Otter Families!

Thank you to all of our Career Day presenters and to Mrs. Curtis for organizing the event!

• Shane Hall, Production & Sales, Hollywood Grafx
• Kaleb Griffin, Electrician, Varco Mac
• Anthony Bouchard, Police Negotiator, DC Capitol Police
• Andrew Dowling, Electrical Engineer, NAVAIR
• Megan Lewis, Podcaster/Youtuber, Digital Hammurabi
• Autumn Berry, IT Applications Manager Dispatch/Outage Map, SMECO
• Ashley Patterson, Photographer, Captured Blessings
• Samantha Becker, Occupational Therapist, KKI
• Matthew Becker, Correctional Officer, Charles County Detention Center
• Richard Montgomery, Mechanical Engineer, NAVFAC
• Andrew Ferro, Project Manager, Lennar Homes
• Lisa Laschalt, Director Environmental Health, Health Department
• Shanna Whelan, Veterinarian, Lap of Love
• Richard Lathroum, Mechanic, Ricky's Auto Repair Services
• Chris Simpson, Firefighter, DCFD
• Christian Forest, Control Room Operator, CAMS
• John Nolan, VP of IT Operations Cybersecurity, ISI Enterprises
• Thomas Catterton, Elevator Mechanic, Action Elevator

"Otterly" Yours,

Mrs. Anderson

I received feedback from the last PTA Meeting that parents were not as clear about P.A.W.S tickets and P.A.W.S.itive Office Referrals as they would like to be. I have put together a brief explanation.

P.A.W.S. is our school's behavior curriculum. It is part of our Tier 1 Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS). It is a research based structure designed to provide a positive, predictable, equitable, and safe school environment. It is designed to recognize expected and positive behaviors in students more often than unexpected and negative behaviors. Our P.A.W.S. curriculum is built around a school-wide behavior expectation matrix and the principle of explicit teaching and reteaching of school-wide expectations.

P.A.W.S tickets and P.A.W.S.itive Office Referrals are rewards to recognize students who meet P.A.W.S expectations. Check out the visual below to see how they are each used to celebrate students who meet P.A.W.S. expectations.

Celebrate our "P.A.W.S.ome" Otters!

The office will be open Monday - Friday from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm.

Our school's overall attendance rate, as reported to MSDE, for the school year so far is 94.02%. The goal is 94%.

This is the time of year where I switch to sharing data about attendance on a weekly basis and how it changes from week to week. Below are the attendance rates for each grade level for the week of February 5th - February 9th.

PreK: 89.73%

Kindergarten: 90.61%

1st Grade: 91.43%

2nd Grade: 97.19%

3rd Grade: 95%

4th Grade: 91.4%

5th Grade: 96.79%

Children’s Mental Health Matters Annual Poster Contest -Registration/Information can be found here. The deadline to submit artwork is February 16, 2024.

The Maryland School Report Card provides information about our school's performance for the 2022-2023 school year. You can find a link to our school's SY23 report card by visiting the Quick Links on our school's website. In addition, you can view the January 11 presentation to the Board of Education about system-wide data or visit www.smcps.org/about-us for additional information.

Yearbook orders are due April 24th!

Evening Counseling: SMCPS is once again offering School-Based Counseling Support in the evening for SMCPS students. Counseling support focuses on the following areas: Healthy Relationships, Social Skills, Self-Esteem, Stress Management, Worry, Sadness, and Emotional Regulation. Services will be located at Margaret Brent Middle School and Greenview Knolls Elementary School on Tuesday evenings from 4-7:30 p.m. Please complete the Parent Contact Form for Evening Counseling to request services.

All SMCPS laptops come with the same responsibility of care and upkeep as any other loaned resources. Textbooks, novels, laptops and chargers can incur a debt if lost or damaged. Please refer to the student accountability newsletter that has been added to our weekly school newsletters.

All parent(s)/guardian(s) must complete an Acceptable Use Policy each school year. Click HERE to complete the Google form. School staff will be in touch with all families to complete the form throughout the month of August and September.

WE ARE NOW ACCEPTING WINTER EVENTS FOR EDUCATING AND CELEBRATING. You can email Mrs. Curtis directly, kvcurtis@smcps.org, or use the link below to submit events.

B WEEK

Monday, 2/12

8:45 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.

Tuesday, 2/13

8:45 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.

Wednesday, 2/14

8:45 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.

• Spirit Day - Wear Red for Valentine's Day!

Thursday, 2/15

8:45 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.

Friday, 2/16

8:45 a.m. - 3:45 p.m.

• 3rd Grade Environmental Field Trip to Elms
• Community Gathering

Hello OES Otter Families,

I hope everyone is keeping safe and healthy. Be sure to eat right, get plenty of sleep and rest, exercise, cover your cough with your elbow, and wash your hands frequently. Don't forget to get vaccinated against the Flu and COVID.

We are looking forward to a great school year!

President: Beth Johnson Hill

Vice President: Stefanie Wines

Treasurer: Kim Burroughs

Secretary: Megan Russell

One community committed to the learning and safety of all children.

Community is important to us. We strive to have the words "goal-oriented", "fun", "inclusive", and "thriving" used to describe our community. We believe that children learn and adults work best in an environment where they feel respected and safe. We are focused on four areas in our development of community: 1) Cultivating respectful, supportive relationships among students, teachers, and parents, 2) Emphasizing common purposes and ideals, 3) Providing opportunities for service and cooperation, and 4) Providing opportunities for independence and influence.

Email: lpdietz@smcps.org
Website: https://schools.smcps.org/oes/
Location: 26410 Three Notch Road, Mechanicsville, MD, USA
Phone: (301) 373-4365
Facebook: facebook.com/smcps.org
Twitter: @OES_smcps