White Marsh Elementary School

Welcome to March! Believe it or not, there are only 3 weeks left in the 3rd Marking Period. The Marking Period ends on March 22. Please be checking with your student and his/her teacher to make sure there are no missing assignments. This week is National School Breakfast Week. To celebrate, SMCPS will offer breakfast on Wednesday free for all students!

Tuesday is Dress for Success Day! We encourage the Bears to participate!

On Wednesday, our 5th grade Bears will begin state testing in the area of Science, also known as the MISA assessment. This testing will be take place periodically over the next few weeks. Please make sure your students come to school well rested, and with a charged laptop. The PTA will meet on Wednesday evening at 6:30 pm.

Thursday is our Winter Concert! The Kindergarten, First and Second Grade Bears are excited to perform for you! Doors will open at 9:40, and the program will begin promptly at 10:00 am. Please plan to walk around the side of the building and enter through the gym doors. Those Bears not performing will have watched the program previously, and will not be permitted to leave class to sit with families at the concert.

On Friday, there is a WMES Site Based Volunteer Training at 9:30. Remember, all WMES volunteers are required to complete this training annually (in addition to being a SMCPS approved volunteer) prior to volunteering.

Have a great week!

SMCPS and SMC R&P have partnered to offer the new Summer Sports Academies. Campers will be instructed by area high school coaches. Camps are held Monday -Thursday. Click below for more information. Registration begins March 1st.

• https://www.stmaryscountymd.gov/recreate/camps

• https://www.stmaryscountymd.gov/docs/thescoop.pdf

Mar 11 - 15 PTA Penny Drive

Mar 21 Spring Pictures (Class Photos)

Mar 22 Virtual Instruction Day and 2 hr. Early Dismissal

Mar 25 - Apr 1 Spring Break

Apr 3 WMES Yearbook Sale Begins

Apr 3 Running Club (K - 2)

Apr 4 SMECO Math Challenge

Apr 9 PTA Meeting, 6:30 pm

Apr 10 Report Cards Distributed

Apr 10 Running Club (K-2)

Apr 11 WMES Site Based Volunteer Training, 9:30 am

Apr 15 Purple Up! Day

Apr 17 Running Club (K-2)

Apr 17 PTA Spirit Night- Rita's of Charlotte Hall

Apr 19 2 hr. Early Dismissal

Apr 24 Running Club (K-2)

Apr 25 Elementary All County Honors Jazz Concert, LHS

Apr 30 Second Grade Field Trip

The Maryland School Report Card provides information about our school's performance for the 2022-2023 school year. You can find a link to our school's SY23 report card by visiting the Quick Links on our school's website. In addition, you can view the January 11 presentation to the Board of Education about system-wide data or visit www.smcps.org/about-us for additional information.

The Maryland Special Education Parent Involvement Survey for SY24 is now available for parents to complete. If your child has an IEP, please complete the survey.

Band and Strings students are asked to bring their instruments to school every Wednesday! Sincerely, Mr. Guy

SMCPS is once again offering School-Based Counseling Support in the evening for SMCPS students. Counseling support focuses on the following areas: Healthy Relationships, Social Skills, Self-Esteem, Stress Management, Worry, Sadness, and Emotional Regulation. Services will be located at Margaret Brent Middle School and Greenview Knolls Elementary School on Tuesday evenings from 4-7:30 p.m. Please complete the Parent Contact Form for Evening Counseling to request services.

SMCPS has put together a list of commonly used resources so that families have a better understanding of what they are and how they are used in our schools. Take a look at the SMCPS Instructional Terms and Resources.

In order to volunteer and/or chaperone at WMES you must do the following annually:

1) register to be a SMCPS volunteer

2) attend a WMES Site Based Volunteer Training.

The SMCPS Volunteer information can be found on the WMES Family Links document, and the next WMES Site Based Volunteer Training can be found on the WMES website by accessing the calendar.

St. Mary’s County Public Schools (SMCPS) is requesting your permission for your student to use the Internet and other computer resources in school. It is important that you and your student review this information. Click here to access The Acceptable Use Agreement.

Please remember that our school day begins at 9 am and ends at 3:45 pm. Early sign-outs and late arrivals contribute to missed instruction. In addition, students need to be present all day, every day, in order to participate in the Bear Crawl each month. Please support the importance of the academic day by only having your student miss school when absolutely necessary.

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!

We have created a document for families with links to important system and school information. Check out this link and be sure to bookmark it! We will update it periodically so that you can have quick access to needed information.

• Student Laptops and Chargers

• Accountability Newsletter

• Print and Resource Accountability for SMCPS Students

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.

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.

Julia Steele, Principal

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