Aviator Updates

Good evening Duke families.

We have an incredibly fun and busy week ahead. Please have your children join us by participating in our Month of the Military Child SPIRIT WEEK that starts tomorrow! We are excited to celebrate each of our 145 military-affiliated students during our whole-school Community Gathering on Friday morning, and we hope to see all of you at the Duke Talent Show Friday evening.

MCAP Testing also begins this week, and our 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade Aviators can't wait to show what they know.

What a great week to be an Aviator!

Katie Kortokrax, Principal

Zach Adams, Assistant Principal

• April 15-19: Month of the Military Child SPIRIT Week (see flier)
  
• April 18: 1st Grade Earth Day 🌎Performance @ 9AM (Cafeteria)
• April 19: 2-HR Early Dismissal Day 🕑
• April 19: Purple Up Day 💜
• April 19: Dukes-Got-Talent Show 🎤

3rd Grade

MCAP ELA: April 15, 17, 22, 24

MCAP Math: April 29, May 1, 6, 8

4th Grade

MCAP ELA: April 16, 18, 23, 25

MCAP Math: April 30, May 2, 7, 9

5th Grade

MCAP ELA: April 16, 18, 23, 25

MCAP Math: April 30, May 2, 7, 9

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.

• SMECO (Zach Merchant/David Lindsey)
• Dance Studio (Yolanda Henson)
• Kneaded Bakery (Kelly Davin)
• Ken Underwood (Father flew a P-38 just like Captain Walter Francis Duke!)
• Tech Center Programing (Dental Assisting, Natural Resources, Fire/Rescue, and Digital Media Production)
• SPICE Studio (Nicole Magee)
• EMTs (Angela Tennyson)
• Home Towne Real Estate (Billy Rabbitt)
• PG Fire - (Danielle Johnson)
• State Troopers (Steven DiToto)
• PAX Clinic
• Coast Guard
• Chopticon AFROTC
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Order your yearbook before April 19th. There will be a very limited supply for sale once they’re released.

Click Here to Order! You won't regret it.

Hello Duke Families,
Coming home to you soon is your child's custom catalog for the Square 1 Art fundraiser catalog - featuring their own name and art on the cover, WITH FREE STICKERS OF THEIR ART!
Get a head start, and start ordering keepsakes and gifts featuring your child's art online NOW, if you like! Simply search for your child's art using Art Search, and enter state, school name, and your student's name. Your student's art and code will appear, and you may order! NEW - *Ship to Home FREE. (*Customer pays a small $1.99 processing fee at checkout and order ships to home.)
Order by: 4/19/2024
Upload additional art if you like, using Art Upload!
If you have questions, or need anything at all, contact customer care online .
Thank you for supporting our school!

On Friday, April 12th, 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!

Parents, please check your child's wardrobe for any missing items. Our Lost and Found has runneth over. We have no room left and clothing items are now taking up residence on our floors and slowly making their way into our hallways (just kidding, but seriously 😆). All unclaimed items at year end will be donated to local charities. THANK YOU!

Above Par Golf and Entertainment wants our kids to SOAR and they want to reward them for doing so! Your family can trade in SOAR tickets for FREE time on their virtual simulators. For every 10 SOAR tickets your child collects, Above Par will give your family 30 minutes of free simulator rental time. They've asked they we limit each visit to a max of 20 SOAR tickets per family, but that's a whole hour of fun for the family, just for your kid SOAR'ing high! Above Par offers much more than golf and they are located right here in Leonardtown. Check their website (www.abovepar.golf) to plan your visit!"

Click here for the Menu. Due to supply chain issues, menu changes occur. We recognize that the decision to bring lunch from home or purchase lunch from school is often dependent on the menu.

• Monday, April 8
• Tuesday, April 9
• Wednesday, April 10
• Thursday, April 11
• Friday, April 12

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!!

Pre-K Parent & Family Engagement Event Pre-K students, their families, and local private providers are invited to attend a Transition to Kindergarten night scheduled for Monday, May 6, 2024, from 6:00-7:00 p.m. at the Dr. James A. Forrest Career & Technology Center in the Dohrman rooms. Please refer to the flyer here to register and learn more about fun learning stations, icy treats, door prizes, goodie bags, and more!

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 begins March 1st. Don't miss this opportunity.

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

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

• 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.

• The annual Academy Open House will be held virtually on Wednesday, April 10th starting at 5:30 pm. More information is available via the Academy Open House Google Site.

We welcome your questions and inquiries. Please call 240-309-4658, refer to the SMCPS Back to School website, or our CWFDES website for additional information.

Katie Kortokrax, Principal

Zach Adams, Assistant Principal

Email: klkortokrax@smcps.org
Website: https://cwfdes.smcps.org/
Location: 23595 Hayden Farm Lane, Leonardtown, MD 20650
Phone: (240) 309-4658
Twitter: @CWFDES_SMCPS