Originally delivered on 8/22/2023 3:55 pm

SUBJECT: SCES PTA Post August 22, 2023

PTAPostHeader
Week of August 22-28

Important Upcoming Dates:

August 24Orientation for Kindergarten Parents- 6:30p-7:30p (adults only, childcare provided)
August 25
Sneak Peak Open House- 2:30-3:15
August 26Back-to-School Fair at Westfield Wheaton (10:00a-1:00p)
August 27Chalk the School- 4pm
August 28First Day of School!
September 4Holiday - No School
September 5First PTA Meeting (7:00p) - in person
September 8Back to School Social (5:30-7:30)
September 21Back to School Night, Grades 1-5 

 


This is the FIRST e-newsletter compiled by the Sligo Creek Elementary School (SCES) PTA of the school year. To ensure that you receive the PTA Post, please subscribe directly under your profile on the PTA website. We encourage all SCES families to sign up. Previous issues of the newsletter are available on the PTA website here: https://scespta.membershiptoolkit.com/pta-post-newsletter..

We encourage all Sligo community members, including parents, guardians, teachers, staff, and family members, to join the PTA. You can join the PTA via the PTA website at https://scespta.membershiptoolkit.com/ 

If you know community members who would be interested in but did not receive this newsletter, please forward!

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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.  

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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. 

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።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   

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Minutes from PTA Meetings are posted online here:

https://scespta.membershiptoolkit.com/PTA_Meetings

SCES PTA Logo
Getting Ready for School!

It is the most wonderful time of the year - back to school! 

We hope everyone had a wonderful summer and we are getting excited for the 2023-2024 school year. Though it is exciting, back to school can also be overwhelming, especially for those new to the Sligo community. Here are a few notes we hope you find helpful.

School Supplies

The official Sligo Creek ES school supply list, broken down by grade, can be found here:

School Supplies List

Back-to-School Fair at Wheaton Westfield Mall: Saturday 8/26 from 10-1

All MCPS students and their families are invited to kick off the new school year at the Back-to-School Fair. The event is a wonderful opportunity for families to learn about the school system and county programs and services, while enjoying family-friendly activities, entertainment, a free COVID-19 vaccination clinic and more. More information at:

https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/community-engagement/fair/

Back to School Night- Kindergarten Only: Thursday 8/24 from 6:30-7:30

SCES is hosting a back to school night for all incoming kindergarteners at the school! We are so excited for all of our new families!  Childcare will be provided for school age children only by Kidsco staff.  Infants and toddlers are welcome to stay with their caregivers.

Sneak Peak Open House: Friday 8/25 from 2:30-3:15

SCES is hosting a sneak peek of Sligo Creek. Students and parents are welcome to visit their classroom and become reacquainted or acquainted with the school.  

Car Circle

We know everyone is eager to efficiently and safely get their kids to school and timely on to work or other appointments.  Due to construction, please leave extra time for pick up and drop off if your child is a car rider. For safety, neighborhood relations, efficiency, and fairness, the following protocols exist for arrival (and dismissal):

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wk-HX-rYmyQvXyyLRuNUrjDOEvvpypsPCf6shuWWows/edit?fbclid=IwAR0OXXP11cxRgpSuDxwg_qgmvwZoMF9S6Tc8djEllD2BE6O3MyNBV_FMfak

Buses

SCES is still waiting on final bus routes.  MCPS notes that some bus routes may change. Additionally, some routes may experience service delays due to staffing and the need for multiple runs. Updates regarding delays and uncovered routes will be communicated on a daily basis by schools and available on the MCPS website at https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/

SCES Listserv

SCES PTA has a listserv for caregivers and teachers of SCES students.  If you would like to join, please visit https://groups.io/g/sligocreek

Major platforms you need an account for with MCPS for elementary school

1. ParentVUE: how to access grades and a route for emailing teachers.  It is also vital that you have the correct email address with ParentVUE so the school can reach you with communications, which come from NoReply Synergy or Blackboard.   

2. Canvas/MyMCPSClassroom — separate from ParentVUE, but you must access it through your ParentVUE account. It gives alerts about assignments and grades — and you can see a bit more into what’s due in each classroom. This is for those who want a deeper dive into what is going on for their students and perhaps an earlier heads up about how things are going in the classroom.  

3.AlertMCPS: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/emergency/alertmcps.aspx  This provides information about school closures or other emergencies.  

4. School Cash Online: https://www.schoolcashonline.com — all school financial obligations outside of cafeteria meals.

5. My School Bucks — https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/getmain?requestAction=home  This year, meals (lunch and breakfast) will not be universally free.  If you are not a FARMS family (free or reduced price meals based on economic circumstances), and your student wants to buy lunch in school, they will need a mybucks account with money in it. 

Additional Resources

The MCPS Fall 2023 School Reopening guide is available at:

https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/reopening2023/

In case you didn't receive it, Principal Nesmith's Summer Newsletter, August 2023 can be found at:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1xj5vlrIPemb2lt0T4xpv03WRFg0foHIWO4yNwsPxOUE/edit

Upcoming School Events

Chalk the School

It is SCES tradition to welcome students, teachers, and staff back to each new school year with fun and encouraging chalk messages and drawings. Come out as a family on Sunday, August 27 at 4pm. to help make Sligo Creek explode in colors to welcome everyone back.

PTA General Membership Meeting

The first PTA meeting of the school year will be on Tuesday, September 5 at 7:00 p.m in the gymnasium at SCES. PTA general membership meetings usually occur on the first Tuesday of each month, though occasionally they will shift a day or two due to holidays. Our first meeting will feature SCES staff speaking on the topics of curriculum, testing and enrichment. 

Joining the PTA is a great way to get involved in our school community. Membership, while encouraged, is not required to attend meetings or events organized by the PTA. 

JOIN THE PTA HERE!

Welcome Back Social on September 8, 5:30-7:30

Another great SCES tradition is the Welcome Back Social! This PTA-hosted event will be on Friday, September 8 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on the Sligo Creek playground. Teachers will also be celebrating the beginning of this school year with us.  Mark your calendars!

Staff Breakfast

A HUGE thank you to the following members of our community, who provided our SCES staff with a wonderful breakfast to welcome them back to school!

Lindsay Addington
Priya Baskaran
Ashley Briefel
Claire Darby
Laura Douglas
Christopher Lao-Scott
Christina Madsen
Jennifer Meyer
Brenna Thibault
Natale Zimmer


Sligo Creek Strider Run Club- Fall season coaches needed!

We are gearing up for our fall season of Sligo Creek Striders run club. We have an awesome group of coaches back again this season and are currently recruiting more coaches. No running or coaching experience necessary!! Our season runs from mid/end September to early/mid November. The exact dates are still to be determined.  We will meet either Mondays or Wednesdays (once a week) from school dismissal (3:50) until 5 pm at the SSIMS track.


The PTA-sponsored Sligo Creek Striders after-school run club: 

  • Introduces students to running as a lifelong form of exercise with a focus on participation and self improvement. 
  • Improves social emotional skills and provides opportunities to socialize and bond with other young runners.

The Sligo Creek Striders are gender and ability inclusive for grades K-5. The kids run with friends every week and the season ends in a fun run celebration. 

We will send out a separate sign up for students to join the club in a couple of weeks but we need to make sure we have enough coaches. If you are interested or would like to know more, please email sligocreekstriders@gmail.com. Again no running or coaching experience necessary!

Stock the Staff Lounge

We'll be doing a first stock of the lounge on the first day of school—Monday, August 28th. Our next stock will be on Tuesday, September 5th, and then generally every Monday after.  Sign-up for slots of your choosing on the SignUp Genius. Items can be dropped off or mailed Claire Darby's house. Please message her for my address. (Facebook messenger, or cell/email contact is available on the SignupGenius.)

You can also order off our Amazon wish list and have items sent to her house if that's easier. Please still sign up on the sign up genius as well so others can see what is covered!

Please send us your First Day of School Pictures

We love sharing first-day-of-school pictures on our PTA website and social media.  If you would like to share a picture of your child and are alright with the PTA posting the picture on our SCES specific platforms as they head off to begin the new school year, please send photos to communications@scespta.org

Incoming 2023-2024 PTA Board Members

In addition to the executive board members listed below, we welcome new and returning PTA board members in the following positions:

 
Salamander Stride Co-Chairs:

Laura Fruge, returning for a second year, and Katey Prudhomme, new to the board


Student Support Coordinator:

Peggy Sachs, new to the board


Staff Appreciation Committee Co-Chairs:

Ashley Briefel and Claire Darby, both new to the board


Wellness Committee Chair:

Jennifer Meyer, who previously served as the VP of Events and VP of Academic Affairs and Book Fair Chair and pretty much anything else you can think of! (We're ridiculously lucky to have her.)


Antiracism Committee Coordinator:

Ellen Mowry, returning for a third year


MCCPTA Representatives:

Meridith Sloan, in her second year in this role; and Joe Shashaty, in his (I've lost count! 4th or 5th?) year in this role. 


Listserv moderator:

Birgit Berg 


NAACP Representative: 

Gladys Chi, in her second year in this role


Membership Coordinator:

Carmina Gálvez, in her second year in this role 


Afterschool Program Coordinator:

Christine Reklaitis, in her second year in this role


Book Fair Chair:

Meghan Conaghan, in her third year in this role


Webmaster:

Kotrina Aldag in her first year in this role 


The PTA is powered by volunteers. If you have an interest (big or small) in supporting the PTA's work or new ideas you want to implement, we would love your support. If interested, please reach out to president@scespta.org or communications@scespta.org.

Social Media

Find us on Facebook at:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/sligocreekes/

Find us on Instagram at:

@Socialsligocreekespta

Easy Ways to Support SCES

 

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.


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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
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