MPES Connection

Dear Manassas Park Elementary School Families,

I am thrilled to introduce myself as the new and proud principal of Manassas Park Elementary School. It is truly an honor to join this incredible community of students, families, and educators. MPES has a rich tradition of fostering a positive school culture, ensuring academic excellence, and building strong relationships with the community—values I am deeply committed to upholding and strengthening. As I step into this role, my primary focus is on building meaningful connections with students, staff, and families. I believe in the power of collaboration and teamwork to create a nurturing environment where every child can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. Together, we will continue to ensure that MPES remains a place where students are respected, challenged, and inspired to reach their fullest potential. In the coming weeks, I look forward to meeting as many of you as possible. I will be hosting opportunities for families and community members to share their thoughts and dreams for our school. Your input is invaluable as we work together to make MPES an even greater place to learn and grow. Thank you for welcoming me to the MPES family. I am excited to embark on this journey with all of you and look forward to the amazing achievements we will accomplish together.

On behalf of everyone at MPES, I want to extend warm wishes to you and your families for a wonderful Thanksgiving. We are incredibly grateful for our amazing students, supportive parents, dedicated teachers, and hardworking staff who make MPES such a special place. May this holiday bring you joy, connection, and cherished moments with family and friends. Happy Thanksgiving!

Please see below for important upcoming dates:

November 27-29

Fall Break - All MPCS schools and offices closed

Wednesday, December 4
Fall Picture Retake Day

Thursday, December 5
Parent Information Night- 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at MPES

Thursday, December 12

MPCS Family Market- 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at MPHS

December 23 - January 3

Winter Break

With gratitude,

Donnie Olajuwon, Ed.D.

Principal

Quarter 1 digital report cards are available online now through the PowerSchool Parent Portal. Paper copies of report cards will not be sent home. Manassas Park City Schools is requesting that parents review their student's report card and digitally sign that the report card has been reviewed.

Please follow the directions using the link below to review and digitally sign your student's Quarter 1 report card.

Directions to Access Online Report Cards: https://bit.ly/mpcsonlinereportcards

If you need assistance with setting up your Parent Portal account, please contact Jami Slaiby in our front office at (703) 368-2032 or jami.slaiby@mpark.net.

All third, fourth and fifth grade students who have not been opted out will be taught the Family Life Education (FLE) objectives. The lessons will take place on December 16, 17 or 18 (based on homeroom class). Parents were provided with the FLE objectives and given the choice for their child to either participate in or opt out of the lessons during the student registration process in August. Additionally, a letter will be sent home with all students in Monday folders on November 18th with more information. Please contact the school at (703) 368-2032 with any questions.

Pneumonia is trending in children this year. If your child still has respiratory symptoms (especially a lingering cough) after finishing antibiotics, they may need further testing. Doctors are seeing an increase in an illness caused by mycoplasma pneumoniae. This organism, an atypical bacterium, does not always respond to the usual antibiotics. But the doctor can order testing to see if your child needs a different type of antibiotic to fully recover from the infection. They often test for this illness using a sample of sputum (phlegm) which can be gathered at the hospital, doctor’s office, or a laboratory. If not treated properly, m. pneumoniae can damage the lining of the respiratory tract, including the throat, windpipe, and lungs. If you have questions, please contact your child’s school nurse.

Thank You for Supporting MPARK PTSO!

A big thank you to the Manassas Park community for your incredible support! The turnout at our Chuck E. Cheese and Texas Roadhouse Spirit Nights were fantastic, and we had a great time supporting the Manassas Park High School Trunk or Treat and Homecoming Dance. Your involvement helps make these events a success and enables us to continue supporting our schools and students.

What's Next:

November:

• Monthly Meeting: Join us for our next monthly meeting on Wednesday, November 20th at 6:30pm at Manassas Park High School. We’ll be discussing future PTSO goals, projects, and upcoming events. Your input is always welcome!

December:

• Manassas Park Light Parade: We invite you and your family to join us at the Manassas Park Light Parade on Saturday, December 7th. If you’ve never been part of a parade, here’s your chance to volunteer! Volunteers will take part in a pre-parade celebration, walk the entire route with the MPARK PTSO Float, and hand out candy to parade-goers. Space is limited, so be sure to register here to join us!
• Please note there will be no meeting in December. Enjoy the holiday break!

Thank you again for your continued support. We look forward to seeing you at our upcoming events!

Warmly,
Your Manassas Park PTSO

¡Gracias por apoyar al MPARK PTSO!

Un gran agradecimiento a la comunidad de Manassas Park por su increíble apoyo. ¡La participación en nuestras noches de espíritu en Chuck E. Cheese y Texas Roadhouse fue fantástica, y nos divertimos mucho apoyando el Trunk or Treat y el Baile de Homecoming de la escuela secundaria de Manassas Park! Su participación ayuda a que estos eventos sean un éxito y nos permite seguir apoyando a nuestras escuelas y estudiantes.

¿Qué sigue?

Noviembre:

• Reunión mensual: Únase a nosotros para nuestra próxima reunión mensual el miércoles 20 de noviembre a las 6:30 p.m. en Manassas Park High School. Estaremos discutiendo las metas, proyectos y eventos futuros del PTSO. ¡Su opinión siempre es bienvenida!

Diciembre:

• Desfile de Luces de Manassas Park: Los invitamos a usted y su familia a acompañarnos al Desfile de Luces de Manassas Park el sábado 7 de diciembre. Si nunca ha sido parte de un desfile, ¡esta es su oportunidad de ser voluntario! Los voluntarios participarán en una celebración previa al desfile, caminarán todo el recorrido con el float del MPARK PTSO y repartirán dulces a los asistentes. El espacio es limitado, así que asegúrese de registrarse aquí para unirse a nosotros.

Nota: No habrá reunión en diciembre. ¡Disfrute de las vacaciones!

Gracias nuevamente por su apoyo continuo. ¡Esperamos verlo en nuestros próximos eventos!

Cordialmente,
Su MPARK PTSO

The goal of the Family Market program is to help alleviate hunger through a monthly distribution of healthy and nutritious food to children and their families. Manassas Park City Schools has partnered with the Capital Area Food Bank to provide non-perishable items and fresh produce to families within our school division. Each family will be allowed to “shop” for what they need and want from an array of products.

Please join us!

Thursday, November 14

Manassas Park Middle School

8202 Euclid Ave

Manassas Park, VA

Hours are 4:00 till 5:30pm

Let’s come together as a school division and support our elementary Cougars by providing food for them over the weekend. Giving is easy! Just click on the links below to have food shipped directly to the pantry or drop your donations in the Nourishing Ninja bin located in the front office of your own school building. We will come pick them up! Donation boxes will be picked up on Friday, December 6th.

For more information, contact us at Manassas Park Elementary School (703) 368-2032.

makenzie.rupert@mpark.net

netjulia.byers@mpark.net

deanna.robinson@mpark.net

christina.solarczyk@mpark.net

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2D10HDECS80QF/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_3?_encoding=UTF8&type=wishlist

Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/registry/tr/a7ee3a85-722b-437a-b060-40965ec18b61

Car Riders

We will begin welcoming students each day at 8:05 a.m. Supervision is not available before this time, so for safety purposes, please do not drop your child off earlier than 8:05 a.m.

Please review the elementary campus car drop off map below.

• If you have a student at MPES only: Use the north entrance off Cougar Court for drop off and pick up.
• If you have students at both MPES and CES: Use the Brandon Street entrance for drop off and pick up.
• When dropping off, please do not get out of the car. Staff members will assist your child in getting out of the car safely.

Bus Riders

Please click below for the bus schedules.

24-25 Bus Schedules

Early Dismissals

Please send in a note or call the main office ahead of time if you will be picking up your child before the end of the school day. A parent or authorized adult must present a photo ID, meet the student in the office, and sign out at the time of dismissal.

Dismissal Changes

If your child's dismissal routine changes, you must send in a note or contact the office. Please try to avoid changing dismissal procedures in the middle of the day. Emails sent to the teacher during the day may be missed if there is a substitute that day or if the teacher is not able to check his/her email. Unless there is an emergency, please contact the office with a dismissal change no later than 2:30 p.m. The end of the day is very busy and we want to make sure that every student gets home safely!

Please click on the button below to view this year's bus routes. Please note that during the first week of school delays of 30 minutes are common as everyone adjusts to new bus schedules. Please be patient as we make sure that all of our students get home safely!

Breakfast and lunch will be FREE OF CHARGE for all students for 2024-2025 school year.

We are pleased to inform you that all schools in Manassas Park will continue to participate in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs called the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) for school year 2024-2025.

What does this mean for you and your children attending our schools?
Great news for you and your child(ren)! All enrolled students of Manassas Park are eligible to receive a healthy breakfast and lunch at school, at no charge to your household, each day of the 2024-2025 school year. No further action is required of you. Your child(ren) will be able to participate in these meal programs without having to pay a fee or submit a meal application.

If you have questions or need information, please contact the School Nutrition Office by emailing gregory.taylor@mpark.net or calling 703-361-1510 ext. 17212. More information can also be found here: https://mpcsschoolmeals.com.

The school hours for the upcoming year will be 8:25 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. We will begin to welcome students starting at 8:05 a.m.

Attendance is a critical factor in a child’s school success. Children should attend school every day, except when they are sick or there is an emergency. It is impossible to replace the learning that takes place on any school day with make-up work. Please make on-time attendance a priority as we work together for your child’s success!

If your child will not be at school, please contact

Manassas Park Elementary School Main Office

(703) 368-2032

MPESattendance@mpark.net

There will be many exciting things happening throughout the next school year. I encourage you to stay up-to-date with important information and follow highlights of our learning at MPES and in Manassas Park City Schools.

You can stay connected by:

• Checking your child's Monday Folder each week
  
• Reading the MPES weekly online newsletters emailed every other Friday afternoon
  
• Following MPCS on Twitter @MPCSchools
  
• Liking and following the Manassas Park City Schools Facebook page
• Checking the MPCS website frequently at www.mpark.net
  

Donnie Olajuwon, Ed.D.

Principal

Email: donnie.olajuwon@mpark.net
Website: www.mpark.net
Location: 9298 Cougar Court, Manassas Park, VA, United States
Phone: (703) 368-2032
Twitter: @MPEScougars