The middle school cross country meet is Monday, October 17 at Leonardtown High School at 4pm. Runners remain at Leonardtown Middle School with Mrs. Dade and Mrs. Whitlock after school. Students will change into their running attire, have some down time to work on homework and eat a snack (provided by the student). Around 3:00 we will walk over to Leonardtown High School's track together with all belongings. Runners will wear a LMS "jersey" during the race provided by coaches. This will be returned to the coaches after the race.

Parents should come to Leonardtown High School track for the meet. The beginning and end of the course will be at the track. Spectators are $6.00 at the gate. Please come support our student athletes!

We have been seeing an uptick in students being tardy to class. Persistently arriving late to class can disrupt the flow of a class discussion, distract other students, and impede learning. Moreover, persistently arriving late to class or school may also result in a student being issued a disciplinary referral and possible days in In School Intervention (ISI).

We ask for your assistance to speak to your student about the importance of getting to class on time.

Maryland Partnership for Prevention will be onsite at Leonardtown Middle School on November 1st to provide OPTIONAL flu vaccines to students. Please refer to this communication from the St. Mary’s County Health Department for additional details and registration/consent instructions. Registration closes on October 20, 2022 at which time the registration links will be removed and no walk-ins will be accepted on the clinic day.

If you have questions, please contact Nurse Robeson at krrobeson@smcps.org.

• The month of October always presents a climate-control challenge due to the fluctuating temperatures. Unlike a home HVAC system, once we convert from cooling to heating, we cannot revert back to cooling until the Spring. Currently, our maintenance staff is cleaning the boilers at each school in preparation for the conversion to heat. Below is the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) that the Department of Maintenance follows each year. I strongly encourage students and staff to dress in layers as there are typically both hot and cold days in October.

• SOP for Heating and Cooling System Changeover: Once the forecasted nightly temperatures are consistently below 45 degrees and daytime temperatures do not exceed 55 degrees for two to three consecutive days, we will begin the two-day process of changing the schools over from a cooling mode to a heating mode for the balance of the season. This changeover typically takes place by October 15th of each year. When the ambient conditions are conducive, the changeover will be delayed to ensure the most effective use of resources.

Our schools are heavily impacted with federally-connected students--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.

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
• The PTA will show our appreciation to all of the bus drivers for bus driver appreciation week by providing a small refreshment to all drivers.
  
• 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