Maple Elementary

This school year at Maple Elementary, we’re thrilled to continue a tradition — our PAWsome Staff Member of the Week! 🌟

Each week, we’ll be shining a spotlight on one of our incredible team members who goes above and beyond for our students, staff, and school community. 💛 Nominated by their fellow colleagues, these staff members are recognized for their positivity, dedication, and the difference they make every day!

🏅 What do they get?
✨ A PAWsome VIP Parking Spot
🎁 A special surprise prize

We're excited to announce that our very first PAWsome Staff Member is Mr. James! 🎉 Thank you, Mr. James, for all that you do — we’re lucky to have you on the Maple team! 🦁

Stay tuned each week as we celebrate more of our amazing staff! 🐾

Our 1st–5th graders were all smiles today! We can’t wait to welcome our PK3, PK4, and Kindergarten Maple Lions on Thursday!

What an amazing first day of school for our 1st–5th graders! Our halls were filled with excitement and smiles. From meeting teachers and friends to getting started with new routines, our students started the year off strong. We can’t wait to see all the growth, memories, and accomplishments this year will bring. Here’s to a fantastic school year at Maple Elementary! 💚🦁

We can’t wait to see all of our Maple Lions back at school! 🦁💚 • Grades 1–5 return tomorrow, Tuesday, September 2nd. • PreK & Kindergarten start on Thursday, September 4th. A few reminders for families: • Drop-off begins at 8:30 AM. • After 8:45 AM, students are considered tardy and will need to be signed in by a parent/guardian at the main office. We’re so excited for the first days of school and can’t wait to kick off a wonderful year together!

Every year, we look forward to our Open House day—and this year was no exception! A big thank you to our amazing community partners for sharing valuable resources with our families, to our social workers for leading a fun and meaningful mental health activity, to Mr. Jenkins for helping on the grill, and to all of our staff for their hard work. We are especially grateful to all of our families who stopped by today! 💚

Thank you to all of the families who joined us for our Opening Ceremony this afternoon! It was wonderful to see so many students and families together to kick off the school year.

A big thank you as well to everyone who supported our Skip the Line Fundraiser by purchasing raffle tickets.

🎉 Congratulations to our Term 1 winners:
1. Ava White
2. Mackenzie Young
3. Carter Branch
4. Gianna Butler

The parents/guardians of these students can enjoy their VIP parking spot from September 2 – November 5. 🚗 All other parents should continue to wait at the stop sign until a staff member calls you forward at 3:40. We will also be doing another fundraiser for the other 3 terms this school year.

We can’t wait to welcome our students into the building next week—it’s going to be a fantastic year!

✨ A Huge Thank You to Urban Grid and Depcom Power ✨ This morning, our Maple Elementary staff was treated to an amazing surprise thanks to the generosity of Urban Grid and Depcom Power! Not only did they provide us with a delicious Chick-fil-A breakfast, but they also donated a wonderful supply of school materials to help us kick off the year strong! A special thank you to all of the Depcom Power employees who personally contributed to the school supply drive - our teachers were so excited to receive all of these supplies! We are so grateful to their continued to support and commitment to our school community. Your kindness made a big impact and brought lots of smiles to our staff today!

We are so excited to welcome Mrs. Tammie Carlisle to the Maple Elementary kindergarten team! Mrs. Carlisle is already a familiar face in our community-she joins us from our very own Judy Center, where she served as the Family Services Coordinator. With about 30 years of teaching experience, Mrs. Carlisle is looking forward to teaching kindergarten, which happens to be the only elementary grade she hasn’t taught yet! Here are a few things to know about her: •She loves the outdoors and being around the water. •She is married to her husband, Bill. •She has two adult children—her son, Ian (27), is an engineer in Wilmington, and her daughter, Bayleigh (24), also teaches kindergarten in Charleston! We are so lucky that Mrs. Carlisle is joining the kindergarten team! 💚🦁

We are excited to welcome Ms. Annie Plumley to Maple Elementary as our new PK–2 School Counselor! This will be her 4th year as a school counselor, and she is joining us from Choptank Elementary. Ms. Plumley is most looking forward to building new connections in a new building and growing as a proud Maple Lion. Here are a few fun things to know about her: •She loves to run and has previously helped coach Girls on the Run at other DCPS schools. •She’s a proud dog mom and will always be happy to talk about her pups! •She loves quotes and finds inspiration in them. One of her favorites, shared with her by her own high school counselor, is: “Create your own sunshine.” We are so glad to have Ms. Plumley joining the Maple Lion family! 💚🦁

We are so excited to introduce Brianna Sann, who is joining us from Sandy Hill Elementary School! This will be her third year teaching, and she’s bringing her passion and energy to Maple Elementary. Ms. Sann has previously taught 1st grade and kindergarten, and this year she’s excited to step into a new adventure - her first year teaching Pre-K. When she’s not in the classroom, Ms. Sann loves to read books in her free time, and she’s hoping to be a part of the Griffin House. We can’t wait for all our Maple Lions to meet her. Please help us welcome Ms. Sann to the Maple family!

We are excited to welcome Mrs. Ida Heelan as our new English Learner (EL) teacher! Mrs. Heelan has spent the past four years supporting ELL students as an instructional assistant at SHES, CES, and MES. This year, she looks forward to focusing on helping students grow, learn, and reach their goals. When she started school, Mrs. Heelan was also learning English! She’s excited to use her experiences to support and encourage her students. Please help us to give a warm welcome to Ms. Heelan! We’re so glad to have her on our team!

We are so excited to welcome Mrs. Deborah Weeks to our school family! Mrs. Weeks brings with her an incredible 30 years of teaching experience in Special Education - 25 years at the high school level and 5 years at the elementary level. She is passionate about supporting students and is especially looking forward to working with the students, families, and her colleagues. When she’s not in the classroom, Mrs. Weeks loves spending time with her two dogs - Hannah, a 12-year-old golden retriever, and Chellie, her sweet 15-year-old rescue. She enjoys being with family and friends, and her favorite season is fall - perfect for cheering on the Baltimore Ravens, enjoying mums and apples, and taking cool, crisp walks with her dogs along the Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk. Please join us in giving Mrs. Weeks a warm welcome to our Maple Family. We are lucky to have her!

We are excited to welcome Ms. Hannah Malbouf as our new Health Teacher! This will be her first year teaching, and she is looking forward to helping students learn the importance of health and wellness. Ms. Malbouf is already a familiar face to our students. She has substituted at Maple, and both our students and staff already love her! She is originally from northern New York, and she recently graduated from Salisbury University. She is excited to begin the school year and officially join the Maple team. We’re thrilled to have Ms. Malbouf with us. Please give her a warm welcome to the Maple family!

Mrs. Meekins and Mrs. Higgins will be out and about today visiting some of our Maple Lions! If you see them, be sure to say hello. They can’t wait to have all of our students back in the building soon! 💚🦁

We are excited to welcome Ms. Daijah Turner as our new Art Teacher! This will be her first year teaching, and she is eager to begin this new chapter of her career. Ms. Turner is most excited about meeting her students and witnessing the creativity and unique artwork they will bring to life in the classroom. Before stepping into the world of education, Ms. Turner worked as a freelance art instructor and tattoo artist. She is also a painter who specializes in oil paintings of stylized figures. We are thrilled to have Ms. Turner on our team and can’t wait to see the inspiration and creativity she will share with our students. Please give her a warm welcome to the Maple family!

Our students are so lucky this year - Ms. Deanna Travis will be joining us as a SPED teacher! They are in for a wonderful year with her guidance and support. This is Ms. Travis’s first year teaching within DCPS, but she brings valuable classroom experience, having worked with students ages 18 months to 21 as an assistant and early childhood teacher. She is excited to make a meaningful impact in her students’ lives and help them achieve their goals. A little about Ms. Travis: she is a huge Harry Potter fan, loves spending summers at the beach with her children, and enjoys riding rollercoasters. Please join us in giving Ms. Travis a warm welcome to the Maple family!

Our 4th graders are in for a real treat this year - Ms. Simone Vagnoni will be their new ELA teacher! She is passionate about connecting with students and helping them grow as readers and writers. Ms. Vagnoni is entering her 5th year of teaching and is excited to bring her energy, creativity, and love of learning to the classroom, inspiring students every step of the way. A few fun facts about Ms. Vagnoni: She started playing field hockey at age 5 and played Division I field hockey at Michigan State University. She loves to travel and experience different cultures, with a long bucket list of destinations. She lives nearby with her husband, her sweet baby boy, and two energetic dogs. Please join us in giving Ms. Vagnoni a warm welcome to the Maple family!

It is a pleasure to introduce Ms. Dazia Moore, who is joining Maple Elementary as a Special Education Teacher! This is her first year as an Elementary School Special Education Teacher, and she is excited to work with our students and staff while engaging with the DCPS community. Ms. Moore is originally from Queen Anne’s County, where she was a Lion before and is thrilled to be a Lion again—Go Maple Lions! Her favorite food is sushi (she could eat it every day!), and she enjoys reading, writing, and spending time with friends and family. Please help us give a warm Maple welcome to Ms. Dazia Moore!

We are excited to welcome Mrs. Christine Swann back to Maple Elementary as our 3rd Grade ELA teacher! Mrs. Swann brings 15 years of teaching experience and a deep passion for helping students grow as readers, writers, and thinkers. Mrs. Swann previously taught at Maple and is thrilled to return, sharing, “I’m looking forward to being back at Maple and seeing the kids.” In recent years, she has enjoyed working alongside her husband on their family farm. When she’s not in the classroom or on the farm, Mrs. Swann loves spending time with her family and friends. Her warmth, experience, and enthusiasm will make her a wonderful addition to our 3rd grade team once again. Please join us in giving a warm welcome back to Mrs. Swann!

We are excited to introduce Andrea Love, who will be joining us as a special education teacher this year. Ms. Love brings 19 years of teaching experience and is looking forward to being part of a supportive team and contributing to Maple Elementary’s continued success. A Dorchester native, Ms. Love has taught students from Early Childhood through 12th grade as a special educator. She loves making people smile and is excited to bring her experience, positivity, and dedication to our students and school community. Join us in giving Andrea Love a warm welcome to the Maple Family!