December Newsletter
New Market Elementary
Message from Administration
“May your walls know joy, may every room hold laughter, and every window open to great possibility.” — Mary Anne Radmacher
Dear NMES Families,
During this time of family, friends, and celebrating, we want to extend our warmest holiday wishes to each New Market family in our community. We also want to thank you for entrusting your children into our care every day, and for the support you have given our school.
We are very grateful that New Market boasts outstanding teachers who each day enjoy teaching our students and who are constantly looking for ways to improve. Our favorite part of each day is to walk through our school and see children hard at work with smiles on their faces. The pride of learning something new is clear, as well as the joy when they share it with their teacher and friends. The care and respect our students of all ages have for each other, their teachers, and their community, is one of the things that sets New Market apart.
As we close out 2023 we wish all our New Market families a joyous holiday season!
Dr. Lockard - Principal
Mrs. McGaha - Assistant Principal
As a reminder, our NMES Vision and Mission statements are linked below for your reference.
Click HERE to read the vision statement.
Click HERE to read the mission statement.
Important December Dates
- Friday, December 1: 2-hour early dismissal (dismissal begins at 1:25pm)
- Friday, December 1: Multicultural Night at Linganore High School (see details in this newsletter)
- Saturday, December 2: New Market Town Christmas Parade
- Wednesday, December 6: PTA Wrapping Party
- Wednesday, December 6: PTA meeting from 7:00 - 8:00pm in the cafeteria
- Tuesday, December 12: Grade 3 field trip to the Baltimore Aquarium (All chaperones must complete the Online Volunteer Training at least 48 hours prior to the trip.)
- Wednesday, December 13: Winter chorus concert from 6:00 - 7:00pm in the cafeteria
- Friday, December 15: PTA Holiday Hoopla (This is not a drop-off event. Parents must supervise their children throughout the event.)
- Monday, December 25 - January 2: Schools closed for Winter Break
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Awards Celebration
Please join us in congratulating Brinleigh Degges as being selected to represent NMES at the county celebration. Brinleigh is a fifth-grade student in Mrs. Noffsinger's classroom. Brinleigh was selected because of her consistent demonstration of leadership characteristics as emulated by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: Responsibility, Caring, Fairness, Trustworthiness, Citizenship and Respect. We are so proud of Brinleigh!
The theme for this year’s celebration is, “Let’s Stay Together and Maintain Unity”. The Celebration will take place at Governor Thomas Johnson High School (1501 North Market Street, Frederick, MD 21701) on Thursday January 4, 2024 at 7:00pm (Snow date is January 18, 2024).
FCPS Learning Journey to College and Career Readiness
Quarter 1 Character Counts Awards
Our quarter 1 Character Counts assemblies were held in mid-November. The following students were nominated by their classroom teacher because they consistently demonstrate our "Be a Wolf" expectations. Those expectations include: Be respectful; Be responsible; Be ready to learn; Be kind; and Be safe. Congratulations to all our nominees and way to be role models for excellent behavior!
Pre-Kindergarten: Tobias Myers, Donat Alemayehu
Kindergarten: Austin Farley, Emerson Baker, Tyler Tressler, Ruby Bangerter, Cole Dodson, Penelope Patton
Grade 1: Emmett Johnson, Lorelei Considine, Franco DiFabio, Analia Manbodh, Cooper Crow, June Johnston, Josh Njau, Emma Elias
Grade 2: Harper Lowe, Griffin Hall, Ozzy Dale, Delaney Albaugh, Anthony Manbodh, Sutton Davis, Nate Russell, Emma Palmer
Grade 3: Lawson Luise, Quinn Chandler, Julie Remsch, Logan Knox, Brielynn Bartman, Bailey Laffin, Allie Abercrombie, Zoe Kreiger
Grade 4: Evie Forest, Mariamawit Mengistu, Taylor Roberts, Owen Farley, Morgan Bialecki, Ayden Beard, Kyle Jackson, Lillian Pannell
Grade 5: Olivia Siderius, Arianna Lievano, Grayson Miller, Brooklyn Zaiter, Timothy Pomeroy, Lillian Gonzalez, James Murphy
Author Barry Polisar Visits NMES
Additionally, Barry Polisar has shared that he will still accept book orders in case any family missed ordering before his visit! You can visit https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jN6AT0UfnmJkQAWY0FjO8Y--hYqK-Etv/view?usp=drive_link to print the original order form, and send t the completed form with a check made to Barry Polisar to the media center. Please return any orders to the media center by December 15th so Mrs. Siderius can get them to Mr. Polisar before winter break. Thank you!
Media Center Update
Media Center Gingerbread Man Contest
Run, run, run as fast as you can, but you won't catch the gingerbread man! The gingerbread man is trying to escape the fox by disguising himself (or herself) as a book character! Enjoy our optional holiday contest with the gingerbread man template coming home in red folders! Students and their families can use craft supplies to decorate the gingerbread man to look ike a fiction or non-fiction book character. Then, their creation can be returned to the media center by Friday, December 15th, to be put on display with all other entries. On Monday, December 18th, we will pick 1 winner from each grade and each winner will receive a gingerbread-themed prize. Since our students are so creative with the pumpkins, we can't wait to see what they create with the gingerbread man! For questions, please email Mrs. Siderius at jennifer.siderius@fcps.org.
Optional Choice Board for December
December is a busy month for many families, but so many great holidays are celebrated during the month! You can learn more about the holidays celebrated by our school community, along with other special days, with our optional choice board. You can learn more at https://bit.ly/NMESDec23Board.
From the Counselor Corner
Walking and Wheeling Wolves Program
As the weather turns cooler in the mornings, more of our NMES families may choose to drive their students to school. We encourage our NMES families to use the car line at the school for morning drop off. Changes in a students arrival method do not need to be communicated to the office ahead of time. At morning drop off, students exit vehicles near the gym doors. Using the designated car line will also help to reduce traffic on our pedestrian routes.
American Education Week Highlights
NMES celebrated American Education Week during the week of November 13. Thank you to our students and families for your support during this week and beyond. NMES has the best students and the best families! Check out the pictures below from the week.
NMES School Improvement
We are asking for your help in the school improvement process by reviewing the Home-School Connection document linked below and supporting your child's learning at home. Your support will help us to achieve our school improvement goals. Our school improvement plan supports our NMES Mission which is "To serve and support our students - every student...by name and need."
NMES Home-School Connection - Click HERE to view.
NMES PTA Information
HOLIDAY HOOPLA presented by the NMES PTA
December 15th, 6:30 - 8:00pm (Parents must supervise their children throughout this event. This is not a drop-off event)
Click HERE to view the flyer for this event.
Gingerbread Contest- RSVP (https://forms.gle/ZpNGXamUDHZ8sUSB7) - Click HERE to view the flyer.
Polar Pals Holiday Shoppe Gift Cards (www.schoolshoppes.com/buy/polar-pals/VELW172) - Click HERE to view the flyer.
ALSO FEATURING:
- Pajama Party in the Gym with DJ Marc Galiber
- Santa’s Grotto- Take your pictures with Santa!
- Storytime in Ms. Woods Music Room with guest readers
- Winter Wonder and Lights Playground
- Food Trucks: Grilled Cheese, Please! & Tom’s Travelin’ Coffee
NMES Attendance
For all attendance related emails or transportation changes, please email nmes.attendance@fcps.org and include your child's teacher. Transportation changes must be made prior to 3:00pm.
Consistent attendance is important for your child's academic and social success in school. MSDE sets the attendance goal at 96%. Below are the attendance percentages for each grade level and for the school overall as of the end of October:
Pre-Kindergarten: 93.9%
Kindergarten: 94.6%
Grade 1: 95.3%
Grade 2: 95.2%
Grade 3: 96%
Grade 4: 95.8%
Grade 5: 95.5%
Overall School Attendance Percentage: 95.4%
You can support by sending your healthy child to school each day on time. Instruction promptly begins at 9:00 each morning. You can also support by planning vacations around the FCPS calendar. Thank you!
Click HERE to view the FCPS calendar for 2023 - 2024.
Click HERE to view the FCPS calendar for 2024 - 2025.
Thank you, PTA!
Our wonderful PTA provided a Hot Cocoa Bar for staff in late November. It was a cold and windy day so staff thoroughly enjoyed the hot and tasty treat! We are so thankful for the support of our PTA!
Winter Weather Guidelines and Procedures
It is difficult to set guidelines that fit every circumstance and condition with regards to outside activities during cold weather. Principals use their discretion and good judgment as to whether or not students will go outside, as well as the duration of the outside activity. Sometimes we may opt for a shorter recess period in cold temperatures or specify a temperature above 20 degrees as the cut-off point for going out. Elementary students should not go outdoors for recess or physical education whenever the temperature falls below 20 degrees, including the wind chill factor. The temperature cut-off at NMES is 20 degrees, so please remember to dress your child in the appropriate clothing (labeled coat, hat and gloves).
Multicultural Night at Linganore High School
Linganore High School is hosting a Multicultural Night on Friday, December 1 from 5:00 - 8:00pm. All families in the LHS feeder pattern are invited to attend. There will be food trucks, interactive booths, a talent show, and a fashion show.
If you or your children would like to volunteer or participate then click HERE for further information. If your family plans to attend the event, consider having your child completing a coloring activity. Bring the finished coloring activity to the event as LHS staff will be judging the entries and giving out prizes. Click HERE to access the coloring activity.
If you have any questions about the event feel free to contact Jessica Walker at LHS @ jessica.walker@fcps.org.
NMES Ambassador Wolf
Schoology Tips
Mrs. Imboden is our Schoology Ambassador for the 2023 - 2024 school year. If you have any questions about Schoology, don't hesitate to reach out to her. She will be happy to support.
Supporting our Young Wolves
To support our Young Wolves still at home, we are sharing an idea to support their development.
Ask About Art: You can help your child get ready to learn to read. When they draw or create, get them talking about what they made and write down their answers. Instead of asking what a picture is, ask them to tell you about it. Maybe as, "Is there something you want to say about your picture?" Rather than saying their picture is "good," try to notice things and let them respond to stretch their learning.
Bus Rules and Bus Safety
If your child rides an FCPS bus to and/or from school, please take some time to review our expectations for bus behavior. Click HERE to view information to review with your child. Our FCPS bus drivers work hard every day to keep all students safe. When all students consistently follow the behavior expectations on the bus then safe and enjoyable rides to and from school can occur. Thank you for your support!
Personal Electronic Device Guidelines
Students may only use their electronic devices (including cell phones and smart watches) before or after school in a non-disruptive manner. They must be silenced and stored (out of sight) for the entire school day, except for approved instructional or medical use.