FALCON FAMILY NEWS

We have a new phone number! Our new front office number is: 227.203.1480!

Dear North Frederick Parents and Guardians,

We are so excited to welcome back our 650+ students tomorrow! Please remember that our PK students start the year with parent meetings and our K students begin with a staggered start. Please check your child's teacher assignment letter to determine their first day of school.

We welcomed staff back on August 15th with a breakfast prepared by the admin team and wrapped up their week with an amazing lunch provided by our PTA! Thank you to all the parents who donated food and a big shout out to Amber Franklin who coordinated the entire lunch and decorated the staff lounge for our teachers!

We enjoyed seeing so many of you at our Meet the Teacher Open House that was held yesterday, as well as our Back to School Night for our PK, K and Specialized Programs.

Mark your calendars for our 1st-5th grade back to school night on September 4th 4:00-5:30 (Teachers will hold two exact presentations to accommodate families with two or more children in grades 1-5. The first presentation will begin promptly at 4:30, and the second will begin at 5:00. Doors will close at 5:15 so please plan to arrive on time for the start of the presentation.

Please be on the lookout for our Falcon Family Newsletters every other week. The first newsletter of each month will include our grade level newsletters that will also be sent by your child's classroom teacher. Communication is key to a successful partnership, so please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns throughout the year. We hope you will consider your child's classroom teacher as your first point of contact.

Thank you for entrusting us with the education of your child. Together, we can make this school year a memorable and impactful one for all our students.

• Wednesday, August 21st- First Day of School for Students

• Aug. 21, 22, 23- Staggered Start Days for all Kindergarten students

• Aug. 23, 24, 25- Staggered Start Days for all PK students
• Monday, September 2nd- School Closed Labor Day

• Wednesday, September 4th- 1st-5th Back To School Night 4:00-5:30

• Thursday, September 19th- Two Hour Early Dismissal

• Friday, September 20th- 3.5 Hour Early Dismissal

Students will arrive between 7:50 AM-8:15 AM

Instruction starts at 8:20 AM (Students who arrive after 8:20 will be marked late.)

Dismissal will begin at 2:50 PM

Car Rider Drop-Off

• All Car Riders should drive to the front of NFES off of Motter Ave.
• For your child's safety, please only allow your child to exit the car when you have pulled up in front of NFES.
• Please do not drop off your car rider at any location other than in front of NFES with our staff. Please do not park along Fairview or Motter to drop-off your child.

Car Rider Pick-Up

• Please pull up to the curb in front of NFES to pick up your child at dismissal between 2:50 and 3:15. We do not want students walking where there is no sidewalk or NFES staff member.
• Please do not park along Fairview or Motter to pick-up your child. Only walkers will be dismissed to these locations.

How can you help our car line move more efficiently?

In the Morning:

• Say your goodbyes prior to a staff member opening your door
• Shoes should be on and backpacks should be ready to grab
• Please do not allow your child to unload until a staff member opens the door

In the Afternoon:

• Please stay off your cell phone while in the car rider line
• Please follow staff directions and pull all the way up
• Parents should not get out of the car. If you have a younger child who needs to be buckled, please pull all the way up so we don't hold up the line.

Walkers

Walkers will be dismissed between 3:00-3:10. Please only list your child as a walker if they will be walking home. Please do not list your child as a walker if you are planning to drive to pick them up. Safety first! We want your child to be supervised until you can get to them. You can pick up as a car rider between the hours of 2:55-3:15 daily. Students who are assigned a bus, should not be listed as a walker. Parents may choose to list them as car riders.

Bus Riders

Please check bus information using this link - https://www.fcps.org/transportation/bus-stop-information-online

Please use this link to locate FCPS School Meal Information

FCPS has a new parent portal for School Meals: https://linqconnect.com/

• Use Linq Connect to apply for Free and Reduced Meals
• Use Linq Connect to add money on your child's lunch account
• View student meal transactions
• View lunch Menu
• Set low-balance notifications

*If you want to limit your child's account to just lunches or one snack a day, please note that on the account or put the request in writing.

The first step of the process is to follow these detailed directions on how to create an account in Unified Talent and then how to complete the two required trainings. After you complete your trainings, you will receive an email with the next steps in the process. Please be aware that the process can take 48-72 hours and MUST BE COMPLETED PRIOR to you volunteering for FCPS.

If you are a current FCPS Employee who is interested in volunteering, you must complete the Volunteer training listed under your Recommended Courses on your Unified Talent Home Page.

Thank you and Congratulations to our 24.25 PTA Officers-

President – Alicia Graves

Vice President –Lauren Herbster

Secretary – Amelia Saris

Treasurer – Ryan Trout

Welcome back NFES! We hope you have enjoyed a fun and relaxing summer! We are preparing for a successful year with lots of fun events, but we NEED YOU! Check out the below opportunities to support us as we begin the school year:

Renew Your Membership for 2024-2025
Help Us By Volunteering
Get dinner from Cafe Bueno on Wednesday, August 28th
Attend our General Meeting on Tuesday, September 3rd
Keep reading for all the details, and thank you in advance for doing a little more to help our school put on great events for our kids.
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The Time is Now, Renew Your Annual Membership
Help support our students and teachers by renewing you PTA membership today!
Family memberships are $20
Individual memberships are $12
Staff memberships are $10
Why join? Your annual membership dues support initiatives such as the Spring Play, Book Fair, Trunk-or-Treat, field trips, school assemblies, teacher appreciation efforts, and more.

• NEW THIS YEAR: All members can participate in the Spring Play for free. A sign-up fee will apply to non-members.

• NEW THIS YEAR: We are aiming to provide all PTA members with a free school directory.

• TEACHERS/STAFF: Join and be eligible for up to $75 in reimbursements from the PTA for classroom supplies.

• Join before Friday, September 13th and receive a new Freddy the Falcon decal sticker and will qualify for the Annual Classroom Contest. The winning homeroom gets to duct-tape Principal Poquette to the wall!

Click here to join for 2024-2025 now: Givebacks<https://fspta-00020984.givebacks.com/store>
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Exciting Committee Opportunities!
Interested in making a bigger impact this school year? We need volunteers on the following committees:

• Teacher Appreciation
• Book Fair
• School Assemblies
• Movie Night
• School Directory
• Spring Play
• Sponsorship/Business Partnership Coordinator

Volunteering with the PTA doesn't mean you’re signing up for a full-time job. Sometimes, it’s just about sending a few emails, organizing a meal for our amazing teachers and staff, or helping out with fun events. Every little bit counts and makes a huge difference for our school community.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to message us at northfrederickpta@gmail.com or sign up here: https://forms.gle/fwMefoDoDuNHR12s8<https://forms.gle/fwMefoDoDuNHR12s8>

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Mark Your Calendars for Our First Restaurant Fundraiser!
We’re kicking off the school year with a delicious way to support our PTA! Join us on Wednesday, August 28th, from 11am to 9pm at Cafe Bueno for our first restaurant fundraiser of the year.
Whether you dine in or order takeout, a percentage of your bill will go directly to our PTA to support exciting initiatives like school assemblies, movie nights, Trunk or Treat, and more for the 2024-2025 school year.
Let’s come together for great food and a great cause. See you there!
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Join Us for PTA Meetings on Tuesdays!
We’re excited to announce that our PTA meetings will continue to be held on Tuesdays at 5:30 PM in the school cafeteria. Mark your calendars for the first meeting on September 3rd—attendance is crucial as we’ll be voting on the budget for the year.
Can’t make it in person? No worries! A link to join virtually through Google Meet will be available on the day of the meeting.
We look forward to seeing you there and working together to make this school year amazing!

Communication is very important to your child’s success at school and we want to keep you informed of what is going on at North Frederick Elementary School. We do not want you to miss important information.

• FCPS School Messenger

• Twitter: @FCPS_Poquette

• PTA Facebook page: North Frederick Elementary School PTA

• North Frederick Elementary Website: https://education.fcps.org/nfes/

Mrs. Tracy Poquette: Principal

Mrs. Angela Roland: Assistant Principal

Ms. Courtney Fike: Specialized Programs Coordinator

Mrs. Ericka Villatoro-Somarriba: Administrative Secretary

Mrs. Alex Brown: Front Office Secretary

Location: 1010 Fairview Avenue, Frederick, MD, USA
Phone: 227.203.1480