In "Otter" News - Week #24

We are all happy to be back at school and finding our rhythm yet again this winter! This week's SMORE is full of new information you will want to take the time to review so you are "in the know" and up-to-date!

Outdoor Recess Plans This Week:

We will be using the bus loop this week so that the kids can get outside for recess since the temps will be on the rise. It will be in use from 11:15 am - 2:15 pm each day this week. An adult will be posted at the intersection with the stop sign to redirect all drivers to park in the parking lot during recess times. Thank you for your cooperation as we help the kids and the adults get some fresh air this week!

2025-2026 SMCPS System Operational Calendar:

The 2025-2026 calendar has been adjusted and approved by the Board. Please see the updated SMCPS Calendar. This will be posted on the SMCPS website in the coming days. A press release went out on Wednesday, February 4th, and was followed by social media notifications and a school messenger. Please share with staff, students, and your community.

• We will utilize the three identified built-in days at the end of the school year as student days (June 5th, June 8th, and June 9th), making the last student day June 9, 2026 (subject to change).

• Monday, February 16, 2026 (President’s Day) was previously a holiday (all schools and offices closed) and is now an approved school day for all students and staff.

• If we have another inclement weather day where schools are closed, Monday, April 6, 2026 (Monday after Easter) will be added as a student day (pending Board approval). This day is currently listed on the calendar as a possible make-up day.

Classroom Celebrations Reminders:

We truly appreciate the time, energy, and heart that our families put into making classroom celebrations special. Your support brings so much joy to our students and staff. To help save families the disappointment of sending in items we are unable to use, we want to provide a clear reminder of our celebration guidelines.

• Store-bought food items in their original packaging—with a full ingredient list—are permitted.
  This allows us to carefully check ingredients to ensure all students can participate safely.
• Goody bags that contain food items cannot be accepted, even if the items are individually wrapped.
• Once items are combined in a goody bag, we cannot verify the ingredients of each item, so we are unable to distribute them.

If you would like to contribute to your child’s celebration, families are always welcome to send:

• Store-bought, original-packaged food items with ingredient lists, or
• Non-food items such as pencils, stickers, small crafts, bookmarks, or other fun seasonal trinkets.

Thank you for helping us keep celebrations safe, inclusive, and enjoyable for all of our otters. If you have any questions, please reach out to your child’s teacher or the main office.

Otterly Yours,

Mrs. Anderson

Congratulations to 4th grader, Eddie Sigmon, for winning this year's PTA Yearbook Cover Contest! His design will be featured on the cover our this year's yearbook.

Way to go, Eddie. and thank you to all who participated!

SMCPS is hosting the third annual Pre-K Expo evening event for Pre-K students, families, and local private providers and their families for 2026. This event will be held on Wednesday, March 4, 2026, in the Media Center at Great Mills High School, located at 21130 Great Mills Rd, Great Mills, MD, from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm. This event will focus on Language & Literacy, Mathematics, and Social Foundations for Pre-K students. The Snow Date will be Wednesday, March 11, 2026, at the same location. Please enter through the GMHS lobby doors and proceed past the steps; there you will see the Media Center on the left side of the hallway. During this event, door prizes will be offered, and each student participant will receive a treat and a goody bag to take home. Pre-K students, families, and local private providers and their families are invited to participate in various learning stations to support children's education outside the classroom. These activities will be engaging and will help reinforce academic skills learned in Pre-K. Please complete the registration form below to ensure that we have enough treats and goody bags for all who attend. REGISTRATION LINK

St. Mary’s County has released the first draft of the St. Mary’s 2050: Charting Our Tomorrow plan — and family voices matter! This long-range plan will help guide how our community grows and preserves what makes it special for today’s students and future generations. Open Houses are being scheduled for February and March and we encourage all families to stay involved and help shape the future of St. Mary’s County. For more information on Open Houses and to review the draft St. Mary’s 2050 plan, visit: www.stmaryscountymd.gov/stmarys2050.

Click the link below to access the 2025-2026 PTA Family Directory. If you would like your information added to the directory, please contact the PTA by email: oakville.pta@gmail.com

The office will be open Monday - Friday from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm.

Please click on the links below to access public calendars.

See below for our grade levels weekly rates of attendance in addition top our current school attendance rate. We strive for a 94% or better attendance rate. Our whole school attendance rate for SY25-26 is currently: 94%

PreK: 93% (+/- 0%)

Kindergarten: 92% (+2%)

1st Grade: 91% (-2%)

2nd Grade: 95% (-2%)

3rd Grade: 96% (+1%)

4th Grade: 94% (+3%)

5th Grade: 94% (-1%)

St. Mary’s County Public Schools (SMCPS) is asking all parents/guardians who do not already have a MySchoolBucks account to create an online account. The MySchoolBucks platform is a convenient, secure, and efficient school payment solution for all stakeholders.

• The enrollment process is easy and getting started is simple. Parents can visit the MySchoolBucks website or download the free "MSB Parent" application from their device's app store.
• Please click the link for more information and create an account today

MySchoolBucks App

The MySchoolBucks app provides on-the-go access to your child's meal balances, purchases, and lets you make payments directly from your phone. You can manage lunch accounts by adding funds, setting up account automatic replenishment, and tracking purchases - all in one place. You can also pay for field trips, and a variety of school fees using your credit/debit card online or through the app.

Benefit of MySchoolBucks

• Convenience - Available 24/7 on the web

• Efficiency - Eliminate the need to write checks and for students to bring money to school

• Flexibility - Make payments using credit/debit cards and electronic checks

• Security - MySchoolBucks adheres to the highest security standards, including PCI and CISP

Enrollment is easy!

To get started with MySchoolBucks for your school's communications and payments, visit the MySchoolBucks website or download the mobile app to create an account and sign up for free.

1. Go to the MySchoolBucks website or download the "MSB Parent" app from your device's app store.

2. Click "Sign Up for Free" and create a new account
   Add your child using the name of the school they are attending, and either their student ID or birthdate.

3. You will receive a confirmation email that your account has been established.

4. Once your account is set up, you can add funds, view balances, and make payments for various school items and fees

Customer Service

• Email: parentsupport@myschoolbucks.com

• 1-855-832-5226

• Visit www.MySchoolBucks.com and click on Help/FAQ’s

We love the time, care, and creativity our families pour into making school celebrations special. To help avoid any disappointment, here are a few important reminders so all students can participate safely:

• Store-bought food in its original packaging with a full ingredient list is welcome.
• Goody bags that contain food cannot be accepted. Once items are mixed together, we’re unable to verify ingredients for each item.
• Families are also welcome to send non-food items like pencils, stickers, bookmarks, or small seasonal trinkets.

Thank you for helping us keep celebrations safe, joyful, and inclusive for all of our otters!

Check out a message from our School Counselor, Mrs. Curtis!

lease consider volunteering to be a presenter for our annual Oakville Elementary Career Day! Presenters are expected to provide a 20 minute presentation for our students (Visuals and Hands on items are strongly encouraged). Each presenter will be in a classroom within our building and will stay in that classroom as the students rotate from each presenter. Mrs. Curtis does her very best to ensure that presenters with students attending OES have their lunch break during their student's lunch. Only 14 presenters will be selected. Although this is a first-come, first-serve selection process, those presenters who haven't been selected in the past will be selected first. Thank you again for your support. Please see the following details below:

Event Date: Friday, February 20th

Time: 9:30am-1:30pm (arrive at 9am to set up)

Where: You will be assigned a classroom in OES

What to bring: Kids love visuals or anything they can put their hands on! Take home goodies are welcomed as well, just be sure to include you business card (nothing wrong with a little marketing!)!

SMCPS is gearing up to start evening counseling. Counseling services are 9 weeks in length, free, short-term, and open to SMCPS students. Parents can sign up to be contacted about these services by filling out this form or scanning the QR code on the flyer below. Once slots are filled, a waitlist will be generated.

St. Mary’s County Public Schools (SMCPS) students use the Internet and other instructional computer resources in school. It is important that you and your student review this information each year. Within this policy is the Google Workspace for Education Additional Services Agreement. Students in grades PreK - 5th grade do not need to complete an AUP this school year. They will not be accessing additional services within Google Workspace for Education beyond the core features.

All SMCPS laptops come with the same responsibility of care and upkeep as any other loaned resources. Textbooks, novels, laptops and chargers can incur a debt if lost or damaged. Please refer to the student accountability newsletter that has been added to our weekly school newsletters. Chargers are to remain at home.

Students are expected to:

• Stay seated in their assigned seats

• Use a calm, indoor voice

• Follow the driver’s directions at all times

• Follow all relevant school rules while on the bus

Parents are encouraged to review these expectations with their child and watch the Bus Safety Video available on the SMCPS Transportation website.

Special Notes for Pre-K & Kindergarten

• Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten students will exit the bus first and must be met at the bus door by a responsible person at least 13 years old.

• If no adult is present, the student will be returned to the school.

• Repeated failure to meet this requirement may also result in a loss of bus-riding privileges, as outlined in the SMCPS Handbook.

Bus Passes

SMCPS will only transport students who are assigned to a bus route. Temporary bus passes are approved only in cases of emergency.

• All requests for temporary bus passes must be directed to the main office and will be reviewed by the principal or their designee.

• Approval is not guaranteed and will be based on the nature of the request and the availability of seating.

We appreciate your understanding as we work to ensure safety and consistency in daily transportation routines.

The Student Handbook and Code of Conduct presentation will be reviewed with students over the first week of school. Please take some time to review it with your children at home, too. It is linked below.

St. Mary’s County Public Schools is launching a comprehensive Facility Utilization and School Boundary Study initiative to guide how our schools serve students and families in the years ahead. Your input matters. Whether you join a meeting, offer feedback, or follow along with updates, your voice will help shape the future of education in St. Mary’s County.

For more information please click on the links below:

The redistricting website and Smore have been updated with new information, including Options and Recommendations and Find Your Proposed School Assignments.

Our school has a parent representative and staff representative on the district-wide Community Engagement Redistricting Team. The representatives will help ensure communication of the work, timeline, and community engagement opportunities by sharing information on surveys and community engagement events through school, community, and social media resources. You can reach out to them for additional information or to share your perspective.

OES Community Engagement POCs:

• Staff Representative: Laurel Anderson (lpanderson@smcps.org)
• Parent Representative: Kimberly Sterbenz (oakville.pta.treasurer@gmail.com)

B Week

Monday, February 9th

9:00 am - 3:45 pm

• 1st grade and 3rd grade visit School Store during lunch/recess

Tuesday, February 10th

9:00 am - 3: 45 pm

• PreK visit school store during lunch

Wednesday, February 11th

9:00 am - 3:45 pm

• Emergency Response Drill - Secure/Reverse Evacuation Drill

Thursday, February 12th

9:00 am - 3:45 pm

Friday, February 13th

9:00 am - 3:45 pm

• Extra Recess and Popsicles (Primary Students)

Check out the upcoming dates of student performance for this fall!

Ottermania and the Otter Trot are hosted by Calvert Marine Museum and are not affiliated with SMCPS or OES in any way. However, because we love our dear otter so much, we choose to share so you can take part in the fun as a family!

The PTA will host a spirit week in December to get us pumped up for Winter Break! Finally, we will host a spirit week in March to coincide with Read Across America Week and the PTA Read-A-Fun.

Every Friday is Otter Spirit Day and students are encouraged to wear their Otter spirit wear! On Community Gathering days, students are encouraged to show their grade level spirit and wear their grade level colors. See the image below for grade level colors.

Hello Oakville Families!

My name is Tonya Hall, and I’m thrilled to be joining the Oakville community as your new school nurse. I have been a nurse for 17 years, this being my 7th year as a school nurse. I’m truly looking forward to getting to know every student and their family. I am committed to supporting your child’s medical needs.

You can expect to hear from me in situations that may require follow-up, such as head injuries (whether minor or more concerning), illnesses that meet the criteria for going home, or when a student’s concern is beyond what I can manage in the health room. After every visit to the health room, your child will receive a pass detailing the reason for their visit. These passes will be placed in their take-home folder for your review. If you ever have any questions or concerns about what’s listed, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

I welcome communication in whatever way is easiest for you—feel free to send an email, call the office, or stop by the school to chat in person.

As a gentle reminder, if your child has any specific medical needs—chronic or acute—please reach out to me directly. This includes new diagnoses, required medications or treatments while at school, or any communicable illnesses such as flu, COVID-19, pneumonia, or others.

I’m so excited to begin this journey with you and to be a part of your child’s support team here at Oakville!

Warmly,

Mrs. Hall

FAQ for the start of the year:

When should I keep my child home from school?

• Fever >100.0, vomiting, diarrhea, or pink and crusty eyes
• Symptoms of COVID-19 like illness OR symptoms or an illness that do not resolve after home interventions
• Your child has been directed to quarantine by the local health department

Save the Dates!

OES PTA Meetings | 2025–2026 School Year

Mark your calendars:

• October 22, 2025

• December 17, 2025

• March 12, 2026

• May 20, 2026

Join the OES Otters for a year of connection, collaboration & community!

Meetings will include updates, events, and ways to get involved!

Stay tuned for times and locations.

One community committed to the learning and safety of all children.

Community is important to us. We strive to have the words "goal-oriented", "fun", "inclusive", and "thriving" used to describe our community. We believe that children learn and adults work best in an environment where they feel respected and safe. We are focused on four areas in our development of community: 1) Cultivating respectful, supportive relationships among students, teachers, and parents, 2) Emphasizing common purposes and ideals, 3) Providing opportunities for service and cooperation, and 4) Providing opportunities for independence and influence.

Email: lpanderson@smcps.org
Website: https://schools.smcps.org/oes/
Location: 26410 Three Notch Road, Mechanicsville, MD, USA
Phone: (301) 373-4365
Facebook: facebook.com/smcps.org