Aviator Updates
SY23 CWFDES FAMILY ISSUE #8
A WEEK: October 17-21
Hello Aviator Families,
This week is National School Bus Safety Week & Bus Driver Appreciation Week! We are incredibly fortunate to have ten amazing drivers who safely transport our students to and from school each day.
Consider viewing the SMCPS Bus Safety video and encourage your student to thank their bus driver this week!
Kindly,
Ms. Katie Kortokrax
3 IMPORTANT Action Items
PLEASE COMPLETE THESE 3 TASKS ASAP!
Task 1
Due: November 14, 2022
Task 2
Complete the form here: Home Access Center (HAC)
Due: October 31, 2022
Task 3
Complete the form here: SMCPS Acceptable Use Policy
This form is past due and each student must have it on file to use Google & Schoology! Pre-K students are exempt.
Pre-K - 3rd Grade Enjoyed the Fire Prevention Presentations!
IMPORTANT: Student Flu Vaccines
Maryland Partnership for Prevention will be onsite at Duke Elementary on Thursday, November 3rd, 2022 to provide OPTIONAL flu vaccines to students.
Please refer to this communication from the St. Mary’s County Health Department for additional details and registration/consent instructions.
Registration closes on October 20, 2022 at which time the registration links will be removed and no walk-ins will be accepted on the clinic day.
If you have questions, please contact Nurse Dana Lowien at dmlowien@smcps.org.
Unity Day - Wednesday, October 19, 2022
The key message of this day is to unite for kindness, courage, and inclusion in order to prevent students from being bullied.
HVAC Changeover
The month of October always presents a climate-control challenge due to the fluctuating temperatures. Unlike a home HVAC system, once we convert from cooling to heating, we cannot revert back to cooling until the Spring. Currently, our maintenance staff is cleaning the boilers at each school in preparation for the conversion to heat. Below is the Standard Operating Procedure that the Department of Maintenance follows each year. I strongly encourage students and staff to dress in layers as there are typically both hot and cold days in October.
SOP Heating and Cooling System Changeover: Once the forecasted nightly temperatures are consistently below 45 degrees and daytime temperatures do not exceed 55 degrees for two to three consecutive days, we will begin the two-day process of changing the schools over from a cooling mode to a heating mode for the balance of the season. This changeover typically takes place by October 15th of each year. When the ambient conditions are conducive, the changeover will be delayed to ensure the most effective use of resources.
Congrats to Mrs. Grabenstein's class for earning the GOLDEN BROOM for the month of October!
NEW! Menu Changes
[Current] Lunch Changes for this week:
10/17 French Garlic Bread instead of Cheese Rippers, We have Ham Rippers.
10/17 ~ we will start serving chocolate milk for Breakfast and Lunch.
10/19 ~10/25 Ciabatta Cheese melt sandwiches, when/ if we finish Ciabatta Cheese melt we will serve Turkey Ham sandwiches.
DIGITAL CITIZENSHIP WEEK: 10/17-24/2022
This newsletter includes information for staying safe online, parental controls, and lessons from Common Sense Education.
Calling all volunteers!
If you are interested in working weekly with students in grades K -2, please complete this quick survey. We are looking for volunteers to work with pairs of students or individual students. You will work with students on reading and writing trick words, reading decodable text, counting, or practicing Math concepts.
If you have questions please contact Kim Gray at kmgray@smcps.orgDuke Elementary - The best place to work, learn and play.
Science, Strings and Art
Want to stay up to date on events, closings and alerts? Sign up to receive text messages by following the directions below.
Duke Elementary - Where Children SOAR!
Intermediate Fridge of Fame Recipients
Primary Fridge of Fame Recipients
Mark Your Calendars. Duke Spirit Night @ MOD Pizza on Monday 10/24.
SPOOK-tacular Donut Bar
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0b4fa9ac2cabfc1-spooktacular
Is Your Schoology Parent Portal Set Up Yet?
If you have NOT YET navigated to the Schoology Parent Portal, PLEASE make this your school support goal. Staff and administration will be utilizing Schoology for communication with families. If you do not know how to get logged into Schoology, this simple guide could get you started!
Joke of the Week
Why should you be careful when it’s raining cats and dogs?
Because you might step in a poodle.
This week's joke was submitted by Mr. Adams. Do you have a joke that you'd like featured in the weekly update? Click here to submit it!
Helpful Links from Previous Updates
PTA Membership Link: We love our PTA. Members can be as involved (or not involved) as they would like. We appreciate any support you can offer; click here to sign up!
Register to be a Volunteer: New for the 2022-23 school year. Volunteers must apply annually for approval. Vetting of applications can take several weeks. Field trip chaperones must have successfully completed the volunteer application process before they can be considered.
Here Comes the Bus App: This application allows parents, guardians and students to receive push notifications and email notifications for when their student’s bus approaches their bus stop.
CWFDES Absence Reporting: Click here to report absences to ensure they are marked lawful.
MySchoolBucks: MySchoolBucks is an online payment service that provides a convenient way for parents/guardians to pay for school-related purchases by using their credit/debit card or electronic check.Meal Benefit Application: Families must submit an application to receive free or reduced-price lunch.
MySchoolBucks: Pay for school lunch and fees securely online! With MySchoolBucks, families can also view cafeteria purchases and access meal balances.
Nutrislice Webpage: Check out our cafeteria menu (subject to change)
Captain Walter Francis Duke Elementary
We welcome your questions and inquiries. Please call 240-309-4658, refer to the SMCPS Back to School website, or our CWFDES website for additional information.
Katie Kortokrax, Principal
Zach Adams, Assistant Principal
Email: klkortokrax@smcps.org
Website: https://schools.smcps.org/cwfdes/
Location: 23595 Hayden Farm Lane, Leonardtown, MD 20650
Phone: (240) 309-4658
Twitter: @CWFDES_SMCPS