November Newsletter
New Market Elementary: Home of the Wolves
Message from Administration
Dear NMES Families,
As we head into the holiday season, we are grateful to serve such a caring and supportive school community. Our staff values the strong and ongoing home-school connections. Our students - your children - reap the rewards as a result of these connections.
Our NMES School Improvement Plan was recently approved. This plan drives our work and keeps us accountable for accelerating the achievement of every student. We are asking for your help in the school improvement process by reviewing the Home-School Connection document below and supporting your child's learning at home. Your support will help us to achieve our school improvement goals.
NMES Home-School Connection - Click HERE to view.
Thank you for supporting your child and our teachers! We wish all our New Market families a peaceful and healthy holiday season!
Dr. Lockard - Principal
Mrs. McGaha - Assistant Principal
Important November Dates
*Fall Book Fair - 10/31 - 11/4
- Tuesday, November 1: Report cards issued
- Thursday, November 3: PTA meeting in the cafeteria from 7:00 - 8:00pm
- Tuesday, November 8: Schools closed for Election Day
- Thursday, November 10: Picture re-take day
- Friday, November 11: Veterans Day - Wear red, white and blue
- Tuesday, November 15: Fifth grade to Outdoor School
- Thursday, November 17: Fifth grade to Outdoor School
- Wednesday, November 23 - 25: Schools closed for Thanksgiving Break
- Wednesday, November 30: 2-hour early dismissal (dismissal begins at 1:25)
Note: American Education Week will be celebrated the week of November 14. See details below for how NMES will highlight this important week!
American Education Week
American Education Week will be celebrated during the week of November 14. We look forward to celebrating public education and our staff! Click HERE to view how NMES will honor and celebrate public education during that week. You may want to consider having your child write a note of thanks to their teacher. Notes from students are always special and treasured.
Thank you for your support of public education and NMES! We are better together!
NMES Chess Club
Does your child enjoy playing chess or might be interested in learning how to play? NMES is starting a Chess Club for students in grades 3, 4, and 5. We will provide instruction for those new to the game or in need of a refresher. The Chess Club will meet on Monday mornings from 7:45 – 8:30 a.m., beginning January 9, 2023 and will run until Monday, March 20. Participation is limited to the first 30 respondents due to space and supervision. If interested, please complete this google form. The deadline to respond is November 22, 2022. We will provide follow up information and logistics to the first 30 respondents in early December. Thanks!
PTA Information
For information about our NMES PTA, please visit our website at www.nmespta.com
Thank you, PTA!
Our wonderful NMES PTA also hosted staff dinners and a well-stocked snack cart during the week of Parent-Teacher Conferences. Teachers were very appreciative of the meals during a busy time! Thank you, PTA!
Media Center News from Mrs. Siderius
Fall Book Fair
The Fall Book Fair will be held in the media center from October 31st-November 4th! The book fair is open during the following hours:
- Monday, 10/31: 8:30 am - 4:00 pm
- Tuesday, 11/1: 8:30 am - 4:00 pm
- Wednesday, 11/2: 8:30 am - 7:00 pm
- Thursday, 11/3: 8:30 am - 4:00 pm
- Friday, 11/4: 8:30 am - 12:00 pm
Frequently asked questions and information about the book fair can be found at https://www.smore.com/bdnz0 or by emailing our media specialist, Mrs. Siderius, at jennifer.siderius@fcps.org. If you cannot make it to school to shop, then you can also shop online at https://www.bookwormcentral.com/school-online-store.php?id=8AAA2F21-D895-43B2-AD16-0390E960F799&pro_id=729&school_code=newmarket!
Trick or Trash
Did you know that 600 million pounds of candy are purchased for Halloween each year? Most of those candy wrappers end up in landfills! Some second grade classes at NMES have been learning about recycling in the media center and are collecting candy wrappers for our participation in Trick or Trash! We need your help! We are filling a special garabage can with our used candy wrappers and then will mail them to Trick or Trash to be recycled and turned into something new. Send us your candy wrappers this Halloween season!
Holiday Optional Choice Board
Optional Holiday Choice Board
So many exciting events occur in November, including Native American Heritage Month, Veterans Day and Origami Day! Learn more about all of the diverse holidays that fall in November by visiting our optional choice board at https://bit.ly/NMESNovBoard. You can click on the special days to read and learn all month long! For questions or help with the databases, email our media specialist, Mrs. Siderius, at jennifer.siderius@fcps.org.
Young Authors' Contest
Does your child love to write poems or short stories? The Young Authors’ Contest is once again being sponsored this year by the Frederick County Literacy Chapter. Please take a look at this link 2022 Elementary YAC Slides for information about entry requirements, timelines and how to submit your child’s story and/or poem for the contest. Deadline for entries is November 18th, 2022! Good luck to all of our young New Market writers!
Hispanic Heritage Month
November Schoology Tip for Families
November 13th is World Kindness Day! This day of celebration promotes the importance of being kind to yourself and to others. Here at NMES, we are grateful to have two counselors, Mrs. Carl and Mrs. Blake, who promote kindness not just on World Kindness Day but every day of the year!
Did you know that to help them promote kindness, Mrs. Carl and Mrs. Blake maintain a Schoology Group that parents can join? This Schoology Group includes resources for parents and students on many social emotional topics, including kindness. It also includes updates and information on schoolwide events, such as the canned food drive, that Mrs. Carl and Mrs. Blake use to put kindness into action year-round.
It’s easy to join their group! In your Schoology account, click on the word Groups and then on the blue button that says Join a Group. When prompted, enter code X7MD-DKRP-8NCGH. If you need help, reach our to Mrs. Carl, Mrs. Blake or Mrs. Siderius.
Schoology Resources for Parents/Guardians
- FCPS Schoology Page for Students and Families https://www.fcps.org/student-services/schoology
- FCPS Schoology YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCGATg8OciCItdUiqHJyHHrA
- FCPS Schoology Troubleshooting Guide https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OJWzxwXeSumMlev5Ac8_-B0aaKhW5_ofMvuRO3a1pws/edit?usp=sharing
- How To View Grades in Schoology https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HG9UQhjKp3gqu7lj6zJJoPNuALXpsY8GGseM5Gu-yX0/edit?usp=sharing
Visits from Sandy
We are excited to announce that we have a new therapy dog who will be visiting with staff and students throughout the year! Hero Dogs Sandy is a 4 year-old yellow Labrador retriever. Sandy and her owner, Sue, are excited to begin working with our students. Thank you to Sandy and Sue for volunteering your time to NMES!
Helping our Young Wolves
To support our Young Wolves still at home, we are sharing an idea to support their development.
This tip is good for supporting pretend play: Choose a feeling like "happy" and an animal like "dog". Invite your little one to act out what they think a happy dog would look like. Take turns. Your little one will make connections between words and what they mean. It will also boost their imagination.
Staff News
Mrs. Terry Walker, our NMES Lead Custodian, retired from FCPS on October 31. Mrs. Walker proudly served as our Lead Custodian for 8 years. Her dedication and commitment to our staff, students and community was tremendous. Staff held a retirement celebration for Terry and our wonderful PTA paid for the cake and ice cream. See pictures below from the celebration.
Mr. Rob Frazier is our new Lead Custodian. Mr. Frazier's first day is November 1. In an upcoming newsletter we will highlight Mr. Frazier so the community can get to know him and connect the name with a face.
NMES Front Office Hours
Our NMES Front Office hours for the 2022 - 2023 school year will be 8:30 - 4:00 Monday - Friday. Our front office phone number is 240-236-1300. If you call between these hours one of our front office staff will be able to assist you. If you call before or after these hours there will not be staff available.
FCPS Bus Delay Information
COVID-19 Protocols and Procedures
The COVID-19 dashboard will be updated daily with the latest information. Positive cases reported to FCPS will reported from each school.
We will continue to utilize several mitigation strategies in an effort to combat the spread of COVID-19.
New Market Elementary
Email: Steven.Lockard@fcps.org
Website: https://education.fcps.org/nmes/
Location: 93 West Main Street, New Market, MD, USA
Phone: 240-236-1300