The Gator Blast

September 7, 2025

Brought to you by the Davidsonville Elementary School Parent Teacher Organization

We’ve raised $4,410 so far toward our $10,000 goal! Thank you, Gator families, for the incredible support!

Let’s keep climbing that thermometer together. Every dollar makes a difference! 

3 ways to donate:

• Online via Zeffy
• Zelle: treasurer.pto.des@gmail.com
• Check (made payable to the DES PTO) or cash

Save the date for our first Skate Night on Thursday, September 25, 4:30 - 6:30 p.m.! Pre-order your tickets at least 24 hours in advance here.

New to DES Skate Nights? This is one of DES’s favorite traditions! All the fun happens at Skate Zone in Crofton! It’s always a fun evening filled with friends, laughter, and plenty of music. Admission is just $5 per person (even if you’re not skating), plus $5 per skate rental if needed. Skate Zone serves food and drink! This is a great chance for new and veteran families to connect and be part of the DES community. We can’t wait to see you there! 

Make Back-to-School Night even more special! On the evening of Back-to-School Night, local favorite Harvest Thyme will be generously donating 10% of all proceeds to the DES PTO.

It’s the perfect chance to grab a delicious meal or drink, connect with other DES parents, and support our school at the same time. Come hungry, join friends, and help us make this a great community night out!

*Harvest Thyme kindly requests that reservations are made if possible.

Last chance to pre-order Gator Gear and pick it up at Back to School Night! From cozy sweatshirts and playful t-shirts to fun Croc charms and rainy-day umbrellas, there’s something for every student - and grown-up - to show their Gator pride. And now we have Adult M and Adult L sizes in the green tie dye t-shirt and more Youth S hoodies! 

Click here to join! If you are joining for the first time, you must first register for the website. If you are renewing from last school year, you must first login to your account.

Please join us for our first 2025-2026 PTO General Membership meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, September 16 from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. in the DES Media Center. New to the school and the PTO? We'd love to see you there!

Please take a moment to review the PTO's proposed budget and email any questions or comments to treasurer.pto.des@gmail.com. The proposed budget will be formally voted into effect at the first PTO meeting of the school year.

Fall Club Registration is now open for Martial Arts, and Spanish! Space is limited, so register today! Visit the PTO Sponsored Programs and Clubs portion of our website to learn more information about the clubs offered.

Financial Assistance is available for all clubs, please reach out to Jaime Superczysnki at jsuperczynski@aacps.org for more information.

If a club you are interested in has reached capacity, please sign your student up on the waitlist. You will be contacted if space becomes available. 

Registration Links:

Spanish Club Registration

Martial Arts Club Registration

Club Flyers:

Gator Gear Volunteers

Last chance to help us sell Gator Gear at Back to School Night. Learn more and sign up here.  

Media Center Volunteers

Ms. Kaiser is looking for parents and grandparents who can regularly help out in the media center this school year! Help is needed checking in and reshelving books. Please reach out to Brooke at vpvolunteers.pto.des@gmail.com if you are interested in learning more.

Fingerprint Event

The PTO will be hosting a Fingerprint Event right here at DES on September 30th from 5:30-7:30pm. Learn more and sign up for a slot at the event today! Space is limited. 

DUDES

The DUDES (Dads Uplifting Davidsonville Elementary School) have been busy! We recently gave the recess blacktop a fresh new look - repainting hopscotch, four square, and other classic games to keep kids active, smiling, and having fun.

But this is just the beginning. Our mission is simple: get more positive male role models involved at Davidsonville Elementary. Whether you’re a dad, stepdad, or granddad your presence makes a huge difference.

Want to help? Volunteer for a project, read in a classroom, or sign up to help at PTO events and cheer kids on - every hour counts. Join the DUDES and help us build a stronger school community, one hop, skip, and jump at a time!

Sign up today and join our mailing list - because the kids are watching, and they deserve to see us leading by example.

Contact Greg at: DUDES.pto.des@gmail.com

More Information

For more information on volunteering at the school visit the volunteering section of the AACPS website or reach out to Brooke at vpvolunteers.pto.des@gmail.com.

Car Line

We have a process in place to support those families who elect to drive their children to school. Our goal is to help it run swiftly and smoothly. School doors open at 7:40am. If you are in the line at that time, please hold your kids in the car until you hear the bell. Once the bell rings, we want all cars that are lined up at our sidewalk to unload students at the same time. This means we can unload up to 15 cars at one time. Those cars then move forward and we can take an additional 15 into the car lane. Please do not allow your children to exit your car if you are not at the sidewalk area. If you arrive and the car line is full, we ask that you wait on the shoulder of Rt. 214. Please note, there is a sign that tells the first car where to stop. This allows those exiting the school property to have visibility. We ask that you refrain from crowding our school property. This year we have placed signs where we do not want cars to stop. This allows our entrance to remain open in both lanes. This is especially important in the morning when some staff arrive after our car line is in full swing.

There is a 20-minute window for arrival in the morning; however, we ask that you arrive earlier in that window to ensure your child has time to make it from the car to their locker and in the classroom when the bell rings at 8:00am. Don’t forget, we do serve breakfast during this time as well.

In the morning, we ask that you have kids ready to get out of the car when you pull up, with parents remaining in the car. Staff will be outside if support is needed. In the afternoon, if your child requires support with a car seat, please pull up and into a parking spot so you do not hold up the movement of cars in the car lane.

Fundraising

No Fuss Fundraiser (Zeffy)

PTO Membership

Gator Gear on Sale

Volunteering

All Volunteer Opportunities (click each tab at the top of the page)

Fingerprint Information & Sign Up

Clubs

Current Club Flyers & Registration

DES PTO Calendar

Receive Automatic Calendar Updates

General Membership Meeting

Proposed Budget

AACPSConnect

Powered by ClassLink, AACPSConnect provides parents and guardians access to all the essential digital tools that support students and schools. With AACPSConnect, all AACPS families can belong, grow, and succeed all in one place.

Your AACPSConnect customized experience is determined by your role within our AACPS family. Whether you're a student, staff member, or parent/guardian, AACPSConnect presents a customized view for each type of user. This means students, staff, and parents/guardians only see the applications and links that are relevant to them. So, welcome to AACPSConnect, providing a more secure, streamlined experience for everyone.

Once inside, you’ll see the tools that help you stay connected to your student’s school experience:

• AACPS website – official district and school news, events, transportation, meals, and more!

• Canvas Learning Management System – student assignments and grades

• GoFan – tickets for school events

• MyPaymentsPlus – school meal accounts and payments

• PowerSchool Parent Portal – student attendance and school forms

• Rooms – confidential communication with teachers and coaches

Hello Gators!

The 2025 Gator Day is fast approaching!  This year, Gator Day will be held on Saturday September 13th from 10:00 am - 2:00 pm at Davidsonville Park.

We will share more details a little closer to the event, but we already have lots of fun planned, including laser tag, a bouncy house, carnival games, face painting, and everyone's favorite-the dunk tank!  Some of the vendors you can visit include the Maryland Department of Natural Resources,  Anne Arundel Beekeepers Association, the Scouts, the Annapolis Blues, and more DAA and community partners.  Sports commissioners will also be present, so stop by and ask any and all sports questions!

Best of all this year:  the activities are on us—all you need to do is sign a quick waiver.  And if you’re feeling extra Gator pride, you’ll also have the chance to make a super quick and easy donation to support our athletes and the DAA community!  Depending on the donation, you can score some awesome Gator gear!

New this year, the Davidsonville Park's concession stand will be open, with breakfast items as well as lunch food!  

Gator Day is a DAA tradition that brings together our athletes and families in a celebration of what it means to be a Gator.  We hope to see you all there!

In the meantime, we are looking for volunteers.  Gator Day is only possible because of the great support from you!  If you have the time, please consider volunteering to make this day great for our Gator Family!

We are looking for volunteers for the following events/tasks:

-  Game Operators (can be middle school or high school students)

-  Check-in (adults only please)

-  Bouncy House monitor 

-  Set up (would need to be at Davidsonville Park by 7:00 am)

-  Clean up

-  Dunk Tank Operator (adults only please)

-  Dunk Tank Announcer 

If you are able to volunteer please reach out to Benita Stentiford at gatorday@daagators.org.

P.S. The sponsor support from the community has already been amazing! The following companies have stepped up to support our Gators this year. THANK YOU to all our sponsors!

Go Gators!