LMS Family Update

Greetings Lockerman Families,

As we prepare for the upcoming winter break, we want to share how grateful we are for each of you. Together we have worked to create a school community for everyone that prioritizes regular attendance and student connection.

We know the winter season is busy, and we appreciate your efforts to avoid taking extra days off around the winter break. Our teachers will be teaching and our students will be learning right up until break starts with our half day on December 19th, and the first day back on January 5th.

Every school day matters. When students are healthy and able to attend, it gives them the chance to keep learning, connect with friends, and grow both socially and academically. Your support makes such a difference in helping students feel connected and prepared.

In addition, we have lots of fun planned this week leading up to break. Please see below for more details and other important information. From our school family to yours, we wish you all an enjoyable holiday season.

Take care,

Jeannine Necessary, LMS Principal

12/15-12/19 Spirit Week

12/15-12/19 Book Fair

12/17 5-7:30pm Book Fair Family Night

12/17 6pm Winter Concert (LMS Gym)

12/15-12/18 Holiday Pop-Up Shop (during lunches)

12/19 Half Day - First Wave Dismissal begins at 11:45

12/22-1/2 Schools Closed for Winter Break

1/6 6pm Board of Education Meeting

1/12 6pm PTA Meeting (LMS Cafeteria)

1/15-1/20 8th Grade CTE/CCTC Tours

1/19 Schools Closed/Martin Luther King Day Jr. Program

Get ready—the Scholastic Book Fair is coming to our school! This is a great opportunity to build your child’s home library with new books they’ll dive into again and again.

The easiest way to let your child shop the Fair independently is by creating an eWallet. It’s easy to set up and easy for others to add funds. Create an eWallet, and you’ll also have the opportunity to contribute to Share the Fair - the giving program that supports students at our school who need help buying books. Consider participating so that no child leaves the Fair empty-handed!

Here’s everything else you need to know about the Book Fair:

Dates: December 15-19th, 2025

Location: Lockerman Middle School Library Media Center

Family Event: Wednesday, December 17th 5:00-7:30

For full details, and to create an eWallet, visit our school’s Book Fair homepage: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/lockermanmiddleschool

Join us January 12th at 6pm in the LMS Cafeteria

Be sure to download the app and get connected to your child's teachers and classes in Rooms. See class announcements and information, and send messages to teachers. View the quick start guides below.

Did you know? You can request principal approval for a vacation once a year, up to 5 school days. However, these are only approved if students have good attendance.

Any student who misses 10% or more of the school year, is considered chronically absent. That means missing 18 total days of school over the course of the whole year makes you chronically absent. Chronic absenteeism leads to a lack of positive social connections, decreased academic performance, and overtime missing graduation.

Make everyday attendance a priority!

Please email absence notes to Mrs. Nesselroad at nesselroad.jennifer@ccpsstaff.org

Dear Parents,

We join our Choptank Health partners in wishing you and your family a safe and healthy holiday season and new year. To help keep you and your family as healthy as you can be, our Choptank Health partners are providing these tips for staying well over the holidays:

1. Keep Up-to-Date on Vaccines: Vaccines are your strongest line of protection against severe

illness. See the chart to learn more about Flu, RSV, and COVID vaccinations.

2. Wash Your Hands – You can help your children learn the importance of hand-washing by making it

a family activity. Good hand hygiene is one of the most effective ways to stop the spread of infection!

Follow these five steps every time:

a) Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the tap, and apply soap.

b) Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.

c) Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. Need a timer? Hum the “Happy Birthday” song from

beginning to end twice.

d) Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.

e) Dry your hands using a clean towel or an air dryer.

You can learn more about the best practices for handwashing at www.cdc.gov/handwashing/.

For more about our School-Based Health Centers, including locations and enrollment forms, go to

www.choptankhealth.org/schoolbased.

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.

We partner with the Cook Center for parent education and support. Check out their December newsletter below. Visit parentguidance.org/mhs-catalog/ for more information.

Got burning questions about parenting, relationships, or your child's well-being? Submit them anonymously before or during a live session with a skilled therapist who provides thoughtful, personalized answers - to as many questions as possible.

Sign-up for free here! - https://cookcenter.info/ATLOct21

Why should you be excited? Because it's YOUR chance to:

1. Gain expert advice: Everyone can use help navigating the complexities of parenthood

2. Ask questions anonymously: Feel free to ask anything without fear, as all questions are submitted anonymously. Your privacy is our priority!

3. Be part of a supportive community: Connect with fellow parents facing similar challenges, and let's foster a network of understanding and empathy.

Spam filters are designed to identify emails that attackers or marketers use to send unwanted or dangerous content. They also throw out malware, malicious, and virus-infested emails and protect user security. Unfortunately, spam filtering is an inexact science that at times blocks legitimate messages.

Should you send an email to a staff member and not receive a reply within a reasonable amount of time (no more than 48 hours), please call the office.

Click the buttons below to access CCPS resources/information

Jeannine Necessary, Principal

Andrea Hill, Assistant Principal

Rondell Sorrell, Assistant Principal

Kara Henry, Middle School Transition Specialist

Rae Watkins, Community Schools Coordinator

Shannon Thompson, 6th Grade Counselor

James Freeman, 7th Grade Counselor

David Gibbons, 8th Grade Counselor

Website: https://www.lockermanms.org/
Location: 410 Lockerman Street, Denton, MD, USA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LockermanPRIDE