Beacon Bulletin
Week of November 25th- 26th "A week"
Important PPES Information
Hello Piney Point Families!
The Strings winter concert is scheduled for Monday, December 16 @ 6:30 p.m. Students should arrive @ 5:50 p.m. Please have your student prepared with a working instrument, class music, and concert attire.
Girls: white shirt/black skirt (below the knee) or black pants
and black dress shoes
Boys: white shirt/black pants and black dress shoes
Students will meet in the Media Center.
Please email questions or concerns:
Band & Chorus Parents,
The upcoming holiday concert will be on Wednesday, December 18 at 6:30 pm.
The attire for the concert is black shoes and pants with a white shirt. Please no dresses
Band students need to be at school at 6:00 and chorus students at 6:15 pm
If you have any questions, please let me know.
Mrs. Campbell & Mrs. Norris
PHOTO RETAKES are scheduled for Wednesday, December 4 th .
- Photo retakes are for those students who were absent from school or did not get
is included below and is also available in the main office. Email Jayne Worch at
jdworch@smcps.org if you would like a picture form sent home with your child.
Students who are new to Piney Point after October 3, 2024.
Students who had their photo taken but would like a retake. Students should
bring the original photo packet, including original envelope and all picture
products, to turn in to the photographer when they come to sit for their new
picture. They do not need to fill out a new picture form.
As the holiday season quickly approaches, we would like to offer assistance to those families in need. This year, we will be providing families with Wal-Mart, Target or Weis gift cards. We are requesting that each gift card be between $10-$25. Please use this form to either donate to a family in need, or indicate if your family is in need of assistance this holiday season. All names will be kept confidential. We will accept gift card donations beginning Thursday, November 21st through Friday, December 6th. Families can pick up the gift cards Friday, December 13th from 9:00-3:45. Any questions or concerns, please contact Ms. Weinberg.
Phone: 301-994-2205 ext. 24120
Email: sjweinberg@smcps.org
If you are interested or in need, please fill out this form by Monday, December 9th.
Happy Holidays from PPES!
- 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
Math Tips and Tricks:
Primary (K-2):
Intermediate (3-5):
Looking for more activities? Click on Math at Home and then your student’s Grade Level.
Class Dojo
Important Dates and Events:
- November 27-29- Thanksgiving Break
- December 4th- Picture Re-take Day
- December 16th- Strings Concert
- December 19th- Band and Chorus Concert
- December 21st-January 6th- Winter Break
Important Bus Information
- 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.
School Meals:
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.
My School Bucks
Click here to check your child's breakfast/lunch balance and add money to their account
NEW VOLUNTEER INFORMATION--Please read carefully
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.
From the Counselor
Happy November Beacon Families!
Kindergarten-2nd Grade
We just wrapped up our Second Step Skills for Learning Unit, and now we are
practicing:
• Active Listening
• Focusing Attention
• Self-Talk
• Being Assertive
Young beacons are becoming competent in following our listening rules to pay
attention to their teachers, practicing self-talk to take-on more complex tasks and
succeed academically, and using an assertive tone and posture to get their
needs met.
Now that we have started to practice these skills, we are going to be focusing on
empathy and compassion in November. Empathy is a major force in the
development of prosocial behaviors and interpersonal problem-solving skills.
Being able to identify, understand, and respond in a caring way to how someone
is feeling provides the foundation for helpful and socially responsible behaviors,
friendships, cooperation, coping, and conflict resolution, all of which impact
academic and social success. Students will learn how to take other’s
perspectives and show compassion.
3rd Grade
In November, we are going to discuss fundamentals of cognitive behavioral
therapy and automatic negative thoughts. Students will understand that their
thoughts cause their feelings, then their feelings inform their actions, and the
result of their actions are based on those actions. Because of this, it’s important
that we reframe our thoughts for optimal results! We will practice reframing
thoughts with various examples and then listen to Captain Snout and the Miracle
Questions by Dr. Daniel G. Amen to learn five different ways that thoughts can be
distorted:
1. Only acknowledging the bad
2. An all-or-nothing mindset
3. Fortune-telling mindset or predicting the future
4. Mind-reading or thinking that we know what
others have said without them telling us
5. Blaming outside sources for internal distress
The miracle questions are:
1. Are you sure that that’s true?
2. Are you 100% sure that that’s true?
4th-5th Grade
We are wrapping up our Steps to Respect: Bullying Prevention Unit this month!
Our older Beacons have been practicing being bystanders, identifying bullying
situations, and communicating assertively. We will play a game of Jeopardy! to
ensure we have mastered the concepts, and create posters for the younger
grades to set an example.
We will be focusing on a specific character traits each month from January to
June. Students in second through fifth grade will complete a survey to choose
which ones! I can’t wait to see what they choose!
• Caring
• Responsibility
• Trustworthiness
• Respect
• Fairness
• Citizenship
• Determination
• Perseverance
• Honesty
• Conscientiousness
• Courage
• Kindness
Look forward to hearing from you.
Sarah Weinberg
School Counselor
Piney Point Elementary School
From our School Social Worker Mrs. Broom
Click on the link below to visit her classroom
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1HcrlfP4B9up3NXuq8pwFCQofd1wopaY8X43Wg1x0ZE4/edit?usp=sharing
Math At Home..
Primary (K-2):
Intermediate (3-5):
From the Nurse
Vision and hearing screenings are required for all new students enrolled in Maryland Public Schools and all first grade students. If your student does not pass the screening the Nurse will contact you. Please contact the Nurse if you have any questions or concerns.
Attendance Matters!
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.
Student Accident Insurance Information
Please review the following documents in regard to student accident insurance.
Spanish versions available:
Informative Letter to Parents - Span.
School Messenger Text Messaging
School Messenger Text Messaging FAQ's
Schoology
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
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.
Tap the name of your school or organization when it displays.
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.
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
Missing a Laptop Charger?
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
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.
PTA News
Join the PPES PTA
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
Be a PTA Volunteer
Website: http://ppes.smcps.org/
Location: 44550 Tall Timbers Road, Tall Timbers, MD 20690
Phone: 301-994-2205