MPS Knights News
Volume 5, Newsletter 6, January 12, 2024
Principal's message
Dear MPS families-
Happy New Year! Today marks the end of the second quarter of the school year. Our students are making great progress and we are looking forward to continuing with this progress through the rest of the school year.
Our students work each day to demonstrate Safe, Kind, and Hardworking behaviors. Join us as we participate in the Great Kindness Challenge Week from January 22nd- 26th. See our spirit days below. Students will participate in kindness lessons through the month of January from our guidance counselors and we are "showering" our hallways with kind ideas.
MPS will have Valentine's Day parties on Wednesday February 13, 2024. Classroom teachers will share more specific information. Stay tuned!
Each year the Frederick County Health Department completes vision and hearing screenings on all pre-k students, kindergarten students that were not previously tested in pre-k, all of 1st grade, and any students new to the state of Maryland. These will occur during the school day on Tuesday February 13th and Wednesday February 14th. Make up and rescreening will occur on Monday March 18, 2024. A letter will be sent home with each student sharing the results. If you do not want your child screened, please call the health room.
This Knight's News includes information on the following:
- Important Dates
- FCPS Learn @ Home Information
- Kindness Week
- Attendance Notes
- MPS Playground Space Path
- MPS Artsonia
- Volunteer training information
Kindly,
Sandy Fox, Principal
Important Dates
Monday January 15, 2024- Schools and offices closed (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Observance)
Tuesday January 16, 2024- Schools closed for students (Teacher work day)
Wednesday January 17, 2024- Schools closed for students (Teacher professional day)
Monday January 22-26, 2024- Kindness week (see information below)
Tuesday February 13, 2024- Vision and hearing screenings (see information below)
Wednesday February 14, 2024- Vision and hearing screenings (see information below)
School Valentine's Parties (see information below)
Friday February 16, 2024- 2-Hour early dismissal
Monday February 9, 2024- Schools and offices closed- President's Day
Monday March 18, 2024- Rescreening and/or make ups for vision and hearing screenings
FCPS Learn @ Home Information
Dear Middletown Primary Community,
As you may know, Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) has been approved by the Maryland State Department of Education to implement up to three virtual instructional days in lieu of systemwide closure during inclement weather. While not necessarily the first option, the Learning @ Home days provide FCPS flexibility in responding to various weather emergencies. In developing the FCPS plan, our goal is to: mitigate disruption to learning mid-year; minimize additional days that often need to be added at the end of the school year; and keep students connected to learning in the event of an extended closure. Additional information can be found here. Learn @ Home Days
As a result, our school has been engaged in planning and preparation for this possibility, to ensure full readiness if a virtual instruction day were to be implemented. Here’s what you need to know and how you can help your child prepare:
Instructional Activities: All assignments will be independent and self-paced (asynchronous). You can expect approximately 20-30 minutes per subject area, that students can complete at a time that works for them or the household. Assignments and activities will be review and practice, not new content. In many cases, students will have choice in selecting the instructional activity. Please note that the design of these instructional days does not require students to follow a typical school or “live” virtual schedule.
Assignments will include instructional activities aligned to the curriculum, as provided by FCPS or assigned by your child’s teacher.
Grades PreK-2: The default format for PreK–2 is a printed packet, which will be sent home with your child. For students with access at home, assignments will also be posted in Schoology and may include options for accessing digital instruction through programs such as i-Ready and Lexia.
Attendance: Students will be counted as “present” by logging into Schoology on the virtual learning day or turning in assignments upon return to school. Students who were unable to access the instructional activities during the virtual learning day will be provided with additional time.
Support: During a Learning @ Home Day, our staff will be available to provide “live” support to students during the day via Google Meet, in an Office Hours format. This is optional for students and not required. Classroom teachers will share this information with families via their Schoology page.
Please note that in the event of a virtual instructional day, FCPS will provide communication and notice well in advance of any predicted inclement weather to ensure that schools, students, and families are aware of this possibility and are fully prepared. Again, this communication is to assist in planning and preparation for this possibility that may be utilized in the future based on a multitude of factors. I will keep you fully informed as we move forward in planning.
Attendance notes
"Please use mps.attendance@fcps.org to send notes regarding your student’s absences. We hope this will be an effective and easy way to communicate to the school when and why your student was out. Paper notes will still be accepted.
Do not use the email for transportation changes."
MPS Playground Space Path
MPS Artsonia
Good Afternoon Families!
MPS is participating with Artsonia again this year. It has become a great way for parents and relatives to get a glimpse into the art classroom and the hard work our students continue to do on their artwork! We also use the proceeds from Artsonia as a way to further fund the supplies we use in the art classroom! Please use the following link to join and view the beautiful artwork your student has created so far this year!
Please note: if you participated last school year, you will not need to sign up again.
Artsonia link:
https://www.artsonia.com/connect/46BRDTPW
If you are unfamiliar with Artsonia and would like more information, please view the following slides for further explanation!
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1sbspE6r0zu11vnlZUbKwyCL8EkdcgdAiTy4IKMbsOY4/edit?usp=sharing
Thank you for your time and support!
Sarah Lucas, Brandon Nicklas, Julia Maceikis
Art Educators
Middletown Primary School
Volunteering at MPS or any FCPS school
We love having volunteers in our building to help in various ways. Teachers determine if and when volunteers are needed and share that information with families. If you will be volunteering or have been asked to volunteer, it is important to note that you must complete the FCPS volunteer training, every year.
Volunteering includes, but is not limited to, the following activities:
- Working in the school library
- Hanging art work in the hallways
- Making copies for teachers in the building
- Being a mystery reader in a classroom
- Chaperoning field trips
- Helping inside the classroom
If you would like to volunteer in any capacity you must first complete the volunteer training using the link below. Please note it can take up to 72 hours for processing. As you plan your volunteer time, be sure to leave enough time for your volunteer status to be updated.
You only need to complete this one time each school year. Volunteers will not be permitted if the training has not been completed and forwarded to MPS. Thank you for your cooperation as we continue to keep student and staff safety as our number one priority.
Please click below:
https://fcps-volunteers.ezcommunicator.net/edu/fcps-volunteers/login_form.aspx?app=0
Middletown Primary School
Email: sandra.fox@fcps.org
Website: www.fcps.org
Location: 403 Franklin Street, Middletown, MD, USA
Phone: 240-566-0200
Twitter: @PrincipalMPS