Greenbelt Elementary School

Greetings Students and Parents,

Welcome to the 2019-2020 school year! I hope you are enjoying a relaxing summer filled with family fun and exciting memories! If you are preparing to attend Greenbelt Elementary for the first time, I would like to extend a special welcome. Greenbelt is certainly a community that maintains academic success, celebration of culture and diversity, and the growth of the whole child as core values. This makes our partnership essential. Please know that the Greenbelt Elementary Staff is fully invested in supporting our students through experiences that are aligned with these values that we all hold dear and that will benefit the community as a whole.

Our theme this school year will be "Every Student Matters, Every Moment Counts!" Students are the heart of our school where every student is celebrated and valued as part of our learning community. Every moment counts reflects the urgency of our task of ensuring that ALL students are successfully prepared for their future.

Together, we will continue to build a home and school culture of care and achievement, where Every Student Matters, Every Moment Counts!

We would like to extend our former team members our best wishes and much success as they transition from GES to pursue new opportunities.

Ms. Jammal will be transferring to Mary Harris Mother Jones E.S.

Mrs. Kueffner will be transferring to Scotchtown Hills E.S.

Ms. Money will be moving out of the state.

Ms. Sewell will be transferring to Glassmanor E.S.

In order to maximize our strengths, several staff members were open to new challenges and opportunities for growth.

Mr. Bell will be moving from Pre-Kindergarten to Kindergarten.

Ms. Beeker will be moving from Kindergarten to First Grade.

Ms. Aladdin will be moving from First Grade to Second Grade.

Ms. Tyler will be moving from First Grade to Fourth Grade.

Ms. Makle will be moving from Second Grade to Third Grade.

Ms. Sharp will be moving from Second Grade to Fourth Grade.

Ms. Holinsworth will be moving from Third Grade to Fifth Grade.

Ms. Darden will be moving from Fourth Grade to Second Grade.

Mrs. McKoy will be moving from Fifth Grade to Kindergarten.

Ms. Mayes will be moving from Fifth Grade to Pre-Kindergarten.

Please join us in welcoming our new team members! Each of them brings a wealth of talent, skills, and experiences to share with our team, students and school community. We are very fortunate to have them on our team.

Mrs. Shelby Hoye, First Grade Teacher

Mrs. Hoye graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Early Childhood Education and a minor in Special Education. She has many experiences from grades Pre-K to 2 as well as international teaching experiences in China and Haiti. Mrs. Hoye also served as a substitute teacher at GES towards the end of the school year.

Ms. Domonique Jones, Fourth Grade Teacher

Ms. Jones graduated from the University of Missouri - Kansas City with a degree in Elementary Education. After teaching 4th and 5th grades for a couple of years, she relocated to Washington DC to attend Howard University for graduate school. Ms. Jones is an innovative educator with experiences in Arts Integration.

Mrs. Andrea McCargo, Fifth Grade Teacher

Mrs. McCargo graduated from the University of the District of Columbia with a degree in Elementary Education. Mrs. McCargo is an experienced educator who has taught intermediate grades in both the District of Columbia and most recently at Bond Mill E.S. Mrs. McCargo enjoys incorporating technology and project based learning into her daily lessons.

Mrs. Ngozi Enwere-Maduka, Russian Teacher

As our Russian program has expanded to include all grade levels, we were very fortunate to find Mrs. Maduka to join our team. Mrs. Maduka graduated from St. Petersburg State University in Russia with both her Bachelors and Masters in Philosophy in Russian Language and Literature. Mrs. Maduka did not speak one word of the language when she arrived to college. She believes that her experiences as a non-native speaker is similar to our students. Mrs. Maduka speaks three languages and is excited about sharing her love for languages with our students.

Ms. Ciara Smith, Principals' Secretary

If you have visited our school during the summer, you may have had a chance to meet our new secretary. Her pleasant personality, professionalism and willingness to assist makes her a tremendous asset. Ms. Smith has a Bachelors of Science in Business Administration from Strayer College and is currently working on her MBA. Ms. Smith definitely understands that great customer service to parents, staff and students is the expectation. We are very excited to have Ms. Smith join our team!

Mrs. Niatesha Thompson, Music Teacher

Mrs. Thompson graduated from Lemonyne-Owen College in Memphis, TN. She is currently working on her second Master's degree in Elementary Education. Mrs. Thompson comes to us with a wealth of experience. She has served as a music teacher in Atlanta, and most recently Scotchtown Hills E.S. in Laurel, MD. Mrs. Thompson believes that she can bring out the creative skills in children of all ages by using music and drama.

PRE-KINDERGARTEN and KINDERGARTEN ORIENTATION: Orientation will be held on Thursday, August 29th at 9:15 a.m. in our multipurpose room. This is a time for you to learn about our early childhood programs and for our new students to become acquainted with their new school, teachers and classmates.

INCOMING KINDERGARTEN ASSESSMENT: If your child did not attend our Pre-K program last school year, we would like to briefly meet with your kindergartener in order to get some general information about your child’s readiness for Kindergarten. This information will help us determine the most appropriate placement for your child. Please call our office at (301) 513-5911 to schedule an appointment. This appointment should not take more than 15 minutes. We look forward to hearing from you!

Sneak Peek will be held on Friday, August 30th at 9:15 a.m. for students in grades 1 - 5.

Students are welcome to drop off their labeled school supplies. Please see the attached flyer.

Back to School Night will be held on Thursday, September 12th at 6:00 p.m. for all grade levels.

BUS SCHEDULES: Toward the end of the month of August, bus schedules will be mailed to you by the Prince George’s County Public Schools’ Department of Transportation. Bus information is also available on the PGCPS website at www.pgcps.org. Please review the a.m. and p.m. bus numbers and approximate pick up/drop off times with your child. This will assist them with becoming acclimated with the bus route and schedule. Please be patient during the first couple weeks of school as the bus drivers become more familiar with their routes. Schedules may be off a little the first week or two of school.

REGISTRATION: If you know of new parents coming to GES, please encourage them to register as soon as possible, especially for our kindergarten classes. To secure bus transportation for the start of the school year, all students must be registered by August 22nd.

GES WEB PAGE & PARENT PORTAL: The school’s website, www1.pgcps.org/greenbeltes will be updated continuously to provide detailed information pertinent to the daily academic procedures here at Greenbelt Elementary. Additionally, you will find current information on specific activities and events, and other important information.

The Parent Portal of SchoolMAX will be up and “running” for parent usage on September 2nd. You can find out your child’s homeroom teacher through SchoolMAX. We will provide more information on this system and its benefits at Back to School Night.

SCHOOL HOURS: School begins promptly at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 3:20 p.m. We really encourage you to have your child at school by 9:00 a.m. especially those eating breakfast. Teachers will begin at 9:00 a.m. with an engagement activity to prepare our students for their day. Morning Announcements will begin at 9:05 a.m.

Students are marked “tardy” if they arrive after the late bell at 9:15 a.m. and are marked as an “early dismissal” if they leave before 3:20 p.m. Please make every effort to have your son/daughter in school during the designated hours so that he/she can receive the full benefit of the instructional program at Greenbelt ES. It is important to be present and on time every day.

FORMS & STUDENT INFORMATION SHEETS: Please complete all forms that will be sent home on the first day of school, especially the Student Information Sheet and return them to your child’s teacher the next day. It is extremely important that we have accurate emergency information on file for every child. During the year, if any of this information changes, please make sure you let us know. It is imperative that we always have current working phone numbers in case of emergencies.

As we started doing last year, we are asking for email addresses as a form of communication with our families. Sending newsletters and other mass correspondences in this manner will save us money, paper and time for this school year. Please make sure that your child’s teacher(s) have a current email address for you. We will begin collecting this information at Back to School Night.

SCHOOL BREAKFAST & LUNCHES: PGCPS has a computerized meal sale program. Each student has a Personal Identification Number (PIN) and account set up. You may put funds in the account at any time during the school year. Funds can be deposited at the school cafeteria by check or cash. Money can be sent with your son/daughter to put in his/her account as soon as they arrive at school. Please write the PIN on the check in the memo section. Additionally the county has set up the PayPAMS (Parent Account Management System) for school lunch payments to be made online. The system will also allow parents to set up automatic payment plans, view account balances and the history of the account usage. Students’ PINs are the same as last year. New students will receive numbers and guidelines within the first few weeks of school. Until a PIN is assigned, please send in money daily. Meal prices are: Lunch - $2.75;

milk only - $.55; and reduced lunch - $.40.

We are very excited about the new school year! We look forward to seeing each of you on the first day of school at 9:00 a.m. Enjoy the rest of your summer vacation!

Dr. Gaines
Proud Principal