I wanted to provide an update on the well-water situation at Leonardtown Middle School. While we are headed in the right direction, our Department of Maintenance is continuing its efforts to remedy the situation. As such, the water system was re-chlorinated over the weekend and the chlorine will be purged on Monday. Bottled water, hand washing stations, and hand sanitizer will continue to be maintained until we can verify that the source of contamination has been eliminated.

The Department of Food Services will continue providing cold breakfast and lunch. All breakfast and lunch items will be served on disposal trays or in brown bags. Kitchen surfaces will continue to be sanitized and a hand washing station is available for kitchen staff. I apologize for any inconvenience this is causing and I greatly appreciate your patience as we work through this issue.

Please direct any questions or concerns to 301-475-4256, Ext. 34106.

Experts have warned that the latest viral #OneChipChallenge which contains Carolina Reaper Pepper and Scorpion Pepper has been sending people to the hospital. Lately, we have seen a rise in the number of students who have been participating in this challenge. It is becoming a disruption to the school day as it is monopolizing the time of the administrative team and the nurses.

We are seeking your assistance in talking to your student about this challenge. When they partake of this chip/engage in this challenge, it takes away our already scare resources especially when the nurses are needed to address their daily dispensing of medication and other emergencies. Any assistance that you can offer on the home front is greatly appreciated.

Our schools are heavily impacted by federally-connected students – those parents/guardians who work on federal property in Maryland, live on federal property in Maryland, and/or are active duty military personnel. Because of this impact, we receive federal grant funds to operate and maintain our schools and enrich school programs. To receive these funds, the U.S. Department of Education (USDE) requires us to survey each student to determine eligibility. SMCPS is encouraging all parents/guardians to please take the time to access and complete the Impact Aid Survey Form online, located in the Home Access Center (HAC). Once logged in, directions to access the online form can be found HERE. A video with instructions is available HERE. The form can now be accessed in Spanish by clicking on the Globe in the top right-hand corner once the form has been started. The deadline for the online submission of Impact Aid Program Survey forms is November 14, 2022.

The state of Maryland has a high school graduation requirement for students to learn how to practice citizenship. As part of their student service learning, our 6th graders are sponsoring a Fall Food Drive for the Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry. The food drive is from November 7-14, 2022. Students are asked to bring in nonperishable or boxed foods to help restock the pantry and help our local community for their student service learning project. Our sixth grade students have been learning about hunters and gatherers. One standard that they have spent much of this marking period working on is : Describe the characteristics and innovations of hunting and gathering societies, such as nomadic lifestyles, inventors of tools, adaptation to animal migration and vegetation cycles, and the shift from food gathering to food-producing activities. We thank you in advance for your support.

Take a close look at the picture below. That is a student's laptop cover ("decorated" with permanent marker). As you might be aware, any "damage, destruction of defacement of property belonging to the school or others" is considered destruction of property according to the SMCPS Code of Conduct. Not only could a student be issued a disciplinary consequence for acts such as these, they may also be assessed a fee. Please take some time to talk to your student about the need to take care of their device.

All current SMCPS 6th grade students will be swapping out their current laptops for NEW laptops.

The device you were issued from the school needs to be returned and in good, working condition. All resources that are property of SMCPS need to be maintained and taken care of by the student. Our student account ability guidance is located in our Student Handbook. Pages 49-51 outline the Acceptable Use Policy and page 61 explains the accountability of student resources.

When a student returns their laptop it will be inspected for any damage that needs repair.

Broken keyboards, screens or other issues do incur a cost as outlined in our Accountability Guidance. Both the laptop and the charger need to be returned. The current 6th grade laptops cost $380.00 and chargers are $40.00. Our new 6th grade laptops are $530.00.

When your student returns their device any damage will be reported and a fine will be assessed in Destiny. Destiny is the online platform we use to check out and track our print and technology resources. This is also used to assess fines. Any fines assessed in Destiny can be remedied online via My School Bucks or paid at the school using cash or check. The document below outlines the payment process via My School Bucks and details how you can create an account if you do not already have one set up for your student(s).

My School Bucks

All SMCPS students need a school issued device for their learning. The way in which your student uses their laptop is dependent upon how often their classroom teachers assign work. Additionally, all SMCPS students must use a school issued device for testing.

Care and upkeep of devices is located within our Accountability Guidance.

To report any damage in need of repair, students can submit their own HELPDESK tickets.

LINK to HELPDESK

Directions On How To Use the Helpdesk

Helpful Links:

1. Student Accountability Document

2. Student Accountability Newsletter

3. My School Bucks

4. LINK to HELPDESK

5. Directions On How To Use the Helpdesk

The St. Mary’s County Acceptable Use policy is required to be on file for all of our SMCPS students. To date, we have still not received a number of signed forms.

Our students have access to many online learning management platforms (Schoology and Google APPS for Education) that are integral to instruction. Our school system is also 1:1 with our devices. We have been able to fund laptops for all of our students so that their learning can take place in any classroom and can continue when needed at home. We no longer have computer labs at our buildings so student laptops are also an integral and necessary part of the learning environment. Lastly, all mandated state testing must be done on a school issued device.

Please read through the SMCPS Acceptable Use Policy and sign for your student.

Elementary Link: https://bit.ly/22022-2023_Elementary_AUPForm

Secondary Link: https://bit.ly/2022-2023_Secondary_AUPForm

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

SMCPS

Department of Assessments and Accountability

It's that time of year again! The Jingle Bell run will take place on December 10 and Leonardtown Middle has a team participating in the event! In the past, our team has been one of the top fundraisers for this 5k and fun run that benefits the Arthritis Foundation. This is a community event and runners and walkers are encouraged to dress in their holiday gear and bring their dogs and kids in strollers and enjoy scenic Solomon's Island. Please consider joining us! Use this link to register. Make sure you join the LMS team when you register. Feel free to direct any questions you have to Ms.Dade, jtdade@smcps.org.

All students in SMCPS have access to several online databases and thousands of eBooks. Please see the Database and Ebook Smore for more information on how to access those resources. Any questions can be directed to Heather Wysokinski (hmwysokinski@smcps.org).

Dear Leonardtown Middle School Families,

September 8th marked the 100th day before National Wreaths Across America Day, December 17, 2022. Each December on National Wreaths Across America Day, wreath-laying is carried out at Arlington National Cemetery, as well as at more than 1,600 additional locations in all 50 U.S. states, at sea, and abroad. The Maryland Veterans’ Cemetery in Cheltenham is one of the additional locations where wreath laying honoring our country’s fallen heroes takes place. There are over 28,000 gravesites, of which more than half go without a remembrance wreath each year.

Leonardtown Middle School is an official sponsorship group (MD0402P) again this year. Our goal is to sponsor 250 wreaths. You can help us reach this goal by sponsoring one or more wreaths that will go directly to the cemetery in Cheltenham. One wreath sponsorship is only $15.00. There are many options available. By sponsoring a wreath, you can help to REMEMBER AND HONOR the American heroes that served. Sponsorship can be done directly by going to the link below. The link will take you directly to the LMS site and guarantee that we receive credit for your sponsorship. All orders must be received by November 28th. This fundraising opportunity is being brought to you by the MTSS committee in hopes of raising funds for student assemblies, incentives to promote the P.A.W.S. program, and to promote a positive culture at Leonardtown Middle School.

Thank you in advance for your support.

~The LMS MTSS Committee~

• The PTA still needs volunteers for the November 4th school dance. Please consider helping out to ensure we have a successful event
• Plan ahead for our Spirit Night at Kevin's Corner Café on November 11th.
• Honey Baked Hams will go on sale in a few weeks. More details coming soon.
• If you have any questions please reach out to the PTA.
• Memberships are $8/adult or $15/family and $7/teachers & staff. You can also register online at https://lmspta20.memberhub.com/store Become a member and support the school!!
• https://www.facebook.com/LeonardtownMiddleSchoolPta

Asklmspta@gmail.com