Pleasant Plains Elementary School Newsletter Page 1 of 6

Pleasant Plains Elementary School Newsletter Page 1 of 6

Dear Pleasant Plains Families,

It is very hard to believe that we are into the last couple weeks of the school year. It has gone very quickly and has been an incredible year! The final weeks are always busy ones for students at PPES as the children experience many exciting and engaging activities that extend into learning opportunities. We hope that you are able to join us for some of our end of school events.

Last Day of School

Classes will dismiss three hours early in grades K-5 on Monday, June 12th, and on Tuesday, June 13th. June 13thwill be the last day of classes for our K-5 students. The final day for students in the Pre-kindergarten program will be Friday, June 9thdue to bus transportation.

Fifth Grade Farewell

The Fifth Grade Farewell Assembly will take place on Tuesday, June 6th at Parkville High School from 6:00-7:45 pm. Please adhere to parking signs identifying the fire lane and handicapped parking. Fire lanes must be kept clear. Vehicles parked in the designated handicapped parking spaces must display an appropriate license plate and/or placard. Baltimore County Police will ticket illegally parked vehicles.

Staffing Changes

Congratulations and best wishes to Library Media Specialist, Mrs. Nancy Drussell, as she will be retiring after 40 years here at Pleasant Plains Elementary!

Also, congratulations and best wishes to Ms. Caitlin Vockroth, Mrs. Katie Hess, and Ms. Kristin Augenthaler who will be leaving us to take on other roles within BCPS. Wishing you all the very best! You will be missed!

Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten Registration

Pleasant Plains Elementary has held pre-kindergarten and kindergarten registration. Families who were unable to register during those scheduled times are urged to contact Mrs. Hamlett or Mr. Planter at 410-887-3549 to arrange a time to complete the enrollment process.

Will Your Child Return to Pleasant Plains Elementary Next Year???

If your child will be entering grades 1-5 next year and will not be returning to Pleasant Plains Elementary, please contact Mrs. Hamlett or Mr. Planter in the office at 410-887-3549 as soon as possible. Paperwork will need to be completed before the last day of school.

Summer Office Hours

The office will be open for business over the summer between the hours of 8:30-11:00am and 1:00-3:30pm. Please note that due to the construction with air conditioning, the office will be located in the relocatableadjacent to the parking lot.

If you have questions or would like to turn in registration paperwork, contact us at 410-887-3549. The office will be closed for the move to the relocatable on Friday, June 16th.The office will also be closed for the holiday on Tuesday, July 4th and for the Administrative and Supervisory Meeting on Monday, August 21st.

We here at Pleasant Plains Elementary School wish everyone a wonderful and safe summer! Schools reopen for students on Tuesday, September 5, 2017.

Sincerely, Mrs. Albert and Mrs. Looney

Science Fair

We would like to congratulate all of our Science Fair participants on a job well done!!! The Baltimore County Science Fair was a spectacular display of the energy and scientific thinking being done by some of our young scientists. Congratulations to our winners:

3rdGrade Safe Racer Winners: Alex Lucas, Malia Parker, and Jennifer Villalta. They won an Honorable Mention award at the Baltimore County Safe Racer event, in addition to 1st place here at PPES.

4thGrade STEM Fair Winners:Marlea Parr, Amira Stringer, & Giselle Chavez-Hernandez. This group won first place at PPES, went to the BCPS STEM Fair, and earned a 2ndplace ribbon!

5thGrade STEM Fair Winners: Chris Bright, Tori Kerr, Braeden Kavanagh, & Osiris Gutierrez-Fuentes. This group won first place at PPES, went to the BCPS STEM Fair, and also earned a 2nd place ribbon!

Great job! We are so proud to have our students recognized for award winning projects at the county level.

Thanks for Your Support

We would like to thank the following businesses for their support during the 2016-2017 school year:

Giant FoodSafewayChick-Fil-AGino’s Burgers & Chicken

Glauber’sRemo’sBertucci’sMECU

Friendly’sRed RobinApplebee’sThe Bowman

Papa John’sCorner Bakery CaféPat’s Pizza7-11

AMF BowlingToscana’s Italian DeliChina DelightJ Florist

Monster Mini GolfCheezy’s Pizza McGraw HillKiwanisClub of Loch Raven

Valley View FarmsQuiznosWeis MarketsGreetings and Readings

First Lutheran Church of TowsonFirst and St. Stephen’s United Church

Introducing Our Panther Express!

We are so excited to begin a new initiative, “Pleasant Plains Paws for Education,” which we are confident will benefit our community! The “Panther Express” vehicles full of goodies will make monthly stops throughout the community to give out free books, mathematics games, and other surprises to our students and their families. Please come out to one of our 4 neighborhood locations on June 7th and again on July 19th for free materials and time to hang out with some of your favorite teachers and staff members. What a great way to kick off the summer and continue learning outside of our school building!

June 7, 2017 5:00-5:30pm

-Acorn Circle

-Loch Raven RecreationCenter at 1801 Glen Keith Blvd.

June 7, 2017 5:45-6:15pm

-Lowe’s parking lot on Taylor Ave.

-Playground at Putty Hill Ave. at NorthviewRd. and Edgedale Rd.

July 19, 2017 5:00-5:30pm

-Acorn Circle

-Loch Raven Recreation Center at 1801 Glen Keith Blvd.

July 19, 2017 5:45-6:15pm

-Lowe’s parking lot on Taylor Ave.

-Playground at Putty Hill Ave. at NorthviewRd. and Edgedale Rd.

Parent Access to BCPS One

Effective July 1st, parent access to BCPS One must correspond with the e-mail address on file with the Pleasant Plains office. Additional information about updating your email address with the school will be provided by BCPS at a later date.

Summer Learning Fun at BCPL

Wondering how to support your child’s learning over the summer? BCPS Parent University is partnering with Baltimore County Public Library to share tips, resources, reading recommendations and everyday activities to support learning at home, transitioning to middle school and more!Families are invited to attend the BCPS Parent University Parent Expo at the Rosedale library branch on June 8th at 5:30 pm.

Families are also invited to attend the Summer @ Your Library Kickoff Party at the Loch Raven branch on June 25th from 2:00-5:00 pm. Join Sneaks for life-size board games, crafts, LEGOs, and more!

Be sure to register for theSummer @ Your Library program (formerly the Summer Reading Club)at the Baltimore County Public Library. The program focuses on keeping students’ minds active and engaged during the summer break.

Water Safety

Water safety is a year round topic that we’d like to draw special attention to as summer approaches. Drowning is a serious topic and not a very pleasant topic to think about, but we must. Drowning is preventable. Talk to your children about the importance of water safety.

Never leave your children unattended around water. We know it sounds strict and harsh, but there is no room for compromise. Babies can drown in as little as one inch of water.
Please put your cell phone away, forget about the other things you need to do, and give your children 100% of your attention when they are near or around water.
If your child is invited to a swim party, ask about the lifeguards and parental involvement.

Stay Informed

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¡Saludosdesde la clase de español!Junio 2017

It is hard to believe that it is already the end of the school year. As I reflect on the past school year, I am amazed by the progress that the fourth and fifth grade students have made with their ability to communicate in Spanish. Not only can they speak in Spanish, but they are starting to read the language, interpret what they hear, and write as well! ¡Esincreíble! In fourth grade, the students explored information about themselves and their communities. They learned how to describe their own personal biographical information, discuss their preferences and hold informal conversations. In fifth grade, the students explored information about themselves, their homes and their school. They learned how to add details to conversations, how to acquire a language through authentic Spanish materials, and how to use their imaginations in a new language. It has been incredible to see all the students expressing themselves in Spanish, and I cannot wait to see what the future brings from them!

¡Todosadelante! Moving forward together!

Señorita Reier

Pleasant Plains Elementary School Newsletter April 2017, Page 1 of 5

Ey on Sports

Thank you to everyone for their support of physical education here at Pleasant Plains. We had a wonderful year and saw our students grow and develop their skills! We hope everyone has a safe and relaxing summer. Do not forget to continue being active for 60 minutes every day! We will see everyone in September!

Steve Ey, & Lamont Smith,

Pleasant Plains Elementary School Newsletter Page 1 of 6

It’s Time to Celebrate!

To celebrate the end of the school year, each grade level will be celebrating with a picnic! Parent are welcome to join and are encouraged to look for more details from their child’s teacher.

Kindergarten will celebrate at Splash Day on Friday, June 9th at 9:00 am

First Grade will celebrate on Thursday, June 8th at 1:30 pm

Second Grade will celebrate on Thursday, June 8th at 12:00 pm

Third Grade will celebrate on Wednesday, June 7th at 12:30 pm

Fourth Grade will celebrate on Friday, June 9th at 12:00 pm

Fifth Grade will celebrate at Meadowood Park on Thursday, June 8th

Parents are invited to chaperone the 5th grade trip, please communicate with your child’s teacher

Early Entry Day for 6th Graders

On Wednesday, August 30th, BCPS will host a half-day “Early Entry Day" for rising 6th Grade students. Students will visit their classrooms following their class schedule, have a complimentary lunch in the cafeteria, practice opening their lockers, tour the school building, meet teachers and school counselors, and learn about extracurricular activities. Transportation will be provided for those students who will take buses to middle school.

Pleasant Plains Actively Engaged In Learning

Pleasant Plains was on the move and actively engaged in learning during the 2016-2017 school year. Over thirty field trips exposed students to authentic learning out from the confines of the building.

Throughout the year students were engaged in the arts by attending the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra STEAM concerts of the Snowman, Heroes and Villains, and Beethoven’s Nifty Numbers. All students traveled to the Walters for the programs “Animals in Art" or "Telling Stories in Art." The Walters Art Museum provided outreach at the school for all the programs in order to prepare the students for the art integration visits.

Students traveled to the Fire Museum of Maryland to tour the Museum and to participate in an electricity lab in which they had the hands-on opportunity of making a telegraph key that they were able to keep. Students visited the Maryland Agriculture Resource Center in Cockeysville to learn about grains and where their food comes from. It was a "Yummy Trip" as all became chefs to make a healthy pizza treat. The Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine was visited in the fall and followed up with some classes sailing with the Living Classrooms Foundation to further learn about the War of 1812.

Environmental education flourished as students visited the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center for outdoor education learning stations as they became stewards for the environment. Cylburn Nature Center was another field trip offered toour students. During this trip students worked with experts in the field from the John's Hopkins Livable Futures program as they learned about water quality and aquaponics. Habitats came alive at Cromwell Valley Park lead by Ranger Kirk at the Willow Grove Nature Center. Pleasant Plains is definitely "Going Green" as students had the opportunity to travel to Sandy Point State Park for the Maryland Association of Environmental and Outdoor Education Environmental Youth Summit.

Exposure to various BCPS magnet programs took place during the school year. The Patapsco High campus was visited in order to attend a theater performance in the Patapsco Black Box Theater. Gel Electrophoresis in the elementary school!! That is correct!! Those students in the internship/mentorship program with Randallstown High traveled multiple times to the Institute of Marine and Environmental Technology in order to partake in the lab entitled “Mystery of the Crooked Cell." They had the higher level experience of using gel electrophoresis.

Pleasant Plains has students on the cutting edge of technology as students visited the Library at University of Maryland for a 3-D printing Lab. A Financial Literacy trip will occur in June as students will travel to the Owings Mill site of Junior Achievement to participate in Biz Town.

Along with the field experiences that took place out from the school Pleasant Plains was visited throughout the year by experts in the field. Students interacted with John's Hopkins Neuroscience students, BCPS teacher naturalists and dance integration instructors, Department of Natural Resource personnel, the Walters Outreach program, the Maryland Science Center, American Chemical Society, Towson University Bio-Science and Education Outreach program, Goucher College, and others.

Whole school assemblies presented by The Maryland Science Center, Patapsco High Show Choir, and the BCPS Honors- Dance Ensemble enriched the academic program. The Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation Ag Lab visited Pleasant Plains for a week in the fall as all students visited the Ag Lab for Aquatics Education Endeavors. It was a dynamic year at Pleasant Plains full of enriching opportunities making learning come alive for all. A thank you goes out to the following organizations who were funders of these initiatives:

Huether-McClelland FoundationMaryland Agricultural Education Foundation

Farm BureauMECU

Chesapeake Bay TrustLiving Classrooms Foundation

Department of Natural ResourcesWalters Art Museum

Fire Museum of MarylandFriends of Fort McHenry

Maryland Science Center

It was a Stellar Year!

Ms. Peeling