Ms. Hartman's Newsletter

September was a month of building connections, strengthening relationships, and getting to know one another as a DCES TEAM. As we move into October, we will continue that work with a focus on kindness, belonging, and supporting one another.

At Deer Crossing, our students are at the heart of everything we do. We want every child to feel known, valued, safe, and capable and to know that the adults around them are working together to help them learn, grow, and succeed.

Throughout October, we will continue building a culture where kindness is taught, practiced, and celebrated. Students will participate in an anti-bullying Word of the Day throughout the month as we explore ways to include others, stand up for one another, and build a stronger sense of belonging and trust.

October also provides opportunities to celebrate and learn about National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). We will help students recognize that every person has unique strengths, talents, and possibilities to contribute. Through our focus on inclusion, accessibility, and belonging, we want students to understand that disability does not define what a person can accomplish and that every voice and every contribution matters.

As we continue through the school year, we are grateful for the many ways our DCES families and staff support our students. We will continue to focus on what matters most: our students, their success, and creating a school community where everyone belongs.

Destinie Hartman

Principal

Deer Crossing Elementary School

Monday, October 5th-Friday, October, 9th: School Safety Week, each day we will have an area of focus to consistently practice.

Friday, October 16-Schools Closed (Professional Learning Day)

Monday, October 26-Teacher Work Day

Wednesday, October 28: ES Teacher Conference: 4hr Late Arrival (12:30pm-3:30) *Conferences after students leave

Thursday, October 29: ES Teacher Conference: 4hr Late Arrival (12:30pm-3:30pm)*Conference after students leave

Friday, October 30: ES Teacher Conference: 3.5 hr. Early Dismissal (8:30am-12:30pm)

Deer Crossing Elementary School is publishing a free Classroom Directory to help cultivate our school community. This directory is intended solely for the personal use of families, students, and staff to facilitate communications, social interactions, building your community channels and relationships outside of school. This Classroom Directory will be organized by classroom teachers.
Please complete this form by October 16th.
The directory will be available by the end of October.
By signing below, you authorize Deer Crossing Elementary School to include the following information provided by you in the classroom directory. All information fields that are optional allows you to choose the information you feel comfortable sharing. Any field left blank will be blank in the directory.
If you choose to complete this form or choose to not complete this form, you will still have access to the Directory for your student(s) classroom. If your student has two classroom teachers or have children in different classrooms, you will receive the Directory for each classroom.

National Bullying & Prevention Awareness:

DCES will be focusing on being kind and ways in which we support one another to help continue building a sense of belonging and trust.

National Disability Awareness:

Celebrating National Disability Employment Awareness Month

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), a time to recognize and celebrate the many contributions people with disabilities make in our schools, communities, and workplaces.

NDEAM began in 1945 as a weeklong observance recognizing the contributions of people with physical disabilities. Over time, it grew to recognize the importance of creating meaningful employment opportunities for people with all types of disabilities, including disabilities that may not always be visible to others.

At Deer Crossing, we believe every child has strengths, talents, and possibilities to contribute. NDEAM gives us an opportunity to help our students understand that disability does not define what a person can accomplish. It also reminds us of the importance of inclusion, belonging, accessibility, and recognizing the strengths each person brings to our community.

As we celebrate throughout October, we encourage families to talk with their children about the different ways people contribute to their families, schools, communities, and future workplaces. Helping children recognize and appreciate individual strengths is one small way we can continue building a community where everyone is known, valued, and capable.

Frederick County Public Schools is committed to helping every student become a successful reader. In October 2024, the Maryland State Board of Education adopted the Maryland Comprehensive PreK–3 Literacy Policy, which requires schools to provide families with clear information about their child’s reading development and any additional support they may need.

As part of this process, students in Kindergarten through Grade 3 will participate in the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBELS) reading screener at the beginning, middle, and end of the school year. These literacy screenings help teachers understand how students are progressing in reading and identify students who may benefit from additional support.

K-3 Families Please click on the link. You will also receive a hard copy in your Thursday folder.

October is a wonderful time to focus on empathy, kindness, respect, and inclusion. During October, students will be learning how to recognize the feelings of others, respond with kindness, and help create a school community where everyone feels safe and included.

During the month, students will continue to learn about the importance of treating others with kindness and respect. We will discuss the difference between conflict, unkind behavior, and bullying.

In October we recognize national bullying prevention month. We believe that students have the right to feel safe and respected at school. Please encourage your child to go to a trusted adult if someone is bullying them at school. The definition of bullying according to FCPS regulation 400-48 is “unwanted, demeaning behavior among students that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or is highly likely to be repeated, over time.”

To meet the definition of bullying the behavior must:

1. Be intentional

2. Be an imbalance of power

3. Repetition (repeated behavior)

For Bullying Prevention Month we will also learn more about being upstanders students who help make a positive difference. Being an upstander can include inviting someone to join a game, offering support, getting an adult for help, or using a calm and respectful voice to say that unkind behavior is not okay.

Families can help strengthen upstander skills by practicing what to do when someone is being unkind.
Role-play simple responses such as:

• “Please stop. I don't like that.”

• “That's not kind.”

• “I'm going to get an adult to help.”

• “Are you okay?”

Encourage your child to tell an adult.
Remind your child that asking an adult for help is not tattling when someone is being hurt, excluded, or repeatedly treated unkindly.

Take note of our October National Bullying Prevention Month Calendar and discuss key terms with your child. Also please note we will have a spirit week the week of October 19th!

If you feel that your child is being bullied please contact your child’s teacher for guidance or connect with the school counselors

Mrs. Mitchell, primary school counselor (grades PreK-2) at stacey.mitchell@fcps.org

Mrs. Michael, intermediate school counselor (grades 3-5) at deena.michael@fcps.org

Thank you for your interest in volunteering with Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS)! Family and community volunteers play an important role in supporting student success and strengthening our school communities.

Get Started:

FCPS has launched a new, streamlined volunteer registration process that combines the required volunteer training and application into one convenient online experience.

Before You Begin

Please review the following important information before starting your application:

• The required volunteer training video must be viewed in its entirety before the application becomes available.
• The training is approximately 25 minutes in English and 31 minutes in Spanish.
• The training video cannot be skipped or fast-forwarded.
• If you exit before completing the training, your progress will not be saved, and you will need to restart the training from the beginning.
• We recommend setting aside enough time to complete both the training and application in one sitting.

FCPS Volunteer Link: https://www.fcps.org/families_students/family_community_involvement/volunteer_in_fcps