcements.

Label your child’s items today and throughout the year! We have many lunchboxes, sweaters and hoodies in our Lost and Found. The Lost and Found is in the Multi Purpose Room (MPR), we encourage kids and parents to find their items.

Write your child’s name on :

• Jackets

• Sweaters

• Water Bottles

• Lunch boxes, etc

We have partnered with https://mabelslabels.com/ if you would like to order amazing label products for clothing, water bottles and lunch boxes. Our Grade 5 students will earn 20% of sales. Be sure to select “support a fundraiser” and select “Stonegate Elementary (Silver Spring)”

Mark your calendar for Wednesday, October 16 and join us for a Restaurant Night Fundraiser at Bear Brick Oven Pizza from 4-9 pm. Bear Brick Oven is located on 15410 New Hampshire Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20905 and their phone number is 301-889-9000. When you place your dine-in or carryout order, please indicate you're dining for the "Stonegate PTA Restaurant Night" and the restaurant will donate a portion of sales to support PTA activities.Restaurant Night - October 16

The Stonegate PTA will be holding an Election Day Bake Sale on Tuesday, November 5 at the school. We need your support to make this a successful fundraiser! Sign-up today to donate items for the Bake Sale and volunteer for a shift during the event. We need homemade or store bought baked goods, full-size candy bars, lemonade and individual bottles of water for the sale. Middle school and high school students can earn SSL hours for making items and/or working during the event. If you have questions, please contact Hannahe.Raithel@gmail.com.

We are excited to announce that our school will be hosting a Scholastic Book Fair, which will take place from November 11th - November 15th at the Media Center. To learn more about the book fair, get a digital preview, check the event schedule out, or add funds to your eWallet (available October 18th) visit the Stonegate Scholastic Store.

For students, it’s one of the most anticipated events of the school year—but we need volunteers to make it happen. We hope that you can offer your time and talent to help students experience Bookjoy firsthand! And every purchase at the Fair directly benefits our school. So, it’s a win-win! If you’re available to lend a hand at the book fair please sign up today!

Check out the Stonegate Spiritwear On-Demand store to order your favorite Stonegate apparel anytime. There are lots of exciting items to choose from for the entire family. Orders will ship directly to you. We appreciate all orders which support our PTA programs.

Town Hall with Dr. Taylor

Mark your calendars for Wednesday, October 23 from 6 - 8 pm for a Town Hall with MCPS Superintendent, Dr. Taylor hosted by The Black and Brown Coalition for Educational Equity & Excellence. Help us show Black parents, caregivers, and community members (along with Latino families) are alarmed that the majority of Black and brown students are reading below grade level. Please register this week using the QR Code.

Menus are sent home monthly and can be found on the MCPS’s website: Elementary Menu

​​Kindergarten- 5th Grade Menu: October 2024:

Pre-K: October 2024:

English | español | français | 中文 | Portuguese | 한국어 | tiếng Việt | አማርኛ

Hot lunches are served daily with alternate choices. Lunch is $2.55 including milk. Milk may be purchased separately for 60 cents. Parents are highly encouraged to start a Myschoolbucks account for their child. This will eliminate lost or forgotten lunch money. The price of lunch or breakfast will be subtracted from the account. Checks should be made payable to Stonegate School Cafeteria.

MySchoolBucks.com is an optional service for parents/guardians to make prepayments to a student's cafeteria account for breakfast, lunch, and à-la-carte meals online with a credit or debit card. You can check your child's spending history, and receive low-balance notifications.vBy creating a secure online account, parents can monitor and manage their child's account.

There is a $2.49 convenience fee for each payment transaction.

Students in Maryland who qualify for reduced-price meals will not be charged for meals! Apply right away. One application covers the entire HOUSEHOLD. Translations in other languages are available through the online application.

Apply now at www.MySchoolApps.com

Here is a video about how to apply:

English Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJUapGLarBo

Video en Español: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsdCrtCIFJc&t=4s

Here is the 24-25 School Calendar

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org//siteassets/district/calendar/2024/2024-calendar.pdf

Fall Dates

Oct 21 - SGA Food Drive Kicks Off

Oct 21-25 National School Bus Safety Week

Oct 21-25 - School Library Pumpkin Contest - Drop off entries this week

Oct 24 - Grade 1 Field Trip to Baltimore Aquarium 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.

Oct 24 - Grade 5 Field Trip to Strathmore Music Center 11:20 a.m. -2 p.m.

Oct 25 - SGA Pumpkins and Plaid Dance

Oct 30 - Grade 3 Field Trip Butler’s Orchard 9:40 a.m. - 2:10 p.m. - NEW DATE

Oct 30 - Pre K Field Trip to Butler’s Orchard 9:40 a.m. - 2:10 p.m.

Oct 31 - Harvest Festival and Halloween Parade 2-3 p.m.

Nov 4 - No School, Grading and Planning Day, Possible Make up

Nov 5 - No School, Election Day

Nov 5 - PTA Election Day Bake Sale

Nov 5 - 19 - Square 1 Art Fundraiser

Nov 6 - California Tortilla in Olney Restaurant Fundraiser 11 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Nov 11-15 - PTA Scholastic Book Fair

Nov 13 - LFI Field Trip to Robinson Nature Center

Nov 14 - Good Night, Sleep Tight Reading Night

Nov 14 - Make Up/Retakes Student Picture Day 9 - 11 a.m.

Nov 16 - Boys Let Me Run 5K

Nov 22 - Grade 4 Field Trip to Historic St. Mary’s City

Nov 24 - Girls on the Run 5K at Wheaton Mall

Nov 25-26 - Early Release Day, Students dismissal 12:55 pm

Nov 27-29- No school, Thanksgiving Holiday

Dec 19 - School Wide Field Trip (all grades) to Xfinity Center UMD Girls Basketball Game 10 -2

Dec 23 - Jan 1- No School, Winter Break

Jan 2 - Return to School

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) appreciates the support of the parent and community volunteers who support the essential needs of the schools.

For our field trip Chaperones, you must have completed the online Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect Training within the last 3 years (2022-2023, 2023-2024, current 2024-2025 school years). You can access the training through ParentVue.

Support Guides: How to take the training

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1URJRNYdUyyL0ghVzZ32xLqPmkE7IwUvcRF2qid89ojA/preview#heading=h.oxfphqz63iy9

All volunteers WILL need to check-in and check-out of the main office and scan their driver’s license/identification cards through the Visitor Management System (VMS). Once the volunteer clears the VMS, they must be badged (the VMS creates a sticker badge) and remain under supervision of an MCPS professional while with students.

Link to 7 minute Volunteer Expectations Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tpdZrX8MRqYutpNhA3siVOajmRnxlYPa/view?usp=sharing

As a one time volunteer, such as guest reader or helping with student celebrations, you do NOT need to complete the online Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect Training.

Our Caregiver Handbook has all the important information that families need to know!

Click here to view it! Here in English and Here in Spanish.

Once your account is created you can bookmark this link to log in: https://mcpsmd.schoolcashonline.com

Clothing to Cash® is a program that collects New and Used Clothing, Shoes, Sheets, and Towels, (all Textiles) and pays the school 10 cents for every pound collected. The program is operated entirely OUTSIDE and will be located in the school parking lot, where students, parents, staff, and the community can drop off items throughout the year.

They have state-of-the-art photo quantity sensors installed in each bin that report 3 times daily to prevent overflow and allow the company to schedule service as needed (no other companies use this technology). They empty the collection bin, weigh the contents to determine our school earnings, and pay our school monthly.

The average school (500 - 1000 students) will earn $1000- $2000 yearly if each student would donate just one 13-gallon kitchen-size bag of textile mate! Add in parents, siblings, relatives, neighbors, and staff, and Stonegate’s earnings could really increase.

Main Office: 240- 740-7430

Stonegate Elementary School

14811 Notley Road

Silver Spring, MD 20905

Arrival 8:40-9:00 a.m.

Dismissal 3:25 p.m.

Caregiver Handbook

Principal: Linda_M_Jones@mcpsmd.org

On X: @StonegatePrin

Assistant Principal: Franny_S_Wooler@mcpsmd.org

Visit us on the web at: www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/stonegatees/

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