Back to School Newsletter
'The Sky Is The Limit'
Principal's Message
Dear L.E.S. Families:
I hope you and your family are having a relaxing summer filled with exciting memories. The beginning of the school year always marks a time of promise and possibility, and 2018-2019 is no exception! Personally, I am grateful and elated to continue this journey with you as your Principal.
With a talented staff and a supportive community, our students are poised to reap the benefits of this extraordinary partnership. Leonardtown Elementary is a special place. We are a school that is centered around the whole child. A school that takes the time to know each of our students and ensures that each child is being challenged and their individual needs are being met. We have so much to be proud of at L.E.S. and I look forward to another year of serving the Leonardtown Elementary school community.
While you were away, our committed staff have spent the summer preparing for a wonderful, rewarding and enjoyable school year. Our enthusiastic office team is registering new families, ordering needed materials, and updating student files. Our diligent custodial staff has worked very hard to prepare all of the rooms in our building for opening day. Our outstanding and much-appreciated PTA is gearing up to welcome families, provide volunteer opportunities, and has planned a variety of fun events for the students and the community of Leonardtown Elementary for the entire year.
As we enter this new school year, I want to let you know that our staff will be engaging in conversations around having a growth mindset, both for themselves and all students. We believe that every person in this building should always be growing and learning. Despite obstacles that may arise, we must always believe in our ability to rise above challenges and come out stronger on the other end. Our entire staff works very hard to create a positive environment where every person's unique strengths and talents are celebrated. The combination of focusing on our students' academic success as well as their social and emotional well-being creates and environment where our students do amazing things every year.
This is the first edition of our monthly newsletter. Newsletters will be emailed monthly and will be accessible on-line on our school website http://schools.smcps.org/les/. The purpose of the newsletter is to keep families informed of upcoming events, activities and important happenings. This edition contains and abundance of important information, so please read it carefully. You can also access our Student Handbook/Code of Conduct on our school website. Please be certain to read the handbook closely and become familiar with the regulations and policies that are listed. Please check the website each week to view weekly phone outs.
On behalf of the Leonardtown Elementary staff, I wish all an enjoyable 2018-2019 school year.
Dr. Contina Quick-McQueen
Principal
Welcoming Back Our Students
On September 4th at 8:50 a.m., we will gearing up to welcome all our students back into the building for the start of a great school year. We are asking if you can, please stop by the school to help welcome our students. We want to create a school community tunnel as students exit buses and prepare to enter the building. We will cheer them on as they make their way through our tunnel and into the building.
So if you have 10 minutes to spare the morning of Tuesday, September 4th please join us and let's get our students excited about their return to an exciting school year!! We hope to see you there!
Open House
This will be a great time to strengthen our Leonardtown Elementary community, meet teachers and other families and learn about the upcoming school year. Please take a moment to stop and join our outstanding PTA and sign up for upcoming volunteer opportunities for student events.
Finally, please join us in the beautiful L.E.S. courtyard to meet and greet our new Assistant Principal, Mr. LaCount and enjoy a cold treat!
I look forward to seeing each of you on Thursday, August 30th!
New Staff
Facilities Update
Standards Based Report Card 3rd Grade Transition
During the 2018-1019 school year, our third grade students will continue to receive a standards based report card to report their progress toward mastery of the standards. This report will be very similar to the standards based report students received in PK-2, but standards progressions will match what students are learning in third grade.
Please click on the link below to learn more about standards based reporting and how your child's progress will be measured.
S.O.A.R.R. School Wide Behavior Expectations
Please click on the link below to our S.O.A.R.R. Pledge
http://schools.smcps.org/les/featured/275-s-o-a-r-r-pledge
Each morning students will say the Pledge of Allegiance followed by the S.O.A.R.R. Pledge.
Be A PTA Volunteer
Last school year, we were able to provide a number of after school programs, such as Chess Club, Robotics, Running Club, STEAM Club. We were also able to provide family events such as Fall Carnival, Movie Nights, Big Idea Fair, Mornings with Moms, Donuts with Dads, Family Dance Night.
All of the activities and events were planned to support students, provide experiences, and create memories during their elementary school years. Activities and events require a funding source, organizing, planning, and time. We need the support from volunteers in our school community to keep all the wonderful activities and events students and families have grown to love in place for years to come. We are also looking for fresh new ideas for the future.
I am reaching out to you today to ask for your gift of time and support, as we begin to plan activities and events for the upcoming school year. Our Leonardtown Elementary PTA and PTA Board are our biggest supporters for funding, organizing, and providing time to support all the wonderful school activities and events we offer to our students. The PTA Board are already thinking and planning to provide the best experiences for our students in the upcoming school year.
Please consider becoming a member of the Leonardtown Elementary PTA for the upcoming school year. Membership monies go to support after school programs such as Chess Club, Running Club, STEAM Club and family events. Volunteers are also needed to help plan and organize student and family events for the upcoming year (e.g., Fall Carnival, Family Fitness Night, Big Idea Fair) to name a few.
Many of our volunteers who have taken the lead on organizing and planning events such as the Fall Carnival, Big Idea Fair etc. have moved on with their child (ren) to middle school. We are in need of additional volunteers to sustain activities and events for our students. Additionally, we are always looking for creativity and innovation to make experiences enjoyable and meaningful for our students.
If you would like to help on our journey this year, please contact cfquickmcqueen@smcps.org or you may contact the PTA directly gem0905@gmail.com . You can also find out more about the Leonardtown Elementary PTA by visiting http://schools.smcps.org/les/les-pta. I look forward to a strong partnership this school year as we work together to provide meaningful activities and events for our students and families.
Visitors and Volunteers
- All visitors and volunteers must sign-in at the front desk computer
- Photo ID is required at sign-in
- All visitors and volunteers in the building must wear a badge and keep it visible at all times
- You are limited to only your original destination upon sign-in
- If you wish to visit a new location, you must return to the Main Office and change your location in the computer
- Please exit only through the front office and sign-out prior to exiting
- Please use this link to sign up to be a volunteer: http://www.smcps.org/safety-and-security/volunteer-information
- To chaperone, mentor, be a room parent etc., you must be a registered SMCPS volunteer
We look forward to seeing you at L.E.S. !
Arrival and Dismissal
Any student arriving after 9:00 a.m. must be walked into the Main Office with an adult present for sign-in. Walkers should wait outside until the second bell rings and then enter the building.
If your child is not going home on the bus and you will be picking him/her up, a note to the teacher is necessary. Students may only ride the bus they have been assigned to. If your child needs to ride a different bus, a note withe the information should be given to the teacher.
All walkers and students not picked up in the car loop with a placard will be picked up from the Science Lab entrance. If you have a change to student daily transportation need to be made by 3:00 p.m. to ensure students are sent to the correct location for transport home.
If you currently have a car placard, please complete the application coming home with your student on the first day of school and update the days students will be picked up in the car loop. If you are not currently a placard user, please complete the application and a placard will be issued to you.
Please feel free to contact the Main Office with questions.
Attendance
School attendance has a huge impact on a student’s academic success starting in prekindergarten and continuing through high school. Even as children grow older and more independent, families play a key role in making sure students get to school safely every day. Regular and consistent attendance is necessary for student achievement, graduation, and career and college readiness.
St. Mary’s County Public Schools’ student attendance policy is based on the overriding premise that success is dependent upon a continuous and consistent classroom instructional experience. Students need opportunities to master essential academic knowledge and skills, develop an appropriate sense of self-worth, establish satisfactory peer relationships, and develop a sense of responsibility. The school cannot educate students or provide support to students when they are absent from school.
We realize some absences are unavoidable, but we also know when students miss too much school, regardless of the reason, it can cause them to fall behind academically. Documentation of an absence must be sent to school within three (3) days of an absence, either with a written note, phone call, email, or through the school website portal. Parent(s)/legal guardian(s) may monitor school attendance through the Home Access Center (HAC). If you are having problems with your username, password, or login, please contact the school.
Breakfast and Lunch Programs
Transportation and Bus Conduct
We want our students to S.O.A.R.R. not only while they are at school but also when they are on the bus. This year L.E.S. students will be taught how to be Safe, On-Task, Accountable, Responsible, and Respectful when riding the bus. School administration will be working closely with the bus drivers to ensure students are demonstrating the appropriate bus expectations and behaviors and to address any discipline problems. Remember- bus transportation to school is a privilege, and on-going problem behaviors will be handled in a manner that will maintain the overall safety of our students, the bus driver, and community.
Bus routes and stops for the 2018-2019 school year are available through the link below. These routes and stops will be constantly updated through the start of school, so check them regularly for possible changes.
Back to School Tips!
1. Re-set sleep patterns. Seven to ten days prior to the first day of school start the process of regular sleep. Wean the student off of going to bed late and sleeping late. Yes...you’ll probably cave to the “Mom, it’s my last weekend before school, why can’t I stay up late?” However, sleep patterns are crucial for reaching peak performance during the first class period and maintaining it until the bell rings to go home. Start this process sooner than later and help maintain it all year. Good luck on this one. Be bold. Be consistent.
2. Re-set eating habits. Once school begins the eating patterns of the student need to be set so that they can maintain a high level of energy throughout the day. The routines of breakfast, snack, lunch, snack and after-school snack prior to homework need to be implemented. In fact, the entire nutrition of the student needs to be well thought out 7-10 days before school begins.
3. Set academic goals. Establishing well-defined goals is one of the hallmarks of a champion. Each student needs these academic goals with corresponding strategies and tactics for reaching them. Set goals for each class and hold your student accountable.
4. Identify priorities. Football games, dances, playing video games, watching television, social media, homework, sports, extracurricular participation and friends are all part of each school year. Does academics top the list of priorities? When is homework to be accomplished? Before dinner? After school? After dinner? When can I watch my favorite TV shows? This 90-minute to 120-minute homework routine needs to be placed in your student’s schedule before the school year. Sunday night is a great night to prepare for the upcoming school week. This is a routine they can take into their adult life.