MWES Newsletter
Fri, 09/09/2022 - 3:19pm
A Note From Our Administrators
Dear Manor Woods Community,
As we start back to school, we want to share with you the importance of attendance. As you know, if a child misses school, they miss a day of instruction. We realize children get sick and it is our expectation that you keep them home if they are sick or running a fever. We do, however, want to request that when you make appointments for your child, please do your very best to make those appointments after school or on days there is no school. Missing school and leaving early during the school day disrupts your child’s learning. So, we are asking you to do your best when it comes to your child’s attendance.
Below is an excerpt from an article that shares statistics about absenteeism. We hope you find it interesting and eye-opening.
- Absenteeism in the first month of school can predict poor attendance throughout the school year. Half the students who miss 2-4 days in September go on to miss nearly a month of school.
- Over 8 million U.S. students miss nearly a month of school each year.
- Absenteeism and its ill effects start early. One in 10 kindergarten and first grade students are chronically absent.
- Poor attendance can influence whether children read proficiently by the end of third grade.
- By 6th grade, chronic absence becomes a leading indicator that a student will drop out of high school.
- Research shows that missing 10 percent of the school, or about 18 days in most school districts, negatively affects a student’s academic performance. That’s just two days a month and that’s known as chronic absence.
- Students who live in communities with high levels of poverty are four times more likely to be chronically absent than others, often for reasons beyond their control, such as unstable housing, unreliable transportation and a lack of access to health care.
- When students improve their attendance rates, they improve their academic prospects and chances for graduating.
- Attendance improves when schools engage students and parents in positive ways and when schools provide mentors for chronically absent students.
If you would like more information pertaining to school attendance, please click on the following link for the full article.
https://www.attendanceworks.org/chronic-absence/the-problem/10-facts-about-school-attendance/
At Manor Woods, our Student Support Team uses data to collect information on tardies, absences, and early dismissals. It is important to us that your child is here on time and ready to learn each day!
Being able to provide our students with a healthy breakfast and lunch is a way we help our students succeed.
I want to take a moment to uplift an incredibly valuable program that all our families have the ability to access if eligible: the Free and Reduced-Price Meals (FARMs) program. It is important that eligible families enroll in the FARMs program. The application to check eligibility only takes a few minutes to complete but can make a world of difference for our students.
Families should visit www.hcpss.org/farms to learn more and apply online. Or they may contact the Office of Food and Nutrition Services at 410-313-7134 or their child’s school.
Kindly,
Carol DeBord, Principal
Jennifer Zinn, Assistant Principal
Important Dates
September
9/13/22 - PTA Restaurant Night at White Oak Tavern
9/16/22 - PTA BINGO Night at 6:00 p.m.
9/20/22 - PTA Meeting at 6:30 p.m
9/22/22 - School Pictures
9/26/22 - Schools and Offices
October
10/5/22 - Schools and Offices Closed
10/18/22 - PTA Meeting at 6:30 p.m.
10/21/22 - Schools Closed - Professional Work Day
10/24/22 - Schools Closed - Professional Learning Day
School News
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PLEASE COMPLETE YOUR STUDENT(S) FAMILY FILE Every year HCPSS parents must complete a Family File for each child. HCPSS utilizes Family File for parents/guardians to complete emergency information. Parents/guardians must verify and/or update information for each child, and can do so by logging in to HCPSS Connect PARENT ACCOUNT and selecting the MORE OPTIONS tab on the left and then clicking on Family File. Once logged in, you will be asked to update or provide the following information:
Once you have saved the information for the 2022-2023 school year and provided your electronic signature, your Family File will be updated. https://www.hcpss.org/f/connect/family-file-quick-guide.pdf FAMILY FILE USER GUIDE (ENGLISH) - https://www.hcpss.org/f/connect/family-file-user-instructions.pdf FAMILY FILE USER GUIDE (SPANISH) - https://www.hcpss.org/f/connect/family-file-user-instructions-spanish.pdf FAMILY FILE USER GUIDE (CHINESE) - FAMILY FILE USER GUIDE (KOREAN) - https://www.hcpss.org/f/connect/family-file-user-instructions-korean.pdf
School Meals 2022-2023 Families are reminded that the federal government has NOT extended waivers allowing free meals for all students. Consequently, for the 2022-2023 school year, students whose families do not qualify for free or reduced lunch will be required to pay the daily meal price: • Student Breakfast - $2.00 • Free/Reduced Breakfast $0 (Find out more about FARMS here) • Student Lunch - $2.80 • Free/Reduced Lunch - $0 (Find out more about FARMS here) • Milk only (1/2 pint) - $.50 Many HCPSS families are eligible to participate in the Free and Reduced Price Meals (FARMs) program, which provides children with a wide range of benefits including free or discounted college tuition, testing and application fees, academic and athletic program fees and many others in addition to free or discounted meals. Families are urged to check their eligibility and complete a FARMs application as soon as possible. Families must submit a new application every school year. Details on the Free and Reduced Meals program are available online. Use the link below to apply. FARMS Online Application Link https://www.myschoolapps.com/Home/PickDistrict Families may prepay with a credit card by setting up an online account at https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/getmain?requestAction=home, which also allows parents to view account activity and receive balance alerts. Menus are available on the HCPSS website through Nutrislice. |
MWES Reminder
Drop Off Time: 8:30 am, Late Bell Rings: 8:45 am, Dismissal: 3:15 pm
ABSENT NOTE:
When your child is absent, please send an email on the day your student returns to the following address:
Please send an email to the above address with your child's name, the date of absence and the reason for the absence. If a reason is not included, the absence will be considered unlawful. You may copy your child's teacher on the attendance email if you'd like.
We appreciate your help to ensure that our children are marked accurately on their attendance record.
Late Arrivals
If you arrive at 8:45 AM or after, you MUST park your car in the big parking lot, and walk your child to the building to sign in with a staff member. This is for the safety of your child.
Tardies are tracked on your student(s) report card.
School opens at 8:30 am. If your student isn't in their classroom by the late bell (8:45 am), he/she is considered late. You must accompany your child to and from the building each time your child has a late arrival.
Early Dismissals
Please bring your drivers license. If your student has an early dismissal, please make certain he/she is picked up before 3:00 pm to make certain you are out before our buses begin to arrive. Early dismissals cannot be conducted after 3:00 pm. If you arrive after 3:00pm, you will need to wait in the car loop line until our regular dismissal begins. It is best to alert your child(s) teacher and the front office regarding early dismissals ahead of time.
We would also like for you to provide a note each day your child has an after-school activity. This helps the teacher and your child remember the activity on a weekly basis.
Manor Woods Chorus accompanist needed!
We are in search of a parent volunteer that would be interested in accompanying our 4th and 5th Grade Choruses for our Winter and Spring concerts. If you are interested or have any questions, please email Ms. Rinaldi at cynthia_rinaldi@hcpss.org by September 20.
Thank you!
Mr. Dobson & Ms. Rinaldi
Chorus Directors
Save The Date For School Pictures
PTA News
Cub Scout Pack 333 – Please join us!
Is your son or daughter interested in becoming a Cub Scout? Here’s a great opportunity at the Pack 333 Meeting on Tuesday, September 20th at 6:30pm. Adult leaders will be there to answer questions and talk with you about the fun plans that are lined up for the year and have engaging activities planned for the scouts. No prior knowledge or skills required. Stop by Tuesday, September 20th at 6:30pm at St. James United Methodist Church at 12470 Old Frederick Road. Boys and girls K through 5th grade welcome! For more info, contact Becky Ciecka (bciecka@c-cured.com) or sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0C4EA8AD2FA6FA7-interested
JOIN THE PTA!
September 20th - First PTA Meeting
Help us kick off the new school year by joining the PTA! This is a great opportunity to be more involved in our school, hear from our administration and meet other Manor Woods families. Join now for early bird pricing of just $25. It's quick, easy and membership funds help to support our school! The PTA funds school-wide presentations, family fun events, teacher appreciation activities, and items needed by the teachers for their lessons and classrooms.
Join Today! The price goes up October 1st!
https://mwespta.com/membership/
Did you know the PTA has a Facebook group for our families to connect? Join here today!
PTA FACEBOOK PAGE
Did you know the PTA has a Facebook group to stay up to date on all things Manor Woods? Join here today!
RESTAURANT NIGHT NEXT TUESDAY - WHITE OAK TAVERN, SEPTEMBER 13TH
The PTA is excited to get Restaurant Nights back on the calendar! Restaurant Nights are a great fundraiser in which restaurants choose a date and agree to give us a small portion of their sales for that night. Our first Restaurant Night of the year will be held at . Eat in or carry out and 10% of your bill will be donated to our school by placing your receipt in the hostess stand basket! Join us at the White Oak Tavern (10030 Baltimore National Pike, Ellicott City) on Tuesday, September 13th from 11:30AM to 9:00PM. Please remember to be patient as wait times could be longer due to increased demand from our Mighty Ducks! Want to skip the wait? Call to make reservations or order your food online to be picked up at a certain time.
If you have suggestions or connections for our next Restaurant Night please contact Allie, Restaurant Night Committee Chair at mwesrestaurantnight@gmail.com.
BACK TO SCHOOL BINGO NIGHT - NEXT FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16TH
MWES PTA invites you to attend our kick-off school event -- Join Betty Bingo, Manny the Duck, and your fellow classmates for a fun, family night out next Friday, September16 at 6pm. Weather permitting, the event will take place under the outdoor pavilion and on the blacktop. Pizza and snowballs will be available for sale, so please bring cash for concessions! Registration for BINGO Night is required. Get signed up today! (insert link) Parents are required to stay with their children for the duration of the event. Parking space is limited so please carpool if possible to allow space for more families. We hope to see you there!
Registration link available here: https://mwespta.com
PTA MEETING - TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20TH
Help us kick off the new school year by joining us for our first PTA meeting of the year TUESDAY, September 20th! This is a great opportunity to learn more about the PTA, hear from our administration and meet other Manor Woods families. We will be voting in our new PTA Board members at this meeting as well. Per our bylaws, a quorum of 15 past PTA members will need to be present to vote in the 2022-2023 PTA board, so please stop by to help get the school year started! Hope to see you there!
DIVERSITY, EQUITY & INCLUSION (DEI) MEETING - SEPTEMBER 21ST
The DEI Parent Team would like to invite you to our first meeting of the year on Wednesday, September 21st at 6:30PM. It will be held virtually at the Zoom link below. "DEI is a space where people can come share, learn, and listen." The more voices, the better, so please join us! Please contact DEI Chair DD at demikajohnson@gmail.com for more information.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82979648012?pwd=cnZKdG1uUHZGVkFIeUhuSFFzdXY0QT09
Meeting ID: 829 7964 8012
Passcode: 937877
Mabel's Label's Fundraiser
Happy Back to School! Are you tired of all that new gear ending up in the lost and found?? And do you like supporting your kids' school and education, while ALSO getting something for yourself?? We are here to help solve that problem! Manor Woods PTA has partnered with Mabel's Labels, the best-known brand of durable labels for families - for every purchase, 20% goes back to the PTA! The labels are dishwasher (so label those lunch containers) and laundry safe (hoodies and coats!).
Follow this link https://mabelslabels.com/ and click "Support a Fundraiser" in the top right corner and search Manor Woods Elementary School PTA.
Community News & Events
HCPSS News
Families are encouraged to visit the HCPSS website for all your needs, including:
Students and families are reminded that, returning to pre-pandemic procedures, for the 2022-2023 school year students whose families do not qualify for free or reduced lunch will be required to pay the daily meal price. Eligible families are encouraged to apply for the Free and Reduced Meals program. Full details can be found online.
Wilde Lake Community Association
This is a free community event featuring face painting, bouncy houses, crafts, games, and lots of great music! The Wilde Lake Highschool's marching band will perform, along with several other student led bands. We'll also have a dance party with TK the DJ and delicious food for purchase.
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