Matapeake Elementary School 2014-2015

Our School Focus andBack-to-School Reminders

Focus #1: HIGH STUDENT ACHIEVMENT

  • Maryland College and Career Readiness Standards (MCCRS)
  • Contact Mrs. Rankin, Teacher Specialist, for information regarding all curriculum areas and information regarding testing at MES () Refer to our website (qacps.schoolwires.net/domain124) for more information regarding the MCCRS.
  • Contact Ms. Osborne, Reading Specialist, for specific information about the high quality Reading/English and Language Arts (RELA) curriculum that is implemented at MES ()
  • Students selected to participate in reading interventions to help boost their reading comprehension and/or phonics will receive a letter letting parents know that their child has been selected. Reading Interventions will start on or aboutMonday October 6th. Students pulled for intervention will not miss out on any class work or other subject areas. Interventions will notbe during Art, Music, PE, Media or Computer classes.
  • School-wide Reading Programs:
  • Read and Hit a Homerun-sponsored by the Bowie Baysox- Thursday, May 16, 2015
  • Scholastic Book Fair –November 10-14, 2014
  • Matapeake Marathon Summer Reading Incentive: Participants will receive a Homework Pass, 2 Stamps on their Incentive Chart and have a Rita’s treat on Thursday, September 25th
  • Reach the Beach-a school wide, weekly independent reading incentive (More information will be given in the grade level sessions regarding thisprogram).
  • An enrichment/intervention block will be used in all classrooms in grades K-5. Students will do enrichment activities and projects in the classroom with the grade teachers based on areas of student interest and their academic level during this half hour time block each day.
  • Contact Ms. Quesenberry, Math Specialist, () for information regarding the Pearson enVisionMath textbook seriesbeing usedas a tool to teach the Math concepts in the MCCRS in Grades Pre- K-5 and interventions used to boost math achievement for identified students.
  • Intervention letters for those students identified who could use extra instruction in math will besent home in an upcoming Thursdayfolder. Math Interventions will begin on or about October 6th. Students do not miss classroom instruction when they are receiving intervention.
  • Thanks to our PTA, students in grades 2-5 will again use First in Math during a part of their Computer Lab timeto boost their memorization or automaticity of basic facts. This program can also be accessed at home if you have internet service. Passwords and information on the program went home the first week of school to all students in grades 2-5.
  • Matapeake Mariner Mathematician Summer Program: Participants will receive a certificate, a pencil and Math Homework Pass, 2 stamps om their Star Student chart and a celebration with an ice cream treat in the next several weeks.
  • Testing Information
  • Students in grades 3 and 5 will be taking the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) on

September15TH, 16TH, AND 18TH. This test measures students learned reasoning abilities in the three areas most linked to academic success in school: Verbal, Quantitative and Nonverbal. Scores will be in around Conference Time in November.

  • Special Education Services
  • Contact Ms. Wohlleber, IEP Chairperson,at Matapeake () or Toni Pajak. School Psychologist () , if you have questions or concerns, or the following case managers:
  • Mrs. Hayward– Grade 1 and 2 Case Manager ()
  • Ms. Clark – PREK, K and 5th grade Case Manager ()
  • Mrs. Weardon –2nd and 3rd Grade Case Manager ()
  • Speech/Language Services --- Mrs. Smichnick()

Focus #2 Safety and Security of all students

  • Enhanced communication between home, school and the community
  • Agenda Books --- homework assignments are recorded in the agenda book by studentsin grades 1-5 on a daily basis and signed by the teacher to indicate that what was recorded was correct. Parents are asked to sign the agenda book each evening to verify that their child completed their homework. Questions, concerns and comments can also be written in the agenda book. Kindergarten students have a daily red folder which comes home with schoolwork and homework for them.
  • Thursday Folder--- all correspondence will be sent home on Thursday. Please sign the back of the folder to show you have received all correspondence.
  • Check the MES website, qacps.schoolwires.net/domain124 for updates and resources.
  • School Messenger Calls and E-mails --- Please make sure your preferences for phone calls and emails are set correctly so that you receive the phone calls/text message or email updates that are sent out from school. Please go to to update your email and phone messages. Most messages sent from MES are emails so it is very important that you have an email address registered to your child so that you will receive the messages.
  • Emergency Forms – Please make sure you update your contact information on your emergency form throughout the year. Thanks to those families who have returned to updated form their school.
  • Contact your child’s teacher, if you have a concern. You may phone or email them. Teachers are available to take phone calls from 8:30 AM to 9:00 each morning. If you call during the school day, you will be able to leave them a voice mail and you will receive a response in 24 hours. If you are not satisfied with the response or do not receive a response, please contact Mrs. Kamp immediately at or by phone 410-643-3105.
  • Security Cameras-12 security cameras have been placed in and around all common areas of the interior and exterior of the school to carefully monitor what is happening at the school from Mrs. Kamp’s office.

DROP OFF AND DISMISSAL PROCEDURES:

  • Students may be dropped off at 8:55a.m. when the doors are opened for buses to unload. Do not drop students off before this time as there is no supervision at the front doors of the school.
  • If the front doors are closed and it is after 9:15 a.m. --- all students must enter with a parent and sign in at the Front Office. Parents need a visitor’s badge from the office prior to going to a classroom or other area. You will need a photo id to get a visitor badge at the office.
  • To enter for afternoon pick up, please use the front doors which will open at 3:40p.m. and report to the Cafeteria. A note needs to be sent in ahead whenever there is a change in pick-up routine. Always include first and last name of child, teacher’s name, dates the change involves and complete name of who will be picking up the child. If the pick-up or drop-off location for the bus changes, please send the name and 911 address and reason for the change. Because buses can be at capacity, Queen Anne’s County Public School’s policy states that only a change for day care will be approved for a bus change. See the policy handbook for the complete policy.
  • A photo ID(or Driver’s license) will be required of anyone who is picking up a child to verify their identity.
  • In order to keep all students free from sickness, please do not send your child back to school until they are free of fever or from vomiting for 24 hours. If your child is displaying any symptoms of flu, please keep them at home so other students are not exposed to these symptoms. Encourage hand washing and proper coughing and sneezing techniques. As a school, staff will provide training and opportunities to help students be successful with this.
  • A phone call will be made to your home when your child is absent from school.
  • Documents such as permission slips, report cards, health forms, or any other such legal documents that requires a signature, must be signed only by the parent or legal guardian. We may NOT accept signatures from grandparents, step parents, or any other family member.

ATTENDANCE

  • If your child is absent, a note must be sent in explaining the absence. If the child is seen by a doctor, please send in the doctor’s note.
  • If a child arrives after 10:15 a.m., or leaves school before 2:45 p.m., the child will be marked as a half day absence
  • In order for students to not be marked tardy, students must be in their classrooms by 9:15 a.m. Breakfast is served from 9-9:15 a.m. each day. We will also offer breakfast on delayed openings, now.

Focus #4: Collaboration

  • Buddy Classes-We have paired classes up with another grade level and these classes will work together on a monthly basis. (K-3rd grade, 1st-4th grade and 2nd – 5th grade will work together.
  • We encourage parents to volunteer at our school. You may help at parties, chaperone on field trips, help in a classroom area, or at the Book Fair or other school activities. This is a Tier One Volunteer. A Tier Two Volunteer is a volunteer that comes in more than 20 hours per week or accompanies students on an overnight field trip. Tier Two Volunteers will need to be fingerprinted every two years.
  • In order to volunteer: Each year you will need to attend a volunteer training. There have been two Volunteer Trainings held at MES thus far this school year. There will be another session at 7:30PM tonight for anyone who is interested in volunteering. Please contact if you still need to receive the training. Once you have completed your training, your photo identification must be scanned in the front office of MES. If possible, please scan your license as soon as possible and do not wait until the day of a field trip, party or school event.
  • Once you have attended the training and your license has been scanned to run the background check, you will be eligible to volunteer. Please sign in at the front office each time you volunteer logging in your hours and receiving your badge which should be worn at all times while at MES.
  • Please let Mrs. O’Connor know if you are interested in helping out with Character Counts. Character Count’s Coaches bring messages about the pillars of character in 15-20 minute lessons once a week in each of our classrooms. Lesson ideas and materials as well as trainings are available to those who are interested. We only have a limited number of classrooms who have coaches and we would like to see each classroom with a coach. Please volunteer to help us with this intitiative.