Stonegate Greetings
Weekly Newsletter
Square 1 Art Fundraiser - Order deadline this Tuesday, Nov. 19!
Monday, November 18
Native American Heritage Month
After School Avanti Soccer 3:30 - 4:30 p.m.
After School Spanish Classes 3:30- 4:30 p.m.
Tuesday, November 19th
Native American Heritage Month
ORDER DEADLINE - Square 1 Art
After School Girls on the Run 3:30-4:45 p.m.
After School Sky’s the Limit Dance Gr K-2- 3:30- 5:15 p.m.
Wednesday, November 20th
Native American Heritage Month
Grade 2 Field Trip to Strathmore Music Center 11:20 - 2:00 pm
Thursday, November 21st
Native American Heritage Month
LFI Thanksgiving 1:30-3:00 p.m.
After school Basketball 3:30-4:30 p.m.
After School Girls on the Run 3:30-4:45 p.m.
After School Sky’s the Limit Dance Gr 3-5- 3:30- 5:15 p.m.
Friday, November 22nd
Native American Heritage Month
Wear your Stonegate Spirit Wear
Grade 4 Field Trip Historic St. Mary's City –7:15 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. - parents must provide transportation to/from school
DEADLINE - Let us know if you need to order a lunch for the school wide UMD field trip on Dec 19
LFI Community Outing
After School Magnus Chess Academy 3:30-4:30 p.m.
Sunday, November 24th
Girls on the Run 5K at Wheaton Mall
Looking ahead:
Nov 25-26 - Early Release Days, Students dismissal 12:55 pm
Nov 27-29- No school, Thanksgiving Holiday
Dear Stonegate Families and Caregivers,
During this month of giving thanks, we recognize that we have so much to be grateful for, thanks to you, our incredible families!
Scholastic Book Fair: A huge thank you to our PTA for sponsoring this fantastic event. The kids loved it! So many books and so much reading excitement! Thank you to parents who supported the fair and generously purchased books for our teachers’ Wish Lists.
Open House: Thank you for visiting classrooms and engaging in our learning. Many students were thrilled to have you participate and share in their learning and fun.
Good Night, Sleep Tight: Thank you for joining us while we enjoyed some amazing read alouds and popcorn while wearing your cozy PJ’s.
Boys Let Me Run: Congratulations to the amazing staff and students who participated this fall. The season wrapped up with a 5K on Saturday—what a fantastic accomplishment! View some pictures below.
Thank you for being such a supportive and involved community. We appreciate you!
We opened the field this week for our Sharks. As you know, the field has not taken root and continues to dry up and die. Lots of work is going into the field. The contractors believe that the field is experiencing a drainage issue. There is a plan to correct the field again in the spring to align with Montgomery County specifications.
Remember, Parent-Teacher Conferences are in full swing! If you haven’t scheduled yours yet, please reach out to your child’s teacher to set up a time. Report Cards came home last week. Please check your child's folder and backpack.
Warmly,
Linda M. Jones
Principal
We are thrilled to share that our very own principal, Linda M. Jones, is featured in the latest MCPS English Language Arts Newsletter! This year, MCPS has adopted a new elementary reading curriculum aligned with the Science of Reading, and Ms. Jones has been leading the way.
As a former reading specialist, Ms. Jones has gone above and beyond by actively teaching CKLA reading lessons herself—a unique step for a principal. Her dedication to supporting our students and teachers in this transition highlights her commitment to literacy and learning.
Congratulations, Ms. Jones, on this well-deserved recognition!
We’d like to remind everyone about the importance of wearing athletic footwear to school, especially on days when your child has PE. Proper shoes are essential for your child’s safety and comfort during physical activities.
Appropriate shoes for PE at school are:
Athletic Sneakers:
- Closed-toe and with good support.
- Rubber soles for grip and traction.
- Flexible and comfortable for running, jumping, and other activities.
- Shoes should stay secure on the feet to prevent tripping or slipping.
- These can be unsafe for physical activities due to lack of support or grip
Encouraging kids to wear comfortable, properly-fitted athletic sneakers ensures they can participate safely and confidently in PE and play!
Students play actively every day at recess, so wearing athletic shoes daily is a great choice. However, it’s especially important to have them on PE days to ensure your child can participate fully and safely.
This year has been full of photo opportunities! You may have pictures from a party, a field trip, or other fun event! Families and staff can use this Josten’s link to upload photos from field trips, class parties, class projects, assemblies, etc. for possible inclusion in the yearbook.
Yearbook Link to submit photos:
https://images.jostens.com/0UttG7hxhZq-7MutrNwsZcg
For Grade 5 families - Dropbox ONLY: Please submit a photo of your student when they were younger, such as kindergarten, to include in the flashback section of the yearbook.
Please complete this online permission slip by Nov. 22:
https://forms.gle/hUihyxqBM4SiWf7SA
Cost of trip: FREE
Date: Thursday, December 19
Get ready for the school wide field trip to University of Maryland’s Xfinity Center on Thursday, December 19, 2024!
The University of Maryland Women's Basketball program plays William & Mary for their annual Field Trip Day. This game will integrate Common Core standards such as numeracy and literacy with the game of basketball to create a fun and educational environment for all. The entire school (except for our half day PEP students) will be attending.
The cost of the trip is FREE thanks to our PTA and successful Fun Run Fundraiser. Approximately $ 3600 will go to cover the cost of the 14 MCPS buses.
Important Info: Students MUST bring a bagged lunch this day OR purchase one from school. The cafeteria will provide a chicken sandwich, drink and fruit.
Our cafeteria manager must place his December food orders before Thanksgiving break. Therefore, we need to know whether your child will need a school bagged lunch by this Friday, Nov. 22. If you have not already completed the online permission form or returned the paper permission slip, please do so today so we can gather EVERYONE'S permission and get our lunch count.
Chaperones- 4 per class - All chaperones must complete online training on the prevention, recognition, and reporting of child abuse and neglect. The link to the training is
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/childabuseandneglect.
Indicate below if you would like to be a chaperone. Your child’s teacher will contact you if you are selected as a chaperone for this trip.
Paper copies of the permission slip were already sent home. Please either complete the online permission slip or return the paper slip by Nov. 22
Good Evening Parents,
KIND Bag deliveries are well underway! As we approach the Holiday Season, if you or your family are in need of weekend delivery bags please reach out to me or any staff as soon as possible so that you may have snacks to provide to our children during extended holiday breaks!
Stonegate partners with Kids in Need Distributor to help provide food to families that are in need. If you are a family that is in need of the bags provided by KIND please complete the KIND form or reach out to Mr. George, our school counselor at Kedon_F_George2@mcpsmd.org.
Every jacket, lunch box and water bottle needs to be labeled with your child’s name or your family last name. Take a minute and write your child's name on their coats. This small step will save you money and time!
Stonegate has a diligent team of fifth grade student leaders who check every item in the lost and found for a name and return it to the right student.
We have partnered with https://mabelslabels.com/ if you would like to order amazing label products for clothing, water bottles and lunch boxes. Our Grade 5 students will earn 20% of sales. Be sure to select “support a fundraiser” and select “Stonegate Elementary (Silver Spring)”
Menus are sent home monthly and can be found on the MCPS’s website: Elementary Menu
Kindergarten- 5th Grade Menu: November 2024:
English | español | français | 中文 | Portuguese | 한국어 | tiếng Việt | አማርኛ
Pre-K/Headstart: November 2024:
English | español | français | 中文 | Portuguese | 한국어 | tiếng Việt | አማርኛ
Hot lunches are served daily with alternate choices. Lunch is $2.55 including milk. Milk may be purchased separately for 60 cents. Parents are highly encouraged to start a Myschoolbucks account for their child. This will eliminate lost or forgotten lunch money. The price of lunch or breakfast will be subtracted from the account. Checks should be made payable to Stonegate School Cafeteria.
Payments to student cafeteria accounts can be made either through My School Bucks (optional, not a requirement), or cash or checks payable to Stonegate Cafeteria and submitted to the cafeteria manager.
Applying for Free Lunch
Students in Maryland who qualify for reduced-price meals will not be charged for meals! Apply right away. One application covers the entire HOUSEHOLD. Translations in other languages are available through the online application.
Apply now at www.MySchoolApps.com
Here is a video about how to apply:
English Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJUapGLarBo
Video en Español: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsdCrtCIFJc&t=4s
Here is the 24-25 School Calendar
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org//siteassets/district/calendar/2024/2024-calendar.pdf
Nov 25-26 - Early Release Day, Students dismissal 12:55 pm
Nov 27-29- No school, Thanksgiving Holiday
Dec 3 PTA Membership Meeting virtual 8:00 pm
Dec 9 - 20 - Gr 5 Krispy Kreme Digital Dozen Fundraiser (opens Nov. 20)
Dec 11 - PTA Restaurant Night Jersey Mikes
Dec 19 - School Wide Field Trip (all grades) to Xfinity Center UMD Girls Basketball Game 10 -2
Dec 23 - Jan 1- No School, Winter Break
Jan 2 - Return to School
Jan 14 - Gr 5 Chipotle Restaurant Night 5-9 pm
Jan 16 - Science Night 6-7:30 pm
Jan 23 - Winter Instrumental Music & Chorus 5:30-6:30 pm
Jan 27 - Grade 1 Field Trip Imagination Stage 9:40 - 12:30 pm
Jan 30 - Yearbook Club photos 9:15-11:15 am
Feb 4 - PTA Membership Meeting virtual 8:00 pm
Feb 13 - PTA Restaurant Night Vocelli
Feb 14 - Valentine’s Parties 2-3 pm
Feb 21 - Grade 4 Field Trip Arts on Stage “Lift Every Voice” 10:30 am -2 pm
Feb 24- Mar 14 PTA Read A Thon
Feb 27 - Black History Celebration - Paint Branch High School
Feb 28- Early Release dismissal at 12:55
Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) appreciates the support of the parent and community volunteers who support the essential needs of the schools.
For our field trip Chaperones, you must have completed the online Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect Training within the last 3 years (2022-2023, 2023-2024, current 2024-2025 school years). You can access the training through ParentVue.
Support Guides: How to take the training
All volunteers WILL need to check-in and check-out of the main office and scan their driver’s license/identification cards through the Visitor Management System (VMS). Once the volunteer clears the VMS, they must be badged (the VMS creates a sticker badge) and remain under supervision of an MCPS professional while with students.
Link to 7 minute Volunteer Expectations Video: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tpdZrX8MRqYutpNhA3siVOajmRnxlYPa/view?usp=sharing
Clothing to Cash® is a program that collects New and Used Clothing, Shoes, Sheets, and Towels, (all Textiles) and pays the school 10 cents for every pound collected. The program is operated entirely OUTSIDE and will be located in the school parking lot, where students, parents, staff, and the community can drop off items throughout the year.
They have state-of-the-art photo quantity sensors installed in each bin that report 3 times daily to prevent overflow and allow the company to schedule service as needed (no other companies use this technology). They empty the collection bin, weigh the contents to determine our school earnings, and pay our school monthly.
The average school (500 - 1000 students) will earn $1000- $2000 yearly if each student would donate just one 13-gallon kitchen-size bag of textile mate! Add in parents, siblings, relatives, neighbors, and staff, and Stonegate’s earnings could really increase.