LPES Monthly Newsletter
February 2022
Welcome to February!
Welcome to February! We are officially halfway through the school year and we are so proud of our students for all they are learning & accomplishing! To celebrate a half-year of learning & growth, we held our first annual Growth Parade at Friday's 2nd quarter recognition celebration. Every student participated and it was delightful to see how proud they are of their accomplishments! These posters will be put up all around the building and inspire everyone to continue to learn & grow. Nothing can stop us now!!
Be sure to visit our website to check out our Twitter feed and see pictures of the parade and all the learning that happens each day in Panda Nation!
Panda pride & love to all!
Mrs. Schou
Car Rider Arrival & Dismissal
We are re-sharing the 2021-2022 car rider drop-off expectations and timeline to improve the flow & safety of morning car rider drop-off. Thank you in advance ensuring the safety of our students by adhering to both the expectations and the timeline.
Expectations for Cars/Families:
- Families need to pull all the way down to the cone at the end of the playground so that the line can safely accommodate as many cars as possible.
- Students need to be let out of their vehicle when a staff member comes to the car. The area between the cones has a sidewalk and staff members will make sure students get safely in the building.
- Cars need to wait to move forward until directed to do so.
Morning Timeline:
- 8:25: Students will be escorted into the building
- 8:30: The car rider door closes at 8:30 promptly
Afternoon Timeline:
- 3:10: Students are escorted to the cars to go home.
You can find information on our school hours on our school website under Quick Links/School Hours.
COVID-19 Processes
Updates have been made to the SMCPS COVID-19 Process for Staff and Students. You may also access the System-Level Data for the number of reported COVID-19 cases by site by week.
Nurse Lancaster follows the MDH and MSDE Guidance when seeing students in the health suite with COVID-19 symptoms. As outlined in the document, COVID-19 symptoms are any ONE of the following: fever of 100.4 F or higher, sore throat, cough, difficulty breathing, diarrhea, vomiting, new onset of severe headache (especially with fever), new loss of taste or smell.
Please contact Nurse Lancaster (lklancaster@smcps.org) if you have questions about how the guidelines for attendance apply to your child. We are happy to help you!
The Counselor's Corner
Happy February!
I once read a meme that said "February is one long Monday"! I am sure it feels that way to our students. The excitement of Christmas has worn off, the days are short and the weather is iffy. Combat the feeling of blahs by enforcing routine and implementing outside fun. First of all, ensure your family is getting enough sleep by putting them to bed by no later than 8:30. Even for 5th graders! Good sleep is attained when screens are out of our children's rooms so as not to distract them from sleeping. Then, implement fun! Take a walk before dark. Play outside in the yard for 30 minutes. Go to a nearby park on the weekend. Even in the bitter cold, it does our bodies well to be outside and physically active. If the weather is completely unbearable, play indoors. Board games, card games, hide and seek indoors all can be fun activities for you to do with your children. I will be continuing to meet with 3-5 grade in lunch bunches as well as being in the classrooms discussing body language and the Zones of Regulation with K-3 and Worrying with 4th and 5th grades. Any questions or concerns, please give me a call or email me at sccooper@smcps.org.
Ms. Cooper, School Counselor
More Information on Interdisciplinary Instruction
One of the ways teachers are using interdisciplinary instruction in the classroom is using the Next Generation Science Standards or NGSS. These Science standards include Science and Engineering Practices, Disciplinary Core Ideas, and Crosscutting Concepts. Also listed are the Common Core Standards. The Common Core Standards include Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language and Math. The Common Core Standards can be integrated with any Science lesson. The Next Generation Science Standards lay out the connections students make using several content areas to understand a Science-based evidence statement.
Take a look at a Second grade Science lesson below:
2-ESS2-1 Compare multiple solutions designed to slow or prevent wind or water from changing the shape of the land.* [Clarification Statement: Examples of solutions could include different designs of dikes and windbreaks to hold back wind and water, and different designs for using shrubs, grass, and trees to hold back the land.]
In this lesson, students are to understand that wind and water can change the shape of land (disciplinary core idea). They use engineering practices by comparing multiple solutions to a problem and connect other concepts such as fast or slow changes, technology impacting the natural world, and scientists studying the natural and material world. The Common Core Standards are integrated through the Math Practices, a Measurement standard stating students should solve addition or subtraction word problems involving lengths of measurement, and Informational Reading Standards stating students compare scientific concepts or ideas and compare and contrast the main points in two pieces of text on the same topic.
The Next Generation Science Standards guide teachers’ instruction and gives students access to learning through multiple avenues. Interdisciplinary instruction does not limit a child to learning through one subject area. Integrating subject areas allow the child to access a specific learning concept in multiple ways.
The lesson above is from https://www.nextgenscience.org/pe/2-ess2-1-earths-systems.
LPES Important November Dates
Feb, 1-3 - 5th Grade Virtual Field Trip to MD State House 1:45-2:30 each day
Fri, Feb 4 - No School for Students; Professional Day for TeachersMon, Feb 7 - Conscious Discipline Virtual Session - Flyer
Feb 7 - 11 - National School Counseling Week
Fri, Feb 11 - The 100th Day of School
Mon, Feb 21 - Presidents Day; Schools and Office Closed
Wed Feb 23 - Ms. Buckler's 4th Gr. Class to ELMS
Thurs. Feb 24 - Ms. Colvin & Ms. Peck's Classes to ELMS
Thurs. Feb. 24-4:30: Family Math and State Assessment Workshop
Fri, Feb 25 - Two Hour Early Release; No School for Pre-K Students
Remember, every Wednesday is Wellness Wednesday!
SMCPS is Hiring!
Join our team! Select this link for more information.
SMCPS has multiple positions available to support our students and staff, including full-time and part-time positions in various areas. Employment opportunities can be found on the SMCPS website: https://www.smcps.org/hr/employment-opportunities
The Abacus Corporation provides part-time/temporary positions to support SMCPS as well. Various positions are also available through the Abacus Corporation and can be found on their website: https://www.abacuscorporation.com/find-jobs
Bus Routes
Box Tops for Education
Use this referral code AGH797VO when you sign up and you’ll get 50 Bonus Box Tops when you scan your first receipt now through 09/26/2021, while supplies last! Download the Box Tops for Education app here: https://btfe.smart.link/c2jjdifkw?referral_code=AGH797VO
Meal Services
Bring Back Your Books!
Due to the pandemic and school closures, SMCPS students have thousands of OVERDUE books. These books must be returned in order to have enough books to be checked out to students this school year.
Please find your overdue textbooks and library books.
Technology
All SMCPS students have a device. Only SMCPS issued devices can be used in the 2021-2022 school year. No personal devices can be supported. Also, only SMCPS devices can be used for testing. If you have any questions or concerns about your student's device on his/her Destiny Account, please contact Mrs. Johnson in the media center at 301-863-4085.
Update Your Contact Information
Lexington Park Elementary School
To help you navigate all the new elements of the school year and keep you informed about upcoming programs & events, we will communicate information frequently and in several ways. They are listed below for your reference.
- Weekly Phone Message & Email: At 6:00 on Sunday you will receive a phone message & email from us sharing information about the upcoming week.
- Class DoJo: Very soon your child’s teacher will invite you to join Class DoJo. We use this platform because it is secure/members only and allows us to share a wide variety of information with you. Please join our DoJo family!
- Our LPES Website and Twitter feed: The LPES website has a wide variety of information for you and is updated regularly. We love to share all the wonderful things our students & teachers are doing, so we tweet just about every day. Follow us on Twitter @lpes_smcps
- Technology Needs: if you are new to the school or need a device from SMCPS please complete the survey here.
Email: raschou@smcps.org
Website: https://schools.smcps.org/lpes/
Location: 46763 South Shangri La Drive, Lexington Park, Maryland 20653
Phone: (301) 863-4085
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smcps.org/posts/971720426301468
Twitter: @lpes_smcps