Beacon Bulletin

Piney Point families,

The school year is so close to starting. Just a few reminders for the week. Please note, that we will have a delayed opening this year. Our student's first day will be on Thursday, August 22nd. Remember HAC opened on Friday, 8/16. You should now be able to learn who your child's teacher is this year. If you are having trouble, don't worry, we can assist you at Meet and Greet. I look forward to meeting you all on Wednesday. Please review the schedule below to check your arrival time. You may bring your school supplies to drop off. This will make the first day easier.

We will NOT be accepting new student registrations at Meet and Greet.

For the first day of school, Thursday, August 22nd, I am asking the children arrive to school in their daily transportation. We will be tagging students as bus riders and car riders. Due to the volume of students, parents will NOT be permitted to walk their child down to the classroom. Please take those "First Day of School" pictures at home or after dismissal by the school sign.

Finally, please take a moment to review the new SMCPS Cell Phone Policy. We will be talking more with the students about this the first weeks of school. It is going to be a great year. Remember Beacons Shine Bright!

~ Mrs. Zeier :)

Meet and Greet Schedule:

Wednesday, 8/21

○ 1:00-2:00 Meet and Greet

• Student last names A-L

○ 3:00-4:00 Meet and Greet

• Student last names M-Z

Welcome back Beacon Families.

Wednesday, 8/21

○ 1:00-2:00 Meet and Greet

• Student last names A-L

○ 3:00-4:00 Meet and Greet

• Student last names M-Z

. You may bring in your school supplies on this day as well. If you need assistance with buses, car rider tags, HAC, ect. we will have a location to answer your questions. Please take some time to find out your child's bus in the links below. This will help us with a smooth arrival and dismissal on Thursday.

Click here for a list of requires items to register a student

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.
2. The first few days, buses will take longer to arrive on their return routes as we need time to check and double-check that all 500 students are on the correct bus. Thank you in advance for your patience!
3. PreK & Kindergarten Students -To ensure safety, a responsible person (at least 13 years old) must be on time to meet the bus at the bus door at the assigned stop for Pre-Kindergarten and/or kindergarten students. This includes morning and midday loading along with midday, afternoon, and evening unloading. Please see the letter below for additional information.

Dear Families of PPES PreK and K Students:

Welcome to a new school year! We are excited to have your young Beacon at PPES. The safety of your student is of the utmost importance. This includes the bus ride to and from school. In order to support our dedicated bus drivers in achieving this goal, please review the St. Mary’s County Public Schools procedures on dropping off Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten students at bus stops in the afternoon:

To ensure safety, a responsible person (at least 13 years old) must be on time to meet the bus at the bus door at the assigned stop for Pre-Kindergarten and/or kindergarten students. This includes morning and midday loading along with midday, afternoon, and evening unloading.

When a responsible person is not available to receive a Pre-Kindergarten and/or Kindergarten student on a return trip home, the driver will return the student to the school. Parent(s)/legal guardian(s) will be notified by the principal to come and pick up their child from the school. The school administrator will discuss this concern with the parent(s)/legal guardian(s).

If a second incident occurs, the child will be returned to the school and the parent(s)/legal guardian(s) will be notified to pick up their child at school. The regulation will again be reviewed with the parent(s)/legal guardian(s). The school administrator will mail a follow-up letter to the family indicating that a third incident may result in the loss of transportation privileges.

If a third incident occurs, the child will be returned to school. Parent(s)/legal guardian(s) will be notified to pick up their child at school. Transportation privileges will be revoked at that time. A written notice will be mailed to the family by the principal.

Please review this information in the SMCPS Student Handbook. Feel free to contact the Transportation Department or Ms. Smith, PPES assistant principal, overseeing buses, at -alsmith@smcps.org with questions on these procedures.

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

Aug 16th- Home Access Center ( HAC) Opens at 5pm

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.

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.

Please do not bring your laptops to Meet and Greet.

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.