Seahawk News

An AMAZING first week!

It was an amazing first week of the school year! We will have all of our students ranging from the 3 year olds to our 5th graders on Monday. We appreciate that you entrust us with the care and education of your children every day. We take great pride in their achievements and growth.

Thank you Rita's in Dunkirk for supporting our school and families with our Spirit Night. The FSO did an amazing job organizing this special event for us! Kudos to Ms. Lantz, Ms. Taylor, Ms. Starks and Ms. Baillargeon for serving all our Seahawks with a smile!

As parents, you were your child's first teacher, but parenting does not come with directions or a guidebook. In collaboration with you, our goal is to provide many opportunities for your child to learn and grow into an independent young adult. Throughout the year, we will share resources to help support your family. Thanks for sharing your fantastic children with us and it's going to be a GREAT year!

~Pam Myrick, Principal

• Please review the Health Room Guidelines attached below.
• A list of FSO events for the year is attached below.

• Exciting Tie-Dye Week Ahead with Our PBIS Team!

  Get ready for some vibrant creativity and fun as we host flock tie-dye parties! Students will come together with their entire flock to create colorful tie-dye shirts. All students are encouraged to bring a white t-shirt for tie-dyeing! These shirts can be worn throughout the year on Flock Fridays. If you need assistance providing a white t-shirt, please reach out to your student's teacher or school counselor. Let’s make colorful memories!

  Schedule:

  • 9/8 Tie dye (Red) 9:15
  • 9/10 Tie dye (yellow) 9:15
  • 9/11 Tie dye (orange) 9:15
  • 9/15 Tie dye (green) 9:15
  • 9/18 Tie dye (purple) 9:15
• We need VOLUNTEERS to help Tie -Dye! We hope you are able to join us. Make sure you are an approved volunteer and sign up at https://sunderlandfso.ptboard.com/sgnvw?group=&signup=c60ad165-137f-41fe-832d-48c54b51dd5c~s.9223370248912778866

• Open House is scheduled for September 23rd from 5:30PM-7:00PM. It will be a blended event with food trucks and social time with other families in your child's class. More details to come.
• CCPS Parent Information- There is a great deal of information on the Parent website: Parent/Guardian Information - Calvert County Public School District (calvertnet.k12.md.us)
• Online payments for the Seat Sack can be found at our school website: Home - Sunderland Elementary (calvertnet.k12.md.us) Students in Kdg and new to the school are encouraged to purchase a Seat Sack. It will be used throughout elementary school and is a tool used to help with organizational skills. Students in grades 3-5 will use an agenda books as a tool to help establish good habits that will support them in middle school and beyond.
• Laptops: All 3rd -5th graders will receive a laptop for school use. Students will be using the device at school. Laptops will not be sent home for use. Homework assignments will not require computer use.
• SES Parent Handbook: Please review the attached SES Parent Handbook. It contains a great deal of information to help you better understand our school's procedures and routines that support a safe, organized school for all. It will be in the Resource section of every weekly newsletter.
• Please register as a VOLUNTEER. You must REAPPLY EVERY YEAR. If you want to attend any IN-SCHOOL event such as VIP Day, Career Day, Field Day, etc you are encouraged to be a registered approved volunteer to avoid delays. You are required to be an approved volunteer for chaperoning trips and working with students in any capacity. This is for safety of all students. Each of the special events that we have within our school day allows for you to engage with the students. You are not kept separated, instead, we have interactive activities and will need all adults (parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc) who plan to attend to be an approved volunteer. The process takes less than 10 minutes. Become a Volunteer - Calvert County Public School District (calvertnet.k12.md.us)

• CCPS Phone-Free School Day: New Expectations for 2026–2027

Beginning this school year, CCPS students may not use personal electronic communications devices during the school day—from the time they enter the building until dismissal. This includes cell phones, smartwatches, tablets, earbuds, SMART Glasses, and similar devices during arrival, classes, transitions, lunch, recess, assemblies, and dismissal.

For elementary and middle school students, these expectations are largely consistent with current practice. The most significant change is at the high school level: students may no longer use cell phones during lunch.

The districtwide expectations, outlined in CCPS Policy 3175: Cell Phones in Schools, are designed to reduce distractions, support learning, strengthen face-to-face connections, and provide consistent expectations across CCPS.

If you need to reach your child during the school day, please contact your school’s main office. Thank you for partnering with us to help students stay focused, engaged, and connected.

• This form is to be completed for those who will be Daily Car Riders only. By listing adults to pick up, you are giving that adult permission to pick up your student. We encourage all students to ride the bus.
• Please tell your child that they will NOT have their name called. They are to dismiss when they hear Daily Car Riders are dismissed. This list will be shared with the teachers, too who will help the students initially.
• Please have your state issued ID at all times when entering the school to pick up your student. You will need to have your ID out to show the staff, even if we know you!
• One adult will be expected to come into the cafeteria to sign out their Daily Car Rider student(s). We will open the exterior cafeteria door at 3:50PM (1:50PM on Early Dismissal Days) to allow for students to be signed out. Promptly at 4:05PM (2:05PM on Early Dismissal Days), Daily Car Riders will be called to the cafeteria. You and your child will exit. When you sign in, you will be given a card signifying how many students you are picking up. You will turn in your card as you leave the cafeteria. If an adult is not present by 4:05PM (2:05PM on Early Dismissal Days), the student will be sent home on their assigned bus.
• If your child is a bus rider and needs to be picked up due to an appointment, please arrive at the front office before 3:45PM (1:45PM on Early Dismissal Days).Our office staff and duty staff start preparing for Daily Car Riders and bus dismissal at 3:50PM (1:50PM on Early Dismissal Days) We have a 10 minute bus window to dismiss between 600-700 students, with limited staff, so we will need to keep our focus on the dismissal process.
• Please complete the survey questions below by Monday, August 24th by 5:00PM so that we can be prepared for dismissal the first day of school. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Myrick at myrickp@calvertnet.k12.md.us or at 443-550-9390.
• Non-Daily Car Riders :
• We will permit Non-Daily Car Riders but we are not able to accommodate Drop in, Surprise Car Riders. For Non-Daily Car Riders, you MUST send a paper note, NOT AN EMAIL, with your child, EACH day that you plan for them to be a car rider. Please prepare your child and let them know that they must dismiss with the Daily Car Riders at 4:05PM when announced. We will NOT call individual students down for dismissal. Please do not send a note saying “every Tuesday” instead, send a note every Tuesday. We can not expect teachers to keep up with all students’ special request schedules. We ask that you send a paper note each day because there could be a sub in the class instead of the teacher.

EVERYONE must reapply for being a volunteer. The system was cleaned out and you must reapply. Remember, if you want to be a chaperone or work events, you must be approved. If you are an employee of CCPS, you still need to complete the volunteer process for participation in events at school.

Even if you are not sure if you will be able to attend anything, please sign up early. Here’s the CCPS link of info:

Become a Volunteer - Calvert County Public School District (calvertnet.k12.md.us)

• Morning Arrival Window: 9:15AM -9:25AM
• Instructional School Day - 9:25AM – 4:05PM
• Afternoon Dismissal Window: 4:05PM car riders; 4:10-4:20PM Bus Riders
• School Colors - Blue and White – Friday Spirit Days- Classes are assigned a Flock color as well. Your teacher will let you know your flock assignment.
• School Mascot/Motto -“SPIRIT” the Seahawk -Sunderland Promotes Independence Responsibility Integrity and Trust