Principal's Message

Dear Parents of WMEEC,

We had a wonderful first week of conferences and stagger start days together here at school! Thank you for your collaboration and communication with our teachers and staff. We appreciate this support as we welcome students to school for the 2024-2025 year. Together, we hope to all model the "Wildcat Way" by being kind, demonstrating safety, solving problems, and working hard. We look forward to our time together with your Pre-K and Kindergarten students.

A Parent Newsletter will be sent out at the end of each month. In between newsletters, we will send pertinent updates and announcements via the AACPS App and X (formerly known as Twitter).

Please scroll through the entire newsletter for important links, dates, and information. If you need anything, feel free to email Ms. Gagnon at ejgagnon@aacps.org.

September 2nd: School Closed for Labor Day

Please remember that there is no school on Monday, September 2nd for the observance of Labor Day. We hope all families enjoy a safe and healthy three day weekend!

September 3rd and Beyond: Attendance Counts!

Starting on Tuesday, September 3rd, WMEEC will work hard to establish the importance of excellent attendance and being on time each day!

The benefit is that your child has the best opportunity for success both socially and academically by attending school each day. It is important that students arrive no later than 9:10 am so they are in their seat and are ready to start the day at 9:15 am. This ensures that students have time to transition to the new setting and calm their nerves. This will then set your child up for a successful day.

Everyone at WMEEC hopes to establish excellent routines that will serve them well throughout their school experience and into adult life!

Strive for Attendance!

As a parent or guardian, there are steps you can take to make certain your child is in school every day.

Establish and stick with routines such as bedtime, wake-up time, and homework schedule.
Prepare for the next day by laying out clothes the night before and packing the backpack and lunch.
Talk to your child about school. Show your interest in what they are learning.
If your child is reluctant to go to school, reach out to the teacher or school counselor for help.

If your child starts to demonstrate school avoidance behavior, i.e., refuses to get up, complains of vague illnesses, or skips school, get help right away! Call our school counselor, Ms. Stepney, at any time for attendance-related resources and materials.

Remember, Maryland has a Compulsory Attendance Law. It states that children between the ages of 5 and 18 shall attend public school regularly during the entire school year unless otherwise enrolled in a private school, approved home instruction, or home teaching through the school. I

In addition, AACPS received over 8,000 applications for Pre-K programming. Not all families received a Pre-K seat, and many were put on a wait list. Pre-K families are expected to support consistent attendance in order to participate in our program.

Pre-K Attendance Procedures

All students are required to submit a note explaining their absence from school. For Pre-K, we ask that parents either: email the classroom teacher or email Ms. Puhl (rpuhl@aacps.org).

Kindergarten Attendance

Parent(s)/Guardian(s) should submit an absence note or early dismissal request online via the Parent Portal. Directions are linked below.

Absence/Early Release directions

If you have difficulty with Parent Portal, please email rpuhl@aacps.org

Important School Information

West Meade Parent Handbook

The West Meade EEC Handbook is designed to acquaint you with our procedures, practices, and responsibilities. Please use the handbook as a quick information guide whenever you have questions concerning school practices and programs at West Meade EEC.

To access the document, click here: WMEEC Parent Handbook

The AACPS Parent Handbook

The 2024 - 2025 Anne Arundel County Public Schools Parent Handbook is another excellent resource of detailed information about school policies, procedures, regulations, and other services. It is available online at: AACPS Parent Handbook.

Should conflicting information occur between information in our WMEEC Handbook and the AACPS Handbook, the AACPS information shall take precedence.

New Family Information

WMEEC hosted our New Family Orientation on August 25th. If you want to review the information a second time, or you were unable to attend our virtual session, we have published the information for your review.

To view the slide deck, please click here: WMEEC New Family Orientation

School Information

7722 Ray Street
Fort Meade, MD 20755

Phone: 410-222-6545
Fax: 410-222-6518

School hours: 9:15 am - 3:40 pm

Bus Routes

West Meade EEC has four bus routes that operate daily. To view each route and corresponding stops, click here: WMEEC Bus Routes

Please sign up for Bus Issue Notifications to stay up-to-date regarding cancellations, delays, or changes in bus number.

School Lunch Menu

School Meals are an important part of our students’ health and wellness. The AACPS Food & Nutrition Services team operates a comprehensive program.

Click to view the Cafe Menu.

Let's Start Off on the Right Foot!

Submit Your Meal Application

Did you know that when you apply for Free & Reduced-Price Meals, your student and your family can qualify for other benefits, such as scholarships and reduced or free college tuition?

In addition, this information is used by AACPS to determine class sizes and teacher to student ratios. As a result, we ask that ALL families complete the application.

All information is confidential. Once the online application is submitted and validated, the eligibility status of your child(ren) will be sent home. Online meal benefit applications are fast, easy and determined within a few days.

Parent Volunteers and Chaperones

Anne Arundel County Public Schools is committed to providing safe and secure learning environments for all students and employees. Successful completion of a background check is required before any person has access to students, either on or off school property.

If you would like to volunteer at WMEEC this school year, or chaperone a field trip, we ask that you complete the Background Check process. For more information, click: Apply for Commercial Background Check

We are always working toward optimal communication to ensure that the families we serve are informed and equipped to best support their students. Staying in touch with teachers is an essential element to building strong connections for student success.

That’s why we are implementing a new communications tool called Thrillshare Rooms which is conveniently integrated for families in the new AACPS mobile app! Thrillshare Rooms allows for two-way guardian-teacher/coach conversations and classroom announcements to occur securely through one platform.

Here are just a few other Thrillshare Rooms features we think you’re going to love: Two-way messaging with parents, guardians, students (high school only), and staff in a monitored, secure space. Teachers can share classroom announcements, activities, and send reminders about coursework to families. Teachers can upload and store their classroom materials for families to access. Teachers can record and track student behavior (usage of this feature varies by school). Automatic translation.

So what does all of this mean for parents and guardians? This means that you don’t need another app or tool to keep up with your child’s teachers and class information. You’ll be able to find the vast majority of school and district information in one place: within the AACPS app.

Check Out Our Calendar!

Join Us for Back to School Night

WMEEC will host Back to School Night on Wednesday, September 25th from 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm.

The purpose of the evening is to showcase our curriculums for Pre-K and Kindergarten. It is important for parents to see FrogStreet (PK3), Connect4Learning (PK 4), Reveal (Kindergarten Math) and CKLA (Kindergarten Literacy) in action!

The schedule includes:

Welcome - Featuring Ms. Gagnon (principal) and our Ms. Bryan (PTO president).
Session 1 - Visit your first child's classroom from 5:40 - 6:00.
Session 2 - Visit your second child's classroom from 6:05 - 6:25.
Sign up for the PTO on your way out of the building!

Back to School Night is not a time for Parent / Teacher Conferences. Please keep in mind that conferences can be scheduled individually upon your request.

The Wildcat: Parent Newsletter