1. Welcome to Mechanicsville Elementary School Back to School Night Wednesday, August 29 th, 2012 Grades 1 and 2

2. Introductions Administration: Nick Shockney, Principal Ms. Jensen, Assistant Principal Ms. Preller, School Counselor (filling in for Ms. Jensen) Office Staff: Ms. Halvorsen, Secretary Ms. Morelock, Secretary Ms. Scanlon, Secretary Ms. Parker, Nurse Ms. Pettit, School Counselor (filling in for Ms. Preller) Ms. Quinn, Cafeteria Manager

3. MES PTA Ms. Weaver, President www.mespta.org

4. CCPS Parent Guides Mr. Bob Lord Ms. Cindy Lord guide@lordindustries.com

5. The First Grade Team Ms. Blank (Ms. Kushel, Intern) Ms. Ecker Ms. Mull Ms. Rampata

6. The Second Grade Team Ms. Heim (Mr. Cristaldi, Intern) Ms. Lynch Ms. Miksa Ms. Oneda Ms. Winebrunner (Mr. Githens, Intern)

7. Resource and Special Areas Teams Resource Teachers Special Areas Teachers

8. Schedule for Tonight 6:00-6:30 Introductions, PTA, and Parent Guides 7:10-7:30 Volunteer Training (Gym) Grade 1Grade 2 6:30-7:00 Teacher Presentations in Cafeteria 6:30-7:00 Teacher Presentations in Gym 7:00-7:10 Classroom Visits 7:00-7:10 Classroom Visits

9. Mission and Vision Our Vision: To become a model school of caring, sharing, and high student achievement. Our Mission: To work together to promote high student achievement and lifelong learning for all by providing a quality education in a safe learning environment.

10. Our Values Collaboration among and across all stakeholders Positive learning environment for our students Life-long learning for all The success of each individual student

11. Our Priorities for 2012-2013 1. Improve First-Pass Instruction 2. Focus on the Essentials (new curriculum) 3. Be Results-Oriented and Action-Oriented with Data Check out the MES School Improvement Plan!

12. Attendance Doors open at 9:00 AM. Will transition to 9:10 AM Monday. Dismissal begins at 4:00 PM. Students need to be in their seats by 9:30 AM to avoid being marked tardy (late). If your child is absent, a note must be sent in when your child returns. If a note is not received, the absence will be marked as unverified. After a period of time, unverified absences are coded as unlawful. Students who leave prior to 4:00 will be marked tardy for the afternoon. Extended absences require prior approval.

13. Transportation Thank you for your support! Please use CCPS transportation. We have a very small parking lot. Please help us decrease the volume of traffic in our loop. Please yield to the buses and provide space for them to make the turn on Route 32.

14. Cafeteria Lunch Guests-Please wait at least 2 weeks. Lunch guests must sign in at the office and receive a guest sticker. We must have a note in advance for anyone other a parent or guardian requesting to have lunch with a student (Grandparents, etc.). Please consider purchasing lunches through the prepay lunch program. This can be done for a few meals, the month, or the year. Pre-pay forms can be found on the MES website. Breakfast available daily. Ms. Quinn, Cafeteria Manager

15. Lunch Prices Student lunch: $2.25 Milk: $0.50 Ice cream $0.75 Student breakfast $1.25

16. Birthday Celebrations/ Special Activities Please do not send in food items for Birthdays. Special activities involving food items must be pre-approved by the teacher. A good alternative: consider purchasing snacks in the cafeteria for the class at $0.75 per child. An even better idea: pencils and stickers.

17. Student Dress Please make sure students are dressed appropriately and comfortably for learning. Student dress should not be a distraction to the student or other students. Appropriate shoes should be worn daily. Students will be going outside daily for recess and PE. Coats

18. Parent and Guardian Involvement PTA meetings, activities, and events PTA committee chairs Classroom volunteers Help at home Field trips Guest speakers Volunteer training We need your help!

19. Thank You PTA! Fun family events (Ice Cream Social, Mardi Gras, etc.) Cultural arts programs After school clubs LCD projectors Digi-blocks Computer carts Carpets for classrooms Bird box camera Outdoor classroom Flip cameras Recess equipment Funds for classroom teachers Field trip funds New playground

20. MES is a Green School REDUCE/REUSE/RECYCLE Recycling projects Conservation projects Send lunch items in plastic containers instead of baggies. Rain garden, butterfly garden, song bird garden, nature trail, and outdoor classroom. Curricular connections. Please have your children ride the bus to conserve fuel and help reduce emissions!

21. Partnerships Professional Development School Stevenson University 5 Senior Interns 8 Sophomore Student Field Experiences 2 Carroll County Career and Tech Center Students CHANGE Volunteers

22. MES Website: www.carrollk12.org/mes www.carrollk12.org/mes School information Calendar Staff email addresses Newsletters PTA website link Student handbook Menus and meal plans Supply lists School improvement plan Media links

23. PBIS Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports Background CARE Expectations CARE tickets Over 48,000 CARE tickets awarded last year Student incentives and recognition Communication

24. Misc. Information Alert Now email system Update contact information when changes occur E-School Plus (Home Access Center) Field trips Chaperones (volunteer training) Please no “shadowing”

25. Thank You! We are looking forward to a wonderful year! Please feel free to contact us at school if you have any questions.