Panda Nation News

Wow! The month of September flew by and we are so proud of how beautifully our PAWSitively Amazing scholars have started this new school year! Thank you for all you're doing to support regular school attendance! Our efforts are beginning to pay off and our attendance rate is improving! Join me in congratulating the classes listed below for having the highest number of days in September with EVERYONE present! Bravo!! Each class gets to "host" a very special Panda guest for the entire month!🐼🧡 Stay tuned to learn more! Next week we'll share pictures of each of the proud teachers & her students!!

PreK: Ms. Colasacco

KindergartenL Ms. Goldbach

First Grade: Ms. Pratt

Second Grade: Ms. Ridgell

Third Grade: Ms. Brady

Fourth Grade: Ms. Peck

Fifth Grade: Ms. Brotherton

October promises to be a busy month filled with engaging learning activities, amazing field trips, and exciting events, so be sure to review our Important October Dates listed below & join us as we continue to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month!

Our Wellness theme for the month of October is Unity. Panda Nation embraces Inclusivity and Unity EVERY day, and this month allows us to deepen our focus and join hands with schools around the country to make sure every child and adult in our school feels like they belong and are important! Be sure to check out all we're doing to make our school and the world kinder and more inclusive!

• October is National Bullying Prevention month
• October 18th is Unity Day & we have LOTS of exciting things planned!

Panda Love to all!🐼❤

Mrs. Schou, Principal

Mrs. Allison Mashburn, Assistant Principal

Ms. Melissa Bean, Academic Dean

"UNITY! It starts with you. If not you, then who?"

Lexington Park Elementary is a Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) School.Throughout these first weeks of school, our staff is teaching, modeling, and providing opportunities for our students to show they CARE every day in all settings throughout our school. The poster illustrates our four expectations. Join us in showing each other how much we CARE!

To better support Panda Nation in building stronger and deeper connections throughout our school, we will refine & expand our five cross grade level house teams. These five house teams bring scholars and staff Pre-K to 5th grade together to create connections and build community. This year's first House Team Meeting is Monday, October 7th. Stay tuned for pictures!

Scholars earn points for their house each day they come to school, demonstrate positive behaviors, exhibit good work habits, work hard, show academic growth, and be a good friend- just to name a few. Houses will earn quarterly recognitions and celebrate each other's accomplishments!

Effective communication is critical to the success of every student in St. Mary’s County Public Schools (SMCPS). This will be crucial not only for emergencies but for our ability to communicate with families in general. Online Emergency Information Update Forms are now available through the student’s Home Access Center (HAC). Once logged in, directions to access the online form can be found HERE. A video with instructions is available HERE. It is vital that all information is updated in eSchool. The deadline for the online submission of Emergency Information Update forms is October 31st, 2024. Please click here for the Blank Emergency Form. If you have any questions, please contact The Department of Student Services at 301-475-5511 ext.32150.

• 10/11: Fall Pictures
• 10/14:
• 2-hr Early Dismissal
• Parent/Teacher Conferences
• 3:00: Title I Parent Advisory: Virtual and/or In Person
• 3:30: PTO Mtg.Virtual and/or In Person
• 10/17: 5:00-6:30: Family Literacy & SEL Workshop
• 10/18: 2-hr Early Dismissal
• 10/25: End of the First Marking Period
• 10/26: Halloween Bingo @ LPVRS (Reservations required!)
• 10/31:
• 9:00: Fall Festival Costume Parade
• 4:30: PTO Trunk or Treat Activity in our Bus Lot

Please update your contact information with the office. It is critical that we have the most recent information for contacting our families.

UPDATE MY INFORMATION

Volunteers are an essential component to our Panda Nation students' success!

Please apply and remember that volunteers must apply annually for approval.

To help you navigate all the new elements of the school year and keep you informed about upcoming programs & events, we will communicate information frequently and in several ways. They are listed below for your reference.

• Weekly Phone/Email & Schoology Message: At 6:00 on Sunday you will receive a phone message & email from us sharing information about the upcoming week.
• Class DoJo: Very soon your child’s teacher will invite you to join Class DoJo. We use this platform because it is secure/members only and allows us to share a wide variety of information with you. Please join our DoJo family!
• Our LPES Website and Twitter feed: The LPES website has a wide variety of information for you and is updated regularly. We love to share all the wonderful things our students & teachers are doing, so we tweet just about every day. Follow us on Twitter @lpes_smcps
• Technology Needs: if you are new to the school or need a device from SMCPS please complete the survey here.

Email: raschou@smcps.org
Website: https://schools.smcps.org/lpes/
Phone: (301)863-4085
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smcps.org/posts/971720426301468
Twitter: @lpes_smcps