WOW!! Team 6-1 has sabotaged Team 6-2! If you want to see your grade level Admin or a teacher get pied in the face, bring in those coins by this Thursday, January 26th. See below for totals thus far.

Coin wars total

6-1 $125.46

6-2 $(3.41)

7-1 $6.14

7-2 $61.28

8-1 $2.09

8-2 $4.25

Staff $7.44

Last week, LMS had the following attendance rates:

6th - 94.06%

7th - 91.93%

8th - 92.74%

It is our goal as a school to attain a 95% attendance rate. As such, for the months of January & February, we will be hosting a Winter Grade-Level Attendance Challenge! On the first day of the week, we will pull two random names for prizes from the grade level with the highest attendance rate for the weeks prior. Those students whose names are pulled will have had to have attended a full week the week before and be in attendance to accept the prize! Time to get your attendance on Jaguars! We just know your attendance will be PAWS-itively phenomenal!

The Blueprint for Maryland's Future was enacted by the Maryland General Assembly to implement key educational reforms for all Maryland school systems. On Monday afternoon, January 23, 2023, St. Mary's County Public Schools will host a live-streamed virtual forum on the Blueprint and how our school system is working towards the reform initiatives in the law. The Virtual Forum is designed to share information with the general public and allow us to address questions that can be submitted electronically. You can view the livestream at www.smcps.org/streaming beginning at 5 PM on Monday, January 23, 2023. For more information, visit www.smcps.org/blueprint.

Is your student interested in a leadership opportunity? If the answer is yes then the Maryland Association of Student Councils (MASC) Legislative Session is the place to be. Workshops that delegates will attend focus on advocacy and legislative business that will allow them to learn about how the legislative process works and discover how they can become involved.

Throughout the day, five qualified candidates from across the state will be campaigning for the position of 2023-2024 student member on the State Board of Education (SMOB). As a member school of MASC, delegates vote on which two candidates MASC will recommend to the Governor for his final appointment. Each candidate will deliver a speech of his or her composition and will participate in a question and answer period. During this time, delegates of the General Assembly will be able to ask candidates questions regarding their experience, platform, goals, ideas, and other appropriate topics that will help distinguish the top contenders.

Event Date: Saturday, February 11, 2023
Location: Wheaton High School (Montgomery County, MD)

Registration closes: Monday, January 23, 2023 (to allow LMS time to get all material and payment to the state)

Cost: $30 per student

Transportation: St. Mary’s Association of Student Councils (SMASC) will cover the cost of transportation.

Attending Adviser(s): Mrs. Payne. Please email tjpayne@smcps.org if interested.

As a kind reminder please encourage your student to charge their laptops nightly. Also, take a few minutes with your student to locate their charger. If a student is missing a charger they should report it to Mrs. Haynes. There is a $40 charge to replace missing or lost chargers. Chargers are in high demand and with state testing around the corner all students must be able to maintain battery life.

Yearbook sales are now live! Yearbooks will ONLY be sold online and will be available for purchase until April 1, 2023. Please see the flyer below for details. Please contact Mrs. Engel with any questions at aaengel@smcps.org

• Memberships are $8/adult or $15/family and $7/teachers & staff. You can also register online at https://lmspta20.memberhub.com/store Become a member and support the school!!
• https://www.facebook.com/LeonardtownMiddleSchoolPta

The American Legion Auxiliary (ALA), Department of Maryland, Inc., is sponsoring an Americanism Essay Contest “What Does Patriotism Mean to You?” for students in grades 3-8.

Three awards in each of the groups will be presented in each Unit, District, and Department, with prizes at each level. First place Department winners will be sent to the National Competition. The contest time frame is November 1, 2022, to February 1, 2022.

Group I — Grades 3 & 4 (150-250 words)

Group II — Grades 5 & 6 (250-300 words)

Group III - Grades 7 & 8 (350-400 words)

Students must get the printed copy of their cover letter AND essay to Mrs. Sheehan in Room 106 by January 31, 2023.