Beacon Bulletin

PPES Families:

What an amazing week here at PPES. The week started off with our Boosterthon funded Joe Romano Magic Show. He really did demonstrate how reading books is truly magical. Mid-week, we had our first annual Kindergarten ABC Fashion Show. Thank you to all of our Kindergarten parents and students for creating such wonderful "costumes." Be sure to check out some of the highlights below. We finished the week with another Paint Night at PPES. It is wonderful to see our budding artists. If you have the chance to attend one of the PPES PTO sponsored Paint Nights I highly recommend! We look forward to an amazing week here at PPES as we welcome in the month of February. Can you believe that the 100th Day of School is right around the corner? Friday, February 7th we will be celebrating the 100th Day. ALL students are welcome to dress like they are 100 years old! National School Counselor Week is February 3-7, 2025. Let's be sure to give Ms. Weinberg some love for all she does for our students at PPES!.

• SMCPS Attendance Spirit Week is next week. Please see the graphic below to see how we will be celebrating each day.
• Attention Watch D.O.G.S- We will be having an orientation night at PPES on Tuesday, February 18th form 5:30-6:30pm. Drinks and snacks will be provided.
• U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement - Many citizens are concerned about reports in the media relative to ICE Raids and want to know how their local school systems plan to handle the issue. SMCPS will adhere to the guidance provided by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). Please read A Guide for Students, Families, and Local Education Agencies on the MSDE website. Our actions are bound by law, and our administrative staff consistently ensures compliance.

• The St. Mary’s County Citizens’ Advisory Committee for Special Education (CACSE) Rise Up Awards: The Rise Up Award recognizes a teacher, administrator, therapist, assistant to an educator, or anyone in the Special Education system who has truly gone to extraordinary efforts to contribute, in a compassionate and caring way, to the growth, happiness, and general well-being of our children with disabilities. If you are a parent or caregiver who would like to nominate a person who has positively impacted your child’s life, please consider nominating them for the Rise Up Award. When educators go above and beyond to help our children “Rise Up” and exceed in life, it is our pleasure to recognize and thank them for the amazing jobs that they do. (The nomination deadline is March 7, 2025)

• The SMECO Elementary Math Challenge will be held asynchronously from school sites on Thursday, April 3

• Ever Wonder What Your Child's Teacher Is Researching on Our Professional Development Days?

• Over the past two years, SMCPS has been focused on embedding the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) strategies in our classroom routines. We recognize that as classrooms consist of more diverse learning styles, needs, and as students face increased expectations, it is critical that we find ways to enhance the learning of all students.

• For more information click HERE to read A Parent's Guide to Universal Design for Learning to gain insight on the benefits and background of this philosophy.

• Discover the many reasons why reading aloud with your child has such a big impact on their literacy development and social-emotional growth. And get tips on how to read aloud (make it fun and interactive), plus links to finding great read-aloud books. Click HERE to explore this resource from Reading Rockets.

  
  

• Parent Chaperones- Please remember as part of the volunteer guidelines chaperones are not permitted to take photographs of any PPES student other than your own. We do have quite a few families that ask that their child not be photographed. Please help us to enforce this important guideline.

• Parent volunteers- this is a friendly reminder that you may volunteer in the classroom during your designated time. However, we ask that you do not travel with the students to specials, lunch or recess. We love having you here to work with our teachers and helping our students. We ask that you please follow our guidelines. PPES Volunteer guidelines

• There are so many fantastic things happening in our efforts to support SMCPS students with disabilities. Please use this survey to share your praise, story, or news about successes in your school or department!
• Parent Pick-Up reminder... If you are changing your child's mode of transportation for the day to Parent Pickup you must send an email to Jayne Worch at jdworch@smcps.org and Melissa Adkins at maadkins@smcps by 2:30 PM to be added to the list. You will not be added anytime after 2:30 and will need to come in the front office to pick up your child after dismissal. Thank you for your help with this procedure. Dismissal is a VERY busy time of the day. We want to make sure all of students get home safely. Routines are very important to our student success. If at all possible please try to not change the mode of transportation unless it is absolutely necessary.

Please take the time to read this newsletter in its entirety. It is jam packed with information to keep our Beacons shining bright!

~Mrs. Zeier

• Primary (K-2):

  • Would You Rather? Big Dog, Little Dogs

  • Same & Different: Crazy Caterpillars

  • How Many Are Hidden? More Packages of Presents

  Intermediate (3-5):

  • Guess My Rule: Sorting Tools

  • Mobile Math: Missing Values

  • Products 4-in-a-Row

  Looking for more activities? Click on Math at Home and then your student’s Grade Level.

We are so excited to announce that this year PPES is a Class Dojo school. Please be sure to join your child's class to receive important classroom and school updates. Also, we are unable to process any changes in transportation requests through Dojo. Please continue to email those to Ms. Worsch in the front office. Let's see if we can get 100% of our families on Class Dojo!

• 2/3-2/7- National School Counseling Week
• 2/7- PTA Meeting- 8:00 am in Conference Room
• 2/7- 100th Day of School
• 2/10-2/14- BOOK FAIR!!!
• 2/13- Kid's Heart Challenge ends
• 2/14- Valentine's Day and 2 hour early dismissal
• 2/17- No School- President's Day
• 2/26- 3rd grade to Natural History Museum

PRESS START: the Literati Book Fair is coming! Join us for a Story Arcade on February 10-14th , or shop online at literati.com/store. Every purchase benefits our school. GLHF (good luck, have fun)!

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.

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

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.

❄️Hi Beacon Families!

I hope that everyone is staying warm and safe in the winter weather. It’s been wonderful catching up with your students and hearing about the memories you made over the break. Everyone was Respectful, Responsible, and Ready during our short school week, receiving many Piney Points and whole class compliments 🎉. Make sure you praise your beacons 😊

We will pick back up with our classroom lessons this week, drawing from curriculum:

Kindergarten

Managing Disappoinment

1st Grade

Strong Feelings & Calming Anger

2nd Grade

Managing Anger & Finishing Tasks

3rd Grade

Locus of Control/Reframing Experiences

4th Grade

Compliments and Showing Compassion

5th Grade

Resisting Revenge

For the month of January, we will also focus our attention on:

Honesty

• Honesty is important because it forms the foundation for trust in relationships.

• Avoid calling someone a liar, but rather get them to understand why telling the truth is a better option.

• Try rewarding your Beacon for honest behavior to encourage more of the same!

Questions about honesty to ask your child:

1. What are the long-term benefits of honesty?

2. How do you feel when you lie vs. when you tell the truth?

3. Can society function without honesty? Why or why not?

Book Recommendations:

Tell the Truth, B.B. Wolf (PK-2)

By Judy Sierra, illustrated by Stephanie Jorisch

Tell the Truth, B.B. Wolf: Sierra, Judy, Seibold, J. Otto: 9780375856204: Amazon.com: Books

Betty Bunny Didn’t Do it (PK, K)

By Michael Kaplan, illustrated by Stephane Jorisch

Betty Bunny Didn't Do It: Kaplan, Michael, Jorisch, Stephane

The Sad Little Fact (K-2)

By Jonah Winter, illustrated by Stephane Jorisch

The Sad Little Fact: Winter, Jonah, Oswald, Pete: 9780525581796: Amazon.com: Books

Facts vs. Opinions vs. Robots (K-3)

By Michael Rex

Amazon.com: Facts vs. Opinions vs. Robots

A Bike Like Sergio’s (K-3)

By: Maribeth Boelts, Noah Z. Jones

A Bike Like Sergio's: Boelts, Maribeth, Jones, Noah Z.: 9781536202953: Amazon.com: Books

Bruce and the Road to Honesty (3-5)

By: Gale Leach

Amazon.com: Bruce and the Road to Honesty (The Adventures of Bruce and Friends Book 2) eBook

👀We are asking that our Beacons keep their eyes and ears open for classmates displaying honesty in the classroom. If someone is observed being honest, they will be bringing home a small certificate to show you! Make sure to praise your Beacon if they bring one of these home and display it in your home. 🖼️

February’s Trait of the Month will be Caring

Reminder: Students in Grades K-5 will have the opportunity to participate in the Friendship Club Social Skills Group based on the American School Counselor Association Curriculum beginning the week of February 10th.

Lunchtime groups, made up of 5-8 students, for 12 consecutive weeks focused on helping students make and keep friends, in a place where they are fully accepted.

Look forward to hearing from you!

Email: sjweinberg@smcps.org

Telephone: 301-994-2205

Click on the link below to visit her classroom

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1HcrlfP4B9up3NXuq8pwFCQofd1wopaY8X43Wg1x0ZE4/edit?usp=sharing

Primary (K-2):

• Beat You to Ten

• Same & Different: A Dicey Situation

Intermediate (3-5):

• Which One Doesn’t Belong? Colorful Calculations

• Same & Different: Field Fun

Please see the information about what to do when your child is sick:

As we embark on a new school year, we want to highlight a key area of focus this year at Piney Point Elementary School: attendance. This year, we will be placing greater emphasis on ensuring that every student attends school regularly and on time.

Good attendance is crucial to your child’s success. Consistent presence in the classroom not only helps students stay engaged with their lessons but also builds habits of responsibility and discipline. It enables them to fully participate in educational activities, benefit from continuous instruction, and achieve their academic goals.

Lawful Absences

The following reasons are deemed lawful absences:

• death in the immediate family;

• student illness, for which the principal may require a physician's certificate;

• court summons;

• hazardous weather conditions;

• work, if approved or sponsored by the school;

• observance of a religious holiday;

• state of emergency;

• medical/dental appointment

• pregnant and parenting students (refer to SMCPS Board Regulations JED-R, JHCG-R)

• suspension;

• lack of authorized transportation; and

• other circumstances which, in the judgment of the principal or designee, constitute a good and sufficient cause for absence from school.

We understand that there may be circumstances that affect your child’s ability to attend school, and we are here to support you in any way we can. However, we encourage you to prioritize school attendance and to work with us to address any barriers that might arise.

Together, we can help our students thrive and reach their full potential. Thank you for your support and cooperation in this important matter.

Please review the following documents in regard to student accident insurance.

Informative Letter to Parents

Fact Sheet

Enrollment Information

Spanish versions available:

Informative Letter to Parents - Span.

Fact Sheet - Span.

Enrollment Information -- Span.

School Messenger Text Messaging FAQ's

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.

Do you have the Schoology App?

Log Into the Schoology Mobile App

If you already have a Schoology account, download the Schoology app from Apple App Store, Google Play or the Amazon App Store. Tap the app icon to open it on your device.

You can use an email address or username to log into the application, depending on how your account was set up:

Log in through your School

1. Use the keyboard to enter SMCPS. As you type, matching choices populate in the list. The name, ID number, city, state, and zip code for the school should appear below.

2. Tap the name of your school or organization when it displays.

3. Use the email address or username to log in to the application, that was sent to you via email from Schoology with an app password. If you are an SMCPS student or teacher this is NOT your SMCPS password.

4. Tap LOG IN to complete.

If you are able to sign in with Google, and you are an SMCPS student or staff, please use that login process and follow the provided instructions in the prompts.

Want to enable notifications? Please check this document

Need to purchase a laptop charger?

You can do one of two things:

1. Email your child's teacher or the Library Media Specialist Miss Hazuda (sjhazuda@smcps.org) that you wish to pay for the missing laptop charger. A fine then can be assessed so that you can pay using My School Bucks, sending in cash, or a check (made out to SMCPS).

OR

2. Go directly to the DELL store. You can purchase directly from their website and have it shipped to your home.

Ensure one of these links is being used:

www.dell.com/mpp/smcps (click Shop Recommended Solutions to get to the discounted power cords)

www.dell.com/mpp/smcps-chargers (leads directly to the purchasing portal)

If you purchase from Dell, please make sure that you label the charger with the student's first and last name before sending it to school. If you have any questions, please contact your child's teacher or the Library Media Specialist Mrs. Anderson (lwanderson@smcps.org).

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.

Don't forget to join the PTA or to renew your membership for 2024-2025. The cost is $20 per family. The grade with the most PTA memberships will get a free pizza party! PTA members get VIP access to events and news via our PTA newsletter. By becoming a member, there is no obligation to volunteer or attend monthly meetings. Join here: https://tinyurl.com/PineyPointES