Flower Valley Weekly Newsletter
Week of November 13, 2023
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Our FVES Vision
Dear Flower Valley Community,
Thank you for all that you continue to do to support your children and FVES! We are very much a community centered school focused on the well-being and education of all of our children, and we can't do it without your support.
In the coming weeks, we will be hosting parent teacher conferences. This is a wonderful opportunity to check in on your student's progress, ask questions, and share insight about your child with their teacher. If you have not signed up for a conference, please reach out to your child' homeroom teacher. Additional details are below.
We are also looking forward to having the mobile science lab visit Flower Valley the first week in December. The mobile unit will be focusing on agriculture and will provide students with a hands-on science experience. I can't wait!
For all of those in our community who have served in the military, we thank you for your service and wish you a restful Veterans Day.
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
With Firefly Pride!
Dr. Fish
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Table of Contents
New Items:
- Important Attendance News
- Mobile Science Lab
- Accessing MAP Reports and Grades
Upcoming Events
- Parent Conferences
- Open House
PTA Corner
- Dine Out Night: November 15th
Information from Previous Newsletters:
- Transportation Information
Need a Chromebook for home?
- School Lunch
- ParentVue
- Health Information
FVES Parent Handbook
Important Attendance News
Attendance is critical to the success of every child. With report cards for the first quarter being available this past week, it is important to review your child's attendance.
A student is considered chronically absent if they are absent 10 percent or more (5 days or more during the first quarter) of the days they are enrolled. Please make every effort to send your child(ren) to school every day. If you have any barriers to sending your child(ren) to school, reach out to a trusted staff member. We are here to help.
As a way to highlight attendance, we are going to be monitoring our school's attendance carefully and charting it on a bulletin board outside of Mr. Bunge's office. On the bulletin board, we will also be noting the attendance rate for our cluster elementary schools. It is a little bit of a friendly competition amongst the Rockville cluster elementary schools. If we have the best attendance for the month, we will bring home the cluster attendance trophy. Let's see if FVES can be #1 for attendance in November!
Mobile Science Lab at FVES
The Mobile Science Lab will be visiting Flower Valley during the week of December 4th-8th, 2023. If you would like to volunteer to help set up the lab and experiments, please sign up here.
Mobile Science Labs are presented by the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation, Inc. (MAEF) as part of the Maryland Ag in the Classroom program. Montgomery County Public Schools and Montgomery County Government are partners in this program, which provides a “field trip experience” to elementary school students without leaving the school’s property.
Mobile labs visit elementary schools where Kindergarten-Grade 5 students investigate issues pertaining to the environment with a focus on agricultural concepts. Lab investigations are conducted around grade level aligned themes and provide students with opportunities to practice scientific and engineering practices that address the Maryland State Curriculum Standards. Depending on the grade of the students, the lesson will target one or more of the following content areas: characteristics of seeds including soybeans, benefits of trees, science of chocolate and soybeans, healthy habits, and environmentally friendly agriculture.
Accessing MAP Reports and Grades
When you open ParentVue, you will be taken to a dashboard that looks like the image below.
Your child's report card for Marking Period 1 will be updated here on November 9, 2023.
If you scroll to the bottom where it says "Documents," that is where you can find your child's fall MAP score.
- Here is a ParentVue quick guide which may be of assistance to you: English Spanish
- Here is a video tutorial made by MCPS to help as well.
Upcoming FVES Events
Parent Conferences
FVES Family Open House: December 15th
We are looking forward to welcoming all family members for FVES Open House December 15th! Given we will have a large number of family members enjoying this opportunity, we will be developing a sign-up process to help ensure safety and ease traffic congestion throughout the day.
**Our classes will still be holding mystery reader and presenter opportunities for parents throughout the school year. This is also a nice opportunity for parents and grandparents to visit and interact with students when it isn't quite as crowded.
PTA Information
November 15th from 4:00pm-10:00pm is Dine and Support at Creek Lodge Bar & Grill. Come enjoy some delicious food and have some of the proceeds go back to the PTA. Don’t forget to mention FVES PTA when ordering!
FVES Events
Family Open House: December 15th
A Journey through Latin America - PTA Sponsored Student Cultural Assembly: December 19th during the school day for students
Winter Chorus Concert: January 23rd at 7PM
Winter IM Concert: February 1st at 7PM
Wellness Week: January/February
Kindness Week and Party: Week of 2/12 (party 2/14)
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
FVES PTA Sponsored Restaurant Nights: Come Out and Support FVES and Enjoy a Meal
- Creek Lodge Bar & Grill- Wednesday, November 15th, 2023
- Leisure World Ledo’s - Tuesday, December 12th, 2023
- California Tortilla- Wednesday, January 24th, 2024
- 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
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
Need a Chromebook for home?
You are receiving this message because this year, your child’s school is using a classroom cart model for Chromebooks. This means students use an assigned Chromebook while in school, but do not bring their Chromebook home each night. As we move into the winter months and plan for potential emergency closures, your child will need access to a device at home to engage in homework, interactive resources and potential virtual instruction. If your child does not have access to a personal or home computer, a parent or guardian should complete a form to request an MCPS Chromebook. The device will be checked out to your student and will be kept at home for the school year. The device will need to be returned at the end of the school year or sooner if your student is leaving MCPS for any reason.
To request a MCPS Chromebook for home use, please complete this form: Chromebook Form to Distribute to Families
Links:
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!
The Annual Verification process allows families to update contact information, collect important information about you and your student, including any medical, immunization, language preferences, and emergency information that school staff need to know. MCPS uses ParentVUE to collect this information electronically. Online registration is available now until October 20th.
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.
Attendance Matters!
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.
We are here to serve & 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