Panda P.R.I.D.E.
Pride, Respect, Independence, Demonstrated Mastery, Excellence
Dates to Remember
Tuesday – Friday, 10/2-10/5-PTA Book Fair, Media Center, 10/2 – 3:30 - 4:30;
10/3 – 8:30 - 9:00 and 3:30 - 7:30; 10/4 – 8:00 - 9:00 and 3:30 - 4:30; 10/5 – 8:30 - 9:30
Tuesday, 10/2 – PTA Meeting, 6:30– 7:30 pm, Cafeteria
Wednesday, 10/3 – Individual Picture Day by Lifetouch
Wednesday, 10/ 3 – Family Literacy Night, 6:00 – 7:30 pm, Come and join the literacy fun and check out the Book Character Pumpkin Family Projects!
Friday, 10/5 – Mid-Term – Interims Issued; 2 Hour Early Dismissal for Students; Teacher Work Session
Tuesday, 10/9 – PTA Panda Pacer, Physical Education Class (Rain date: 10/15)
Thursday, 10/18 – Walk/Bike to School Day, Arrival and dismissal
Tuesday, 10/23 – Panda Coffee Chat, 9:15 – 10:30, Media Center
Friday, 11/2 – End of Term I; Classroom Fall Parties – TBA
Monday, 11/5 – School Closed for Students; Teacher Work Day
Tuesday, 11/6 – School Closed – Election Day
Wednesday, 11/7 – School Opens 4 Hours Late; Evening Conferences
Thursday, 11/8 – School Opens 4 Hours Late; Evening Conferences
Friday, 11/9 – School Dismisses 3.5 Hours Early; Afternoon Conferences
Count Me In!
Parkway’s attendance rate for the 2017-2018 school year was 95.8%, just short of the goal for excellent which was 96%. Our attendance program, Count Me In! aims to teach students the importance life skills that include good attendance habits including arriving to school on time and reporting absences with a note of explanation. Classes that receive 98% attendance each month will receive a monthly in-school incentive. PES staff will serve as attendance mentors and be matched with students who may need support in maintaining or improving their school attendance. If your child is having difficulty attending school, please contact our school counselor, Mary.Roberts@fcps.org. for support and assistance. Be sure to check out our monthly attendance percentages on the Count Me In! Bulletin Board at the Front Entrance.
Family Literacy Night - October 3, 2018
We hope you are planning to attend our Family Literacy Night on Wednesday, October 3rd from 6:00 – 7:30 pm. Stop by the following stations for literacy family fun: Wags for Hope, Cozy Up with a Good Book, Exploring with e-Books, Play Literacy Board Games and attend the “Book Tasting" and Mystery Fun stations. Be sure to vote for your family’s favorite Book Character Pumpkin. Details were previously shared. Looking forward to seeing you and your family on October 3rd!
PARKWAY READS
Join PARKWAY READS, our continuing reading initiative for all students. As recommended through Parkway's modified homework guidelines, we encourage all students to read nightly with their families. Use the monthly calendars provided to record the number of minutes your child reads each month and then return the calendar to school so your child’s minutes will be counted toward the total number of minutes read at Parkway. Monthly goals will be established and communicated later. Check out the back of the calendar for thought provoking discussion questions to promote increased student comprehension. October calendars are due November 1 and/or November 2. Students will report to the Media Center between 8:30 and 8:55 am to turn in their calendars. Happy Reading! Contact: Alicia Krauss, Literacy Specialist.
Bring Your Own Device (BYOD)
Students in grades three, four and five will be permitted to bring their own technological devices to school for use during instruction according to county policy and school regulations. Information about this program and the forms required can be found at https://education.fcps.org/pes/node/658. In order to help ensure the safety of the program, the device(s) your child is permitted to bring to school must be registered prior to its use at school. Students must register their device in the computer lab between 8:35 – 8:55 beginning Tuesday, October 9th. If you have any questions please contact tracey.webb@fcps.org or erin.clagett@fcps.org. All students will have access to Chromebooks in their classrooms this year as we continue to pursue our dream of becoming a 1:1 environment. These are assigned to the classrooms and in addition, teachers will have the opportunity to continue to checkout other Chromebooks for student use. Thanks again for your continued support in purchasing technology for our students .
Extended Learning Opportunities
PES, in collaboration with our PTA, will once again be providing several extended learning opportunities for our students. Due to the change in our school hours most of these have been scheduled before school.
PES Chorus for Students in grades 3- 5 under the direction of Mr. Adam Corpora, Fridays through Dec.7, 2018, Music Room, 8:00 - 8:45 am
Chess Club, Wednesdays through Dec.5, 2018 sponsored by Chess Wizards Instructor: Will Davenport, Stage, 8:00 – 8:55 am PTA Parent Contact: Shawn Day
Clever 20 After School Club sponsored by the Fredericktown Rotary under the direction of the coordinator Karen Bradley - is held on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. 3:30 – 4:30 pm in the Art Room and Computer Lab, additional staff mentors are Karen Osborne, Shakima Richards and Tracey Webb
ELO Math for students in grades 4 and 5 under the direction of Mr. Lepeonka and Mrs. Skroupa, Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 2 – Dec. 12, 7:30 – 8:30 am; Portable 2 and Room 1
Competition Math Club (Math League) for students in grade 5 under the direction of Mr. Lepeonka, Monday, Oct. 1 through Feb., 7:30 – 8:30 am; Portable 2
Thanks for your support in allowing your child to participate in these extended learning opportunities.
We are also in the process of selecting students who will be participating in the Junior Great Books Program (JGB) and will be notifying parents shortly. We will also be identifying students who are eligible for highly able plans so these can be shared with parents during our fall conferences. If you have questions about these programs please contact Erin.Clagett@fcps.org and Elaina.Moore@fcps.org
Sign-up Genius for Fall Conferences
Again this year, you will have the opportunity to sign up for your child’s fall conference using the online program called Sign-up Genius. It’s easy and simple and will provide you opportunities to coordinate conferences for your children with other family events from the comfort of your home or office. Evening conferences will be held on Wednesday, November 7 and Thursday, November 8 and afternoon conferences will be held on Friday, November 9. Conferences will be scheduled for 20 minutes to accommodate our families’ needs. Parents will have access to Sign-up Genius beginning October 8 and ending October 26 according to your child’s homeroom teacher. Additional parent information will be sent home shortly and will be available on our school website. If you need additional information, please feel free to contact Tracey.Webb@fcps.org
Walk/Bike to School
Thursday, October 18, 2018 will be the annual Walk/Bike to School Day at Parkway. Students will be encouraged to walk or bike to school and will be recognized for participating in our event. The classroom with the highest participation rate will be receiving the “Golden Bike Award” and all students will receive a Cliff Kid bar at the end of the day. Let’s go Pandas! This is an excellent opportunity for you and your family to review pedestrian safety and to determine the safest route for your child to either walk or bike to school. Students should always use sidewalks and crosswalks in order to be safe. A special thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Mark again for planning this PES traditional event.
Volunteering at PES
Kudos to those of you who attended either of the Volunteer Orientation trainings that were offered in September. We appreciate your attendance and welcome you again in your volunteer role. Please feel free to contact us if you have not received a request from a teacher so we can reach out to you. Our volunteer coordinators are Karen Osborne, PES staff and Becky Falibota with the PES PTA. We look forward to having you here at PES! The volunteer training information and forms are available on our website. Just as a reminder in order to chaperon field trips, you must complete the required training. Be sure to mark your calendar when you receive the date for our Volunteer Appreciation in the spring so we can celebrate you!
Yearbooks Now On Sale
If you would like to purchase a yearbook for your child the link to will be coming soon in a Find out First to families and on our Parkway website. Look for order forms coming home soon with your child. If you have any questions please contact Ms. Clagett at erin.clagett@fcps.org. Opportunities to purchase yearbooks will also be available during family involvement events.
Pre-Sale: Oct. 2 until Dec. 21 - $20.00 per book
Second Sale: Jan. 2 – Mar.29 - $23.00 per book
Reminders:
Be sure to bring your ID when you are planning to come to school to visit with your child beyond the Front Office. You will be asked to scan your identification in order for our new system to print you an official visitor’s sticker. Please be sure to wear your visitor’s sticker so it is visible to staff at all times.
Thanks for your support in following our arrival and dismissal procedures. We truly appreciate everyone’s attention to student safety during these critical times.
Students should not arrive to school before 8:30 am unless they are involved in a school or PTA sponsored before school activity or with an adult. PES staff supervision will begin at 8:30 daily.
Instruction begins promptly at 9:00 am. If your child is eating breakfast, he or she should arrive to school at 8:30 to eat and go to class before the 8:55 bell rings. Students arriving to school after 8:55 will need to be escorted to the Front Office by an adult.
The school store will be open on Thursdays from 8:30 – 8:50 am under the direction of Mrs. Ann Duffy.
Continue to encourage your child to follow school rules (Respect Yourself, Respect Others and Respect Property) in order to be his/her BEST SELF each and every day.
Pursue Dreams. Endure Challenges. Succeed Together.
http://education.fcps.org/pes http://twitter.com/PESPandas
300 Carroll Parkway Frederick, MD 21701 240-236-2600 Phone 240-236-2601 Fax