Bushy Bear Tales
Volume 4- October 27, 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:
- 31 Halloween Parade and Classroom Celebrations
November
- 1 4th Grade Field Trip: Lyter/Perry
- 2 4th Grade Field Trip: Richmond/Wilson
- 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
- 15 1st Grade Field Trip to the Maryland Science Center
- 17 SPIRIT DAY: Neon Day
- 20 Early Dismissal: Parent /Teacher Conferences
- 21 Early Dismissal: Parent /Teacher Conferences
- 29 Photo Retake Day
- 30 Family Fit Night
December
- 1 PTA Cultural Arts Author Visit
- 6 Ident-a-Kid
- 12 PTA Meeting @ 7:00 p.m. in the Media Center
- 20 1st Grade Gingerbread House Making
- 22 Pajama Day
Congratulations to:
We congratulate Jenna Stein whose design was chosen to become one of the new Howard County Library System’s Library Card designs. See Jenna's winning design and look for her winning designs on HCLS Library Cards in January, 2018.
Bear Hug Winners - October 17th
- Kindergarten- Brixton Kavakos, Amelia Miller
- 1st Grade- Blake Cornelius, Macie Magden
- 2nd Grade- Grayden Goldman, Jessica Nolen
- 3rd Grade- Matthew Garcia, Cheyenne Navalta
- 4th Grade- Elisa Lioi, Nishil Rajani
- 5th Grade- Sawyer Conley, Sophia Repole
Bear Hug Winners - October 27th
GHS Admin Brein Bashore and the GHS Gladiator were guests in our photo!
Car Loop Requests for Safety
Our car loop procedures were designed so students can be dropped off quickly in the morning and picked up quickly in the afternoon. The procedures always keep the safety of our students as a first priority, and it is important for everyone to remember that during arrival and dismissal.
Please help us with the following requests:
- Have students get out on the sidewalk side/passenger side of the vehicle.
- Use the crosswalk when coming from the parking lot to enter the school.
- If students are sent across the parking lot, car loop drivers aren’t expecting students to cross at any other point.
- Thank you for not using your cell phone while driving through the car loop.
- Remain in the line and do not pass other cars in the car loop.
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 Art Room. 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 the Parade! Thank you to our Room Parents for their organization of the classroom celebrations!
PTA Fall Book Fair Coming in November!
This Fall’s Book Fair theme is Wild West – Saddle Up and Read!
We need Volunteers so come on in !!
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.
AMERICAN EDUCATION WEEK is Coming Soon: November 13-17
November 13-17 is American Education Week and is the designated week when parents are invited to visit their child’s school and to observe them at work.
Grade level teams at Bushy Park have selected special focus days for your attendance. The purpose of focus days is to reduce the amount of instructional distractions during the week.
You are welcome to visit on any day that best meets your schedule, but please notify the teacher if you plan to come on a day other than the focus day. We look forward to you visiting your child’s classroom so that you can see them at their daily job of learning. Extra parking will be available in our bus lanes from 9:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
SPECIAL FOCUS DAYS FOR AMERCIAN EDUCATION WEEK
Monday, November 13
Kindergarten / 1st Grade / 3rd Grade / 5th Grade
Tuesday, November 14
RECC / Pre-Kindergarten
4th Grade
Thursday, November 16
2nd Grade
FAMILY FIT NIGHT Coming on November 30th from 6:00-8:00 p.m.
KEEPING IN TOUCH
HCPSS Mobile App
This app will access news from your child’s school and great information from HCPSS. You can also access the BPES website and get news updates from every school your family connects with! http://bpes.hcpss.org/news
BPES Twitter
YOUNG AUTHOR'S CONTEST OPPORTUNITY
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
HC DRUGFREE Update
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.