Panda Nation News

Before we jump into January, please join me in reflecting on the delightful activities December brought to all of us. Some are pictured below, but there were so many more in this wonderfully magical month! Many thanks to our staff, our PAWSitively Amazing PTO & our community partners who made all of this "wonderfulness" possible for all of Panda Nation's PAWitively Amazing students! 🐼❤

January's Wellness theme is EMPATHY, because in Panda Nation we CARE! Throughout the month, we will engage our students in learning about and practicing empathy in their classroom, our school, and our community. You may wonder, why we need to teach and foster empathy to all the students in Panda Nation!

Here FOUR reasons!

1. Empathy builds community in each classroom & throughout the school
2. Empathy promotes considering others & taking selfless action
3. Empathy helps children build resilience
4. Emathy positively impacts student achievement

If you want to learn about how you can foster empathy in your child, visit this family-centered website, or this video. Thank you for joining us in our quest to create a kinder, more empathetic school and world!

Now... let's jump into 2025 and make it the BEST year Panda Nation has EVER had!!

Panda Love to all!🐼❤

Mrs. Schou, Principal

Mrs. Mashburn, Assistant Principal

Mrs. Melissa Bean, Academic Dean

"The magic in new beginnings is truly the most powerful of all"

-Josiyah Martin

Please join us in congratulating both Ms. Hawkins & Mrs. Hollingsworth for being chosen as our nominees for the SMCPS 2025 awards. Ms. Hawkins is our nominee for Educator of the Year and Mrs. Hollingsworth is our nominee for the Educational Support Person of the Year. They are both PAWSitively Amazing and we think the world of them!

The SMCPS Equity for All Website features updated monthly celebrations, best practices resources, and a newly added Community Resource page. The purpose of the Equity for All site is to provide resources and supports for promoting excellence and equity in St. Mary's County Public Schools.

• 1/6: School reopens
• 1/16:
• 4:30: Title I Presents Survivor Island-Family Math & State Assessment Workshop
• 6:30: PTO Meeting
• 1/17: End of Second Marking Period
• 1/20: Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Schools & Offices are closed
• 1/23: 6:30-8:00: Polar Pandemonium Concert
• 1/28:
• Report Card Distribution
• 5:00: Judy Center Game Night
• 1/30: 1st Semester Recogntion Assembies
• 9:00: K-2 Recognition Assembly
• 2:00: 3-5 Recognition Assemby
• 1/31: No School for Students-Professional Day for Staff

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