White Marsh Elementary School

Welcome back from Winter Break, and Happy New Year!

I hope this new year finds our Bears and their families rested, rejuvenated, and ready for the second half of the school year!

Our Joe Corbi's fundraiser starts on Wednesday- information will be sent home in Wednesday folders! Also on Wednesday, the PTA will meet at 6:30 pm.

Friday is a WMES Spirit Day! The Bears are encouraged to wear their White Marsh shirts or lots of blue!

Have a great week!

Principal Steele

This week, we will have the Bear Crawl for those students with Perfect Attendance (Bell to Bell) in December! Students will get to crawl like bears and ROAR down our hallways! Please be sure to check your students' attendance on HAC. If they have a partial day absence that you feel should be excused to allow them participation in this event, email Principal Steele with the date(s) and the reason for the absence by 3 pm on January 6.

Our attendance in December took a dive; several of our classrooms achieved less that 90% for the month. Remember, MSDE sets the expectation that schools should achieve a 94% or higher attendance rate. School attendance plays a large role in MSDE's School Report Cards. We understand that some absences are unavoidable. However, absences result in a loss of instructional time that students can never get back, and these absences can be detrimental to their progress. Please support your child's regular attendance.

January 17, 2025 marks the end of the second marking period. Please check with your child and his/her teacher to see if your student has any missing assignments that need to be completed prior to this date. Report cards will be sent home on January 28, 2025.

It's that time of year when we look more to the weather forecasts to see about the possibility of inclement weather. A reminder that if schools are delayed, closed, or closing early, there are several ways to be aware of the status. The status of schools will be noted on the St. Mary's County Public Schools website. Click here for a description of the school status codes. In addition, if your information is in our system you may receive an automated phone call or email. Another way to get information is through texts; for this, you must opt in. See the information towards the end of this Smore to opt in to text messages from SMCPS.

Jan 14 Dress for Success Day!

Jan 17 End of Second Marking Period

Jan 20 Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday

Jan 24 PTA Family Game Night, 6 - 7:30 pm

Jan 28 Report Cards Distributed

Jan 31 Professional Day, No School for Students

Feb 7 WMES Spirit Day!

Feb 10 - 14 PTA Pencil Gram Fundraiser

Feb 14 2 hr. Early Dismissal

A Week: Wednesday and Friday

B Week: Wednesday and Thursday

Students should bring their instruments and supplies with them on Wednesday. It's not expected for students to have all supplies and materials the first week or two of instruction. Students who are interested in renting an instrument from WMES will be notified if an instrument is available to rent from the school.

In order to participate, Band and Strings students must have their supplies!

Click Here for Band Supplies

Click Here for Strings Supplies

Our staff is also impacted by new guidelines regarding the use of cell phones during instruction. Please know that if you reach out to teachers during the day via Class Dojo or email they may not receive the message until after dismissal. For changes to your student's dismissal procedures, or other important messages, please call the Main Office.

Here Comes the Bus®

Available to parents of students riding SMCPS School Buses

• View the real-time location of your child’s bus
• Access the app from your smartphone, tablet or computer
• Receive push notifications or email alerts
• Send your child to the bus stop at just the right time, every time

How to get started:

1. Download the Here Comes the Bus app* or visit herecomesthebus.com
2. Click the Sign Up button
3. Enter school code (86563) and click “Next” followed by “Confirm”
4. Complete the “User Profile” box
5. Under “My Students,” click “Add.” Enter your child’s last name and student ID number
6. Once you confirm your information, you’re ready to begin using Here Comes the Bus!

All absences count towards a child's school attendance, including both lawful and unlawful. Remember, students missing 1 day will miss 7 hours of instruction. We need the Bears here all day, every day. See the Student Handbook for more information on absences. Feel free to reach out to Nurse Parrish if student health concerns/questions arise.

You will receive a weekly Smore newsletter from Principal Steele on Sunday evenings. The newsletter will be sent to the email we have on file in the Main Office. Newsletters are also posted on our website. Please be sure to be familiar with the information in each newsletter; current information is kept at the top, and review information is posted under the "General Reminders" section.

In addition to the School Newsletter, your child's classroom teacher will communicate with you on a regular basis. You are invited to sign up for the Class Dojo.

Here is the electronic version of the WMES Family Handbook for you to view. It has important information about school policies and practices, including Volunteer Information, Breakfast and Lunches, School Celebrations, and more!

SMCPS Text Alerts are a great way to get information quickly. They are not sent often, and usually only in the event of an unexpected school delay or closure. On occasion, WMES will send a text alert about a late bus, substitute bus, or school event. Click the link for information about registering for text alerts.

A copy of the current School Supply List can be found on our school website. Feel free to have students bring their school supplies to Open House so that they don't have to carry them on the bus the first day of school.

As a reminder, returning students should have their devices (and charger) at home. Students in Grades 3-5 will transport their device to and from school daily. Students in Grades 1 and 2, wait for information from your teacher about bringing your device to school. This device is checked out to your student, and families may be responsible for replacing the device if damaged or lost.

For more information including replacement fees, see the SMCPS Student Device and Resource Accountability document.

Please note- when signing out a student from school you will be asked to present your photo ID every time.

From the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE)-

Chronic Absenteeism: Students are chronically absent when absent 10% or more of the school days while enrolled at that school. For example, a student who is registered to attend a school for 30 days and who is absent 3 of those 30 days is considered chronically absent.

WMES will follow up with chronically absent students through the Pupil Services Team, Pupil Personnel Worker, and the Department of Student Services. In order to reduce the number of our students with Chronic Absenteeism, incentives to encourage good attendance include participation in the Bear Crawl, Running Club, and School Dance.

Julia Steele, Principal

Email: jwsteele@smcps.org
Website: wmes.smcps.org
Location: 29090 Thompson Corner Road, Mechanicsville, MD, USA
Phone: (301)472-4600