The Pine Crest Newsletter

Joan Stump, Principal

Pine Crest Elementary School

Email: Joan_M_Stump@mcpsmd.org

Website: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/pinecrestes/

Location: 201 Woodmoor Drive Silver Spring, MD 20901

Phone: 240-740-1970

This Week's Pine Crest Message Includes:

Message from Ms. Stump
Back to School Night Bash!
Instrumental Music
Important Messages from MCPS
Register for English Classes
GBTLA Saturday School Registration
Two Schools One PTA
Important Dates

Message from Ms. Stump

We have successfully wrapped up another wonderful week of school, with students doing a good job learning their daily classroom, lunch, and recess routines while actively engaging in their lessons. As a reminder, tomorrow, Monday, September 7, is a holiday, and there will be no school for students or staff. Classes will resume their normal schedule on Tuesday, September 8.

Back to School Night Bash!

Strong partnerships between home and school make all the difference in a child's success. That is why we are thrilled to invite you to our Back-to-School Night Bash on Thursday, September 17th at 5:30 PM!

This special evening is designed to connect our wonderful community and give you an inside look at your child’s daily life at school.

Classroom Connections. Head straight to your student's classroom. Teachers will break down learning expectations, communication channels, and tips for supporting your child's growth at home.

The Bash! Once the learning wraps up, the party starts. Connect with other families over delicious pizza, catch an exciting live performance from Blair High School's talented poms team, and more!

We cannot wait to kick off an amazing school year together. We look forward to seeing you there!

Instrumental Music

Ms. Ford hosted an outstanding instrumental music assembly this week to spark interest and promote her music program among our 4th and 5th-grade students. Following the assembly, paper registration forms were sent home with all 4th and 5th graders. In case you didn't receive the forms, they are provided below.

All registration forms are due by Friday, September 18th.

Important Messages from MCPS

Quick Answers for Families, All in One Place
Looking for clear, easy-to-use information about MCPS? Visit our Quick Guides for Families, a one-stop resource designed to help families find answers, understand important school information and support their students throughout the year.

The guides cover topics families ask about most, including ParentVUE and digital tools, transportation, grading and assessments, study skills, school safety, mental health, student conduct, social media and personal mobile devices. Many resources are available in eight languages, making important information easier for families across our community to access.

Bookmark the page and come back throughout the school year as new resources are added.
Explore the MCPS Quick Guides for Families

New this year: Amplify Desmos Math.

This school year, students in Pre-K through Algebra 1 will use Amplify Desmos Math, MCPS’ new mathematics curriculum. The curriculum is designed to help students not only learn how to do math but also understand why it works and how to use it to solve problems.

Students will explore math through engaging problems, discussion and collaboration, real-world connections, and opportunities to explain their thinking. Teachers will provide support when students need it and enrichment and advanced learning when they are ready for more challenges. The goal is for every student to build strong math skills, deepen their understanding, and grow as a confident and capable math learner.

Families are important partners in that learning. At home, simple questions like “What did you learn in math today?” “How did you figure that out?” or “How do you know your answer makes sense?” can help students strengthen their thinking. Throughout the year, families will also find resources in the Caregiver HUB that explain what students are learning and offer easy ways to support math learning at home.

Visit the Parent Hub in English: https://mcpsmd.info/ParentHubEnglish
Visite el Centro para Padres en español: https://mcpsmd.info/ParentHubEspañol

Share Your Feedback for Next Year’s School Year Calendar
MCPS is seeking your input as it works to develop the 2027-2028 AND 2028-2029 school calendar. Please complete this survey by Sept. 20 to share your input.

Your feedback is critical to the process. MCPS will consider educational interests, operational needs, mandated school closures by state law, compliance with minimum instructional days and credit hour requirements, inclement weather and other emergencies, staff professional days and early release days, and assessment schedules aligned to MCPS Board Policy IDA, School Year Calendar.

Take the survey.

A Safe Walk to School Starts With a Few Simple Habits
Walking to school is a great way for students to start the day, but staying alert and making safe choices is essential. Families can help by reviewing a few simple pedestrian safety habits with students:

Use sidewalks and designated crosswalks whenever possible.
Stop, look left, right and left again before crossing—and keep looking while crossing.
Make eye contact with drivers and never assume a vehicle will stop.
Put phones and headphones away when crossing streets or walking near traffic.
Follow crossing guards and traffic signals at all times.
Be especially careful around buses and school parking lots, where vehicles may be turning, backing up or stopping unexpectedly.

Drivers also play an important role: slow down, stay alert and watch carefully for students, especially during morning arrival and afternoon dismissal.

A few extra seconds of attention can make a big difference.

Reminders

Refrigerator Curriculum: A one-page, easy-to-read overview of the written curriculum for the first quarter of 2026-2027 is available. This simple look at what K–12 students will learn each marking period includes major topics, themes and texts.
FARMS Applications: Apply today! A new FARMS application must be completed every school year, even if your children qualified the previous year. Access is based on household income. Submit the online FARMS application through MySchoolApps (translations are available). Only one application is needed per household. More information.
Saturday School: Build student confidence and academic success! Programs run from 8:30-11 a.m. on Saturdays for students in grades K–12, focusing on reading, math, test prep and STEM enrichment, such as coding and robotics. Learn more at the opening ceremony on Sept. 19. Tutoring begins at 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 26. Cost is $100 for the year ($50 for FARMS). Free transportation to center sites.

Stay Connected to MCPS

VISIT the MCPS homepage.
CALL 240-740-3000. Staff take calls from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, in English and Spanish (240-740-2845). Visit the AskMCPS website.
READ news and information sent via email and text message and on the MCPS News page.
FOLLOW the MCPS social media pages:
x.com/mcps / facebook.com/mcpsmd / instagram.com/mcps_md facebook.com/mcpsespanol / x.com/MCPSEspanol / instagram.com/mcpsenespanol
SIGN UP for emails and text alerts and make sure your ParentVue information is up to date.
WATCH the MCPS cable channels Comcast 34 (1071 HD), Verizon 36 or RCN 89

More MCPS Resources

GBTLA Saturday School Registration Is Now Open!

Dear Families,

We are excited to share an opportunity for students in Pre-K through 12th grade to participate in GBTLA Saturday School for the upcoming school year.

Saturday School provides students with enrichment activities and instruction led by certified teachers. There are multiple Saturday School locations available, and bus transportation is available on select routes.

📚 Saturday School Includes:

Enrichment activities for Pre-K–12th grade students
Certified teachers
Multiple Saturday School locations
Bus transportation on designated routes
Middle and high school students may receive up to 1 SSL hour for attending and participating in enrichment activities

🚨 Registration fees are:

$100 per student
$50 for students receiving FARMS

Families who plan to participate are encouraged to register before September 1 to take advantage of the current registration fee.

👉 Register online: GBTLA Saturday School Registration

Payment options include PayPal or Zelle through the online registration form. Families may also have the option to pay by cash or check at the Saturday School site they select.

Please share this opportunity with families who may be interested in Saturday School. We hope your students will take advantage of this wonderful enrichment opportunity! Thank you!

Two Schools One PTA

The MKPC PTA is a parent-volunteer organization dedicated to providing Montgomery Knolls and Pine Crest Elementary School ongoing support to achieve excellence for our students, teachers and the community.

Check out our fabulous PTA's website.

Join the PTA here.

Important Dates

September 7 No School Holiday

September 17 Back to School Night Bash 5:30-7:30 pm

September 18 Early Dismissal at 1:20 pm

September 21 No School Non-Instructional Day

October 13 1st PTA Meeting at 7:30 (@MKES / Hybrid)

October 16 No School Professional Day

October 22 PTA/PCES Family Yoga Night 6-7:30pm