Flower Valley Weekly Newsletter

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We inspire all children to become critical thinkers who are imaginative, adaptable, and collaborative. We strive to cultivate peaceful, life-long learners who contribute positively to the community around them.

Dear Flower Valley Community,

This upcoming week is a short week. There is no school Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Additionally, Monday and Tuesday are early dismissal days. Students will be dismissed from school at 12:55PM both days.

As we approach Thanksgiving, I hope that you are all able to take some much needed time to reflect on all that we have in our lives, especially our loved ones. Maya Angelou said, "Be present in all things and thankful for all things." It is amazing how much more at peace we can be when we are truly present in the moment and take the time to be grateful for all of the special individuals who are in our lives each and every day.

Wishing you all a wonderful and restful Thanksgiving with family and friends!

With Firefly Pride!

Dr. Fish

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New Items:

• Native American Heritage Month
• Grateful Grams: Let's fill the inboxes of our staff with grateful grams!
• SGA at FVES
• Open House Sign-up Time: Make sure to sign up for a time to visit FVES! :)
• Health News

Upcoming Events

• Mobile Science Lab

PTA Corner

• Spirit Wear
• December PTA Meeting

Information from Previous Newsletters:

• Transportation Information

• Need a Chromebook for home?

• School Lunch
• ParentVue
• Health Information

FVES Parent Handbook

November is a time of celebration and reflection as we honor Native American Heritage Month. This special time allows us to recognize and pay tribute to the rich history, diverse cultures, and invaluable contributions of Native American peoples. At Flower Valley, we're embracing this opportunity to educate our students about the traditions, art, and customs of Native American communities that influence those communities today. While one month is not nearly enough time to go into depth into the rich cultures of every tribe, we aim to foster understanding, respect, and appreciation for the vibrant tapestry of indigenous cultures that have shaped our nation. Join us in commemorating this significant month as we honor and celebrate the enduring legacy of Native American heritage. See this slide presentation for a sampling of what is being shared with students during morning announcements.

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, it's a wonderful time to take an extra moment to express gratitude to your child's teachers! I invite you and your child to use this link to send a "Grateful Gram" to one or more Flower Valley staff members to add some sunshine to their inbox! Once you submit the form, the staff member will get an automatic email in the form of beautiful card containing your message. You can send as many as you like!

We are so excited to start SGA at FVES! Our members met for the first time last Friday and then again today. They are already brainstorming ways to support student advocacy and involvement at FVES. A special thank you to Ms. Cogan and Ms. Casey for sponsoring our student leaders.

Attention, Families! Join us for our annual Open House event on Friday, December 15! It's an incredible opportunity to step into and explore your child's classroom and get a glimpse of what makes Flower Valley so special. Please sign up using this link. You will have the option to request an interpreter when you sign up. This year, we are asking our families to make connections between what they observe during Open House to their own school experiences. We can't wait to hear your responses!

Families will have the opportunity to choose the 30 minute time frame(s) that best fit your schedules.

• 9:30 am -10:00 am

• 10:15 am - 10:45 am

• 1:45 pm - 2:15 pm

• 2:30 pm - 3:00 pm

We would like to be as flexible as possible for families with multiple children, so you will have the opportunity to sign up for multiple time slots in different classrooms OR visit multiple classes within one time slot.

We do expect this to be a popular event, but don't worry if you cannot make it! Teachers will reach out with details about this event as well as future opportunities for you and your extended family members to visit in the classroom.

The Mobile Science Lab will be visiting Flower Valley during the week of December 4th-8th, 2023. If you would like to volunteer to help set up the lab and experiments, please sign up here.

Mobile Science Labs are presented by the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation, Inc. (MAEF) as part of the Maryland Ag in the Classroom program. Montgomery County Public Schools and Montgomery County Government are partners in this program, which provides a “field trip experience” to elementary school students without leaving the school’s property.

Mobile labs visit elementary schools where Kindergarten-Grade 5 students investigate issues pertaining to the environment with a focus on agricultural concepts. Lab investigations are conducted around grade level aligned themes and provide students with opportunities to practice scientific and engineering practices that address the Maryland State Curriculum Standards. Depending on the grade of the students, the lesson will target one or more of the following content areas: characteristics of seeds including soybeans, benefits of trees, science of chocolate and soybeans, healthy habits, and environmentally friendly agriculture.

-The PTA is requesting gently used spirit wear for "FVES Spirit Wear Share," a new spirit wear bank/trade-in program done in partnership with FVES. Please contact Lydia Fleischmann at president@fvespta.org to donate or for any additional information.

-Our next PTA Meeting is December 5th from 6:30-8:00 pm. ALL parents are welcome! (Non-members and members).

Tentative dates are included below. Please note theses dates are subject to change.

• Family Open House: December 15th

• A Journey through Latin America - PTA Sponsored Student Cultural Assembly: December 19th during the school day for students

• Winter Chorus Concert: January 23rd at 7PM

• Winter IM Concert: February 1st at 7PM

• Wellness Week: January/February

• Kindness Week and Party: Week of 2/12 (party 2/14)

• Reading Night: March 6th, 6-7:30

• STEM Day: March 22nd

• International Night: April 15th (Tentative)

• PTA Sponsored Book Fair: April 15th-19th

• PTA Sponsored STEM Night: April 18th, 5:30-7:30

• Career Day: May 3rd

• PTA Sponsored SAVERS Donation Drive: May 4th, 9:30-1:00

• Field Days: May TBD

• PTA Sponsored Carnival: May 19th, 2-5:00

• Spring IM Concert: May 30th at Rockville High School at 7PM (tentative)

• 5th Grade Promotion: June 12th

• 5th Grade Fun Day: June 13th

• Leisure World Ledo’s - Tuesday, December 12th, 2023
• California Tortilla- Wednesday, January 24th, 2024
• Ema Rossi- Wednesday, February 7th, 2024
• Chuck E Cheese - Friday, March 15th, 2024
• Rockville Paisano’s - Tuesday, April 16th, 2024 and Wednesday, April 17th, 2024 from 11:00am-10:00pm
• Rockville Chipotle - Monday, May 13th, 2024
• Villa Maya - Wednesday, June 5th, 2024

Transportation information is on the school website and available here:

• Arrival Schedule
• Departure Schedule
• Department of Transportation Communication to Families (English Version)
• Department of Transportation Communication to Families (Spanish Version)
• What to Know about Riding the Bus (English Version)
• What to Know about Riding the Bus (Spanish Version)
• Link to Check Daily Status of Buses

You are receiving this message because this year, your child’s school is using a classroom cart model for Chromebooks. This means students use an assigned Chromebook while in school, but do not bring their Chromebook home each night. As we move into the winter months and plan for potential emergency closures, your child will need access to a device at home to engage in homework, interactive resources and potential virtual instruction. If your child does not have access to a personal or home computer, a parent or guardian should complete a form to request an MCPS Chromebook. The device will be checked out to your student and will be kept at home for the school year. The device will need to be returned at the end of the school year or sooner if your student is leaving MCPS for any reason.

To request a MCPS Chromebook for home use, please complete this form: Chromebook Form to Distribute to Families

Links:

At Home Request for Chromebook Flyer (English)

At Home Request for Chromebook Flyer (Spanish)

Breakfast and hot lunches are served daily. Lunch menus can be accessed here. Your child will learn about their lunch schedule on the first day of school. The teacher will also let you know about snack time, especially if your child has an early or late lunch.

Breakfast is $1.30, and lunch is $2.55. To learn more about eligibility for Free and Reduced Meals (FARMS) and apply for FARMs, click here. Deposits into lunch accounts can be made by any student and can be made ahead of time via the MCPS online payment system, My School Bucks. Details about how to add money to your student’s account can be accessed here.

DFNS encourages all families with students enrolled at non-CEP schools to complete a Free and Reduced-price Meals Application. All meals are free for students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals.

ParentVue FAQs

The Annual Verification process allows families to update contact information, collect important information about you and your student, including any medical, immunization, language preferences, and emergency information that school staff need to know. MCPS uses ParentVUE to collect this information electronically. Online registration is available now until October 20th.

ParentVue is where you are able to access your student's grades, attendance, test scores, schedules, and so much more. Please see the quick guides below to set your preferences and see where to access all of the information available to you.

There are online registration quick guides in several languages available to support you in this process.

English | Español | 中國人 | 한국인 | Français | Português | Tiếng Việt | አማርኛ

ParentVUE Quick Guides

English / español / 中文 / français / Português / 한국어 / tiếng Việt / አማርኛ

• Navigating ParentVUE Mobile App
• Navigating StudentVUE Mobile App
• Athletic Registration with ParentVUE Online Registration
• Activating Your ParentVUE Account

If your child is sick, please have them stay home and rest until they feel better. It is important for a child to stay home if they have a fever. They may return to school once they are without fever for 24 hours with no fever reducing medications.

If your child has Covid, it is important for them to remain home for 5 days after testing positive. Additionally, they must wear a mask for 5 days after returning to school. Families no longer need to self-report Covid; however, it is important to notify your child's teacher and the main office when your child is out sick.

If you have any questions regarding health related matters, you can contact Ms. Kalter, school nurse, at Marley_S_Kalter@mcpsmd.org.

It is critical for students to be in attendance at school every day. We understand that there are times when students may be ill or may have appointments that require them to be out of school, however, school performance is directly connected to attendance. MCPS has developed an action plan to address absenteeism. Please click here to see the county message regarding attendance.

If your child is going to be absent, please notify the teacher and Mrs. Sintetos at Catherine_G_Sintetos@mcpsmd.org.

**Please remember that vacations are not considered lawful absences. Details regarding lawful and unlawful absences can be found here.

**For absences to be considered excused, a note must be submitted in writing or emailed to Mrs. Sintetos. This includes medical appointments.

Our office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00AM to 4:30PM. Below are emails and phone numbers for the following departments:

Administration (240) 740-1780

Dr. Angie Fish, Principal – Angie_L_Fish@mcpsmd.org

Mrs. Kimberly Haden - Kimberly_D_Haden@mcpsmd.org

Main Office Staff (240) 740-1780

Ms. Nevine Peckoo, School Administrative Secretary – Nevine_A_Peckoo@mcpsmd.org

Mrs. Cathy Sintetos, Attendance Secretary – Catherine_G_Sintetos@mcpsmd.org

Counseling Office (240) 740-6680

Mrs. Jennifer Atanda - Jennifer_T_Atanda@mcpsmd.org

Ms. Nicole Bamberger - Nicole_M_Bamberger@mcpsmd.org

All Staff Directory

The parent handbook provides a wealth of information about school policies and procedures. Some of these include volunteer procedures, school parties and birthday celebrations, bullying and harassment reporting, visitor policies, attendance, health policies, safety and security, and so much more. The English version of the handbook can be accessed here, and the Spanish version can be accessed here.

Be bright! Be kind! Be you!

We inspire all children to become critical thinkers who are imaginative, adaptable, and collaborative. We strive to cultivate peaceful, life-long learners who contribute positively to the community around them.

Email: Angie_L_Fish@mcpsmd.org
Website: https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/flowervalleyes/
Location: Flower Valley Elementary School, Sunflower Drive, Rockville, MD, USA
Phone: 240-740-1780
Twitter: @AngieFish_FVES