PES Family Newsletter
April 2, 2024
Upcoming Important Dates
- Friday, March 29 - Friday, April 5 - School Closed for Spring Break
- Thursday, April 11 - Quarter 3 PRIDE Assembly
- Grades Pre-Kindergarten - 1 Grade: 9:05 - 9:35
- Grades 2 - 5: 10:30 - 11:15
- Friday, April 12 - PTA Sponsored Dance "Out of this World" 6:00-8:00PM
- Thursday, April 18 - A Night with the Arts @ PES 6:00-7:30PM
- Wednesday, April 24 - Pre-K/Kindergarten Enrollment Event 4:00-6:00PM
- Tuesday, April 30 - PTA Meeting 6:00 PM PES Media Center
- Thursday, May 2 - Mid-Term; 2 HR Early Dismissal
Principal Message
Greetings PES Families,
As we enter the final stretch of the school year, I encourage you to stay focused and motivated to finish the year strong. Whether it is perseverance on upcoming MCAP assessments, working on projects, or simply striving to be your best in extra-curricular activities, remember that every effort you put in today leads the way to your future success.
For our fifth-grade Panda students, this is an especially exciting time as you prepare to transition to middle school. Embrace this time of transition with optimism and confidence, and know that we are here to support you every step of the way.
To our pre-kindergarten through fourth graders, I encourage you to make the most of the time we have left together this school year. Cherish the relationships you've made, take advantage of every learning opportunity, and continue to challenge yourselves to grow and succeed. The dedication and partnership of our entire school community helps to create a positive and enriching learning environment for our students; we are truly grateful for the ongoing support and commitment to all our students! Thank you for embracing PRIDE every day! Together, we will continue to end the 2023-24 school year with positivity and success!
Yours in Education,
John Ridenour, Jr.
Principal
Parkway Elementary School
Donations for End of the Year Book Giveaway
Dear Parkway Families,
We are in need of “gently used” children’s books to be given away at our end-of-the-year summer book giveaway. Please drop any donations off during morning drop-off at the drop-off door in back or place them in the purple box outside the front office before May 15th.
Thank you in advance!
Parkway’s Literacy Team
April 8th Solar Eclipse
When students and staff return from Spring Break, much of the nation will be engaged in activities in conjunction with the solar eclipse taking place in the afternoon of April 8, 2024. In Maryland, we will experience a partial eclipse, with peak timing at approximately 3:20 p.m. and coinciding with school dismissal time in Frederick County Public Schools. As a result, the timing does not lend itself to major viewing events across FCPS schools, other than the eclipse event hosted by the Earth and Space Science Lab (ESSL), which will be open to the public. FCPS will be operating on a normal schedule on April 8, 2024.
The solar eclipse is also a learning opportunity for students, so FCPS has distributed instructional resources for teachers, including an activity booklet provided to all elementary schools. In addition, it is important that all students, staff, and community members know that there are important safety considerations for viewing an eclipse, as it is not safe to look directly at the sun without specialized eye protection. Below are additional resources that highlight the importance of eye safety during the eclipse.
Solar Eclipse Safety (NASA)
FCPS is asking our community to join us in reminding students about the importance of these safety precautions during the afternoon of April 8. If families are participating in eclipse activities with their children, these will be considered excused absences.
We know that the community joins us in our commitment in providing safe learning experiences for our students.
Arts Night at PES
ELA & Math News
iReady Bingo Party - Month of March/April
Students were incentivized to post 5 passing lessons in reading and/or 5 passing lessons in mathematics for the month of March/April in the iReady platform. Every 5 lessons passed students will receive an additional Bingo card to use during the celebration. We will celebrate with a bingo party and prizes on Thursday, April 18.
MCAP Assessment
We wanted to inform you about the upcoming state assessment that your child will be participating in beginning Tuesday, April 16th - Tuesday, May 7th. Students will take part in 4 ELA sessions and 4 Math sessions over the testing window. These assessments are important as they help us understand your child's academic progress and provide valuable insights into their learning needs. By participating, your child contributes to the continuous improvement of our educational programs. We encourage you to support your child in preparing for these assessments and ensure they attend on the scheduled dates. Together, we can empower our students to succeed academically. Thank you for your partnership in education. If you have any questions please reach out to Ms. Krauss.
Attendance is IMPORTANT
REMINDER: please email PES.attendance@fcps.org with notes or excusals
Good attendance requires a strong partnership between home, school, and students; communication is an important component of that partnership. To that end, parents/guardians and students will hear from the school when there are concerns about attendance. We may do any/all of the following:
- Meet with the student (to understand what is impacting their attendance and offer supports to help).
- Call and/or meet with a parent/guardian (also to understand what is impacting their child’s attendance and collaborate on solutions),
- Send letters to notify families of attendance.
We understand that a student’s attendance at school can be impacted (positively or negatively) by many factors; it is our goal to understand what is affecting it and work with the family to affect positive change. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to the school if you are struggling with your child’s attendance - we are here to help!
Maryland Blueprint Stakeholder Resources
To learn more about the Maryland Blueprint, check out the resources on this section of the FCPS website.
MSDE Special Education Survey
Does your child receive special education services including speech and language services? If so then please read the following:
The MSDE Parental Involvement Survey creates opportunities for feedback and engagement. This is your chance to share feedback regarding Special Education Services for your child!
Share how we can better support your family and child with Special Education services. You can complete the short survey at www.mdparentsurvey.com.
The survey will be available through May 24, 2024.
Thank you in advance for sharing your experiences and ideas! Together, we can continue to improve Special Education Services and Programs in FCPS.
School Meals
FCPS is using a new portal for school meal related information. Go to the parent portal at http://linqconnect.com/ where you can:
- Apply for meal benefits (FARM)
- View menus, meal prices and a la carte prices
- Add money to student accounts
- Transfer funds between students
- View student meal transactions
- Set low-balance notifications
Breakfast is FREE to ALL PES Students this year!
PTA Updates
The next PTA meeting is on Tuesday, April 30 at 6 pm in Parkway’s Media Room. Please enter through the main entrance door. All are welcome!
The School Dance will be on Friday, April 12. Please save the date and plan to join us at this fun family-friendly event.
The Panda 1K Fun Run and 5K Race is set for Monday, 5/27 and planning for the event is underway! We need your help with pre-race logistics, as well as with day of race support. Details will be posted to the PTA Facebook page (Parkway Elementary PTA 2023-2024) or you can email heidi.j.cherry@gmail.com directly for information.
About Us
Email: John.Ridenour@fcps.org
Website: https://edu.fcps.org/pes/
Location: 300 Carroll Parkway, Frederick, MD, USA
Phone: (240)236-2600