MES Communication
December 10-23
Hello Moncure Community!
With our winter break and the New Year upon us, I would like to begin by wishing everyone a wonderful holiday season. It’s hard to believe that Wednesday, December 20th marks the midway point of our school year. The second half of the year will begin with a fury as our 3rd-5th Grade students will participate in the mid-year SOL growth assessment and all of our ESOL students will take their annual WIDA assessments. I must take a moment to draw everyone’s attention to our current attendance rates below. It is very concerning that 18% of our current students are considered to be chronically absent. This has to improve. Most importantly, this same 18% of our population will never have the opportunity to make up for their missed instruction. This will result in lower performance assessment results, lower report card grades, and possible retention from promotion. This is not to mention our state’s expectation that school divisions involve the court system to improve attendance. We can only teach the kids in our seats. If your children are healthy, please get them to school.
Respectfully,
Greg Mach - Principal
Lunch Menu (Dec. 11-22)
FREE Breakfast and Lunch is available daily.
Students may decline a meal at any time.
Available Everyday: Hummus, or Sunbutter & Jelly
Specials Rotation (Dec. 11-22)
Moncure is operating on a six-day rotation this year. Please look for specific Specials information from your child’s teacher!
SCPS 2023-24 Calendar
To help you to prepare for the year ahead, I encourage families to access the SCPS 2023-24 School Calendar. Please print or keep this link handy, as it will help you to prepare for holidays or periodic days off.
Winter Break
Moncure will be closed between December 21st and January 3rd. School will resume as kick off the second half of the school year on January 4th. We hope everyone enjoys this break to spend time with family and friends!
Moncure’s Winter Concert
Moncure’s Chorus and Drum Groups will perform their Winter Concert on Tuesday, December 12th at 7:00 PM. Come support our performers!
Important Attendance Information
Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing ten percent or more of the academic year, including excused absences, unexcused absences, and suspensions. In a 180-day school year, this equates to approximately 18 days, or 2 to 3 days per month. Our school’s goal for the current academic year is to maintain a chronic absenteeism rate of no more than 15%.
Regrettably, as of the latest assessment, our current chronic absenteeism rate stands at 18%. We recognize the importance of addressing this issue promptly, and we want to provide you with a breakdown of the rates by grade level:
· Kindergarten: 29.3%
· First Grade: 20%
· Second Grade: 16%
· Third Grade: 16%
· Fourth Grade: 16.9%
· Fifth Grade: 10%
The state has tasked schools and school divisions to crack down on these numbers and involve the court system if necessary. We simply ask that you get your students to school. If your student is sick, keep them home. However, if your student is simply tired, get them up.
Missed instruction, regardless of the reason, can have significant academic consequences. Therefore, our emphasis is on improving attendance for every student. It is crucial to note that, at the current rate, our school’s accreditation may be affected.
We ask for your support in helping us reach our attendance goal. Encouraging regular attendance not only benefits individual students but also contributes to the overall success and well-being of our school community.
The state has stated that attendance plans are mandatory for ALL students with 10 or more absences. Within the next couple of weeks, a member from our attendance team will be reaching out to families who have a student that has already missed more than ten school days soon to complete these plans.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding attendance, please do not hesitate to reach out to our school office. We appreciate your partnership in fostering a positive and supportive learning environment for all students.
Lost and Found – (Donation Day, December 20th)
It’s that time of year when we bag up and donate our Lost and Found from the first half of the year. Please either have your student check our cabinets or you are welcome to come in to our building to check, before we leave for winter break. Our office will be glad to help. Good Luck!
Second Quarter House Celebration
On December 20th, we will hold our second House Celebration and first celebration of the year with our entire school together. We are very excited about this! While we are still working on distributing shirts for our Kindergarten and new students to Moncure, please encourage your children to wear clothing that reflects their house colors for this celebration. Thanks!
House Point Standings (As of December 10)
Moncure’s Resource Staff
Recent Stafford County surveys have uncovered the need for us to share more about our resource staff. Whether you would like to know more about who to ask for in our office, learn about our counselors, social worker, or instructional coaches, the link below should help. Moncure has a large team to support our large community. When in doubt, reach out!
Help Moncure Participate in a Pop Tab collection from September 5th through May 17th!
To learn more, please click HERE! Each house team will be competing to see who can collect the most Pop Tabs! House points will be awarded each quarter!
We are looking for PTO Volunteers!
Moncure has awesome students and a beautiful school. However, the past few years have been very difficult for our Parent Teacher Organization. Currently, we have a small group of volunteers making our PTO possible. We would love to add a few more volunteers to our group. If you are interested in supporting our students, our school, and our community, then serving as a member of Moncure’s PTO might be right for you. We encourage anyone (regardless of home language) to participate. Should you wish to learn more about our PTO, please go to https://ames.ptboard.com or scan the QR code.
School Calendar of Events
December 12 – Winter Concert
December 20 – House Celebration
December 20 – End of the First Semester
December 20 – Lost and Found Donation Day
December 21 – January 3rd – Winter Break
January 4 – First day of Second Semester
Substitute Teachers Needed
Have you ever considered being a substitute teacher. Stafford County Public Schools is always looking for substitutes to support our schools. To learn about the application and hiring process, access the link below. We are always looking for energetic and positive substitutes to support our school. SCPS Substitute Hiring Information
A Note to School - Communication
Plans change and communication makes everything easier. Should you need to report an absence or adjust your BEAR’S dismissal plan, please contact our school. One way to communicate is by completing our “A Note to School” form and sending it through email to our office and your student’s teacher or by simply sending the form or a note to school. To access digital forms of this note, you can go to the parent portion of our webpage or simply use the link below. Thanks for keeping us informed. The earlier the better.
How to communicate with Moncure:
mefrontoffice@staffordschools.net -or- "A Note To School"
Please include in all emails:
Student's Name, Teacher's Name, and your name
Office Dismissal Hours (“No Student Office Dismissals” after 2:30PM)
It is not uncommon for our office and elementary schools across our county to receive multiple emails each day with dismissal changes from parents. The notifications require our office to contact teachers to prevent students from being dismissed incorrectly. Student office dismissals after 2:30PM only add to this confusion. Please understand that our “No Student Office Dismissal” restriction after 2:30PM is based on student safety. Thanks for your understanding!
“Caught Ya” Citations
“Caught Ya” Citations are a great way for students, parents, and staff to recognize adults in our building! These citations also provide students with an opportunity to earn House Points. Everyone wants to be a member of the “House of the Year!” If you would like to recognize one or more of our staff members, simply use this link. “Caught Ya” – Staff Citation Link Thanks for making someone’s day!