The Dolphin Whistle
WLES Family Newsletter
Thursday, November 5, 2026
This month...
Look for information from your child's teachers.
Native American Heritage Month Resources for Families
Calendar Reminders:
You can sign up to volunteer for lunch and recess, Mother Figure Monday, and Father Figure Friday in the "Useful Links" section at the bottom of this newsletter.
The Principal & Parent Coffee has been rescheduled for November 18, 2026. SIgn up by clicking here.
See the MCPS School Year calendar online here, or download the family-friendly calendar here.
Students will engage in personal body safety lessons this month.
Winter Weather Is Coming! Are You Ready?
Snow days, delays and early dismissals—oh my! Winter weather is just around the corner, and MCPS wants families to be ready. In case you missed it, MCPS shared important information about its weather-related color codes, how decisions are made and where to find the latest school operating status updates. Be sure to review the winter weather message and make your family's winter weather plan now.
And for a little fun, grab some popcorn and enjoy the world premiere of our Snow Day Trailer! Winter is coming, and we're ready!
MCPS Invites Multilingual Families to Special Events
MCPS is bringing families together for a series of six Regional Family Engagement Events designed for Emerging Multilingual Learners (EMLs) and their families.
These free events are an opportunity for families to connect with school staff, learn about MCPS programs and community resources, ask questions and meet other families. Whether your child is in elementary, middle or high school, there's something for everyone!
All families of Emerging Multilingual Learners are welcome! Each event celebrates the languages, cultures and experiences that make our school communities special.
To make participation easier, materials will be available in eight languages: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Amharic, Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean. Free childcare will also be provided at every event.
Upcoming Events:
(Previously) Wednesday, Nov. 4: Paint Branch High School, 5–8 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 11: Gaithersburg High School, 5–8 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 16: Seneca Valley High School, 5–8 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 17: Wheaton High School, 5–8 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 21: Montgomery Blair High School, 9 a.m.–noon
Wednesday, Dec. 2: Richard Montgomery High School, 5–8 p.m.
Families are welcome to attend one or more events, regardless of which school their children attend.
Come connect, learn and celebrate with us! We look forward to welcoming you and helping every family feel connected, supported and empowered to help their children thrive.
We hope you can join us for our first Parent & Principal Coffee Break, a time to connect with Mrs. Hammond and other WLES parents. You will also have the opportunity to interact with our Community School Liaison, Mrs. Creef, our Wellness Trainer, Mr. Newland, our Parent Community and our Title I Specialist, Mr. Freiss. Let us know if you can come by clicking here: https://forms.gle/vrrrAftJPpFUKigA7
Please Join ur Steering Committee
A community school steering committee is a diverse group of stakeholders—including parents, caregivers, students, teachers, school staff, administrators, and local community or non-profit partners—that guides, oversees, and evaluates the implementation of a community school strategy. We'd love for you to take part. Please click the following link to let us know you are intersted: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfXoEgEVf2m_cjhl_LA8Asf0gApbLusyEUIkAMdHz3shixOlg/viewform
Requesting Chromebooks for use at home
Winter is Coming! MCPS is asking us to all prepare in case we need to have a virtual day of school due to snow, or other inclement weather. In order to be prepared, every family should be sure that you have a device at home that your child can access Zoom on. If you need an MCPS chromebook to use at home, you must fill out this online form to request one. It can take time (around 2 weeks), so please put in your requests as soon as possible. If we are having a virtual day of school they will call it a code purple day.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdDNdqO31soXKLffjcEzgVQ9C2Z2koPm6ifKm7-K77e44ZhAg/viewform
Here are some directions for families that already have a device for your child to use at home, but are unsure of how to access your child's account. The first two slides have step by step directions, and the third page will include a video to illustrate those directions.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/19bNy_LaGN77KToW5bDXuP-PVEcLJrh6lu9jBXTYWIdk/edit?usp=sharing
IXL at Home
IXL is an online, subscription-based learning platform designed for students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. The platform offers a standards-aligned library of practice skills in math. English Language Arts, science, social studies and Spanish. If your family would be interested in having access to this platform for your student(s) to practice at home. please let us know by clicking here: https://forms.gle/45HZDU8C4oQUFyqk7
School Closure and Consolidation Study: Last Round One Virtual Session; Nov. 2
MCPS is wrapping up the first phase of community engagement sessions on the elementary and middle school closure and consolidation study. The final opportunity to provide feedback in a virtual meeting is: Join on Zoom — Mon, Nov. 2, 6-7 p.m.
If you’ve already attended one of our sessions, please take the time to share your perspective on our feedback form. Your valuable input will be reflected in our updated FAQs, which will be available in the coming weeks. The form is open through Wednesday, Nov. 4.
A second round of engagement sessions will be held in late November and early December.
Visit mcpsstudy.org to review study information, explore frequently asked questions, learn about the process and find opportunities to share your feedback. Learn more.
Inside MCPS: The Realities of Our Aging Facilities
Leaking roofs. Failing heating and cooling systems. Aging buildings. Rising construction costs. The hard truth is that MCPS has significant facility needs, and waiting to address them only makes the problems more expensive.
In a new video series, "The Hard Truth," MCPS takes you inside schools and support facilities to show the real facilities challenges facing our district.
The Hard Truth: Doing nothing is not an option.
Watch the Video Series
*Added this week
https://mcpsmd.info/ParentHubEnglish https://mcpsmd.info/ParentHubEspañol
ParentSquare Quick Guides*
ParentVue Quick Guides*
Previous editions of The Dolphin Whistle
Refrigerator Curriculum (overview of what students are learning)
Waters Landing Elementary School Bus Routes:
Phone: (240) 740-1020 Fax: (301) 601-0392
School Office Hours: 8:30am-4:30pm
Mrs. Cynthia Alvarado, Registrar
Mrs. Evelyn Campos, Attendance Secretary
Mrs. M. Deneise Hammond, Principal
(240) 753-9472
Mr. David Kim, Assistant Principal
Mrs. L. Orinda Nelson, Assistant Principal
Mrs. Padma Radhakrishnan, Administrative Secretary
