December Tidbits #1

We had a three way tie for this short week- Kindergarten, Second Grade and Fifth Grade all had 93% attendance this week. Congratulations to Second Grade with the highest attendance for the month of November at 95%!

We're grateful to all for your efforts to be here! Every day matters in the pursuit of knowledge. Consult this resource for tips on how to keep your child healthy and in school.

You can check attendance records in HAC. If you notice any days that are unlawful (marked red), please send an email to smverhaagh@smcps.org, or submit the reason for the absence online through our school website.

Congratulations to our November Character Kids! Having good character means being trustworthy, respectful, fair, caring, responsible, and an overall good citizen. Way to go to these students for exemplifying these traits. November Character Kids were recognized at our very first school-wide Community Gathering celebration.

PreK: Layla Carter

Kindergarten: Silas Jones and Luna Windsor

First Grade: Maria Lopez and Xiomara Arocho

Second Grade: Heidi Nulph and Katherine DeBons

Third Grade: Pingpong Duangchankham and Sharon Lira

Fourth Grade: Scarlet Lightfoot and Jacob Bienkowski

Fifth Grade: Jayson Wireman and Annabelle Meek

We are accepting student submissions for the 2024-2025 Yearbook Cover Contest!

This year's theme is: TCES is Turtlely Terrific!

ENTRIES MUST BE SUBMITTED BY THIS TUESDAY, DECEMBER 3, 2024.

No late entries accepted.

FRONT COVER will be selected from the 3rd – 5th grade submissions.

BACK COVER will be selected from K - 2nd grade submissions.

Cover Requirements Checklist:

• The following must be included in the design:
• TCES
• 2024-2025
• TCES is Turtlely Terrific
• Correct spelling
• Artwork must be created on unlined 11” x 8 ½” cardstock or paper.
• Vertical (portrait) orientation
• All text and graphics must be kept ½” from the paper’s edge. Use this flier as an overlay to confirm all essential items are inside the dotted line. If still unsure, use a ruler to double check. The safe zone is 10 ½” x 7 ½”.
• Background color should extend to the paper’s edge.
• Student’s full name, teacher, and grade must be clearly written in pencil on the back of artwork.
• Students must freehand their designs. Artwork created with the use of a lightbox will not be accepted.

Tips & Helpful Information:

1. Avoid yellow or light-colored lettering.
2. Use lots of color, fill all the space and avoid leaving white background.
3. Do not erase, the lines will show up when scanned.

Submitting Your Student’s Artwork:

Send in artwork to your student’s teacher. There will also be a box in the office for submissions.

Please note: Student submissions will NOT be returned. Entries not selected for the cover may be displayed as Honorable Mentions inside the yearbook. Submission deadline is, December 3, 2024. We cannot accept artwork after that time.

Classic Photography will be returning to Town Creek on Wednesday, December 4, to take pictures for:

• new students
• students and staff who were absent on October 3, our original picture day
• students whose parents have expressed interest in having their child's picture retaken. (The student should bring the original photo package, including the original envelope and all picture products, to turn into the photographer when they come to sit for a new picture. Parents do not need to fill out a new order form.)

The Town Creek Elementary School Winter Concert will be held Thursday, December 19, at 6:30 p.m. in the TCES Cafeteria. The event is open to the local community. Please plan to join us for a musical evening!

More information and details to follow soon! Watch this space in December issues!!

Our December Spirit Days are just around the corner. Start thinking about your outfits and plan to join in the fun! Click on the image below to see a full-size copy of the flyer.

Terrapins in action!

Do you have a child (or two or three) that participates in after school activities?

Please feel free to share extracurricluar schedules! Please fill out this form if you would like your child's extracurricular activity schedule to be added to our in-house TCES calendar.

Sign outs from the office will end at 3:30 to allow staff to prepare for dismissal. Any sign outs after 3:30 will take place at 3:45 from the Media center with our regularly scheduled parent up. This ensures that all of our students are dismissed safely at the end of the day.

Please take a moment to register as volunteer. Volunteers must be clear EACH AND EVERY YEAR before they can participate in field trips or other school activities. Submit your form today so that you can join us for the fun: https://www.smcps.org/offices/safety-security/volunteer-sign-up

Need some stocking stuffers?

A limited supply of our SY23 and SY24 Town Creek t-shirts, hats, and other spirit wear are still available! You can purchase them through MySchoolBucks while supplies last. The products will be delivered to your student's teacher and placed in your student's backpack.

TCES Lunch/Snack Boxes are available now! These plastic boxes include two compartments for food, a compartment for a fork and knife (included), and our Terrapin logo. They are immediately available and will be placed in your student's backpack immediately upon receipt of MSB order.

Watch this space for the TCES 2025 Spirit Wear Collection! Coming soon!!

November is National Diabetes Month when communities nationwide seek to bring attention to diabetes. This year’s focus is on taking action to prevent diabetes health problems.

Diabetes is a disease that occurs when your blood glucose, also called blood sugar, is too high. It affects about 38 million Americans, including adults and youth. Diabetes can damage the eyes, kidneys, nerves, and heart, and it is linked to some types of cancer.

But there’s also good news: Taking charge of your health may help you prevent diabetes health problems.

Tips to get started

Know your risk for developing diabetes.

You are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes if you are overweight or obese; are age 35 or older; have a family history of diabetes; are African American, American Indian, Asian American, Hispanic or Latino, or Pacific Islander; are not physically active; or have prediabetes.

Take small steps toward healthy habits.

Lifestyle habits such as planning healthy meals, being physically active, getting enough sleep, and not smoking may help you prevent or manage your diabetes ABCs. You don’t have to do it all at once. Start slow and build healthier habits from there.

Reach or maintain a healthy weight.

If you are overweight or obese, ask your primary care provider if healthy eating, physical activity, or other weight-loss treatments may help you manage your weight.

You may be able to prevent or delay diabetes by losing 5 to 7 percent of your starting weight. Use the Diabetes Risk Management Calculator to determine how much weight you can lose to help reduce your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Learn more at National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Children need healthy meals to learn. Your children may qualify for free or reduced-price school meals. Please use this link to apply: https://www.myschoolapps.com/Application.

Thank you to everyone who participated in our general meeting Wednesday, November 6.

Please use this link to access the minutes from the meeting.

Join us for our next meeting on Wednesday, December 11!

The PTO will be hosting a Holiday Shop for our school community! The Shop will be open on December 16 & 17. Students will be allowed to shop during recess. Families will be welcome to shop after school on Tuesday, December 17, until 7:30 p.m. In addition to gift items, the PTO will be selling hot chocolate, cookies and popcorn. There will be a free wrapping station setup so the kids can get their gifts wrapped, too!

You can also take advantage of the voucher system to give your student spending money at the shop using this form.

Want to volunteer? Send an email to tcespto@gmail.com to sign up today!

We are starting to work on two big events. Please help us make them a success!

The winter dance is a fun event, held on Friday, January 10, where the students and their families can come and dance their little hearts out after coming back from the winter break. Join the planning committee here:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0944A4AA2CA6FCCE9-53279993-winter

New to Town Creek this year: The PTO Fun Run will be held Saturday, March 15. Sign up to help make this new event a success here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0944A4AA2CA6FCCE9-51671993-tces

• December 4 - Classic Photography Retakes
• December 11 - PTO General Meeting @ 6:15 p.m. in TCES Media Center
• December 16 & 17 - PTO Holiday Shop - TCES Media Center
• December 19 - Winter Music Concert - TCES Cafeteria, 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.
• December 20 - Two-Hour Early Dismissal Day - Professional Responsibilities
• December 23 - January 3 - Winter Break - No School for Student and 10-11 Month Employees
• December 25 - Holiday - Winter Break - All Schools and Offices Closed
• January 1 - Holiday - Winter Break - All Schools and Offices Closed
• January 6 - Schools Reopen - Students in School