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Dent Dolphin Details
SY24 Family Issue #31
Dear LMDES Families,
We have just 8 weeks remaining in our academic calendar! We're gearing up for a series of exciting end-of-year events including the Dent Talent Show, Field Day, and Career Week - Vehicle Day. This issue of our Dent Dolphin Details includes information about each event including opportunities to volunteer.
We kindly remind all families that volunteer approval must be renewed annually to participate in school events. Thank you for your continued partnership in your child's education! Let's make the most of these final weeks of the school year together.
Warm regards,
Mrs. Lindsay G. Brenfleck, Principal
Mr. Joseph D. Farrell, Assistant Principal
Newsletter Contents
- Notable Dates
- SMCPS Calendar Amendment
- Changing Weather: Indoor Climate
- April Reminders
- End-Of-Year Events
- Dedicated Dolphin Award
- School Lunch Highlights
- Helpful Resources & Info Worth Repeating
April is School Library Month
Summer Sports Academies
Notable Dates
- Wed, Apr 17- Talent Show Applications/Permission Slips Due
- Thurs, Apr 18 - extended Deadline to Order a Yearbook
- Fri, Apr 19- Purple Up! Day
- Fri, Apr 19- Two Hour Early Release
- Fri, Apr 26- PTA Chalk the Walk & Food Truck Event
- May 6-10- Teacher & Staff Appreciation Week
- Fri, May 10- Two Hour Early Release
- Tues, May 14- Primary Election Day; No School for Students
Save the Dates!
- Wed, May 22- Spring Band, Strings, Chorus Concert
- Wed, May 29- Talent Show
- Thurs, May 30- Field Day
- Fri, May 31- Vehicle Day (Career Week)
SMCPS Calendar Amendment
The Board approved calendar updates that include moving the last day of school for students to Friday, June 7, 2024.
For more information visit http://smcps.org/calendar.
Changing Weather: Indoor Climate
On Friday, April 12, the Department of Maintenance began the process of changing schools from heating mode to cooling mode for the balance of the season. Once the changeover is complete it will take a couple of weeks to fine-tune each building for optimal performance. With overnight low temperatures dipping into the 50s the next few weeks, buildings will be chilly in the morning as boilers will no longer be running overnight. Undoubtedly there will also be a few cool days in the next few weeks. Please monitor the forecast and dress accordingly!
April Reminders
Deadline to Order: 4/18/2024
- barksdalephoto.com
- Select "What are you looking for?" and "Order Your Yearbook"
- Access Code = 18843YB
Friday, 4/19/2024
Friday, 4/26/2026
End-of-Year Events
2024 Dent Talent Show
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Carefully read all the letters and permission slips to be sure you understand the Talent Show commitments.
All 3rd, 4th, and 5th-grade school-appropriate talents are welcome to apply!
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Applications due this Wednesday, April 17th!
Auditions are Tuesday, April 23rd!
Field Day Call for Volunteers
Our annual field day is on Thursday, May 30!
Field day is an opportunity for students to join in fun and games with their classmates for the day. As classes rotate around to different events, adults are needed to help keep the events running smoothly. We greatly appreciate all the volunteer support we have received in the past and hope to see everyone at field day.
ALL FIELD DAY VOLUNTEERS MUST BE SMCPS REGISTERED VOLUNTEERS. I.D. BADGE/VOLUNTEER STICKER IS REQUIRED TO BE VISIBLE WHILE VOLUNTEERING.
Read this letter from Mr. Galeano and Ms. Buster for more details and to sign up to volunteer.
Field Day Gear
Online Store Link:
The online store opens on Wednesday, April 17.
Order online using this link or print and submit the form below.
Career Week & Vehicle Day
LMDES is celebrating Career Week from May 28th-31st. Career Week helps students make meaningful connections between their experiences and learning at school and their future in the workforce. Career Week also instills character values such as responsibility, determination, self-worth, adaptability, and creativity.
LMDES is asking our community members to consider volunteering their time and expertise with our students. We are collecting video submissions of different jobs to show to our students throughout the week. We are also inviting community members with job-related vehicles to showcase them at our Vehicle Day on Friday, May 31st. The details can be found in this linked document from Mrs. Holm.
Please consider sharing your career with the LMDES students. The students always look forward to learning from our community members.
Dedicated Dolphin Award
Nominate an LMDES staff member!
LMDES Awards Assembly
Congratulations to all of our students, staff, and families for a highly successful 3rd quarter!
We enjoyed the opportunity to celebrate our students last Thursday morning. We celebrated Classroom and Bus Good Citizens, Dynamite Dolphins, Dolphin Readers, Math Team, and and All-County Chorus participants. We presented the Golden Specialist Awards to classrooms.
Way to go, Dolphins! #dolphinpride
School Lunch Highlights
Childhood Nutrition & Healthy Eating
Nutrition is closely linked to overall physical health and is a correlate of academic performance. Meeting both nutritional and physical activity recommendations together is associated with higher academic performance.
MyPlate (https://www.myplate.gov/life-stages/kids) has a variety of helpful resources, games, and activities to get kids started on a healthy eating adventure!
Resource: Start Simple with MyPlate
Helpful Resources & Info Worth Repeating
Spring Testing Dates - Mark Your Calendar!
Select your child's grade level photo below to view their testing dates. If your child is not able to attend school on their assigned testing days/time, your child will be removed from class for a "make-up" session. Please make sure your child brings their charged laptop to school, as this is how they access the tests.
Encourage your child to do their very best on the assessments.
Ensure they get a good night's sleep and plan to either have breakfast at home or breakfast at school.
Our students make us proud!
Dolphins are Respectful, Responsible, and Ready!
We appreciate all that our families do at home to reinforce the importance of being Respectful, Responsible, and Ready to Learn.
April is School Library Month!
Summer Sports Academies
Academy Applications & Information
Applications for STEM 6 will open on April 2 and close on April 30, 2024. No late applications will be accepted. The online application will be found on the Academies page of the SMCPS website.
More information is available via the Academy Open House Google Site.
SMCPS Approved Calendars
The Board of Education approved the school year calendars for 2024-2025 and 2025-2026.
View the calendars at http://smcps.org/calendar. Watch the BOE presentation here.
Special Education Parent Involvement Survey
SMCPS Evening Counseling
PTA News & Events: Join the PTA!
Select the link to join the LMDES PTA: 23/24 PTA Fam Membership Form - Google Forms.
Why join the PTA? With your help, we will make a big impact this year by advocating for our students, teachers/staff, and school! Your membership helps support a variety of school activities and programs while creating a fun, engaging, and positive community.
MEMBERSHIP DUES: $7.00 Single Person Membership // $12.00 Family Membership
By becoming a member, there is no obligation to volunteer but if you would like to do so, please be sure to check "YES" & complete the volunteer registration at the link provided.
Box Tops for Education
Download the Box Tops for Education app, scan your receipts, and earn cash for our school!
For over 25 years, Box Tops for Education has given families an easy way to earn for schools with products they already buy. Today, you can find thousands of participating products throughout the store — and all you need is the Box Tops app.
Thank you for your support!
Cafe & Food Services Information
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.
School Menus
Check our Nutrislice Webpage to:
- View Helpful nutrition info
- Download our FREE mobile app!
- Print menus
Technology Information
Student Laptops
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 will be included in each weekly school newsletter.
Schoology
Schoology is the SMCPS Learning Management System (LMS).
Schoology has a Mobile App!
Directions to Log Into the Schoology Mobile App.
New families that did not receive the notification about their Schoology Parent Account should email schoology@smcps.org to inquire about their account.
Both new and previously registered volunteers must complete a new application every school year.
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: @lmdes_smcps
Phone: 301-472-4500