Dear Otter Community,

I am pleased to announce that all classrooms, grades PreK-5th, earned an attendance rate greater than 94% for the time measured from the start of the school year through September 27th. 5th grade had the highest attendance rate for the whole school! Way to go, Otters! The PTA will be supplying us with popsicles for students to have at the end of their lunch period on Tuesday, October 8th.

I continued my weekly message for students this week. I covered the topics listed below. I share this with you so that you can connect home to school and have conversations with your child about these things. I will continue to be on the lookout for LEGO clean bathrooms again this week. Remember, when all four group bathrooms earn three LEGOs, the whole school receives 10 extra minutes of recess!

• Hand to Self
• I have had to remind several students across grade levels this week about keeping their hands to themselves.
• I reiterated to students that there are no games or any reason whatsoever for them to be putting their hands on one another at school.
• I also reiterated that we do not use our hands to solve a problem. We use words like, "That bothers me, please stop.", or we move away from the problem, or we ask the nearest adult for help. Never, under any circumstances, do we use our hands to solve a problem

Finally, Dr. Smith and the Student Member of the Board of Education (SMOB) visited our 5th grade students on Thursday. A great time was had by all! A recap of their visit can be seen at the start of the Board of Education meeting on Wednesday evening at 6:00 pm. Visit smcps.org to watch the meeting virtually or to get a link to the SMCPS YouTube channel to watch it later.

Otterly Yours,

Mrs. Anderson

The office will be open Monday - Friday from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm.

Please click on the links below to access public calendars.

Our school's overall attendance rate, as reported to MSDE, for the school year so far is 95.13%. The goal is 94%.

This is the time of year where I switch to sharing data about attendance on a weekly basis and how it changes from week to week. Below are the attendance rates for each grade level for the period of

August 21st - September 27th.

PreK: 94.5%

Kindergarten: 95.6%

1st Grade: 94.4%

2nd Grade: 95.6%

3rd Grade: 94.1%

4th Grade: 95.5%

5th Grade: 95.8%

OES will be having a Fall Book Fair from Fri Oct 11th - Friday Oct 18th. Currently, we are looking for volunteers to help run this fair. We usually have two volunteer shifts. The morning shift runs from 9:30 - 12:30 and the afternoon shift runs from 12:15 - 3:30 . If you are interested, please contact Mrs. Cummins jmcummins@smcps.org

The Book Fair will run Fri Oct 11 through Friday Oct 18 in the OES Media Center during school hours.

Parents are invited to shop Fri Oct 18 (Trunk or Treat) 5:30 - 7:00.

Online Emergency Information Update Messaging: Effective communication is critical to the success of St. Mary’s County Public Schools (SMCPS). This will be crucial not only for emergencies but for our ability to communicate with families in general. Online Emergency Information Update Forms are now available through the student’s Home Access Center (HAC). Once logged in, directions to access the online form can be found HERE. A video with instructions is available HERE. It is vital that all information is updated in eSchool. The deadline for the online submission of Emergency Information Update forms is October 31st, 2024. Please click here for the Blank Emergency Form. If you have any questions, please contact The Department of Student Services at 301-475-5511 ext.32150.

Parents of young children and local Childcare Providers are invited to participate in a Conscious Discipline workshop Tuesday, October 15, 2024, from 5:30-7:00 p.m. The Building from the Beginning workshop will be held in the Dohrman rooms at the Dr. James A. Forrest Career & Technology Center. Mission BBQ has graciously offered to provide dinner to the first 100 people who register. Childcare is not available. Please refer to the flier here for more details. Use this Registration Form if you are interested. Local childcare providers may register here and SMCPS will pursue MSDE Core of Knowledge Hours on their behalf.

Keep this list somewhere handy!

Monday, October 7th

9:00 am - 3:45 pm

• PTA Cookie Sale Fundraiser

Tuesday, October 8th

9:00 am - 3:45 pm

• PTA Cookie Sale Fundraiser
• PTA Attendance Popsicles

Wednesday, October 9th

9:00 am - 3:45 pm

• PTA Cookie Sale Fundraiser
• PTA Meeting at 4:00 pm in the Cafeteria (see below for more details)
• Board of Education Meeting @6:00 pm at Central Office (Moakley Street)

Thursday, October 10th

9:00 am - 3:45 pm

• PTA Cookie Sale Fundraiser

Friday, October 11th

9:00 am - 3:45 pm

• PTA Cookie Sale Fundraiser
• Fall Book Fair begins during school hours only

October 28th - November 1st

St. Mary’s County Public Schools (SMCPS) students use the Internet and other instructional computer resources in school. It is important that you and your student review this information each year. Within this policy is the Google Workspace for Education Additional Services Agreement. Students in grades PreK - 5th grade do not need to complete an AUP this school year. They will not be accessing additional services within Google Workspace for Education beyond the core features.

Now is a great time to find your laptop and charger. Please run all of the updates and make sure that it is working order. Chargers are to remain at home.

All SMCPS laptops come with the same responsibility of care and upkeep as any other loaned resources. Textbooks, novels, laptops and chargers can incur a debt if lost or damaged. Please refer to the student accountability newsletter that has been added to our weekly school newsletters.

Hello OES Otter Families,

I am Hannah Pratz, and I am so excited to be returning to the OES family this school year! I have been a school nurse for 25 years and have loved every minute! I love what I do and my door is always open! Don't hesitate to pop in the health suite or cut through!

All medications must be accompanied by an order before they can be given at school. We CANNOT give any medication without the medical order. Please contact me beginning on August 14th with any questions.

See you all soon!

FAQ for the start of the year:

When should I keep my child home from school?

• Fever >100.0, vomiting, diarrhea, or pink and crusty eyes
• Symptoms of COVID-19 like illness OR symptoms or an illness that do not resolve after home interventions
• Your child has been directed to quarantine by the local health department

One community committed to the learning and safety of all children.

Community is important to us. We strive to have the words "goal-oriented", "fun", "inclusive", and "thriving" used to describe our community. We believe that children learn and adults work best in an environment where they feel respected and safe. We are focused on four areas in our development of community: 1) Cultivating respectful, supportive relationships among students, teachers, and parents, 2) Emphasizing common purposes and ideals, 3) Providing opportunities for service and cooperation, and 4) Providing opportunities for independence and influence.

Email: lpanderson@smcps.org
Website: https://schools.smcps.org/oes/
Location: 26410 Three Notch Road, Mechanicsville, MD, USA
Phone: (301) 373-4365
Facebook: facebook.com/smcps.org