April 15 Dolphin Digest – TPES PTA Weekly Newsletter – Takoma Park Elementary School PTA

In this issue:

April PTA Meeting Minutes Now Available
TPES PTA Book Fair THIS WEEK with Bookworm Central: April 15-19
Spring Individual & Class Pictures: April 18th & 19th
Asynchronous Learning Day for Students: April 22
National Take Your Child to Work Day: Thursday, April 25
Cheer on D.C. United and Support TPES PTA: April 27, 7:30pm
TPES/PBES Rainbow Club: April 28, 12-2pm @ Loft Collective
Seeking Gifts/Donations for Teacher AppreciationRaffle: May 6-10
TPES Art Show: Thursday, May 23
Career Day Volunteers Needed: May 29, 2024
Incoming Kindergarten Parent Meeting-May 30, 2024 at 7 p.m.
Kindergarten Enrollment 2024-25 Now Open
Pedestrian Safety Art Contest
Upcoming TPES Events

April PTA Meeting Minutes Now Available

The April PTA meeting minutes are now available here and on our website and includes announcements and important dates, TPES Career day, Earth Day/Free Bike Repairs/Bike Month/Spring Safe Routes Survey, and presentation by PBES special education teachers on neurodiversity .

TPES PTA Book Fair THIS WEEK with Bookworm Central: April 15-19

All students will visit the Book Fair in Room 500 with their classes.

School Day Shopping: Here’s the class visit schedule.
Evening Hours: The fair is open Tuesday and Thursday 5:00-7:00pm for families to visit. Tuesday – Pajama Night! Thursday – Dress as your favorite book character! Kush Food Truck will be serving up yummy food outside.
eWallet: Visit https://www.bookwormcentral.com/ to set up your child’s eWallet so you don’t need to send cash with your child (though we accept cash, too!). Please note that the eWallet will not work unless you see “STATUS: Card on File.” That means that the credit card successfully linked to your child’s eWallet. Volunteers can look up eWallets so do not worry if you forget to print it.
Build a teacher’s classroom library: “Wish list” folders are located at the book fair entrance. If you can’t make it in person, send a note with your child and we’ll help them purchase an item their teacher will appreciate.
Online fair: For at-home shopping and a much wider selection, including for all-ages, shop our online fair open until June.
Volunteering: Shifts remain! Sign up online.

Questions? Email bookfair@tpespta.net.

Spring Individual & Class Pictures: April 18th & 19th

Freed Studios will be at TPES to take Individual and class pictures on April 18th & 19th (Thursday & Friday). Check your child’s take home folder for an order form and for more information.

Asynchronous Learning Day for Students: April 22

Students will not come to school on April 22, 2024. Instead, students will have a “work from home” day. They will be provided school work, online and in paper form to be completed on that day. Students will be provided packets of school work that will also be available on MyMCPS Classroom. Attendance for school will be taken based on the work turned in to the teacher. Students who do not turn in work will be marked absent that day. All work must be turned in by May 6, 2024. The staff will be engaging in professional development on that day but there will be a small number of staff available to answer questions and help with computer challenges.

National Take Your Child to Work Day: Thursday, April 25

If you will be taking your child/children to work with you, please provide a note or email Mrs. Hottel-Cox at Anne_M_Hottel-Cox@mcpsmd.org, our attendance secretary, prior to the absence from school and it will be excused.

Cheer on D.C. United and Support TPES PTA: April 27, 7:30pm

Come cheer on D.C. United on MCPS Night as they take on the Seattle Sounders FC on Saturday, April 27 at 7:30pm. Takoma Park Elementary School will have its own section. A portion of the ticket sales go to support the TPES PTA so we can continue to offer support to the school. Tickets for the TPES section can be purchased here: https://fevo-enterprise.com/Takomapark5 Go D.C. United and TPES Dolphins!

TPES/PBES Rainbow Club: April 28, 12-2pm @ Loft Collective

The joint TPES/PBES Rainbow Club is having our spring meet-up on April 28th from 12-2 at The Loft. Email rainbowclubtkpk@gmail.com for more information.

Seeking Gifts/Donations for Teacher AppreciationRaffle: May 6-10

We are seeking gifts to raffled off to teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week, May 6-10. Some ideas include giving time for pet sitting, a homemade casserole, your favorite cookie recipe, gift cards, gift certificates, etc. Gifts in any amount are appreciated and welcomed! Please reach out to Betsy to let her know what you can contribute: esthergarcete@gmail.com

TPES Art Show: Thursday, May 23

Our school Art Show is May 23rd! The Art Show Team is seeking parent volunteers to help hang art in our halls from May 13th through May 22nd! Keep an eye out for our sign-up sheet coming out soon from Ms. Kelley.

Career Day Volunteers Needed: May 29, 2024

No matter what you do – banker, nurse, architect, dentist, police officer, lawyer, military, computer engineer, bus driver, or doctor – the children can learn about the world of work from you! So, if you, a relative, a neighbor, or a friend has a job that you love to talk about and share with others, being a Career Day speaker would be a perfect fit!

Volunteering does not guarantee that you will be called on to present. We will do our best to make sure we get a wide variety of careers to showcase to our students. If you are selected, you are committing to stay the entire morning session and present to 3 different classes. Each presentation will last 30 minutes (20 minutes of talking, 10 minutes of Q&A with students).

If you are interested in being a Career Day speaker or know someone who might be, please complete the interest form before April 26, 2024!

If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Althofer at Max_P_Althofer@mcpsmd.org or Mrs. Ampofo at Charlotte_Ampofo@mcpsmd.org.

Incoming Kindergarten Parent Meeting-May 30, 2024 at 7:00 p.m.

The staff of Takoma Park Elementary School will host an incoming kindergarten parent meeting on May 30, 2024. The meeting will be held virtually and will include interpreters for Spanish and Amharic.

Kindergarten Enrollment 2024-25 Now Open

Kindergarten online registration is now open. For information regarding kindergarten enrollment for the 2024-25 school year, including important documents needed to register, please visit the MCPS website (https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/enroll/kindergarten/).

If you have any questions or would like more information on how to enroll at Takoma Park Elementary School, please call 240-740-0980 or email Ms. Hottel-Cox at anne_m_hottel-cox@mcpsmd.org.

Pedestrian Safety Art Contest

The Montgomery County Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program has launched our annual Pedestrian Safety Art Contest for all elementary school (private & public) students in Montgomery County. The purpose of the contest is to have students use their creativity to educate themselves and others about the importance of walking safely. Not only is it important for students to go to school, but they MUST get there safely.