Heron Update

Hollywood Families,

Wishing all of our HES students and families a relaxing and restful spring break. Enjoy the break and time off with friends and family.

The Commissioner's of St. Mary's County public hearing on the FY26 budget takes place right after we return from Spring Break on Tuesday April 22 6:30pm at LHS. Please attend if you are able to show support for the BOE's requested budget allocation which provides funding for our negotiated agreement.

Applications for STEM 6 will be accepted from April 1 to April 30. Interested 5th graders should visit the Academies page of the SMCPS website for more information and to apply. A Middle School STEM Virtual Open House will be held on Wednesday, April 10th. Learn more about the SRMS STEM program and have your questions answered. For more information, please visit our Google Site.

Warm Regards,

Mrs. DiRenzo

April 14 - 21: Spring Break - No School

April 22 : Students Return to School

April 22: Commissioner's of St. Mary's County public hearing on the FY26 budget 6:30pm at LHS

April 23: Purple Up Day

Please join me in celebrating our AMAZING Assistant Principal, Mr. Rodkey!!! WE appreciate all that he does for the staff and students at HES!!!

Hollywood Elementary School is joining the Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC) in celebrating Month of the Military Child. Nearly 2 million children in military families face unique challenges, including frequent moves and family separations. These remarkable young people demonstrate incredible strength and courage while adapting to new schools, making new friends, and supporting their families' service to our nation.

We encourage the HES community to wear purple on April 23, Purple Up! Day to show support for military children. Military kids are essential members of our community who deserve recognition for their strength and sacrifices.

To learn more about supporting military-connected children, visit militarychild.org.

I am beyond proud to announce that Hollywood Elementary School has earned PURPLE STAR SCHOOL DESIGNATION from the Maryland State Department of Education! A HUGE thank you to Ms. Overly and the Anchored For Life team for all of their efforts in leading HES to this prestigious recognition.

• PTO Updates

  • April Staff Treat: The PTO is looking for a few donations for this month’s staff treat. Please label items HES PTO and return to the school by Wednesday April 9th. We appreciate your support!
    
  • Spring Kindness Grams with Smencils will be delivered after spring break. Remaining Smencil inventory will be sold by emailing PTO with the quantity you'd like, student name, and student's teacher. Labeled envelopes with money can be sent to the main office or email the PTO and use Zelle to pay $1 per Smencil.
  • Square One Art: HES order deadline is April 7. Use the online site to find your child's artwork and order here: Art Search.
  • 2025-2026 School Supply Kits are now available to order! Bypass the back to school shopping this summer and have your child's supply kit on their desk at Open House in August! Use the link here to order: 1st Day School Supplies
  • Last Day to order yearbooks is April 16. Scan QR on the flyer to purchase or visit shop.yearbookmarket.com/hollywoodelementary

  
  

  Save the Dates!

  • Wednesday, April 9 Cold Stone Spirit Night in the store 5:00pm - 7:00pm
  • Tuesday, May 20 7am - 7pm Chick-Fil-A Mobile Spirit Day - Order through the app and select the fundraiser for breakfast, lunch, or an early dinner before the PTO meeting and music concert at school!
  • Tuesday, May 20th 5:00 pm Last PTO Meeting of the School Year
  • Thursday, June 12 Blue Crabs Game 6:35pm game time (FREE tickets for all, info coming soon!)

St. Mary’s County Public Schools (SMCPS) will begin to accept Pre- Kindergarten 4 Applications on Wednesday, April 9, 2025. The Blueprint for Maryland’s Future allows for families with children who are 4 years old on or before September 1, 2025, to apply for full-day Pre-Kindergarten. All families are welcome to apply; however, income is the primary qualifier for eligibility. Families with an annual income at or below 300% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) or families that are experiencing homelessness are deemed income eligible and will be accepted first. In 2025-2026 only: Children who are identified as a multilingual learner, where English is not the home language, and/or children with a current Individualized Education Plan (IEP)/ Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP), and the annual family income is at or below 600% of the Federal Poverty Level may be admitted.

The Maryland State Department of Education has provided a Federal Poverty Level calculator to assist in determining income eligibility. Families with an annual income that exceeds 301% FPL, are placed on the over-income/waitlist. Families are advised to seek alternate options to meet their childcare needs should seat capacity be filled. After October 1, 2025, depending on available seats and school location, waitlisted families may be contacted in rank order and offered a seat where available. Families will be notified Mid-May of their acceptance or waitlist status by the Early Childhood Education Team.

Families must submit the following required documents with the applications so it may be

screened for eligibility:

Proof of Birth (Birth Certificate, Valid and un-expired Passport/Visa, Physician’s Certificate,

Baptismal/Church Certificate, or Birth Registration)

Proof of Residency (Deed, Mortgage, Rental Agreement/Lease, Current Property Tax Bill, or

Current Utility Bill (PO Box is not acceptable)

Income Verification (2024 W-2, or three (3) recent consecutive pay stubs. Additional

income sources includes: Child Support, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP),

Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA) Social Security Benefits (SSA), Social Security Insurance (SSI)

or Medicaid)

The SMCPS website, www.smcps.org has information and guidance for the completion of the

2025-2026 Pre-Kindergarten Application. You may also contact us with the helpdesk form, call

301-475-5511, ext. 32285, or contact Mrs. Charlottis Woodley, Director of Parent & Family

Engagement, at cmwoodley@smcps.org. Spanish language assistance is available.

Remember to please keep encouraging your students to come to school daily to help their house area win the monthly attendance challenge.

February was a tough month for our Herons with attendance. We know illness hit the school hard. Let's hope for a healthier March! Our averages can be found below.

• If you are interested in being involved with the HES PTO, please email heronpto@gmail.com

Click here to check your child's breakfast/lunch balance and add money to their account

5th Grade Parents:

Please make sure to check your students' HAC account for information about their Unified Arts Selection for Middle School next year. They will be selecting their choice for their Unified Arts in ELA on Friday, April 25th.

If your child is interested in applying for the STEM Middle School program, the application opens April 1st. Further information can be found on the SMCPS STEM website.

PE:

MUSIC: Thank you 3rd and 4th grade families for a great Folk Dance Night!

ART:

Hello HES Families,

It appears we are through the worst of the winter illnesses. Please continue to remind students to wash their hands and cover their coughs. I hope everyone continues to stay healthy!

As a REMINDER if your student is out for two consecutives days I will be reaching out to you. This is to ensure that we are doing what we can on our end at school to support your students' attendance. Please review when to send your student to school and when to keep them home. I know it's a tough time of year and a lot of sniffles are going around!

Finally, as a reminder if your child is out for three days we do ask for a doctor's note to excuse the absences. Have a great weekend!

If you have any questions or concerns please reach out!

Thanks,

Nurse Briggs

School Based Health Clinics

The school based health clinics has updated their website with a new link to register students. The link can be found at https://smchd.org/sbhc/ and then you would click the blue button that says "Click Here to Enroll now for Faster Service". The school based health centers are a great way to see a provider without the long wait times at urgent care! See their website for more information.

• If you are interested in being involved with the HES PTO, please email heronpto@gmail.com
• HES PTO has a new Spirit Wear company. On top of the company getting amazing reviews for their customer service and quality, our HES PTO earns 10% in commissions for all our sales!! Woohoo!! Items will ship directly to your house as well. https://1stplacespiritwear.com/schools/MD/Hollywood/Hollywood+Elementary+School

Birthday treats present the potential for allergic reactions for many of our students. They also interrupt instruction. However, we understand that some students enjoy celebrating their birthday with their friends at school. Because of all of these factors, birthday treats may NOT be edible. Gift bags with stickers, pencils, crayons, erasers, and/or other small toys are acceptable. They can also be shared at recess or the end of the day which doesn’t compromise instructional time. Parents who wish to provide birthday treats to a class are asked to notify the homeroom teacher in advance and to drop them off in the front office as early as possible.

Both new and previously registered volunteers must complete a new volunteer application. The application process will end on May 1 of each school year. There is no application fee for school volunteers. Parental involvement is a key component to student success. Thank you for your support.

2024-2025 SMCPS Calendar Link

If you have any questions about your HAC account, please contact the HES office for assistance.

https://www.smcps.org/hac

Please note that HAC opens at 5:00 pm on August 16, 2024.

Schoology is a very helpful tool and resource for teachers, students, and families. Please ensure that you are able to access Schoology for updates and information from the school and your child's teacher. If you need support in obtaining your Schoology log in information please email schoology@smcps.org for support. Please click Parent Notifications for directions to ensure your notifications are set to receive important information about your student.

Do you have the Schoology App?

Log Into the Schoology Mobile App

If you already have a Schoology account, download the Schoology app from Apple App Store, Google Play or the Amazon App Store. Tap the app icon to open it on your device.

You can use an email address or username to log into the application, depending on how your account was set up:

Log in through your School

1. Use the keyboard to enter SMCPS. As you type, matching choices populate in the list. The name, ID number, city, state, and zip code for the school should appear below.

2. Tap the name of your school or organization when it displays.

3. Use the email address or username to log in to the application, that was sent to you via email from Schoology with an app password. If you are an SMCPS student or teacher this is NOT your SMCPS password.

4. Tap LOG IN to complete.

If you are able to sign in with Google, and you are an SMCPS student or staff, please use that login process and follow the provided instructions in the prompts.

Want to enable notifications? Please check this document

Student Handbook - A Guide for Students & Families

Code of Conduct - A Guide for Students & Families

SMCPS Updated Cell Phones Implementation VIDEO

Please review laptop expectations by sharing this presentation with your child. Classroom teachers will be reviewing laptop expectations with students at school as well. Thank you!

HES Laptop Expectations

Need to purchase a laptop charger?

You can do one of two things:

1. Email your child's teacher or the Library Media Specialist Miss Hazuda (sjhazuda@smcps.org) that you wish to pay for the missing laptop charger. A fine then can be assessed so that you can pay using My School Bucks, sending in cash, or a check (made out to SMCPS).

OR

2. Go directly to the DELL store. You can purchase directly from their website and have it shipped to your home.

Ensure one of these links is being used:

www.dell.com/mpp/smcps (click Shop Recommended Solutions to get to the discounted power cords)

www.dell.com/mpp/smcps-chargers (leads directly to the purchasing portal)

If you purchase from Dell, please make sure that you label the charger with the student's first and last name before sending it to school. If you have any questions, please contact your child's teacher or the Library Media Specialist Miss Hazuda (sjhazuda@smcps.org).

School Messenger Text Messaging FAQ's

...provides a rich educational experience that focuses on preparing well rounded students that are ready to succeed in their future college and career endeavors. Hollywood educates and inspires our diverse population in a safe and respectful environment. Students are engaged in authentic learning experiences that foster work habits and skills necessary to become collaborative, dedicated, and productive citizens.

Ms. Erin DiRenzo, Principal

Email: eedirenzo@smcps.org

Mr. Chris Rodkey, Assistant Principal

Email: cnrodkey@smcps.org

Website: https://schools.smcps.org/hes/
Location: 44345 Joy Chapel Road, Hollywood, MD, USA
Phone: (301) 373-4350
Twitter: @hes_smcps