RES Family Update

December:

8 - RESCHEDULED - 2nd Grade Clarke & Cava - Herr's Factory Field Trip 9:15 - 3:00

9 - Individual Picture Retake

- Family Math Night - 5:30 - 7 PM

15 - Q2 Interims Distributed - Grades 3 - 5

17 - Smencil Cart Sale

- Gr 4 Field Trip - Dover Skating Rink - 9:20 - 2:00 PM

18 - Winter Concert - 6:30 PM @ North Caroline High School

19 - 1 PM Dismissal Day for Students

December 20 - January 4 No School - Winter Break

January:

6 - Board of Education Meeting

19 - MLK Jr Day - Schools Closed

21 - Smencil Cart Day

29 - 1 PM Dismissal fo students

30 - NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS

Pre-K 3

Eating-Well-Family-Letter.pdf

Pre-K 4

Weekly Theme: Active Me

ELA: Letters: Ii, Vv

Words that rhyme have the same ending sound.

Characters can be real or make-believe.

MATH:

There is more than one way to solve a problem or do something.

Q2 Specials:

Mon. MEDIA

Tues. P.E.

Wed. TECHNOLOGY

Thurs. ART

Fri. MUSIC

Kindergarten

ELA: Gingerbread Unit- comparing characters, setting, and events

** Ee

*of

Math:

Compare and describe shapes

Science/Social Studies

Rule following

Specials

Dress for your PE day!

Dennis: Friday

Pearson: Wednesday

Valliant: Thursday

Return your library book!

Dennis: Thursday

Pearson: Tuesday

Valiant: Wednesday

1st Grade

ELA

We have started our informative writing unit. Students will learn the writing process and write about the holiday celebrations in two different countries. Each class has different countries. They will present what they have learned to all of first grade on December 17th and share food from their respective countries.

Math

We are subtracting from teen numbers and preparing for our upcoming unit assessment. The unit assessment will include addition and subtraction to 20.

Science/Social Studies

Christmas Around the World

Dress for your PE day!

Combs: Friday

Fox: Tuesday

Brown: Wednesday

Shirkey: Thursday

Christmas Tree theme for PTA: Maryland Flag

Class Party for Christmas: December 17th: 1:30 - 2:30

*Must be volunteer trained to attend

2nd Grade

ELA: UFLI- Spelling- Vowel Teams ee, eo ey, oa,ow,oe

Math: Unit 4: Addition and Subtraction on the Number Line

Match equations to number line representations

Write equations and represent them on a number line

Wonders: Essential Question: How can people help out their community?

Explain how images contribute to and clarify a text.

Explain the author’s purpose (main purpose) of a text or part of a text.

**Field Trip- December 8th- Clarke and Cava**

Dress for your PE day!

Clarke: Thursday

Dickinson: Friday

Walls: Wednesday

Cava: Tuesday

Media:

Monday- Cava

Tuesday- Walls

Wednesday- Clarke

Thursday- Dickinson

3rd Grade

ELA

Reading Historical Fiction

Reviewing 2 syllable words with suffixes and ending with y

Using context clues to determine meanings of words.

Math

Representing and solving 2 step problems

Science

Identifying Processes and Impacts of Natural Hazards

Dress for your PE Day

Armiger: Wednesday

Brian: Thursday

Frantum: Friday

4th Grade

ELA

Finding the central idea of an expository text with three supporting details

irregular plural nouns

Math

Comparing large numbers (multi-digit)

Science/Social Studies

Competition Among European Nations

Specials

Dress for your PE Day

Bledsoe: Thursday

Hart: Tuesday

Mitchell: Friday

Parks: Wednesday

*No pajama pants or slippers please

5th Grade

ELA

Understanding the problems and solutions of the Articles of Confederation

Math

Standard Algorithm: Multiplying Multi-Digit Numbers (3 digit by 2 digit)

Science/Social Studies

Develop a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment.

Food Webs Assessment this week!

We understand many of our families are impacted by the suspension of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits due to the ongoing federal government shutdown. We want to reassure parents and guardians that free breakfast and lunch at every school will continue to be available for all students every day. These meals are funded through a separate program and are not affected by SNAP.

In addition to daily breakfast and lunch at school, all of our schools continue to offer

weekend food support through the Backpack Program, made possible by Food for Learning. This program provides shelf-stable food for students to take home on weekends. For more information and to request services, please complete a Backpack Program form.

Lastly, meals at participating afterschool programs will continue to be served.

Additional Resources for Families

• For a local listing of community resources, including food, please visit Caroline Better Together.

• For resources throughout the mid-shore, please visit the Mid Shore Health Improvement Coalition.

• For resources through the state, please visit the 211Maryland website.

If you have any questions or need assistance connecting with these resources, please contact your school’s Community School Coordinator or school counselor.

This information may also be viewed on the CCPS website.

Only students new to the school after Fall Picture Day (October 27) and students absent on Fall Picture Day (October 27) will automatically have their pictures taken on Picture Retake Day (December 9). A paper version of the form below has been sent home with these students. Parents that want to have their child's original picture retaken will need to follow the online directions on the form below or call the office for a paper verision of the form. These students will then have their picture taken by the photographer on Tuesday, December 9

"Tis the Season" for hats, scarfs and coats. Head lice infestations are more common in certain seasons like winter, particularly when children are in close contact with one another. The primary reason for this seasonal occurrence is the increased physical proximity among children, or where they share personal items like hats, headbands, and scarves. Please remember to regularly inspect your child's scalp and hair for signs of lice, especially during peak seasons. Early detection can prevent the infestation from spreading to others. Have a Healthy Holiday Season!

MLK Classic Games - grades 5 - 8, Boys and Girls games.

Elks Hoop Shoot Contest - age 8 - 13 (as of April 1, 2026) - winners in each of 6 brackets will get a trophy and move on to the regional competition. Boys and Girls divisions.

Parents, please do NOT park/wait (between the posted) signs on Central Avenue near the right hand turn on to Seward Road while waiting in the car rider line. Also, avoid waiting at the end of Seward Road. This makes it difficult for cars trying to turn back on to Central Avenue at the stop sign after dropping off students. Thank you for your cooperation.

Dismissal is a very busy time of day in the front office.

1. To ensure the safety of all students, we respectfully request that when necessary, parents that need to change the regular dismissal for their child/children to contact the main office before 12:00 PM. This will allow the office staff adequate time to coordinate the change with the classroom teacher.

2. Parents that come to the school to pick up their child/children after 3:30 PM, will be directed to the walker area/picnic table area to pick up their student(s). Students will be called from their classroom and be dismissed from the media center with the walkers.

Please remember, for all notifications, parent/guardian numbers and emails are taken directly from information provided by the family in PowerSchool.

School delays and closings are shared via:

• a phone call, text, and email through our notification system

• a message on the CCPS Mobile App the district website (carolineschools.org)

• social media: Facebook (Caroline County Public Schools and all school pages), and Instagram (carolineschoolsmd)

• some local news and radio stations

The process for making weather-related decisions is outlined on carolineschools.org.

Welcome back! We’re so glad to have your children with us for the 2025–2026 school year!

To keep you informed and involved, we’re continuing to use Rooms, our two-way communication tool that helps you stay connected with your child’s teachers and school staff.

And this year, Rooms has improved some of their features:

• SMS Text Notifications
  You’ll now receive text message notifications whenever a new message or announcement is sent in Rooms. Each text includes a direct link to view the content in your mobile browser or in the app.
  
  → Click here to learn how to set your notification preferences.

• One Messaging Inbox
  Our school app has been updated to give you one, single place to see all of your messages across all children. From this inbox, you can read, reply, or start new messages. This feature is available through the CCPS App, available in the App Store and Google Play.
  
  

• Upgraded Messaging Features
  Our messaging experience now lets you react to messages with emojis, respond in threads, send photos and videos, mute group messages, and more!

Check out this overview of the new experience, or watch this short video (video in Spanish or click on Haitian Creole) to learn more about what’s new for this year.

We’re here to help make communication simpler, more consistent, and easier to manage this year! Please let us know if you have any questions.

The 2025-26 Student Benefits Form (Household Income Data Collection) information is used to help provide school meals at no charge to all students, along with other districtwide services. It also provides individual benefits to students and families such as:

• discounts for summer and recreational programs
• internet access
• fee waivers for SAT and AP testing and college applications
• eligibility for Maryland Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)

USE this link to complete the form.

25-26 Student Benefits Form-Household Income

Need to provide or update your student's information? Parent/Guardians should use the Year Round Form, also in the parent portal in PowerSchool.

Visit carolinecps.powerschool.com and log in to the PowerSchool Parent Portal. (You must log in via a browser, not the app.)

From the Parent Portal:

1. Select the student you wish to update along the top.

2. Select the Student Information Update form icon on the left side for the applicable school year.

3. Verify the student's date of birth.

4. Select ‘Begin Form’.

If you are unable to access either form, please contact the school to update your child's information. This information is also available on the district website.

Caroline County Public Schools prohibits discrimination in its educational programs, and in employment, on the basis of actual or perceived race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity, or disability.

Parents Right to Know:

The Federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) contains several provisions that promote a parent/school partnership through communication. One such provision gives parents the right to ask for and receive information about the professional qualifications of their child’s classroom teachers. A parent may request the following information:

• Any college or university degree, major or certification held by the teacher
• Whether the teacher is certified by the State of Maryland to teach a particular grade level or subject area
• Whether the teacher holds a conditional teaching certificate
• The qualifications of the paraprofessionals serving the student
  

If you would like to request the professional qualifications of your child’s classroom teachers or paraprofessionals, please submit a written request to the principal. The principal will provide the information to you within 30 business days of the date of your request.

Parents may also request information on the level of achievement and academic growth of their child, if applicable and available, on each of the State academic assessments.

Parents will receive timely notice if the student has been assigned, or has been taught for four or more consecutive weeks by a teacher who does not meet applicable State certification or licensure requirements at the grade level and subject area in which the teacher has been assigned.

Parents May Request Teacher Information:

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) of 2015 provides parents of students attending Title 1 schools the opportunity to request information about the professional qualifications of their child's teachers. Parents of elementary students may request in writing to the school principal information about their child's teacher including college/university degrees of certification held, subject area of the teacher's degree or certification, and Maryland certification status. Additionally, if your child is served by paraprofessionals, parents may request their professional qualifications.

Parent Information Resource Center:

Parents are encouraged to visit our Parent Information Resource Center (PIRC) located in the lobby outside of the front office. The PIRC has a variety of parenting resources and informational brochures and flyers. These materials are all free. Parents can find the School Improvement Plan, RES School Family Engagement Compact, booklets from The Parent Institute on topics such as “Seven Habits of Highly Responsible Students; Help Your Child Balance School and Extracurricular Activities; and Helping Children Learn to Resolve Conflicts.” Parents can also find information regarding Caroline County Recreation and Parks, Caroline County Library, Imagination Library and Maryland Department of Health . Please be sure to check out our Parent Information Resource Center next time you come to the school.

Last year, our Title I Parent/Family Engagement funds provided important resources to our students and families, including family academic nights and engaging materials for all elementary schools. Each year we base our programs on your feedback. Please help us again this year by taking the Title I survey.

Current Family Engagement Plan: English | Espanol | Kreyòl ayisyen

OFFICE HOURS:

The RES front is open Monday - Friday from 8:00 AM - 4:15 PM.

Use this link to view the CODE OF STUDENT CONDUCT:

https://www.carolineschools.org/documents/code-of-student-conduct/17009381

Use the link below to view the school calendar:

carolineschools.org/page/school-calendar

RES is a progressive community of learners collaboratively supporting each other through intentional planning in a risk-taking and trusting environment, leading to rigor, student autonomy, and mastery of content standards in all learning settings.

Email: sutton.lee@ccpsstaff.org
Website: ridgelyes.org
Location: 118 North Central Avenue, Ridgely, MD 21660
Phone: 410 479 3243