B week

February 2 - 23 - Kids Heart Challenge

February 13 -17 - Book Fair & Random Acts of Kindness Week

February 16 - 3rd Grade Field Trip to Elms - Davis-Rigney/Hill

February 17 - 3rd Grade Field Trip to Elms - Pizzadili

We’ve kicked off our school’s Kids Heart Challenge (KHC)! Can you help us reach our goal to have 100% of our families learn Hands-Only CPR through Finn’s Mission?

We’re a great life-saving team! And not only will we learn how to be healthier, but we’ll also have the chance to earn Heart Heroes along the way.

If you haven’t already, JOIN OUR TEAM at http://www2.heart.org/goto/PineyPointES and choose your daily health challenge to Move More or Be Kind and earn your own TORCH WRISTBAND so you can help light the way!

1. Download the Kids Heart Challenge App or visit http://www2.heart.org/goto/PineyPointES to register.
   
2. COMPLETE FINN’S MISSION in your Headquarters, where you and your family can learn Hands-Only CPR and help us create a community of lifesavers! Earn Finn’s Lifesaver Award when you complete all 8 challenges!
3. START COLLECTING YOUR HEART HEROES! Get the TORCH Wristband, and HEROES Hearty and Breeze with your first $10 in lifesaving donations! They are at our school NOW! Jump Start your donations by being the first to give. Check out all the fun Thank You Gifts you can earn HERE.

When you support KHC, you help real people—including kids with special hearts. Learn more about how your donations help families just like Finn.

Thank you for keeping more hearts beating strong!

Don’t forget: Double your Gift! Check to see if your employer will match your donation today! Follow the steps and forward the confirmation to matchinggifts@heart.org to have this added to the student’s fundraising page.

Piney Point ES

Order Your 2022-2023

YEARBOOK TODAY!

Capture this year's school memories by ordering your yearbook TODAY!

http://yearbooks.classic-photo.com/PineyPoint/home3/Bookstore.jsp

Sales end Friday, April 28.

https://survey.smcps.org/index.php/16861?lang=en

February is the American Dental Association National Children’s Dental Health Month. The American Dental Association recommends that everyone brush their teeth twice a day with a fluoride toothpaste, floss daily, eat a healthy diet that limits sugary beverages and snacks, and see your dentist twice a year. Parents for home care dental tips please read the following article

https://www.colgate.com/en-us/oral-health/special-occasions/national-childrens-dental-health-month#

Do you have a sweet tooth? Check out this article for healthy sweet alternatives to enjoy.

https://www.colgate.com/en-us/oral-health/nutrition-and-oral-health/how-to-cure-sweet-tooth

Get Ready! The Scholastic Book Fair is coming our way. Choosing their own books empowers kids and inspires them to become Bolder, Prouder, and Stronger Readers. AND—as always—every book they buy earns rewards for our school.

Here’s what you need to know about the Fair, which will take place from February 13 - 17, 2023:

This year, say goodbye to cash and hello to eWallet—your child’s digital payment account.

Before the Fair, set up eWallet for worry-free, cash-free purchases.

If your student can’t make it to the Fair, then shop at our school’s Online Book Fair. All orders ship directly to your home, and shipping is free for book orders over $25. Your online orders will also benefit our school.

Visit our Book Fair homepage to learn more and get started with eWallet and online shopping:

https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/pineypointelementaryschool

The countdown to more Bookjoy is on!

Happy reading!

The Science Mobile Lab will be returning this year in March. Students in grades 3-5 will be doing a lab activity about the ecosystem that requires a 2 liter bottle. We are hoping to get enough bottles so every 3rd-5th grade student can create their own ecosystem. We will need 220 two liter empty bottles! Please send in empty bottles with your child to school. We appreciate your support! Thank you!

Random Acts of Kindness Week at PPES

We will be celebrating RAK week at PPES from 2/13-2/17. It’s a week to celebrate all the ways we can become a positive influence in each other’s lives. Even one small act of kindness can mean a great deal to somebody. It is important for us to constantly be reminded to be kind to one another and to give others hope whenever we can. A small and random gesture of kindness can go a long way.

Hello Piney Point Families,

During the month of February, our students will be learning about the character trait, KINDNESS. They are learning that kindness means:

• Being nice to others

• Forgiving others

• Showing compassion

• Helping people in need

Listed below is a newsletter which contains some books, web resources, and activities for home on our character trait that you may want to explore with your child.

• Kindness Newsletter

• Wells’ Bitmoji Page

• RAK Week

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at kcwells@smcps.org or 301-994-2205 (ext. 24120).

Respectfully,

Krissy Wells

• Evening Counseling sessions will take place at Greenview Knolls Elementary School. If parents are interested, please fill out the interest form on the flyer. Evening Counseling Flyer

February 24th - We will be painting three snow birds (Please see flyer below). Cost is $15 per child and all supplies will be provided. Space is limited to 40 participants and registration is required before the event. Last day to register is Feb. 22nd . For questions, send an email to Piney.Point.PTA@gmail.com

February 24th - March 10th - St. Patricks Day Candy Grams will be for sale

March 15th - Dairy Queen Fundraising Night- Dairy Queen at 21753 Great Mills Rd is donating back 15% of sales from Dine-In, Takeout & Drive thru orders to The Piney Point Elementary School PTA.

Need Spirit Wear?! Email the PTA at Piney.Point.PTA@gmail.com to place your order.

Payments can be made my Cash, Check, Venmo (@Piney-PointPTA) or Cash App ($pineypointp)

Youth Short Sleeve-$15.00 each

Adult short sleeve - $17.00 each, XXL- $18.00 each

Youth long sleeve -$18.00 each

Adult long sleeve - $20.00 each

Youth Hoodies- $23.00 each

Adult Hoodies - $27.00 each

Parent drop off begins at 9:00am and ends at about 9:10am. If there are no staff members outside and the front doors are closed, you must park and walk your student(s) into the front entrance of the school. Students are considered late after 9:15am and must be signed in through the main office.

While school attendance is vital to your student’s education, a sick child belongs at home. Please review the Sick Day Guidelines below to assist you in making that decision.

Keep me home if...

• I have a temperature higher than 100°F.
• I'm throwing up or have diarrhea.
• My eyes are pink and crusty.

Send me back to school when...

• My symptoms have significantly improved or resolved.
• I haven't had a fever for 24 hours and have not had any fever-reducing medication.
• I haven't thrown up or had diarrhea.
• If antibiotics have been prescribed, I have been taking them for at least 24hr.

Call the doctor if...

• I’ve had a temperature higher than 100°F for more than 2 days.
• I've been throwing up or having diarrhea for more than 2 days.
• I've had the sniffles for more than a week and they aren't getting any better.
• I still have asthma symptoms after using my asthma medicine (and call 911 if I'm having trouble breathing after using an inhaler).

The School Volunteer Portal is now open for applications. Beginning this year all school volunteers must apply annually for approval. The application process will begin on August 1 and end on May 1 of each school year. There is no application fee for school volunteers.

Medication Administration

Medications occasionally need to be administered to students by our nurse during the school day. Students can not transport medication of any kind to school including over the counter medications. All medication must be brought to school by a parent, guardian, or other authorized adult. Please call the school nurse if you have any questions.

All students in SMCPS have been issued classroom and technology resources.* These resources may include:

• Textbooks

• Novels

• Library Books

• Laptops

• Chargers

• Consumables

• Content/Class specific resources not mentioned above

When an SMCPS resource is lost, the student is charged the replacement cost specific to that item. When a laptop is damaged (either partially or completely), the repair or replacement cost is as shown in the SMCPS Student Device and Resource Accountability document. If a student is charged for any reason, payments can now be made through MySchoolBucks. As soon as a fee is assessed in Destiny, a REAL TIME FEE will show in the parent/guardian My School Bucks account. If your family does not already have an account with MySchoolBucks, it is not difficult to create one. Simply go to the MySchoolBucks Help page and click on the “How do I get started” option. Answers to many of your other questions can also be found there. *Please note, you can also still pay with cash or check at your school.

Ready to sign up? Visit this link.

*If you would like to see what your student currently has checked out or any fines that have been assessed, the student can login to their Destiny account.

* The U.S. Department of Agriculture waivers that permitted distribution of free meals in school and via take-home meals have not been extended into School Year 2022-2023.

While meals are not free for all students, we are still offering the free and reduced meal program based on the status determined from the meal benefit application. Students who qualify based on income or direct certification will still receive free or reduced meals this school year. A new application must be submitted for this school year to qualify.

Elementary School Prices:
$1.45 breakfast

$2.75 lunch

School Meal Benefit Forms: School Year Meal Benefit forms for SY 2022-2023 are now available online! Easily fill out your new meal benefit form by visiting https://www.myschoolapps.com/Application on the www.smcps.org website. Families and students should also be advised that there are a lot of additional benefits by submitting a meal application form. These perks include waivers on college applications, dual-enrollment courses with the College of Southern Maryland, and discounted fees to participate in St. Mary’s County Parks and Rec programs. Families can request more information by contacting SMCPS Food and Nutrition Services Office at 301.475.4256, Option 5, or via email at foodservice@smcps.org.

• If you completed a meal benefit form last year and qualified for free or reduced meals, your child will continue to receive a free or reduced meal until October 6th. You must complete a new meal benefit form to receive a free or reduced meal for the remainder of the school year.
• For those families that did not complete a meal benefit last year, your child will need to purchase their meals. You can put money on the meal account by visiting myschoolbucks.com.

Information regarding bus routes and signing up for Here Comes the Bus can be found at this link: https://www.smcps.org/dss/transportation/bus-stop-school-locator

Students are assigned a bus based on their physical address. If your child is coming to school or going home to another address (like a daycare), it is the parent's responsibility to communicate that information with the office. Please contact Jayne Worch at jdworch@smcps.org. If your child is a returning PPES student, you only need to communicate with the office if the transportation to or from school has changed from last school year.

HAC opens for families on Friday, August 19 at 5:00 p.m. Directions can be found on the SMCPS parent page https://www.smcps.org/hac. Please contact Jayne Worch, school secretary, if you need assistance with accessing HAC. HAC includes student's schedules, homeroom teacher, attendance, grades, and registration information.

The school supply lists can be found using this link: https://schools.smcps.org/ppes/. You can find the lists using the quick links tab.

The SY2023 Student Handbook and Code of Conduct can be found here.