Dear Otter Elementary School Families,

What a week it has been! If there were ever a contest for the most eventful school week, I'd say we just won.

We started with a visit from Mr. Michael and his reptiles - an experience that had some of us fascinated and others questioning our life choices as we stood face-to-face with a snake (or three). Who knew that learning about cold-blooded creatures could warm our hearts?

Then, just as we were getting into the swing of things, Mother Nature decided we needed a surprise break. An unexpected snow day gave us all the chance to sleep in, build snowmen, or, let's be honest, binge-watch something cozy. We hope you enjoyed your winter wonderland!

And, of course, we ended the week with a little love in the air - our Valentine's Day celebrations! From candy grams to heartfelt notes to an impressive amount of pink and red outfits, it was a sweet reminder of the kindness and community that make our school so special.

Thanks to all who made this week one to remember. I hope you enjoyed your three-day weekend, and let's see what adventures next week brings (hopefully fewer snakes and a little more snow, but who can say?).

Otterly Yours,

Mrs. Anderson

The office will be open Monday - Friday from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm.

Please click on the links below to access public calendars.

Our school's overall attendance rate, as reported to MSDE, for the school year so far is 93.2% (-0.1%). The goal is 94%.

Here are the weekly attendance rates for the week of February 3rd - February 7th.

PreK: 68% (-16.0%)

Kindergarten: 92% (+1.0%)

1st Grade: 94% (+5.0%)

2nd Grade: 91% (-2.0%)

3rd Grade: 89% (-1.0%)

4th Grade: 90% (-1.0%)

5th Grade: 93% (+1.0%)

I would like to celebrate the number of students attending school regularly has increased over the past three years by 10%! We are not quite back up to pre-pandemic levels, but we are definitely making huge strides in the right direction! Check out the stats!

School Year 2018-2019 - 88.3%

PANDEMIC YEARS

School Year 2021-2022 - 70.8%

School Year 2022-2023 - 76.2%

School Year 2024-2025 - 80.9%

The PTA has compiled a directory of contact information for families to use. Please click on the button below to access the directory. Only families who returned to request for information and provided consent to share their information have been included. If you wish to be included, please reach out to the PTA.

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)

Click the button below for information regarding how grievances related to Title IX are handled by SMCPS.

Please note that while the file name says "student training", it is not being provided to elementary school students. It is included for parent information only so that you may support your child should they experience a grievance related to Title IX.

On March 12th, we will have a lockdown drill. The law requires parents be informed prior to any lockdown drill and they be provided a survey link to complete after the drill.

Information collected from surveys after a lockdown drill occurs is being using to better understand the effectiveness and impact of lockdown drills on students, parents, and school staff.

Student, parent, and school staff surveys are brief and anonymous. Information provided will only be collected to the school where the lockdown drill occurred. No identifiable information about the person completing the survey will be collected.

Only students in grade 6-12 are requested to complete the survey.

Links to the surveys can be found by clicking the buttons below.

Keep this list somewhere handy!

Monday, February 17

All Schools and Office Closed - President's Day

Tuesday, February 18th

9:00 am - 3:45 pm

• Spirit Day - Color War Day
• Secure/Reverse Evacuation Day Drill (at grade level recess)

Wednesday, February 19th

9:00 am - 3:45 pm

• Extra Recess and Popsicles

Thursday, February 20th

9:00 am - 3:45 pm

Friday, February 21st

9:00 am - 3:45 pm

St. Mary’s County Public Schools (SMCPS) students use the Internet and other instructional computer resources in school. It is important that you and your student review this information each year. Within this policy is the Google Workspace for Education Additional Services Agreement. Students in grades PreK - 5th grade do not need to complete an AUP this school year. They will not be accessing additional services within Google Workspace for Education beyond the core features.

Now is a great time to find your laptop and charger. Please run all of the updates and make sure that it is working order. Chargers are to remain at home.

All SMCPS laptops come with the same responsibility of care and upkeep as any other loaned resources. Textbooks, novels, laptops and chargers can incur a debt if lost or damaged. Please refer to the student accountability newsletter that has been added to our weekly school newsletters.

Hello OES Otter Families,

I am Hannah Pratz, and I am so excited to be returning to the OES family this school year! I have been a school nurse for 25 years and have loved every minute! I love what I do and my door is always open! Don't hesitate to pop in the health suite or cut through!

All medications must be accompanied by an order before they can be given at school. We CANNOT give any medication without the medical order.

See you all soon!

FAQ:

When should I keep my child home from school?

• Fever >100.0, vomiting, diarrhea, or pink and crusty eyes
• Symptoms of COVID-19 like illness OR symptoms or an illness that do not resolve after home interventions
• Your child has been directed to quarantine by the local health department

One community committed to the learning and safety of all children.

Community is important to us. We strive to have the words "goal-oriented", "fun", "inclusive", and "thriving" used to describe our community. We believe that children learn and adults work best in an environment where they feel respected and safe. We are focused on four areas in our development of community: 1) Cultivating respectful, supportive relationships among students, teachers, and parents, 2) Emphasizing common purposes and ideals, 3) Providing opportunities for service and cooperation, and 4) Providing opportunities for independence and influence.

Email: lpanderson@smcps.org
Website: https://schools.smcps.org/oes/
Location: 26410 Three Notch Road, Mechanicsville, MD, USA
Phone: (301) 373-4365
Facebook: facebook.com/smcps.org