The Wolf Howl

Happy October! With a successful beginning behind us, we set our sights on another exciting school year. We have been settling back into school routines and working extra hard to build relationships and establish high expectations for learning.

At WMES, we promote positive behaviors. Students are expected to BE RESPECTFUL, RESPONSIBLE GOOD CITIZENS in all school settings. Please discuss these school rules with your child. We want Watkins Mill to be a safe place where all students can achieve their best.

Parents and teachers are partners in the important job of educating the children of this community. It was wonderful to see so many of you at Back-to-School night. Research shows that parent involvement in schools helps students achieve more. Working together, we can ensure success for all students.

Education is a shared experience and we look forward to a partnership with you to ensure a successful school year for all of our students. Here are some specific ways you can help us:

• Please emphasize the importance of education with your children and provide them time and space for homework.
• Celebrate their successes!
• Please call, email or visit whenever you have a concern, question, or suggestion.
• Join the PTA or sign up to be a volunteer. We welcome your participation!

We believe in every one of our students and are devoted to their success. We want all our students to have a very successful year. Thank you for your continued support.

Our school is fortunate to receive supplemental funding through Title I, a federal grant program for schools that serve communities with students who have high economic needs.

The federal legislation that establishes Title I regulations is known as the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA). ESSA requires Montgomery County Public Schools to inform you that you have the right to request information about the professional certification qualifications of your child’s teacher, long-term substitute teacher, or paraeducator (formerly titled instructional assistant). If you wish to request certification information about your child’s teacher, paraeducator, or long-term substitute teacher, please submit a written request to the principal at your school. Your written inquiry may include information about the following qualifications:

• Degree status and subject area of certification.
• State of Maryland certification status, including conditional certification status.
• Qualifications of paraeducators or long-term substitute teachers who may be working
• with your student.

Your request will be forwarded to Department of Human Capital Management and you will

receive a written response from that office within thirty (30) business days.

Please contact the principal if you have any questions.

Virtual PTA Meeting

Tuesday, October 3

6:30pm

Head Start & Pre-K Back To School Night

Thursday, October 5

6:00pm

No School

Monday, October 9

Volunteer Training Workshop (Option 1)

Tuesday, October 10

9:00am-10:00am

Family Market Day

Tuesday, October 10

4:00pm-6:00pm

PTA Panda Express Fundraiser

Thursday, October 12

6:00pm-8:00pm

Volunteer Training Workshop (Option 2)

Tuesday, October 17

9:00am-10:00am

Books & Bagels (Pre-K, Head Start, Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 2)

Thursday, October 19

8:30am-9:00am

Books & Bagels (Grades 3-5)

Friday, October 20

8:30am-9:00am

Volunteer Training Workshop (Option 3)

Tuesday, October 27

9:00am-10:00am

Come to WMES to receive staff support in completing your MCPS required Child Abuse & Neglect Volunteer Training! This training MUST be completed for any family members to come in to the building to volunteer OR to attend Field Trips! See flyer for more details.

We want to hear from you! Help us better serve you this year by completing the 2023 Fall Family Survey. The first class to have 100% survey completion will win a pizza party! Only one survey needs to be completed per family.

Click here to take the survey

Membership Form (English)

Membership Form (Spanish)

If you would like to register your fourth or fifth grade student for chorus, please complete the registration link HERE. Chorus will begin on Friday, September 22! The registration deadline is September 20.

Fifty-eight MCPS schools, one of which is Watkins Mill Elementary School, will operate under the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) starting this school year. ALL students enrolled at these CEP schools may receive breakfast and lunch at no cost regardless of household income. A list of the participating schools can be found here.

Families new to MCPS are encouraged to sign up for a ParentVUE account. ParentVUE is the online parent portal that serves as the primary communication vehicle for schools to share information regarding grades, attendance, scheduling, access to myMCPS Classroom and more.

ParentVUE Quick Guides: English / español

Starting in the 2023-2024 school year, MCPS is going to use the Remind app as our county wide home-school communication method. Remind will send school communication directly to your smartphone via SMS text message and/or email! You do not need to activate your account and all communication will come to you automatically through the school's Synergy contact system. If you need support with your Remind account, please contact a member of the Family Support Team!

"Where can I learn more about children's mental health?"

Always seek immediate help if a child engages in unsafe behavior or talks about wanting to hurt themselves or someone else. Refer to this list of local and national resources: Where To Get Help

It can be hard for families to tell the difference between challenging behaviors and emotions that are consistent with typical child development and those that are cause for concern. In general, if a child’s behavior persists for a few weeks or longer, causes distress for the child or the child’s family, and interferes with functioning at school, at home, or with friends, then consider seeking help.

Listed below are informational resources on a variety of mental health topics to help families and educators support student success.

What is Mental Health? | Español

Supporting Children’s Mental Health | Español

What to Expect: Healthy Mental and Emotional Development

Facts for Families: Early Childhood Mental Health

Facts for Families: When to Seek Help

Facts for Famlies: Well-being and Resiliency

Resilience Guide for Parents and Teachers

The Road to Resilience | 10 Ways to Build Resilience

Parents Guide to Getting Good Care

Finding Culturally Proficient Mental Health Providers

Therapy in Color

ADHD | Español

Anxiety | Español

Autism

Bipolar Disorder | Español

Care for the Caregiver

Child Abuse and Neglect

Depression

Divorce

Eating Disorders

E-Cigarettes

Grief | Grief after a Traumatic Event | Helping Children Cope

OCD

Oppositional and Defiant Disorders

Psychosis

Self Injurious Behavior | Español

Stress

Substance Use | Español | Keeping Youth Drug Free

Suicide | Start the Conversation | Support for Suicidal Thinking and Threats | Español

Tourettes and Tics

Trauma | Español | Adult Survivors of Trauma

MCPS created a new guide to help families, students and teachers work together to ensure student success.

The Pathway to College, Career and Community Readiness helps identify students’ strengths and areas of improvement to ensure each student receives the support they need.

Here’s how it works:

• The academic milestones will be used to address any learning gaps before students transition to a new grade level, college or the workforce.

• Parents will receive information about whether their child is meeting these specific benchmarks.

• School staff, students and families will meet to decide the best way to help the student succeed.

• In addition to academic benchmarks, schools will provide opportunities and experiences for students to cultivate core competencies and skills to prepare them for life after high school.

Visit the links below to learn about the milestones.

Elementary Schools (English)
español / 中文 / français / tiếng Việt / 한국어 / አማርኛ / Portuguese

Middle School (English)
español / 中文 / français / tiếng Việt / 한국어 / አማርኛ / Portuguese

High School (English)
español / 中文 / français / tiếng Việt / 한국어 / አማርኛ / Portuguese

We are thrilled to announce the release of three new valuable resources to enhance mental health support for Spanish-speaking communities:

· Culture, Community, and Connection: 2023 BIPOC Mental Health Toolkit - The BIPOC Mental Health Month campaign and toolkit were designed to provide culturally responsive mental health information to highlight three core pillars of culture, community, and connection and how integral they are to BIPOC communities. The toolkit includes factsheets, worksheets, shareable images, and more that can aid community discussion and guide individuals to helpful resources.

· Selfies, Social, and Screens: Navigating Virtual Spaces for Youth: 2023 Back to School Resources - The Back to School campaign and resources were developed to help increase understanding of how online activity affects the mental health of children and teens. The factsheets, shareable images, and other materials in the toolkit can be used to help manage the challenges of virtual spaces and empower youth to make informed decisions for their mental health and well-being.

· New Mental Health Resources Hub in Spanish: Our Spanish-language resources hub provides a comprehensive collection of mental health materials to assist individuals, families, and others in accessing valuable mental health resources for the Spanish-speaking community.

We invite you to download our campaign materials, explore the resources on our website, and share them within your communities. Together, we can foster mental health awareness and support for all.

Our school is fortunate to receive supplemental funding through Title I, a federal grant program for schools that serve communities with students who have high economic needs. The federal legislation that establishes Title I regulations is known as the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA). ESSA requires Montgomery County Public Schools to inform you that you have the right to request information about the professional certification qualifications of your child’s teacher, long-term substitute teacher, or paraeducator (formerly titled instructional assistant).

If you wish to request certification information about your child’s teacher, paraeducator, or long-term substitute teacher, please submit a written request to the principal at your school. Your written inquiry may include information about the following qualifications:

• Degree status and subject area of certification.

• State of Maryland certification status, including conditional certification status.

• Qualifications of paraeducators or long-term substitute teachers who may be working

• with your student.

Your request will be forwarded to Department of Human Capital Management and you will receive a written response from that office within thirty (30) business days.

Please contact the principal if you have any questions.

_________________________________________________________________

Nuestra escuela es afortunada en recibir fondos suplementarios a través de Título I, un programa de subsidios federales que concede fondos para escuelas que sirven a comunidades con estudiantes que tienen altas necesidades económicas. La legislación federal que establece las normas del Título I es conocida como Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 (ESSA). ESSA requiere que Montgomery County Public Schools le informe que usted tiene derecho a saber acerca de los requisitos de certificación profesional del maestro de su hijo/a, maestro sustituto a largo plazo o paraeducador (anteriormente titulado a asistente de instrucción).

Si usted desea solicitar información sobre la certificación del maestro de su hijo/a, el paraeducador o el substituto a largo plazo, por favor, someta una petición por escrito al director de su escuela. Su solicitud escrita puede incluir información sobre las siguientes cualificaciones:

• Título universitario y área de certificación.

• Certificación del Estado de Maryland, incluyendo certificación condicional.

• Cualificaciones de los paraeducators o substitutes a largo plazo que pueden estar

• trabajando con su estudiante.

Su solicitud será enviada a Department of Human Capital Management (Oficina de Recursos Humanos) y usted recibirá una respuesta de ellos dentro de los próximos 30 días laborales.

Por favor, contacte al director si tiene preguntas.

As new cases of COVID-19 increase locally, we have seen outbreaks occurring in multiple schools across the county. Temporary outbreak precautions for individual classrooms where COVID-19 is spreading rapidly helps prevent spread to vulnerable individuals and to the rest of school. Check out the FAQ page for more information about how outbreaks are managed. The newly approved COVID-19 updated vaccine will be available in our area in the next few weeks. For information about COVID-19, influenza and RSV vaccine availability, refer to Vaccines.Gov.

The district is inviting all MCPS families to the Girls’ Summit on Saturday, Oct. 21 at Clarksburg High School. This event will provide informative workshops geared towards middle and high school girls on a variety of current topics. Join us for a chance to network, participate in fun activities, learn valuable skills and enjoy a fashion show presented by White House Black Market celebrating diverse body types!

Sessions will be provided in English and Spanish, and will be organized by grade level. Student Service Learning (SSL) hours will be available for students. Topics and activities will include:

• Healthy relationships/dating violence

• Social media use and mental health, including cyberbullying

• Self-esteem

• Identifying symptoms of depression and anxiety

• Healthy eating and body image

• Music therapy, Zumba and Kaiser Permanente spin bikes for art therapy

• Narcan kits will be distributed and training will also be available.

RSVP

MCPS is seeking the community’s feedback as it works to finalize the 2024–2025 school calendar. Please complete this survey to share your input.

Your feedback represents an important component of the development process. MCPS will consider educational interests, operational needs, mandated school closures by state law, compliance with minimum instructional days and credit hour requirements, inclement weather and other emergencies, staff professional days and early release days, alignment with assessment schedules and more.

Take the survey.

Survey in Other Languages:

Calendario escolar de MCPS 2024 - 2025 Comentarios

MCPS 校歷 2024 - 2025 年反饋

MCPS 학교 일정 2024 - 2025 피드백

Calendrier scolaire de MCPS 2024-2025

Calendário Escolar MCPS 2024 - 2025

Phản hồi về Lịch học MCPS 2024 - 2025

የMCPS ትምህርት ቤት የቀን መቁጠሪያ 2024 - 2025 ግብረመልስ

MCPS uses color codes to indicate the six operational status options:

• Normal Operations

• Two Hour Delay

• Early Dismissal

• Schools Closed/Offices Open

• School System is Closed (Schools closed/Offices closed)

• Virtual Learning Day

• After-School and Weekend Activities

Visit the MCPS Operating Status and Color Codes webpage for more information on the colors and their meaning.

• MCPS Homepage
• Weather-related messages are posted in English and Spanish.
• Text and Email
• Alert MCPS provides you with emergency information about school operations. Weather-related messages are sent in English and Spanish. Sign up for Alert MCPS
• Social Media
• Twitter http://twitter.com/mcps, https://twitter.com/MCPSEspanol
• Facebook https://www.facebook.com/mcpsmd, https://www.facebook.com/mcpsespanol
• Instagram @mcps_md and @mcpsenespanol
• MCPS Cable Channels
• Emergency announcements are posted on the following cable channels:
• Comcast Channel 34
• Verizon Fios Channel 36
• RCN Channel 89
• Telephone Information Line: 301-279-3673
• Recorded emergency information.
• Tune in to local TV and radio stations

There are several free tutoring options available to MCPS students. FEV Tutor and Tutor Me Education offer free, virtual tutoring. By logging into their Clever accounts, students can join a tutoring session. Both companies offer the same two services: On-demand homework help that require no scheduling and scheduled, ongoing tutoring for longer term support.

FEV Tutor

More information linked in English and Spanish

To set up tutoring: mcps@fevtutor.com

*Offers tutoring without cameras for students in grades 3-12 who learn best without a camera.

Tutor Me Education

More information linked in English and Spanish

To set up tutoring: MCPS@tutormeeducation.com or 240-618-2549

If your student(s) would benefit from having a use of an MCPS Chromebook device for home use during the school year, you can request a home device HERE.

*Requesting the device implies consent of use in accordance with MCPS policy (IGT-RA) and acknowledgement that the Chromebook, software, and issued peripherals are owned by MCPS.

SchoolCash Online is an easy to use and safe way to pay for your children’s school fees. Now, with a few clicks, you can pay for your child’s yearbook, class trips and so much more from your own home. All you have to do is register an account, attach your children and in no time you will be able to make payments online.

Click here to view instructions in English

Click here to view instructions in Spanish

The MCPS Fall 2022 Parent Academy To Go session will begin on September 14. Please join us to engage in virtual workshops that will provide tips, tools, and strategies to support your child’s academic progress and social emotional well-being. Please see the schedule and register for upcoming workshops below.

Click here to view available MCPS Parent Academy Workshops

This resource guide provides contact information to support students and families in need of community resources. Additionally, it may be used to provide resources for suspended students and students suspected of being involved in gang activity, meeting the related COMAR requirements. School staff may refer students and their families to any of these services, as needed.

Join Montgomery County Councilmembers Laurie-Anne Sayles and Dawn Luedtke on Tuesday, October 3, from 7-9 p.m. for a community town hall.

Click here to RSVP!

The Out of School Time grant is proudly offering a day of fun from the Recreation Department called Kids Day Out. This is free to MCPS students on October 9th, November 1st, January 29th, April 10th, and April 22nd at many different recreation centers. This free opportunity will open to the entire county on September 18th. Our school community has an opportunity to register NOW!

See flyers below to learn more about Saturday School course opportunities! If you are interested in registering your student, click here!

Mrs. Brooke Simon, Principal

Ms. Alejandra Olavarrieta, Assistant Principal

Mrs. Frances Avila-Miller, Assistant School Administrator

Email: Chelsea_J_Aceves@mcpsmd.org
Website: https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/watkinsmilles/
Location: 19001 Watkins Mill Road, Montgomery Village, MD, USA
Phone: (240) 740-5280
Facebook: facebook.com/WMESCommunity
Twitter: @WMESCommunity

• Call: 240-740-3000
  Provides answers to community questions in English and Spanish from 7:30 a.m.
  to 4:00 p.m., Mondays through Fridays

• E-mail: ASKMCPS@mcpsmd.org

• Visit: Department of Family and Community Partnerships (DFCP) at 850 Hungerford Drive, Rockville, Maryland 20850