The Mustang Messenger

Volume 3, Edition 1

August 2025

Parents and Guardians of Magnolia Elementary,

I hope this message finds you in good spirits, great health and still enjoying the remaining weeks of summer break! The summer is a perfect time to rest, reflect and reset. In doing so, it provides renewed energy, clarity and excitement for what is ahead. I hope all of our students have been able to enjoy engaging in some downtime and the simple pleasures of being a child by playing with friends, going outside, swimming, attending camp and more. I can't wait to see them and hear all about their summer break when we return to school in just a few short weeks! To assist you in preparing, the August Mustang Messenger was written to share key updates and information. Please read, review and as always, feel free to reach out to me with questions or concerns via email at sharelle.stagg@pgcps.org.

In the world of education, the summer is a time of transition as staff members make decisions to transfer, retire or explore other opportunities. As your principal, it is always my goal to ensure we are fully staffed with caring, capable and committed individuals. This summer, we experienced minimal staffing changes. Please see below -

The following individuals decided to explore new opportunities within PGCPS and will not be returning to MES. We wish them much success in their new placements -

* Mrs. Addy & Mrs. James

The following individuals are joining our staff for the upcoming school year. Let's extend a warm welcome to...

* Mr. Accad, Part-time Physical Education Teacher

* Mrs. Knudsen, Part-time Media Specialist

* Ms. Motasim, 5th Grade Reading/Language Arts & Social Studies Teacher

There are a few remaining potential changes that I will keep you all posted on. We are looking forward to welcoming the staff back in on August 18th for a week of professional development and preparation!

If you have been following the local news, you know PGCPS has a new Interim Superintendent, Dr. Shawn Joseph. Hopefully, you dialed in for one of the virtual parent meetings hosted over the last few weeks. This week, I am the attending the Summer Leadership Institute to receive more information on Dr. Joseph's charge and priority areas. As always, Magnolia's staff will work diligently to meet the expectations and do all we can to make the school experience a great one for all of our students and families.

This school year, through the combined efforts of the Community School and Title 1 programs, we are excited to be able to provide all of our students with the core, essential school supplies! That's right - all MES students from grades Pre-Kindergarten thru 5th will receive composition books, folders, pencils, markers, crayons, glue, post-it notes, paper, etc. It is our hope that doing so will ensure our students have what they need for a smooth academic year from Day 1.

So you may be wondering, what do I need to purchase and provide? I'm glad you asked! Please see the brief supply list below -

* Book bag

* Water bottle labeled with their first and last name

* Lunch box (optional)

* School Uniforms & Shoes. Our uniform remains the same - Bottoms: Navy blue pants, shorts, skirts or dresses. Tops: Yellow shirts. Sweaters & sweatshirts: Blue, black or yellow are preferred. Other colors are allowed though. Shoes: No color requirement. (Yes, we will still continue with 'Be You' Fridays :-)

If you choose to purchase additional school supply items that your child wants, feel free to do so. We will still provide the essentials.

Now is a perfect time to make sure your child's required immunizations are up to date for school! From August 6th thru September 27th, PGCPS will partner with the Department of Health to offer free mobile vaccine clinics. The closest one for our community will take place on Thursday, August 21st at Greenbelt Middle School from 11:30am - 6:30pm. Limited walk-ins will be accepted and appointments are encourage. You can use this link to make an appointment for your child.

We are finalizing class assignments in Parentvue. Your child's class schedule as well as bus assignment (if applicable) will be visible there shortly. To view them, you must have created a Parentvue account. If you have not set one up yet, please do so as this is the first initial step for a number of important notification systems. As in the past, we are hosting opportunities for students and families to visit the building and get acclimated before the first day of school. Please see the details below -

Friday, August 22nd from 9:30 - 11am: Pre-Kindergarten & Kindergarten Orientation - Come join us for informative presentations to assist with everything you need to know for a successful first week of school. You are encouraged to bring your child too so they can visit the classroom and meet the teachers. This helps reduce some of the first day jitters.

Friday, August 22nd from 11:30am - 12:15pm: Sneak Peek for Grades 1st - 5th - Don't worry, we didn't forget about the rest of our students! Come out to see which class your child is assigned to and meet the teacher. This will be an opportunity for brief introductions and a chance to see the classrooms .

* Important Note - The official PGCPS Student Orientation Day is Monday, August 25th. However, I thought it would be more beneficial to do so before the weekend so I changed it for us. Please note that our Orientations/Sneak Peek are taking place on Friday, August 22nd and not on Monday, August 25th. As always, feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns.

Registration remains open for the upcoming school year. Ms. Ford and Mrs. Sanchez have worked throughout the summer to process new applications and support withdrawal/transfer requests. As a reminder, registration takes place online via Parentvue. If your child was enrolled with us last school year and is returning, you do need to do anything - they automatically roll over for the new school year. In a few instances, updated residency information may be needed. If that is your case, Mrs. Sanchez will contact you directly. Please see a few key reminders below.

* Pre-Kindergarten - Our Pre-K class is almost full. Due to state/federal requirements, we are only able to accept 20 students for Pre-K. The child must be 4 years old by September 1. Once we reach 20, names will be added to the waitlist.

* Kindergarten - Registration for Kindergarten remains open. The child must be 5 years by September 1. If you or someone you know has an incoming Kindergartener, don't delay, begin the registration process today! This school year, we are conducting a brief, in-person, informal screener of our Kindergarteners to aid in class formations. Once registration is complete, parents will receive an email with dates and information to schedule the screener.

* Shared Housing Updates - Towards the end of last school year, families with outdated Shared Housing documents were contacted via letter and phone. As a reminder, per the PGCPS policy, shared housing documents are updated annually. Thank you to everyone who responded and provided the updated residency documents. If you did not, as stated in the letter, unfortunately, we had to withdraw your child in June. If this is you and you now have the necessary documents, you can begin the process to re-enroll via Parentvue.

* Transfers/Withdraws - If your family has moved or you've made the decision to homeschool or enroll in a private school, you must complete a Transfer Form in order to have them withdrawn and records released. Transfer Forms can only be completed in person in the Main Office. As a reminder, per PGCPS policy, only the parent who enrolled the student can withdraw them.

All questions and requests for assistance should be made to Mrs. Sanchez, our School Registrar, at maribel.sanchez@pgcps.org or 301-918-8770.

We will continue to use Class Dojo as our main communication vehicle for the new school year. Over the next few days, we will begin to archive/clear the classes from last school year. While this will remove you from the old class, you will remain connected to the school story. New class links will be sent out during the first week of school. For parents of our former students who have transitioned to Middle School, you will be removed from our Dojo (unless you have a younger student who remains at MES) so you can connect with the new school. While there is a paid version of Class Dojo, you do not need it to connect with us. The free version is sufficient. Any additional summer reminders and updates will be posted via Class Dojo.

Let's prepare our green spaces for the new school year! Join us for a School Beautification Event on Saturday, August 16th at 9:30am. Roll up your sleeves and help tidy up the front of the building, courtyards and playground area. Feel free to bring your own lawn tools.

There's always a lot going on at MES! Below are some key dates to take note of and add to your calendars for the rest of this month!

August

Friday, August 22nd: MES Orientation Days; Pre-K & Kindergarten @ 9:30am. 1st - 5th Grd. Sneak Peek @ 11:30am

Tuesday, August 26th: 1st Day of School!

Friday, August 29th: 1st 'Be You' Friday - Students can dress out of uniforms in school appropriate attire.

September

Monday, September 1st: No School ~ Labor Day!

Friday, September 12th: Teacher Planning Day/Half Day for Students. Dismissal will begin at 1pm (make note of the new time).

Tuesday, September 23rd: No School for Students ~ Staff Professional Development Day

Thursday, September 25th: MES Back to School Night from 5:30 - 7:30pm