Flower Valley Weekly Newsletter
Week of September 18, 2023
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Early Dismissal at 12:55 Friday, September 22nd
Our FVES Vision
Dear Flower Valley Community,
We hope everyone had a wonderful week. The Back to School Picnic was fabulous! A special shout-out to our amazing PTA for organizing such a successful community event.
This upcoming week, there is an early release day on Friday. Students are dismissed at 12:55.
Please check to make sure your child has brought in an art smock. They are already busy creating beautiful masterpieces, and we need an oversized t-shirt or a smock, so that they do not mess up their clothes. Please make sure to put the smock or oversized t-shirt in a baggie with your child's name on it. If you have any questions, please ask either Ms. Choi or your child's homeroom teacher.
Have a wonderful weekend!
With Firefly Pride!
Dr. Fish
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Table of Contents
Hispanic Heritage Month
Back to School Night Feedback
Picture Day: September 26th
The Flower Valley Reading Corner
Seasonal Roots
Calendar Feedback
ParentVue
PTA Corner
Save the Date: Calendar of FVES and PTA Events
FVES PTA Sponsored Restaurant Nights
Wood Middle School Mum Sale
Information from Previous Newsletters:
- Transportation Information
- Arrival and Dismissal Procedures
- School Lunch
- Health Information
- Covid Updates
- School Spirit Fridays
FVES Parent Handbook
Hispanic Heritage Month
Our FVES Fox
Back to School Night Parent Feedback
Picture Day: September 26th
The Flower Valley Reading Corner
Share Your Feedback on the 2024–2025 School Year Calendar
MCPS is seeking the community’s feedback as it works to finalize the 2024–2025 school calendar. Please complete this survey to share your input.
Your feedback represents an important component of the development process. MCPS will consider educational interests, operational needs, mandated school closures by state law, compliance with minimum instructional days and credit hour requirements, inclement weather and other emergencies, staff professional days and early release days, alignment with assessment schedules and more.
Register and Verify Your ParentVue Information
The Annual Verification process allows families to update contact information, collect important information about you and your student, including any medical, immunization, language preferences, and emergency information that school staff need to know. MCPS uses ParentVUE to collect this information electronically. Online registration is available now until October 20th.
There are online registration quick guides in several languages available to support you in this process.
English | Español | 中國人 | 한국인 | Français | Português | Tiếng Việt | አማርኛ
Seasonal Roots
Flower Valley Elementary School is partnering with Seasonal Roots to bring healthy, delicious food to our community, to support local farmers and artisans, and to raise money to support programs for Flower Valley students!
Seasonal Roots is an online farmers market that delivers “dirt to doorstep” to families in Maryland and Virginia. Each week the market offers more than 150 items that are all grown and produced locally, sustainably, and ethically. Market items include fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy, baked goods, prepared foods, vegan specialties and more.
To access the Seasonal Roots market, you sign-up as a member and pay an annual membership fee. Through our collaboration, the fee is reduced by 50% - it’s just $25. For each Flower Valley Elementary School family that joins, the school receives $20!
Once you are a member, what you order and when you order are up to you! There is no obligation. You can select exactly what produce and extras you want, skip or pause weekly deliveries, and cancel anytime. The online market opens Friday at 2:00PM and closes at midnight on Sunday. Orders are delivered on Wednesdays in Montgomery County.
To join Seasonal Roots and earn a $20 donation for Flower Valley Elementary School, use promotional code FVES at https://www.seasonalroots.com/fves.
PTA Information
Sept. 20th is Dine and Support at Villa Maya. Come enjoy some delicious food and have some of the proceeds go back to the PTA. Don’t forget to mention FVES PTA when ordering!
Last chance to show your FVES pride and purchase spirit wear. Check out the brand-new designs available until Sept. 22nd.
Please consider joining or renewing your PTA membership by Sept. 30th, which gets you a free FVES firefly magnet! Just $15 per year helps us do so much for the school and put on many events. If you already joined, your magnet will go home in folders this month.
We want to be everyone's voice, member or not! Send an email to fvespta+subscribe@groups.io for events, information and FVES topics, or contact Lydia Fleischmann at president@fvespta.org to join or share input.
FVES Events
Picture Day: September 26th
PTA Sponsored Book Fair: October 16th-20th, during school hours. Evening hours October 19th.
Math Night: October 19th
Fall Festival and Parade: October 27th
PTA Sponsored Masquerade Festival: October 28th, 5:30-7:30
Fall Open House: November 17th or 20th
Winter Chorus Concert: TBD
Winter IM Concert: TBD
Wellness Week: January/February
Kindness Week and Party: Week of 2/12 (party 2/14)
Reading Night: March 6th, 6-7:30
STEM Day: March 22nd
PTA Sponsored Book Fair: April 15th-19th
PTA Sponsored STEM Night: April 18th, 5:30-7:30
International Night: May TBD
Spring IM Concert: TBD
Career Day: May 3rd
PTA Sponsored SAVERS Donation Drive: May 4th, 9:30-1:00
Field Days: May TBD
PTA Sponsored Carnival: May 19th, 2-5:00
5th Grade Promotion: June 12th
5th Grade Fun Day: June 13th
FVES PTA Sponsored Restaurant Nights: Come Out and Support FVES and Enjoy a Meal
- Villa Maya- Wednesday, September 20th, 2023
- Scratch Kitchen - Wednesday, October 18th, 2023
- Creek Lodge Bar & Grill- Wednesday, November 15th, 2023
- Leisure World Ledo’s - Tuesday, December 12th, 2023
- California Tortilla- Wednesday, January 24th, 2024
- Ema Rossi- Wednesday, February 7th, 2024
- Chuck E Cheese - Friday, March 15th, 2024
- Rockville Paisano’s - Tuesday, April 16th, 2024 and Wednesday, April 17th, 2024 from 11:00am-10:00pm
- Rockville Chipotle - Monday, May 13th, 2024
- Villa Maya - Wednesday, June 5th, 2024
Information from Previous Newsletters
Transportation Information: Bus Routes
Transportation information is on the school website and available here:
Keeping Our Students Safe during Arrival and Dismissal- Traffic Circle Guidelines
Arrival
Please do not enter the car loop until 8:30 am. This ensures that FVES staff can assess the parking lot and spaces in order to report to work on time. Staff will arrive on duty at 8:35 am. Students must not exit their car until a staff member is on duty.
As you enter the loop, make sure your student is prepared to exit the car on the passenger side of the vehicle. Please pull forward all the way to the last orange cone, lining up in a single file line and staying to the right. This will help ensure student safety.
Adults, please remain in your cars. Staff and patrols will be on duty to help students exit vehicles safely. If you need to exit your car, please move your car to a parking spot.
Cars need to remain in line until the vehicle in front of them has proceeded. Do not pass another vehicle.
Dismissal
Please have the car rider name tag (blue paper) with your student’s name and grade placed on the passenger side of your car’s windshield so that it is clearly visible to the staff on duty.
Adults, please remain in your cars. Staff and patrols will be on duty to help students enter vehicles safely. If you need to exit your car, please move your car to a parking spot. Students must enter on the passenger side of the vehicle
Cars need to remain in line until the vehicle in front of them has proceeded. Do not pass another vehicle, unless directed to do so by a staff member.
Please email Mrs. Sintetos, our office secretary, and your child’s teacher if you need to make dismissal changes after the start of the school day. Please try to make these changes before noon to ensure all staff members are made aware of the change.
School Spirit Fridays
School Lunch
Breakfast and hot lunches are served daily. Lunch menus can be accessed here. Your child will learn about their lunch schedule on the first day of school. The teacher will also let you know about snack time, especially if your child has an early or late lunch.
Breakfast is $1.30, and lunch is $2.55. To learn more about eligibility for Free and Reduced Meals (FARMS) and apply for FARMs, click here. Deposits into lunch accounts can be made by any student and can be made ahead of time via the MCPS online payment system, My School Bucks. Details about how to add money to your student’s account can be accessed here.
DFNS encourages all families with students enrolled at non-CEP schools to complete a Free and Reduced-price Meals Application. All meals are free for students who qualify for free and reduced-price meals.
COVID-19 Outbreak Measures and Vaccine News
As new cases of COVID-19 increase locally, we have seen outbreaks occurring in multiple schools across the county. Temporary outbreak precautions for individual classrooms where COVID-19 is spreading rapidly helps prevent spread to vulnerable individuals and to the rest of school. Check out the FAQ page for more information about how outbreaks are managed. The newly approved COVID-19 updated vaccine will be available in our area in the next few weeks. For information about COVID-19, influenza and RSV vaccine availability, refer to Vaccines.Gov.
Health Information
If your child has Covid, it is important for them to remain home for 5 days after testing positive. Additionally, they must wear a mask for 5 days after returning to school. Families no longer need to self-report Covid; however, it is important to notify your child's teacher and the main office when your child is out sick.
If you have any questions regarding health related matters, you can contact Ms. Kalter at Marley_S_Kalter@mcpsmd.org.
Attendance Matters!
If your child is going to be absent, please notify the teacher and Mrs. Sintetos at Catherine_G_Sintetos@mcpsmd.org.
**Please remember that vacations are not considered lawful absences. Details regarding lawful and unlawful absences can be found here.
We are here to serve & help you!
Our office hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00AM to 4:30PM. Below are emails and phone numbers for the following departments:
Administration (240) 740-1780
Dr. Angie Fish, Principal – Angie_L_Fish@mcpsmd.org
Mrs. Kimberly Haden - Kimberly_D_Haden@mcpsmd.org
Main Office Staff (240) 740-1780
Ms. Nevine Peckoo, School Administrative Secretary – Nevine_A_Peckoo@mcpsmd.org
Mrs. Cathy Sintetos, Attendance Secretary – Catherine_G_Sintetos@mcpsmd.org
Counseling Office (240) 740-6680
Mrs. Jennifer Atanda - Jennifer_T_Atanda@mcpsmd.org
Ms. Nicole Bamberger - Nicole_M_Bamberger@mcpsmd.org
FVES Parent Handbook
Flower Valley Elementary School
Be bright! Be kind! Be you!
We inspire all children to become critical thinkers who are imaginative, adaptable, and collaborative. We strive to cultivate peaceful, life-long learners who contribute positively to the community around them.
Email: Angie_L_Fish@mcpsmd.org
Website: https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/flowervalleyes/
Location: Flower Valley Elementary School, Sunflower Drive, Rockville, MD, USA
Phone: 240-740-1780
Twitter: @AngieFish_FVES