Panda Nation News

Many, many thanks to our PAWSitively Amazing PTO for all they did last week to show our teachers and staff member just how much they love and sppreciate all they do!❤

Third grade finishes MCAP math testing this week and they are doing a wonderful job! They're working hard, do their best and NEVER give up! Thank you for supporting them in being well-rested and arriving at school on time. We are so proud of them, and soon we'll be celebrating them for all their hard work and perserverance later this month! Panda Nation rocks!!

Mark your calendar and get ready to join us for our 70th Anniversary BBQ Bash on Tursday, June 6th from 4:30-6:30!! Check out the flyer below and get ready to celebrate 70 years of excellence with us! Food, Games, Giveaways, Student Summer Swag Bags, and so much more! Stay tuned for more info and on how to RSVP soon!🎉🐼❤

Panda Love to All!

Mrs. Schou, Principal

Mr. Engel-Cope, Assistant Principal

Mrs. Melissa Bean, Academic Dean

“May is the month of expectation, the month of wishes, the month of hope.”

-Emily Brontë

St. Mary’s County Public Schools, in collaboration with Healthy St. Mary’s Partnership, is hosting a Surf the Mental Health & Wellness Wave: A Resource & Education Fair on May 18, 2024, from 10 AM-3 PM, at the James A. Forrest Career & Technology Center. Come interact with and gather information from over 35 Mental Health & Wellness vendors. There will be numerous guest speakers and presentations on several different mental health and wellness topics. Use the QR code in the health fair flyer to view the schedule of events. In addition, there will be food trucks, door prizes, and lots of fun! Please join us!!

Please be sure to follow our Lexington Park Elementary PTO Facebook page. We have a lot of events coming up for the end of the year and would like to make sure you stay up to date with information.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093138911232&mibextid=ZbWKwL

Summer Sports Academies: SMCPS and SMC R&P have partnered to offer the new Summer Sports Academies. Campers will be instructed by area high school coaches. Camps are held Monday - Thursday. Click below for more information. Registration began March 1st. Don't miss this opportunity.

• https://www.stmaryscountymd.gov/recreate/camps

• https://www.stmaryscountymd.gov/docs/thescoop.pdf

Parents or guardians of children receiving special education and related services were mailed the Maryland Special Education Parent Involvement Survey from the Maryland State Department of Education, Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services during the week of February 12, 2024. Parents are asked to complete the survey and return it in the postage-paid envelope by May 24, 2024. The Survey may also be completed online. Your feedback will help guide efforts to improve special education and related services in your local school system. Your voice can make a real difference for your child and many other children across the state of Maryland. To learn more, please visit https://www.mdparentsurvey.com.

We are committed to partnering with you to make sure the sky is limit for our Panda Nation scholars! Our Family Engagement Plan outlines how we will do that, and our Family Engagement Calendar lets all of us know when we will come together to make our plan come alive. Please take a few minutes to review both the plan & the calendar!

Our Home/School Compact in both English & Spanish outlines our commitment to ensuring student success. Hopefully you received and signed a copy at the August 21st Open House & September 28th Back to School Night, but if you didn't get on yet, don't worry, your child's teacher will have one for you at the Family/Teacher Conferences on October 9th.

Thank you for working together with us to make this a PAWSitively Amazing Year!

The SMCPS Equity for All Website features updated monthly celebrations, best practices resources, and a newly added Community Resource page. The purpose of the Equity for All site is to provide resources and supports for promoting excellence and equity in St. Mary's County Public Schools.

• May 14: Primary Election: School is closed for students
• May 16: 4th Gr. Bay Sox Field Trip
• May 17: 3rd Gr. Calvert Marine Museum Field Trip
• May 22: 9:15 First Grade Showcase
• May 22:12:30: Fourth Gr. Showcase
• May 27: Memorial Day-School is closed for students
• May 31: 9:00: Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast
• June 4: Field Day
• June 5:
• 9:00: Kindergarten EOY Celebration
• 10:30: Pre-K EOY Celebration
• June 6:
• 2-hr. Early Dismissal
• 4:30-6:00: Panda Nation 70th Anniversary BBQ Bash
• June 7:
• 2 hr. Early Dismissal
• 9:00: 5th Gr. EOY Celebration

Please update your contact information with the office. It is critical that we have the most recent information for contacting our families.

UPDATE MY INFORMATION

To help you navigate all the new elements of the school year and keep you informed about upcoming programs & events, we will communicate information frequently and in several ways. They are listed below for your reference.

• Weekly Phone/Email & Schoology Message: At 6:00 on Sunday you will receive a phone message & email from us sharing information about the upcoming week.
• Class DoJo: Very soon your child’s teacher will invite you to join Class DoJo. We use this platform because it is secure/members only and allows us to share a wide variety of information with you. Please join our DoJo family!
• Our LPES Website and Twitter feed: The LPES website has a wide variety of information for you and is updated regularly. We love to share all the wonderful things our students & teachers are doing, so we tweet just about every day. Follow us on Twitter @lpes_smcps
• Technology Needs: if you are new to the school or need a device from SMCPS please complete the survey here.

Email: raschou@smcps.org
Website: https://schools.smcps.org/lpes/
Phone: (301)863-4085
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smcps.org/posts/971720426301468
Twitter: @lpes_smcps