October Newsletter
New Market Elementary
Message from Administration
Dear NMES Families,
Parent-Teacher Conferences will take place on October 11, 12 and 13. See the Important Dates section for altered school schedules on these dates. We want to offer some potential tips and strategies for making the most of your parent-teacher conference. Prior to the conference, ask your child how they feel about school and have them elaborate about why they feel that way. Also, ask your child if there is anything they want you to discuss with the teacher. This information can help to frame the conversation during the conference. It is also helpful to prepare a list of questions to ask your child's teacher. Some sample questions might be:
- What are my child's strongest and weakest areas?
- How is my child doing behaviorally? Does my child regularly follow the Be a Wolf expectations?
- Does my child participate in class?
- Does my child seem happy in school?
- What can I do at home to support my child academically, behaviorally and socially?
Your child's teacher will appreciate the approach of partnering together to support your child. If you haven't yet scheduled your child's parent-teacher conference then we suggest for you to contact the teacher as soon as possible. Teachers will conduct parent-teacher conferences at the school and they can offer in-person or virtual conferences.
Thank you for your support and collaboration!
Dr. Lockard - Principal
Mrs. McGaha - Assistant Principal
As a reminder, our NMES Vision and Mission statements are linked below for your reference.
Click HERE to read the vision statement.
Click HERE to read the mission statement.
Important October Dates
Fall Book Fair: October 9 - October 13
- Tuesday, October 3: NMES Walk to School Day (see information in PTA section of newsletter)
- Wednesday, October 4: Interims issued
- Wednesday, October 4: PTA meeting in the cafeteria from 7:00 - 8:00pm
- Tuesday, October 10: First grade field trip to LHS
- Wednesday, October 11: Open 4 hours late (12:30) for evening parent conferences
- Thursday, October 12: Open 4 hours late (12:30) for evening parent conferences
- Friday, October 13: Schools dismiss 3.5 hours early (11:55) for afternoon parent conferences
- Thursday, October 19: Kindergarten field trip to Gaver's Farm
- Friday, October 20: Schools closed for Teacher Professional Learning Day
- Thursday, October 26: End of Term 1
- Thursday, October 26: PTA Trunk or Treat event
- Friday, October 27: Schools closed for Teacher Work Day
- Monday, October 30: Term 2 begins
- Tuesday, October 31: Fall Parties (Click HERE to view schedule)
NMES PTA Information
- Please join us for our October PTA meeting. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 4 from 7:00 - 8:00pm in the cafeteria. Dr. Lockard will be sharing information about the Maryland Report Card for schools. We look forward to seeing you there!
Tuesday, October 3 is NMES Walk to School Day:
All NMES students and families are invited to join our Walk to School Day on Tuesday, October 3rd. This event is co-sponsored by the New Market Green Team. Students may choose to walk from home or designated park and walk locations. Families not within walking distance are encouraged to join friends in the surrounding neighborhoods or join a group at a park and walk location.
Neighborhood routes include New Market West, The Orchard, Brinkley Manor, and Royal Oaks. Families may also choose to park and walk from Town Hall or Prospect Pantry on Main Street (parking available in the back row of New Market United Methodist Church).
All routes will depart at approximately 8:15am to have ample time to arrive at school. Students will participate in charting how they arrived at school that morning. The student entry - blue awning or black top - that has the most walkers will win the Golden Sneaker! Special guests will also join NMES families on their walk to school - to be announced on our Facebook event page!
Parents are responsible for ensuring their students arrive at NMES safely. Be prepared for all types of weather, the event will only be cancelled in cases of extreme weather.
If your student will be arriving at school by car this morning, we ask you to please use the NMES car line at the front of the building. We anticipate a large number of students walking our neighborhood streets the morning of the event.
For more details about the event, check out our Facebook Event page: Walk to School Event Info
And please follow our NMES PTA Facebook page for information about all our current programs and events: NMES PTA Facebook Page
See you on October 3rd!
NMES Attendance
For all attendance related emails or transportation changes, please email nmes.attendance@fcps.org and include your child's teacher. Transportation changes must be made prior to 3:00pm.
Consistent attendance is important for your child's academic and social success in school. MSDE sets the attendance goal at 96%. Below are the attendance percentages for each grade level and for the school overall as of the end of September:
Pre-Kindergarten: 95.2%
Kindergarten: 97.2%
Grade 1: 96.7%
Grade 2: 95.7%
Grade 3: 96.2%
Grade 4: 96..4%
Grade 5: 96%
Overall School Attendance Percentage: 96.3%
You can support by sending your healthy child to school each day on time. Instruction promptly begins at 9:00 each morning. You can also support by planning vacations around the FCPS calendar. Thank you!
Click HERE to view the FCPS calendar for 2023 - 2024.
Click HERE to view the FCPS calendar for 2024 - 2025.
Parent Action Required: Student Information Cards
NMES is currently at a 70% return rate on Student Information Cards. If you haven’t already done so please complete your child’s Student Information Card. Families received this through email. See below for how the email was addressed to families. It is critical for families to confirm and/or make corrections on their child’s Student Information Card, i.e. phone number, email, address and permissions for photos of your child. Thank you for taking the time to complete this task so NMES has the most accurate information for your child.
Please contact Sarah Main at 240-236-1300 or sarah.main@fcps.org if you have any questions.
FROM: FCPSStudentInformationForm<noreplyregistration@powerschool.com>
TO: Parent Email
SUBJECT: Frederick County Public Schools Student Information Form for (Student’s Name)
Walking and Wheeling Wolves Program
The Counselors Corner
Media Center Update
Book Fair Volunteers
Are you interested in helping at our upcoming book fair? The book fair is set up on October 5th and runs through October 13th. All book fair volunteers receive 10% off of their purchases! If you are interested in volunteering, you can sign up at https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0B4FABAF2AAAF58-fall1#/ or contact our media specialist, Mrs. Siderius, at jennifer.siderius@fcps.org with any questions.
Book Fair Shopping
We are excited for our fall book fair! Shopping is available the week of October 9th! All information about the book fair will be coming home with students the week of October 2nd. Be on the lookout for the blue book fair flier! Or, read more about that book fair at https://www.smore.com/yw74d. Please contact our media specialist, Mrs. Siderius, at jennifer.siderius@fcps.org with any questions.
Book Character Pumpkins
Our annual book pumpkin contest will return at the end of October. Later this month, Mrs. Siderius will send home a bright orange flier with information. We look forward to seeing everyone's creativity!
New Ambassador Wolf
In September, we shared the news that our former ambassador wolf, Alawa, passed away in June. We are happy to announce that our PTA has adopted a new wolf for NMES! Our wolf, Silas, will be shared with students throughout the year. Families can view Silas on his wolf cam at https://nywolf.org/meet-our-wolves/webcams/webcam-ambassador-wolves-zephyr-alawa-and-nikai/.
Optional Holiday Choice Board for October
October is full of the sights and sounds of fall! Learn more about all of the special days in October with our optional choice board! You can find it at https://bit.ly/NMESOct23Board.
Citizens Advisory Council Information
The Citizens Advisory Council (CAC) serves as a conduit to the Board of Education for public concerns, advice, and information. An email, CAC@fcps.org, has been established for community members, parents/guardians, students, and staff who wish to share concerns, topics of interest, and/or issues with the CAC. Topics raised in these communications will be discussed by the Council and then relayed to Board leadership.
Schoology Tips
Mrs. Imboden is our Schoology Ambassador for the 2023 - 2024 school year. If you have any questions about Schoology, don't hesitate to reach out to her. She will be happy to support. Below is helpful information from Mrs. Imboden:
How do I set up my Schoology parent account?
How do I view my child's grades and assignments in Schoology?
These are common Schoology questions. Click HERE to view the answers.
Supporting our Young Wolves
To support our Young Wolves still at home, we are sharing an idea to support their development.
While outside, kids enjoy collecting nature treasures like leaves. Try using them to make a pattern and have your child replicate it. Pattern finding and repeating builds focus, memory and math skills.