Welcome

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KP PTA Membership Meeting

Tuesday, October 13, 2026

Ice Breaker:

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Pumpkin Spice or Spooky Season?

What is your favorite October vibe?

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Raise your hand!

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1. Pumpkin spice and cozy sweaters
2. Halloween and spooky fun
3. Fall festivals and outdoor activities
4. Just trying to survive the school year!

KP PTA Membership Meeting

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Agenda:

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1. Principal & VP updates
2. Special Presentation: Counselor’s Corner at KP
3. Special Presentation: Dr. Suzan Song
4. Committee Updates
5. Upcoming event reminders
6. Q&A

Principal & Assistant Principal Updates

School Closure and Consolidation Study

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School Closure and Consolidation Study Updates

• Fall Community Engagement: various in-person and virtual meetings will be held.
• Meetings will include 15 minute overview of planned study with the rest of the time used for participants to explore information, ask questions and discuss facilities and transportation, enrollment and programs, and staffing and budget.

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• Please attend session in October and December
• Virtual Sessions: Oct. 19, Oct. 23, Oct. 30, and Nov. 2 (12pm)

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• In-Person Sessions (6:30pm):
• Gaithersburg MS (10/19)
• Kingsview MS (10/20)
• Rosa Parks MS (10/21)
• A Mario Loiederman MS (10/22)
• Julius West MS (10/28)
• Eastern MS (10/29)

Virtual Learning Expectations

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Inclement Weather Virtual Learning

• MCPS will be implementing virtual instruction days.

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• Virtual Instruction: consisting of a minimum of four (4) hours of synchronous learning supplemented by asynchronous opportunities

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• Why? When school buildings are closed due to inclement weather or other emergency conditions. These circumstances occur when it is unsafe to transport students or require students and staff to report to school buildings in person.

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• Not all inclement weather events will result in the activation of MCPS’ virtual instructional day plan. MCPS’ Division of Communications and Community Engagement maintains established procedures for notifying students, staff, and the community of operational status changes and will clearly communicate the type of inclement weather day being implemented.

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• KP Schedule/Impact

Home of the Soaring Eagles!

PTA MEETING · KENSINGTON PARKWOOD ELEMENTARY

Counselor's Corner

What your school counselor does all day, and how it helps your kids

Elizabeth (Beth) Wert, LCPC · School Counselor

MEET YOUR COUNSELOR

Hi, I'm Mrs. Wert!

I work with children, families and teachers to support the wellness and growth of every student at Kensington Parkwood.

MY APPROACH

Solution-focused

We start with what's already going well, then build small steps kids can actually take.

Frostburg State University

Early Childhood and Elementary Education

9 yrs as a teacher and 12 yrs as a counselor

In Montgomery County, before becoming a counselor

Master's in Counseling

Trinity University

Licensed and board certified

LCPC and National Board Certified Counselor

PART 1 · EVERY STUDENT

Classroom lessons

2×

a month

Grades K to 3

1×

a month

Grades 4 and 5

Built on ASCA standards

American School Counselor Association: academic, career and social-emotional development

Interactive, not a lecture

Taught with QuaverReady, so kids take part instead of just listening

A letter comes home

After every lesson, with ideas for using the strategies at home.

PART 2 · THE TOOL

QuaverReady

The online curriculum behind our classroom lessons, with interactive lessons and songs made for elementary students.

WHAT K–5 STUDENTS BUILD

Resiliency

Positive relationships

Learning readiness

Start the live demo

Thank you, PTA!

There's no county counseling curriculum, so our PTA paid for this one.

Learn more: quavered.com/ready

PART 3 · EXTRA PRACTICE

Small counseling groups

6–8

sessions per group

Built around what each grade level needs

Social skills

Friendship

Self-regulation

School success skills

Coping

Executive functioning

Psychoeducational, not therapy. Groups teach and practice skills, following ACA standards.

PART 4 · WHEN THINGS GO WRONG

Restorative practices

It's Maryland law

State law calls for relationship-focused discipline, and it is our school's approach. It:

• Prevents problems before they start
• Builds strong relationships
• Holds students accountable for harm
• Repairs the relationships affected

HOW IT SOUNDS WITH KIDS

1

What happened?

2

Who was affected?

3

How do we make it right?

The O in SOAR: Own our actions

Source: Maryland Code, Education Article § 7-306

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YOUR TURN

What questions do you have?

Thank you for supporting our Soaring Eagles.

Find me anytime at Counselor's Corner, linked from the KPES website.

Suzan Song, MD, MPH, PhD

Dr. Suzan Song is a child, adolescent, and adult psychiatrist, researcher, and author of Why We Suffer and How We Heal. She has spent more than 20 years studying how children and families respond to stress, adversity, and uncertainty, from everyday challenges at home and school to communities affected by war and displacement. For over a decade she has served as professor at Harvard Medical School and George Washington University and advised organizations including UNICEF and the U.S. government on child and family mental health. Her work focuses on what helps children develop the capacity to manage distress, stay connected to others, and function well even when life feels uncertain.

KP PTA:

COMMITTEE UPDATES

Event Reminders:

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• 10/12 - 10/30 – KP Media: Book Character Pumpkins
• 10/16 – No School / Professional Development
• 10/19 – Green Team: Fall/Winter Clothing Drive
• 10/30 – Halloween Parade/Parties, (2:15 Parade/Parties)
• 11/2 – Grading & Planning/No School
• 11/3 – Election Day/No School
• 11/7 – Green Team: Beautification Day
• 11/16 - 11/20 – Book Fair

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Open PTA Opportunities

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• Website + Newsletter support (26-27 school year/flexible time commitment)
• Green Team Committee Members (Ongoing)
• Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Committee Members (Ongoing)
• Wellness Day Committee Members (Event Date: TBD/ January 2027)
• Recess Running Club Co-Committee Chair (Ongoing)
• Skate Night Committee Chair (Event Date: March 13, 2027)

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Questions? We’ll do our best to answer.