Stonegate Greetings
Weekly Newsletter
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Monday, September 16th
Hispanic Heritage Month
2nd Grade MAP-P Math Assessment 11:20-12:35
Tuesday, September 17th
Hispanic Heritage Month
1st Grade MAP-P Math Assessment 10:15-11:30
After School Girls on the Run Begins 3:30-4:45
Wednesday, September 18th
Hispanic Heritage Month
After School STEM by Problem Solvers Begins 3:30-4:45
Thursday, September 19th
Hispanic Heritage Month
Kindergarten MAP-P Math Assessment 9:15 - 11:15
After School Girls on the Run 3:30-4:45
Virtual Fifth Grade Parent Meeting 5:30 pm
Friday, September 20th
Hispanic Heritage Month
Wear Stonegate Spiritwear
LFI Community Outing
Dear Stonegate Families and Caregivers,
Thank you for making our Back to School Night such a success! Thank you for attending our two sessions, visiting all of the tables, and tasting a few samples of school lunch. Your involvement and energy truly highlighted that "Stonegate Is Where The Heart Is." We appreciate your commitment to building strong partnerships as we continue this journey together.
As we wrap up our third week of school, we’re excited to reflect on the accomplishments so far! We have had many Shark Tank parties, and our fifth graders had their first memorable trip to Mount Vernon, it’s been an exciting start to the year. A special thank you to our chaperones who helped make the field trip possible—your support is invaluable!
We are also excited to announce the beginning of National Hispanic Heritage Month! This year we will highlight and celebrate our very own staff who are Latino over the morning announcements. They will read a special blurb about themselves and their country. We will celebrate the rich history, culture, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino communities, with a cultural arts assembly.
Thank you again for your ongoing support—we look forward to many more weeks of learning, growth, and celebration!
If you weren’t able to make it on Thursday, here is our Schoolwide video for BTSN:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ngiTJpQepFqIKylI7aompeFBIL_E9Qc_/view
Stonegate Is Where The Heart Is!
Linda M. Jones,
Principal
National Hispanic Heritage Month
Hispanic Heritage Month is a month-long celebration of Hispanic and Latino history and culture. While we celebrate Hispanic and Latino communites beyond this month, from September 15 to October 15 we give extra recognition to the many contributions made to the history and culture of the United States, including important advocacy work, vibrant art, popular and traditional foods, and much more.
Hispanic Heritage Month provides an additional opportunity to explore the incredible impact Latinas and Latinos have had on the United States for generations. The Latino presence in America spans centuries, predating Spain’s colonization of what is now part of the United States, and they have been an integral part of shaping our nation since the Revolutionary War. Through the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the Treaty of Paris that followed the Mexican-American and Spanish-American wars, the United States gained territories in the Southwest and Puerto Rico. This incorporated the people of this area into the United States and further expanded the presence of Hispanic Americans.
Today, the Latino population in the United States is over 60 million, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. This makes up 18.9% of the total population and is the largest racial or ethnic group. Latinos continue to help fuel our economy and enrich our nation as entrepreneurs, athletes, artists, entertainers, scientists, public servants, and much more.
Here is the 24-25 School Calendar
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org//siteassets/district/calendar/2024/2024-calendar.pdf
Fall Dates
Sept 24 - After school Boys Let Me Run begins 3:30-4:45
Sept 25 - After School Creative Adventures Art begins 3:30-5:15
Sept 27 - Kids Heart Challenge Kick Off Assemblies (formerly Jump Rope for Heart)
Sept 27 - Early Release Day, Students dismissal 12:55 p.m.
Sept 30 - After school Avanti Soccer begins 3:30-4:30
Oct 1 - PTA Meeting, Virtual 8:00 pm
Oct 2 - Walk to School Day
Oct 3 - No School, Non Instructional Day, Possible Make Up
Oct 4 - Cultural Arts Assembly Furia Flamenca for Hispanic Heritage Month 9:15 -11 a.m.
Oct 7 - Grade 5 Field Trip Smithsonian Environmental Research Center 8:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Oct 7 - After school Spanish begins 3:30-4:30
Oct 8 - Student Picture Day 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Oct 10 - After school Basketball begins 3:30-4:30
Oct 11 - Kindergarten Field Trip to Green Meadows Farm 9:40 a.m. - 2:10 p.m.
Oct 16 - PTA Restaurant Night at Bear Brick Oven from 4:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Oct 17 - Heart Health Challenge School Wide Community Walk 2-3 pm
Oct 17 - Math Night 6-7 p.m.
Oct 18 - No School, Possible Make up day
Oct 21 - SGA Food Drive Kicks Off
Oct 24 - Grade 1 Field Trip to Baltimore Aquarium 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Oct 24 - Grade 5 Field Trip to Strathmore Music Center 11:20 a.m. -2 p.m.
Oct 25 - Grade 3 Field Trip Butler’s Orchard 9:40 a.m. - 2:10 p.m.
Oct 25 - SGA Pumpkins and Plaid Dance
Oct 31 - Harvest Festival and Halloween Parade 2-3 p.m.
Nov 4 - No School, Grading and Planning Day, Possible Make up
Nov 5 - No School, Election Day
Nov 5 - 19 - Square 1 Art Fundraiser
Nov 6 - California Tortilla in Olney Restaurant Fundraiser 11 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.
Nov 11-15 - PTA Scholastic Book Fair
Nov 14 - Good Night, Sleep Tight Reading Night
Nov 16 - Boys Let Me Run 5K
Nov 17 - Make Up/Retakes Student Picture Day 9 - 11 a.m.
Nov 24 - Girls on the Run 5K at Wheaton Mall
Nov 25-26 - Early Release Day, Students dismissal 12:55 pm
Nov 27-29- No school, Thanksgiving Holiday
Dec 19 - School Wide Field Trip (all grades) to Xfinity Center UMD Girls Basketball Game 10 -2
Dec 23 - Jan 1- No School, Winter Break
Jan 2 - Return to School
Volunteer and Field Trip Chaperone Training
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) appreciates the support of the parent and community volunteers who support the essential needs of the schools.
Field trip chaperone
Guest readers
Class celebrations
Student teachers & Interns
Recess, lunch, dismissal support
As a one time volunteer, such as guest reader or helping with student celebrations, you do NOT need to complete the online Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect Training.
For our field trip Chaperones, you must have completed the online Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect Training within the last 3 years (2022-2023, 2023-2024, current 2024-2025 school years). You can access the training through ParentVue.
Support Guides: How to take the training
All volunteers WILL need to check-in and check-out of the main office and scan their driver’s license/identification cards through the Visitor Management System (VMS). Once the volunteer clears the VMS, they must be badged (the VMS creates a sticker badge) and remain under supervision of an MCPS professional while with students.
Link to 7 minute Volunteer Expectations Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tpdZrX8MRqYutpNhA3siVOajmRnxlYPa/view?usp=sharing
Stonegate PTA Membership Drive
Dive into supporting our school by joining the PTA during The Big Splash Membership Drive! Help your child's class make waves in the competition—each class with the highest percentage of PTA membership will win tasty prizes. The overall school winner will get a pizza party, and the top class in each grade will enjoy a popsicle party.
Joining the PTA supports vital programs like cultural assemblies, family events, and more. Plus, it’s a great way to stay connected with our school community. Let’s make this year unforgettable—become a member today!
PTA Meeting & Event Updates
Thank you to all that joined our first PTA meeting last week! We had over 80 people in attendance, and we are excited to keep that momentum going. Mark your calendars for October 1 at 8 pm for the next PTA meeting.
Take a night off from preparing dinner and join us on Wednesday, October 16 for a Restaurant Night Fundraiser at Bear Brick Oven Pizza from 4-9 pm. The restaurant will donate a portion of sales to support PTA activities.
Stonegate SpiritWear Update
Items purchased during the Stonegate Spirit Wear Flash Sale are in production now, and we will let you know once the items ship to the school. Did you miss the flash sale? Don’t worry the Stonegate Spiritwear On-Demand store is open and you can order your favorite Stonegate apparel anytime. Items will ship directly to you.
Menus are sent home monthly and can be found on the MCPS’s website: Elementary Menu
Kindergarten- 5th Grade Menu: August-September 2024:
English | español | français | 中文 | Portuguese | 한국어 | tiếng Việt | አማርኛ
Pre-K/Headstart: August-September 2024:
English | español | français | 中文 | Portuguese | 한국어 | tiếng Việt | አማርኛ
Hot lunches are served daily with alternate choices. Lunch is $2.55 including milk. Milk may be purchased separately for 60 cents. Parents are highly encouraged to start a Myschoolbucks account for their child. This will eliminate lost or forgotten lunch money. The price of lunch or breakfast will be subtracted from the account. Checks should be made payable to Stonegate School Cafeteria.
Payments to student cafeteria accounts can be made either through My School Bucks (optional, not a requirement), or cash or checks payable to Stonegate Cafeteria and submitted to the cafeteria manager. MySchoolBucks.com is an optional service for parents/guardians to make prepayments to a student's cafeteria account for breakfast, lunch, and à-la-carte meals online with a credit or debit card. This service is offered as a convenience for interested families.
By creating a secure online account, parents can monitor and manage their child's account.
There is a $2.49 (new) convenience fee for each payment transaction.
There is no cost to set up an account, check your child's spending history, and receive low-balance notifications.
Applying for Free Lunch
Students in Maryland who qualify for reduced-price meals will not be charged for meals! Apply right away. One application covers the entire HOUSEHOLD. Translations in other languages are available through the online application.
Apply now at www.MySchoolApps.com
Here is a video about how to apply:
English Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJUapGLarBo
Video en Español: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsdCrtCIFJc&t=4s
Stonegate communicates using the “Remind” app. Schoolwide messages and messages from individual teachers will come through Remind. Caregivers will receive messages as texts. Some parents also choose to download Remind as an app on their device.
Adjust your account settings for Remind at www.remind.com.
Choose “Sign up” and enter your phone number. Your account as an MCPS parent will come up and will allow you to edit your communication settings.
Add a phone number for a caregiver:
Do you need an older sibling, a grandparent or other caregiver to receive text messages from the school? Add an additional phone to receive school wide Remind text messages by using that phone to text @436ch8 to the number 81010.
Clothing to Cash® is a program that collects New and Used Clothing, Shoes, Sheets, and Towels, (all Textiles) and pays the school 10 cents for every pound collected. The program is operated entirely OUTSIDE and will be located in the school parking lot, where students, parents, staff, and the community can drop off items throughout the year.
They have state-of-the-art photo quantity sensors installed in each bin that report 3 times daily to prevent overflow and allow the company to schedule service as needed (no other companies use this technology). They empty the collection bin, weigh the contents to determine our school earnings, and pay our school monthly.
The average school (500 - 1000 students) will earn $1000- $2000 yearly if each student would donate just one 13-gallon kitchen-size bag of textile mate! Add in parents, siblings, relatives, neighbors, and staff, and Stonegate’s earnings could really increase.