ARGYLE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

• Parent Teacher Conferences - Monday, November 20, 2023 1pm - 3pm (Virtual), 4pm - 7pm (In person)
• ACE Day - Tuesday, November 21, 2023 11:10AM - 12:30PM
• Scholastic Book Fair - Monday, November 20 - 21, 2023 and Monday, November 27 - 29, 2023
  
• Early Release Day for all Students - Monday, November 20 and Tuesday, November 21, 2023
• Thanksgiving Break (No school for students and staff) - Wednesday, November 22 - 24, 2023
• No Puff Daddy Assemblies - Thursday, November 30, 2023

Argyle will hold Parent-Teacher Conferences on Monday, November 20 in two different chunks of time.

Virtual conferences will be available from 1:00-3:00 and caregivers may begin signing up on ParentVUE on November 10. Caregivers must schedule a virtual conference on ParentVUE in order to participate. Virtual conferences will last 10 minutes. While sign-up for virtual conferences will be on ParentVUE, the actual conferences will take place on Zoom. The Zoom information that teachers will use can be found in two ways. One way is through MyMCPS Classroom, at the top of the Modules page:

The other way is by using the Meeting ID number that you will see in ParentVUE under “location” when you sign up for conferences.

The Zoom passcode for ALL classes is “ams” -- all lowercase letters.

In-person conferences will be available in the Argyle Gym from 4:00-7:00. No appointments are needed.

For support with accessing ParentVUE, please call the main office or email your student’s grade-level counselor:

• Main Office: (240) 740-6370

• 6th Grade: Genevieve_A_Dewitt@mcpsmd.org

• 7th Grade: Kristen_M_Andich@mcpsmd.org

• 8th Grade: Miyah_M_Ford@mcpsmd.org

• Resource Counselor: Matthew_J_Lilja@mcpsmd.org

This Tuesday, November 21st, we are thrilled to host our first Ace Day of the school year! Ace Day is an exciting opportunity to recognize students for the effort they put in at Argyle exhibiting our culture of excellence: being respectful, responsible, and reflective. For the last hour of the school day, various fun and engaging activities will take place across the school. Ask your child about Ace Day and their PBIS points at Argyle!

Our Wellness Wednesday fundraiser continues! Support students with a pledge as they participate in a read-a-thon, a math-a-thon, a write-a-thon, and a code-a-thon throughout the day. Funds raised will go toward student field trips and activities. Fundraiser will end November 30, 2023.

To register your child for the fundraiser, follow these three simple steps:

1. First Register or re-Login to your parent dashboard and complete your child’s student webpage with a PICTURE at getmovinfundhub.com. School Identifier: 63f78052e5194

2. Make an online donation using the red Donate button right away

3. Share with friends and family, they want to help!

• Send 10-15 emails and/or text messages

• Post Facebook or Twitter

• Help your child reach their goal in 24/48 hours

PTSA is sponsoring a spirit wear sale!

Take advantage of the chance to buy some Argyle Eagles apparel for the holidays, or treat yourself to an early holiday gift! Orders close on November 20th at the end of the day, and delivery will be to the school between 12/18-12/20 so just in time to wear cozy new gear over the holiday break!

https://argylemiddle.itemorder.com/shop/home/

It’s Scholastic Book Fair time! We are ready to bring on the Bookjoy! What is Bookjoy? It’s the gimme-gimme-gimme rush of grabbing a new book. Reading between classes. Finishing the book on the bus because they can’t wait to get home. Bookjoy starts at the Fair!

The fair will be open:

• Monday, Nov. 20

• Tuesday, Nov. 21

• Monday, Nov. 27

• Tuesday, Nov. 28

• Wednesday, Nov. 29

We are having a book fair family event on Monday 11/20 from 4pm-7pm! Families can shop the fair together during Parent-Teacher Conference Night! Come experience the excitement all over again with your kids. Remember, what starts at the Book Fair stays with you forever.

Every purchase benefits our school. Thanks for supporting our kids! Happy reading! Apoya nuestra escuela! Cada compra beneficia nuestros estudiantes!

For more information, visit our school's book fair homepage.

Volunteer! We need to staff 5 days of book fair and for that we need help! Consider just coming by to help children look through and select books in the fair for a couple hours. There will be other experienced book fair volunteers available to help you! You can see the schedule and sign up at this link.

See you at the book fair!

Registration for Winter Sports is now Open - Boys' Basketball & Girls' Basketball! Register now through Friday, December 1st!

Please reference the MCPS Athletics site to help support you with online registration and to help you understand which documents need to be submitted! https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/athletics/parent/forms/

For caretakers who need help understanding registration through ParentVue, please reference this guide! ParentVue Support Guide for Athletic Registration (only in English)

Tryouts for Boys' & Girls' Basketball will begin on Tuesday, December 5th! All necessary documents must be submitted in order to try out!

If you have any questions, please reach out to your Atheltic Coordinators, Kristina Penland (kristina_a_penland@mcpsmd.org) or Rebekah Harrison (rebekah_r_harrison@mcpsmd.org).

Students, the SGA will be walking in a WINTER WONDERLAND by hosting a Winter Dance on Friday, December 15th. Get your dance moves and shoes ready for what will for sure be a good time. Tickets will go on sale starting Tuesday, December 12th in the morning in front of the Media Center for $2.00. Be sure to get yours as tickets will NOT be sold at the door. The fun will start right after school in the Gym and end at 5pm so be sure to have a ride home when the party ends. Also, don't forget to bring some pocket change as the SGA will be holding a BAKE SALE.

Please view the slides linked below for after-school clubs and organization offerings at Argyle MS:

Argyle Extra Curricular Activities

Students in EBB get expanded access to after-school. Students can power up with an after-school meal before heading off to an activity of their choice. You might come for the extracurricular activities, but you’ll probably stay for the people you meet.

All activities are full. Registration is now closed.

There are a range of assessments that your student will participate in this year beyond those that teachers administer during individual classes. Please review those assessments here as well as the resources that are linked and reach out if you would like to learn more!

We're pleased to announce that we have partnered with the Capitol Area Food Bank again this year to provide our families and staff access to a Food Pantry here at Argyle MS. The food pantry will open Thursdays from 3:30 – 4:30 pm. This service is only for families who have students that attend Argyle MS. Please ONLY allow ONE person from each household to come to get food.

Parents and caregivers - Please send your students with a refillable, reusable water bottle every day. Hydration is an important part of learning and staying healthy. There are refilling stations throughout the school to ensure your student has access to water all day. Please ensure your student is eating breakfast and lunch whether it is a meal from our school cafeteria or a meal packed from home. Take a look at MCPS October's breakfast and lunch menu by visiting the website below:

https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/district/departments/food-and-nutrition/menus/sy-2324/november/5440.24ggk_es_menu_november.pdf

We want to inform you of an important change in our dismissal policy that will go into effect starting Monday, October 30, 2023. Effective immediately, any requests for early dismissal or dismissal changes for your child cannot be accommodated after 2:45 PM. This new cut-off time is necessary to ensure the safety and efficient operation of our school dismissal process.

We understand that there may be occasions when you need to make changes to your child's dismissal plan, but after 2:45 PM, it becomes increasingly challenging to implement these changes without causing disruptions. Please make sure to communicate any changes or early dismissal requests to the school's office well in advance of this time to allow us to make the necessary arrangements.

To help us maintain a smooth and organized dismissal process, we kindly ask for your cooperation in adhering to this new policy. Safety is our top priority, and this change will help us ensure a secure and orderly dismissal for all students.

Thank you for your understanding and support in this matter. We greatly appreciate your partnership in keeping our school community safe and well-coordinated. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this policy change, please feel free to reach out to our main office at (240)740- 6370

Parents or guardians should handwrite or email student excuse notes to Mrs. Patricia Hernandez, Argyle's attendance secretary. Phone calls will not excuse any absences until a note has been turned in to the main office.

If you have any questions or need to email an excuse note, please contact Argyle's attendance secretary Ms. Patricia Hernandez at patricia_v_hernandez@mcpsmd.org

MCPS is offering out-of-school programming for elementary and middle school students throughout the 2023-2024 school year. Families are invited to take advantage of a host of activities for students on four days: Oct. 9, Nov. 1, Jan. 29 and April 10 when schools are closed for students. Students can participate in person or virtually. For a list of activities, sign up with the following links for Kids Day Out and Teens Day Out. For additional opportunities, visit the MCPS out-of-school time webpage.

Register and Verify Your ParentVue Information

The Annual Verification process allows families to update contact information, collect important information about you and your student, including any medical, immunization, language preferences, and emergency information that school staff need to know. MCPS uses ParentVUE to collect this information electronically. Online registration is available now until October 20th.

We have online registration quick guides in several languages available to support you in this process.

English | Español | 中國人 | 한국인 | Français | Português | Tiếng Việt | አማርኛ

Student, Family, and School Services is very excited to provide "Parent Academy TO GO," a series of virtual presentations for families to participate and view at home.

Parent Academy TO GO is designed to inform and empower families as advocates and partners in their children's education. Workshops provide families with useful information and resources to support their children's academic and emotional well-being, as well as help them to be college and career ready. Through a variety of learning opportunities hosted by MCPS staff and community partners, we hope to strengthen our engagement with families and the community. We recognize that behind every successful student are supportive families, teachers, school staff and community members who take an active role in educating our students.

Please visit website: https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/parentacademy/

www.MySchoolApps.com is NOW OPEN for parents to complete and submit the 2023–2024 Online Application for Free and Reduced-Price Meals!

FAMILIES CAN APPLY NOW & AVOID LONGER PROCESSING TIMES IN THE FALL!

REMINDERS FOR SCHOOLS:

• Please immediately discard all application forms from previous years. As federal government information on the application changes every year, only the 2023–2024 applications may be used.
• The online application should be encouraged as the primary method to apply for FARMS. Households that complete an online application DO NOT need to submit a paper application. A small supply of 2023–2024 paper application forms in English and Spanish will be distributed to all MCPS Schools close to the first day of school. Paper applications should only be distributed to parents/guardians who request a paper application.
• Translations in other languages are available through the online application.
• How-to videos for the online FARMS application in English and Spanish are below and may be shared with families who need assistance

Spanish Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsdCrtCIFJc&t=4s
English Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJUapGLarBo

Dear Parent/Guardian,

Montgomery County Public Schools has transitioned to a online payment system called SchoolCash Online as its preferred method of payment for all school-related fees.

SchoolCash Online helps parents/guardians and community members pay school-related fees safely, quickly, and easily. SchoolCash Online will help increase efficiency and security at schools by making payments directly into schools’ bank accounts and eliminating the need for teachers to handle money. In addition, once registered, you will be immediately informed about school activities!

Powered by KEV Group, SchoolCash Online is the industry leader in the management of school fees. The new system puts all of the school-related fees online for purchase so users can make purchases online using a credit card or e-check. A processing fee will be included on all items available for purchase, regardless of the type of payment used on SchoolCash Online or at the school.

Parents/guardians can register now at - Click here

BUS ROUTES

• Transportation Rules and Safety
• Arrival Routes - 2023 - 2024
  
• Departure Routes - 2023 - 2024

DID YOU KNOW LOW-INCOME FAMILIES AND OLDER ADULTS IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY CAN GET HOME INTERNET ACCESS FOR A LITTLE AS $9.95 PER MONTH?

Please visit Montgomery County - Low-Cost Internet for more information!

English:

https://chat.whatsapp.com/CUEO8ddcTjcKj4fNyWLvY4

Spanish:

https://chat.whatsapp.com/L09ZMqTqU7QB40yvOauSBl

Portuguese:

https://chat.whatsapp.com/DELA314K2hC0e5wFOSIQrr

Students and parents are advised to review the student handbook linked below:

• Agendabook.argylems.org
  
• A Student’s Guide to Rights and Responsibilities
  
• Student Code of Conduct
  

Magnet Program for Digital Design and Development

Website: www.argylems.org
Location: 2400 Bel Pre Road, Aspen Hill, MD, USA
Phone: (240) 740-6370
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550028159416&mibextid=LQQJ4d

Twitter: @ArgyleMagnetMS