• Monday, March 28: Schools closed for students
• Tuesday, March 29: Term 4 Begins
• Yearbook Orders: Cash/Check orders due Friday, April 1 / Online orders due April 15
• Thursday, April 7: Report Cards to go home
• Thursday, April 7: ROAR Assemblies (electronic invitations will be sent last week of March)
• Thursday, April 7: PTA Meeting (Virtual)
• April 11 - May 20: MCAP State Testing (schedule forthcoming)
• Friday, April 15 - Friday, April 22: Spring Break

Once again, some 5th grade leaders caught in the act of LEADING! It brings all of us at TES joy when we see our 5th graders work to support our school as leaders. This is especially true when we see them help others with academics.

Please talk with your child about how to use Social Media and Computers responsibly. TES has recently had some trouble with students searching or clicking on items that are deemed inappropriate. In some cases, images got through FCPS filters. Please help us talk with all students about appropriate use.

TIPS:

• Monitor your child's time on social media and what they are searching for on the internet
• Talk to your child about what they are reading, scrolling through, searching
• Tell your child to report any misuse of social media to you
• Use private or parental settings

Yearbooks are currently on sale. Orders purchased by Cash or Check (made payable to Lifetouch) are due by Friday, April 1st and can be sent to school with your child. Online ordering will remain open through Friday, April 15th.

For online ordering, please use the information provided below:

• Visit ybpay.com
• Enter the Yearbook ID Code: 11071122
• Enter student name and grade information
• Select yearbook package

TEPS PTA News and Updates.

Next PTA meeting: April 7th - 5-6p.m. (Virtual Meeting)

Parents interested in being a part of the board for the 2022-2023 school year please attend the May 2022 meeting. That meeting will be held on 5/12/2022 at 5:30. Elections for next school year will occur at that meeting.

Teacher Appreciation Week: Be on the Lookout for Sign up Genius to help support TES and TPS staff during teacher appreciation week coming up soon.

Link for notes

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cCDCxRa_WNJyd4TEMN-eYxzL3u8N_Wlaq9rL-uk8c5c/edit?usp=sharing

If you have not yet signed up to be a member of the TEPS PTA, we encourage you to do so by clicking the membership form below. The membership form and dues can be returned to school with your child.

2021-2022 TEPS PTA Membership Form (Make checks payable to: TEPS PTA)

Your membership provides a vote on ways to...

• enhance the partnership between home and school
• offer students access to special events/activities, cultural arts experiences & field trips
• determine how funding will be used to support students, families & our schools

Contact tepscougars@gmail.com with questions, needs or to support in any way and please consider following the TEPS PTA on Facebook: TEPS PTA - Thurmont Elementary & Primary Schools.

Setting strong school habits and routines helps students with academic and social skill success. Being at school on time, helps students start the day in the right mindset and sets them up for the day in a positive way.

Being at school on time ensures students have the time they need to transition into the building and be ready for learning.

Arriving at school on time, before 8:40am, is important for many reasons such as:

• allowing time to unpack and prepare for the day
• allowing time for breakfast, if eating at school
• lessening anxiety and/or upset about being late
• being able to interact with friends before instruction begins
• being ready when morning meeting/PATHS lessons begin at 8:40am

We appreciate your support in working to establish morning routines at home which will allow your child to arrive at school on time.

FCPS is asking for your help keeping all our schools and communities safe. Please review the list of COVID-19 symptoms below with your student prior to leaving for school every day. You will be provided a weekly communication reminder of this requirement. Students who are ill or are experiencing symptoms are expected to remain at home.

Parents/Guardians are required to screen their student(s) daily with the following to three questions:

(a) Has your student tested positive for COVID-19 in the last 5 days?

(b) Has your student been in close contact* with anyone who is either a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19 in the last 5 days?

(c) Is your student currently experiencing or displaying, any ONE of the following COVID-19 symptoms?

• Fever of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius) or higher
• Sore throat
• Cough
• Difficulty breathing
• Diarrhea or vomiting
• New onset of severe headache
• New loss of taste or smell

If the answer is YES to any of the above statements, your student should not come to school. Please contact your healthcare provider with any questions regarding next steps for your student.

Thank you for your cooperation.

* Students in a PK-12 school who are within 3 feet for 15 minutes of close contact in a cumulative 24-hour period with an individual without a facial covering.

Health, safety & wellness remains a priority and we appreciate your ongoing support!

If your student(s) is in covid-19 protocol and needs to quarantine, we want you to know students will have access to the following in order to be given credit of being present while in quarantine:

• Possible virtual tutoring before and after school
• Schoology with uploaded work and lessons
• Cougar Connections – Virtual connections with TES staff during the school day
• Possible paper packets with work to help keep students focused on practicing skills and current learning targets.

To be considered present while a student is in the quarantine protocol, they must access Schoology and our Cougar Connections or Tutoring (Before and After School) each day. Please note, these options are for students in Covid -19 quarantine protocols.

Teachers will share information with you so your student may access the cougar connections, Schoology work and lessons and any other key information a student may need when they are out.

As we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic we know there are ongoing questions related to how we are keeping our schools safe for fully in person learning. FCPS has provided the resources below to assist families in understanding how we respond to individuals who are symptomatic, those who test positive and those who are identified as close contacts. Please review these resources which outline our systemic response protocols.

· Contact Tracing & Quarantine Video

· COVID-19 Response Sheet in English

· COVID-19 Response Sheet in Spanish

· Contact Tracing and Close Contact Information in English

· Contact Tracing and Close Contact Information in Spanish

Back to School Frequently Asked Questions

Any questions, concerns and/or needs related to your child(ren)'s health can be directed to our health room. Please contact our health room staff at:

• Thurmont Elementary Health Room- 240-236-0932
• Thurmont Primary Health Room - 240-236-2806

Our school nurse and/or health tech is available to support you!

As many of you have experienced, there are bus delays, bus route coverages, and changes to schedules which impact pick up/drop off times. We know this causes frustration and difficulty in your schedules. We are working to support communication that will keep you informed as soon as possible when a change occurs.

Please visit https://apps.fcps.org/transportation/status for updated information about bus status. The page is updated every 60 seconds in real time so will have the most accurate information.

Thanks for your continued patience as we work through all aspects of returning to fully in person learning environment while navigating a global pandemic. It may not be easy but it's worth it!

Please visit the website to look up your child's bus number and pickup/drop off times. Check periodically to confirm the times as there could be changes. Both TES and TPS will work to alert families as early as we are able using the OneCall system or FindOutFirst system if there were to be a bus delay or issue.

If you need support regarding transportation, please call the school at 240-236-0900.

As we continue to prioritize the health and safety of all those in our school community, we share the following information regarding visitation:

• All FCPS schools will ask for parents to "kiss and go" during drop off at school. Parents, or other family members, will not be permitted to escort students to their classroom.
• If/when you have an in person appointment at the school please ring the doorbell, answer the screening questions posted on the front door and report to the main office for assistance.
• Bring a photo ID with you any time you are visiting the school.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to maintain health and safety during our full in person reopening!