Flower Valley Weekly Newsletter
Week of January 29, 2024
No School for Students Monday, January 29th
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From the Principal...
Dear Flower Valley Community,
It was wonderful to have our students back for a full week of school! It is unbelievable that the 2nd quarter is now over. Where did the time go! On to an even greater second half of the school year! :)
Thank you to our car riders for working to arrive by 8:55. This allows students the time they need to get to class by 9:00 and be ready for instruction to begin. When students arrive at 9:00, they are late for instruction, which is challenging for them and their teachers.
In this week's newsletter, there is information about our upcoming festivities in February, a repost of information highlighting resources for conversations at home around race and equity, information about school emergency delays and closures, the request form for an at home device, and a fun reading challenge to consider. Additionally, you will see important updates from our PTA.
Don't forget that there is no school for students Monday. This is a grading and planning day for staff.
Wishing all of you a peaceful weekend,
Dr. Fish
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Our FVES Vision
Table of Contents
FVES Kindness Week and Party
School Arrival Time
MCPS Summer School Update
PTA Sponsored Staff vs. Parent Basketball Game and Silent Auction: March 2nd
Conversations about Race and Equity at Home (a re-post from last week's newsletter)
FVES Virtual Learning Schedule and Zoom Links
Chromebook Requests
Reading Challenge
PTA Corner
Save the Date
Information from Previous Newsletters:
- Career Day
- Attendance Update
- Transportation Information
- School Lunch
- ParentVue
- Health Information
FVES Parent Handbook
Celebrating Black History Month
FVES Kindness Week and Party
We are excited about our upcoming Week of Kindness and our party February 14th. We will be highlighting kindness all week and enjoying kindness related activities, spirit week, and fun treats at our class parties. Please see the details below about all of the activities students will enjoy the week of February 12th. If you have not yet heard about all of the party details from your child's teacher, you should be hearing from them soon. We will continue to collect grade level donations for food, decorations, and crafts. Teachers will also be seeking volunteers to support during the parties. While we welcome students to make Valentines for their friends, please just make sure that if your child is bringing in Valentines to make one for every student in their class.
School Arrival Time
We are noticing several students arriving late for school recently. It is extremely important for students to arrive on time every day.
For our car riders, please make sure you drop off your students by 8:55. Instruction begins promptly at 9:00, so this gives students five minutes to walk to class.Thank you for your support.
MCPS Summer School Update
We have received a lot of inquiries about the plan for MCPS summer school this year. We now know that we will be returning to the summer school models that existed pre-pandemic, which means there will be no local summer school option open to all students at FVES. Students who receive special education services may be eligible for extended school year (ESY). This decision will be made as a team at your child’s annual review meeting. If you have questions about ESY, please contact your child’s case manager.
PTA Sponsored Staff vs. Parent Basketball Game and Silent Auction: March 2nd
We are excited about the annual staff vs. parents basketball game and silent auction. This year, we are going to have a number of fun activities that include the students as well. See below for information about the halftime show!
Attention 3rd, 4th, and 5th Graders!
Are you interested in performing in the FVES Staff vs. Parent Basketball Game Halftime Show on Saturday, March 2 at 6:00pm?
What: Come learn a choreographed dance with the Rockville HS Pom Squad to perform during halftime of the basketball game!
Who: 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students
When: Wednesdays, February 14, February 21, and February 28, from 3:45-4:45
Where: In the gym here at FVES
***If you are interested, have a parent or guardian sign the permission slip and return it to your teacher by Wednesday, February 7.***
Let Ms. Aust, Ms. Hall, or Mrs. Coakley know if you have any questions!
Conversations about Race and Equity at Home
We have noticed some of our students using racial slurs or mimicking song lyrics and social media that are hurtful to others. While we are directly addressing this at school through individual and small group learning, as well as through our counselor led classes, we need you as our partners in this work. Below are a few resources that may help foster a conversation at home about hate and bias and how our words and actions impact others. Many of our students are not even aware that what they are saying is harmful to others. By working together, we can help our children learn about hate and bias in order to, ultimately, create an inclusive, welcoming environment for all. Thank you, in advance, for your support of this effort.
No Place for Hate Information - FVES became a No Place for Hate school last year, and we are continuing those efforts this year.
FVES Weather Emergency Information and Virtual Weather Emergency Details
In the event of inclement weather, please see the MCPS information linked here. Additionally, there is important system information about virtual learning here. Should the system determine the need for virtual learning during inclement weather days, we will communicate the important information to all families.
Details regarding the FVES plan for inclement weather days where MCPS determines it will be a virtual learning day are included here.
Need a Chromebook for Home Use?
This excludes 5th grade students because they already have a take-home Chromebook.
If your student needs a Chromebook for home use, please complete this form: Chromebook Form to Distribute to Families.
Links:
At Home Request for Chromebook Flyer (English)
Reading Challenge Fun
Montgomery County Public Libraries Partner with Washington Wizards to Launch ‘Reading Challenge’
Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL) and the Washington Wizards have teamed up with the D.C. Public Library, Prince George's County Memorial Library System, Alexandria Library, Arlington Public Library and Fairfax County Public Library to build a positive reading culture this winter with the “Wizards Winter Reading Challenge.” The free challenge, designed for kids and teens aged 3-19, will run through Wednesday, March 20. Read more.
FVES PTA Information
-Special guests from the MCPS Medical Office will present on the topic of vaping and prevention. Broader topics to be addressed include support for families with younger children, opioids, marijuana, and medication safety. We'll also start discussing bullying and taking your input on needs for more information and/or support. Dr. Fish will also provide general school updates about upcoming events and the information about hate and bias that was in last week's and this week's newsletter.
-We need to start planning the FVES 5th grade promotion ceremony. If you are interested in helping plan or volunteer for the event on June 12th, please email your name to sandyjelen@hotmail.com and plan to attend an upcoming planning meeting on Thurs Feb 8th.
-It is not too late to join and contribute to the PTA even in small ways. We have a lot of fun spring events. If interested in helping or joining, please contact Lydia Fleischmann at president@fvespta.org.
Upcoming FVES Events
Winter IM Concert: February 1st at 7PM
Kindness Week and Party: Week of 2/12 (party 2/14)
Club Yearbook Pictures: February 13th
Winter Chorus Concert: February 20th at 7PM - Note the date change due to the recent snow days.)
FVES PTA Game Night: 2/23 6:30-8PM at FVES
PTA Sponsored Silent Auction and Basketball Game: March 2nd at RHS
Reading Night: March 6th, 6-7:30
STEM Day: March 22nd
International Night: April 15th (Tentative)
PTA Sponsored Book Fair: April 15th-19th
PTA Sponsored STEM Night: April 18th, 5:30-7:30
Career Day: May 3rd
PTA Sponsored SAVERS Donation Drive: May 4th, 9:30-1:00
Field Days: May TBD
PTA Sponsored Carnival: May 19th, 2-5:00
Spring IM Concert: May 30th at Rockville High School at 7PM (tentative)
5th Grade Promotion: June 12th
5th Grade Fun Day: June 13th
Career Day: May 3rd
Interested in volunteering for Career Day? Complete the interest form linked here.
FVES PTA Sponsored Restaurant Nights: Come Out and Support FVES and Enjoy a Meal
- Ema Rossi- Wednesday, February 7th, 2024
- Chuck E Cheese - Friday, March 15th, 2024
- Rockville Paisano’s - Tuesday, April 16th, 2024 and Wednesday, April 17th, 2024 from 11:00am-10:00pm
- Rockville Chipotle - Monday, May 13th, 2024
- Villa Maya - Wednesday, June 5th, 2024
Information from Previous Newsletters
Winter Parent Academies
MCPS has released its winter parent academies. These are opportunities for families to participate in virtual webinars about relevant topics such as communication, online safety tips for kids and teens, mindfulness, strategies for managing behaviors, and much more. Details are available here.
Attendance News
It is critical for students to be in attendance at school every day. We understand that there are times when students may be ill or may have appointments that require them to be out of school; however, school performance is directly connected to attendance. MCPS has developed an action plan to address absenteeism. Please click here to see the county message regarding attendance. Let's do our best to be at school every day!
If your child is going to be absent, please notify the teacher and Mrs. Sintetos at Catherine_G_Sintetos@mcpsmd.org.
**Please remember that vacations are not considered lawful absences. Details regarding lawful and unlawful absences can be found here.
**For absences to be considered excused, a note must be submitted in writing or emailed to Mrs. Sintetos. This includes medical appointments.
Transportation Information: Bus Routes
Transportation information is on the school website and available here:
- Arrival Schedule
- Departure Schedule
- Department of Transportation Communication to Families (English Version)
- Department of Transportation Communication to Families (Spanish Version)
- What to Know about Riding the Bus (English Version)
- What to Know about Riding the Bus (Spanish Version)
- Link to Check Daily Status of Buses
School Lunch
Breakfast and hot lunches are served daily. Lunch menus can be accessed here. Your child will learn about their lunch schedule on the first day of school. The teacher will also let you know about snack time, especially if your child has an early or late lunch.
Breakfast is $1.30, and lunch is $2.55. To learn more about eligibility for Free and Reduced Meals (FARMS) and apply for FARMs, click here. Deposits into lunch accounts can be made by any student and can be made ahead of time via the MCPS online payment system, My School Bucks. Details about how to add money to your student’s account can be accessed here.
DFNS encourages all families with students enrolled at non-CEP schools to complete a Free and Reduced-price Meals Application. All meals are free for students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals.
Make ParentVue Work for You!
ParentVue is where you are able to access your student's grades, attendance, test scores, schedules, and so much more. Please see the quick guides below to set your preferences and see where to access all of the information available to you.
There are online registration quick guides in several languages available to support you in this process.
English | Español | 中國人 | 한국인 | Français | Português | Tiếng Việt | አማርኛ
ParentVUE Quick Guides
English / español / 中文 / français / Português / 한국어 / tiếng Việt / አማርኛ
Health Information
If your child has Covid, it is important for them to remain home for 5 days after testing positive. Additionally, they must wear a mask for 5 days after returning to school. Families no longer need to self-report Covid; however, it is important to notify your child's teacher and the main office when your child is out sick.
If you have any questions regarding health related matters, you can contact Ms. Kalter, school nurse, at Marley_S_Kalter@mcpsmd.org.
We are here to serve and help you!
Our office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00AM to 4:30PM. Below are emails and phone numbers for the following departments:
Administration (240) 740-1780
Dr. Angie Fish, Principal – Angie_L_Fish@mcpsmd.org
Mrs. Kimberly Haden - Kimberly_D_Haden@mcpsmd.org
Main Office Staff (240) 740-1780
Ms. Nevine Peckoo, School Administrative Secretary – Nevine_A_Peckoo@mcpsmd.org
Mrs. Cathy Sintetos, Attendance Secretary – Catherine_G_Sintetos@mcpsmd.org
Counseling Office (240) 740-6680
Mrs. Jennifer Atanda - Jennifer_T_Atanda@mcpsmd.org
Ms. Nicole Bamberger - Nicole_M_Bamberger@mcpsmd.org
FVES Parent Handbook
Flower Valley Elementary School
Be bright! Be kind! Be you!
We inspire all children to become critical thinkers who are imaginative, adaptable, and collaborative. We strive to cultivate peaceful, life-long learners who contribute positively to the community around them.
Email: Angie_L_Fish@mcpsmd.org
Website: https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/flowervalleyes/
Location: Flower Valley Elementary School, Sunflower Drive, Rockville, MD, USA
Phone: 240-740-1780
Twitter: @AngieFish_FVES