Originally delivered on 12/21/2021 1:30 pm

SUBJECT: SCES PTA Post Dec. 20 - Dec. 24

PTAPostHeader
Week of Dec. 20 - Dec. 24

Important Upcoming Dates:

Dec. 23-31No School - Winter Break
Jan. 3Return to School
Jan. 4PTA Meeting - register to vote below!
Jan. 12Early Release - New!
Jan. 17MLK Day  - No School

This is a weekly e-newsletter compiled by the Sligo Creek Elementary School (SCES) PTA to share current and upcoming school events and other information important to our school community. Please subscribe directly under your profile on the PTA website. We encourage all SCES families to sign up. If you have questions, contact communications@scespta.org.

***  

Para leer el boletin, de click con el boton derecho del raton (mouse). Elija "traducir" seleccionando "espanol". Use el navegador the internet Google Chrome o MIcrosof Edge.  

***  

Pour lire la newsletter en français, ouvrez-la à l'aide du navigateur Internet Chrome ou Microsoft Edge. Faites un clic droit et choisissez "Traduire" puis sélectionnez le français. 

***  

።berarÄ« werek’etuni be’āmarinya lemanibebi ye Chrome yebeyinemerebi āsashi bemet’ek’emi yikifetuti ፡፡ bek’enyi t’ek’i yadirigu ina “terigumi” ni merit’ewi kezÄ«ya āmarinyani yimiret’u።    

በራሪ ወረቀቱን በአማርኛ ለማንበብ የ Chrome የበይነመረብ አሳሽ በመጠቀም ይክፈቱት ፡፡ በቀኝ ጠቅ ያድርጉ እና “ተርጉም” ን መርጠው ከዚያ አማርኛን ይምረጡ   

****  

The PTA Post is online here: https://scespta.membershiptoolkit.com/pta-post-newsletter 

Image of calendar with
PTA Meeting - Tuesday, Jan. 4 at 6:30 PM

Please join us for the next PTA Meeting via Zoom

Jan. 4, 2022  - 6:30 PM   

Please register to vote below. We have a few staff appreciation-related needs to cover this month and in January, and need to vote to amend the PTA budget.

Link for voter registration (must be an active, dues-paying PTA member): 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdQ4mXsTe2z8eIQKwc1N5q0cG03CHc1KHKj3xmglnLWKefCAw/viewform


The PTA Meeting log-in is below. 

Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/93121471349?pwd=WEM4emJUR1hkTFpwSWZqNzJBYmtMQT09


Meeting ID: 931 2147 1349

Passcode: SD6q4p

PTA Leadership Needed for 2022-2023

The PTA board is grateful beyond measure for the time, care, and thoughtfulness shared by Lisa Ferrugia Atkinson during her tenure as PTA Vice President during a very challenging few years. Lisa helped us renovate the staff lounge last summer and has been instrumental in organizing student and family aid throughout our community's response to COVID. She assisted with the book fair, staff appreciation efforts, and in countless other ways has stepped up to enrich our school. Thank you Lisa, for all that you've done and will continue to do in other capacities for our school community.  

Our PTA now has an immediate opening for the position of Vice President. If you have ever considered taking a leadership role within SCES, this would be an ideal time to do so.  Many of our PTA board leaders will end their tenure (by requirement from MCCPTA) at the end of this school year. This spring we must elect (at a minimum) a new:  

  • President  
  • Vice President (now, ideally! With the potential to be voted in as president for the 2022-2023 school year), and  
  • Treasurer  

These roles are pivotal to the PTA's ability to function and serve SCES. Please consider whether you might contribute to the school in this way, and reach out to one of us if you have any questions.   

president@scespta.org  

treasurer@scespta.org  

communications@scespta.org 

events@scespta.org  

Chess Club and Panda Programmer Classes Temporarily on Hold

Please note that extracurricular activities such as Chess Club and Panda Programmer are temporarily on hold due to the uptick in COVID cases. 

MCPS and Montgomery County DHHS Press Conference Yesterday on Keeping Schools Open

MCPS and Montgomery County DHHS held a brief joint press conference yesterday about keeping schools open, which you can view online here:  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzlNNz9iIaM  

Excerpted from notes by Joe Shashaty, SCES PTA Delegate to MCCPTA:

Per Interim Superintendent McKnight, there is no plan to go virtual as a school system at this time. Dr. McKnight emphasized the need to vaccinate, mask and test (especially by opting in to school-based testing). 

As far as individual school closures go, MCPS indicated that if 5% of unrelated students/teachers/staff at a school (minimum 10 individuals) test positive over a 14-day period, then that school would be considered for shutting down/going virtual for a 14-day period. (Edited to add that for SCES, that would be approximately 37 cases within a 14-day period, based on the number of staff and students currently at school).

These criteria come from the state health and education guidelines. There may be changes in January in response to evolving understanding of spread with the Omicron variant. 

Young person and grownup wearing masks looking at a laptop together; young person is petting a cat.
MCPS Out-of-School Time Options

MCPS shared some options for Out-of-School Time (OST) programs, many virtual. OST is designed to provide students and families with safe and engaging options on days when school is not in session (after school, weekends, scheduled school closures). These in-person or virtual activities will address academics, physical and emotional wellness, and digital learning skills.

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/students/out-of-school-time/

Image of microwave cart in Staff Lounge with
Photo of baskets of fruit and box of croissants in Staff Lounge at SCES
Stock the Staff Lounge

Please consider signing up to show our hard-working staff lots of love in January! Homemade cookies or any other holiday treats are very welcome and thoroughly appreciated (as in, gone within the hour!). Please wrap for individual takeaways.

https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/4090949a5ad2fa3f58-stock  

The Teacher Appreciation Committee prefers that items are dropped off or mailed to Katie's house. Please contact Katie for the address at katevdk@gmail.com.  

Thanks,

PTA Teacher Appreciation Committee  

Katie Ryan & Tracie Siddiqui 

Thank You to Our Newest Volunteer!

Melanie Stickle offered to assist with the Lost & Found backlog at SCES. Not only did she suggest creating a shareable folder of items found with photographs for parents to peruse on a monthly basis (and texting any numbers found inside items the photos to facilitate their return), but she also offered to do it!  We're always grateful for suggestions of ways we can better help out at school, and are even more grateful when those suggestions come with an offer to help. Keep an eye out for future messages from Melanie with Lost & Found info on the SCES listserv and FB group. 

Easy Ways to Support SCES


SCES has received nearly $300 from AmazonSmile so far this year. Please turn on AmazonSmile and point your donations toward SCES!  

Sign Up for AmazonSmile:  

1. http://smile.amazon.com

2. Sign in with your Amazon.com credentials.

3. Choose Sligo Creek Elementary School as your charity of choice.

4. Add a bookmark for http://smile.amazon.com to make it even easier to return and start your shopping at AmazonSmile.

Turn on AmazonSmile in the Amazon Shopping app:

1. Open the App and find 'Settings' in the main menu.

2. Tap on 'AmazonSmile' and follow the on-screen instructions to turn on AmazonSmile in the App.  


***  

Scan Receipts for BOX TOPS  

1. Download the BOX TOP$ for Education App  

2. Select Sligo Creek Elementary School (zip code 20910).  

3. Look for the BOX TOP$ logo when shopping.  

4. Scan your grocery receipts within 14 days of purchasing.


***  

Mabel's Labels  

If you find yourself needing some personalized name labels, please consider supporting this fundraiser, and the PTA will earn 20% from your purchase! Your labels will ship to your house for free. They're great for lunch boxes, backpacks, clothes, shoes -- you name it!  

To purchase, go to campaigns.mabelslabels.com and search for "Sligo Creek ES PTA." 

This fundraiser will run continuously, so it will be there whenever you have a labeling need.

AmazonSmile, BoxTops, CocaCola GIVE and Harris Teeter logos
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -