April 9 Family Newsletter
Good afternoon,
We are rolling this week with Union Mill having the opportunity to check out yesterday's solar eclipse. Some photos from the experience can be found below. This week we are celebrating National Librarian Week. Mrs. Schroeder is our amazing librarian at Union Mill. She provides opportunities for students to read a wide variety of books, supports the SCA, book fairs, author visits, the news show and much more. We are grateful for all she does for the Union Mill community.
Thank you to the PTA and all families who came out for the volleyball game on Friday. It was great to see so many students and families cheering on our staff!
Union Mill will be honoring our military families next Wednesday, April 17th by wearing purple. Any active duty, retired, veteran and military-connected families are invited to join their child's classroom morning meeting followed by our Principal's Coffee. If you plan on attending, please RSVP here.
As a reminder, tomorrow is Eid al Fitr and a holiday for students and staff. Union Mill looks forward to welcoming back students on Thursday, April 11th!
Sincerely,
Dominic, Jaime and Scott
The UMES Admin Team
#UMESBetterTogether
Upcoming Dates
Wednesday, April 10th - Student & Staff Holiday (Eid al Fitr)
Tuesday, April 16th - Full Time Advanced Academic Orientation
Wednesday, April 17th - UMES Purple Up!
- Principal's Coffee for Active, Retired, Veteran and
Military Connected Families
Friday, April 19th - Yearbook Order Deadline
Monday, April 22nd - 29th - UMES Spring Book Fair
Tuesday, April 30th - Spring Chorus Concert
Eid al-Fitr (Half-O Day, Holiday)
In Islam, Eid-al-Fitr is a three-day festival to mark the end of Ramadan. Tuesday, April 9, is an evening observance day. There is school on this day, but important events will not be held after school. Wednesday, April 10, is an FCPS holiday; all schools and offices will be closed. See the school year calendar for additional days.
Solar Eclipse
Students at Union Mill had the opportunity to check out yesterday's solar eclipse with approved eyewear. Classrooms engaged in different eclipse themes throughout the day. In PE, students did an exercise video with solar eclipse trivia then played a game called Solar Eclipse where they were trying to cover the sun. Additional resources including videos, articles for students, and more can be found on the FCPS website.
Autism Acceptance Month
April is Autism Acceptance month. In PE classes last week, students went through stations that challenged them in different ways. These stations can open a door for you to discuss with your child Autism and other challenges some people may have. Thank you very much to the volunteers who helped us supervise stations: Katie Geibel, Margreen Brown, Veronica Monfrini, Juliet Prillaman, and Joni Smith.
 At the visual motor difficulties station, students had to navigate through cones to get to a table with dot-to-dots, mazes, and word searches they tried to do while wearing goggles that were scratched up and hard to see through.
At the sensory station for textures and smells students touched different objects like Velcro, squishy toy, and cut up straws without seeing them and smelled different fragrant and unpleasant things like vinegar, orange, and garlic. They tried to guess what the objects or smells were and decided if they liked them or not.
The mirror station challenged students' visual perceptions by doing word searches or writing their name while looking through the mirror to see the letters.
Students played a tag game and when they were tagged, they signed their name to a poster pledging to "Be Inclusive" or they wrote what makes them different and special on a poster that said "Be YoUnique".
At the communication/listening station, students were challenged to communicate without words by playing charades or playing "telephone" and passed a message from person to person to see how it changed. Finally, the students' fine motor skills were tested by wearing gloves and trying to button a shirt, play with Legos, and put a nut and bolt together.
Union Mill Full Time Advanced Academic Services Orientation
As we gear up for the upcoming academic year, we're excited to announce that our Full Time Advanced Academic Services Orientation will be held on Tuesday, April 16th, from 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. in the library at Union Mill Elementary.
The Full Time Services Advanced Academic orientation is specifically tailored to provide families with site-specific details about our program, which will commence for third graders next year. It's a wonderful opportunity for you to gain insights into what this program entails, meet some of our dedicated staff members, familiarize yourselves with school activities, and most importantly, ask any questions you might have.
We highly encourage all families who are considering the Full Time Services Advanced Academic program for their third graders to attend this orientation. Your active participation will help ensure that you have all the information you need to make informed decisions about your child's education.
If you have any questions prior to the orientation, please don't hesitate to reach out to our Advanced Academic Resource Teacher,- Melissa Paris-Hutchens at maparis@fcps.edu.
Purple Up! April 17th and Principal's Coffee
We will be hosting our next Principal’s Coffee on Wednesday, April 17th. Any active duty, retired, veteran and military-connected families are encouraged to join their child's classroom morning meeting followed by our Principal's Coffee. If you plan on attending, please RSVP here.
Scholastic Spring Book Fair April 22- April 29th
The Spring Book Fair is coming soon! Mrs. Schroder had hand surgery this past month and needs help to set up and pack up the book fair. In addition, help is needed throughout the week. If you have a few minutes to share, please consider signing up on this SIgnUpGenius. Thank you for supporting the UMES Library!
Union Mill Chorus Spring Concert
Alumni Invited!
The Union Mill Chorus is performing their Spring Concert, “Union Mill Goes to the Movies”, on Tuesday, April 30th at 6:00 PM. Any alumni students that are now in Middle or High School are invited to join the chorus for the last song, “We’re All in This Together” from High School Musical. Reach out to ecunningham@fcps.edu with any questions.
LAST CHANCE: Order Your Yearbook Now!
The April 19th deadline to order a yearbook is rapidly approaching. Don't miss the chance to order a yearbook for your student.
Families may place orders online at www.buytheyearbook.com and enter School ID# 719478. Yearbooks are $15.69 each.
*Families who previously ordered a yearbook will have received a receipt from Yearbooklife.
UMES PTA
Our next PTA meeting will be on Tuesday, April 30th. More details coming soon!
UMES vs CES Volleyball Game
Thank you for the amazing time at last week's volleyball game! Thank you for all of the students, families and staff who participated.
After School Activities
Go to the After School section on the UMES PTA website for information on the upcoming after-school activities!
Membership
If you'd like to receive weekly PTA News updates, join the PTA! Memberships are good for one year. Click here to join.
Union Mill Office Hours
Monday - Friday - 8:00 am - 4:15 pm
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