Tiger Times Family Update

Meghan Brown, Principal

Ashlee Groce, Assistant Principal

Email: mebrown@ccps.org
Website: https://www.ccps.org/tees
Location: 203 East Thomson Drive, Elkton, MD, USA
Phone: 410-996-5080
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100070900368349

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TRANSLATION / TERCÜME
Bir mobil cihaz kullanırken bir mesajı başka bir dile çevirmek için mesajı tıklayın ve yeni bir pencerede açılacaktır. Mesajın üstünde “Bülteni Çevir” yazıyor. Tıkla kelimeler ve ihtiyacınız olan dili seçin.

Hello, Thomson Families,

We celebrated so many student accomplishments on Friday during our second marking period recognitions. We are also so proud of our second through fifth grade students for working so hard on their MAPS assessments. Students set goals for both reading and math MAPS and crushed those goals! Way to go Thomson Tigers!

Please take a few minutes to complete the Panorama Family Survey below. Your feedback matters and will help us make informed decisions as we plan for next year. The survey closes this Tuesday, February 21st.

We have officially launched our spring fundraiser, Joe Corbi. We have so many student incentives such as principal and assistant principal for half a day to the top two sellers. Any student who sells just one item, will be added to the list of students who will be duct taping Mrs. Brown to the wall this spring. We hope you support this fundraiser so that our PTO can continue to plan fun family events!

We are so excited to see so many families participating in The Lemonade War Family Challenges. Please see the new weekly challenge below. We will be reading chapters 9 & 10 this week. HERE is our Family Newsletter for The Lemonade War where you will find activities and recordings of the chapters.

Many Things to Explore in this Newsletter:

• Panorama Family Survey
• February Calendar
• Joe Corbis Fundraiser
• The Lemonade War Family Challenge
• Community Resources
• Judy Center Elkton Play Groups

Throughout the school year, you will receive lots of communication from teachers, school staff members, and building administrators. We kindly ask that you check your child's homework folder, agenda and backpack every night. Please also communicate with us by telephone, student agendas, email, or with a note to keep us updated about things impacting your child, such as an upcoming trip, how your child is feeling, concerns your child has, and important details about your child's life that might impact them at school. We appreciate your partnership!

At Thomson Estates, we strive to be a support system for our students and families. If you are in need of assistance, have questions, or just need to check-in, please email me, Mrs. Brown, at mebrown@ccps.org, or Mrs. Groce, our assistant principal, can also be reached at ajgroce@ccps.org. Feel free to contact the school at 410-996-5080.

Fondly,

Meghan Brown

Principal

We have many students bringing toys, technology devices, and Pokemon cards to school. Please note that none of these items should be brought to school. They get lost or damaged and result in arguments. Please keep all toys, technology devices, and Pokemon cards at home. Your support and cooperation is greatly appreciated.

Dear Families,

Our district values your feedback! We are currently surveying Cecil County families in order to gain insight into your perception of our school and district effectiveness. To ensure we continue to provide high quality, rigorous learning experiences that meet the needs of our learners and prepare them for college and career, we need your feedback. We want to know what you think.

Our district has partnered with Panorama Education to conduct our 2023 Family Survey. Panorama safeguards your privacy, keeping your responses confidential. The survey shouldn’t take more than a few minutes to complete, and will be a valuable source of information for us as we work to make our schools and district as good as they can be.

You may complete the survey online between Feb 6 and Feb 21st using a computer, tablet, or smartphone by visiting the website surveys.panoramaed.com/cecilcounty/familywinter23 and selecting Thomson Estates from the drop down menu. We have also sent home a paper copy of the survey that can be completed and should be returned by February 21st.

We thank you in advance for your thoughtful responses. If you have any questions about the survey administration, please don’t hesitate to contact Lisa Gonzalez at lmgonzalez@ccps.org.

Thank you,

Meghan Brown

Principal of Thomson Estates Elementary School

Lisa Gonzalez

Community School Advisor

January: Braille Literacy Month National Mentoring Month

February: Black History Month

Monday, February 20th

No School - Presidents' Day

Tuesday, February 21st

Panorama Family Survey due back to Thomson Estates

Monday February 27-Friday March 3rd

Read Across America Week! Please see information below.

Thursday, March 2nd

PTO Meeting at 5:30PM

Monday, March 6th

Joe Corbi Sale Ends

Early Dismissal Day @ 1:30 pm

Tuesday, March 7th

Lemonade War STEM Night 5:30-7:00

Thursday, March 16

My Family Matters @ 5:00

Friday, March 17th

Inclement Weather Day- No School

February's focus is kindness. This is an important character trait for all students, staff, and parents. We challenge our families to complete 10 random acts of kindness at school, in their communities, or at home. Here is a list of some ideas to help students and their families get started. https://www.imom.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/RAK.pdf. Email Mrs. O'Neill pictures of your acts of kindness if you want! We love to see our students being kind, friendly, respectful, and generous. Kindness can look different for everyone! Get creative on your acts of kindness! It can be that you are showing empathy towards others, being helpful, or being extra thoughtful to show appreciation.

Your Joe Corbi’s fundraising packet should have come home by now. It’s full of all the delicious products we are selling. Inside that packet is everything your student will need to help make this fundraiser a success. Did you know you can help us spread the word by registering your child online and sharing an online shopping link? It’s as Easy as 1-2-3!

1. Go to joecorbi.com and LOGIN
2. Register your child as a PARTICIPANT (you will need our group’s Organization code 21299)
3. Once you have your child’s Participant code you can share that code via email or on YOUR Facebook page!

It is important for us to plan for these types of days. I encourage you to think ahead about supervision of children, planning to catch the bus, and ensuring everyone is ready for the school day.

Below are some details about each:

2-Hour Delay Days - Students arrive to school by 10:45. Adjust your bus stop time by 2 hours. Students will not be served breakfast on delay days.

Inclement Weather Make-Up Day - These are days in which we must make up school due to actual snow days. The first 2 days of inclement weather will be identified as official snow days and will need to be made up. If these occur, we will have school on March 17 and May 26.

In preparation for possible inclement weather, please complete a Technology Access Survey to inform us of your technology needs. We are asking each family to complete the survey for each child who attends Thomson Estates Elementary.

**Other schools will surveys for students who attend them, such as Elkton Middle and Elkton High.

Check out the MD SNAP-Ed Facebook page for more information on cooking demos and other great nutrition information - https://www.facebook.com/EatSmartMD

Thomson Estates is very fortunate to be able to offer a free breakfast and lunch to every student. To access the meal menu, please see this link: Meal Menu. Students are invited to get a meal from the cafeteria or to bring one of their own.

While we understand that our car loop is long due to the number of students who live within walking distance, it is extremely dangerous to make a child a walker who should be a car rider to circumvent the car loop. We have worked hard to revise our process to make sure that our students are dismissed quickly and that traffic continues to move. Ways in which our families can support an expeditious car loop:

• Use the BUCKLE UP Zone if you have to get out of your car to let students in or out.
• Allow staff to open car doors to get students in and out of the car.
• Have student ready to disembark on the left side of the car.
• DO NOT go around vehicles unless directed by a staff member. We have some students who cannot disembark from the left side and must use the right side.

In NO WAY should any family, without principal permission, be parking alongside the car loop on school property or Courtney Drive to avoid the car loop. This poses as a safety concern for our students which is our number one priority. Our gate will be locked at 9:00 am and then at 3:45 pm. If you arrive after these times, you are expected to sign your child in at the office. Please reach out to Mrs. Brown with any questions or concerns at mebrown@ccps.org. Thank you for your patience as we ensure the safety of our students during our arrival and dismissal times.

You may be aware that Maryland has seen an early surge of severe respiratory illness, especially in very young and school-age children. Many children with Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) or other respiratory viruses including influenza (flu) and COVID-19 will experience cold-like symptoms, such as runny nose, coughing, sneezing, fever, and a decrease in appetite. However, infants, people who are immunocompromised, and people living with certain chronic medical conditions may experience a severe illness that can cause difficulty breathing and hospitalization.

Here are a few easy steps to help protect your child and family members.

Arrival: 8:45-9:00 a.m. Dismissal: 3:30-3:45 p.m.

Attendance at school each and every day is very important. This makes sure students have consistent access to teachers and learning experiences. We will share weekly attendance rates for each grade level and the whole school each week. Check out this great resource about attendance at school: Absences Adds Up!

September - 91.4%

October - 92.4%

November - 92.3%

December - 92.1%

January - 92.3%

Our goal each week is for each grade level, and our school overall, to have 94% or greater attendance. Attendance rates for this week are posted below:

Pre-K: 95% (Increase)

Kindergarten: 94% (Increase)

1st Grade: 94%

2nd Grade: 94.4% (increase)

3rd Grade: 91.6%

4th Grade: 94.9% (increase)

5th Grade: 95.3% (increase)

Overall: 94.2% (increase)

Congratulations to FIFTH Grade for having the highest attendance rate this past week! Attendance is important so let's make school a priority!

Advancement Via Individual Determination

Writing

Inquiry

Collaboration

Organization

Reading

Bookworms Bulletin for January 2023 focuses on genre-based writing.

Are you looking for additional activities to support your student beyond math facts? Consider this resource recommended by Scholastic to help families and students. K-5 Math Teaching Resources: Is a website full of games and activities for each math standard that allow you and your child to better understand different topics being taught in the classroom. There are different categories to choose from: number sense, geometry, and measurement and data. Click on the activity or game that will help practice different mathematical concepts. Recommended for Kindergarten through 5th grade.

Join a Judy Center Playgroup near you!

Families of children ages birth to four, you are invited to join our free, in person playgroups beginning this week! Playgroup focuses on School Readiness: the social, emotional, and cognitive growth that supports your child as a lifelong learner!

Have you signed up for the PowerSchool Parent Portal? This Portal gives you access to live information such as grades, attendance, and assignment details. This is a great way to stay connected! More information can be found here: CCPS PowerSchool Parent Portal.

For the last two years, meals have been provided at free of charge to every student. This is NOT the case for the 2022-2023 school year. We need your help!

We have had over 200 students' families complete the Meal Benefit Application so far this year! THANK YOU! Please see the fun family and student incentives for simply completing the application process below.

1. We are asking that everyone at Thomson Estates to complete the application whether you think you will receive assistance or not. Thomson Estates receives federal funding based on the number of students receiving meal benefits. (Schools are identified as Title 1 based upon numbers of students who are eligible to receive free or reduced price meals.)

2. We need your help to keep Thomson Estates Elementary a Title 1 school and receive the appropriate funding.

3. Thomson Estates Elementary will have an incentive program for those students whose families fill out the application. All you have to do is fill out the application.

4. If you have any questions please reach out to Thomson Estates Elementary or the Food & Nutrition Department at 410-996-6257.

To complete the application online, please click the link provided. If you would like a paper copy, please email me, Mrs. Brown at mebrown@ccps.org and I will make sure you get an application.https://www.myschoolapps.com/Application

WheresTheBus (Parent App) - This app utilizes GPS technology on our school buses to provide secure access for parents to know when their child’s bus will arrive at the bus stop right from their phone or computer. Sign up for the WheresTheBus parent app today! Click here to learn more.

Vision: Thomson Estates Elementary School is a safe and rigorous learning environment that empowers and supports the whole child.

Mission Statement: The mission of Thomson Estates Elementary School is to develop a

community of motivated learners who are capable of persevering through the challenges presented by a rigorous curriculum. We will accomplish this by way of open collaboration, continued professional growth, innovative thinking and positive learning environments to consistently meet the needs of all students in the least restrictive environment.

Core Values: Equity ~ Respect ~ Integrity ~ Inclusivity ~ Collaboration ~ High-Expectations ~ Perseverance ~ Adaptability