Eagles' News from the Lake
8 September 2024
Principal's Message
Good evening, Lakewood Community-
Thank you to everyone who was able to attend our first PTA meeting of SY25—my principal’s message is linked here—and our third annual Grandparents’/Grandfriends’ Day. Special thanks to our front office staff, Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Robinson, for their warm welcome, our assistant principal-Mrs. Levy, school counselor-Mrs. Gottesman, staff development teacher-Mrs. Khoury, and reading specialist-Mrs. Skrodzki for their incredible support in helping to organize the event, and our building services team, led by our phenomenal manager and assistant manager, Mrs. Chavez and Mr. Decesare, respectively.
I especially want to take this opportunity to thank all the grandparents and grandfriends who joined us for the celebration on Friday, 6 September 2024. We had Grands from India, Africa, Switzerland, Ukraine, Guatemala, El Salvador, and, of course, good ole- Maryland! Our eldest grandparent in attendance was 82 ½ years young, while our youngest was 52. It was such a beautiful moment to honor and engage with the elders in our community, and the scholars absolutely loved it! We welcome your feedback about Grandparents’/Grandfriends’ Day—please feel free to share your thoughts by sending an email to me and/or Mrs. Levy directly.
All my best,
Dr. Kelly
#ForTheScholars
#OneBandOneSound
Grandparents'/Grandfriends' Day Photos~ THANK YOU!
Calendar Check~September 2024
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
18 September: Back-to-School Night (read updates, below)
20 September: PTA Fall Festival, 5 pm to 8 pm (see information below)
27 September: Early Release Day (dismissal at 12:35)
Lakewood Community SY25 Master Calendar (Table Form)
Community: Lakewood SY25 Master Calendar (Table Form) This is a live comprehensive calendar for the entire school year. We will continue to make updates as events are added. This link is from our Community Playbook - your comprehensive source of Lakewood Elementary information. I hope this helps in knowing what is happening at Lakewood, as well as supporting schoolwide programs. Please note PTA calendar items are listed on the calendar as well.
Back-To-School-Night Survey & UPDATE!
Thank you to the families who have already completed the BTSN Survey. We’ve reviewed your feedback and have begun implementing it as best we can. More details about Back-to-School Night will be shared soon, but if you haven’t yet completed the survey, please do so.
Join us on Wednesday, 18 September, for our annual Back-to-School Night! The event will be held from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
This year’s event will have a fair-like experience. We will begin with everyone gathering in the All Purpose Room (APR) for 20 minutes, where you’ll hear a quick presentation from the school’s instructional support team, and PTA, and a brief introduction of all the teachers. Following that, there will be more time spent in classrooms, which was a suggestion from the survey feedback. We’ll have two rotations, allowing families and caregivers the opportunity to visit their child/ren’s classrooms and connect with our community partners who will be in attendance. Don’t forget to check in with our amazing teachers in our visual and performing arts and media literacy departments!
An update on childcare will be provided in next week’s Eagles’ News, as I’m working on the logistics to meet the community’s childcare needs as indicated thus far on the survey. Please note that childcare accommodations will be available for Lakewood ES families only, and an RSVP will be required. Unfortunately, drop-ins will not be permitted. I will share a link for an RSVP and specific details next week-stay tuned!
REMIND APP~ STAY UP-TO-DATE
MCPS is implementing the use of the Remind app for schools. Communication, such as text messages, email or phone calls can be selected in a preferred language. Lakewood ES is up and running! Be sure to download the app today!
Parents
Letter for Parents
BEST BUDDIES
The Best Buddy Program is BACK at Lakewood Elementary for the 2024-2025 school year. This is year #6! The Best Buddy Program allows students in our general education classrooms to spend time with a student buddy in our Learning For Independence classrooms. Being a best buddy is like meeting a new friend. You will have outdoor opportunities to play with your buddy one day per week, and have special celebrations together. You will have plenty of recess time to spend with your other friends. However, this is a school year long commitment. Please Click here for more information.
Lakewood Community Playbook
If you have not already done so, please check out our Lakewood Community Playbook. We want to provide easy access to the information you need. Please feel free to share any suggestions and feedback. We want to make this work for you! Click the photo below.
LAKEWOOD SPIRITWEAR
Get ready to celebrate our school spirit. Every Friday is spirit wear day. Check out our new spirit wear designs and latest deals! https://lakewoodspiritwear.com/. Proceeds of sales go back to the school.
Seasonal Roots - School Fundraiser
Hello Lakewood ES Families!
Lakewood Elementary School has partnered with Seasonal Roots to bring healthy, delicious food to our community, to support local farmers and artisans, and to raise money to support programs for Lakewood ES students!
Seasonal Roots is an online farmers market that delivers “dirt to doorstep” to families in Maryland and Virginia. Each week the market offers more than 200 items that are all grown and produced locally, sustainably, and ethically. Market items include fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy, baked goods, prepared foods, vegan specialties and more.
To access the Seasonal Roots market, you sign-up as a member and pay an annual membership fee. Through the Lakewood ES fundraiser, the fee is reduced by 50% - it’s just $25 for Lakewood families, friends, staff and alumni. And when you join, Seasonal Roots donates $20 to Lakewood Elementary!
Once you are a member, what you order and when you order are up to you. There is no obligation. You can select exactly what produce and extras you want, skip or pause weekly deliveries, and cancel anytime. The online market opens Friday at 2:00PM and closes at midnight on Sunday. Orders are delivered on Wednesdays in Montgomery County.
To join Seasonal Roots and earn a $20 donation for Lakewood Elementary School, use promotional code LAKEWOOD at https://www.seasonalroots.com/lakewood.
Lakewood PTA
FALL FESTIVAL
Get ready for a night of family fun at the Lakewood Elementary PTA Fall Festival on Friday, September 20, from 5-8pm at Lakewood!
· Admission includes a live DJ, obstacle course, dunk tank, games, prizes, face painting, tattoos, and more!
· Food will be available for purchase (food trucks serving BBQ, pizza, ice cream, and classic carnival treats)
Tickets are $10/child for PTA members and $20/child for non-PTA members (children under 3 are free). Want to purchase your ticket in advance? Visit the PTA Site here!
We need your help to make this event a success! Sign up to volunteer (adults and SSL hours) here. We can’t wait to see you there!
LUNCH AND RECESS VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
We're so excited to kick off a new school year filled with fun events and plenty of volunteering opportunities! This year, we’ll continue our wonderful tradition of the Parent Lunch & Recess Volunteers program in collaboration with the Leadership and Admin teams.
If you're a new volunteer and haven’t completed the district training before, please contact Chanel Press at chanellee39@gmail.com for instructions on how to sign up.
Please use the SignUp Genius or QR Code to sign up:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E45A5A72FA5F9CE9-51156219-lakewood#/
Looking forward to a great year together!
JOIN THE PTA
Welcome Lakewood ES Family, including our families, teachers, and staff!
We welcome you to join PTA! PTA helps to support so many great events, activities, and programs that benefit our scholars!
Member benefits include: on AtoZConnect AND a printed copy of the directory
Discounts on many school events such as Fall Festival, International Night, and Dance Night
Access to the online directAllows you to vote on PTA activities, including budget, officers, bylaw changes
Receive PTA email newsletter
Membership dues (2024-2025):
Families:
First student: $30
Each additional student: $20/each with a max of $70/family
Teachers and staff: $10
Enrichment Programs Fall 2024
Registration for enrichment programs is now open. In an effort to offer a variety of activities, we’ve added some exciting new classes and expanded options for K-1st grades! Please use the QR code below, or this link to enroll your scholar(s).
Once you’ve received confirmation of enrollment from the vendor, please inform your scholar(s)’s teacher of the class and day of the week that they’ll be attending.
Many of the vendors have scholarship programs for families in need of financial relief. Please contact the vendor directly for more information (their email/phone number can be found on their websites).
Questions: Please contact enrichmentchair@lakewoodpta.org
BAR~T
Bar-T is Maryland’s premier childcare provider. We provide enriching before and after school care for children across our 35 programs in Montgomery County.
“We go beyond creating environments that help to ensure both physical and emotional safety by listening, showing respect and helping each member of our community remember that they are of great worth.”
Questions? Email lakewood@bar-t.com
Visit https://registration.bar-t.com/ to enroll your child!
Planet Aid
Please donate your gently used clothing and shoes. You will see the yellow bin near our entrance to the parking lot. This is a positive way to contribute to the environment and community. Partnering with Planet Aid makes it all so easy! Lakewood earns 10 cents per pound and will use this money for scholars and staff. Planet Aid accepts clothing, shoes, and other textiles (for example, bedding, towels, and curtains). This means that there is no need to separate items based on their condition. Even items that are stained, torn, or frayed can be recycled, so drop off your worn-out items, too! The only articles of clothing we cannot accept are those that are dirty, wet, or moldy.Thank you in advance.
Dr. Kelly, Principal
Yours in Partnership.
Website: https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/lakewoodes/
Location: 2534 Lindley Terrace, Rockville, MD 20850, USA
Phone: 240.740.5750
Twitter: @PrincipalLES5