Important Dates Arthur Middleton January, 2018 January 12th ......Arthur Middleton Elementary Important Dates January 12th 2 Hour Early Dismissal (NO Pre-K) January 15th School losed

Arthur Middleton Elementary

Important Dates

January 12th

2 Hour Early Dismissal (NO Pre-K)

January 15th

School Closed

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday

January 16th-17th

5th Grade - Water Safety Field Trip

January 17th

4th Grade -Science Center

Field Trip

January 18th

Parent Lunch Day

January 24th

School Closed

Semester Break

January 25th

3rd Marking Period Begins

January 31st

Report Cards Issued

Inside this issue

Weather Alerts………….….…...2

Winter Concert ......…………….3

Breakfast w/Santa..…………….4

Student Recognition…………..4

Things to know…………………..5

Staff Email Directory.………….6

PBIS Information Sheet.……..7

Phone Lines If you need to reach the school please use the following phone number 301-753-1749 as the other number 301-645-3338 is not working properly at this time.

Principal’s Message

Hello and Happy New Year Arthur Middleton Families! We have wrapped up calendar year 2017 and now continuing our school year to June 2018! I want to thank all of the parents/guardians/family members for all of your help in supporting the initiatives, field trips, lunches, etc...so far this school year. I look forward to your continued support and assistance so we can provide the students of Arthur Middleton with the best possible educational foundation for future success!

As we are about to get into a long stretch of school days here, your child’s attendance is not only mandatory but needed to ensure their academic achievement. Make sure to follow up with your child’s teacher if you have any questions about grades or other concerns. By the end of the month we will be over halfway through the school year and at this point classroom routines have been strongly established and expectations are known. If you child is coming home and does not know how to complete their homework this is a red flag. Homework is not an introduction to new material but practice on lessons taught during class. Let your child’s teacher know if you are experiencing homework difficulties. Also, it is imperative that your child read daily! It is recommended students read or are read to at a minimum of twenty minutes per night. This is invaluable practice that should not be overlooked. Interim reports have already been sent home for the 2nd quarter and you should have access to your child’s grades via ParentVue on Synergy. If you do not have access or something does not look correct please contact your child’s teacher with questions or the front office for Synergy access. We want to be proactive with student grades and communication between school and home so do not hesitate to contact us regarding any questions you have on page 6 of this newsletter are the email addresses for all employees at AMES.

Please play close attention to the list of important dates to the right —-> so you are aware of what is going on this month at AMES.

Finally, I want to let you know that we have lost one of our most beloved employees, Mrs. Lindamood...to promotion! We will miss her dearly but she is a shining star and the Board of Education noticed too. She is now the Senior Student Accounting Data Technician at central office. We are currently interviewing for her replacement. In the meantime, we have Mrs. Pulley our PTO Vice President along with Ms. Rowe, BOE employee who will both be helping in the front office. All transportation changes need to be emailed to Mrs. Call, Principal’s Secretary at [email protected] until we have hired a new registration secretary. I wish Mrs. Lindamood much success in her new position at the Board of Education.

January, 2018

Inclement Weather/Delays

Information about school closings or delays

If weather conditions pose a potential hazard to

students, school officials may dismiss students

early, delay the opening of schools or close schools for

the day. If conditions require the closing or delayed

opening of schools, decisions are usually made by 5 a.m.

We encourage you to sign up for the following CCPS

notifications----Notification by email/text message

Receive free email and text message notification from the Citizen Notification Service (CNS).

Visit http://www.charlescountymd.gov/CNS to sign up. Select Charles County Public Schools

notifications. Notification by press release CCPS posts a weather alert press release any time school status is

affected by inclement weather. Subscribers receive our press releases by email the instant they are posted to our

website. To subscribe, visit www.ccboe.com/pr and enter your email address in the "Subscribe" box.

The most reliable sources of school closing information are the school system's 24-hour infor-

mation line and website, www.ccboe.com. The 24-hour information line is 301-934-7410/301-932

-6656. If possible, decisions are made the preceding evening. Charles County Public Schools also

uses its notification system, School Messenger, to send email notification to parents with a valid

email address on file with their child's school. Television and radio stations are also notified (see

page 10 of the Parent Handbook/Calendar).

Delayed Opening A delayed opening permits buses to operate under safer conditions after traffic has diminished and roads are

salted and/or cleared. Buses run routes one or two hours later than scheduled. If there is a one-hour delayed

opening, morning prekindergarten classes start one hour late. If schools open two hours late, morning

prekindergarten classes are canceled.

Early Dismissal If it is necessary to close schools during the day, local radio and television stations are notified and asked to make

announcements, usually by 10:30 a.m. Morning prekindergarten students will remain at school, be served a lunch

(cost to be reimbursed by parents) and will ride the bus or walk home at the scheduled dismissal time. Afternoon

and evening meetings and activities are canceled if schools close early, or are closed for the day. If hazardous

weather is predicted for later in the evening, afternoon activities may be allowed and evening activities may be

canceled. Afternoon activities are those that end by 6 p.m. Evening activities begin at 6 p.m. or later.

AlphaBest If schools are closed, the AlphaBest program at county elementary schools does not operate. If the opening of

schools is delayed by one hour, the program opens at 7 a.m. If the opening of schools is delayed by two hours, the

program opens at 8 a.m. If schools close early for the day, the AlphaBest program operates for three hours from

the time of dismissal, or until the last child is picked up for the day. Call 301-632-6804 for more information.

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Character Education

Arthur Middleton implements

a monthly character education

program called “Core Essentials”.

Each month focuses on a new

character trait. Students can be

recognized by staff members for

showing the character traits cov-

ered in the program. Students

who are caught showing charac-

ter will be recognized on the

morning announcements. The

character trait for

December is Generosity.

Middleton Chant

Be Respectful in all you do, Be Responsible it’s up to you, Be Safe here in every way, that’s how we act, every day! We are the wis-est owls!

Middleton Vision

Arthur Middleton works to cre-ate and build an environment in which positive attitudes and strong commitments to children bring staff, parents, and commu-nity together in a shared partner-ship. It is a place all children are encouraged to be actively in-volved in various positive learn-ing experiences that assist them in developing to their maximum potential to become lifelong learners and productive, respon-sible citizens.

Inside Story Headline

On December 20th at 6:00 pm we held our annual Winter Concert

the fifth grade chorus, band and orchestra students played twelve different

songs showcasing their talent and dedication to their musical craft. The

dedication towards musical success was on display for everyone present.

Great job students, I am looking forward to the Spring Concert, May 22,

2018 at 6:00 pm. Keep practicing!

We want to send out a big shout out to Ms. Baldwin and Mr. Thomp-

son (aka Mr. Band) for their teaching as the students who participated pre-

sented a very pleasant evening of apropos music. Additionally, I want to

thank Mrs. Franch and Mr. Turner who both assisted in the creation and

display of the decorations throughout the gymnasium for the concert.

3

Caption describing picture or graphic

BLACK W/MD FLAG

BLUE W/SCHOOL MASCOT

We have a limited supply of

T-Shirts available in youth

sizes, S, M, L, XL for $12.00.

Students and Parents may

purchase in the main office.

Chick Fil-A 2018 Calendars

are also available in the

main office for $8.00.

Congratulations Joya Thompson (5th Grade)! She was honored by the Board

in the area of academic achievement. She maintains principal’s honor roll

grades and is a hard working student. She enjoys challenges and strives to

push herself to do her best in all that she takes on. When met with a difficult

assignment, Thompson jumps in and gives it her best effort. She loves ani-

mals and aspires to be a veterinarian. She is a goal setter and has a plan to

follow in helping her to achieve her career goal.

Breakfast with Santa was a great success. Thanks to Mrs. Acton, our PTO

committee and Charles County Commission for Women for organizing

this wonderful event.

Lunch Schedule

Parents are encouraged to come to their child’s school during lunch hours. All visitors are asked to sign in at the main office and obtain a visitor’s badge to ensure the safety and security of students and staff. Please sit at the designated parent table with your child. * Note on 2 HR Early Dismissal Day lunch shifts start 30 minutes earlier.

Late Arrivals/Early Dismissal/Pick Up

We understand occasionally there may be an emergency and you need to change your child’s transportation for the day. Please help us to better serve you and the students by sending in a letter or emailing your child’s teacher about any changes for daily transportation. If there are circumstance after the start of the school day, please call the school before 3:20, so that we have adequate time to notify student before we begin dismissal.

School begins at 9:15 a.m. The doors open for students at 9:00 a.m. No chil-dren should be dropped off before 9:00 a.m., as there will be no adult supervision. It is very important that your child arrives on time to begin class. Students that arrive after 9:15 a.m. must be signed in by an adult in the main office as they are considered late. Afternoon Pre-K begins at 1:15 p.m. If students are marked tardy or absent for the day, you will receive a courtesy alert call from CCPS. Anyone picking up a student for an early dismissal must come into the

main office, show ID, and wait in the office for the student to arrive. Please allow adequate time for students to be released. Please arrive by 3:20 p.m. to pick-up students for early dismis-sals. Otherwise they will need to wait for the 3:40 p.m. announcements. In the event of an emergency, fire drill, or other school wide event, there may be a delay in the student’s arrival to the office. No children should be picked up late, as supervision is not provided after 4:00 p.m. Late arrivals and pick-ups are being monitored.

5

Transportation Changes

Grade: Lunch:

K 11:00-11:30

1 12:30-1:00

2 12:00-12:30

3 11:30-12:00

4 1:00-1:30

5 1:30-2:00 Phone Calls & Emails We receive many phone calls on a daily basis and are asking for your

help in an effort to better serve you. If you missed a call from the

school, please check your messages before returning calls, so that we

may be able to direct your call to the appropriate person. If you are

calling to speak to a teacher during the school day, we will transfer

you to their voice mail so we do not interrupt classroom instruction

time. You may also email teachers and it is encouraged as they have

abilities to check email more frequently. Please reference staff email

directory listing.

Lost and Found

We have several items in our lost and found, so please check in the main school lobby if your child has something missing.

Synergy ~ ParentVue

Charles County Public Schools is excited to offer the wonder ParentVue communi-

cation tool! ParentVue is an app that will allow you to easily communicate with

your child’s teachers, view your child’s grades, attendance, current schedule, as

well as immunizations. In order for you to receive your ParentVue activation code,

you will need your Driver’s license or ID and visit the registration secretary,

between the hours of 10:30-1:30 Mon-Fri. If you encounter any activation code

errors or complications, please e-mail [email protected].

Staff Email Directory

6

Pre-K Life Skills

Mrs. Griffith [email protected] Ms. Locke [email protected]

Kindergarten SOAR

Mrs. Hamilton [email protected] Mrs. Gough [email protected]

Mrs. Peed [email protected] IEP Facilitator

Mrs. Schmitt [email protected] Mrs. Smith [email protected]

1st Grade Special Ed Resource

Ms. Fry [email protected] Mrs. Farmer [email protected]

Mrs. Riddick [email protected] Mrs. Milisits [email protected]

Mrs. Turner [email protected] Reading Recovery

2nd Grade Mrs. Lenharr [email protected]

Mrs. Brown [email protected] Reading Resource

Ms. Hungerford [email protected] Mrs. Ellis [email protected]

Mrs. Wathen [email protected] Instructional Resource

3rd Grade Mrs. Vallandingham-adam [email protected]

Ms. Delaney [email protected] Learning Resource

Ms. Melito [email protected] Dr. Brooks-Powell [email protected]

Ms. Weiner [email protected] Speech

4th Grade Ms. Donnell [email protected]

Mrs. Barker [email protected] ESOL

Ms. Murphy [email protected] Mrs. Waugh [email protected]

Mrs. Youmans [email protected] Psychologist

5th Grade Dr. Eget [email protected]

Ms. Buegler [email protected] Nurse

Ms. Opiekun [email protected] Mrs. Reeves [email protected]

Ms. White [email protected] Pupil Personnel Worker

PE Mrs. McCreary [email protected]

Mrs. Haan [email protected] Guidance Counselor

Art Mrs. Ameen [email protected]

Mrs. Franch [email protected] Administration/Front Office

Music/Band Principal

Ms. Baldwin [email protected] Mr. D’Ambrosio [email protected]

Mr. Thompson [email protected] Vice Principal

Computer Lab Mr. Buzby [email protected]

Mr. Robinson [email protected] Records Secretary

Science Mrs. Lindamood [email protected]

Mrs. McKinney-

Dyson

[email protected] Principal Secretary

Media Mrs. Call [email protected]

Mrs. Ferruzza [email protected]

What is PBIS? PBIS (Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports) is a proactive approach to establishing the behavior-al supports and social culture needed for all students in a school to achieve social, emotional and academic success. PBIS is a county wide program used in all schools in CCPS, from elementary through high school.

“Owlstanding” Super Stars: Students who earn OWLSTANDING will have their picture displayed out front in the lobby

on a star. When students have earned 5, 10, 15 etc. stars they will have a sticker added to their star picture. Letters will go home to recognize these students to inform parents of their child’s great accomplishment.

Hoot Bucks: Students will be able to use their Hoot Bucks to purchase items from the PBIS cart (Hoot Cart). Students are able to earn Hoot Bucks on their bus as well as throughout the day from all staff members. Each grade level has a designated day to purchase items from the cart each week. Unless there is a major issue with students not getting to buy from the cart for a long period of time (testing), each grade level will only be able to purchase from the cart dur-ing their designated day. *Kindergarten classrooms have arranged to take the cart to their rooms on a day that fits in with their schedule. The teachers will help out the students with their purchases.

Quarterly Celebrations: Each quarter Middleton will have a PBIS event that all students will attend unless they have

three (3) Tier 2 referrals, or one (1) Tier 3 referral or if they have been suspended from the bus. *Administration re-serves the right to make adjustments as needed. Details regarding each event will follow.

Special Areas & Lunch: As mentioned earlier in the “Hoot Bucks” section, all staff members have Hoot Bucks and are free to give them out when they see children making positive choices. This includes the hallways, restrooms, lunch, recess etc. Special areas are expected to use Hoot Bucks as well.

Class Dojo: Class Dojo is an interactive tool to connect teachers with students and parents. It provides an opportunity to give instant feedback to students as well as to send messages to parents throughout the day. Please make sure that you have signed up for “Dojo” with your child’s teacher. Class Dojo is also used to match up with the color chart to celebrate positive behaviors. Green = 0 points, Orange = 1-2, Purple = 3-4, Yellow = 5-6, Owlstanding = 7+

Nondiscrimination statement The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orienta-tion, gender identity, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Patricia Vaira, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 Coordinator (students) or Nikial M. Majors, Title IX/ADA/Section 504 coordinator (employees/ adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, MD 20646; 301-932-6610/301-870-3814. For special accommodations call 301-934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

1st Grade 2nd Grade 3rd Grade 4th Grade 5th Grade

Middleton Elementary PBIS Information Sheet

Middleton Behavior Matrix School Year

Level Student Behaviors

Owlstanding

Owlstanding students exceed expectations of students who earn Yellow.

They go above and beyond what is expected of them and look out for the inter-

ests of others. They are Owlstanding role models. They exemplify being Re-

spectful, Responsible & Safe throughout the entire school day.

Students earned 7 or more points based on positive choices throughout the day.

Yellow Students earned 5 or 6 points based on positive choices throughout their day.

Purple Students earned 3 or 4 points based on positive choices throughout their day.

Orange Students earned 1 or 2 points based on positive choices throughout their day.

Green Ready to Learn: All students start the day on Green.