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Dent Dolphin Details

Family Issue #25

Dent DolphinDetailsFamily Issue #25

B Week: 2/24-28/2025

Greetings Dolphin Families,


Happy Last Week of February!


This week's newsletter is packed with updates, upcoming events, and LMDES info to keep us all on track as we head into March. Be sure to read through so you don’t miss a thing! Thank you for your support and for being an active part of your child's education.


All the best,

Mrs. Lindsay G. Brenfleck, Principal

Mr. Joseph D. Farrell, Assistant Principal

📄 In This Issue 📄

Attendance Matters!

🔔 When you're well, be here before the bell! 🔔

School attendance has a huge impact on a student’s academic success starting in prekindergarten and continuing through 12th grade. Families play a key role in making sure students get to school safely every day. Regular and consistent attendance is necessary for student achievement, graduation, and career and college readiness.
Link: Absence Reporting Form
If your child needs to miss school, you must report the absence. Complete the linked form OR email ldbattenfield@smcps.org with the reason for the absence.

Notable Dates


📢 UPDATE:

  • Fri, Mar 7: Schools in Session, with a 2-hour early dismissal.


  • Mar 10-13: 5th Grade MISA
  • Tues, Mar 11: LMDES PTA Meeting


Movement Mondays:

Wear athletic gear!


Fridays are School Spirit Days:

Wear Red & Gray or an LMDES Shirt!

SMCPS Calendar Change

The Board of Education approved an amendement to the 2024-2025 School Year Calendar to provide a make-up day for the use of inclement weather days. Schools will be in session on March 7, 2025, with a 2-hour early dismissal. To view the full school year calendar, visit www.smcps.org/calendar.


2024-2025 School Year Calendar -PDF

Our Read Across America Spirit Week has been updated to include a School Spirit Day on Thursday, March 6 and Character Day will be on Friday, March 7.

March 3-6 Read Across America Spirit Week

Lost & Found

Our Lost & Found is overflowing with hoodies, water bottles, lunch containers, and more! 🧥🎒🥤 Watch these brief videos to see if any of these items belong to you. Remind your child to claim their lost items from the stage before they are donated!

LMDES Lost and Found
LMDES Lost & Found

Attention Pre-K Families

Upcoming Family Engagement Opportunities

Save the Dates!

Pre-K Expo

Please join us at the Pre-K Expo on March 3rd at the JAFCTC at 6:00 p.m. Parents, guardians, and their children are most welcome to participate.

Conscious Discipline Series

Please join us for a 6 part series of Virtual Conscious Discipline Workshops, with 1 In-Person Session, with Lead Conscious Discipline Instructors Amy Speidel and Lety Valero.

Congratulations All-County Band & Orchestra Students

A huge shout-out to the following Dolphin musicians who played magnificently and represented our school so well on Thursday evening:

  • Bella Ortega (trombone)
  • Austin Hager (trombone)
  • Carly Weimert (violin)
  • Carter Stewart (violin)
  • Cole Wright (violin)
  • Gabrielle Leiendecker (cello)
  • Jameson Price (cello)


Bravo to our band and orchestra teacher, Mrs. Holm! Thank you for teaching and encouraging our students on their musical journeys!


Select here for the program.

4th & 5th Grade Student Data Meetings

Checking In on Student Growth!

Over the past two weeks, Principal Brenfleck facilitated mid-year student data meetings with our 4th and 5th graders. Students analyzed their progress by comparing their data to SMCPS and LMDES averages, their beginning-of-year scores, and the expected benchmarks for their grade level.


We encourage you to ask your student to show you their student data sheet (accessible through student logins on Google Drive) with you and discuss their growth! If you have any questions, please reach out to your child’s classroom teacher or our instructional resource teachers—4th grade: Mrs. Edwards, kaedwards@smcps.org; 5th grade: Mrs. Kirkland, dmkirkland@smcps.org.

SMCPS Title IX Information

Please review the information from SMCPS regarding District and Federal Title IX requirements and reporting procedures. If you have any questions, reach out to Sarah Van Howe, our Title IX Coordinator, at savanhowe@smcps.org, or Rhonda Hunt, our District Title IX Coordinator, at 301-475-5511. You can also visit the SMCPS Title IX Webpage.

Wiggle Bot Races

Our 3rd graders put their STEM skills to the test, building and racing their own wiggle bots!

Presidents' Day Activity

Mrs. Dines, Mrs. Morales, and Mrs. Crim's students read a story about George Washington and talked about Presidents' Day. They made George Washington masks to go along with the book.

Yearbooks on Sale

Do You Want to Build a Snowman?

Thank you, Ms. Nored!

Retired teacher, Ms. Nored, supplied Mrs. Alderson and Mrs. Koerper's students with the pieces to build a snowman!



⛄

PTA News & Information

March PTA Meeting

Event Information

LMDES PTA Meeting

All are welcome to join us

When?

Tuesday, Mar 11, 2025, 04:15 PM

Where?

LMDES Media Center or meet.google.com/thb-ykju-mxe

Thank You!

Drift Inn Crab House Spirit Night

Many thanks to all who came out to support LMDES at the PTA Spirit Night!

First Grade Fixes and Forts

FIXES: Peer Editors at Work

First graders reviewed each other’s writing, checking for capital letters, punctuation, and sentence sense.

FORTS: Engineering in Action

First graders designed hibernation stations to keep animals warm and safe in winter.

Important Action Item: Impact Aid Forms

Did you complete the Impact Aid form in HAC last fall?

If not, Online Federal Impact Aid Forms are still 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.


If you already completed this important action item, thank you!

Check our Nutrislice Webpage to:


  • View Helpful nutrition info
  • Download our FREE mobile app!
  • Print menus
Meal Benefit Application
Children need healthy meals to learn. SMCPS offers healthy meals every school day.
Breakfast costs $1.75; lunch costs $3.00.
Your student may qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
Please complete the meal benefit application.
My School Bucks
SMCPS families may pay for school meals with MySchoolBucks! View balances and purchases, schedule automatic payments, receive notifications when your student's meal balance is low, and make payments on the go with the mobile app.
Food Services Updates
What's New With School Meals?

Helpful Information Worth Repeating

LMDES School-Wide Expectations

Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary is a Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) School.


We encourage you to ask your child about "Dolphin Dollars" and our LMDES Schoolwide Expectations!

Bus Safety & Expectations

Please take a few moments to view the video below and review the Student Rules for Transportation with your student(s). Student safety on the bus is the shared responsibility of students, parents, bus drivers, and the school.


Regularly reviewing bus expectations with your student will help ensure a safe ride to and from school each day. Riding the bus is a privilege; it takes all of us to safely transport our students each day. Thank you for your support!

SMCPS Policies and Guidelines

Box Tops for Education App

Download the Box Tops for Education app, scan your receipts, and earn cash for our school!


Thank you for your support!

Technology Information

LMDES_SMCPS Student Laptop Expectations
Please review the laptop expectations with your student.

Digital Citizenship Resources

Join us in promoting a healthy, positive approach to technology use!



Please consider sharing these social emotional learning and digital citizenship conversation starters in the car, at the table or at another time you can have a connection to learn more about your child and guide them to the best version of themselves:

Sharing time with your student discussing such important thing can lead to a calmer, more confident child.
Link: Directions to Receive Text Alerts
Stay up to date on events, closings, and alerts from LMDES and SMCPS.

Lettie Marshall Dent Elementary

Mrs. Lindsay G. Brenfleck, Principal

Mr. Joseph D. Farrell, Assistant Principal


We welcome your questions and inquiries. Please call 301-472-4500, refer to the SMCPS Website, or our LMDES website for additional information.


Website: https://lmdes.smcps.org/

Twitter X: @lmdes_smcps


Phone: 301-472-4500

LMDES School Vision
LMDES strives to create a nurturing and inclusive community where every student thrives socially, emotionally, and academically. We prioritize strong relationships among all stakeholders, open communication, and meeting students' diverse needs. We aim to develop well-rounded, future-ready learners who embrace lifelong learning and contribute positively to our community.