Welcome Fireflies!

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Dear Flower Valley Community,

I hope you are enjoying a fabulous summer break! I can't wait to see all of our students and hear about their summer adventures.

We are all so excited to be welcoming our students in just a few short weeks! The FVES team has been working diligently to prepare for the return of our amazing Fireflies. We are ready and eager to provide a nurturing and exceptional educational experience for all of our students.

A critical piece of our summer work involved reviewing the year that passed and planning for the year ahead. Our school team worked collaboratively with several of our families to review academic and voice data from students, staff, and parents to identify any changes or additions to our current School Improvement Plan. There were many notable celebrations including the following:

• Many of our students expressed how much they love their teachers and Flower Valley.
• Our attendance improved from 93.01% in 2022-2023 to 94.3% in 2023-2024.
• 95% of our students met the MCPS literacy Evidence of Learning measures.
• 92% of our students met the MCPS Evidence of Learning measures for math.

With that said, there is always work to be done. For this upcoming year, our plan elevates the following:

• Supporting our Hispanic Emergent Multilingual Learners with meeting Evidence of Learning measures
• Enhancing our opportunities for community engagement and partnerships
• Continuing our work with race and equity, including the development of a Diversity Committee inclusive of parents and staff
• Developing a system that meets the more individualized needs of students to allow for increased opportunities for intervention and enrichment

We look forward to continuing to partner with you on this critical work. Together, we can make a difference in the lives of all of our Flower Valley children!

To help you get ready for the year ahead, we have included important information in this newsletter. We have also included the link to the parent handbook which houses a wealth of information and resources to support students and families throughout the school year. Our hope is that all you need can be found in one place.

Please don't hesitate to reach out to us if you have any questions or need anything. The school phone number is 240-740-1780, and my email is Angie_L_Fish@mcpsmd.org. You can also find the contact information for our entire main office, counseling, and administrative team at the end of the newsletter.

I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer. We will see you soon!

With Firefly Pride!

Dr. Fish

P.S. Don't forget about Rockville Day! It is August 18th at Rockville High School at 1:00. Check out the information below. There is even an opportunity for our students to share their many talents. Looking forward to seeing everyone there!

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Flower Valley Vision

Flower Valley Theme

FVES Community Visits

FVES Parent Handbook

Open House

Kindergarten Parent Information Night

Preparing for the First Day of School

• School Hours
• Teacher Assignments
• Arrival and Dismissal
• School Supplies
• Transportation Information
• School Lunches
• Health Room Updates and Important Vaccination Information

Home and School Communication

New Staff at FVES

Rockville Day

MCPS Back to School Fair

Save the Date: Calendar of FVES and PTA Events

Back to School Night

PTA Corner

We inspire all children to become critical thinkers who are imaginative, adaptable, and collaborative. We strive to cultivate peaceful, life-long learners who contribute positively to the community around them.

We will continue with this motto to encourage our students to be ready and excited for learning, demonstrate kindness in all of their actions, to celebrate what they bring to our school as the amazing individuals they are, and to respect and celebrate the differences that all of our students and staff bring to our school community.

We are going to be out and about in the FVES community Wednesday morning, August 21st! This will be a little different from last year. All of our staff will be visiting various sites around the community. We will send out a list of the sites and times closer to the date. We will have information about Summer Open House and Back to School Night, and we'll have a fun surprise for the kiddos! We look forward to seeing you!

The parent handbook provides a wealth of information about school policies and procedures. Some of these include volunteer procedures, school parties and birthday celebrations, bullying and harassment reporting, visitor policies, attendance, health policies, safety and security, and so much more. The English version of the handbook can be accessed here, and the Spanish version can be accessed here.

Please join us for our Summer Open House Friday, August 23rd from 1:30-3:00PM. Students and families will be able to meet their homeroom and specials teachers at this time, as well as numerous other staff members who support the important work each and every day. There will also be information regarding the FVES PTA, Instrumental Music for 4th and 5th grade students, as well as our Kids After Hours (KAH) program.

We are excited to welcome our incoming kindergarteners and their families! To help with the transition to kindergarten, our kindergarten teachers will be hosting an information night at FVES Thursday, August 22nd from 6:00-7:30PM. In case you missed the welcome letter to incoming families of kindergarteners, you can access it here.

If you know of any families with incoming kindergarteners, please spread the word and have them call our office to find out more about how to enroll their child.

School Hours

School starts at 9:00AM and ends at 3:25PM. The first day of school is Monday, August 26th. School doors open for students at 8:40AM.

Teacher Assignments

Families should receive an email from their child’s teacher by Wednesday evening, August 21st. If you do not receive an email by the 21st, please check your spam folder. Staff will have hard copies of class lists and will be prepared to assist families on Friday, August 23rd at our Open House event beginning at 1:30PM.

Arrival and Dismissal

While we understand that it may be difficult to part from your child on the first day of school, please say your goodbyes at the entrance doors and then allow your child to walk into school alone. If your child is a bus rider, it is best for your child to ride the bus on the first day to establish routines. These routines allow for a smooth transition to school. Please be assured that we will have staff stationed throughout the building to help your child locate their classroom. We appreciate your cooperation with this.

As we kick off the first couple of weeks of school, please be patient with our arrival and dismissal procedures. We want to ensure that students are safe and get to their respective after school locations. Remember to drive and walk with care and caution in the neighborhood and on school grounds. Please make sure you let your child's teacher know the arrival and dismissal plan for your child (car rider, walker, bus rider, KAH). Additional information about arrival and dismissal procedures will be sent home with students on the first day of school.

School Supplies

The list of school supplies can be accessed here.

Transportation Information

Transportation information has not yet been updated, but it should be updated soon. Please check here for information about bus stops.

Lunch

Breakfast and hot lunches are served daily. Lunch menus can be accessed here. Your child will learn about their lunch schedule on the first day of school. The teacher will also let you know about snack time, especially if your child has an early or late lunch.

Breakfast is $1.30, and lunch is $2.55. To learn more about eligibility for Free and Reduced Meals (FARMS) and apply for FARMs, click here. Applications for FARMS must be completed every year. Deposits into lunch accounts can be made by any student and can be made ahead of time via the MCPS online payment system, My School Bucks. Details about how to add money to your student’s account can be accessed here.

Health Room Updates and Important Vaccination Information

Ms. Marley Kalter will be serving as our nurse this year, and Ms. Posie Stitt will be serving as our health technician. Required immunizations for the state of Maryland can be accessed here. Additional information regarding immunization clinics and required documentation can be accessed here. If you have questions about health forms, immunizations, student allergies, medications, etc., you can reach Ms. Kalter at Marley_S_Kalter@mcpsmd.org. The phone number for the Health Room is 240-740-1782.

We value home-school communication here at FVES. Every Friday evening by 7:00PM, parents will receive a weekly message from school administration via Remind. This message will highlight upcoming school events and topics for the week ahead. Information about Remind can be accessed here.

Additionally, classroom teachers will send biweekly communication home to parents, and all students will receive a Thursday folder with important weekly information. Kindergarten students use their folders on a daily basis.

Please make sure your email is accurate in ParentVue, as this is a primary avenue for home and school email communication. Information about setting up your ParentVue account can be found here. Please check your Spam folder to make sure you are receiving school information. If you have any trouble receiving the email communication, please let your child's teacher know, so that we can help resolve the technical issue and make sure you receive the school communication.

Please join me in welcoming our newest Firefly team members for the 24-25 school year.

• Ms. Emily Capellan, 1st Grade Teacher

• Ms. Stephanie Grande, Music Teacher

• Mr. Rajil Masalta, Home School Model Teacher

• Ms. Alexis Matthews, SESES Teacher

• Mr. Joshua Sibley, Long-term Substitute for Ms. Rachel Coakley through October 7th

• Mr. Richard Wachtel, Paraeducator

• Ms. Ines Wong, Long-term Substitute for Ms. Lauren Boland

Additionally, Ms. Sarah Kramer will be transitioning from a paraeducator in our SESES program to a teacher in our SESES program, and we will be welcoming Mr. Brandon Bernal and Ms. Christie Long, as permanent paraeducators in our SESES program. Very exciting!

We are excited to welcome our families to hear more about what happens on a daily basis in their child's class, as well as to ask questions and get to know the staff. More information will be shared closer to the date.

The FVES staff and the PTA work collaboratively to host a variety of events during the school year. Some of the events we are excited to offer are math and reading nights, STEM Night, International Night, a winter musical production, staff/parent basketball, Career Day, our annual carnival, and so much more. We will keep you updated regarding the details of the events throughout the school year. Tentative dates are included below. Please note these dates are subject to change.

• PTA Sponsored Kindergarten Play Date - August 14th, 3:45-4:30PM (Rear Playground)

• Rockville Day at Rockville High School - August 18th, 1-3:00PM

• Incoming Kindergarten Information Night: August 22nd at 6:00-7:30PM

• Summer Open House: August 23rd, 1:30-3:00PM

• PTA Sponsored Kindergarten Play Date: August 23rd, 3:45-4:30PM (Rear Playground)

• MCPS Back to School Fair at Westfield Wheaton Mall: August 24th, 10AM-1:00PM

• PTA Sponsored Back to School Picnic and General membership Meeting: September 6th, 5-7:00PM; Membership Meeting at 6:00PM on the Playground

• Back to School Night: September 12th, 6:30-8:30PM

• Fall Pictures: September 24th

• PTA Sponsored Fun Run: TBD

• PTA Sponsored Book Fair: October 14th-17th, during School Hours

• Math Night: October 17th

• Fall Open House: TBD

• PTA Sponsored Masquerade Festival: October 26th, 5:30-7:30PM

• Fall Festival and Parade: November 1st

• Picture Retakes: November 8th

• PTA Sponsored Game Night; November 16th; 6:30-8:30PM

• Winter Chorus Concert: TBD

• Winter IM Concert: January 27th, 7:00PM

• Wellness Weeks: TBD

• Kindness Week and Party: Week of February 10th (party 2/14)

• Yearbook Groups and Candid Pictures: February 19th

• PTA Sponsored STEM Night: February 20th, 6:30-8:30PM

• Spring Book Fair: TBD

• Read Across America Week: Week of March 3rd

• Reading Night: March 6th, 6-7:30PM

• PTA Sponsored Staff vs. Parents Basketball Game and Silent Auction at RHS: March TBD

• STEM Day: March 21st

• PTA Sponsored Mulch Drive (Ends April 5th)

• Career Day: April 11th

• Spring Individual and Class Pictures: April 28th

• PTA Sponsored STEM Night: TBD

• International Night: Spring 2025 TBD

• Spring IM Concert: May 19th, 7:00PM

• PTA Sponsored SAVERS Donation Drive: May 3rd, 9:30-1:00PM

• Field Days: May TBD

• PTA Sponsored Carnival: May 18th, 2-5:00PM

• 5th Grade Promotion: June 12th

• 5th Grade Fun Day: June 13th

FVES PTA is ready for a fun and fulfilling school year! We have family-friendly events planned every month. PTA will continue providing generous funds to the school, thanks to your membership dues (just $15). PTA supports field trips, teacher/staff grants, student enrichment and much more. We also run spirit wear, yearbook and book fair initiatives.

Membership meetings are open to all and childcare and dinner provided at all in-person meetings this year! Our first meeting is Sept. 6 at 6 PM at the PTA Back to School picnic.

Every person makes a difference, so please contact president@fvespta.org to join in and help. There's no wrong way to PTA! Go to https://fvespta.membershiptoolkit.com/ to learn more or sign yourself up for the Listserv, WhatsApp or our social media.

Our office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00AM to 4:30PM. Below are emails and phone numbers for the following departments:

Administration (240) 740-1780

Dr. Angie Fish, Principal – Angie_L_Fish@mcpsmd.org

Mrs. Kimberly Haden - Kimberly_D_Haden@mcpsmd.org

Main Office Staff (240) 740-1780

Ms. Nevine Peckoo, School Administrative Secretary – Nevine_A_Peckoo@mcpsmd.org

Mrs. Cathy Sintetos, Attendance Secretary – Catherine_G_Sintetos@mcpsmd.org

Counseling Office (240) 740-6680

Mrs. Jennifer Atanda - Jennifer_T_Atanda@mcpsmd.org

Ms. Nicole Bamberger - Nicole_M_Bamberger@mcpsmd.org

All Staff Directory

Be bright! Be kind! Be you!

We inspire all children to become critical thinkers who are imaginative, adaptable, and collaborative. We strive to cultivate peaceful, life-long learners who contribute positively to the community around them.

Email: Angie_L_Fish@mcpsmd.org
Website: https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/flowervalleyes/
Location: Flower Valley Elementary School, Sunflower Drive, Rockville, MD, USA
Phone: 240-740-1780
Twitter: @AngieFish_FVES