This is a regular 5-day week.

Monday, November 18th:

• Quarterly Grade-level Town Halls will take place during periods 1, 2, & 3. Town Halls are an opportunity to celebrate our students successes during the previous marking period as well as clarify expectations and prepare students to have an excellent next marking period.

Wednesday, November 20th:

• PTSA Restaurant Night at Potomac Pizza Traville, 4 - 9 pm, mention Lakelands Park and 20% goes to our school!
• Montgomery County Youth Town Hall (SSL Opportunity), in-person with pizza 6pm or on Zoom 7pm

Friday, November 22nd:

• Falcon Bucks Stores Open 7:50-8:15 am, sign-up to volunteer

Looking Ahead:

Monday, November 25th:

• Early Release Day with dismissal at 12:30pm
• Parent Teacher Conferences, details below.
  
• PTSA Staff Appreciation Dinner, sign up or see below to donate.

Tuesday, November 26th:

• Early Release day with dismissal at 12:30pm
• Wingspan Day!
• Registration for Basketball closes.
• Last day of the SGA Food Drive Grade Level Contest.
• Last day to submit MSP ARTWork Against Hate Poster (SSL opportunity)

Wednesday-Friday, November 27-29: No school for Thanksgiving.

Tuesday, December 10th: LPMS PTSA Staff Appreciation Cookie Exchange, your help needed!

Let's have a great week!

Sincerely,

Rose Alvarez

Principal

Para traducir este boletín, seleccione "español" en "Translate Newsletter" encima.

Parent-teacher conferences will be held Monday, November 25th from 1:20pm to 6:20pm at Lakelands Park Middle School! Please note that teachers will have a dinner break from 5:00pm to 5:45pm to enjoy a meal provided by the PTSA and will be unavailable at that time.

Purpose of Conferences

If you are new to middle school, conferences in middle school serve a different purpose than at the elementary level. In middle school, conferences focus more on problem-solving and addressing specific concerns, rather than giving a comprehensive update from each teacher. Parents who choose to participate usually meet with one or two teachers as needed to support their child’s growth during this transitional stage.

Math and English Conferences: Registration Now Open!

• Due to high demand, Math and English conferences will only be available by sign-up on Synergy ParentVue started November 10th at 6:30pm.
• For each child, parents/guardians may choose one conference for either Math or English.

• To schedule a conference with a Math or English teacher, please log into your ParentVUE account.
• Please click Conference in the Navigation Bar to see available times and to reserve a time slot (user guide; pg. 89).
• If you are unable to schedule a conference for November 25th, please contact the teacher(s) directly to schedule alternative options.

All Other Conferences: Drop-in!

All other teachers will be available on a drop-in, first come, first served basis. Simply come to parent-teacher conference night with the names and subject area of teachers you would like to speak to. We will have clearly marked signs and other staff members to assist you in locating teachers.

Translation

Translators will be available. Bilingual high school students from QOHS and NWHS will be at Lakelands to assist with translation.

From the PTSA

The PTSA would like to show our support to the teachers and staff during conferences by providing a pizza and salad dinner that night. We are looking for donations of drinks and snacks as well as a monetary donation to go towards the dinner. Please see the sign-up genius here as well as the website to donate. Thank you for all your support!

If you have any questions about parent-teacher conferences, please contact Mr. Rob O'Dell, Assistant Principal, at robert_k_o'dell@mcpsmd.org.

Calling all bakers and decorators! The happiest LPMS event of the year is here! Help us transform the staff lounge into a winter wonderland, filled with special treats for the staff to enjoy and share with their families. Use the link below to donate time, decorations, homemade or store bought treats, and more!

Sign up to donate here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080845A8AB2EA20-53131091-2024

Sign up to make a monetary contribution towards this event. https://lpmsptsa.givebacks.com/store/items/1133783

Our SGA is calling on the LPMS community to support the Prathertown Food Drive with a grade-level competition running until November 30th. Let's see which grade-level is the most generous! The winning grade-level will win a trophy and a small prize. The most needed food items are listed in the image below. Students can drop off food items in their grade-level location:

6th Grade: Ms. Leblanc's Classroom, Room 250

7th Grade: Ms. Wilson's Classroom, Room 350

8th Grade: Mr. Kingren's Classroom, Room 168

Thanks for supporting this worthy cause.

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Your Teachers

(but were afraid to ask)

Friday, December 6th at 7pm & Saturday, December 7th at 1 pm

All tickets are sold online, first come, first serve

Finally your timeless questions about teachers will be answered through a series of hilarious revelations -- from a gameshow revealing your teacher's teenage years to a battle of core subject teachers vs. electives... By the end you'll know why teachers drink so much coffee and what to do if an unexpected encounter occurs in public.

Tickets for Friday, Dec. 6th at 7 pm please use this link: https://mcpsmd.schoolcashonline.com/Fee/Details/75991/354/False/True

Tickets for Saturday, Dec. 7th at 1 pm please use this link: https://mcpsmd.schoolcashonline.com/Fee/Details/75998/354/False/True

Saturday, November 16th and Saturday, November 23rd
Show Times: 2:00pm and 7:30pm

"You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" offers a charming and light-hearted portrayal of a day in the life of Charlie Brown and his friends from the "Peanuts" comic strip. Throughout the show, Charlie Brown and the gang encounter themes of friendship, self-discovery, and the simple joys of life, culminating in the realization that happiness can be found in the little things.

Tickets are $8 for QO Students, $12 for adults, and $10 for others. Cash or check at the door or ahead of time with GoFan.

Amazon Wishlist: The kids are loving the Falcon Bucks Store and we want to continue to encourage their positive behavior and interactions. Thank you to everyone who has already donated! Our inventory is ready for a refresh so if you would like to contribute please see our Amazon Wishlist. Click here: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/NC8EIRQQZGBL?ref_=wl_share

Donate: Additionally if you have leftover party favors or gift bag items in your home that you would like to donate please drop them in the box labeled "Falcon Bucks Store" in the office and we would be happy to repurpose them to the Falcon Bucks Store!

Volunteer: Please sign up to support our Falcon Bucks stores in each grade level area every other Friday morning. This opportunity does not involve the exchange of actual money. Volunteer here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090F4EA5A928AA8-51042751-falcon#/

PTSA believes that together we can make every child’s potential a reality—but we need more believers like YOU. We need YOU. Will you join us?

Click here to Join or Donate to the PTSA

Direct Appeal Donation is our PTSA's primary fundraiser, accounting for about 35% of our PTSA budget. It is, quite simply, a straight-forward request for donations directly to the PTSA in lieu of more traditional fundraisers which involve selling products in exchange for a small portion of the proceeds.

With Direct Appeal, 100% of your contribution goes directly to funding the LPMS PTSA's programs and events. Please make your contribution today.

100% benefits LPMS PTSA

Zero overhead

No selling

Tax deductible

On Tuesdays and Thursdays, students who are GYC members can participate in basketball and other games with GYC staff during the last 20 minutes of lunch, for each grade-level.

• Not a member of GYC? It's only $20 for the entire school year. Click here to learn more and to join.
• Between the Bells is weather permitting. Additionally, GYC maintains a 15 to 1 student to staff ratio, so if we have too many interested students, we will implement a rotation between Tuesday and Thursday.
• Thank you to our PTSA for advocating for this activity to support our children's physical and mental health!

Join the GYC today! https://www.gaithersburgmd.gov/recreation/youth-teen-activities/gaithersburg-youth-club

Each year, we connect our families with the Montgomery County Holiday Giving Project which supports families experiencing financial hardship during the holiday season. If your family is facing financial challenges or if you have any questions about the program, please reach out to our Counseling Secretary and Registrar, Denise Perez, at Denise_F_Perez@mcpsmd.org or call 240-740-6460. Rest assured, the identities of participating families will remain confidential. Please contact Ms. Denise Perez before the deadlines listed below. Unfortunately, the program does not accept late referrals.

• Friday, November 22 – Last day for December referrals

Students who choose to eat the school breakfast and/or lunch must purchase these items this year or receive them free by applying for FARMs. Students will use their student ID number to access their lunch account at mealtime. Breakfast is $1.30 and lunch is $2.80. There are also a la carte options for purchase. Menus are updated regularly at the MCPS Food and Nutrition Services website.

Online PrePayments with MySchoolBucks

English | español | 中文 | français | tiếng Việt | 한국어 | አማርኛ

MySchoolBucks is an optional service for parents to view recent purchases and make prepayments to your child's cafeteria account for breakfast, lunch and a la carte meals via the Internet with a credit/debit card. This service is offered as a convenience for interested families. By creating a secure online account, parents can manage their child's account. Click here to sign up or access your child's account: www.MySchoolBucks.com.

Students may qualify for free or reduced-price meals based on household size and income. They may also qualify if they are receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA), or Medicaid benefits. Families may apply for meal benefits by completing an Application for Free and Reduced-Price Meals for the current school year. Students who qualify for reduced-price meals will not be charged that cost - meaning that reduced-price students will eat for free. Families that qualify for Free and Reduced Meals (FARMs) are encouraged to apply now to avoid longer processing times in the Fall. Click here to apply: https://www.myschoolapps.com/. Several family food programs are tied to FARMS status.

How-to videos for the online FARMS application:

Spanish Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsdCrtCIFJc&t=4s
English Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJUapGLarBo

Basketball registration will open next week. The middle school interscholastic athletics program is available for students in 7th and 8th grades and consists of three sport seasons, including fall (cross country and softball), winter (basketball), and spring (soccer). All students interested in participating in any athletic season, as part of the MCPS interscholastic athletics program, must complete the online registration process. Registration is done electronically through ParentVUE. Each student athlete must have a signed copy of a physical from the doctor within the last TWO years. No student will be able to participate in athletics without it. Please click here to read a letter with important dates, deadlines, and resources.

• Registration OPENS: Monday, October 28, 2024
• Registration DEADLINE: Tuesday, November 26, 2024
• Tryouts are scheduled to begin on December 10, 2024

Click here to visit our websites athletics page for the athletics schedule and other important information regarding our athletics program.

Lakelands Park Middle School offers an exciting variety of after-school opportunities from 3:15 to 4:30 pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays (excluding half days and unscheduled early release days). Some of our activities are starting this week! Our clubs are open to all students in all grades and no pre-registration is necessary. We encourage our students to show up on the first day and learn more.

On the days we have after-school activities, students will report to the Cafeteria at 3:00 pm. We will serve a hot meal from 3:00 to 3:15 pm, and students will be dismissed at 3:15 pm to their activities.

While participating in after-school activities, students can practice leadership skills, improve their academic, musical, and athletic abilities, and participate in other endeavors that suit their creativity and personal interests. Under the supervision of a supportive, caring, and competent professional staff member or volunteer, a student will often develop an avocation that will remain a lifelong interest and source of enjoyment.

Click here to visit our Activities webpage to learn more about this activities and others! You can also see our activity bus calendar and routes. Activity busses typically run Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

Monday, November 25th: Early Release Day, Parent-Teacher Conferences

Tuesday, November 26th: Early Release Day + Wingspan Day

Tuesday, November 26th: Basketball Registration Closes

Weds-Fri, November 27th-29th: No School, Thanksgiving

Fri-Sat, December 6th-7th: Fall Production, Everything You Wanted to Know About Your Teachers

Tuesday, December 10th: PTSA Cookie Exchange Staff Appreciation Event

Tuesday, December 10th: Outdoor Education Parent Meeting, 6 pm

Tuesday, December 10th: Winter Band Concert, 7 - 9 pm

Weds-Fri, December 11th-13th: Finance Park 7th Grade Field Trip

Wednesday, December 11th: Winter Choral Concert, 7 - 9 pm

Thursday, December 12th: Winter Orchestra & Jazz Concert, 7 - 9pm

Friday, December 14th: Marking Period 2 Interim Reports Submitted

Monday, December 23rd to Wednesday, January 1st: Winter Break, No School

Check out the Who's Who to know who to contact. During the school year, if your question is about your child's class, the first person to contact is always your child's teacher. Use Synergy to quickly email your child's teachers or see our Staff Directory.

Email: Rose_S_Alvarez@mcpsmd.org
Website: https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/lakelandsparkms/
Location: Lakelands Park Middle School, 1200 Main Street, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
Phone: (240)740-6450
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LPMSPTSA/