Beacon Bulletin

PPES Families:

• Piney Point is truly an amazing place to be. We have spectacular families and students that make every day a joy to come to work and educate. Lat week we celebrated the 100th Day of School. I don't know what happened to all of our students but, they sure did age overnight. I have never seen so many centenarians attending school. They are very active for their age! Check out some of the pictures below.
• The Book Fair is this week. Children will be previewing on Monday and then have the ability to purchase throughout the week. You can also order online here and purchase gift cards. Please remember to send in extra cash for tax.
• The week we celebrate school attendance. I tis very important to send your student to school every day and on time. Those few missed minutes of instruction add up over time. Please see the graphic below to see how we will be celebrating each day.
• 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!
• Last Day to order PTA Spirit wear is TODAY. The website link is: https://stores.inksoft.com/pin502
• Attention Watch D.O.G.S- We will be having an orientation night at PPES on Tuesday, February 18th form 5:30-6:30pm. Drinks and snacks will be provided.
• 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 St. Mary’s County Citizens’ Advisory Committee for Special Education (CACSE) Rise Up Awards: The Rise Up Award recognizes a teacher, administrator, therapist, assistant to an educator, or anyone in the Special Education system who has truly gone to extraordinary efforts to contribute, in a compassionate and caring way, to the growth, happiness, and general well-being of our children with disabilities. If you are a parent or caregiver who would like to nominate a person who has positively impacted your child’s life, please consider nominating them for the Rise Up Award. When educators go above and beyond to help our children “Rise Up” and exceed in life, it is our pleasure to recognize and thank them for the amazing jobs that they do. (The nomination deadline is March 7, 2025)

• 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

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!

• 2/10-2/14- BOOK FAIR!!!
• 2/13- Kid's Heart Challenge ends
• 2/14- Valentine's Day and 2 hour early dismissal
• 2/17- No School- President's Day
• 2/26- 3rd grade to Natural History Museum

PRESS START: the Literati Book Fair is coming! Join us for a Story Arcade on February 10-14th , or shop online at literati.com/store. Every purchase benefits our school. GLHF (good luck, have fun)!

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.

Hello Beacon Families!

Our younger Beacons continue to practice calming down when they are feeling a strong emotion, using the following steps:

1. Stop.

2. Name your Feeling.

3. Calm down by deep breathing, counting, or positive self-talk

Last month, our older Beacons learned how to take another’s perspective, and to show empathy by considering others as they go through the day.

Second Step: Walk, Walk, Walk

On a similar note, the character trait of the month for February is CARING.

Like last month, Beacons will have an opportunity to recognize peers who display caring behavior. If your student brings home a form from their peer, make sure you give them a huge congratulations and thank them for being such a great example! ☺️

In addition to the emphasis on caring, we are also going to cover the following topics:

Kindergarten

Problem-Solving, Fairness

First

Worry

Second

Problem-Solving

Third

Qualities of a Team Player

Fourth

Emotional Management Overview

Fifth *

Teacher’s Academy of Maryland (TAM) Career Presentation on 2/7/25

*This will be 1 of 2 career-focused lessons for our 5th Grade Beacons, as they get closer and closer to middle school. This Friday, they will learn about what SMCPS offers at the Dr. James A. Forrest Career & Technology Center.

Prior to the lesson on February 7th, Beacons were required to watch the following video:

2025 Forrest Center Promo Video 2 (Tech Expo) - YouTube

Friendship/Social Skills Small Group

Students in Grades K-5 will have the opportunity to participate in the Friendship Club Social Skills Group based on the American School Counselor Association Curriculum beginning the week of February 10th.

Lunchtime groups, made up of 5-8 students, for 12 consecutive weeks focused on helping students make and keep friends, in a place where they are fully accepted.

In the month of February, we will cover the following topics:

Week 1

Listening to Others

Week 2

Asking Questions

Week 3

Complimenting Friends

Week 4

Inviting Others to Play

**Beacons brought home permission slips this past Thursday, January 30th. If the slip is not returned by Friday, February 7th, I may give you a call to get consent for your student to participate in the group.

Have a great week!

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

Primary (K-2):

• Beat You to Ten

• Same & Different: A Dicey Situation

Intermediate (3-5):

• Which One Doesn’t Belong? Colorful Calculations

• Same & Different: Field Fun

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