Flower Valley Weekly Newsletter

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Dear Flower Valley Community,

This past week, our students had a wonderful time learning about science at the mobile lab! Each grade level participated in a unique agricultural experience focused on topics such as the characteristics of seeds, benefits of trees, science of chocolate and soybeans, healthy habits, and environmentally friendly agriculture. It was a blast! A special thank you to all of our parent volunteers! Take a look at some of the fun in the pictures below. :)

Don't forget that Open House is coming up December 15th. There is information below. Please make sure to sign up for a time to visit FVES. We are very excited to welcome our families, so that you can see a glimpse of what your child experiences on a daily basis. Please remember that if you are not able to attend on the 15th, you can always arrange a time to visit your child's class as a guest reader or presenter. We are also always in need of volunteers. If you're interested in volunteering, please reach out to Mrs. Atanda to find out about the volunteer requirements and ask your child's teacher about possible opportunities.

Thank you for your continued partnership!

With Firefly Pride!

Dr. Fish

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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.

School News:

• Embracing Our Cultural Diversity at Flower Valley
• Open House Sign-up Time: Make sure to sign up for a time to visit FVES! :)
• Attendance Update
• Growth Mindset Information: A Parent's Guide to Growth Mindset

PTA Corner

• December 12th from 11:00am-9:00pm is Dine and Support at Ledo Pizza (Leisure World location)
  
• Treasurer Needed

Information from Previous Newsletters:

• Transportation Information

• Need a Chromebook for home?

• School Lunch
• ParentVue
• Health Information

FVES Parent Handbook

We have a wonderfully diverse community at Flower Valley. Awareness of the many December celebrations and traditions can help us better understand more about the lives of those whose beliefs and practices may differ from our own. Please join us in celebrating and welcoming the rich, diverse cultures that make Flower Valley so special. If you would like to learn more about some of the holiday celebrations and traditions, enjoy the resources linked here and here.

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.

We are excited that FVES had the best attendance in the Rockville cluster for the month of October. Unfortunately, we saw a drop in attendance in November, so we are in second place in the Rockville cluster. Let's do our best to come to school every day! Attendance is a critical component of academic success. Of course, we completely understand when a Firefly needs to stay home due to illness.

Thank you to our PTA for letting us share information about the benefits of a growth mindset at the last PTA meeting. A special shout-out to Ms. Cheeks for facilitating this important learning experience for our families! The slides from the presentation are below.

Growth Mindset (English)

Growth Mindset (Spanish)

-December 12th from 11:00am-9:00pm is Dine and Support at Ledo Pizza (Leisure World location). Come enjoy some delicious food and have some of the proceeds go back to the PTA. Don’t forget to mention FVES PTA when ordering!

-Calling all Volunteers: Treasurer for the PTA wanted for 2024-2026. You do not need to be an accountant, but just may enjoy working with numbers. You will also have the opportunity to shadow and learn from our current treasurer, Brandy Menzel. If interested, please reach out Lydia Fleischmann at president@fvespta.org for additional information.

• 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.

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