Peek of the Week

Maple Families,

As we enter the new year, I just wanted to share a few reminders:

Uniforms

• Students must wear an MES approved uniform every day unless their is a special dress or casual day. Approved tops are navy blue, dark green, or pale yellow.
• Bottoms should be khaki or navy blue.
• Winter jackets may not be worn in school. Students may only wear plain navy blue, dark green, or pale yellow light weight zip-ups or sweaters.

Arrival Procedures

• If you are dropping your child off in the morning, please arrive by 8:10 so that they have sufficient time to enter the building, unpack, watch morning announcements, and get breakfast. Instruction begins promptly at 8:20 each morning.
• Please make sure you are joining the line and not parking and walking your child to the door.

Dismissal Procedures

• If there is a change in how your child will be going home, please contact the school or write a note to your child's teacher notifying them of the change. Due to safety concerns, we can not simply take your child's word
• Dismissal begins at 3:05 each day. If you need to pick your child up early from school, you must pick your child up before 2:45 pm. After 2:45 pm, no students will be dismissed early from the office and parents will need to wait in the regular pick up line. All students must be picked up by 3:25 pm
• Please do not walk up to the door to get your child. Join the line and your child will be called to come out to your car.

Step Goal

• Our goal is to have 100% of our students on Step Goal. As a reminder, you and your child signed an at-home-reading contract at the beginning of the school year agreeing to read for 30 minutes at home each night.
• Please make sure your child reads and records 2 steps (1 step = 15 min) each night.

We are still accepting donations for next year's Holiday Shoppe. You can drop items off at the office through Friday, January 12th.

Devices will be sent home on Tuesdays and Thursdays for students in grades 1-5 who have returned a device agreement form. On Tuesday's, students should complete 1 lesson of iReady. On Thursdays, students should complete 4 units of Lexia.

This week, we will be holding basketball tryouts on Thursday, January 11th for grades 3-5 only. Information and permission slips were sent home with students who were interested.

See the flyer below for our Level Up Reading and Math Night on Wednesday, January 24th! Please RSVP by Friday, January 19th.

If you have any questions, please reach out.

Myesha Ford

Principal

Maple Elementary School

Tuesday, January 9th- Grades 1 -5 iReady Homework -complete at least 1 lesson

Thursday, January 11th- Grades 1 -5 Lexia Homework -complete at least 4 units

Friday, January 12th- Fun Friday: Make a snowflake

Monday, January 15th- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day- No School

Tuesday, January 16th- Grades 1 -5 iReady Homework -complete at least 1 lesson, After School Tutoring

Wednesday, January 17th- After School Tutoring

Thursday, January 18th- House Celebration and House Lunch: Wear House Colors from Head to Toe, Grades 1 -5 Lexia Homework -complete at least 4 units

Friday, January 19th- Wear Winning House Color

Tuesday, January 23rd- Grades 1 -5 iReady Homework -complete at least 1 lesson, After School Tutoring

Wednesday, January 24th- Reading & Math Night 5:30-7:00, After School Tutoring

Thursday, January 25th- Pegasus Presents National Pegasus Day: Wear Yellow or Dress Confidently, Grades 1 -5 Lexia Homework -complete at least 4 units

Friday, January 26th- Fun Friday: Casual Day, House Heroes Hyatt Trip

Monday, January 29th- Semester Break: No School

Tuesday, January 30th- Semester Break: No School

Wednesday, January 31st- After School Tutoring

As you know, one of our main goals this year is to get all our students on grade level or above according to IRLA levels. We work with students daily on this goal, but we need your help! Students should be reading for at least 30 minutes (2 steps) each night and the parent/guardian needs to sign off on the reading log. As you will see, 72% of our students are currently on their step goal, so we need your help to get them back on track!

Parents and students often ask what they need to do in order to move up to the next level, so we have decided to share tips and strategies for all IRLA levels in these newsletters. This week's focus is on 1B.

1B: Students are learning to use words and word parts they know to figure out unknown words. They will work through four “zones” of phonics skills and learn new tricky words. If your child is not sure which zone they are in, encourage them to ask their teacher. See below for what your child can do, what they will learn next, and how you can help in each zone.

Uniforms: A reminder that uniforms are required for all students this year. Students must wear plain hunter green, pastel yellow, or navy tops with navy or khaki bottoms. Uniforms can be purchased from stores like Walmart, Target, Old Navy, The Children’s Place, or French Toast www.frenchtoast.com where you can get the Maple logo embroidered on clothing when you search by school or use the code QS4UK9. Winter jackets may not be worn in school. Students may only wear plain navy blue, hunter green, or pale yellow light weight zip-ups or sweaters if they are cold.

• Please make sure you contact your child's teacher to let him/her know how your child will normally be coming home from school this school year - pick up or bus rider. If there is a change, please contact the school or write a note to your child's teacher notifying them of the change. Due to safety concerns, we can not simply take your child's word.

• All parents/guardians should enter in the first entrance to Maple. For parents that arrive early, the line should begin near the gravel parking lot so that teachers can access the parking spots in the parking lot. At 8:00 the line of cars may pull up to the front doors of the school for students to enter the building. 8:00 is the earliest children may be dropped off at school. All students should be at school by 8:20 when instruction officially begins each morning.

• Dismissal begins at 3:05 each day. If you need to pick your child up early from school, you must pick your child up before 2:45 pm. After 2:45 pm, no students will be dismissed early from the office and parents will need to wait in the regular pick up line. All students must be picked up by 3:20 pm.

• If you have any questions regarding buses, please contact the Transportation Department at 410-228-4747. Students will have an assigned bus. Bus changes will not be honored this year.
  

• We will continue to send regular updates via phone and email. Please make sure we have your most updated phone and email address. Also, please follow us on Facebook @MapleElementaryDCPS for regular updates and photos!

Email: fordm@dcpsmd.org
Website: http://dcps.k12.md.us/schools/elementary-schools/maple-elementary
Location: 5225 Egypt Road, Cambridge, MD, USA
Phone: 410-228-8577
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MapleElementaryDCPS