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EMS Weekly Update

October 7, 2024

EMS WeeklyUpdateOctober 7, 2024
EMS Absence Reporting
Please use this website to report your child's absence for Esperanza Middle School.

Important Information

Monday, October 7th will be a B day.


Vision and Hearing Screenings - Based on Maryland State Law, the school nurses perform vision and hearing screenings on students new to SMCPS and 8th grade students each year. The nurses will begin screening students on Monday, October 7th. If your student wears glasses or contact lenses, please remind them to bring/wear them to school. Please contact the nurses, Ms. Krum or Ms. Hall, for any questions or concerns. emsnurses@smcps.org


Online Emergency Information Update Messaging - Effective communication is critical to the success of St. Mary’s County Public Schools (SMCPS). This will be crucial not only for emergencies but for our ability to communicate with families in general. Online Emergency Information Update Forms are now available through the student’s Home Access Center (HAC). Once logged in, directions to access the online form can be found HERE. A video with instructions is available HERE. It is vital that all information is updated in eSchool. The deadline for the online submission of Emergency Information Update forms is October 31st, 2024. Please click here for the Blank Emergency Form. If you have any questions, please contact The Department of Student Services at 301-475-5511 ext.32150.


Suicide Prevention Lessons - Counselors will be completing suicide prevention lessons this week.

Please see the letter below for more information. High School and Middle School Counselors conduct annual classroom presentations to students in grades 6 through 12. Esperanza Middle School’s School Counselors will begin their classroom presentations during the week of October 7, 2024.

EMS Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

Hola Amigos!! The Equity and Diversity Committee will highlight pictures of our EMS Hispanic staff, students, and family in the hallway by the small gym for Hispanic Heritage Month 2024. Please feel free to share any photos of family and friends of Hispanic ancestry to add to our bulletin board. Students can bring the pictures to the media center, and Dr. Johnson will carefully label and safeguard them for safekeeping, ensuring they are returned at the end of the display. With parents' permission to photograph, Dr. Johnson can also take a picture of your student at school to go on the bulletin board by emailing her your parental consent at wnjohnson@smcps.org. Gracias!! (Photos Due by Friday, October 11th)

After School Activities

All after-school activities end at 3:30 pm. Two or more late pickups will result in removal from after-school activities.

Monday - Math Counts, NJHS, Wiffle Ball, and Tennis

Tuesday - Field Hockey, and Running Club

Wednesday - Honors Chorus, Symphonice Band, Wiffle Ball, and Tennis

Thursday - Civil Air Patrol, Jazz Band, Field Hockey, and Running Club

Friday - None

Event Information

7th Grade Dance

This dance will take place right after school for 7th-grade students ONLY; students must be picked up at 4:00 p.m. Parents will not need to come inside to pick up students. Students will be released to the parking lot at 4:00 p.m. to go home. The permission slip to attend the dance is below and will be available in the cafeteria starting Monday, October 7th. The cost to attend the dance is $5.00. Students must have their $5.00 and signed permission slip during homeroom on Friday, October 11th, to get their dance wristband. No dance wristbands will be sold after homeroom, and no students can call home to get permission to attend the dance.

When?

Friday, Oct 11, 2024, 02:00 PM

Where?

Esperanza Middle School, Maple Road, Lexington Park, MD, USA

Upcoming Events

SMCPS Event - On October 10, 2024, Frank Kros will present, ‘A New View of ADHD for Parents: What Works, What Doesn’t, and Why’ from 6 pm- 8 pm at the Forrest Career & Technology Center, Dohrman A. The workshop is free but registration is required via email to parnersforsucess@smcps.org


Monday, October 14th, will be a two-hour early dismissal day for students. This time will be used for parent-teacher conferences. Conferences have already been scheduled for this day. If at any time you would like to schedule a parent-teacher conference, please reach out to your child's Guidance Counselor.


Beauty and the Beast Jr. Musical information and audition permission slip can be found in the attachements below. Auditions/callbacks/interviews will take place on the following dates from 2:00 - 4:30 pm (except crew interviews will be from 2:00 - 3:30 pm):

8th Grade: Tuesday, October 22nd

7th Grade: Wednesday, October 23rd

6th Grade: Thursday, October 24th

Crew Interviews: Friday, October 25th *2:00 - 3:30 pm

Callbacks (by invitation only): Tuesday, October 28th and Wednesday, October 29th *Not receiving a callback DOES NOT mean you are not cast in the show.

Mandatory Cast/Crew Parent Meeting: Tuesday, December 3rd, 5:30 pm

Maryland State Department of Education’s Comprehensive Health Education Framework

6th and 7th-grade students will participate in a unit of study entitled Family Life and Human Sexuality during their assigned marking period of health. Please see the letter below that was passed out during open houses and posted in Schoology. This letter contains information and allows for the option to opt-out. Students with 1st marking period health will begin this unit on Tuesday, October 15th.


Parents wishing to examine all materials and ask questions can do so on October 14th between 12:00 and 2:00 pm at Esperanza Middle School. If you cannot visit the school but have questions regarding the unit or the materials, please contact Bill Plotner at wpplotner@smcps.org. Approved materials that may be used by staff may also be viewed on the SMCPS School Health Council Google Site.

Event Information

MOD Pizza Fundraiser for EMS MTSS

Eat at MOD Pizza to support the EMS MTSS (Multi-Teared System of Supports) team. The MTSS team will use the funds to reward positive student behavior and academic success. Mention and show them the flyer below or use code MODGIVES20 when ordering online at modpizza.com or with the MOD app! This is an all day fundraiser!

When?

Monday, Oct 14, 2024, 10:30 AM

Where?

MOD Pizza, Saint Andrews Church Road, California, MD, USA

location_on Open maps
Event Information

8th Grade Dance

This dance will take place right after school for 8th-grade students ONLY; students must be picked up at 4:00 p.m. Parents will not need to come inside to pick up students. Students will be released to the parking lot at 4:00 p.m. to go home. The permission slip to attend the dance will be in the November 10th SMORE and available in the cafeteria starting Tuesday, November 12th. The cost to attend the dance is $5.00. Students must have their $5.00 and signed permission slip during homeroom on Friday, November 15th , to get their dance wristband. No dance wristbands will be sold after homeroom, and no students can call home to get permission to attend the dance.

When?

Friday, Nov 15, 2024, 02:00 PM

Where?

Esperanza Middle School, Maple Road, Lexington Park, MD, USA

EMS Staff Member of the Month Nomination Form

Link your Harris Teeter VIC Card!

If you shop at Harris Teeter, please link your VIC card online or tell your cashier during your checkout that you want to link to the Esperanza Middle School account. The account number is 4621. Once the account number is linked, every time you shop 5% of your Harris Teeter brand purchases will be contributed by Harris Teeter to the Esperanza account. It is that easy!

SMCPS Student Mental Health & Wellness

Use this link to visit the SMCPS Student Mental Health & Wellness resource page.

Student Lunch Accounts

Use this link to put money on your child's lunch account.
EMS Fundraisers SY25
As stated in our back-to-school letter, fundraisers throughout the school year will always be publicized in the SMORE before they occur. Please click the link above for the most up-to-date EMS Fundraiser information.
My School Bucks and the EMS Library in SMCPS
Families can pay for lost or damaged resources in My School Bucks. Resources include library books, laptops, chargers, textbooks, consumables, etc. My School Bucks is also used to put lunch money on your child's account.
Jennifer Consalvo
Jennifer is using Smore to create beautiful newsletters