Dear MVM Families,
It has been a wonderful return to school these past weeks. We’ve experienced a few highs and lows so far, but we continue to move in an exciting direction! Students are exploring their new roles as more senior members of the community, whether in a new classroom or returning to a familiar one, while our youngest and new students are learning the ropes with the expert care of their classmates and staff.
Here are some “highs” I’d like to share with you. Did you know we had 80 parents sign in at Back to School Night? That represents almost half of our MVM families! The energy was positive and lots of discussions about what to expect for the year and ways to be involved in supporting the school occurred. It was wonderful!
Middle School students have stepped up in their typical fashion to fill the ranks of Safety Patrol and to host the daily morning announcements. They also provided child care during Back to School Night. This service is offered as a way to defray the costs of their end of year trip and helps them to learn concretely about long-term planning. They model leadership and responsibility in these highly visible roles and help to set expectations for younger students.
All students have been practicing grace and courtesy in their classrooms. We have augmented this practice with our daily Words of Wisdom message, wellness announcements each Wednesday from our school counselor Ms. Green, and continued inclusion of social-emotional lessons and check-ins during class time. Please help your children to identify the many positive things that have occurred in their day as you debrief with them after school. There are many wonderful things happening here worth celebrating!
A few “lows” included malfunctioning air-conditioning during a high-temperature week which caused one of our classes to utilize alternate locations within the building. That issue has been resolved. Another low is that we are not yet fully staffed. Positions that remained unfilled as of now include a special education teacher, an upper elementary teacher, and a Spanish teacher. We continue to work diligently to find solutions for these gaps and appreciate any leads you may have to offer.
I will conclude by sharing our deep appreciation for the families who came to the school over the summer to care for our grounds. The sheer amount of work they accomplished in a short amount of time was amazing, and the result of course is a beautiful campus that the children enjoy every single day. Thank you for this!
It was a pleasure meeting so many of our families for Back to School night! This month we will begin our beginning of year DIBELS testing for our Kindergarten and Lower Elementary students. We are looking forward to seeing where they are currently and see how much they will grow over the year!
Attendance: Please provide a note if your child is not able to attend school. E-mail your student’s teacher as well as the MVMPCS Attendance email address MVMS.attendance@fcps.org so we can keep track of student absences.
PE
Reminders:
Student Service Learning and Safety Patrol
ART
MUSIC
USDA waivers that provided free meals to all students expired this year. FCPS Free And Reduced Meal applications are due by 9/29/2022. If your child benefits from free and reduced meals, you will need to reapply for benefits using the online application at www.fcpsnutrition.com.
Please note that some families have already been approved for free and reduced meals through Direct Certification. If you have already been approved, you would have received an email from FCPS CAFE.PREPAY. If you are unsure of your certification status, please call FCPS Food and Nutrition Services at 301-644-5061.
If you have questions or need help with the FARM online application, contact Cindy Green at 240-236-6123.
It was also a pleasure to see so many parents at our Back to School night. Also, I have enjoyed seeing the excitement of our students as they walk to class each morning. Students and teachers are busy creating and cultivating peaceful communities in their classrooms. Peace education aims to teach students important life and communication skills such as listening, problem solving, empathy, and tolerance. These skills will help our students to become active and responsible citizens that promote the values of peace. Want to know more, ask your child’s teacher about spaces and processes that their class has in place to promote peace or reach out to me with your questions at kimberly.cowles@fcps.org.
My name is Mary Koster and I am the User Support Specialist. I have the pleasure of supporting staff and students with the use and care of technology. I am an FCPS graduate, parent, and now employee. I graduated from Brunswick High School, and my three sons attend the Middletown feeder schools. I am looking forward to an exciting school year at MVMPCS!
http://education.fcps.org/mvmpcs/ 217 Dill Avenue Frederick, MD 21701 240-236-6100 Fax: 240-236-6101 Principal: Amy Dorman