LPES Monthly Newsletter
November 2021
Welcome to November!
November promises to be yet another delightfully exciting month in Panda Nation-Our Fall Festival Spirit Week; Report Card Distribution; Movie Night; Fab Friday; Fall Picture Retakes; Field trips; American Education Week & so much more!
Be sure to stay tuned for more information about each of these events! Additionally, throughout this month we will be engaged in activities to foster a spirit of gratitude throughout our school & community. We invite you to join us!
SMC Health Department Ages 5-11 COVID Vaccine Information
By next week, SMCPS anticipates the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will authorize the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for those ages 5 to 11 years old. The vaccine for this age group will be 1/3 of the dose currently used in those ages 12 and older and will consist of a two-dose series spaced three weeks apart.
To assist parents who chose to have their children vaccinated, St. Mary's County Public Schools (SMCPS) continues its partnership with the St. Mary's County Health Department (SMCHD). SMCHD vaccine clinics specifically for those ages 5 to 11 will be held at the Hollywood Volunteer Fire Department (drive-thru clinic) starting late next week. Weekend indoor vaccine events will be held at Great Mills High School (with fun outdoor kids' activities). Additionally, the SMCHD will offer on-site elementary school vaccination clinics during the regular school day similar to how they have offered school-located flu vaccine clinics for many years. Parents will need to provide consent in advance as they will not be present for the school-located vaccine clinics.
To help us prepare for the upcoming vaccine clinics, please complete this brief survey regarding your plans and/or considerations for vaccinating your 5 to 11-year-old child(ren).
The Counselor's Corner
Happy Fall! As the leaves change and the days get shorter, it is easier to get students to sleep at a reasonable time. Remember elementary school students should get 8-10 hours of sleep per night. That means, if your student is waking up at 7am, they should be ASLEEP no later than 9pm. To encourage good sleep, establish a bedtime routine. Turn all screens off at least an hour before you expect them to be falling asleep. Take a bath, read a story or have quiet play such as putting a puzzle together or coloring. If at all possible, do not allow screens in the bedrooms. It is too enticing for students, who wake up in the middle of the night, to turn the screen on and think they will “fall back to sleep”. Research shows that this actually wakes up your brain and makes it more difficult to go back to sleep.
November guidance lessons will be about GRATITUDE. What are you grateful for? Who are you grateful for? What did you do to help someone today? Who helped you? These are all great questions that you can ask after school to prompt more than those one word responses. Point out those people who help you at the store or in the community and explain how you are grateful for their help. In this day and age, when it seems easier to complain, GRATITUDE must be taught. Pointing out who and what you are grateful for will allow you & us to model gratitude for our students.
Sara Cooper, School Counselor
More Information on Interdisciplinary Instruction
Last month we introduced interdisciplinary instruction and why teaching across multiple contents develops critical thinking and problem-solving skills in students. Making connections deepens students' thinking and challenges them to look at the bigger picture. There are several ways a child can learn when instruction incorporates more than one subject area. Incorporating a variety of learning styles in a lesson can improve a child’s development. Interdisciplinary Instruction provides the opportunity to use multiple learning styles. A child may gravitate towards a certain learning style because they have found it’s the best way for them to learn. These learning styles include spatial, linguistic, mathematical, musical, auditory, kinesthetic, and several more. Knowing and understanding your own learning style allows you to focus on your strengths. Taking the opportunity to figure out the way each child learns best will support them in the classroom. Here is just one way a child can determine their preferred learning style.
LPES Important November Dates
November 1st-5th: Fall Fun Spirit Week
November 9th: Report Card DistributionNovember 10th: PTO Movie Night @ 5:30 (Food Cart Available!)
November 11th: Veteran's Day - Schools are closed!
November 12th: Fab Friday
November 12th: Fall Picture Retakes
November 15th-19th: American Education Week (Stay tuned for visitation information from your child's teachers)
November 24th-28th: Thanksgiving Break
Remember, every Wednesday is Wellness Wednesday!
SMCPS is Hiring!
Join our team! Select this link for more information.
SMCPS has multiple positions available to support our students and staff, including full-time and part-time positions in various areas. Employment opportunities can be found on the SMCPS website: https://www.smcps.org/hr/employment-opportunities
The Abacus Corporation provides part-time/temporary positions to support SMCPS as well. Various positions are also available through the Abacus Corporation and can be found on their website: https://www.abacuscorporation.com/find-jobs
Bus Routes
Box Tops for Education
Use this referral code AGH797VO when you sign up and you’ll get 50 Bonus Box Tops when you scan your first receipt now through 09/26/2021, while supplies last! Download the Box Tops for Education app here: https://btfe.smart.link/c2jjdifkw?referral_code=AGH797VO
Meal Services
Bring Back Your Books!
Due to the pandemic and school closures, SMCPS students have thousands of OVERDUE books. These books must be returned in order to have enough books to be checked out to students this school year.
Please find your overdue textbooks and library books.
Technology
All SMCPS students have a device. Only SMCPS issued devices can be used in the 2021-2022 school year. No personal devices can be supported. Also, only SMCPS devices can be used for testing. If you have any questions or concerns about your student's device on his/her Destiny Account, please contact Mrs. Johnson in the media center at 301-863-4085.
Update Your Contact Information
Lexington Park Elementary School
To help you navigate all the new elements of the school year and keep you informed about upcoming programs & events, we will communicate information frequently and in several ways. They are listed below for your reference.
- Weekly Phone Message & Email: At 6:00 on Sunday you will receive a phone message & email from us sharing information about the upcoming week.
- Class DoJo: Very soon your child’s teacher will invite you to join Class DoJo. We use this platform because it is secure/members only and allows us to share a wide variety of information with you. Please join our DoJo family!
- Our LPES Website and Twitter feed: The LPES website has a wide variety of information for you and is updated regularly. We love to share all the wonderful things our students & teachers are doing, so we tweet just about every day. Follow us on Twitter @lpes_smcps
- Technology Needs: if you are new to the school or need a device from SMCPS please complete the survey here.
Email: raschou@smcps.org
Website: https://schools.smcps.org/lpes/
Location: 46763 South Shangri La Drive, Lexington Park, Maryland 20653
Phone: (301) 863-4085
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smcps.org/posts/971720426301468
Twitter: @lpes_smcps