Edition 5 Week of 09/24
From the Desk of Ms. Hicks
Attendance Competition between All Grades
Each year our school is scored on a number of factors shown on the Bates MS ESSA House and on our last report card, we were 1% away from moving to a 4-star school! To improve our school we are focusing on each area, but one area that parents can help us with is chronic absenteeism. Chronic absenteeism included all absences, excused and unexcused. To avoid being a chronic absent student, the student cannot miss more than 18 total days for the entire year, which is approximately 2 days per month.
Beginning in October, we are going to share attendance data with the students each week on the announcements. The grade level with the best attendance at the end of each month will win a grade level prize, such as lunch on the lawn, dress down pass or special treat. Thank you for your support in this initiative!
Cougar Calendar
Bell Schedules (Regular and 2hr. Early Dismissal)
Bates Back to School BBQ
RSVP by October 5th
When: October 7
Time: 11:00am - 1:00pm
Click the picture above or scan the QR Code to register for the event.
Bring your own chairs, blankets, and outdoor games.
8th Grade Fundraiser - ENDING 09/29
Claires' Gourmet & Joe Corbi's Fundraiser
Scan QR Code or click below for online registration
Dear Family and Friends, the 8th grade is 15 items away from reaching our fundraiser goal!!
See below for a link to our Mascot's Fundraising page!
Wiley's Fundraiser Page: https://joecorbi.com/participant-shopping-number/?participant_code=928815
This week, there are 3 fundraising events occurring:
- The top seller by 9/20 will have the cheesecake with friends on Wednesday
- The first 10 students who made an online have a pizza party for lunch on Thursday
- Students have been raffled and names drawn for staff to purchase from the student's fundraiser
Any questions regarding fundraiser business can be sent to Mrs.Adkins @ ktadkins@aacps.org.
Proceeds will go towards 8th grade events and celebrations
Las ganancias se destinarán a eventos y celebraciones del octavo grado.
You are invited to join the Bates PTA for a Meet & Mingle on October 5, 2023, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Get to know your fellow parents and guardians, enjoy some munchies, and learn about how our PTA supports our school. We hope to see you there!
If you haven't joined the PTA yet for this year, there's still time! Thank you to everyone who has already signed up; your support helps us to support our school.
REMINDER - Lunch Policy
Bates Middle School WILL NOT accept fast food deliveries from a family member or any restaurant or third-party vendor like DoorDash, GrubHub, Uber Eats, etc. Students and parents may not arrange for those services to provide food to students during the school day. If a parent is unable to drop off a lunch for their student, we will provide them with a meal from the cafeteria. Additionally, parents bringing bulk food drop-offs (lunch for your student and some of their friends) will not be accepted or fast food drop offs as this becomes a huge distraction for others in our lunchroom. Please limit any lunch drop-offs to your student only, and only in the rare instance of forgetfulness.
Do you want to be a volunteer at Bates Middle School?
Parents/Guardians must pass a Commercial Background Check (CBC) to be eligible as a chaperone/volunteer at ANY school function in AACPS. Please fill out the following google form if you are interested in volunteering at Bates Middle School. Bates Middle School Chaperone/Volunteer - Google Forms
Bates Drama Club
Students interested in auditioning for The Drowsy Chaperone Jr. are invited to an optional audition workshop and information meeting in Annex dance studio 402 on Thursday, September 28, 4:00-5:30pm.
Students interested in learning more about tech crew leadership, design, and run crew positions are invited to an optional tech crew interest meeting in Annex room 400 on Thursday, September 28, 4:00-5:00pm.
Unfortunately, activity buses are not yet servicing Bates. So students will need to arrange their own transportation following the meetings.
Families can find applications and more details about the production on Bates Drama Club’s website.
Bates Garden Workday - Sept 30
Did you know we have a Bates Garden in the back of our building? We have many different kinds of vegetables, native plants, and beautiful flowers. On Saturday, September 30th, from 1pm-3pm we are looking for help pulling weeds, pruning, tidying up, and planting cover crops. No experience necessary! Our master gardener, Ms. Ford, will be there to help teach anyone willing to come and help. If your student needs volunteer hours, this is a great way to get hours and to help our garden prepare for the winter. Please bring shovels, gloves, long pants, and a bottle of water.
NJHS Sponsored Fundraiser
Harvest for the Hungry
Bates is participating in the Harvest for the Hungry fundraiser. Starting October 2nd, students can bring in canned goods to their advisory teachers. NJHS members will collect these cans from each advisory teacher on Fridays.
Mrs. Peregrina and Ms. De La Rosa's Spanish 1A classes will be taking a field trip to Gala Hispanic Theatre in Washington, D.C. on October 18th. Students should return their permission slip and $30 no later than October 6th to secure their spot on the trip. If paying for the fieldtrip would create a hardship for the student's family, please have them speak to their Spanish teacher or counselor.
We are also looking for chaperones for this trip. If you are a parent or guardian that is able to come on October 18th and have already completed your background check, please reach out to Ms. Peregrina at mperegrina@aacps.org and let her know.
Bates Food Pantry
If interested in learning more about our Student Food Pantry please have your student go to the counseling department to speak to Shauna Rykiel, our school social worker, or you may contact her through email at srykiel@aacps.org. Our pantry is currently open Mondays from 3:30-3:55 pm and Fridays from arrival through the end of advisory.
Counselor's Corner
New Parent Information Series
MSDE has released a new Parent Information Series. This is a set of documents that provides essential information for parents and families of students with disabilities. All four of the new documents can be found by clicking here (https://marylandpublicschools.org/programs/Pages/Special-Education/FSDR/ParentInformationSeries-2.aspx).
Attention 6th and 8th Grade Students
If you are interested in learning about and/or applying for a magnet program for 7th or 9th grades, please plan to attend one of the information sessions: https://www.aacps.org/Page/11086. Magnet Applications open October 9th.
6th Grade Counselor
Ms. Weiss dweiss@aacps.org
7th Grade Counselor
Ms. Barnett cmbarnett@aacps.org
8th Grade Counselor
Ms. McFadden cmcfadden@aacps.org
Do you need help filling out school forms?
The Annapolis Cluster team of bilingual facilitators are planning to have three sessions to provide opportunities to EL families in order to help complete lunch applications, emergency cards and/or parent portal account.
Locations and dates:
- Tuesday, Sept. 26th @ Mills-Parole Elementary
- Thursday, Oct. 5th @ Annapolis Middle
Times:
5:00-6:00pm or
6:00-7:00pm
The Annapolis Cluster team of bilingual facilitators are planning to have three sessions to provide opportunities to EL families in order to help complete lunch applications, emergency cards and/or parent portal account.
Locations and dates:
- Tuesday, Sept. 26th @ Mills-Parole Elementary
- Thursday, Oct. 5th @ Annapolis Middle
Times:
5:00-6:00pm or
6:00-7:00pm
APEX Calendar
Began Sept 13th
Spirit Week Coming Soon
NEW Cell Phone Policy
Please take the time to read the NEW cell phone policy with your student. This policy will be discussed with the students during their advisory lessons in school. The number one distraction and barrier to a majority of our students' learning and success is an increased need to be connected to their cell phones at all times. Please speak with your students as they are required to keep cell phones off and away throughout the school day (this includes air pods, etc.). If your student needs to call home, they may ask their teacher for a pass to the assistant principal offices and use the phone in that office. Please support us by discussing the attached form with your student.
Do you need to report an absence or an early dismissal? No problem, see below!
How to Submit ONLINE Attendance Notes - Absences or Early Dismissals
Absences must be communicated within 3 days of the absence(s). The parent/guardian may send in a written note explaining the absence or complete the online form in the Parent Portal. When a student is absent five (5) consecutive days, a doctor’s note is also required.
Here are the instructions if you would like to submit an online absence/early dismissal note through Parent Portal:
From your phone:
1. Select your PowerSchool app on your phone
2. If you have multiple students at AACPS, make sure the correct student is selected in the top right-hand corner.
3. At the bottom right of the screen, select "... More".
4. Select Forms
5. Select 2023-20024 AACPS - Absence or Early Dismissal Form
6. Enter the information about the absence or early dismissal on the form and submit.
From your desktop:
1. Go to AACPS.org
2. Select Student/Parent Portal tab at the top of the screen
3. Click on PowerSchool in the right side of your screen
4. Make sure you are on your parent account. You should see your name in the top right of the screen.
5. If you have multiple kids at AACPS, make sure you select your student that you are writing your note for (located on the blue bar towards the top)
6. Select Forms
7. Select 2023-2024 AACPS - Absence or Early Dismissal Form.
8. Enter the information about the absence or early dismissal on the form and submit.
Any questions, please contact the front office.
PDF instructions attached below.
WHY YOU SHOULD JOIN THE BATES PTA
Welcome, families! Whether you are new to Bates or your student is returning, we would like to invite you to become a part of the Bates PTA for the 2023-2024 school year.
What does the Bates PTA do?
The PTA supports our school in many different ways:
- We celebrate our students with quarterly Honor Roll Celebrations, supporting grade-level Student of the Month awards, and contributing to our 8th Grade Promotion Picnic.
- We enrich student experiences through grants that provide funding for assemblies and field trips.
- We enhance our school by providing things like our school mascot costume and an additional water bottle filling station.
- We support our families through our informative monthly meetings, our newsletters and PTA Facebook group, and funding the subscription service for our school newsletter.
- And we support our hard-working teachers and staff through staff appreciation events.
What can you do?
- Join the PTA! We know that every family's circumstances are different, so we offer different levels of membership. Choose the level that meets your needs best. Higher levels of membership mean we need to do less fundraising to meet our goals.
- Volunteer! We can always use more hands, in whatever way suits you best! What talents or experience can you contribute?
- Attend a meeting! Most of our meetings are online, via zoom or phone, but please mark your calendars for our first meeting of the year, which will be an in-person "Meet and Mingle" on Thursday, October 5th. Come get to know your PTA board and fellow Bates parents and guardians. More details coming soon!
Questions?
Contact the PTA on the web at BatesPTA.org; via email BatesMiddleSchoolPTA@gmail.com; or text 443-782-5423. We can't wait to connect with you!
PTA BOARD 2023-2024
Laura Graham-Booth, President
Roberto Garza, Vice President
Norma McCowin-Reynolds, Treasurer
Colleen Zelenakas, Secretary
Help Support Bates Middle School
K&B True Value - Cash For Schools Program
From August 24th through October 31, donations you make through K&B True Value will be matched twice by the Sponsor Partners above. Please click on this link or scan the QR code above to donate to Bates Middle School. Thank you!
#BePresent - A Community and School Partnership
#BePresent is a community/school partnership designed to increase and improve community relationships within schools. Mentors and volunteers will assist school-based staff and administration with ensuring a safe and orderly school environment by being present during the school’s daily function. Mentors and volunteers are invited to have a greater presence in schools as a way to enhance relationships and make school operations safer and more efficient.
If you would like more information on this pilot program and/or be a part of the program, please click here for more information. We would love to have you!
Stay Connected
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have questions about transportation?
Please forward any questions to our administrator, Mr. Walker at jewalker1@aacps.org
Do you have questions about your student's attendance?
Please contact Christine Clark at cclark3@aacps.org.
Do you have specific student concerns, ie. behavior, scheduling, academic performance, etc. please contact your grade level administrator or counselor:
6th Grade
Administrator: Mr. Walker jewalker1@aacps.org
Counselor: Ms. Weiss dweiss@aacps.org
7th Grade
Administrator: Mr. Lustgarten jlustgarten@aacps.org
Counselor: Ms. Barnett cmbarnett@aacps.org
8th Grade
Administrator: Ms. Adkins ktadkins@aacps.org
Counselor: Ms. McFadden cmcfadden@aacps.org
Do you have an emergency concern (after hours)?
Please contact our Principal, Katie Hicks, at 302-314-6146.
Around the Community
Free Gun Safety Locks are Available
- 2 free gun safety locks available per household at any Anne Arundel County Public Library branch.
- No ID required
- 18 years or older
- Must be a county resident
Prevent Motor Vehicle Thefts
WIC Farmers Market
WIC Farmers Market Benefits
Receive up to $56
Call 360-416-7595
Free Flu Shots Available
Free English Classes
Get Money for Child Care
Child Care Scholarship Applications Process:
- Complete a short online application
- Submit 2 documents
- Find out if approved within 3 business days
- Scan QR code or click here to Apply Now!
Free Car Seat Safety Checks
Free Exercise Classes
Hispanic Heritage Month (09/15-10/15)
Hispanic Heritage Month Events
Eventos para el Mes de la Herencia Hispana
Join us at these cultural events to enjoy this month-long celebration.
¡Reúnase con nosotros a estos eventos culturales para disfrutar de un mes de celebración!
Teen Book Club
Pizza and Pages Teen Book Club
When: Thursdays (09/14, 10/19, 11/16)
Time: 6-7pm
Where: Busch Annapolis Library: 1410 West St, Annapolis, MD
Creating Confidence
Creating Confidence
When: 09/12-12/12/2023
Time: Tuesdays at 6:00pm
Where: GBCC Glen Burnie
30 Greenway NW, Suite 5
Glen Burnie, MD 21061
Families Supporting Families
Families supporting Families (6-8pm Virtual Sessions)
9-week group program where families learn, change, grow, and receive support and encouragement from other families and a trained meeting leader. RSVP by Sept 15th. For more information, contact:
Takiya Green, MSW 443-462-9711
Carmelina Gilberto, LMSW 410-693-2878
Rosalind Hill-Kane, Program Manager 410-421-8439
Arts in the Park - Free Festival
When: September, Sept 30 (Rain Date: Oct. 1)
Time: 10am - 3pm
Where: Chesapeake Arts Center
Hispanic Health Festival & Resources, Sept 30
National Faith and Blue Weekend
10/06
Career Speed Dating
College or University not for you? Not feeling drawn to any trades? The career day speed dating event is for the teen who is looking for inspiration for their future. For the teen who aspires to take a less "traditional" path pursing their dreams of art, sports, or working with animals, or a different dream all together. Meet professionals who took the road less traveled and find the inspiration to follow your dreams.
When: October 10
Time: 6:30-7:30pm
Age Group: Teens (Ages 11+)
Where:
Discoveries: The Library at the Mall
2250 Annapolis Mall Road
Annapolis, MD 21401
See map: Google Maps
Community Wellness Day at Marley Middle School
USNA Girls STEM Day - 10/14
USNA Girls Only STEM Day
When: Saturday, Oct 14
Time: 8am - 3pm
Register online: STEM Home :: Science Technology Engineering and... (usna.edu)
Girls Today Leaders Tomorrow
Girls Today Leaders Tomorrow
Mentoring Workshop Series
When: Kick off Meet and Greet Wednesday, Oct 18; Then 1st and 3rd Wed (Zoom) and one Saturday each month (In-Person)
Click on the above picture to register.
Registration deadline: October 6
Read the attached PDF for more information.
Jovenes Artistas After School at MD Hall
Scope of Work:
Maryland Hall will provide after school arts program to AACPS youth at no cost. Students are exposed to new arts concepts and experiences and provided with meaningful hands-on opportunities to increase self-expression and creativity in a collaborative setting. This is a vital and growing program that allows students to connect with their peers, uncover talents and develop important life skills.
Who is Served:
- Up to 20 Middle School/High School Students (from Bates Middle School, Annapolis Middle School and Annapolis High School) in arts classes
- Up to 20 Elementary/Middle School Students (from Annapolis Cluster Schools) in guitar ensemble
- Up to 20 Elementary Students grades 3-5 (from Annapolis Elementary School with provided transportation from the school to Maryland Hall) in arts classes
Fall Session: 13 weeks (Room 305) September 18, 2023 - December 15, 2023 after school Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays 4:30-6:30, Saturdays 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM (Guitar Ensemble)
Spring Session: 22 weeks January 2, 2024 - June 7, 2024 after school Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays 4:30-6:30, Saturdays 10:00 AM - 3:00 PM (Guitar Ensemble)
AACPS is hiring for all positions. Click HERE to apply.
Wiley H. Bates MIddle School
Christine Clark, Editor
We are better together!
Email: cclark3@aacps.org
Website: www.aacps.org/bates
Location: 701 Chase Street, Annapolis, MD, USA
Phone: 410 263-0270