Hello Aviator Families,
It was a great week to be an Aviator! We ended the week by wearing RED to celebrate the first World Duchenne Awareness Day (WDAD). Our school community showed up in various shades of red to show our love and support for two of our 5th grade Aviators who live with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD). Thank you to everyone who participated!
Our first Community Gathering will be held on Friday this week, and we are so excited! Please encourage your student(s) to submit a joke (using the form below), as I'm looking to feature a bunch of them during the "Korto Krackin' Jokes" section of the Community Gathering 🤣 .
Warmly,
Katie Kortokrax, Principal
Zach Adams, Assistant Principal
Overall, carpool is running smoothly, and that's worth celebrating 🚗 🙌!
I did want to share a couple reminders for those who may be new to our carpool routines. Please know that all of our rules and policies are for students' safety (and efficiency for the rest of us)!
- Please pull ALL THE WAY DOWN the circular drive. This will allow us to unload more cars while allowing students to walk safely on the sidewalks.
- Duke staff will assist students in and out of the cars. Please do NOT exit your vehicle.
- Please ensure your student exits your vehicle on the sidewalk side for safety purposes. This may mean you have to rearrange car seats so your student can exit on the sidewalk side. Otherwise, you will have to park and walk your student to one of the adults working carpool.
We are sincerely grateful for your cooperation and understanding.
Duke Staff Members are ALL That and a Bag of Chips!
Hey Duke Families! Now that everyone is (hopefully) settled into the new school year, it's time to celebrate our wonderful staff members. Please review the available slots by clicking on the Sign-Up Genius below and click on the button to sign up. Items can be shipped to/dropped off at 41456 Culpepper Way in Leonardtown or sent into the front office. All items need to be received no later than the evening of Monday, September 9th. Feel free to reach out with any questions. Thanks for your support!
Did You Know?
Absenteeism in the first month of school can predict poor attendance throughout the school year. Half the students who miss 2-4 days in September go on to miss nearly a month of school. Let's keep our start to this school year strong with on-time attendance every day!
Duke's Average Daily Attendance (ADA) for September = 94.46%
Maryland's Standards for ADA Rates:
- Proficient - 94%
- Advanced - 96%
Let's work together to reach the advanced standard of 96% for the remainder of September!
Congratulations to 2nd and 5th grade for exceeding the Maryland advanced standard!
Duke's Military and Family Life Counseling Program
Captain Walter Francis Duke is excited to have the MFLC program to provide continued support to active-duty military students and families. The Military and Family Life Counseling Program helps military families and children navigate challenges by providing free confidential non-medical counseling services to children and youth via formal groups, lunch bunches and individually. Military and Family Life Counselors provide support to assist students with improving behaviors, performance in school and relationships. Military and Family Life Counselors provide support on topics such as feelings identification, bullying, self-esteem problem solving and deployment and reunification. Military and Family Life Counselors provide consultation support to parents, teachers, and administrators, conduct classroom observations, and participate in school wide events.
Vision and Hearing Screenings
The school nurse will be starting vision and hearing screenings on Pre-K students, Kindergarten students that were not screened last year, all 1st grade students, and new students to SMCPS. The screenings will be conducted as time permits over the next several months.
Vision and hearing screening is a relatively short process. Screenings are not diagnostic, but instead, are used to identify a child at risk for vision/hearing problems. Screenings do not replace examinations performed by a health or eye care professional that provide diagnosis and treatment, if indicated. Vision/hearing problems that go undetected or uncorrected may impair a child’s development, lead to behavior problems in school, interfere with learning, and impact health and well-being into adulthood.
A student whose parent(s)/legal guardian(s) objects in writing to hearing and vision screening, on the basis of the tenets and practice of a recognized church or religious denomination of which the student is an adherent or member, may not be required to take these screenings. Please contact Nurse Dana if you have any questions or want to opt out of these screenings.
Within the Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) is the Google Workspace for Education Additional Services Agreement. In order for students to have access to "additional services," the form granting your student access must be completed.
Box Tops for Education App
Download the Box Tops for Education app, scan your receipts, and earn cash for our school!
For over 25 years, Box Tops for Education has given families an easy way to earn for schools with products they already buy. Today, you can find thousands of participating products throughout the store — and all you need is the Box Tops app.
Thank you for your support!
Captain Walter Francis Duke Elementary
Captain Walter Francis Duke Elementary
Ms. Katie Kortokrax, Principal
Mr. Zach Adams, Assistant Principal
We welcome your questions and inquiries. Please call 240-309-4658, refer to the SMCPS Website, or our CWFDES website for additional information.
Website: https://schools.smcps.org/cwfdes/
Location: 23595 Hayden Farm Lane, Leonardtown, MD 20650
Phone: (240) 309-4658
Twitter X: @CWFDES_SMCPS