Ballenger Creek Middle School
Community Newsletter
Principal's Message
Dear Ballenger Creek Middle Families,
From my perspective, it’s hard to believe that it’s December already! We’re halfway through term two as of last Friday with the end of the second term on Friday, January 12th. As we’ve now entered our 5th month, has this school year progressed so far as you had expected? Is it going more smoothly than you thought or has it been more of a struggle for your student (and you) than you anticipated?
When we’re looking at the success of students--especially our middle schoolers--it’s important to look at both academics and how the students are doing socially. Keeping acceptable grades is of course important. In addition, it’s important to note that the number of friends your children have doesn't matter, but the quality of the friendships do. Anecdotally, across five FCPS middle schools over the past 25+ years, I’ve seen a strong correlation with students having a smoother middle school experience when they have good quality friendships. These are most often with students who have common interests and who are consistently supportive of one another (not fair weather friends). Grades are often, but not always, better when a child is part of a quality friend group. Research shows that teachers and parents have more influence on students' academic performances than peers do, so let’s work together to benefit your students!
If you need assistance with your student related to academics or social needs, please reach out--I’m available, as are our assistant principal/counselor teams:
6th grade:
Assistant Principal - Robert.Everett@fcps.org
School Counselor - Rebecca.Reese@fcps.org
7th grade:
Assistant Principal - Sarah.Gordy@fcps.org
School Counselor - David.Ledyard@fcps.org
8th grade:
Assistant Principal - Susan.Messmore@fcps.org
School Counselor - Johnny.Webber@fcps.org
Take care and have a good holiday season, everyone!
Sincerely,
Jay Schill
Principal, BCMS
Grade Level News
6th Grade Updates
The 6th grade team would like to thank all the families for continuously supporting their students! With the holiday season coming up and students excited for a well deserved winter break, please remind your students to continue to put energy and focus into their school work. Please also remind them to:
Dress warmly as it gets colder and put their coats in their locker at the beginning of the day (if your student needs a locker, encourage them to talk to their Homebase teacher).
Check Schoology regularly for updates on assignments and grades.
Change their Chromebook each night and bring the charger to school with them.
Chromebooks are for educational purposes only. No games!
Ask their teachers to pull them for tutoring during Homebase if they need help or extra time to complete assignments.
7th Grade Updates
8th Grade Updates
The 8th grade team would like to thank all the families for continuously supporting their students! With the holiday season coming up and students excited for a well deserved winter break, please remind your students to continue to put energy and focus into their school work. Please also remind them to:
Dress warmly as it gets colder and put their coats in their locker at the beginning of the day (if your student needs a locker, encourage them to talk to their Homebase teacher).
Check Schoology regularly for updates on assignments and grades.
Change their Chromebook each night and bring the charger to school with them.
Chromebooks are for educational purposes only. No games!
Ask their teachers to pull them for tutoring during Homebase if they need help or extra time to complete assignments.
When 8th grade students return in January, the high school will be visiting BCMS to begin the registration process for the next school year. Can you believe high school is right around the corner?
Department News
ELA Department
We’re excited to see how much progress our students have made in reading! Students will be taking the Winter i-Ready assessment this month. Teachers will be sharing students’ growth goals with them.
6th Grade: December 11th-12th
7th Grade: December 7th-8th
8th Grade: December 4th-5th
6th Grade: In 6th grade ELA students completed their first ELA Benchmark and have been working on either literary text or informational text. We are getting ready to take our winter iReady assessment to see how much we have grown as readers.
Ms. Zumbar's classes will be finishing up their informational text unit and learning how authors of informational text use situational impacts to reveal central ideas. They will be moving into literary text and use folktales to identify how character's responses reveal the theme of the text while taking a deeper dive into setting, character development, and point of view/perspective.
Mrs. Giacco's classes will be finishing up our literary unit with folktales and will move into our informational text unit and how author's use situational impacts to reveal central ideas. Students will continue to develop their writing analysis skills of the different texts we read.
7th Grade: In 7th-grade ELA, we are finishing up curriculum cycle three by doing a project based on the myths we have been reading over the past few weeks. Next, we will be starting cycle four, where we will be reading nonfiction texts related to civil rights.
8th Grade: 8th Grade students are currently analyzing the impact of historical figures who are famous for challenging the status quo and influencing a pattern of civil rights movements. We have read speeches by Abraham Lincoln and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., in addition to an excerpt from the novel, "Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass."
Students have discussed how the perspectives in each of these texts are connected, though they occur at different points in history. As we approach midterm, they will compose an essay that focuses on how the central ideas of these three texts are similar and yet somewhat unique.
Mrs. Weller and Mrs. Nuckols would like to remind students to complete the I-Ready on a weekly basis. Students should be passing two lessons every week by Friday at 11:59 PM. There is Mid Year Testing for 8th Graders during the week of December 4.
Math Department
6th Grade: Module 3: Computing with Multi-Digit Numbers (long division, using all operations with decimal numbers)
7th Grade: Module 3: Integer Operations (adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing)
8th Grade: Moving into Module 4: Linear Relationships and Slope (determining slope and graphing lines)
Algebra: Moving into Module 4: Linear and Nonlinear Functions
Students should be completing weekly ALEKS topic goals in Math. Students should be checking their Math Schoology pages to see their specific weekly goal. Students can monitor their own progress by checking their topic reports in ALEKS. A step-by-step “how to” for checking their reports can be found here. For questions about ALEKS topic goals, please reach out to your student’s grade level math teacher, our school Math Specialist, Ms. Boyer (laura.boyer@fcps.org), or our school Math Department Chair, Ms. Dickson (ashley.dickson@fcps.org).
Students should be checking their grade reports on Schoology weekly to see updates regarding missing/re-do work. If there are any questions regarding student grades, please reach out to your student’s grade level math teacher.
History Department
In 6th grade, students are continuing to move their exploration of ancient Egypt. Students completed a benchmark that showed they could utilize evidence to support a thesis statement. In Egypt, students are examining social and cultural aspects of Egypt. Afterwards, ancient India will be the next unit.
In 7th grade, students will be completing unit 3, which looked at Western Africa. In December, students will begin unit 4, which focuses on medieval Asia, with a focus on China, Korea, Mongolia, and Japan as well as examining the cultural diffusion that occurred during this time period.
In 8th grade, students will be learning about the first five presidents. Students will be writing a document-based question (DBQ) essay for benchmark 1. They will be continuing to work on writing and reading skills throughout the lesson as well.
Science Department
6th Grade
The 6th graders are working to develop and use a model to describe how unequal heating and rotation of the Earth cause patterns of atmospheric and oceanic circulation that determine regional climates.
7th Grade
The 7th graders are working to analyze and interpret data on the properties of substances before and after the substances interact to determine if a chemical reaction has occurred.
8th Grade
The 8th graders are working to develop and use a model to describe why asexual reproduction results in offspring with identical genetic information and sexual reproduction results in offspring with genetic variation.
Fine & Practical Arts Department
From the World of Music
Thank you all for coming out to the Veterans' Day Concert. It was so nice to see the community come out to support each other.
Our upcoming winter concerts are:
- December 12, 2023 Winter Choral Concert 6:00pm at BCMS
- December 14, 2023 Winter Instrumental Concert 6:00pm at BCMS
From the Physical Education Department
Our Annual Turkey Trot went very well this year. Students walked, jogged, or ran the .75 miles course in honor of charities and community service. Students with the top times of each grade level went home with a turkey for the holidays.
Congratulations to all the winners!
6th Grade:
- Jonathan (JB) R.
- Lyla R.
- Zayden A.
- Kiraline T.
- Elijah B.
- Sienna F.
We also would like to recognize a few additional students for their hard work:
- Peyton R. (Most Improved)
- Carson M. (Unsung Hero)
- Jerman G-A. (Performance Award)
Special Education Department
We have two new members who have joined the special education team.
- Ms. Kellee Byun (speech language pathologist) - Ms. Byun is our new speech language pathologist. She comes with lots of experience and ready to work with our students at BCMS.
- Mr. Kisner (SEIA for 7th grade) - We are excited to have additional support in 7th grade. Mr. Kisner has a math background and has been spending most of his time supporting in our math classrooms.
We wish our families a wonderful holiday season. We are grateful for all of your support.
English Language Learners
Mrs. Birmanns and Ms. Webb would like to wish everyone...
Happy Holiday Season!
Щасливого святкового сезону!
¡Felices fiestas navideñas!
節日快樂
چھٹیوں کا موسم مبارک ہو!
สุขสันต์วันหยุดเทศกาล!
موسم أعياد سعيد!
PTSA News & Updates
PTSA Reflections Contest
It's time for the 2023 Reflections contest! Does your student enjoy art, music and dance or have an interest in writing, photography or producing a short film? Then join us and have fun unleashing your inner artist! This year's theme is “I AM HOPEFUL BECAUSE...” and calls for your own unique interpretation through the arts.
Submissions are due Monday, December 11, 2023. The entry form and official rules can be found in the links below. Artwork AND entry forms can be submitted to the BCMS front office by the end of the day on December 11th. Please read the Official Rules for file formats and requirements for each category.
There will be prizes for the top 3 entries!
We look forward to celebrating your artistry and achievement in the arts! If you have any questions, please email Desiree Mortenson at dsm3us@yahoo.com.
https://frederickpta.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/General-Guidelines.pdf
“B - E.Z.” ANNUAL FUNDRAISER
The BCMS PTSA’s annual Fall Fundraiser is still underway. The PTSA needs your help to meet this year's goal of $2,500. This money includes $1500 for student field trips, $800 for year-end picnics for all 3 grades, $600 for various clubs at BCMS, and funds to provide lunch during Teacher Appreciation Week to the hard-working BCMS staff.
It’s E.Z. to donate! Just CLICK HERE. 100% of your donation goes straight to the PTSA budget and don’t forget that your donation is tax deductible. Thank you to our generous and amazing BCMS community! We can do this!
BCMS Spirit Wear
BCMS SPIRIT WEAR IS STILL AVAILABLE!
BCMS SPIRIT WEAR IS HERE! Time to show off your bulldog pride! Spirit Wear can be purchased online all year. Spirit wear makes great gifts for birthdays and holidays so we encourage you to keep us in mind. Spirit Wear Direct is offering free shipping on all orders until December 10th. This is a great opportunity for you to order BCMS spirit wear in time for the holidays!
New designs have been added showing our Bulldog mascot! Orders can be placed online at http://www.ballengercreekspiritwear.com.
PTSA MEMBERSHIP
PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING THE PTSA!
Families, faculty and students: this is a great time to join the BCMS PTSA. Yes, that’s right! Students are permitted to join the PTSA. The cost of a membership for parents is $10 but is only $5 for students.
The PTSA’s Board of Directors typically meets on the 2nd Thursday of every month via Zoom at 6:30 PM. All PTSA members are welcome to attend these monthly meetings. Joining these meetings is a wonderful way to get involved with your child’s school. We want to hear from you!
The goal is 130 members this year. There are nearly 800 students and over 90 staff members at BCMS this year. We can do it! You may join the BCMS PTSA by going to https://bcms.memberhub.com/store. All members will be entered to win a BCMS spirit wear coupon!
Reminders
Important Dates
December 11th - PTSA Reflections Contest Ends
December 12th - Winter Choral Concert at 6:00pm
December 13th - Retake Picture Day
December 14th - Winter Band Concert at 6:00pm
December 23rd - January 1st - Winter Break
January 2nd - School Resumes after Winter Break
School Picture Retake Day - December 13th
School Picture Retakes:
Did you miss school picture day in November? Did you buy a package and did not like the turn out of the photos? Picture retake day is Wednesday, December 13, 2023. Please bring in the old photo package, order forms, or receipt of online order if you are doing a retake. Any online orders will need to be processed online for a retake.
School Counseling
NEED COUNSELOR SUPPORT? ❤️
Use your grade level counseling page on Schoology and select "Student Support Request Form." Your grade level counselor will speak with you as soon as possible.
Ms. Reese: rebecca.reese@fcps.org
Mr. Ledyard: david.ledyard@fcps.org
Mr. Webber: johnny.webber@fcps.org
Media Center & Technology
Please checkout the Media Center & Technology Updates Newsletter for information regarding our pass system, book checkout, and technology tips: (ADD New LINK)
BCMS Spirit Week
Spirit Week will take place from December 18th - December 22nd. Let's jump into Winter Break with festive attire. The SGA will be collecting monetary donations to provide to Sleep in Heavenly Peace of Frederick. The grade level with the most money collected will earn extra recess on Friday, December 22nd. All monetary donations will be collected during the lunch shifts. Let's have fun while also supporting those in need in our community.
Congratulations!
8th Grade Student Nominated for the MLK Award
Each year a student in each middle school and high school in FCPS is nominated and recognized for the MLK Award. Ballenger Creek Middle School's recipient this year is Peyton Gilmore, 8th grade student. Throughout middle school, Peyton has demonstrated the leadership characteristics of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that promote fairness, celebrate diversity, build a better future for all, and exemplify the the characters of Dr. King: Responsibility, Caring, Fairness, Trustworthiness, Citizenship, and Respect. Congratulations, Peyton!
BCMS Community Liaison News & Updates
BCMS Clothing Drive Follow-Up
The BCMS Clothing Drive was a great success this year. Over 141 people took advantage of this free event. Thank you to those who helped to make this a successful event. A special shout out to Jackson Chapel UMC, BCMS students who volunteered their time, and the adult volunteers who gave a great deal of time sorting clothing for the last 2.5 months. This event would not have been a success with everyone's support.
Maryland Medicaid Renewal Information
Maryland Medicaid renewal is NOT automatic this year.
During the COVID-19 public health emergency, Marylanders who were enrolled in Medicaid continued to be covered, even if they were no longer eligible. Medicaid renewals will not be automatic this year. Starting in April 2023, Maryland began reviewing Medicaid eligibility cases again. Not everyone will be up for renewal at the same time. These renewals will take place over 12 months.
For additional information, please watch this video:
Frederick Food Bank Information
The Frederick Food Bank at Trinity (6040 New Design Road) will operate for food distribution from 2:00pm to 4:00pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays for residents seeking assistance.
The Food Bank at 14 E. All Saints will continue to operate from 2:00pm to 4:00pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. It is also open from 6:00pm to 8:00pm on Mondays and Wednesdays.
The Judy Center
The Judy Center is striving to improve school success through early intervention. Children from birth to age 5 are eligible who reside in one of the six feeder patterns in Frederick County. Tuscarora Elementary is now a hub for The Judy Center.
- 6321 Lambert Drive Frederick, MD 21703
- Jillian Bleggi, Program Administrator - 240-566-0088 - jillian.bleggi@fcps.org
- Amanda Harris, Family Services and Outreach Coordinator - 240-566-0089 - amanda.harris1@fcps.org
FCPS Pre-K Applications
FCPS is now accepting Pre-K applications.
- Do you have a child who will be 4 years old as of September 1st?
- Are you interested in a full-day Pre-K program?
- Does your family fall within 300% of the FPL? (approximately $90k for a family of 4).
- Are you a resident of Frederick County, Maryland?
If you are interested in learning more about FCPS Pre-K, please visit the FCPS website at https://www.fcps.org/ece/pre-k.
Information about applying for Pre-K can be found at https://www.fcps.org/ece/pre-k-application.
FCPS News
2024 Seed to Roots - A Black History Celebration
Students interested in sharing their talents at the Seed to Roots Celebration need to apply by December 8th. Please review the pdf attached for more information about this opportunity for our students.
5 Star Service Award
The 5-Star Service Award is for community use in recognizing FCPS employees who show excellence in one of the 5 FCPS goals. Community members are welcome to nominate any worthy FCPS employees. You can nominate here.