Bushy Bear Tales
Volume 3- October 13, 2017
Bushy Park Elementary
Terri Via, Assistant Principal
Email: molly_ketterer@hcpss.org
Website: bpes.hcpss.org
Location: 14601 Carrs Mill Road, Glenwood, MD, United States
Phone: (410) 313-5500
Twitter: @hcpss_bpes
From Mrs. Ketterer:
Interim Reports were sent home yesterday on Thursday, October 12th. It represents the shortest time period for interim reports due to our later start this year. Our students continue to progress and grow academically, socially and emotionally. We are so proud of their efforts and grateful for your partnership!
- 13 PTA Fall Fest
- 18 Field Trip: 4th Grade to Annapolis
- 20 Haunted Gym Begins
- 27 SPIRIT DAY: Gladiator Day (Wear red, white, and/or black)
- 27 Glenelg Choral Day for ES/MS/HS Chorus Students
- 31 Halloween Parade and Classroom Celebrations
November
- 3 Haunted Gym Ends / Fall Book Fair Begins
- 6 Rescheduled Field Trip: 5th Grade Bezold/Little Classes
- 9 1st Quarter Recognition Assembly, K-2nd Grade @ 9:30 / 3rd-5th @ 2:30
- 10 Fall Book Fair Ends
- 13 American Education Week Nov. 13-17
- 14 2nd Grade Fire Safety House / PTA Meeting @ 7:00 p.m. in the Media Center
- 17 SPIRIT DAY: Neon Day
- 20 Early Dismissal: Parent /Teacher Conferences
- 21 Early Dismissal: Parent /Teacher Conferences
- 30 Family Fit Night
Let Us Hear Your Voice: Back-to-School Survey UPDATED LINK
Having our Back-to-School gatherings before the school year began was a change in the way we have met together in past years. We have asked for your feedback to help us reflect on the timing and communication for our events for next year. Thank you for taking your time to offer your voice, the link is above.
We will also be sending the link out via HCPSS Messenger in order to provide an additional venue to respond. So far we have received 31responses and wish to increase that amount of responses. Thank you for your consideration!
Bear Hug Winners - September 29th
- Kindergarten- Owen Kerber, Capri Lipple
- 1st Grade- Manny Skarvelis, Sophia Varlotta
- 2nd Grade- Blair Heusser, Jay Rix
- 3rd Grade- Rebecca Lemon, Tommy Starling
- 4th Grade- Caleb Ladson, Lalith Vemulapalli
- 5th Grade- Eli Carton, Griffen Rill
Bear Hug Winners - October 5th
Bear Hug Winners - October 12th
CONGRATULATIONS TO:
CONGRATULATIONS to Elise Donald, Jason Liang, Sae-Young Um and Nina Xie!!!
These four talented and brave fifth grade Strings students dressed and auditioned recently for a special Elementary GT Orchestra program in Howard County. It is a very rigorous program and a challenging audition! We can be very proud of each and every one of them!
We found out the good news that Jason was accepted into the program! This is Jason's second year in the Sinfonia Orchestra. Way to go! Please join me in congratulating Jason on this accomplishment, as well as Elise, Sae-Young and Nina for their hard work and dedication to improving their craft by practicing such challenging music!
Halloween Celebration Information
Schedule Information:
We are excited to celebrate Halloween together on Tuesday, October 31st. We have information to share with you regarding the day. Our Halloween Parade will take place at 2:30 p.m. with classroom celebrations taking place directly afterwards. Our Team and Room Parents have already been in touch with teachers and teams to begin to plan!
Parade Route Information:
We will use the parade route that features all students coming out the front door, turning right and walking a route around the building to end at the playground blacktop. This has increased the opportunity for visitors to see the children along the route.
Our Halloween Parade Route has a designated route for students and a designated viewing area for parents. (See the map below) We will ask that parents remain along the viewing area to permit a safe and orderly journey along the parade route.
Once the parade is over, the students will gather on the blacktop. We invite parents to gather along the perimeter of the blacktop.
Requests of Guests for Blacktop Gathering:
-
Please do not stand against the wall along the school. That area will have our sound equipment and the teachers will need to move through that area.
- Please do not come into the classroom lines while the students are on the blacktop. We want to ensure student safety.
While on the blacktop, the students will take part in singing Halloween songs that they have learned in vocal music classes.
Classroom Celebration Information:
After this, all classes will go inside and begin their classroom celebrations. We invite the parents who are volunteering for their child’s classroom celebration to come in the building through the Front Office in order to sign in.
Costume Information:
Students are asked to bring their costume to school and not to wear it for the full day. All students will have an opportunity to change into their costume before the parade. Staff members, not assigned to homerooms, will be available to help our younger students get ready. Thank you for supporting us in not having costumes that use weapons or are too scary.
Alternate Celebration Opportunity:
If you do not want your child to participate in the parade or any themed classroom activities, please send in a note to your child’s homeroom teacher no later than Friday, October 27th. These students will attend an alternate activity in the Media Center. We need to know the number of students who will take part so we can plan accordingly.
We appreciate your support and welcome you to join us for our Celebrations!
PTA Fall Book Fair Coming in November!
This Fall’s Book Fair theme is Wild West – Saddle Up and Read! The Book Fair will be located in the Mini Auditorium. Book Fair hours are the following:
- Mon. Nov. 6th 3:00 – 6:00
- Tue. Nov. 7th 3:00 – 7:00 Book Fair Raffle Night
- Wed. Nov. 8th 3:00 – 6:00
- Thu. Nov. 9th 3:00 – 7:00 Book Fair Drawing
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway will be available November 7, 2017. Our Scholastic Book Fair is offering a specially priced paperback edition of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway for 8.99 plus tax. Contact Stacie Morris at staciecm@gmail.com for more information. Please place your order by October 31, 2017.
PARENT VOLUNTEER REQUESTS
Join Our Parent Math Cadre
The students would work with a parent for 2-3 days a week for 4-6 weeks. The parent(s) would be supported with resources and coaching from our Math Support Teacher, Joan Tellish. Please email Mrs. Ketterer at molly_ketterer@hcpss.org.
Carson Reading Room Volunteers Needed
http://signup.com/go/XndiygT
Please see the PowerPoint on our school website to learn more about this fabulous opportunity to work with children and facilitate a love for reading.
If you are signing up for your child's class, please consider also signing up for the classes before and/or after their class. The sessions are only 25 minutes long so if you are able to come earlier or stay later for another grade, please sign up for as many as you wish!
In some cases, there are last minute scheduling conflicts that arise. Mrs. Husain and I will do our best to contact you to let you know if we need to cancel your volunteer time.
If you need to cancel a sign up, please cancel on the sign up site in addition to contacting Mrs. Husain at hsabera@gmail.com, the teacher(s), and me.
Lastly, please make sure you have completed the volunteer trainings for HCPSS and BPES before coming to the Carson Room.
Please email Laura_M_Smith@hcpss.org or Sabera Husain hsabera@gmail.com with any questions."
Thank you!
Young Author's Contest Opportunity
HCPSS Safe School Zones Resolution
HCPSS Redistricting Information: UPDATE
Howard County Public School System Interim Superintendent Dr. Michael J. Martirano presented his recommendations to relieve overcrowding in elementary and high schools, open new Elementary School #42 and align feeder patterns in middle schools at a meeting with the Board of Education on Tuesday, October 3, 2017.
The proposal takes into consideration the 2017 Feasibility Study, two plans submitted by the Attendance Area Committee and input received from the community, and offers innovative solutions that combine programmatic expansion with redistricting to reduce overcapacity and address feeder pattern inconsistencies.
The full article can be found at: http://www.hcpss.org/news-posts/2017/10/interim-superintendent-presents-proposed-recommendations-to-address-school-overcrowding/
More information, including the report given to the Board of Education and a one-page document that details the recommendations, is available on the HCPSS website at http://www.hcpss.org/school-planning.
Below, you will find a list of important dates over the next two months after the Superintendent makes his recommendations to the Board of Education.
Board of Education Public Hearings and Work Sessions
- Thursday, Oct. 26, 7 p.m. - Public Hearing I
- Wednesday, Nov. 1, 7:30 p.m. - Work Session I
- Thursday, Nov. 2, 7:30 p.m. - Work Session II
- Tuesday, Nov. 7, 7 p.m. - Public Hearing II
- Thursday, Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m. - Work Session III
- Tuesday, Nov. 14, 7:30 p.m. - Work Session IV
Approval of Attendance Area Adjustment Plan
- Thursday, Nov. 16, 7:30 p.m. - Approval
Please look for information in future editions of the Bushy Bear Tales related to the implications of redistricting on Bushy Park Elementary.
HCDrugFree: Together We Can Save LIves
HC DrugFree’s program, “Not My Child…Yes, Your Child” presented in partnership with Marriotts Ridge High School PTSA and Mount View Middle School PTA will be held on Thursday, October 19 at 7:00 pm in the Marriotts Ridge High School auditorium. This event is free and open to high/middle school parents, family members and any adults working with teens who think their children will never get involved with drugs and those who are already suspicious or dealing with a child’s experimentation! Hear facts, strategies, experiences and encouragement and get your questions answered by HC DrugFree and its community partners, as well as parents and others with stories to share. For more information and to understand the importance of attending this event, view HC DrugFree’s video at https://vimeo.com/231604408 and contact HC DrugFree at 443-325-0040, Admin@hcdrugfree.org, or visit www.hcdrugfree.org.
HC DrugFree’s Convenient Drive-Thru “Sharps”* and Medication Collection will be held on Saturday, October 28 at the Wilde Lake Village Center parking lot near The UPS Store and Slayton House from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Volunteers will direct traffic around the parking lot as Howard County Police receive and secure your medications for proper disposal and medical staff handle your sharps for proper recycling. To understand the importance this event, view HC DrugFree’s video at https://vimeo.com/231604408. For more information about this event, how to dispose of medications throughout the year and more, contact HC DrugFree at 443-325-0040, Admin@hcdrugfree.org, or visit the Events-Take Back Day page at www.hcdrugfree.org. *(Sharps: needles, syringes and EpiPens)
HC DrugFree Is Looking for Parent/Adult Volunteers, so whether you have an hour a month or 10 hours a week to volunteer, please email only to Admin@hcdrugfree.org to let us know your availability. Be sure to say if you can type, are willing to drive to pharmacies or liquor stores, and if you have any special skills or interests.
BPES Spirit Days
Gladiator Day
Wear Red, White and/or Black