Thurmont Primary School News
October 2019
Principal's Message
Just like our students, staff are also working, learning and caring together as we grow in our brain, heart and body power. During the month of September, we began meeting for our Accelerated Learning Process (ALP) sessions. These sessions focus on teachers growing their knowledge of effective teaching practices to meet individualized student needs. Teachers also participated in training related to new instructional resources and assessments in order to design personalized learning experiences. As a staff we celebrate having the "Courage of a Cougar" by learning new things, taking risks, empowering others and believing in ourselves as we hope to model these characteristics for our students.
We appreciate the support of families who are working at home to reinforce learning and expectations at school. A special thank you to all those family members who came to "Parents in PE Week" where you helped to model growing in your brain, heart and body power. By working together we know each and every student will have a successful year!
Yours in education,
Michele Baisey
School Safety
Student and school safety is our top priority. Over the course of the year we will be practicing mandatory drills to ensure students, and staff, are well prepared for a variety of emergencies such as fire, severe weather and intruder. Our drills, and accompanying instruction on safety, are conducted in a developmentally appropriate manner specific to the ages/grades of students.
During the week of October 14th to 18th, we will have a safety week where many of our drills will be completed. Each drill will be facilitated jointly between Dr. Baisey and classroom teachers. If your child expresses any concern related to our safety drills, please reassure them our goal is to make sure school is a safe place to work, learn and care together as we grow in our brain, heart and body power. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to Dr. Baisey.
We will also be completing our bus evacuation drills to ensure students know how to safely get off the bus if there were an emergency. We are planning to conduct this drill during National School Bus Safety Week, the week of October 21st.
An accompanying aspect of school safety includes adhering to procedures put in place including...
- asking all visitors to provide proper identification when coming to school
- restricting visits to lunch, unless a previous appointment/meeting has been scheduled
- using only the front entrance of the building when visiting the school
- dropping off car riders from the passenger side of the vehicle by the sidewalk
Bus Transportation Information
If/when buses are running more than 10 minutes late there is a transportation delay board which can provide you with additional information. The link to access the transportation delay board is: https://apps.fcps.org/transdelay/
Please continue to encourage your child(ren) to follow bus rules including staying seated for the duration of the ride, remaining in their seat and using a quiet voice when talking with friends.
Attendance
Students, and staff, enjoyed our Superhero Day on Thursday, September 19th where we celebrated meeting the 96% attendance goal for five school days! We will continue with school-wide attendance celebrations throughout the year - help us earn the next spirit dress up day by making sure your child is an Attendance HERO - Here Everyday Ready to Learn and On Time.
As a reminder, in order for your child to meet the 96% attendance goal s/he can only miss 7 days of school. Every missed day of school is also missed day of learning. We celebrate attendance daily and classes with 100% attendance earn additional special incentives.
Please remember to send a note to school any time your child is absent from school. The note is used as documentation of an excused absence.
Information about attendance in FCPS is available at: https://www.fcps.org/student-services/general-info-for-parents
Creating a Positive School Climate
- setting school-wide expectations for success (follow directions, let others learn, be respectful, be responsible)
- promoting positive interactions and individual responsibility through daily morning announcement messages
- reminding students daily of our school mission to "work, learn and care together so we can grow in our brain, heart and body power"
- implementing PATHS lessons and recognizing the PATHS kid of the day
- recognizing students with our newly created "Cougar Compliment Card" which reinforces areas of focus from PATHS as well as pillars of Character Counts - We have 4 students who have received this special honor so far this year!
- celebrating student success during quarterly awards ceremonies - information will be provided for our first celebration of the year which will take place in November
As part of our focus to encourage respect, we invite all students to wear blue on Tuesday, October 8th as we take part in "Stomp Out Bullying" World Day of Bullying Prevention. This is a special opportunity for students to show pride in themselves for treating others with kindness. We will continue to celebrate our "Courage of a Cougar" as we accept and empower others.
FCPS information about bullying prevention can be found at: https://www.fcps.org/academics/stop-bullying
Fall Picture Day
On Monday, October 7th all students will be photographed for the TEPS 2019-2020 school yearbook.
PAWS for Reading
Students were provided with a blue "PAWS to Read" card so they can participate in our quarterly reading challenges. Each grade level has their own reading goal and students who reach their goal will earn a special charm at our quarterly awards celebrations. Students can read by themself, read to someone else or listen to someone reading to them. ANY and ALL types of reading count!
TEPS PTA News & Events
Upcoming PTA Events/Opportunities to Volunteer:
- General PTA Meeting at TES - Tuesday, October 1st at 5:30pm
- Colorfest Parking - Saturday, October 12th
- Coal Fire Fundraiser - Wednesday, October 16th
- Spirit Wear Orders (form linked here) - Due October 25th
- Fall Festival at TPS - Friday, October 25th at 5:30pm
Please contact the PTA at tepsptacougars@gmail.com for information about how you can remain actively engaged in our school community!
Family Support Services
Established state-wide in Maryland to provide knowledge and develop essential skills for working as equal partners in the educational decision making process, Family Support Services (formerly Partners for Success):
- Supports families of children with special needs
- Strengthens communication between parents and schools
- Hosts workshops on special needs topics of interest
- Represents special education issues and concerns of families
If you'd like more information...
- Contact Cara Phillips, Family Support Coordinator, at Cara.Phillips@fcps.org or 240.236.8744
- Review the Partners for Success Flyer
- Review the Partners for Success Resource List
October Dates to Remember
Thursday, October 3rd - CHS Homecoming Parade at 7pm - Bring the family and look for the Feeder Principal Float!
Monday, October 7th
- School Picture Day
Tuesday, October 8th
- Wear Blue - Stomp Out Bullying World Day of Bullying Prevention
- 2 Hour Early Dismissal at 1:10pm
Wednesday, October 9th - Schools Closed for Yom Kippur
Wednesday, October 23rd
- Arrival Begins 4 Hours Late at 12:10pm for Evening Conferences
- NO PK Classes
Thursday, October 24th
- Arrival Begins 4 Hours Late at 12:10pm for Evening Conferences
- NO PK Classes
Friday, October 25th
- 3 1/2 Hour Early Dismissal at 11:40am for Afternoon Conferences
- NO PK Classes
- PTA Fall Festival at 5:30pm
Contact Information
Email: michele.baisey@fcps.org
Website: https://education.fcps.org/tps/
Location: 7989 Rocky Ridge Road, Thurmont, MD, USA
Phone: 240-236-2800
Twitter: @ThurmontPrimary