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Resources shared at our 9/15/20 PTA meeting…and a few more!

 

 

First, the essentials:

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  • MCPS Parent Academy – These programs are presented by MCPS staff and community partners.  Programs and workshops are designed to inform and empower families as advocates and partners in their children's education.  Some workshops are offered in different languages and interpretation and accommodation services are available upon request.  Workshops are FREE!  Visit https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/parentacademy/

 

  • Parent Encouragement Program – Are you a parent looking for blog posts, classes, or workshops to help you navigate the challenges of parenting?  Check out PEP, the Parent Encouragement Program. On their website, you’ll find live and recorded classes, programs, and blog posts – separated by age group – on topics such as motivating your child, discipline, getting your kids to listen, screen time, power struggles, navigating COVID issues, managing anger, anxiety, and much more. Visit the site at:  www.pepparent.org

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  • GPES School Counseling Website – Our amazing school counselors have compiled resources for our kids (and for us parents, too!).  You’ll find videos, soothing sounds, mindfulness activities, social stories, resources for talking about race and racism, tips for managing stress, and many more useful tools. https://sites.google.com/mcpsmd.net/gpesschoolcounselingsite/home

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  • SafeSafe Schools MD Tip Line - To report threats, bullying, drugs, violence, or abuse, contact 833-MD-B-SAFE (833-632-7233).  This anonymous hotline is operated by the Maryland Center for School Safety within the Maryland State Department of Education.  Safe Schools Maryland is an anonymous tip reporting system that allows students, parents, and community members to easily report safety concerns anywhere in Maryland.

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PTA Resources

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  • GPESPTA Listserv – This is your listserv.  You can ask questions, learn about upcoming events, and share resources with other families.  It is a basic email listserv, currently a Yahoo group.  Email gpespta-subscribe@yahoogroups.com to join the listserv!

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  • A to Z Directory – Connect with other families with the A to Z Directory!  You can enter your information and then download the mobile app (be sure to use our school Zip Code of 20895 to find our school).  In past years, a printed copy of this directory was provided to each family, but this year we will only host this information in the mobile app.  If you are in the A to Z Directory, you will receive our PTA Newsletter by email.  Sign up here: https://atozconnect.com/cls/join_checks_tbl_add.php?join_request=yes.  For questions about A to Z, contact PTA Membership VP Leigh Sechi.  Her email is leighbacon@gmail.com.

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  • PTA Newsletter – Got info or tips to share in the PTA Newsletter?  Send them to PTA Communications VP Jennifer Olivares at GarrettParkESPTA@gmail.com.  Make sure you are signed up to receive our periodic e-newsletter by joining the A to Z directory.

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  • PTA Diversity and Inclusion Committee – Our committee is planning fun and educational programs to celebrate the diversity of our school.  To join or send ideas to the Diversity & Inclusion Committee, contact Dana Goodson or Eddine Mureke at danakgoodson@gmail.com or DonaldEddine@gmail.com. 

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More learning tools:

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  • ABCya – Find lots of educational games for kids here. www.abcya.com.

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  • ixl – Practice thousands of math, language arts, science, and social studies skills at school, at home, and on the go. www.ixl.com

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  • Epic – This is a website that provides free access to online books during the school day (from 7am-4pm). This is to encourage students to read every day! Students will also use this website for virtual class assigned reading at times. If your raccoon(s) wants to read after 4pm or on weekends, the site allows up to 2 hours total per week with parent permission using a “parent account” or student at home account. Contact your child’s teacher for your log-in and for help setting up an after-hours account using your child’s MCPS email if one hasn’t been established already.  To log into their account, students follow these steps (these are also posted in their myMCPS reading modules) 1) Go to www.getepic.com/students 2) Enter class code 3) Select their name.  These steps should work during after school hours too. 

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  • Muzzy – This is a site where kids can learn new language such as Spanish, Chinese, French, and Korean through fun, interactive videos.  Find it under the 'Kanopy kids' section of Kanopy (below).

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  • LetsK12Better – A Garrett Park Elementary School parent started this amazing website, podcast, and blog about how to prepare kids for life in the 21st century. Find out about family discussions, expert speakers, and improving the K12 experience for kids, parents, and educators. Sign up for the monthly newsletter:   https://bit.ly/LetsK12BetterNewsletter 

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  • MoCo Virtual Tutoring Project is a new student-led organization that pairs MCPS high school volunteers with elementary students for weekly Zoom tutoring sessions. We have formed a large group of high school tutors and we are currently trying to advertise to elementary students all across the county.  One of the tutors is Garrett Park ES graduate Quinn Harris, who now attends Walter Johnson HS.  Learn more here.  A second tutoring program is QuaranTeen Tutors which matches student tutors (middle and high school) with student learners (K-12) who might need some extra help getting through this school year. The idea is that the tutoring sessions will be virtual. Students can apply to BE a tutor or request to GET a tutor. Website and forms are in both English and Spanish. Learn more here.

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Got Resources to Recommend?

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Send us your favorite learning tools—or any other questions/suggestions/feedback--at GarrettParkESPTA@gmail.com.

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