Week at a Glance
This is a RED week. (Grade 3-5) / September 26 - September 30
Monday
9/26/16 / Project ACES Starts Today – Keep Active!
Johnny Appleseed Day
Tuesday
9/27/16 / Crush a Can Day (Please crush a can at home with parental supervision.)
Wednesday
9/28/16 / National Good Neighbor Day
Thursday
9/29/16 / Interim grade reports posted or distributed Today
Friday
9/30/16 / FUN Run Today during Specials!
Project ACES
MES will participate in Project ACES again this year. Project ACES (All Children Excel in School) will take place from Monday, September 26 to Sunday, October 9. Project ACES encourages all children to be physically active through individual, school and family activities. Physical activity strengthens the heart, lungs and muscles and gives you more energy!
Think about 5 to 2 to 1 to None
5 – Strive for 5 or more servings of fruit and vegetables every day.
2 – Spend less than 2 hours in front of a computer or TV screen.
1 – Be active for at least 1 hour every day.
NONE – No soda, drink water.
Physical activity makes you more alert and ready to learn! Here is a list of physical activities to try.
Tag, Tennis, Roller Blading, Yoga, Baseball, Hopscotch, Karate, Playing Catch, P.E. Class, Biking, Raking Leaves, Basketball, Kick Ball, Gymnastics, Walking, Active Recess, Jumping Rope, Soccer
Permission to Photograph, Videotape or Audiotape
The Carroll County Public School System frequently covers school activities and may use your child’s photograph, video image, or voice for educational, informational, or public relations purposes, with or without identification by name. If you do not wish to have your child’s voice reproduced on tape or have his or her image appear in such things as a video, a photograph, or the school website, please indicate your preference on the “Parent Sign-off Sheet”. This sheet is sent electronically during the month of September. The sheet is due September 30.
It is assumed that parents and guardians consent to their children being audiotaped, photographed, videotaped, having their image placed on the school website or school yearbook by the school system unless such notification is received. There are also occasions when the media cover certain school events. If you do not wish to have your child’s name or likeness published by the media, you should address your concerns directly to the school involved so that the media is so advised. Please be advised that the school system has no control over the media when they are covering activities such as sporting events and musical programs that are open to the public.
News from the Health Room
Every student must have an emergency card on file in the office. It is important that the card be filled out and returned to school as soon as possible. Please inform the school immediately in writing in the event of changes, i.e. phone number, place of employment, day care. We must be able to reach authorized person at all times.
If you have not returned your child’s emergency card, please return it to school as soon as possible. Thank you!
Forms will be coming home today regarding the Injectable Flu Vaccine Clinic being held here at school in November.
If you are interested, please complete the forms and return them no later than September 30th. Late forms will not be accepted.
School Counselor News
The Maryland School Counselor Association (MSCA) is currently accepting nominations for Maryland School Counselor of the Year.
Nominations may be submitted online at http://www.mscaonline.org/?page_id+2534. The nomination deadline for the 2016-17 school year is September 30, 2016.
Nominees must then complete the application process to be considered. Applicants must:
· Demonstrate evidence of implementation of a comprehensive, data-driven school counseling program (such as the ASCA National Model) and have been responsible for school counseling innovations or further development of programs supporting students’ career, personal/social and academic development.
· Demonstrate leadership and collaboration in his or her work and promote equity and access to opportunities and rigorous educational experiences for all students to maximize student achievement. Applicants must also demonstrate collaboration with stakeholders.
· Demonstrate continual professional development as well as proof of advocacy for the profession and/or students.
· Have the ability and skills necessary to represent school counseling in a professional manner, including but not limited to high-quality written communication and public-speaking skills.
The Maryland School Counselor of the Year Award will be presented at the third annual School Counseling Week School Counselor Recognition Gala on Friday, February 3, 2017.
BOX TOPS for EDUCATION
There are over 2,500 products that have Box Tops on them – everything from food to trash bags to binders to Ziploc bags and more! Go to Boxtops4education.com for more information.
Each Box Top equals 10 cents! MES receives a check twice a year which Mr. Messier uses to buy technology and other teaching tools to better help our students.
Bonus coupons EXPIRE – If you are saving your Box Tops for the end of the year please check out the expiration date for the Bonus ones and turn them in before they expire.
Box Top Challenge
Each month we will have a Box Top Challenge. The class in each grade that turns in the most Box Tops during that month’s contest will receive a CARE ticket for each child. Make sure the teacher’s name appears on the envelope or baggie. Starting in February you need to have your child’s name on the envelope or baggie to be included in the individual contest.
Prizes
September
Small Toy
October/November and December/January
Students pick an indoor recess game.
February/March
Each student in the winning class will receive $2 of Mardi Gras tickets while one winner will receive $5 of tickets. To be eligible for the $5 prize you must turn in at least 10 Box Tops. The more you turn in the more times your child’s name will be placed in the drawing. The student’s name has to be on the baggie/envelope to be in the drawing.
April/May
Each student in the winning class will receive a CARE ticket while one winner will receive a wristband certificate for the Gamber & Community Fire Company Carnival. To be eligible for the wristband certificate you must turn in at least 20 Box Tops. The more you turn in the more times your child’s name will be placed in the drawing. The student’s name has to be on the baggie/envelope to be in the drawing for the wristband certificate.
There will be an end of year reward for the class who turned in the most Box Tops for year in their grade. There is also a reward for the most Box Tops submitted schoolwide.
LABELS FOR EDUCATION
Our school collects labels for education as well. However, we Do NOT have a contest. Labels for Education will stop their program in June of this year. We would like to collect as many as possibly by February so we can order items from their catalog. Last year we ordered playground balls and jump ropes. Labels for Education are found on Pepperidge Farms products (It does not say Labels for Education anymore.), Campbell’s Soup, V8, Swanson, Pace, and SpaghettiO’s. The company is taking the Labels logo off the products. Collect as many as you can!
If you have any questions about Box Tops for Education or Labels for Education please contact Colleen Kelly at .
Appropriate Dress for School
Purpose: To create a respectful, healthy and safe environment with grooming and clothing that is clean, appropriate, decent and not disruptive to the educational process during the school day. Expectations for students, staff and volunteers include, but are not limited to:
· Hats, bandanas, other head coverings should only be worn on special days
(Spirit Day, etc.)
· Sunglasses should not be worn unless required for medical reasons
· Short shorts, bare midriffs, ragged or torn clothing, clothing that exposes bare skin between the upper chest and mid-thigh or creates a significant distraction, beach wear, clothing that advertises drugs, alcohol, tobacco, gang symbols, weapons, sexual activity, etc. are not acceptable.
· Pants and shorts should fit snugly around the waist, and for safety reasons, pants should not touch the ground.
· Students need to wear appropriate dress on physical education days – sneakers, comfortable clothing that allows safe movement.
· Students are not permitted to wear flip-flops. All shoes must be fastened with shoe laces or Velcro. Students who wear inappropriate footwear to school will not be allowed to participate in recess or PE.
Media Center News
Battle of the Books
On Tuesday all 4th and 5th grade students attended our Battle of the Books kickoff. Battle of the Books is a partnership between the Carroll County Public Library and Carroll County Public Schools. Students form teams to read books and compete against teams from other elementary schools. All interested students should return their permission slips to the media center by October 7th. More information about the Battle of the Books program can be found on the Carroll County Public Library website at http://library.carr.org/programs/BOB.aspadditional permission slips can be picked up in the media center.
Ebooks
All MES students can access our ebooks at home! Ebooks can be read on any computer or devise with internet access at the following website https://destiny.carrollk12.org/ Begin by selecting our school from the list of elementary schools. Then, depending on your devise, either click the see all button in the ebooks box or do a search for ebooks and select see all in the digital resources box. Most books do not require students to log in to read them (a few of the novels do). If you are prompted for a log in after selecting the book, students can use the username and password found in the front of their agenda.
Happy Reading- Mrs. Goldsmith
School Food Drive
In cooperation with the Maryland Food Bank, Mechanicsville Elementary School will be holding a food drive from October 4 – October 28. You will soon see a shopping cart appear in the front lobby and near the first grade classrooms. The most needed items include peanut butter, rice, macaroni and cheese, tuna fish, canned vegetables, and cereal. Please only donate non-perishable items. Students will place donations in the shopping cart on the way into the building. We will weigh our donations each day. The state of will award monetary prizes for the schools with the most donations by weight. All donated food will go to a food pantry in our area. In Maryland, one of the wealthiest states in the nation, 1 in 5 children struggle with food insecurity. In Carroll County, 7,380 children are Food-Insecure according to 2015 data provided by Feeding America, Map the Meal Gap 2015. Thank you in advance for any donations that you can provide. Your generosity is appreciated.
Middle School NEWS
Westminster West Middle School
Vendor Event Fundraiser
Supported and Hosted by our PTA
When: October 14th, 2016
Where: West Middle School- Cafeteria and Gym
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
What: Shopping, Raffles, and Snacks
Why: To raise money for Educational Resources
The list of vendors continues to grow…but to name a few…
· LulaRoe
· PartyLite
· Perfectly Posh
· Initials Inc.
· Thirty-One
· Scentsy
· ViVI Jewelry
· Premier Design Jewelry
· Plexus
· Terra Essential Oils
· Rodan and Fields