White Marsh Elementary School

Wow- this is going to be another busy week- we have something every day!!

Our state testing continues this week. Fourth graders will test on Monday and Wednesday, while Fifth grade students will test on Tuesday and Thursday. Please be sure to have your student fully charge their laptop prior to each testing day! We want them to do their best on the assessment, and not have to worry about a dying battery during testing.

In advance of Friday's Virtual Instruction Day, our Kindergarten, First and Second grade students will bring their laptops home on Monday. Please be sure they are charged and ready to go for Friday! Students should bring their laptops back to school on Monday, April 24.

Tuesday is our Character Tea, beginning at 9:30! Congratulations to those students recognized for Sportsmanship and Loyalty! Tuesday is also Dress for Success Day! This has quickly become a favorite for our students!

Wednesday is Purple Up! for Military Kids day. Please encourage your student to wear purple to show support for our military children and their families. Report cards will also be available on Wednesday; copies will be sent home in Wednesday folders. The Running Club will also meet on Wednesday; pickup is at 4:20 with a photo ID.

On Thursday, we have a Spirit Night at Rita's, from 6-8 pm! This is a PTA Spirit Night. Come out and enjoy some treats while visiting with WMES families and staff.

Friday is a Virtual Instruction Day. Students will not come to school. Instead, they will work from home on their laptops. Attendance will be monitored through their participation in the assignments. Our students will all begin with a Google Meet at 9 am, followed by independent work in Schoology. As it was originally an early release day, students should not plan to work more than 4 hours.

Students have become familiar with Google Meet and Schoology, and links to both are on their Clever page. Students in K - 2 have their SMCPS username and password taped to their laptop. Most older students have this information memorized. Specific information has been shared by Mrs. Lockwood on Schoology, and has been included below.

Don't forget to order your yearbook! Orders are online only- the information is linked below!

Have a great week!

Cooling Season Changeover: Once the forecasted daily temperature is consistently above 68 degrees and the actual daytime temperature exceeds 72 degrees for three consecutive days, we will begin the process of changing the schools over from heating mode to cooling mode. This changeover typically takes place by April 15th of each year. However, the changeover will be delayed, if the above criteria are not met, to ensure the most effective use of resources. Inevitably, after the changeover is made, there will be a few cool days during April and May. During these transition months please make sure that you have access to a sweater or jacket if/when they are needed.

It is almost time to order your 2023 - 2024 WMES Yearbook! Orders will be online only, and can be placed April 12 - 26. Look for the flier to be sent home in Wednesday folders the week we return from Spring Break.

Apr 26 Online Yearbook Sales end

May 2 Grade 1 to Elms

May 3 WMES- Math MCAP Begins

May 3 PTA Meeting, 6:30

May 10 PTA Popsicle Social/Book Swap

May 11 Kindergarten to Elms

May 12 Virtual Instruction Day

May 25 Spring Concert- Band, Strings, Chorus 10 am

May 29 Memorial Day Holiday

May 30 - Jun 6 Book Fair!

Jun 2 Field Day

Jun 9 Last Day of 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.

Band and Strings Rehearsal Schedule:

A Week: Wednesday and Friday

B Week: Wednesday and Thursday

Please encourage our Bears to read at home every night, if they are not doing so already. In our data reviews this past week, we looked at student growth in reading. Many students are making good progress, but overall, we could all use more practice especially with reading fluency. I told the Bears that a good goal would be to read at least 15 minutes every night, and they can read anything- books, magazines, recipes while helping someone cook, graphic novels...anything! For our younger Bears and those with reading difficulties, they can look at books and take a "Picture Walk" and practice the letter sounds of words in front of them.

Other reading activities can include:

• Reading with a Parent or Family Member
• Listening to Someone Read
• Partner Read
• Phone a friend (literally!) and read with him/her
• Read to a family pet
• Audiobooks

You may have noticed receiving an email earlier this week with a link to this newsletter in Schoology. Events have also been added to the Schoology event calendar. Did you know that parents can access Schoology? We will continue to post links to the Smore and school events in Schoology. It is our hope that we can transition to having this resource be a one stop shop for your information. As your students get older and proceed through middle and high school in SMCPS, it will become very useful tool for you to monitor grades, assignments, and other information. Here is a link to the Schoology Parent Resources site, which can provide lots of helpful information!

Please consider joining the PTA; the membership form is here.

One of the goals in the SY 22-23 WMES School Improvement Plan is attendance. Parents can view student attendance at any time by accessing the Home Access Center. You will need your logon and password to access HAC. Please contact the Main Office if you need this information.

Absences can be reported with a note sent in to the Main Office, or by clicking the link on our website. Please refer to the SMCPS Student Handbook for more information about Attendance.

In an effort to communicate with parents and keep you informed about student absences, we send home letters every marking period to those students with 5 or more absences. We understand that a variety of illnesses continue to surround us, and appreciate your communication with Nurse Parrish, teachers, and the Main Office about your children's health.

A reminder that all Volunteers (including Field Trip Chaperones) must be approved through SMCPS. Beginning this year, this will be an annual requirement. At WMES, those volunteers being asked to support students and teachers in the building must also complete a site based training session. Thank you to all of our parents and guardians that have completed these sessions. There are no more training sessions scheduled this school year.

ALL students in SMCPS must have a completed Acceptable Use Agreement on file for School Year 2022-2023.

Elementary (PreK-5th) Link: https://bit.ly/22022-2023_Elementary_AUPForm

From the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE)-

Chronic Absenteeism: Students are chronically absent when absent 10% or more of the school days while enrolled at that school. For example, a student who is registered to attend a school for 30 days and who is absent 3 of those 30 days is considered chronically absent.

WMES will follow up with chronically absent students through the Pupil Services Team, Pupil Personnel Worker, and the Department of Student Services. In order to reduce the number of our students with Chronic Absenteeism, incentives to encourage good attendance include participation in the Bear Crawl, Running Club, and School Dance.

Student Resource Accountability: Students are responsible for the care and upkeep of all of their SMCPS assigned resources: print and technology. The student accountability document is also linked in this SMORE.

SMCPS Text Alerts are a great way to get information quickly. They are not sent often, and usually only in the event of an unexpected school delay or closure. On occasion, WMES will send a text alert about a late bus, substitute bus, or school event. Click the link for information about registering for text alerts.

Email: jwsteele@smcps.org
Website: schools.smcps.org/wmes
Location: 29090 Thompson Corner Road, Mechanicsville, MD, USA
Phone: (301)472-4600
Twitter: @wmes_smpcs