DES Family News

I hope you are doing well and enjoying your weekend.

Please take a moment to carefully read school and county-related updates, policies, and information.

Sincerely,

Sarah Crebs

Principal of Denton Elementary School

Just a friendly reminder that toys are not to be brought into school (unless it's a fidget or approved incentive). This includes Pokemon Cards. Thank you for your support with this.

Students, parents, and community partners are all encouraged to attend. To access the meeting, please join with this Zoom link. Tuesday, March 28th @ 6:00 pm

DES Office HOURS: 8:00 am-4:15 pm

Coming Soon in March.....

Tuesday, March 28th, Spring Picture Day

Friday, March 31st, Early Dismissal, Grades Day (DES begins dismissal at 12:40 pm)

April 6th-April 11th, SPRING BREAK, SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED

April 12th-14th, 4th Grade Sultana Field Trips (Reach out to your students' teacher with questions)

April 14th, Walk to School Day (weather permitting)

April 14th, Report Cards Sent home

April 14th, PTA Spring Fling, 6:00-8:00 pm

As changes and or more updates arise we will keep families informed on Apptegy.

The Morning Mile

at Sharp Road Park

Friday, April 14, 2023 7:50 a.m.—8:45 a.m.

Students not participating in the walk should arrive at school using their normal means of transportation.

To promote health and fitness, the Denton Elementary School Wellness Committee is hosting The Morning Mile! We are inviting all 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students to join DES staff to walk the Morning Mile around the paved trails before reporting to school. Students, parents and teachers will meet at Sharp Road Park (across from DES) at 7:50 a.m. Please remember you will need to carry all of your school belongings with you on the walk.

The walk starts at 8:00 a.m. and will be supervised by DES Teachers, parents, and our local law enforcement departments. The walk will conclude with a healthy snack in the cafeteria and fun in the DES gym until 8:45 a.m. when students will be dismissed to their classrooms.

Parents are welcome to walk with us. If a parent participates in the walk, then siblings of the 3rd, 4th, and/or 5th grade student may also walk with the parent.

March is...

Disabilities Awareness Month

Irish American Heritage Month

Music in Our Schools Month

Women's History Month

Youth Art Month

MAR 21 World Down Syndrome Day

PTA Spring Fling- April 14th, 2023 6:00-8:00 pm

Career Day is 5/25/23, More information to come.

Grandparents/Special Someone Day is 5/26/23 (Working with PTA), More information to come.

Field Day is NOW set for 6/2/23, More information to come.

5th Grade Awards Night/5th Grade Dance 6/2/23, 5:30-8:30 pm (5th grade only)

Spring Concert: Thursday, May 4th at 6:30 pm in the North Caroline High School auditorium.

*The band students will also be REQUIRED to attend a rehearsal in the North Caroline

High School Auditorium on Monday, May 1st.
The rehearsal will also take place at 6:30 pm. This rehearsal is similar to the rehearsal we did for our winter concert. Further details regarding the rehearsal will be sent home closer to the concert date.

March 23, 30 April: 13, 20, 27

*The chorus students will also be REQUIRED to attend a rehearsal in the North

Caroline High School Auditorium on Monday, May 1st. The rehearsal will also take place

at 6:30 pm. Please see the information in the concert section regarding this.

Rehearsal Schedule (Spring) (Please note rehearsals take place on Tuesdays!)

March: 21, 28 April: 4, 18, 25

*In the event that a rehearsal must be canceled due to Mrs. Oesterle’s absence, parents will

receive an email from Mrs. Oesterle by 6:30 am. Please check your email every Tuesday

morning in the event that a rehearsal needs to be canceled.

*All rehearsals for the choir will be held on Tuesdays.

*All rehearsals begin promptly at 8:00 am in the cafeteria.

*Since the building remains locked at all times, I will open the front cafeteria doors to allow

students entry at 7:50 am. PLEASE DO NOT BUZZ INTO THE SCHOOL as most staff

members are not in the building at this time. If you arrive before 7:50, please have your child

wait in the car until the door opens for safety reasons. We do not want students left

unattended in case of emergencies.

*If school is delayed or canceled because of snow, fog, etc…, rehearsal will be canceled.

*Please do not drop off younger siblings with choir members as it is a safety issue, and they will be left unattended.

Attendance Guidelines:

It is very important that your child be at every rehearsal and be on time. However, I

know that there are times when they will be unable to attend. Excused absences are as follows:

illness and family emergency. Please try to schedule appointments another day of the week. If

your child is absent or going to be absent from a rehearsal, please send a note explaining

the absence, and in most cases the absence will be marked as excused. Any absences not

accompanied with a note will be marked as unexcused..

Unexcused absences or consistent tardiness may result in the removal of your child from

the group. Please note the important information below:

*1-2 unexcused absences or tardiness will result in warnings.

*After the 3 rd unexcused absence or tardy, your child will not be allowed to participate in

the concert.

Rehearsal Conduct:

We take pride in the excellence of our music program at DES. To ensure that excellence,

every student will be asked to sign a “contract of conduct” on the first day of rehearsal. This

contract will act as a promise toward the ensemble during rehearsals, performances, and in

school. The following items are on the promise:

I promise to:

*Come to rehearsal on time, prepared, and ready to sing my best.

*Be courteous and respectful to my fellow choristers and director.

*Strive to become a better singer by following the instructions of the director.

*Do my best to represent my choir and my school by being respectful at performances

outside of DES and by being a responsible student and citizen during the school day.

Students who break this promise (i.e. show disrespect during rehearsals, receive an office referral during school, etc…) will be subject to removal from the ensemble.

Concert Dress:

BOYS: White dress shirt, black pants, black socks, and black shoes.

*No t-shirts, tennis shoes, or white socks, please!

GIRLS: White dress shirt, black pants or skirt (at least KNEE length or LONGER!), black

leggings or tights with skirt, black socks if pants worn, and black dress shoes.

*No t-shirts, spaghetti straps, white socks, or tennis shoes, please!

The bottom line is to look “professional.” You are the performers, and we want you to take pride in your appearance. Any questions, bring the outfit in and I’ll let you know.

NCHS rehearsal: A rehearsal has been scheduled in the North Caroline High School

auditorium to allow the choir students to practice in an unfamiliar location before the actual

evening of the concert. The rehearsal for the spring concert will be held on Monday, May 1 st at 6:30pm. Further details regarding the rehearsal will be sent home closer to the concert date. Students DO NOT need to wear their concert clothes for the rehearsal.

Parents, thank you for encouraging your child to participate and excel in music. Participating in choir is a great way to build friendships, be part of a team, and allow your child to increase

his/her education of the world through music. If you ever have any questions or concerns, feel

free to contact me.

Classroom-Home Feature Launching Soon in the Caroline App

Say hello to parent-teacher chat and classroom announcements in the Caroline app with a new app feature called Rooms! Rooms is a parent-teacher chat feature on the Caroline mobile app. Unlike the general information on the app, Rooms is a password-protected way for you to safely and securely communicate with your child’s teachers.

On Jan. 31, parents and guardians received instructions via email to create their Rooms login within the district app. The email will came from Apptegy, so please check your spam, just in case.

If you do not already have the district app on your phone, please download it today so you’ll be ready to login to Rooms next week. Search Caroline Schools, MD, in the App Store (iPhone) or on Google Play (Android).

Rooms Video: https://youtu.be/eULjjBn_F2o

Inclement Weather Day Plan for Students

The Maryland Department of Education is allowing districts to use three (3) asynchronous inclement weather days as virtual learning days. This limits the number of days that would normally have to be added on to the end of the school year.

Elementary: Folders with brief Math and/or English Language Arts assignments will be sent home in preparation for an inclement weather day. Internet/Wi-Fi will not be required to complete assignments. Assignments will be due shortly after school is back in session and will count as attendance for the virtual day.

Secondary: Students will be able to access their assignments offline without the need for Internet/Wi-Fi access using their school-issued device. Assignments will be brief and a review of material already covered in the classroom. Work will be due shortly after school is back in session and will count as attendance for the virtual day.

DES is a Title I School receiving federal funds to improve instruction in math and reading.

Parents of students attending Title 1 schools may 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:

* Any college or university degree or certification held.

* The subject area of the teacher's degree or certification.

* Whether the teacher is certified by the State of Maryland to teach a grade level or subject area.

* Whether the teacher holds a provisional certificate.

* Whether the child is served by paraprofessionals and, if so, parents may request their professional qualifications.

All DES dismissal changes must be made by 12:00pm each day. This allows time to ensure that the teacher, student, and dismissal staff are all aware of the changes.

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.

Email: crebs.sarah@ccpsstaff.org
Location: 303 Sharp Road, Denton, MD, USA
Phone: 410-479-1660