The Railroader Express
BES Family Newsletter - Sept. 2, 2022
Dear BES Families,
Happy September!
For many of us, September is the month we remember school starting for us as children. Our students have already been in school for a couple of weeks now and are learning new things every day! Thank you for all you do to help them to be successful from helping them to get a good night's sleep to finding time for reading at home. We value the partnership between home and school. Please reach out to your child's teacher if you have any questions.
The walls of our new BES are already going up! Construction is moving along and BES is a busy place. We are thankful for all of you that have made arrival and dismissal as smooth and safe as possible. Our students are our #1 priority so we are grateful for your patience if processes take longer than typical. We are keeping our eyes on the prize of having a new and modern school building next year! Check out the pictures below to see the progress.
Thank you again for all you do as families to support your students and our school!
Dr. Mazaleski
Family Handbook
Our Family Handbook has a new look!
Please review the Family Handbook for important information about BES. This is a one-stop place to find information on topics such as the BOE approved calendar, curriculum, assessments, attendance, transportation, volunteer opportunities and more. If you don’t see something that you believe should be included in the Family Handbook, please let us know. We make revisions and additions as appropriate.
IMPORTANT MEAL INFORMATION
Meals are no longer free for all students.
Families must apply and be approved for Free & Reduced Meals. Stated meal prices will apply otherwise.
2022 - 2023 Meal Updates
2022-2023 MEAL PRICES (Printable Price List)
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Breakfast $1.60
Lunch $2.65
Breakfast and lunch meals are free to students who qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
Milk purchased a la carte (not as part of a meal) is $0.60.
FREE AND REDUCED-PRICE MEAL BENEFITS
Meal Benefit applications for school year 2022-2023 will be available in July. We encourage all families who feel they qualify or are not sure if they qualify to fill out the electronic free and reduced-price meal benefits application online once it is available in July. We cannot accept a 2021-2022 application for the 2022-2023 school year. A paper application is available if requested.
Application Information
https://www.fcpsnutrition.com/index.php?page=lunchapps&sid=1496937421390
Emergency Preparedness Drills
Over the next several weeks, Brunswick Elementary School students will be practicing a number of emergency preparedness drills.
Student safety and well-being are of the utmost importance to us at BES. Below, you will find links explaining each of the drills.
We will also be sharing information via our Railroader Express newsletter. If you have further questions, please feel free to contact BES administration.
SRP/Standard Response Protocol (English)
Reminder of FCPS COVID-19 Procedures
We need your help to keep us all healthy. Please review the below carefully and do not send your student if they meet the criteria below.
FCPS COVID-19 Procedures
All persons who test positive for COVID-19 or who have suspected COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status, are not permitted in schools or offices.
Individuals and parents are responsible for following our screening guidelines if they or their child have primary COVID-19 symptoms or are positive for COVID-19. Primary COVID-19 symptoms include:
Fever of 100.4 or higher
Sore throat
Cough
Difficulty breathing
Diarrhea or vomiting
New onset of severe headache
New loss of taste or smell
FCPS is enforcing isolation of positive/symptomatic individuals and will continue to send ill individuals with Primary COVID-19 symptoms home and require isolation or testing before they return. FCPS is accepting the results of COVID-19 Home Test Kits.
All individuals who test positive for COVID-19, regardless of vaccination status, are to isolate at home for at least 5 full days from the onset of symptoms. If returning before the 11th day of symptom onset, a face covering must be worn at all times when indoors on days 6-10 except while eating or napping. Those who are unable to mask may return unmasked with documentation of a negative COVID-19 test on day 5 or later.
Class letters are sent home when a report of a positive case of COVID-19 in the classroom/cohort is received.
The Maryland Department of Health confirms COVID-19 outbreaks in a school community. An approved COVID-19 outbreak communication is then sent, via Find Out First, to that school's community.
FCPS is no longer contact tracing or requiring quarantine of close contacts regardless of vaccination status. If you or your child have been in close contact with a positive individual please follow the CDC recommended masking guidelines when inside FCPS schools and buildings.
My School Bucks
REQUIRED TRAINING For Volunteers and Chaperones
Volunteer and Chaperone Training (REQUIRED Yearly)
Before anyone is permitted to volunteer in the school, serve as a chaperone or attend an event during school hours, they must complete the Volunteer Training and Registration. This is a county requirement and must be done by individuals each year.
Once the training and registration form is completed, the process for approval takes several days. Please consider doing this at the start of the year to avoid last minute issues. Please share this information with any/all adults that may be involved at the school. We cannot make exceptions to this and we will turn individuals away who have not completed this and received approval from FCPS. This is mandatory for student and staff safety.
Volunteer Training and Registration - https://pubforms.fcps.org/view.php?id=78542
Upcoming Dates
September:
September 5 (Monday) Schools* and Offices Closed
September 16 (Friday) 2-Hour Early Dismissal for Students
September 23 (Friday) 3 1/2-Hour Early Dismissal for Students
September 26 (Monday) Schools* Closed
October
October 5 (Wednesday) Schools* Closed
October 12 (Wednesday)
- 4-Hour Delayed Opening: Elementary and Middle Only (Parent-Teacher Conferences),
- No 1/2 Day Pre-K;
- High Schools Open on Time
October 13 (Thursday)
- 4-Hour Delayed Opening: Elementary and Middle Only (Parent-Teacher Conferences),
- No 1/2 Day Pre-K;
- High Schools Open on Time
October 14 (Friday)
- 3 1/2-Hour Early Dismissal: Elementary and Middle Only (Parent-Teacher Conferences),
- No 1/2 Day Pre-K;
- High Schools Open Full Day
October 21 (Friday) Schools* Closed for Students
Safe Use of Digital Technology
Policy Guidelines
Utilice el enlace para ver la traducción en español
To help our students use digital technology in FCPS safely, responsibly, and respectfully, we would like to help parents understand digital citizenship and how it applies to their students. Throughout this school year, we will periodically share information that is helpful to parents about digital citizenship.
As we begin the school year, it is important for students to understand their responsibilities when using digital technology in FCPS. Please read through and review with your child the FCPS regulation, “Responsible Use of Digital Technology - Students”.
Need To Talk To A Counselor?
Ms. Klecan and Ms. Getzandanner are here to help all of our students with things such as peer relationships, conflict resolution and invidual issues.
They are also a wonderful source of information for parents and families looking to support their students outside of school as well.
WELCOME TO MRS. PRYOR!
We are very fortunate to have a new addition to our team this year... Welcome to Ms. Pryor! Ms. Pryor is an FCPS School Psychologist. She is also here to help our students and families. BES is very fortunate to be one of only a handful of schools in the county selected to have a designated single-school psychologist on staff!
Contact Information for Ms. Pryor
Phone 240-236-8937
Please don't hesistate to reach out to any of our counseling team if you or your student need support.
BES PTO INFORMATION
The BES PTO is the place to be to support the school!!!
Your membership gives us a BIGGER voice in our school community. Funds raised from membership directly help support our students and staff.
Our first meeting will be virtual on September 7th at 7pm. We will then vote on how to move forward with future meetings. Meetings are not mandatory but will help give you a good idea of what's going on at BES and with the PTO!
Join now and help your student's class win the membership drive.
Sign Up for Membership HERE
Brunswick Elementary School
Email: BrunswickES@fcps.org
Website: http://education.fcps.org/bes/
Location: 400 Central Avenue, Brunswick, MD, United States
Phone: 240.236.2900
Twitter: @DrMazaleski