Piney Point Weekly

A week

March 23 - SMECO Math Team Challenge - Good Luck to our 4th and 5th grade Math Teams!!

March 24 - All School Reptile World Assembly

March 24 - Last day to complete the Boosterthon shirt order form

March 24 - Last day to purchase SCA bracelets

Our Student Council Association comprised of 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students is hosting a bracelet fundraiser. The funds raised will be used to support Staff Appreciation Week in May. The bracelet pre-orders will be accepted March 13-24. Each bracelet is $6.00. The bracelets will take up to 6-8 weeks to arrive. Bracelets feature an iron coated "P' charm for Piney Point and the bracelet is blue and yellow.

Order forms have been sent home with students.

• Calendar Updates: Spring break is just around the corner, beginning with a two-hour early dismissal on Friday, March 31, 2023. Please note that Schools are closed for all students and 10-11 month staff from April 3-6, and all schools and offices are closed April 7 and 10. Students will return to school on Tuesday, April 11, 2023. Additionally, the Superintendent and staff presented updates to the calendar to the Board of Education on March 8 identifying potential changes to the end of this school year, pending approval by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) and the Board of Education of St. Mary’s County. These changes are based on a mild winter - and therefore no snow days this year, as well as recent guidance from MSDE that allows for the use of virtual learning days in our calendar. We encourage you to view the March 8 Board Meeting presentation and provide input through this brief survey.

We ask that all parents complete this form by March 24. Every student will receive a Boosterthon event shirt.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1qoPeQkzLCUjifFyqnQGTmb3IOYkpByHuGitT2RBD3Uk/edit

Dear Piney Point Families,

Piney Point Elementary is so excited to launch our Shirt Sponsorship program! Through this program, we will be able to provide an item of spirit wear to EVERY student in our school, while also raising needed funds for our students, staff, and programs this year.

Last year, we were able to partner with some incredible businesses to provide custom shirts to all our students! We are hoping to partner with EVEN MORE local businesses this year. Their logo or name will be displayed on the back of the shirt and worn by every student in our school. Not only will their support be incredibly helpful to Piney Point but it will enable us to support them as a community!

If you know of, or are part of, a business that would be interested in becoming a Piney Point Shirt Sponsor, please see the attached Sponsorship Form for more information.

We need a commitment from all sponsors by April 3 in order to supply all our students with a shirt.

I’d like to give one more shout out to last year’s sponsors! Thank you to the following partners for their generous support!

Russell's Store

Winter's

Cedar Point Federal Credit Union

Captain Pat's

J. Browne Excavating

Escape Room

Great Mills Trading Post

Dyson's Building Supply

Dr. Dylan Schneider

Bin There Dump That

SWM Solutions

William & Amanda Peterson

WM Davis Contracting

Tall Timbers Marina

TT Oyster Ranch

Thank you in advance for supporting our school! If you have any questions, please contact me at maadkins@smcps.org.

Thank you,

Melissa Adkins

Spirit Wear Chairperson

Piney Point Elementary School

Parents and guardians should be mindful of all debt that their students accrue throughout the 2022-2023 School Year. Student debt could take any one of the following forms:

• Lost/Damaged Computer Devices

• Lost/Damaged Textbooks

• Lunch Debt

Parents/Guardians play a key role in monitoring not only their student's actions but also their fiscal responsibilities regarding lost/damaged issued devices (such as computers and textbooks) and/or food purchases made by your child in our school cafeteria. Payment can be made in the form of cash or check and should include your child's five-digit Student ID# (e.g., #12345). For further convenience, families may also pay by credit card online at http://www.myschoolbucks.com/. All questions and concerns should be directed to the school bank or the principal's secretary.

We are excited to announce that we have scheduled a PPES Blue Crab Baseball Game Night for Friday, May 19. Please share with family and friends and purchase the tickets using the information on the flyer below and PPES gets $5.00 for every ticket sold!

The St. Mary’s County Public Schools' new website, www.smcps.org, has a new look starting March 3! Our school's site will also feature a new design to deliver a cohesive look. The new website platform will have the same content, with a fresh look, easier navigation, and additional accessibility features. School website links will forward to the new site; however, the website address (URL) will be different for our school, so users may need to update their bookmarks.

As the parent or guardian of a child receiving special education services in Maryland, you should have received a copy of the Maryland Special Education Parent Involvement Survey in the mail. By completing the survey, you can tell us how your child’s school partners with you. Your feedback will help guide efforts to improve special education and related services in your local school system.

We want to hear from you.
OPTION 1: Complete the hard copy survey that was recently sent to you and return it in the postage-paid envelope by May 19, 2023, or
OPTION 2: Complete the survey online at www.mdparentsurvey.com.

Questions? Please contact Kenneth Hudock, MSDE, at 410-767-7770 or Kenneth.Hudock@maryland.gov.

• Applications for the SRMS STEM Academy will open on Wednesday, March 29th, and close on Friday, May 5th. All students interested in applying for STEM 6 will need to submit an online application within the application window. Late applications will not be accepted.

• On Wednesday, March 29th, SMCPS academies will hold a Virtual Open House. Students interested in attending an academy program in SMCPS is welcome to attend in order to learn more from program teachers and students. More information to come.

Piney Point ES

Order Your 2022-2023

YEARBOOK TODAY!

Capture this year's school memories by ordering your yearbook TODAY!

http://yearbooks.classic-photo.com/PineyPoint/home3/Bookstore.jsp

Sales end Friday, April 28.

https://survey.smcps.org/index.php/16861?lang=en

March is National Nutrition Month. According to the CDC, it is key to introduce a variety of foods to children early. Early eating experiences can affect how we eat as we age. To see the benefits of healthy eating for children and adults click on this link Benefits of Healthy Eating. For more information on dietary guidelines for America from the USDA, please watch the following video Make Every Bite Count with The Guidelines for Americans 2020-2025

How can you get involved with National Nutrition Month? Here are a few ideas on how to get involved in National Nutrition Month from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
• As a family, commit to trying a new fruit or vegetable each week during National Nutrition Month.
• Give family members a role in meal planning and let them pick out different recipes to try.
• Plan to eat more meals together as a family during National Nutrition Month.
• Explore food recovery options in your community.
• If you watch TV, take breaks during commercials to be physically active.
• Practice mindful eating by limiting screen time at mealtime — including phones, computers, TV and other devices.
• Try more meatless meals — choices like beans, peas and lentils are versatile plant-based protein sources that work in a variety of dishes.
• Let everyone help with food preparation — a skill for people of all ages. If you have kids, there are age-appropriate tasks they may enjoy learning how to do.
• Bring out the flavors of food by trying new herbs, spices, or citrus fruit like lemon or lime.

For more resources and ideas, please visit Eat Right.org The American Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

Hello Piney Point Families,

During the month of March, our students will be learning about the character trait, PERSEVERANCE. They are learning that perseverance means:

• Working hard, not giving up

• Believing in yourself

• Learning from mistakes

• Encouraging others

Listed below is a newsletter which contains some books, web resources, and activities for home on our character trait that you may want to explore with your child.

• Perseverance Newsletter

• Wells’ Bitmoji Page

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at kcwells@smcps.org or 301-994-2205 (ext. 24120).

Respectfully,

Krissy Wells

• Evening Counseling sessions will take place at Greenview Knolls Elementary School. If parents are interested, please fill out the interest form on the flyer. Evening Counseling Flyer

Board Member Needed : We have all of our PTA Board positions filled for the 23/24 school year except for Treasurer. We must have one in order to have a PTA next year! Please let us know if you are interested in learning more about the position.

Please check out our Amazon Wishlist, any help is greatly appreciated . https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2N3614AVM5BEI?ref_=wl_share

School Laptops

Students are held accountable for laptops all year, including summer.

Here are the guidelines care.

1. Keep you laptop in a secure place. The laptop should not leave home or be taken on vacations.
2. Please review the procedures in our Accountability Document for "Care of Laptops Offsite"
3. If you need help with your device please submit a helpdesk ticket using these directions.
4. All students are issued a school laptop.
5. It is your responsibility for the care and upkeep of your device.
6. Depending on the make/model, a school laptop costs 380.00 - 520.00. Laptop charger replacements cost 40.00.

If you break a laptop, there is a repair cost. Please take care of your device.

Parent drop off begins at 9:00am and ends at about 9:10am. If there are no staff members outside and the front doors are closed, you must park and walk your student(s) into the front entrance of the school. Students are considered late after 9:15am and must be signed in through the main office.

The School Volunteer Portal is now open for applications. Beginning this year all school volunteers must apply annually for approval. The application process will begin on August 1 and end on May 1 of each school year. There is no application fee for school volunteers.

Medication Administration

Medications occasionally need to be administered to students by our nurse during the school day. Students can not transport medication of any kind to school including over the counter medications. All medication must be brought to school by a parent, guardian, or other authorized adult. Please call the school nurse if you have any questions.

All students in SMCPS have been issued classroom and technology resources.* These resources may include:

• Textbooks

• Novels

• Library Books

• Laptops

• Chargers

• Consumables

• Content/Class specific resources not mentioned above

When an SMCPS resource is lost, the student is charged the replacement cost specific to that item. When a laptop is damaged (either partially or completely), the repair or replacement cost is as shown in the SMCPS Student Device and Resource Accountability document. If a student is charged for any reason, payments can now be made through MySchoolBucks. As soon as a fee is assessed in Destiny, a REAL TIME FEE will show in the parent/guardian My School Bucks account. If your family does not already have an account with MySchoolBucks, it is not difficult to create one. Simply go to the MySchoolBucks Help page and click on the “How do I get started” option. Answers to many of your other questions can also be found there. *Please note, you can also still pay with cash or check at your school.

Ready to sign up? Visit this link.

*If you would like to see what your student currently has checked out or any fines that have been assessed, the student can login to their Destiny account.

* The U.S. Department of Agriculture waivers that permitted distribution of free meals in school and via take-home meals have not been extended into School Year 2022-2023.

While meals are not free for all students, we are still offering the free and reduced meal program based on the status determined from the meal benefit application. Students who qualify based on income or direct certification will still receive free or reduced meals this school year. A new application must be submitted for this school year to qualify.

Elementary School Prices:
$1.45 breakfast

$2.75 lunch

School Meal Benefit Forms: School Year Meal Benefit forms for SY 2022-2023 are now available online! Easily fill out your new meal benefit form by visiting https://www.myschoolapps.com/Application on the www.smcps.org website. Families and students should also be advised that there are a lot of additional benefits by submitting a meal application form. These perks include waivers on college applications, dual-enrollment courses with the College of Southern Maryland, and discounted fees to participate in St. Mary’s County Parks and Rec programs. Families can request more information by contacting SMCPS Food and Nutrition Services Office at 301.475.4256, Option 5, or via email at foodservice@smcps.org.

• If you completed a meal benefit form last year and qualified for free or reduced meals, your child will continue to receive a free or reduced meal until October 6th. You must complete a new meal benefit form to receive a free or reduced meal for the remainder of the school year.
• For those families that did not complete a meal benefit last year, your child will need to purchase their meals. You can put money on the meal account by visiting myschoolbucks.com.

Information regarding bus routes and signing up for Here Comes the Bus can be found at this link: https://www.smcps.org/dss/transportation/bus-stop-school-locator

Students are assigned a bus based on their physical address. If your child is coming to school or going home to another address (like a daycare), it is the parent's responsibility to communicate that information with the office. Please contact Jayne Worch at jdworch@smcps.org. If your child is a returning PPES student, you only need to communicate with the office if the transportation to or from school has changed from last school year.

HAC opens for families on Friday, August 19 at 5:00 p.m. Directions can be found on the SMCPS parent page https://www.smcps.org/hac. Please contact Jayne Worch, school secretary, if you need assistance with accessing HAC. HAC includes student's schedules, homeroom teacher, attendance, grades, and registration information.

The school supply lists can be found using this link: https://schools.smcps.org/ppes/. You can find the lists using the quick links tab.

The SY2023 Student Handbook and Code of Conduct can be found here.