White Marsh Elementary School

Welcome back to school! Ready or not...here we go! School starts this week!

Open House will be on Monday, August 19. Kindergarten Open House will begin promptly at 1:30. Our new Kindergarteners and their families are invited to meet their teacher and see the classroom. Important to note- please arrive on time. Teachers will share important information with families, which will begin promptly at 1:30.

Students in Grades 1 - 5 may visit any time between 2:30 and 3:30 to meet their teacher and visit the classroom.

We will have the following stations set up in the cafeteria at Open House:

Bus Information

Home Access Center Information

Daily Car Rider Applications

White Marsh PTA

Cub Scouts

Girl Scouts

Nurse Parrish will be in the Main Office if you need to speak with her about student health concerns or medication.

Keep in mind that our parking lot is very small- please be patient, and watch out for pedestrians that may be parking in the Farmer's Market lot and walking across to our school.

School begins on Wednesday, August 21, and will be a full day.

Unless your student will be a daily car rider, please put them on the bus on Wednesday morning; don't drive them. This will help bus drivers learn their students, and will help us make sure they get on the correct bus at the end of the day!

It's going to be a great year- I can't wait to begin!😊🐻

Sincerely,

Principal Steele

If your student rides the bus, there must be someone at the bus door 13 years or older to get them on and off the bus every day. If no one is there, the bus will have to return them to school in the afternoon. Repeated incidents may result in a loss of bus transportation privileges.

You will receive a weekly Smore newsletter from Principal Steele on Sunday evenings. The newsletter will be sent to the email we have on file in the Main Office. Newsletters are also posted on our website. Please be sure to be familiar with the information in each newsletter; current information is kept at the top, and review information is posted under the "General Reminders" section.

In addition to the School Newsletter, your child's classroom teacher will communicate with you on a regular basis. You are invited to sign up for the Class Dojo.

White Marsh has many opportunities to volunteer, including field trip chaperones, classroom support, Media Center support and field day volunteers. At WMES, all volunteers are required to attend a site based training session annually, prior to working with students.

SMCPS has modified the requirements for school volunteers. All volunteers must review the Child Abuse and Sexual Harassment (C.A.S.H) training and the Volunteer Manual annually. Information about volunteering at WMES will be shared at our first site based training on Friday, August 30 at 9:30 am.

Aug 28 PTA Popsicle Social, 5 - 6:30; WMES playground

Aug 30 WMES Site Based Volunteer Training, 9:30 Cafeteria

Sep 2 Labor Day Holiday, No School for Students

Sep 6 WMES Spirit Day! Wear Blue, or School Spiritwear!

Sep 9 Grade 5 Field Trip to Sotterley

Sep 19 2 hr. Early Dismissal

Sep 20 Professional Day, No School for Students

Sep 25 WMES Spiritwear Sale begins (Information will be in Wednesday folders)

This presentation was made to the SMCPS Board of Education on August 14, 2024. Please review it and this video, as there are recent changes.

Be looking for a paper version of the WMES Family Handbook to come home the first week of school. In addition, we have created this electronic version of the WMES Family Handbook for you to view. It has important information about school policies and practices, including Volunteer Information, Breakfast and Lunches, School Celebrations, and more!

SMCPS Text Alerts are a great way to get information quickly. They are not sent often, and usually only in the event of an unexpected school delay or closure. On occasion, WMES will send a text alert about a late bus, substitute bus, or school event. Click the link for information about registering for text alerts.

A copy of the current School Supply List can be found on our school website. Feel free to have students bring their school supplies to Open House so that they don't have to carry them on the bus the first day of school.

Now is the best time to submit an application for Free and Reduced Meals. Remember- these applications must be submitted every year.

Information- Meal Benefit Information

Online Meal Benefit Application

SMCPS will post bus information here. Please note that it may not be available for a few more days. As a rule of thumb, please plan for students to be at the bus stop 10 minutes before the estimated time of arrival. Also know that buses may run slower the first few days of school.

If you wish for your student to be a daily car rider, you must complete an application (this must be done annually). Applications may be picked up in the Cafeteria at Open House.

As a reminder, returning students should have their devices (and charger) at home. Students in Grades 3-5 will transport their device to and from school daily. Students in Grades 1 and 2, wait for information from your teacher about bringing your device to school. This device is checked out to your student, and families may be responsible for replacing the device if damaged or lost.

For more information including replacement fees, see the SMCPS Student Device and Resource Accountability document.

Please note- when signing out a student from school you will be asked to present your photo ID every time.

From the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE)-

Chronic Absenteeism: Students are chronically absent when absent 10% or more of the school days while enrolled at that school. For example, a student who is registered to attend a school for 30 days and who is absent 3 of those 30 days is considered chronically absent.

WMES will follow up with chronically absent students through the Pupil Services Team, Pupil Personnel Worker, and the Department of Student Services. In order to reduce the number of our students with Chronic Absenteeism, incentives to encourage good attendance include participation in the Bear Crawl, Running Club, and School Dance.

Julia Steele, Principal

Email: jwsteele@smcps.org
Website: wmes.smcps.org
Location: 29090 Thompson Corner Road, Mechanicsville, MD, USA
Phone: (301)472-4600