Bushy Bear Tales
Volume 9- January 19, 2018
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:
There is plenty of winter weather ahead so we have prepared our schedules to maximize consistency of instructional time. We also have worked on our procedures for early closing. Thank you for your feedback, it helps us continue to improve our response!
Information for Schedules for Two-Hour Delayed Openings:
We have created a Master Schedule that ensures that mathematics and reading instruction take place. Our staff collaborated on the schedule and academic specialists have adapted their schedules to provide instructional support.
Our lunch and recess times remain the same on two-hour delayed opening days as they do for our regular schedule. Recess is indoors.
Related Arts classes are 30 minutes long and will only include the second class on your child's schedule (if they had two that day.) The times for Related Arts are:
- Kindergarten- 2:30-3:00 p.m.
- 1st Grade- 1:30-2:00 p.m.
- 2nd Grade- 2:00-2:30 p.m.
- 3rd Grade- 3:00-3:30 p.m.
- 4th Grade- 12:00-12:30 p.m.
- 5th Grade- 11:30-12:00 p.m.
Information for Early Closing
As soon as we learn that HCPSS is closing early, we will send a customized message of the exact time BPES closes. We will also work on the following:
- Give teachers an updated copy of Emergency Closing dismissal option parents have noted on HCPSS Connect.
- Contact parents who sent in green notes to verify the choice for their child's dismissal
- Inform all students of the way they will go home.
- Increase staff support at dismissal to continue verification of correct dismissal procedures.
How HCPSS Decides to Close Schools for Inclement Weather
To learn about the decision process for closing schools, please view the Vimeo video below.
You can also visit the section of the HCPSS website listing the many ways you can be informed of weather-related school closings. Bushy Park ES will not send any additional email out because that communication comes directly from the HCPSS Communications Office. We will re-Tweet closing or delay information on Twitter.
January
- 19 PTA Bingo Night @ 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the Cafetorium
- 24 Folly Quarter MS 6th Parent Orientation @ 6:30 p.m.
- 25 International Night @ 6:00-8:00 p.m. throughout the school
- 26 SPIRIT DAY- Jersey Day / Early Dismissal at 12:45 p.m. for End of 2nd Quarter
February
- 8 Leo Club Meeting @ 8:30 a.m.
- 9 Daddy & Daughter Dance @ 7:00-8:30 p.m. in the Cafetorium
- 13 JA Day Training @ 6:00 p.m. in the Media / PTA Meeting @ 7:00 p.m. in the Media
- 14 Valentine Celebrations
- 16 SCHOOL CLOSED: HCPSS Countywide Professional Day
- 19 SCHOOL CLOSED: Presidents' Day
- 22 JA DAY (Junior Achievement Day)
Bear Hug Winners - January 5th & January 12th
January 5th
- Kindergarten -Violet Beall, Rohan Rawal
- 1st Grade - Will Carney, Easton Eyre
- 2nd Grade - Muhammad Hassanein, Somara Whitney
- 3rd Grade - Max Beares, Colin Scott
- 4th Grade - Emma Friedman, Adelaina Killorin
- 5th Grade - Austin Moore, Grace Rasch
January 12th
- Kindergarten - Aurelia Berkowicz, Aubrey Kingsbury
- 1st Grade - Mary Garcia, Emilie Nester
- 2nd Grade - Emily Gordon, Christian Sexton
- 3rd Grade - Graham Clelan, Maia Hanes
- 4th Grade - Taylor Burriss, Kate Love
- 5th Grade - Tamia Brown, Melissa Jennings
Bushy Park Young Authors’ Contest Winners:
2nd Grade
Poem: Ty Bammel
Short Story: Kara Liang
3rd Grade
Poem: Aayah Mohsini
Short Story: Aubrey Barrick
4th Grade
Poem: Henna Hassanein
Short Story: Katie Dietz
5th Grade
Poem: Tommy Hwang
Short Story: Timmy Hwang
Bushy Park Young Authors’ Contest Participants:
2nd Grade
Jacob Brown
Jaxon Brown
Noelle Collins
Brock Miller
Kelsey Riggleman
Sam Tong
3rd Grade
Yara Arif
Evan Baehr
Brett Barney
Max Beares
Katie Berne
Alex Bowen
Miguel Bryant-Sanchez
Kaitlyn Carr
Graham Clelan
Emmet Connolly
Matthew Cunningham
Ava Discepolo
Lia Dolce
Annelise Eslami
Marci Frye
Maia Hanes
Matthew Hannon
Bryant Harms
Chloe Huxford
Jake Jones
Maddie Kirkpatrick
Daniel Kim
Keira Kingsbury
Colin Kryder
Mariyah Mehmood
Lily Moxley
Anthony Mohammed
Cheyenne Navalta
Madison Nave
Zoha Qamar
Morgan Ringley
Kiara Robinson
Lisa Robinson
Kendell Ronaghan
Seamus Seaman
Ella Scolaro
Colin Scott
Leah Shapley
Laith Shepherd
Jackson Skovron
Gavin Smith
Tommy Starling
Jett Travo
Raihana Uddin
Cate Walsh
Quinn Ward
Maggie Wheeler
Isabelle Yoon
4th Grade
Siena Bammel
Rory Healey
Olivia Lee
Blake McClung
Skyler Mitchner
Peyton Moreau
Amelie Touze
5th Grade
Gabriela Barnard
Kennedy Richman
Claire Thomas
UPCOMING SPECIAL EVENTS
International Night is Thursday, January 25th 6:00-8:00 p.m.
We already have an amazing group of people representing 15 countries ranging from Mexico to Nigeria to France! But, we still have room for more countries and people! It's so easy to participate. Just grab friends and/or family members and gather up any information, objects/artwork and/or food to share with our school community next week on January 25th. We will provide the tables. If you are interested or have questions, please reach out to Julie at julschab@gmail.com or Adeola at aaaaof@yahoo.com
Junior Achievement (JA) Day on Thursday, February 22nd
BPES will once again host Junior Achievement (JA) in a Day on Thursday, February 22, 2018. JA in a Day is a common core aligned program that aims to help students develop skills in work readiness, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, and facing real world challenges by delivering grade appropriate real world experiences and material to the classroom.
One to two volunteers will be needed (half or whole day sessions) for EVERY classroom in grades K-5. ANY ADULT can be a JA volunteer! Volunteers receive training and a full lesson plan to lead the class in fun, interactive activities which teach grade appropriate skills. Parents can facilitate the entire day, or can partner with another volunteer. JA provides all the materials and training needed.
An informational meeting will be held on Tuesday, January 30 at 7:00 pm in the Media Center to answer questions and further detail the program and volunteer responsibilities.
Volunteers will receive materials and a full training session with our JA representative on Tuesday, February 13 at 6:00pm, just before the February PTA meeting.
Sign up details coming soon, look for them in Monday folders. For questions, additional information about the program, or to early bird volunteer, please contact Kina Morton at kinammorton@gmail.com, or text/call to 410-231-1036.
Message for Parents of our Future 6th Graders
Recently you received a letter from your child’s future administrator welcoming them and you to middle school next year! The communication you received included:
· A Welcome Letter with details and explanation.
· A handout sharing the Middle School Schedule in Detail.
· A Music Performance Enrollment Form for Rising 6th Grade Students
As part of the transition process, the middle schools are hosting a 6th Grade Parent Orientation Night. Each school will hold a collaborative information session. You will have an opportunity to learn about the middle school program and ask questions.
The dates for each school are:
· Glenwood Middle School Thursday, January 18th @ 6:30 p.m.
· Folly Quarter Middle School Wednesday, January 24th @ 6:30 p.m.
Prior to the Parent Orientation Nights, you are asked to please return the Music Performance Enrollment Form to your child’s homeroom teacher. These forms need to be returned TODAY Friday, January 19th.
· Even if your child will be opting out of any music performance class options, we need you to return the form indicating that.
Road to Kindergarten Workshops
Howard County Public School System will be hosting a workshop for families of children beginning Kindergarten this fall. Road to Kindergarten workshops will be offered on three dates:
- Wednesday, January 24 (at Oakland Mills High School)
- Thursday, January 25 (at Centennial High School)
- Monday, January 29 (at Hammond High School)
Workshops begin promptly at 6:30 pm. More information is available at http://www.hcpss.org/news-posts/2017/12/road-to-kindergarten-workshops-january-24-29-2018/
Kindergarten registration will begin March 5. More information to follow. For the link to the screenshot shown below, please visit http://www.hcpss.org/enroll/kindergarten/
Bushy Park ES Moves to Using Online Payments
The Howard County Public School System Online School Payments service is provided to parents to facilitate payment using Visa and MasterCard for school fees and a variety of products schools may be offering. For further information, please contact our office at (410) 313-5500.
Weather Guideliness for Outdoor Recess
Exercise outdoors is healthy and is strongly encouraged. It provides a break from the regular school routine, a chance to get some outside air, and an opportunity to run off excess energy.
If conditions preclude the full recess time, even a five-minute break can revitalize children and prepare them for more sitting and academic learning. Children are expected to wear warm clothing to protect them during cold weather when participating in recess or outside activities.
The decision to go out or stay in for recess is the decision of the Administrator at individual schools. However, the following are to be considered in determining if recess is to be held outside:
- Temperature and Windchill
- Age of students
- Length of time outdoors
- Adequacy of the children’s clothing
- Condition of the playground
- Falling precipitation (more than a sprinkle or mist)
Generally, it is assumed that students will be outside for recess when the temperature combined with the wind chill is not less than 20 degrees Fahrenheit.
Children with certain health conditions may need special accommodations during extremely cold weather. Parents of those children should provide medical documentation and may be consulted to determine if other arrangements are necessary.
ReadyRosie is an early education tool developed to support families with children from birth through 3rd grade. Parents can sign up online and choose to receive short, informative videos that can help them encourage their children to learn. These videos can be accessed in English or Spanish and can be sent to a cell phone or email. To sign up use this link https://www.readyrosie.com/families/#sign-up-today
Once logged in, you can access information according to the child's age and the location where you will be doing an activity, such as the grocery store, restaurant, etc. This resource was launched a few months ago. Check it out!