The Panther Parent Den

2026-2027 November Parent Newsletter No.3

From Our School Leaders: Dr. Davis & Mrs. Simms

Listen In: Understanding Special Education at Suitland

Tune in to Episode 2 of the Suitland Parent Podcast!

Dr. Davis and Mrs. Simms sit down with two of Suitland’s special education leaders: Dr. Trifon Perges, Autism Coordinator, and Mrs. Debra Jones, Special Education Resource Teacher. Together, they discuss special education at Suitland, explain key terms, and help families better understand the support available to our students.

Community Schools Corner: Ms. Liburd

🍁A Month of Gratitude, Growth, Family Engagement & Community Connections Excellence Everywhere. Every Child. Every Day.

As we welcome November, Suitland Elementary School is excited to celebrate a month filled with meaningful opportunities for learning, family engagement, student enrichment, wellness, and community connections!

November is especially significant as we recognize National Family Engagement Month, a time to celebrate the vital role families play in the academic success, personal development, and overall well-being of our scholars.

Through the continued efforts of our Community Schools initiative, dedicated educators, families, and valued community partners, we are proud to offer an exciting calendar of activities that strengthen relationships, remove barriers to learning, and create memorable experiences for our Panther community.

Click the link below to see what's happening at Suitland Elementary School this November!

🍁🍁November Events🍁🍁

Visit the Community Schools section of our school website to explore highlights from past events and learn more about our Community Schools programs.

A Heartfelt Thank You to Our Community Partners

The success of our Community Schools initiatives would not be possible without the generosity, dedication, and collaborative spirit of our community partners. This November, we proudly recognize the organizations supporting our scholars and families, including Fitness Martial Arts, The Game Room Club Company, Smile Maryland, LiveScan MD, United Communities Against Poverty (UCAP), Life Rescue Training, Hungry Harvest, the Prevention of Blindness Society, and our additional community supporters.Whether providing enrichment programs, health services, family resources, meals, or opportunities for engagement, these partnerships help us remove barriers, expand opportunities, and create an environment where scholars and families can flourish. Your partnership makes a difference, and we are truly grateful!

Together, We Are Stronger!

As we enter this season of gratitude, we want to thank our incredible families, dedicated staff, school leadership, and community partners for making Suitland Elementary School such a special place to learn, grow, and belong. Every event, every resource, and every partnership represents our shared commitment to the success and well-being of our scholars. We look forward to celebrating a wonderful November with our Panther family!

Connecting Families. Empowering Scholars. Strengthening Our Community.

Best,

Desiree Liburd

Community Schools Coordinator

Suitland Elementary Panther Partnership (SEPP)

Attention, Panther Parents!

Our next Parent Partnership Meeting is November 11 at 5:30 p.m. We are still looking for dedicated parents to join our Steering Committee. An interest form will be shared by November 6.

We also have a new Parent Help Center on our school website! Complete this form to request support with scheduling school appointments, using school apps, or addressing concerns about your student. We’re here to connect you with the information and resources you need.

Please check ClassDojo for community events, free services, and cultural and enrichment activities throughout Suitland, Prince George’s County, and the broader DMV.

Mr. Perry-King is updating the Parent Corner board in the front lobby to help families stay informed about local events and opportunities to get involved with SES and PGCPS initiatives. If you have ideas or would like to help decorate the board, please reach out. We’d love your input!

Ryan Perry-King
Parent Engagement Assistant

Counselor's Corner: Ms.Tyler

💡 How Parents Can Support Student Success & Grades

Strong home-school partnerships make a big difference in academic success! Here are key ways families can help keep grades on track this school year:

📱 Stay Connected with Synergy ParentVUE

Monitor Grades Weekly: Log into Synergy ParentVUE regularly to view current grades, test scores, and missing assignments.
Act Early: Don't wait for formal progress reports or report cards—if you notice a drop in performance, reach out to your child's teacher right away.

🔁 Take Advantage of Reassessment Opportunities

Request a Retake: In PGCPS, students and parents can request one additional opportunity to reassess qualifying assignments, activities, or tests.
Review & Practice: Before requesting a reassessment, review the returned material together, identify mistakes, and practice the concepts to ensure your student is prepared to demonstrate improved understanding.

📝 Prioritize Regular Attendance & Timely Make-Up Work

Maintain Consistent Attendance: Every instructional day counts! Frequent absences impact learning and grades.
Request Make-Up Work Promptly: For excused/lawful absences, request missed assignments within 48 hours. Completing and submitting make-up work promptly ensures students stay caught up with ongoing standards.
Unlawful (Unexcused) Absences: Missed work from unlawful absences cannot be made up. Teachers will record a 0 (zero) in Synergy with an "unlawful absence" comment.

🎯 Establish Home Routines & Utilize Academic Tools

Set Up a Dedicated Homework Space: Create a quiet, well-lit study area free from distraction to help children focus on daily reading and homework.
Leverage District Digital Tools: Encourage daily practice using district learning applications (such as i-Ready or Canvas) to reinforce core reading and math skills.
Communicate with School Counselors & Support Teams: If your child needs extra academic assistance or tutoring support, connect with school counselors or ask about extended learning/tutoring options.

📅Important Dates

Report Cards Released Online- November 16, 2026

Report Cards Sent Home- November 23, 2026

Grade Appeal Window- November 24, 2026 through December 3, 2026

Parent Teacher Conferences- November 11, 2026

Need Support?

We are here to help every child feel safe at school! If your child is having trouble with peers or needs extra support, please contact your child’s classroom teacher or our school counselor, Ms. Tyler at 301-817-3770 or winona.tyler@pgcps.org.

Grade Level Updates

First Grade

Dear First grade Families,

The first quarter is over and we are beginning to move into the second quarter. In Reading we are focusing on learning about characters. This includes making inferences, using key details, and describing characters, settings, and story events. In Math we are beginning unit 3- Adding and Subtracting within 20. In Social Studies we are exploring transportation and learning about geographers. In science we will continue to learn about plants. Please complete homework nightly and read for book it.

Thank you!

🐾🐾The First Grade Team

Second Grade

What’s Happening in 2nd Grade?

Reading

Module 2 – Look Around and Explore During this module, students will be

able to explain how exploring helps us to understand the world around us.

Focal Texts: Many Kinds of Matter, The Great Fuzz Frenzy, The Puddle

Puzzle, and Wate Rolls, Water Rises.

Math

Unit 3- Measurement

Unit Learning Goal: Students measure and estimate lengths in standard

units and solve measurement story problems within 100.

Unit Narrative: This unit introduces students to standard units of length in

the metric and customary systems.

Thank you!

🐾🐾The Second Grade Team

Fourth Grade

Our 4th Grade Team! 💜

Ms. Allen: Mathematics
Ms. Swinton: Science , Social Studies & Health
Mrs. Rivers: Reading/English Language Arts (RELA)

📖 RELA — Reading/English Language Arts

Students are reading fiction and exploring characters, character traits, story events, and themes. They are learning to make inferences, compare characters, and support their answers with evidence from the text.

In writing, students are creating original stories, retelling events from different points of view, using vocabulary, and organizing their ideas with transitions.

➗ Mathematics

Students are strengthening their understanding of place value, multiplication, division, and multi-step word problems. They are practicing strategies to solve problems, explaining their mathematical thinking, and checking their answers for accuracy.

🔬 Science

Students are developing their skills as young scientists through observations, investigations, and discussions. They are learning to ask questions, identify patterns, make predictions, and support scientific explanations with evidence.

🗺️ Social Studies

Students are exploring Maryland's geography, history, and communities. They are learning how geography, natural resources, and historical events influence the lives of people in Maryland.

💜 Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)

Our fourth graders are focusing on respect, responsibility, self-control, and making positive choices. We are encouraging students to take ownership of their learning, resolve conflicts appropriately, and demonstrate good citizenship throughout the school day.

📝 Assessments & Student Progress

Students are now completing classroom assignments, reading comprehension checks, math assessments, and Cycle Assessments to demonstrate what they have learned.

In RELA, students are also completing Analytic Writing Prompts that require them to organize their thoughts, use text evidence, and demonstrate their writing skills.

Teachers are using beginning-of-year i-Ready results, classroom performance, and assessment data to identify areas for growth and provide additional support or enrichment.

💜 Our 4th Grade Goal: To help every student grow academically, become an independent learner, and demonstrate responsibility, kindness, and respect each day!

Testing:Mrs.Richardson

English Language Development (ELD)

Explore ELD resources for families

Parent Notification Letters

Families of students receiving English Language Development services will receive a Parent Notification Letter (PNL).

You will receive a text message or email with a link to important documents regarding your child’s enrollment in the ELD program. The ELD Program is for students whose native language is not English. Please click the link, enter your student's birthday, choose Yes/No, type name & Submit.

Thank You for a Wonderful Hispanic Heritage Night! 🎉

Our Hispanic Heritage Night celebration was a huge success! Thank you to our students and families for coming together to celebrate Hispanic cultures, traditions, and talents. Our student performers helped make the evening truly special!

A special thank-you to Ms. Liburd, our Community Schools Coordinator, for supporting this event, and to our staff volunteers for sharing their time and helping everything come together.

Thank you for making this a memorable evening of culture, connection, and Panther Pride! 🐾

ELD Extended Learning: Speak, Write, Grow

Suitland Elementary School’s English Language Development (ELD) Extended Learning Program begins November 10, 2026. Students will practice speaking and writing in English and prepare for the WIDA ACCESS test. This program is for ML students in grades 1-5.
Sessions are on Tuesdays from 2:30 to 4:30 PM.

Program dates:
• November 10 and 17, 2026
• December 1, 8, and 15, 2026
• January 5 and 12, 2027
• January 12 is Family Night.

Transportation is not provided. Students must be picked up promptly at 4:30 PM.

🐾💙Thank you !

The ELD Team

Ms. Rust

Grades K-1

Dr. Purnell

Grades 2-3

Mrs. Barr

Grades 4-5

Important Dates

November 3

Schools and offices closed — Election Day.

November 4

Pre-K Color Science with The Game Room Club (During the school day)

FMA STREAM ELO Family Engagement Night (5:15–6:45 p.m)

November 5

Kindergarten Magnification Science with The Game Room Club (During the school day)

November 6-7

Diwali

November 9-10

Smile Maryland visits Suitland Elementary (During the school day)

LiveScan MD background screening (During the school day)

November 11

Schools closed for students — Parent-Teacher Conferences.

November 12-13

Smile Maryland visits Suitland Elementary (During the school day)

November 14

STEMpede into Fall Saturday ELO (8:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m)

November 16

1st Quarter report cards released online

LiveScan MD background screening for families (During the school day)

November 17

CPR Training with Life Rescue Training (Staff : 2:30–5:00 p.m./Family Training: 5:30–7:30 p.m)

November 18

Reading Literacy Night (5:30–7:30 p.m)

November 19

Thanksgiving Food Assistance & Family Support (Time TBD)

November 21

STEMpede into Fall Saturday ELO (8:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m)

4650 Towne Park Road

Suitland, MD 20746

301-817-3770

Suitland Website

https://www.pgcps.org/schools/suitland-elementary

The Panther Parent Den