Weekly Firefly Newsletter

Para ver el boletín en español, haga clic sobre la palabra "Translate" en el cuadro a la derecha y seleccione "Spanish" del menu de idiomas disponibles.

By clicking on the icon to the right, you can translate this newsletter into multiple languages. Just click your selected language.

Dear Flower Valley Community,

We had an amazing week of kindness filled with activities all dedicated to being kind. Our students and staff continued to shine and demonstrate true kindness in all that they do every single day! If you haven't heard about the kindness bucket fillers, ask your child. Students wrote notes to individuals who are bucket fillers for them - people who make their days a little brighter. These bucket filler notes made everyone's day a little brighter this week.

We also had a fabulous virtual author visit, and our students participated in Hour of Code with Ms. Callen. Details are below.

Don't forget that December 13th is our FVES musical under the direction of Ms. Kormann. Our 5th graders have been working very hard to get ready for the show.

Have a wonderful weekend!

With Firefly Pride!

Mrs. Fish

• FVES Musical
• Hour of Code
• Author Visit
• Counseling Corner
• Emotional Health Tips
• PTA Corner
• Important Dates in December
• Available Tutoring Opportunities for Students
• Curriculum Corner
• School Meals, FARMS, My School Bucks, and Lunch Menu
• School Visitors and Volunteers
• Attendance, Early Dismissals, and Transportation Changes
• School Cash Online
• Covid and OUTCLASS: Out of Class On Demand Resources for Students
• Helpful Resources
• Save the Date
• School Contact Information

Our 5th grade students will be performing at the annual FVES musical December 13th. The show begins at 7:00PM. Our 5th grade performers should arrive no later than 6:30 to prepare for the show. If you have any questions, email Ms. Kormann at Theresa_G_Kormann@mcpsmd.org.

The Media Center participated in the Hour of Code during all classes this past week. The Hour of Code™ is a global initiative by Computer Science Education Week and Code.org to introduce millions of students to computer science and computer programming. Students may be excited to continue what began in class with this website: https://hourofcode.com/us/learn. Kodable, Minecraft and Dance Party are the favorites.

Thank you to the PTA for the wonderful virtual author visit coordinated by our Media Specialist, Ms. Callen. Our 4th and 5th grade students were able to have a live and personalized Zoom meeting with the author, Sayantani DasGupta. She has written many action/adventure/humorous books for kids based on mythology from India. Students were even offered free books by the author!

ParentVue accounts are occasionally used by the school to provide class specific information from administration related to Covid cases, long-term substitutes, etc. ParentVue accounts use your email from the emergency cards you completed earlier in the year. Email sent via ParentVue should go directly to your personal email. Sometimes, emails from ParentVue go to your Spam folder, so you will need to check your Spam mail and release it as a "good" source. You will then receive any emails that come through ParentVue. Please check to make sure your ParentVue accounts are active. Instructions are below. You can also access ParentVue communication by logging in to your account.

**Please note that weekly newsletters and whole school communication go out via another source that is not set up for class specific communication.

Here are directions for activating your account.

Translated ParentVue Activation Letter Guides: Spanish / Korean / French / Amharic / Vietnamese / Chinese / Portuguese

ParentVue Quick Guides:

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

Mrs. Atanda and Mrs. Cheeks presented to the PTA Tuesday 12-6-22 regarding Social Emotional Learning (SEL). The slides can be found here as well as on the PTA website.

It's never too late to join the PTA! Join or renew today; you'll gain access to the online directory of families and students, and a vote at PTA meetings!

The PTA is launching a Diversity and Inclusion Committee to see how we can strengthen these efforts in 2023 and beyond. Contact president@fvespta.org to learn more.

December 13th - FVES Musical at 7:00PM in the APR

December 21st: In-house Field Trip for 2nd Grade

December 23rd -January 2nd - Winter Break for Students

There are several types of free tutoring services available for MCPS students. FVES has teachers who will be tutoring some of our students as part of the CARES Act services. Students are selected based on their current reading and math data including their levels of proficiency. If your student is identified, we will work to secure a tutor and contact you to coordinate dates and times for tutoring. During these sessions, FVES staff will provide additional support using Benchmark/and or Eureka curriculum, as well as Tier III evidence-based intervention programs.Students not selected for CARES tutoring may sign up for online tutoring services through FEV Tutor or Tutor Me Education.

Benchmark: All grade levels have started Benchmark Advance Unit 2, which focuses on narrative texts. Students will analyze and write about characters in depth. Identifying key events will help students summarize a text. In addition, students will build their vocabulary by identifying shades of meaning for related verbs or adjectives.

Eureka Math: MCPS has a dedicated website which has support for each Eureka module in every grade level. Here is a Eureka Math support page for families. You will need to create an account to access the family resources called "tips for parents." "Homework Helpers" are tips for parents that are included with each homework assignment in the Math Succeed (HW) book. Additionally, this is a google document that contains helpful videos for parents to use. There are general Eureka videos and grade level specific videos included.

Please keep an eye out for grade level bi-weekly communication regarding details about what is happening in each of our classes.

Beginning school year 2022-2023, students who qualify for reduced-price meals will not be charged for lunch - meaning that students who qualify for reduced-price meals will eat for free! 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. Menus can be accessed here.

Anyone visiting FVES must sign in at the main office and bring identification with them. We aren't able to have parents eating with students in the cafeteria due to space, but you can certainly sign your child out for lunch if you would like to enjoy lunch together.

If you are interested in serving as a volunteer, please contact Mrs. Atanda at Jennifer_T_Atanda@mcpsmd.org.

If your child is going to be absent, please email your child's teacher and Mrs. Sintetos at Catherine_G_Sintetos@mcpsmd.org or call the office at 240-740-1780. When your child is absent, please send in a note explaining the reason for the absence. If your child sees the doctor, please bring in a doctor's note.

If your child is going to be arriving late, you need to bring your child to the main office and sign them in. If you will be picking up your child early, please let Mrs. Sintetos and your child's homeroom teacher know in advance.

MCPS transitioned to a new online payment system called School Cash Online as its preferred method of payment for all school-related fees, except for meals. Detailed information about how to register can be accessed here.

When your child is symptomatic, it is encouraged that a home or PCR test is administered. Only positive test results need to be reported using the MCPS COVID-19 Reporting Form. Individuals who have a positive COVID-19 test should report their positive result and follow CDC guidelines for isolation. Details regarding the MCPS back to school Covid safety protocols can be accessed here.

Please see the letter linked here. It provides information about the available learning tools while a student is out of school due to Covid.

January 17th - Group/Class Pictures

February 2nd: Winter Instrumental Music Concert at FVES, 7:00pm (Note the date change)

February 10th, 6:30-8:00pm - PTA Sponsored Bingo

February 14th, 2:30-3:15pm - Valentine’s Day Parties

March 4th, March 4th, 6 - 8:30 PM - Parent-Staff Basketball Game / Staff Silent Auction

March 26th, 2-3pm - PTA Sponsored Fun Run

April 20th, 5:30-7:30pm - PTA Sponsored STEM Night

April 24th-28th - PTA Sponsored Book Fair

April 26th - Spring Individual and Grade 5 Panoramic

May 6th, 10:00-2:00pm - PTA Sponsored SAVERS Donation Drive

Field Day, TBD

May 16th, Time TBD - FVES International Night and Art Expo

May 19th - K, 1, 2 Field Day (rain date - May 30th)

May 21st, 2-5pm - PTA Sponsored Carnival

May 24th - 3, 4, 5, Field Day (rain date - May 31st)

June 1st: Spring Instrumental Music Concert at FVES, 7:00pm

5th Grade Promotion, Date and Time TBD

*Please remember these dates are subject to change. There will also be several PTA sponsored virtual nights for families throughout the year.

MCPS Things to Know

FVES Letter to Families

School Supplies

School Website

MCPS Community Messages

Parent Handbook

Student Rights and Responsibilities (Spanish Version Available in Main Office)

Student Code of Conduct (English) (Spanish Version Available in Main Office)

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

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

Ms. Angela Castillo, Assistant Principal - Angela_M_Castillo@mcpsmd.org

Main Office Staff (240) 740-1780

Mrs. Padma Radhakrishnan, School Administrative Secretary – Padma_Radhakrishnan@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. Colleen Smith - Colleen_B_Smith@mcpsmd.org

All Staff Directory

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