The Seahawk News

The first week of the 2025 school year is complete and it was OUTSTANDING! Students were meeting expectations and showing strong character through acts of kindness helping each other as everyone transitioned back to school! Next week, we have our Character Assemblies with all grade levels to review expectations and focus on how to show Respect during the month of September.

Our Seahawk staff welcomed a new arrival to our nest! Kathleen Taylor, special educator, and her husband, Kirk, welcomed their new daughter💗 on Thursday evening! Congratulations to all and we can't wait to meet her!

As a I shared in last week's news, at SES, we work collaboratively in teams to achieve the high standards we expect from our students and ourselves. Our Leadership Team works together to lead and guide decisions within our school, along with the MTSS team. Our team monitors all implementation, gives feedback and supports all aspects of our school. I am blessed to have such an amazing group of educators who are my teammates in leading the school! I hope you enjoy getting to know more about each of them below! Have a great extended weekend! ~Pam Myrick

Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year! I hope that everyone had a great summer! My name is Amanda Merillat; I am the assistant principal. If your child has a 504 plan or an IEP, you will work directly with me, this year.

This is my 23rd year in education! I spent 18 years in the classroom teaching grades K-4. After leaving the classroom, I was an instructional coach and dean before becoming an assistant principal. I’ve worked in 3 elementary schools in Calvert County. I love working with children and teachers. I have a strong passion for ensuring that ALL students have a sense of belonging at school and that they learn to their fullest potential. School is for EVERYONE. ALL students. I stepped out of my comfort zone this summer when I was asked to present for Anne Arundel County Public Schools teachers and administrators on the benefits of including students with disabilities in the general education setting. It was such a great experience as I worked and grew with so many other educators!

One of my goals, this year, is to have an information night to help parents understand the supports that are in place for students at SES. Our admin team constantly tracks academic and social emotional behavior for all students. We put necessary supports in place so that they can learn.

On a personal note, I live in Saint Leonard with my husband and 3 teenagers. Aspen and Brooke are 14 years old, and Denver is 16 years old. They all attend Calvert High, this year. We spend many evenings in the fall at Calvert High, watching all three children play soccer. Our weekends are filled with soccer games and tournaments. My son started playing lacrosse, this year, as well. We are a snow skiing family, too! We spend as much time in the winter traveling to our favorite ski places in Colorado and California. This past summer, we got a puppy. She is a medium size Bernedoodle. Her name is Telli (short for Telluride) and she is the sweetest girl ever. It is hard to leave her in the mornings to go to work.

I am so blessed to be a part of the Seahawk family. I believe we have the most professional and hard-working staff in Calvert County. On our student climate survey from last school year, 93% of students said that they have at least 1 adult in the building that they trust and 90% of students stated that their teachers care about them. We consistently score among the top elementary schools on reading and math assessments at the county and at the state level. Last year, Ms. Myrick (Kasulke) was named Principal of the Year and Meagan Jeffries was named Teacher of the Year for Calvert County Public Schools. Our students are incredibly kind. Each day they greet us with smiles and show the best manners. Our parents are so generous with their time and donations. Like I said, I am blessed and feel grateful to be a Seahawk. Thank you for your trust in me as I lead this wonderful school with Ms. Myrick. Let’s have an amazing year!

Welcome back! I am Courtney Simmons, the instructional support teacher at Sunderland Elementary School in Calvert County, Maryland. I reside in Owings with my husband and two daughters. I enjoy reading, camping, and time spent with family and friends.

I attended Calvert County Public Schools and graduated from Northern High School in May 2000. My college experience began at the University of Maryland, College Park in the fall of 2000. I graduated with a degree in Elementary Education in the spring of 2005 and began teaching in Calvert County that fall. While teaching, I began graduate school with the College of Notre Dame and graduated in 2009 with a focus in administration. I taught 3rd and 4th grades for 15 years before moving into the role of instructional support teacher/coach for the last three years.

My goal is to continue as an instructional leader. I love working with teachers to help them refine their practices and maximize the learning time for all students. The opportunities I have been afforded to learn and grow from exceptional leaders has pushed me to pursue skills that will broaden my knowledge and ability to motivate and guide those I work with. I am looking forward to a great 2025 school year with you!

Hi Seahawk families, I am Danielle Walzer, School Counselor at SES.

This is my 7th year at Sunderland, and I proudly tell anyone I meet that I have the best job in the world! I lived in Bowie and attended elementary school at Rockledge Elementary School but moved to Calvert County to begin middle school. I attended Northern Middle School and graduated from Northern High School.

After high school, I attended Towson University where I graduated with an undergraduate degree in Psychology and a master’s degree in clinical psychology. I completed my master’s degree in School Counseling at Johns Hopkins University.

I have two children, George and Lily, three cats (Luna, Dobby, and Pickles), and a dog (Coco). George is a Northern High School graduate and is currently a sophomore at the University of Utah. Lily is a sophomore at Northern High School. Most students know that I have a love of Harry Potter, but I also have a passion for fitness and the Washington Commanders! I am looking forward to another fun year at Sunderland!

• Please review the Parent Handbook that is attached. Paper copies have been sorted to be sent home. If you have a question about something that is not included, please just let us know so that we can address it. One item not addressed in the handbook is private party invitations being distributed at school. If you are planning a private party for your child and want invitations given out at school, you must include an invitation for all the classmates. If you have a limited few that you want to invite, we encourage that you reach out via social media or other social connections to distribute. Those invitations will not be distributed at school.
• Please practice how to tie a shoe with your students, especially in grades beyond 1st grade. All students beyond 1st grade need to know who to tie their shoes. We discourage the wearing of Crocs for safety since students will be running and playing at recess.
• REPEAT IMPORTANT: If you want to attend any IN-SCHOOL event such as VIP Day, Career Day, Field Day, field trip chaperones, etc you will need to be a registered approved volunteer. This is for safety of all students. Each of the special events that we have within our school day allows for you to engage with the students. You are not kept separated, instead, we have interactive activities and will need all adults (parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc) who plan to attend to be an approved volunteer. The process takes less than 10 minutes. Please register as a VOLUNTEER. Become a Volunteer - Calvert County Public School District (calvertnet.k12.md.us)
  

Welcome back Seahawks!

I am so excited to be back at school, and I enjoyed seeing all our returning students and meeting our newest Seahawks! I enjoyed visiting each classroom on the first day of school to say hello and welcome back and cannot wait to begin Classroom Counseling lessons in a few weeks. I will also begin meeting with all new students in 1st – 5th grades during my “New Student Lunch Bunch” in a few weeks. The new student lunch bunches give me an opportunity to meet all the new students, new students to get to know me, as well as one another.

We will continue to focus on character traits throughout the year. Each month we will focus on a different trait, beginning with RESPECT in September. Next week we will begin our monthly Character Assemblies to introduce our character trait of the month and teach students how to demonstrate the character trait.

I am accepting applications for the Seahawk News morning show! If your student is in 4th or 5th grade and would like to be an anchor on the Seahawk News, submit an application NO LATER than Friday, September 6th. See your classroom teacher, Ms. Walzer, or Ms. Hensley for an application!

SES has joined with Friendship Community Baptist Church for our HeartFELT (Filling Empty Little Tummies) program. The HeartFELT program provides qualifying students with meals and snacks each weekend. If you would like more information or would like your child to participate in the HeartFELT program, please contact me to sign up.

If you need school supplies, please contact me for assistance. I hope everyone had a fabulous first week back at school. Enjoy the long weekend, and I can’t wait to see you on Tuesday!

Danielle Walzer

School Counselor

walzerd@calvertnet.k12.md.us

443-550--9387

Calendar

Aug 23rd 9-11am, Peak at the Seat w/ Membership Drive Table (845am setup)

Sept 9th 6-7pm, FSO Meeting

Sept 24th 5:30-6:30pm, Open House Pre K, Head Start, Kdg-Grade 2

Sept 25th 5:30-6:30pm, Open House Grades 3-5

Oct 7th 6-7pm, FSO Meeting

Oct 18th 5-7pm, Fall Festival - Setup 1-4pm

Oct 23rd-27th, Book Fair

Nov 4th 6-7pm, FSO Meeting

Nov 6th 5-7pm, Military Appreciation Dinner

Dec 2nd 6-7pm, FSO Meeting

Dec 7th 10am-12pm, Winter Wonderland

Jan 6th 6-7pm, FSO Meeting

Jan 15th 815-915am, Breakfast with a Buddy (A-L)

Jan 16th 815-915am, Breakfast with a Buddy (M-Z)

Feb 3rd 6-7pm, FSO Meeting

Feb 7th 6-730pm, Heart Rock Dance

Mar 3rd 6-7pm, FSO Meeting

Mar 14th Talent Show in school

Mar 17th - 21st, Book Fair

Apr 7th 6-7pm, FSO Meeting

April 9th 5-7pm, Military Appreciation Dinner

May 5th 6-7pm, FSO Meeting

May 5th - 9th, Teacher Appreciation Week

June 2nd 6-7pm, FSO Meeting - Elections

Board Members

Samantha Manley, President

Nobert Akas, 1st Vice President

Serena Hight, 2nd Vice President

Niki Moore, Treasurer

Hannah Stanislawski, Secretary

Toni Crabb, Grade Level Representative

Sally Wolfe, Staff Liaison

Family Engagement Matters!!

As parents, we want our children to do well in school and when parents take a more active role in their children’s schooling, children achieve more! Not only do they learn more, they earn high grades and have better school attendance. By partnering with Sunderland and the FSO, you can make sure that their most significant experiences and relationships that happen at home and school are working together to prepare your child for future success.

Grade Level Representatives are a link between the FSO and Sunderland Elementary. Representatives bridge the gap in communication between teachers and parents, as well as encourage parent involvement in upcoming events. The major responsibilities are to bring members into closer contact with the school, to work with both the school staff and parents to promote the work of the FSO and to assist with membership promotion.

Reps will collaborate with teachers to identify how parents can assist with classroom activities while recruiting parent volunteers and delegating volunteer assignments for the grade level. Reps will also get together with the teachers to talk about the various ways and options available for parents to assist with classroom activities, field trips and celebrations for the upcoming year. By developing a list together of volunteer opportunities, parents will be able to communicate in advance which opportunities they can participate in.

Representatives will function as a committee, with the FSO Grade Level Representative Board Member representing them as the chair. Grade level representatives are encouraged to attend the monthly FSO meeting. Funds for their work will be provided in the FSO budget.

A brief bulleted overview of responsibilities are:

● Reps will assist with membership drives for their grade level

● Secure a list of names, phone numbers and email addresses of the parents whose children are in the grade level

● Leave contact information of reps for each family, encouraging them to use the FSO as a resource for assistance and information

● Share information with parents as directed and on a timely basis.

● Invite parents to each FSO meeting and keep parents informed about the FSO

● Recruit parents to assist with school activities as specified by the teacher, principal or executive board.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D4BAEA822A7FFC61-44418332-grade

• Daily Car Riders must complete the following link: https://forms.office.com/r/UtcfJihh7H
• This information will be used for Tuesday's sign out. This form is to be completed for those who will be Daily Car Riders only. By listing adults to pick up, you are giving that adult permission to pick up your student. We encourage all students to ride the bus.
• Please tell your child that they will NOT have their name called. They are to dismiss when they hear Daily Car Riders are dismissed. This list will be shared with the teachers, too.
• Please have your ID at all times when entering the school to pick up your student. You will need to have your ID out to show the staff, even if we know you!
• Daily Car Riders: One adult will be expected to come into the cafeteria to sign out their Daily Car Rider student(s). We will open the exterior cafeteria door at 3:50PM (1:50PM on Early Dismissal Days) to allow for students to be signed out. Promptly at 4:05PM (2:05PM on Early Dismissal Days), Daily Car Riders will be called to the cafeteria. You and your child will exit. When you sign in, you will be given a card signifying how many students you are picking up. You will turn in your card as you leave the cafeteria. If an adult is not present by 4:05PM (2:05PM on Early Dismissal Days), the student will be sent home on their assigned bus.
• If your child is a bus rider and needs to be picked up due to an appointment, please arrive at the front office before 3:45PM (1:45PM on Early Dismissal Days).Our office staff and duty staff start preparing for Daily Car Riders and bus dismissal at 3:55PM (1:55PM on Early Dismissal Days) We have a 10 minute bus window to dismiss between 600-700 students so we will need to keep our focus on the dismissal process.
  
• We will permit Non-Daily Car Riders but we are still not able to accommodate Drop in, Surprise Car Riders. For Non-Daily Car Riders, you MUST send a paper note, NOT AN EMAIL, with your child, EACH day that you plan for them to be a car rider. Please let your child know that they must dismiss with the Daily Car Riders at 4:05PM when announced. We will NOT call individual students down for dismissal. Please do not send a note saying “every Tuesday” instead, send a note every Tuesday. We can not expect teachers to keep up with all students’ special request schedules. We ask that you send a paper note each day because there could be a sub in the class instead of the teacher.
  

EVERYONE must reapply for being a volunteer. The system was cleaned out and you must reapply. Remember, if you want to be a chaperone or work events, you must be approved. If you are an employee of CCPS, you still need to complete the volunteer process for participation in events at school.

Even if you are not sure if you will be able to attend anything, please sign up early. Here’s the CCPS link of info:

Become a Volunteer - Calvert County Public School District (calvertnet.k12.md.us)

• Morning Arrival Window: 9:15AM -9:25AM
• Instructional School Day - 9:25AM – 4:05PM
• Afternoon Dismissal Window: 4:05PM car riders; 4:10-4:20PM Bus Riders
• School Colors - Blue and White – Friday Spirit Days- Classes are assigned a Flock color as well. More to come on that!
• School Mascot/Motto -“SPIRIT” the Seahawk -Sunderland Promotes Integrity Responsibility Independence and Trust

Welcome to the 2025 School Year at Sunderland! What an amazing Peek at Your Seat event! It was so good to see everyone and hear about the summer adventures! We truly believe the students are the heartbeat of a school and love the energy that students bring when they return to our "nest"!

I am Pam Myrick, the principal at SES. I am very honored to serve the Sunderland community and work with our outstanding team of educators. We are an inclusive community where all students can thrive!

My early years were spent in West Virginia, then my family moved to Chicago when I was in high school. My experience as a young child in WV was filled with lots of love from the community and wonderful educators who left a lasting impression on me. They captured my love of learning that is still a part of me today. I was immersed in a very diverse community when I lived in Chicago where I gained a great appreciation for other cultures and sought to learn as much about all of my new friends, as possible! I hope our Seahawks acquire a love of learning while at SES. There is a big world out there waiting for them!

I have been a resident of Huntingtown for 21 years now. In May of 2024, I got married and gained 3 bonus children to add to my daughter and son. My husband, Tom, is a retired police officer from Prince George's County and works for the Navy. My daughter, Marissa, is in her first year in Baltimore County schools as a school psychologist while my son, Hunter, is in his senior year at Baylor! Sic 'Em Bears! The photo is from Marissa's May graduation from Baylor! We are a house of Terps and Bears! Hunter will be applying for programs to become a physical therapist. We have been active within the county youth organizations and other non-profits within the community because we believe that it takes a village to raise a child, and it is important to give back to the community.

As part of our PBIS (Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports) and MTSS (Multi Tiers Systems of Support), students are taught the expectations for being respectful, responsible, ready to learn and accepting of differences. Throughout the school, students are recognized with Splash Cash which they can redeem. Our school has focused on offering opportunities or experiences instead of solely offering trinkets or "things". For example, students paid Splash Cash to help Ms. Bozman with the PM announcements or students paid to be a helper in the Pre-K classroom. Our goal is for our students to value this service to others and continue to strengthen the importance of community service and helping others. Each class is partner with another class as Flock partners! This is to help establish a sense of community across our school and for students to work with others towards a common goal. Ask your child about their flock color!

We work in collaborative teams at SES in all aspects of our school. Our Leadership Team is no exception. Amanda Merillat is our Assistant Principal and partner in leading the school. Courtney Simmons is our Instructional Support teacher who works with teachers to ensure all students are growing academically and monitors our performance data. Danielle Walzer is our School Counselor who is a resource for students and families with social emotional needs and much more! They will share more about themselves in next week's news. I could not ask for a better team of passionate educators to guide our school! Michele Shade, School Counselor, has taken on a new adventure and will not be back as SES this year, but she will always be a part of our SES family!

Thank you for supporting our efforts and we look forward to an amazing year as we serve the SES community! ~Pam Myrick, Proud SES Principal

• Pre K and Kdg Staggered start info is: Staggered Start Schedule: Head Start, Pre K, Kindergarten (finalsite.net) Please review the information through the link. You will receive an email from your child's teacher to schedule a conference where your child gets to meet the classroom staff and more. Conferences will be held on August 27th and 28th. Half the class, last names A-L, will attend school on August 29th and while students with names M-Z do not attend. On August 30th, the M-Z students will attend while the A-L do not. On September 3rd, all students attend. This allows the students to meet others and learn some routines. The teacher will introduce them to their morning routine and their cubbies, etc. Your classroom teacher will discuss which staggered start date your child will attend.
  
• Open House is scheduled! Pre K to grade 2 will be on September 24th from 5:30-6:30PM. Grades 3-5 will be on September 25th from 5:30-6:30PM.
• CCPS Parent Information- There is a great deal of information on the Parent website: Parent/Guardian Information - Calvert County Public School District (calvertnet.k12.md.us)
• Online payments for the Seat Sack and the agenda book can be found at our school website: Home - Sunderland Elementary (calvertnet.k12.md.us)
• Laptops: All 3rd -5th graders will receive a laptop for school use. Students will be using the device at school. Laptops will not be sent home for use. Homework assignments will not require computer use.
• SES Parent Handbook: Please review the attached SES Parent Handbook. It contains a great deal of information to help you better understand our school's procedures and routines that support a safe, organized school for all. A paper copy will be sent home the first week of school for you to keep.

• We welcomed several new Seahawk families into our nest on Friday! Attached below is the Powerpoint with information we shared. Please do not hesitate to contact the school with questions after viewing the information.

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  You will receive a folder of information this week with forms to return to school. The Student Code of Conduct is electronically being sent this year. Please review it with your student. The Statement of Understanding must be completed for all students. It states that you have reviewed the expectations for school and reviewed the Code of Conduct with your child. A copy will be sent home in the folder this week. Here is The Student Code of Conduct: Code of Conduct - Calvert County Public School District (calvertnet.k12.md.us) If you want a paper copy, please email Ms. Patten at pattenl@calvertnet.k12.md.us

• CHANGE: If your child has a device (cell phone, tablet, smartwatch) in their backpack, it must be registered with the school. It must be turned OFF, not just silenced in school and placed in their backpack. It may not be used during the school day. No pictures should be taken on the bus. Hoods are not permitted to be worn in the school. See the poster below.

• The Welcome Back to the Cafeteria letter provides information from Child Nutrition.

• The Blessing of the Backpacks event flier is below. We hope to see you!