Welcome

August 9, 2023

Dear Lake Arbor Parents/Guardians,

Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year! As the summer begins to wind down, we are actively planning and preparing for another fantastic instructional year. Please join me in welcoming the new Superintendent, Millard House II. We look forward to him “Leading Change” for our school district. Prince George’s County Public School System will continue to focus on Mathematics, Social & Emotional Learning (SEL), & Equity. We are excited that Lake Arbor Elementary was acknowledged as a 4-Star school by the Maryland State Department of Education. Thus, the hard work of our staff, students, parents/ guardians, and community is paying off, resulting in student progress and achievement in a quality school environment. With your continued support and involvement, we will continue on this road to success. We know we can always count on your help with our annual fundraisers, where the proceeds benefit our students, including Scholastic Book Fair, Spirit Wear, Classic Photography, Yearbooks, Mid-Atlantic Read-a-Thon, and Planet Aid Clothes & Shoes. Through our united efforts between home and school, we will see the most outstanding academic, social & emotional growth and progress in your child/children this school year.

To help you successfully prepare for the 2023-2024 school year, please read carefully through the information below and access the Lake Arbor ES website (https://www.pgcps.org/schools/lake-arbor-elementary) for school information and updates. All families, newly registered & returning, will receive school communications and updates through the School Messenger system. If you are a returning family, you will also continue to receive school and teacher information and updates through our school’s primary electronic communication system, Class Dojo. Please ensure that all of your data in SchoolMAX has current names, numbers, addresses, etc., and remains up-to-date throughout the school year to ensure we can contact you under all circumstances. New families will gain access to Class Dojo through their child’s teacher(s) during the first week of school.

First Day & First Two Weeks of School

Students' first day of school is Monday, August 28, 2023. Arrival begins at 7:30 a.m. Children should not arrive prior to that time to ensure proper supervision and student safety. All students receive complimentary breakfast, served directly in the classrooms beginning at 7:30 a.m. The instructional day begins at 7:45 a.m. and ends at 1:55 p.m. Grades 1 – 5 students will enter the building through the front doors. Several staff members will be available to support your child in getting to class. Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students will meet their teachers on the school’s basketball court blacktop (left side of Lake Arbor when you are facing the school building) to ensure that parents have an opportunity to greet teachers as the students are dropped off briefly. You must print and complete the Lake Arbor Student Emergency Information Form (click link- Student Emergency Form 2023-24) for your child to bring on the first day of school. School visits/classroom observations may begin after October 2nd by appointment only. This will allow students to adjust to their new classroom environment and enable teachers to establish relationships and routines.

SchoolMAX Family Portal: Teacher Assignments/Schedules

SchoolMAX Family Portal: Teacher Assignments/Schedules SchoolMAX Student Information System is used to manage and access student data, including grades, attendance, and schedules. New parents should register for SchoolMAX Family Portal online at https://family.sis.pgcps.org/schoolmax/family.jsp. Returning parents' usernames and passwords are the same as the year before. Teacher assignments will be listed in SchoolMAX by Monday, August 21st. You may obtain your child's homeroom teacher and room number by logging into SchoolMAX and looking at the Social Skills subject area.

Breakfasts and Lunches

Our school participates in the Maryland Meals For Achievement (MMFA) Classroom Breakfast Program. Therefore, all students receive FREE breakfast daily. All students are expected to eat lunch every day. This school year, PGCPS is returning to students paying for lunches. All parents/guardians must complete a Meal Benefits Application to determine if their child/children qualify for free or reduced-priced meals. You may access the application online at https://www.myschoolapps.com/(attached are the Application Instructions). Online applications are processed within 24-48 hours. If you are unable to complete an online application, please contact the
school for a paper application. Meal prices for this school year are Breakfast – FREE and Lunch $2.75. Children may bring lunch and purchase a beverage (milk/juice). Additional snacks can also be purchased daily by students. If you choose, you may have the snack option blocked by notifying the school cafeteria manager. Students may apply money to their meal account daily, weekly, or monthly with cash, certified checks, or money orders at the cafeteria register. Parents are strongly encouraged to pre-pay and maintain money in their child/children's accounts to ensure that funds are always
available. Online payments can be made at https://www.myschoolbucks.com/. Breakfast and Lunch menus are available at the PGCPS Food and Nutrition web page at https://www.pgcps.org/offices/food-and-nutrition on a monthly basis.

Transportation

The Department of Transportation coordinates all bus transportation arrangements (bus numbers, stop locations, & pick-up/drop-off times) for all registered and returning students based on the address found for each student in SchoolMAX. Your child will have transportation services on the first day of school if your registration is complete and your address is SchoolMAX by Wednesday, August 9, 2023.  The Stopfinder Bus App (available on Google Play and the Apple App Store) is an excellent option for
parents/guardians to view a student’s bus schedule. However, you must have an email address on file in SchoolMAX to be invited to access the information this way. Stopfinder invitations for the 2023-2024 school year will be sent weekly, beginning Monday, August 14, 2023. For more information, go to
https://www.pgcps.org/offices/transportation/stopfinder. Families may also use Infofinder to access bus stop information when they visit https://bit.ly/PGCPSinfoFinderi and enter their home addresses.  You may also find additional information at https://www.pgcps.org/offices/transportation. NOTE: ALL pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students MUST wear a PGCPS vest throughout the entire school year once it has been given to him/her. Lake Arbor will provide this vest, and more information
regarding vests will be shared during orientation and the first week of school.

Before and After Care

There are a number of before and after care centers that serve our school community. The AlphaBEST Education Inc., Before and After Care Program is a program that is housed at Lake Arbor Elementary.
Information regarding their program and how to enroll can be found on the Lake Arbor school’s website. Although we do not give endorsements for any of the Before and After Care Programs that serve our community, here is a link with center information that you may research and determine if
they meet your childcare needs(Local Before & After Care Centers). Please communicate all absences and early dismissals with your child/children’s before and aftercare program throughout the school
year.

Uniforms/School Supplies

There is a strict adherence to the uniform policy, which has been updated for this school year. Students must be in navy blue bottoms, a white shirt for Grades 3-5 students, and a burgundy shirt for Pre-K/K-2 students. Students may wear closed-toe shoes if they follow the dress code guidelines. Students may also wear Lake Arbor Spirit Wear on Fridays. The complete uniform policy (Lake Arbor Uniform Policy) & school supply lists (School Supply Lists 2023-2024) can be accessed by these links and on our school’s
website. Students are expected to bring their PGCPS-issued technology devices to school for instruction every day. Clear book bags are not required for Pre-K through 5th grade but may be used if families
purchase them.

Pre-K, K, & New Student Orientation/Back to School Night

There will be an in-person orientation for all pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and new students in Grades 1- 5 on Friday, August 25, 2023, at 8:30 a.m. This school year, we will allow families to attend Back-to-School Night virtually or in person. Please choose the option that works best for your family.
Our virtual Back-to-School Night will occur on Wednesday, September 6, 2023, from 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. The teachers will give their Back-to-School Night presentations live, and you may speak and view the classroom(s) on your phone or computer. On the same night(9/6/23), we will have our in-person Back-to-School Night in the school building/classrooms from 6:15 p.m. – 7:15 p.m. Whether you attend virtually or in person, the night will begin with a brief video presentation from the Lake Arbor Administration to welcome you and provide important school information for all families. More
Back-to-School Night information and virtual meeting links will be provided in the weeks to come.
I am excited to greet you and our Lake Arbor Lion Scholars in the upcoming weeks. I look forward to the many opportunities that await us as we work together to make the 2023-2024 school year an
extraordinary learning year for every student.

Sincerely,

Tonya Y. Riggins
Principal

Breakfast and Lunches During School Day:

All students will eat breakfast and lunch free this year. Each student is assigned a PIN number. Breakfast and lunch menus will be available at the PGCPS Food and Nutrition web page, https://www.pgcps.org/offices/food-and-nutrition. Applications for the Free and Reduced Meal Program will also be available on the Food and Nutrition web page. Please be sure to complete this form this school year. Your information is confidential and with 100% completion by families, it will ensure that appropriate funding to support our students will be allocated to the school.

All students are expected to comply with Lake Arbor’s Uniform/Dress code Policy.  In an effort to be certain that all students and parents are aware of this policy, it is listed below.  Please review the Uniform Policy with your student(s) to ensure that they too are aware of the school’s expectations. The uniform policy will be strictly enforced during the academic year.

Boys & Girls

• Navy blue traditional uniform pants (no cargo pockets)
• Navy blue knee-length shorts, skirt, skort, or jumper
• White or burgundy polo style or Peter Pan/dress-collared uniform shirt (shirts must be tucked in). 
• Students in grades Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, First, and Second Grades (Pre K-2nd) must wear BURGUNDY polo style/Peter Pan collared uniform shirts.   
• Students in grades Third, Fourth, and Fifth (3rd-5th) must wear WHITE polo style/Peter Pan-collared uniform shirts. 
• White or navy blue socks, tights, or stockings (one solid color)
• Any flat closed-toe shoes (NO heels, wedges, Crocs or Heelys)
• Black or brown belt
• Navy blue sweater/jacket (free of any logos or insignia; Lake Arbor Spirit Wear jacket is acceptable)
• Lake Arbor Spirit Wear can be worn on Fridays, in lieu of the uniform

No additional accessories should be worn (ex. ties, suspenders, scarves, vest, etc.). Headdresses may be worn for religious and/or health reasons.
Purses should be no larger than 8 X 11 (hint: measure it against notebook paper).
Jewelry should be worn inside of clothing. Earrings should be about the size of a quarter.
Any item/article of clothing that is a distraction to the learning process or deemed unsafe must be removed.
NOTE:  NO OTHER ITEMS CAN BE ADDED TO OR REMOVED FROM THIS POLICY EXCEPT BY PTA VOTE.

Violation of Uniform/Dress Code Policy:

• First Violation: Student’s teacher contacts the parent(s) or guardian(s) and notifies the Principal that a violation has occurred. The student will be given a warning and asked to comply by removing the item or by changing into the proper uniform.  The non-uniform item will go home with the student at the end of the day.
• Second Violation: Student's teacher contacts the parent(s) or guardian(s) and a conference will be held with the Professional School Counselor, Administrator and/or Administrator Designee.
• Repeated Violations: Student's participation in classroom and/or school-wide incentives and privileges can be affected or removed as a result of repeated mandatory uniform violations.
  

*PGCPS assumes no liability for theft, loss, or damage of items by students on school property or held by school officials during the confiscation period.