WMES News You Can Use

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.

Our first Parent Café and Classroom Sneak Peek will be Monday, October 10 from 9:00 – 11:00am. We encourage all parents/guardians to visit the school.

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 PTO 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.

Holiday Giving Applications Open

Monday, October 3

No School

Wednesday, October 5

Market Day

Tuesday, October 4

4:00pm-6:00pm

Wendy's Fundraiser

Monday, October 10

6:30am-9:30pm

In-Person Parent Café & Classroom Sneak Peeks

Monday, October 10

9:15am-11:00am

Virtual Bedtime Stories

Thursday, October 20

7:00pm

Deadline for Thanksgiving Holiday Giving Application Requests

Friday, October 21

Community Cares Day

Sunday, October 23

11:00am-2:00pm

No School

Monday, October 24

Picture Day

Friday, October 28

WMES "Believe Kids" Holiday Fundraiser Ends

Friday, October 28

We are very excited for our first ever Family Market Days at Watkins Mill Elementary School on Tuesday, October 4 from 4:00pm-6:00pm! Family Market Days will be once a month this year and are a great opportunity for families to come to the school to receive fresh produce and other food items, diapers, wipes, and more FREE of charge to our community! Please see flyer below for details. See you there!

Please consider purchasing breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a snack from Wendy's in Gaithersburg on Monday, October 10 any time from 6:30am-9:00pm! All sales that mention Watkins Mill Elementary School will have 20% donated to our school! Funds raised will be used towards assemblies, events, and materials for our students and families. Thank you for your support!

Please note the following date change! Our October 13 Parent Cafe is moved to October 10! There will no longer be a Parent Cafe on October 13.

Watkins Mill families are invited to join us at school on Monday, October 10 from 9:00am-10:45am for our first Parent Cafe of the year, with breakfast provided, followed by Classroom Sneak Peeks! Parents and guardians are welcome to visit classrooms and silently observe students' learning! *No siblings are permitted in classrooms. Our Parent Cafe will include staff introductions, upcoming school events, Title I and fundraiser information, parent volunteers and PTO, Class Dojo, and more! We hope to see all of our families there. See flyer below for more details!

Holiday Giving is a program available through different agencies in Montgomery County that provide support for families in need during the Thanksgiving and December holidays. If you are in need of support for the holidays, please complete the Holiday Giving request at the link below, and a WMES Family Support team member will submit an application for you.

If you would like support completing the application request, please call or visit the school and a staff member will support you.

Deadline for Thanksgiving applications: October 21

Deadline for December applications: November 14

*Only ONE application request per household will be accepted

Click HERE to complete a Holiday Giving application request

We’ve partnered with Believe Kids Fundraising to raise money for our students to receive more events, assemblies, field trips, and school materials. Check out the available products and set up your dashboard to share with family & friends anywhere nationwide at www.FundPrizes.com!

You can place orders on paper (ship to school and processed at the end of the fundraiser date) or online (pay online and ship immediately to your home)!

ALL students that register online and share with FIVE people will receive a free keychain character (even without selling anything!) There are prizes for each item sold. Student coupons are attached to the parent letter you will receive. The top selling class will have a pizza party! The top seller will receive a $25 Amazon gift card!

Fundraiser ends on Friday, October 28!

EVERY student needs to submit a Free and Reduced Meals (FARMS) application EVERY school year in order to help your student and WMES receive as many resources as possible! If you have not already completed your FARMS application this year, please complete it as soon as possible. If you would like support with completing your application, please contact a member of our Family Support Team or call the school.

Apply online NOW at MySchoolApps.com (Translations available)

Click here for an English video tutorial. Click here for a Spanish video tutorial

Click here to view the MCPS Meal Payment/FARMS homepage

Watkins Mill Elementary School is excited to continue our Friday Bags program in partnership with Watkins Mill High School and Manna Food! Every Friday, students who have signed up for Friday Bags will receive a bag of food to take home for the weekend. The amount of food and food items in the bag will vary based on each week's distribution.

If you would like your student(s) to receive Friday Bags this school year, please contact your student's teacher or a member of our WMES Family Support Team!

If you have not yet created a Class Dojo account, be sure to sign up today! Class Dojo is a great way for families to communicate with school staff and receive updates about school, county, and community events and resources! If you would like support creating a Class Dojo account or are in need of your student's class code, please reach out to your student's teacher or a member of the Family Support Team!

Class Dojo is available on the web and as a free app on Apple and Android cell phone!

Click here to access the Class Dojo website

Click here for a helpful video tutorial about setting up and managing your Class Dojo account

Families are also recommended to activate an account using ParentVue, which is also available as a website and as a free app on Apple and Android cell phones. ParentVue is an MCPS app that families will use from elementary school through high school and gives access to student grades and report cards, county updates, and more!

Each parent/guardian has an individualized activation code to create an account. If you have not received your activation code, please reach out to your student's teacher or a member of the Family Support Team to activate your account!

Click here to access the MCPS ParentVue website

We are excited to promote our social media presence this year to increase communication with our families and community! Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook for updates on school and community events, resources, and more!

Twitter: @WMESCommunity

Facebook: @WMESCommunity

Every Friday will be Watkins Mill SCHOOL SPIRIT DAYS!

Create your customized design for t-shirts, sweatshirts, zip-ups, polos, pants, shorts, face masks, or accessories! Don't miss out!

Click here to start your order!

The process for community input for next year’s school calendar begins now by asking for your input. This survey seeks to gauge the community’s interests as calendar scenarios are developed for the 2023–2024 school year. Staff will present the scenarios at the Board of Education meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 25.

Please share your interests by Thursday, Oct. 13!

Click here to access the survey!

In collaboration with MCPS, the Literacy Council of Montgomery County (LCMC) is offering free English as a Second Language classes for MCPS parents. Parents with questions regarding class availability and the sign-up process should email Kevin Ralph from LCMC at kevin@lcmcmd.org or call 240-665-0471.

Click here to register: https://mcpsweb.wufoo.com/forms/english-classes-for-mcps-parents/

MCPS and the Montgomery County School Psychologists’ Association will host free virtual events Oct. 10–15 to give youth and families the opportunity to hear from mental health experts on issues that are important to them. The weeklong expo will feature daily themes, dynamic speakers and informational videos, as well as two live events: a Waymaking Special on Student Mental Health, and a Resource Fair and Q&A session on Saturday, Oct. 15. Sessions will be available in multiple languages!

Learn more about Mental Health Awareness Week

See mental health information and resources

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

Alert MCPS provides emergency information about school closures or emergencies via text or email messages to devices you register. Sign up here.

There are a few steps to complete before beginning your service as a volunteer in MCPS schools:

1. Complete the MCPS Parent/Guardian and Community Volunteer Form or the MCPS Volunteers in the Virtual Classroom form as appropriate. These forms serve as an introduction of yourself, your interests and availability in volunteering, and some important reminders about volunteers in schools.


2. Complete the mandatory online Recognizing Child Abuse and Neglect Training. This training is required for any volunteer who regularly supports schools, chaperones a field trip, etc. and is available in multiple languages. When the course is completed, a report is created to serve as proof of satisfying the training requirement.


3. Contact the school(s) where you wish to serve and provide them with a copy of the following:
• Appropriate MCPS Parent/Guardian and Community Volunteer Form or the MCPS Volunteers in the Virtual Classroom Form and
• Your online course grade sheet that will show 100% for completing the online Recognizing Child Abuse and Neglect Training and an 83.3% for submission of the vaccine attestation (a total of 183.33%).

Support guides with complete step-by-step instructions, the link to Recognizing Child Abuse and Neglect Training, and answers to frequently asked questions can be found below.

*If you have an MCPS middle or high school student in your family that is in need of SSL hours and would to volunteer, please reach out to Ms. Aceves!

Be sure to check out our Parent Resource website! We will continue to update and add on throughout the year. If you have any requests, please contact Ms. Aceves

Click HERE to view our WMES Parent Resource Page

Good news! Dolly Parton's Imagination Library is now open to 20886 zip code residents! This is a FREE program for ANY family that live within this zip code with a child from age 0-5 years old (EACH child in the family has an opportunity to register)!

Families can register online for each of their children to receive one brand new shiny book in the mail monthly until the month of their 5th birthday! Some books are even bilingual!

Items to note:

• Processing takes up to 6 weeks from the time of registration to the time of first book arrival

•Families must notify Imagination Library of address changes to continue receiving the books so books can be mailed to new address

•Families MUST confirm email address after registering before processing begins*

See flyer below to for registration link and more information!

If you are in need of diapers and/or wipes at any time throughout the school year, please complete our WMES Diaper Request Form at the link below!

WMES Diaper Request Form

Montgomery Village Foundation is offering a variety of Fall events for families! Click here to view more information on their Halloween Band Concert, Flashlight Halloween Hunt, Pumpkin Race & Fall Festival, and more!

BRINGING LOCAL PRODUCE TO THE RESIDENTS OF MONTGOMERY VILLAGE!

2022 Season

Saturdays 9:00am-1:00pm

June 4 through October 29

Christ the Servant Lutheran Church Parking Lot

9801 Centerway Road

*Limited parking will be available at the market*

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