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Dent Dolphin Details

Family Issue #21

Dent Dolphin DetailsFamily Issue #21

B Week: 1/27-31/2025

Greetings Dolphin Families,


We can’t wait for the Lettie Dent Dolphin Glow Run happening tomorrow! Today is the last chance to donate before tomorrow's event.


Here are a few reminders before the Lettie Dent Dolphin Glow Run:

● Have your student get a good night’s rest. Our event will be about 35 minutes of movement.

● Make sure your student wears appropriate shoes and clothing to move around in.

● Have your students bring their water bottle.


The student with the top donations in every grade will pie a Booster Team Member at the Glow Run tomorrow!


Thank you for supporting our school!


All the best,

Mrs. Lindsay G. Brenfleck, Principal

Mr. Joseph D. Farrell, Assistant Principal

📄 In This Issue 📄

Attendance Matters!

SMCPS Presents... Attendance Awareness Week

Mark Your Calendar! SMCPS is holding a system-wide Attendance Awareness Week the second week of Feburary.

Link: Absence Reporting Form
If your child needs to miss school, you must report the absence. Complete the linked form OR email ldbattenfield@smcps.org with the reason for the absence.

Notable Dates

  • Jan 16-27 - PTA Boosterthon
    • Mon, Jan 27 - BoosterThon Fun Run
  • Tues, Jan 28 - Report Card Distribution
  • Wed, Jan 29 - Winter Concert
    • Band students report to Media at 5:30 and perform at 6:00
    • Chorus students report to Art at 6:00 and perform at 6:30
    • Strings students report to Media at 6:30 perform at 7:00
  • Fri, Jan 31 - Professional Day; No School for Students


Movement Mondays:

Wear athletic gear!


Fridays are School Spirit Days:

Wear Red & Gray or an LMDES Shirt!

MP2 SBRC & Narrative Distribution

Marking Period 2 Standards-Based Report Cards will be available on the Home Access Center [HAC] on Tuesday, January 28.



If you have questions or need your login information, please contact Joan Bartz (jmbartz@smcps.org).


Teachers will email narrative reports directly to parents/guardians on Tuesday, January 28.

Attention 3rd Grade Parents

3rd Grade Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test - Home Reports

Earlier this year, third grade students took the The Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test, 3rd edition (NNAT3). Home reports and a letter with additional information will be sent home with our third graders on Monday.

School-Based Health Centers

An Important Message from the St. Mary’s County Health Department

We are seeing an increase in illness, school outbreaks, and absenteeism within our community and in St. Mary's County Public Schools. Please use the School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs) as a resource for same day appointments, especially if you call before noon. The SBHCs can provide testing, results, and treatment in one quick visit. Please read this SBHC Flyer - January 2025 (1).pdf

5th Grade STEM Parachute Building & Testing

2024-2025 SMCPS Annual Report

The 2024-2025 SMCPS Annual Report is posted online on the school system website. It's full of important information about our schools, programs, and the future of our system. You can find it here.

The Annual Report follows the theme promoted by our Student Member of the Board- We HEAR:


  • H - we are HERE for each other

  • E - we are ENGAGED with one another

  • A - we are APPROACHABLE and open

  • R- we are RENEWED by connections

Learning with Number Lines

First Grade is using number lines to count, add, and subtract. Students worked together to make this classroom sized number line to count by 5's.

Rise Up Award

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)

Leonardtown High School Winter Carnival

PTA News & Information

Fun Run Volunteers

BoosterThon Sign-Up Genius

We need volunteers to help mark shirts on our Fun Run Day!


Sign-Up Genius:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0944A8A629A3F5C52-54398399-funrun

Juice Availability Change

Starting the week of February 3rd, the availability of juice during lunch will be reduced to two days per week (Tuesdays and Thursdays). Juice will continue to be served daily for breakfast.


Juice is not a requirement of the School Breakfast Program or National School Lunch Program. Juice frequently displaces whole fruit and milk, which contain important nutrients that juice lacks (i.e. fiber in fruit and calcium/vitamin D in milk). Additionally, juice falls within the fruit category and is therefore not a substitute for milk. Students that do not want milk but would like a beverage can access water in the cafeteria.

Check our Nutrislice Webpage to:


  • View Helpful nutrition info
  • Download our FREE mobile app!
  • Print menus
Meal Benefit Application
Children need healthy meals to learn. SMCPS offers healthy meals every school day.
Breakfast costs $1.75; lunch costs $3.00.
Your student may qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
Please complete the meal benefit application.
My School Bucks
SMCPS families may pay for school meals with MySchoolBucks! View balances and purchases, schedule automatic payments, receive notifications when your student's meal balance is low, and make payments on the go with the mobile app.
Food Services Updates
What's New With School Meals?

Helpful Information Worth Repeating

LMDES School-Wide Expectations

Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary is a Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) School.


We encourage you to ask your child about "Dolphin Dollars" and our LMDES Schoolwide Expectations!

Bus Safety & Expectations

Please take a few moments to view the video below and review the Student Rules for Transportation with your student(s). Student safety on the bus is the shared responsibility of students, parents, bus drivers, and the school.


Regularly reviewing bus expectations with your student will help ensure a safe ride to and from school each day. Riding the bus is a privilege; it takes all of us to safely transport our students each day. Thank you for your support!

SMCPS Policies and Guidelines

Box Tops for Education App

Download the Box Tops for Education app, scan your receipts, and earn cash for our school!


Thank you for your support!

Technology Information

LMDES_SMCPS Student Laptop Expectations
Please review the laptop expectations with your student.

Digital Citizenship Resources

Join us in promoting a healthy, positive approach to technology use!



Please consider sharing these social emotional learning and digital citizenship conversation starters in the car, at the table or at another time you can have a connection to learn more about your child and guide them to the best version of themselves:

Sharing time with your student discussing such important thing can lead to a calmer, more confident child.
Link: Directions to Receive Text Alerts
Stay up to date on events, closings, and alerts from LMDES and SMCPS.

Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary

Mrs. Lindsay G. Brenfleck, Principal

Mr. Joseph D. Farrell, Assistant Principal


We welcome your questions and inquiries. Please call 301-472-4500, refer to the SMCPS Website, or our LMDES website for additional information.


Website: https://lmdes.smcps.org/

Twitter X: @lmdes_smcps


Phone: 301-472-4500

LMDES School Vision
LMDES strives to create a nurturing and inclusive community where every student thrives socially, emotionally, and academically. We prioritize strong relationships among all stakeholders, open communication, and meeting students' diverse needs. We aim to develop well-rounded, future-ready learners who embrace lifelong learning and contribute positively to our community.