Our Maple Lions had an amazing time celebrating Vocabulary Day yesterday! 📚✨
Students and staff brought words to life by dressing up and showcasing their creativity while building their vocabulary knowledge. From simple to sophisticated words, it was exciting to see everyone making connections and having fun with language!
We are so proud of our students for their effort, enthusiasm, and willingness to learn in such a fun and engaging way. 💚🦁
Which word was your favorite? 👀
Happy Administrative Professionals Day! 💐
Today we celebrate the incredible individuals who keep Maple Elementary running smoothly each and every day. Ms. Karen and Ms. Lisa, thank you for your dedication, organization, and the care you show to our staff, students, and families. Your hard work often happens behind the scenes, but its impact is felt throughout our entire school community.
We appreciate you more than words can express—today and every day! 💚🦁
🐾✨ PAWsome Staff Spotlight✨🐾
This week, we are celebrating Mrs. Day for being an incredible part of our Maple Elementary family! 💚
Mrs. Day consistently goes above and beyond—whether she’s supporting students one-on-one, co-teaching, helping with reading conferences, or stepping in wherever she’s needed. Her flexibility, teamwork, and dedication make a difference every single day.
We are so lucky to have her as part of our school! 🦁
Mrs. Butler’s PreK3 class has been learning all about how plants grow! 🌱
Last week, they planted seeds, and today they made predictions about how much their plants had grown. They then went outside to check their predictions and observe the changes firsthand.
Students also had great discussions about what plants need to grow. We love seeing our youngest learners thinking, exploring, and growing! 💚🦁 #withJoy
📣 Reminder: It’s TOMORROW! 📣
Join us for our Vocabulary Parade & Sphinx Day of Creativity! 🦁✨ Let’s bring words to life and celebrate learning in a fun and creative way!
🎭 What to Do:
• Choose a vocabulary word and use the planning template
• Create or gather your costume pieces
• Practice explaining your word to your class
• Be sure to include the word AND definition on your costume
🏆 Awards (in each grade level):
• Best Adjective
• Funniest Word & Costume
• Best Olympic-Themed Word
• Word That Best Promotes Joy
• Miss Alaineus Award – Most Original Use of a Word
• Principal’s Choice Award
🎉 Bonus: All students who participate will earn +10 House Points!
We are so excited to see our Maple Lions’ creativity shine! 💚🦁
Let’s have a FUN and CREATIVE day! ✨
📣 Maple Families,
Check out this week’s Peek of the Week! https://app.smore.com/n/3g87u
Reminder: Our 4th and 5th graders begin MCAP testing this week. 📝 Please ensure students arrive on time, get a good night’s sleep, and stay for the full day.
We know our Maple Lions will do their best and shine! 💚🦁✨
We have been LOVING our schoolwide reading of A Boy Called Bat! 🦁📚💚
Check out the photos of our Maple Lions reading at home and a few of our prize winners so far! 🎉🏆
Although no reading was scheduled for Friday, students were encouraged to complete an optional activity: ✏️
Write or draw about a place where you feel completely comfortable. What are your 6 favorite things about this place?
Completed work can be turned in to Mrs. Ford for extra entries into our daily raffle! 🎟️✨
We’ll jump back into our reading tomorrow with Chapters 12–14 (pp. 72–90). 📖
What is Bat trying to convince his mom to let him do? Do you think it’s a good idea? 🤔
Keep up the great reading, Maple Lions! 💚🦁
Our Maple Lions had an amazing time celebrating our Quarter 3 Attendance Incentive! 🦁💚
Students who had no more than 2 absences, tardies, or early releases were invited to participate. Our PK3 and PK4 students enjoyed outdoor fun with bubbles and ice cream, while our K–5 students had a blast with outdoor games, food, and karaoke!
We are so proud of our Maple Lions for showing up and giving their best each day. 🎉👏
Next week, our 4th and 5th graders will begin MCAP testing for ELA! 📚✨
This week, we kicked things off with our MCAP Test Talk and Pep Rally. Our coaches met with 3rd–5th grade students to share helpful testing strategies and ways to feel confident and prepared for the state assessment.
Students then competed in their House teams in an exciting round of “Who Wants to Be a MCAP Millionaire?” 🎉 The winning House from each grade level went on to face off against staff in some fun, high-energy games!
We also felt the love from our youngest Maple Lions—our PreK through 2nd grade classes created encouraging posters for each 3rd–5th grade class to help cheer them on and wish them success. 💚
It was an amazing time filled with excitement and school spirit. Our students have been working hard all year, and we know they are going to ROCK the test! 💚🦁🏆
Ms. Robinson's PreK4 students have been working hard and growing their knowledge during their plant unit! 🪴 🌼
Students have been exploring the different parts of a plant and learning how to plant their very own seeds. It’s been so exciting to see their curiosity bloom as they dig in and discover how plants grow!
Our 2nd grade students experienced science in the most magical way! 🦋✨
Over the past few weeks, they learned all about the life cycle of butterflies—from tiny eggs to caterpillars, then chrysalides, and finally beautiful butterflies. The best part? They got to observe real butterflies every step of the way!
Students proudly released their butterflies, celebrating the full journey they witnessed firsthand. What an unforgettable learning experience that brought science to life right before their eyes!
Way to go, 2nd grade! 💚🦁
🐎 Registration Round-Up is almost here!
Enrollment for PreK-3, PreK-4, & Kindergarten for the 2026-2027 school year opens April 30th! The registration link will be forthcoming.
🔹 PreK-3: Must be 3 by Sept 1st | Limited spots at Sandy Hill, Maple, Vienna & Hurlock | Proof of income required
🔹 PreK-4: Must be 4 by Sept 1st | Proof of income required
🔹 Kindergarten: Must be 5 by Sept 1st | Attendance is mandatory by Maryland law
📋 All enrollments require:
• Proof of age
• Proof of residency
• Proof of relationship
• Up-to-date immunizations
⏳ PreK spots are limited — don’t wait! Get your documents ready and register beginning April 30th!
#BelieveInUs
Last week, we had our House Celebration, and it was a blast! We always have so much fun during House Lunches and Celebration Days.
We also celebrated our Lion Leaders from each house for their hard work and leadership! 🦁
Congratulations to Dragon House for taking the lead with the most points! 🐉🏆
📣 MCAP Testing is Almost Here at Maple Elementary! 🍎✏️
We’re excited to support our 3rd - 5th grade students as they show what they’ve learned! Be sure to check out the testing dates for each grade level and tips to help your child feel confident and prepared.
Let’s work together to help our students shine—Maple is rooting for them! 🌟
If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Drake!
📚✨ Vocabulary Parade – Sphinx Day of Creativity! ✨📚
Get ready to bring words to life! Our students are invited to participate in our upcoming Vocabulary Parade as part of our Sphinx Day of Creativity. 💜
Students will choose a vocabulary word, create a fun costume to represent it, and practice explaining their word—showcasing both creativity and learning!
📝 How to prepare:
✔️ Choose a vocabulary word
✔️ Design a simple, creative costume (items from home are perfect!)
✔️ Practice explaining your word
📅 Parade Date: April 21, 2026
📄 Important: Letters went home today with more details about this exciting event.
We can’t wait to celebrate creativity, vocabulary, and learning together! 💜
Congratulations to our March Students of the Month! 💚🦁
‼️Reminder ‼️
As students across DCPS begin participating in the the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) and/or Advanced Placement exams this Spring, please help us support our students navigate testing season by:
📅 Helping students get to school on testing days, check out our Spring MCAP/AP Calendar here: https://bit.ly/4sdQCZU
💻 Support students in accessing practice test materials before testing here: https://support.mdassessments.com/practice-tests/
🚫 Please remember personal electronic devices are not permitted in the testing environment. This includes any device that can receive or send a message, take or send pictures, etc. including cell phones, airpods, meta glasses or cameras.
#BelieveInUs
As students across DCPS begin participating in the the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) and/or Advanced Placement exams this Spring, please help us support our students navigate testing season by:
📅 Helping students get to school on testing days, check out our Spring MCAP/AP Calendar here: https://bit.ly/4sdQCZU
💻 Support students in accessing practice test materials before testing here: https://support.mdassessments.com/practice-tests/
🚫 Please remember personal electronic devices are not permitted in the testing environment. This includes any device that can receive or send a message, take or send pictures, etc. including cell phones, airpods, meta glasses or cameras.
#BelieveInUs
Healthy Kids Day—free to the public!
🗓 Saturday, April 18th
⏰ 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
📍 Robbins Family YMCA
201 Talbot Ave, Cambridge, MD
🐾 PAWsome Staff Spotlight🐾
This week, we are celebrating Mr. Ellsworth! 👏
Mr. Ellsworth has truly gone above and beyond since joining Maple Elementary. He works hard every single day to keep our school clean, safe, and welcoming for everyone. His willingness to jump in and help wherever needed shows what an incredible team player he is!
We are so grateful for his dedication and the care he shows to both our students and staff. Thank you, Mr. Ellsworth, for everything you do—you make Maple a better place! 💚
Teachers are lifelong learners!
Our kindergarten team, along with our reading coach, recently participated in a lesson study focused on best practices and strategies to increase student engagement and strengthen student writing. We are so proud of their commitment to continuous growth and excellence for our students!
At Maple Elementary, we are going for gold! 🏅
