White Marsh Elementary School

We begin the week by recognizing the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. There is no school for students on Monday.

On Friday, the PTA will host a Family Game Night! Students and families are invited to bring a favorite board tame to play with family and friends or play one of the board games they have available. Popcorn and water will be provided. Candy bars and other merchandise will be available for sale. The event is from 6 - 7:30 pm.

Have a great week!

Principal Steele

Our staff has recently reviewed some of the mid-year reading data for our Bears. Though many of our students are making good progress, we see a need to put an emphasis on Reading for all of our students.

So...we will be rolling out the BEAR Bookmark very soon! Students will fill in bubbles for every 30 minutes they spend reading. When they have filled in the entire bookmark, which adds up to 24 hours, they may redeem the bookmark for a prize, and get another bookmark to start completing!

Student reading does not have to be independent; for our younger students, they can certainly have someone read to them, and have this count toward their minutes. If there is more than one child in a household, they can read to each other! Please also have your child read aloud to you for some of their practice. Our goal at WMES is to have students increase their reading fluency, which will lead to improved reading comprehension.

Please join me in welcoming Ms. Stephanie Laut to the White Marsh family! Ms. Laut has joined our team as our long term substitute teacher for Music. She will be teaching all students general Music, and will also teach Band, Strings and Chorus.

Please note a change to the anticipated date of the Winter Concert for Kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2. Due to the change in teachers, as well as losing days due to inclement weather, the concert has been postponed to March 20, 2025. The Spring Concert for Band, Chorus and Strings is on the calendar for May 22, 2025.

This week, parents of third grade students will receive the results of the Naglieri Nonverbal Ability Test, Third Edition (NNAT3) which was administered to students earlier this year. An information sheet will be sent as well as your child's results. Look for this to come home in Wednesday folders.

It's that time of year when we run out of some supplies. The Bears are in need of Tissues and the Art Room is in need of Clorox/Lysol wipes. We have a donation box in the foyer. Please send some in if you are able.

Jan 28 Report Cards Distributed

Jan 31 Professional Day, No School for Students

Feb 3-7 School Counselor Appreciation Week

Feb 3 Tentative Delivery and Pickup: Joe Corbi's fundraiser

Feb 4 PTA Meeting, 6:30 pm

Feb 6 100th Day of School (As long as there are no more snow days!)

Feb 7 WMES Spirit Day!

Feb 10 - 14 PTA Pencil Gram Fundraiser

Feb 14 2 hr. Early Dismissal

Feb 17 Presidents Day Holiday

It's that time of year when we look more to the weather forecasts to see about the possibility of inclement weather. A reminder that if schools are delayed, closed, or closing early, there are several ways to be aware of the status. The status of schools will be noted on the St. Mary's County Public Schools website. Click here for a description of the school status codes. In addition, if your information is in our system you may receive an automated phone call or email. Another way to get information is through texts; for this, you must opt in. See the information towards the end of this Smore to opt in to text messages from SMCPS.

A Week: Wednesday and Friday

B Week: Wednesday and Thursday

Students should bring their instruments and supplies with them on Wednesday. It's not expected for students to have all supplies and materials the first week or two of instruction. Students who are interested in renting an instrument from WMES will be notified if an instrument is available to rent from the school.

In order to participate, Band and Strings students must have their supplies!

Click Here for Band Supplies

Click Here for Strings Supplies

Our staff is also impacted by new guidelines regarding the use of cell phones during instruction. Please know that if you reach out to teachers during the day via Class Dojo or email they may not receive the message until after dismissal. For changes to your student's dismissal procedures, or other important messages, please call the Main Office.

Here Comes the Bus®

Available to parents of students riding SMCPS School Buses

• View the real-time location of your child’s bus
• Access the app from your smartphone, tablet or computer
• Receive push notifications or email alerts
• Send your child to the bus stop at just the right time, every time

How to get started:

1. Download the Here Comes the Bus app* or visit herecomesthebus.com
2. Click the Sign Up button
3. Enter school code (86563) and click “Next” followed by “Confirm”
4. Complete the “User Profile” box
5. Under “My Students,” click “Add.” Enter your child’s last name and student ID number
6. Once you confirm your information, you’re ready to begin using Here Comes the Bus!

All absences count towards a child's school attendance, including both lawful and unlawful. Remember, students missing 1 day will miss 7 hours of instruction. We need the Bears here all day, every day. See the Student Handbook for more information on absences. Feel free to reach out to Nurse Parrish if student health concerns/questions arise.

You will receive a weekly Smore newsletter from Principal Steele on Sunday evenings. The newsletter will be sent to the email we have on file in the Main Office. Newsletters are also posted on our website. Please be sure to be familiar with the information in each newsletter; current information is kept at the top, and review information is posted under the "General Reminders" section.

In addition to the School Newsletter, your child's classroom teacher will communicate with you on a regular basis. You are invited to sign up for the Class Dojo.

Here is the electronic version of the WMES Family Handbook for you to view. It has important information about school policies and practices, including Volunteer Information, Breakfast and Lunches, School Celebrations, and more!

SMCPS Text Alerts are a great way to get information quickly. They are not sent often, and usually only in the event of an unexpected school delay or closure. On occasion, WMES will send a text alert about a late bus, substitute bus, or school event. Click the link for information about registering for text alerts.

A copy of the current School Supply List can be found on our school website. Feel free to have students bring their school supplies to Open House so that they don't have to carry them on the bus the first day of school.

As a reminder, returning students should have their devices (and charger) at home. Students in Grades 3-5 will transport their device to and from school daily. Students in Grades 1 and 2, wait for information from your teacher about bringing your device to school. This device is checked out to your student, and families may be responsible for replacing the device if damaged or lost.

For more information including replacement fees, see the SMCPS Student Device and Resource Accountability document.

Please note- when signing out a student from school you will be asked to present your photo ID every time.

From the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE)-

Chronic Absenteeism: Students are chronically absent when absent 10% or more of the school days while enrolled at that school. For example, a student who is registered to attend a school for 30 days and who is absent 3 of those 30 days is considered chronically absent.

WMES will follow up with chronically absent students through the Pupil Services Team, Pupil Personnel Worker, and the Department of Student Services. In order to reduce the number of our students with Chronic Absenteeism, incentives to encourage good attendance include participation in the Bear Crawl, Running Club, and School Dance.

Julia Steele, Principal

Email: jwsteele@smcps.org
Website: wmes.smcps.org
Location: 29090 Thompson Corner Road, Mechanicsville, MD, USA
Phone: (301)472-4600