Beacon Bulletin

Hello Piney Point Families!

• Happy November!

  • School is closed for students on November 5th for Election Day- Be sure to go vote!

  • Online Federal Impact Aid Forms are now available through the Home Access Center (HAC). Once logged in, directions to access the online Impact Aid form can be found HERE. A video with instructions is available HERE. The form can now be accessed in Spanish by clicking on the Globe in the top right-hand corner once the form has been started. The deadline for the online submission of Federal Impact Aid Survey forms is Friday, November 15, 2024.

• Last week we celebrated Red Ribbon Week and finished the week with our Book Character Parade. This year our staff and students really stepped up their game with the creative costumes and books to match. We plan on making the Character Parade an annual event. Start planning early!
• Parents if you are looking for a place to donate your gently used Halloween costumes, PPES is the place. We have a handful of students that would benefit from having these to choose from so they can dress up in the parade. Just send them in to the front office and we will do the rest.
• Watch D.O.G.S- our Welcome Pizza party is Monday at 5:30pm in the cafeteria. You will be able to register to volunteer, sign up for dates and order your shirts if you don't already have one. They have new colors and styles if you need a refresh!

• The school is in need of volunteers for the Mobile Science Lab the week of November 18-22. There are two shifts for each day: 9:00am-12:00pm and 1:00pm-3:00pm. Volunteers must be able to stay for the entire shift. Click here to view the sign up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A054CADAA22ABFE3-52741902-mobile

  You can learn more about the mobile science lab here: https://maefonline.com/home/teacher-center/mobile-science-labs/

• Parent volunteers- this is a friendly reminder that you may volunteer in the classroom during your designated time. However, we ask that you do not travel with the students to specials, lunch or recess. We love having you here to work with our teachers and helping our students. We ask that you please follow our guidelines. PPES Volunteer guidelines
• There are so many fantastic things happening in our efforts to support SMCPS students with disabilities. Please use this survey to share your praise, story, or news about successes in your school or department!
• Parent Pick-Up reminder... If you are changing your child's mode of transportation for the day to Parent Pickup you must send an email to Jayne Worch at jdworch@smcps.org and Melissa Adkins at maadkins@smcps by 2:30 PM to be added to the list. You will not be added anytime after 2:30 and will need to come in the front office to pick up your child after dismissal. Thank you for your help with this procedure. Dismissal is a VERY busy time of the day. We want to make sure all of students get home safely. Routines are very important to our student success. If at all possible please try to not change the mode of transportation unless it is absolutely necessary.

Please take the time to read this newsletter in its entirety. It is jam packed with information to keep our Beacons shining bright!

~Mrs. Zeier

The Math Learning Center, the organization that wrote our Elementary Bridges Math Curriculum, offers resources that you can use at home to build mathematical confidence and increase ability with your student. These activities offer students the opportunity to use their modeling and reasoning skills to solve real world scenarios.

Each week, we will provide clickable links for families to explore and engage with the strategies that students are also exposed to in their classrooms. Enjoy!

Primary (K-2):

• How Many Are Hidden? Shells

• Same & Different: Necklaces

Intermediate (3-5):

• Would You Rather? Long & Tall

• Math in Our World: Making Signs

Looking for more activities? Click on Math at Home and then your student’s Grade Level.

We are so excited to announce that this year PPES is a Class Dojo school. Please be sure to join your child's class to receive important classroom and school updates. Also, we are unable to process any changes in transportation requests through Dojo. Please continue to email those to Ms. Worsch in the front office. Let's see if we can get 100% of our families on Class Dojo!

• November 4- 5:30 PM- Watch DOG Pizza Party!
• November 5- No School for Students and Staff
• November 6- report cards cards available on HAC
• November 8- 2 hour early dismissal
• November 8- Spirit Day- Crazy Hair Day
• November 11- Schools and Offices Closed
• November 27-29- Thanksgiving Break

1. Be sure to look up your child's bus number, bus stop, and approximate times. The HERE COMES THE BUS app will allow you to track the bus. Please remember these are approximate times.

If you have not already done so, please complete the meal benefit application if you think that your family may qualify. If you do not qualify or choose not to fill out a form, your student has the option to purchase breakfast and/or lunch each day. Payment may be in the form of cash or check payable to PPES, or by creating a My School Bucks account. Pease see link below for the application and My School Bucks link.

Click here to check your child's breakfast/lunch balance and add money to their account

If you are planning on volunteering regularly for your classroom teacher, you will need to complete the SMCPS Volunteer application. However, if you are volunteering as a chaperone on a field trip, you do not need to complete the application. You will need to sign in and out at the Main Office using your state issued ID. If you do not have your ID you will not be permitted to enter the school or chaperone on a trip. We have a 100% ID CHECK, NO EXCEPTIONS! There is no application fee for school volunteers. Parental involvement is a key component to student success. Thank you for your support.

Happy November Beacon Families!

Kindergarten-2nd Grade

We just wrapped up our Second Step Skills for Learning Unit, and now we are

practicing:

• Active Listening

• Focusing Attention

• Self-Talk

• Being Assertive

Young beacons are becoming competent in following our listening rules to pay

attention to their teachers, practicing self-talk to take-on more complex tasks and

succeed academically, and using an assertive tone and posture to get their

needs met.

Now that we have started to practice these skills, we are going to be focusing on

empathy and compassion in November. Empathy is a major force in the

development of prosocial behaviors and interpersonal problem-solving skills.

Being able to identify, understand, and respond in a caring way to how someone

is feeling provides the foundation for helpful and socially responsible behaviors,

friendships, cooperation, coping, and conflict resolution, all of which impact

academic and social success. Students will learn how to take other’s

perspectives and show compassion.

3rd Grade

In November, we are going to discuss fundamentals of cognitive behavioral

therapy and automatic negative thoughts. Students will understand that their

thoughts cause their feelings, then their feelings inform their actions, and the

result of their actions are based on those actions. Because of this, it’s important

that we reframe our thoughts for optimal results! We will practice reframing

thoughts with various examples and then listen to Captain Snout and the Miracle

Questions by Dr. Daniel G. Amen to learn five different ways that thoughts can be

distorted:

1. Only acknowledging the bad

2. An all-or-nothing mindset

3. Fortune-telling mindset or predicting the future

4. Mind-reading or thinking that we know what

others have said without them telling us

5. Blaming outside sources for internal distress

The miracle questions are:

1. Are you sure that that’s true?

2. Are you 100% sure that that’s true?

4th-5th Grade

We are wrapping up our Steps to Respect: Bullying Prevention Unit this month!

Our older Beacons have been practicing being bystanders, identifying bullying

situations, and communicating assertively. We will play a game of Jeopardy! to

ensure we have mastered the concepts, and create posters for the younger

grades to set an example.

We will be focusing on a specific character traits each month from January to

June. Students in second through fifth grade will complete a survey to choose

which ones! I can’t wait to see what they choose!

• Caring

• Responsibility

• Trustworthiness

• Respect

• Fairness

• Citizenship

• Determination

• Perseverance

• Honesty

• Conscientiousness

• Courage

• Kindness

Look forward to hearing from you.

Sarah Weinberg

School Counselor

Piney Point Elementary School

sjweinberg@smcps.org

Click on the link below to visit her classroom

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1HcrlfP4B9up3NXuq8pwFCQofd1wopaY8X43Wg1x0ZE4/edit?usp=sharing

Primary (K-2):

• Beat You to Ten

• Same & Different: A Dicey Situation

Intermediate (3-5):

• Which One Doesn’t Belong? Colorful Calculations

• Same & Different: Field Fun

Vision and hearing screenings are required for all new students enrolled in Maryland Public Schools and all first grade students. If your student does not pass the screening the Nurse will contact you. Please contact the Nurse if you have any questions or concerns.

As we embark on a new school year, we want to highlight a key area of focus this year at Piney Point Elementary School: attendance. This year, we will be placing greater emphasis on ensuring that every student attends school regularly and on time.

Good attendance is crucial to your child’s success. Consistent presence in the classroom not only helps students stay engaged with their lessons but also builds habits of responsibility and discipline. It enables them to fully participate in educational activities, benefit from continuous instruction, and achieve their academic goals.

We understand that there may be circumstances that affect your child’s ability to attend school, and we are here to support you in any way we can. However, we encourage you to prioritize school attendance and to work with us to address any barriers that might arise.

Together, we can help our students thrive and reach their full potential. Thank you for your support and cooperation in this important matter.

Please review the following documents in regard to student accident insurance.

Informative Letter to Parents

Fact Sheet

Enrollment Information

Spanish versions available:

Informative Letter to Parents - Span.

Fact Sheet - Span.

Enrollment Information -- Span.

School Messenger Text Messaging FAQ's

Schoology is a very helpful tool and resource for teachers, students, and families. Please ensure that you are able to access Schoology for updates and information from the school and your child's teacher. If you need support in obtaining your Schoology log in information please email schoology@smcps.org for support. Please click Parent Notifications for directions to ensure your notifications are set to receive important information about your student.

Do you have the Schoology App?

Log Into the Schoology Mobile App

If you already have a Schoology account, download the Schoology app from Apple App Store, Google Play or the Amazon App Store. Tap the app icon to open it on your device.

You can use an email address or username to log into the application, depending on how your account was set up:

Log in through your School

1. Use the keyboard to enter SMCPS. As you type, matching choices populate in the list. The name, ID number, city, state, and zip code for the school should appear below.

2. Tap the name of your school or organization when it displays.

3. Use the email address or username to log in to the application, that was sent to you via email from Schoology with an app password. If you are an SMCPS student or teacher this is NOT your SMCPS password.

4. Tap LOG IN to complete.

If you are able to sign in with Google, and you are an SMCPS student or staff, please use that login process and follow the provided instructions in the prompts.

Want to enable notifications? Please check this document

Need to purchase a laptop charger?

You can do one of two things:

1. Email your child's teacher or the Library Media Specialist Miss Hazuda (sjhazuda@smcps.org) that you wish to pay for the missing laptop charger. A fine then can be assessed so that you can pay using My School Bucks, sending in cash, or a check (made out to SMCPS).

OR

2. Go directly to the DELL store. You can purchase directly from their website and have it shipped to your home.

Ensure one of these links is being used:

www.dell.com/mpp/smcps (click Shop Recommended Solutions to get to the discounted power cords)

www.dell.com/mpp/smcps-chargers (leads directly to the purchasing portal)

If you purchase from Dell, please make sure that you label the charger with the student's first and last name before sending it to school. If you have any questions, please contact your child's teacher or the Library Media Specialist Mrs. Anderson (lwanderson@smcps.org).

Birthday treats present the potential for allergic reactions for many of our students. They also interrupt instruction. However, we understand that some students enjoy celebrating their birthday with their friends at school. Because of all of these factors, birthday treats may NOT be edible. Gift bags with stickers, pencils, crayons, erasers, and/or other small toys are acceptable. They can also be shared at recess or the end of the day which doesn’t compromise instructional time. Parents who wish to provide birthday treats to a class are asked to notify the homeroom teacher in advance and to drop them off in the front office as early as possible.

Don't forget to join the PTA or to renew your membership for 2024-2025. The cost is $20 per family. The grade with the most PTA memberships will get a free pizza party! PTA members get VIP access to events and news via our PTA newsletter. By becoming a member, there is no obligation to volunteer or attend monthly meetings. Join here: https://tinyurl.com/PineyPointES

The school is in need of volunteers for the Mobile Science Lab the week of November 18-22. There are two shifts for each day: 9:00am-12:00pm and 1:00pm-3:00pm. Volunteers must be able to stay for the entire shift. Click here to view the sign up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A054CADAA22ABFE3-52741902-mobile

You can learn more about the mobile science lab here: https://maefonline.com/home/teacher-center/mobile-science-labs/