Seahawk Weekly News
August 26, 2023
Sunderland Promotes Integrity, Responsibility, Independence & Trust
Welcome Back for the 2024 School Year!
We are thrilled to be welcoming back our Seahawks for a great 2024 school year! I am Pam Kasulke, the Principal at SES. The 2024 school year will be my 9th year as the leader of this fabulous, high achieving school!
My early years were spent in West Virginia, then my family moved to Chicago when I was in high school. This photo was taken the summer before I went to Kindergarten. Ms. Dilly left a lasting impression on me in Kdg. I LOVED school!
I have been a resident of Huntingtown for 20 years now. In May of 2024, I will be getting married and will gain 3 bonus children to add to my daughter and son. My daughter is completing her internship as a school psychologist in CCPS and my son is in his junior year at Baylor! Sic 'Em Bears! We have been active within the county youth organizations and other non profits within the community because we believe that it takes a village to raise a child and it is important to give back to the community.
As part of our PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports), students are taught the expectations for being respectful, responsible, ready to learn and accepting of differences. Throughout the school, students are recognized with Splash Cash which they can redeem. Our school has focused on offering opportunities or experiences instead of solely offering trinkets or "things". For example, students paid Splash Cash to help Ms. Bozman with the PM announcements or students paid to be a helper in the Pre K classroom. Our goal is for our students to value this service to others and continue to strengthen the importance of community service and helping others.
I have a new partner in leading the school, this year. Amanda Merillat is our new Assistant Principal. Ms. Merillat will share more about herself in next week's news. We look forward to an amazing year as we serve the SES community! ~Pam Kasulke, Proud SES Principal
Peek at Your Seat!
It was so exciting to see the smiling faces and feel the energy, as families came into Peek at Your Seat! Families were able to meet the teacher and visit the class, as well as drop off their supplies. We saw lots of happy students leaving with their Safety Patrol belts and getting ready to report for duty on Monday morning! We are looking forward to a wonderful first day for all!
Information to Know
- We welcomed several new Seahawk families into our nest on Friday! Attached below is the Powerpoint with information we shared. Please do not hesitate to contact the school with questions after viewing the information.
- You will receive a folder of information this week with forms to return to school.
- The Statement of Understanding must be completed for all students. It states that you have reviewed the expectations for school and reviewed the Code of Conduct with your child.
- If your child has a device (cell phone) in their backpack, it must be registered with the school. The phone must be turned OFF, not just silenced in school. It may not be used during the school day. No pictures should be taken on the bus.
- Forms for Free or Reduced meals is included, along with the information from Child Nutrition.
- The Use of Technolgy letter is included. Students use school provided devices and the letter reviews the security and more.
- Pre K and Kdg Staggered start info is: Staggered Start Schedule: Head Start, Pre K, Kindergarten (finalsite.net)
- With staggered start, conferences take place on August 28th and 29st. On August 30th, half of the students attend school while the other half does not. Then on August 31st, the other half attends while the first half that attended on Wednesday, will not. This allows the students to meet others and learn some routines. The teacher will introduce them to their morning routine and their cubbies, etc. On Friday, September 1st, all Pre K and K students will attend, except 3 year olds in the Special Ed. Pre K 3. Your classroom teacher will discuss which staggered start date your child will attend.
- CCPS Parent Information- There is a great deal of information, including the forms being sent home, on the Parent website: Parent/Guardian Information - Calvert County Public School District (calvertnet.k12.md.us)
- Online payments for the Seat Sack and the agenda book can be found at our school website: Home - Sunderland Elementary (calvertnet.k12.md.us)
- Laptops: All 3rd -5th graders will receive a laptop for school use. Students will be using the device at school. Laptops will not be sent home for use. Homework assignments will not require computer use.
Transportation
- CCPS sent an email regarding Bus Routes on Thursday. It is attached below, along with the Rules and Regulations for Riding the Bus.
- On the first day of school, our staff will be tagging the student’s backpack to be a bus rider or daily car rider. If your child is only being a car rider due to late registration, please let us know. We will tag them as a daily car rider until a bus is assigned for them. We would then change the tag to a bus tag.
- For Pre K and K families: Please rest assured that we have all hands on deck to make sure students are able to learn their path to their class. Teachers and assistants will be meeting students in the hall to assist them and give them clues to helping to find their class each day. The students do an amazing job within the first week!
- Please see the letter from attached Transportation. If you registered after 8/16/23, you may not have an assigned bus yet. They have worked on route assignments, and you should hear from transportation by Wednesday.
- Daily Car Riders must complete the following link: https://forms.office.com/r/8YAbzZK1Cs
- This information will be used for Monday's sign out. This form is to be completed for those who will be Daily Car Riders only. By listing adults to pick up, you are giving that adult permission to pick up your student. We encourage all students to ride the bus.
- Please tell your child that they will NOT have their name called. They are to dismiss when they hear Daily Car Riders are dismissed. This list will be shared with the teachers, too.
- Please have your ID at all times when entering the school to pick up your student. You will need to have your ID out to show the staff, even if we know you!
- Daily Car Riders: One adult will be expected to come into the cafeteria to sign out their Daily Car Rider student(s). We will open the exterior cafeteria door at 3:55PM (1:55PM on Early Dismissal Days) to allow for students to be signed out. Promptly at 4:05PM (2:05PM on Early Dismissal Days), Daily Car Riders will be called to the cafeteria. You and your child will exit. When you sign in, you will be given a card signifying how many students you are picking up. You will turn in your card as you leave the cafeteria. If an adult is not present by 4:05PM (2:05PM on Early Dismissal Days), the student will be sent home on their assigned bus.
- If your child is a bus rider and needs to be picked up due to an appointment, please arrive at the front office before 3:45PM (1:45PM on Early Dismissal Days).Our office staff and duty staff start preparing for Daily Car Riders and bus dismissal at 3:55PM (1:55PM on Early Dismissal Days) With the change from a 30minute bus window to 10 minutes, we will need to keep our focus on the dismissal process.
- We are able to manage Non-Daily Car Riders but we are still not able to accommodate Drop in, Surprise Car Riders. For Non-Daily Car Riders, you MUST send a paper note, NOT AN EMAIL, with your child, EACH day that you plan for them to be a car rider. Please let your child know that they must dismiss with the Daily Car Riders at 4:05PM when announced. We will NOT call individual students down for dismissal. Please do not send a note saying “every Tuesday” instead, send a note every Tuesday. We can not expect teachers to keep up with all students’ special request schedules. We ask that you send a paper note each day because there could be a sub in the class instead of the teacher.
- Please complete the survey questions below by Monday, August 28th by noon so that we can be prepared for this new procedure. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Kasulke at kasulkep@calvertnet.k12.md.us
♥️Volunteers♥️
EVERYONE must reapply for being a volunteer. The system was cleaned out and you must reapply. Remember, if you want to be a chaperone or work events, you must be approved. If you are an employee of CCPS, you still need to complete the volunteer process for participation in events at school.
Even if you are not sure if you will be able to attend anything, please sign up early. Here’s the CCPS link of info:
Become a Volunteer - Calvert County Public School District (calvertnet.k12.md.us)
General Information about Sunderland Elementary School
· Instructional School Day - 9:25AM – 4:05PM
- Arrival window for cars and bus: 9:15AM-9:25AM
- Dismissal window for Daily Car Riders- 3:50PM-4:05PM
- Dismissal window for bus: 4:10PM-4:20PM
· School Colors - Blue and White – Friday Spirit Days- Classes are assigned a Flock color as well. More to come on that!
· School Mascot/Motto -“SPIRIT” the Seahawk -Sunderland Promotes Independence Responsibility Integrity and Trust
See the attached information regarding meals and more!
Counselor's Corner
Who are the School Counselors at SES?
Hi! My name is Michele Shade, school counselor for students with last names A-K. This is my 10th year as a school counselor and my 2nd year at Sunderland! I am originally from Philadelphia (Go Birds!) and earned my bachelor’s degree from UMBC and my master’s degree in School Counseling from Eastern University. I am so excited to continue working with this amazing SES school community and look forward to a wonderful school year!
Hello! My name is Danielle Hilton and I am the school counselor for student’s with last names L-Z. This is my 6th year at Sunderland and as a School Counselor. Before becoming a school counselor, I was a substance abuse counselor in Baltimore City. I earned my bachelor’s degree in Clinical Psychology from Towson University and my master’s degree in School Counseling from Johns Hopkins University. I am so excited for this school year and look forward to working with our amazing students!
Our role at Sunderland…..we meet with students for individual counseling/check-ins, facilitate small groups, as well as, monthly classroom counseling lessons. We collaborate with teachers, administrators, school staff, parents, families, and community resources to support student success.
Repeated Information
We are so excited to be preparing for the start of the 2023-2024 school year! We have been reviewing our data and exploring our strengths within our roles to make the best teams in all Calvert schools to better serve our students at Sunderland! We are data driven and targeted to meet the needs and emphasize the students' strengths too. We will continue to grow together as a community of learners. I look forward to meeting our new families for 1st grade-5th grade at the Peek at Your Seat and Pre K and K families during the staggered start days.
The new Pre K and K playground renovation has almost been complete. You will be able to see the new equipment and soft surface when you come by the school.
The Supply Lists are listed on our website, and I have attached the link for your convenience. More information will be sent in the Saturday newsletter next week. We still have many families registering and will repeat information.
We have many new Seahawks in the nest and we are still adding some folks, too! Please review the list below and stop by at Peek at Your Seat to welcome them to our school!
I am using an app for this newsletter, this year. I hope it is easier for families to access. It offers many great tools that include embedded links, translatable to other languages, live link in case their are changes and will allow use to track how many families are accessing the newsletter. We do our best to communicate and want to ensure that you are well informed. I hope you like the new format!
Our school mascot, SPIRIT, is looking forward to seeing all the students and staff soon and so are we! ~Pam Kasulke, Proud SES Principal
Amanda Merillat, Assistant Principal
Paige Bagot, PreK 3 IAL
Lindsay Herbertson- PreK 4F
Sarah Berry- Special Ed.
Adrienne Dunsmore- Special Ed. IA
William Garner- BSW evening
Gracie Knudson- Music
Beatrice Callis- Music
Frank Lee- PE
Jessica Kennedy- 3rd Grade
Kelly Trickel- 4th Grade
Laurel WIlliams- Kdg IA
Cindy Jacobs- Cafeteria Monitor
Shelby Parsons, PreK 3 (AM/PM) HS
Deana Davis, PreK 4 IA HS
Chardonnae Jones, PreK 4 IA HS
Chie Schnetzler, PreK 3 IA HS
Candis Drumwright, PreK 3 IA HS
Dalicia Murphy, PreK 3 IA/Bus IA HS
Glenna Lee, Home Visitor HS
Tara Moore, SLP (.3)
Erica Douma, Virtual SLP (.9)
Lisa Haag, Behavior Specialist
Denise Plater, Behavior Tech
Mary Dodson, Before/After Care Group Leader
Susan Schleeter, AM Aide
Sgt. O’Donnell, School Resource Officer
Erika Keller, Therapist
Kay Wood, HS Therapist