Bobcat Bulletin
November 2025
Administrative Message
Dear BCES Families,
We are thrilled to announce that we will be hosting our inaugural Bobcat Best Celebrations beginning this November! These special grade-level events will honor the remarkable accomplishments and growth of our students, as well as the invaluable support and dedication of our families.
What is the Bobcat Best Celebration?
The Bobcat Best Celebration is a meaningful opportunity to recognize a variety of student achievements. Each grade level will gather in the cafeteria for an assembly where teachers will highlight up to 6 award recipients per class for demonstrating one of our Bobcat Leadership Skills: Bring our best, Build each other up, Challenge ourselves, or Support safety and wellness.
If your child is selected as an award recipient, we warmly invite you to join us in celebrating their success. A formal invitation will be sent home to these families. This will be a joyful moment to connect, reflect, and capture memories as teachers announce award recipients and provide time for family photos.
Why This Celebration Matters
This event is more than an awards assembly—it’s about community and connection. It’s a chance to celebrate the amazing things happening at BCES and to strengthen the partnership between our school and our families.
We are incredibly proud of our students and look forward to recognizing their hard work, growth, and achievements with you. Your continued support plays a vital role in the success of our school community, and we are deeply grateful for your involvement.
When Will the Celebrations Take Place?
Each Bobcat Best celebration will occur at a designated date and time for each grade level. Parents and guardians of students receiving awards are invited to attend, and families will be notified directly by their child’s teacher through a letter sent home.
Please note that school-age siblings will not be permitted to miss instructional time to attend. However, non-school-age siblings are welcome to join their families for the celebration.
Monday, November 24th
10:00 a.m. – Pre-K & Kindergarten
2:00 p.m. – 5th Grade
2:50 p.m. – 2nd Grade
Tuesday, November 25th
10:00 a.m. – 3rd Grade
2:00 p.m. – 1st Grade
2:50 p.m. – 4th Grade
Thank you for being an integral part of your child’s education. We look forward to celebrating together and honoring the outstanding efforts of our BCES Bobcats!
Jonathan Davis, Candace King, & Karyn Queen
BCES Administrative Team
Important School Dates
- November 10th: Report Cards Issued, Quarter 1 IEP Progress Notes shared with familes (if applicable)
- November 12th: PTA Meeting, 6:30-7:30 pm (in-person and virtual options)
- November 10th - November 14th: Kindness Week! (see below for more information)
- November 17th & 18th: Hearing & Vision Screening (information below from the Healthroom Staff)
- November 19th: Pre-K Bedtime in a Box 8:30 AM -9:15 AM (Flyer will be sent home to Pre-K families soon!)
- November 24th & November 25th: Quarter 1 Bobcat Best Celebrations (Parent/ Guardian invitations coming soon for award recipients)
- November 26th-28th: Schools and Offices Closed for Thanksgiving Break
Hearing and Vision Screening Information (from the Healthroom Staff)
Hearing and Vision Screening will take place on Monday, November 17th and Tuesday, November 18th, for all students in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten (if not screened in pre-kindergarten), 1st grade, and new enterers to the Maryland public school system over the past year. Maryland State Law mandates this screening. Parents/guardians who have an objection to this screening based on their church or religion practices must submit a request for their child to be exempt from screening. All written requests must be submitted to the health room by Friday, November 14th. Please make sure if your child wears glasses or contacts that they have them on the screening days. If you have any questions, please contact the health room at 227-203-1889.
Las pruebas de audición y visión se llevarán a cabo en 11/17/25 and 11/18/25, para todos los estudiantes de pre-kindergarten, kindergarten (si no se les hizo la prueba en pre-kinder), 1er grado, y los nuevos ingresantes al sistema de escuelas públicas de Maryland vez durante el año pasado. La Ley del Estado de Maryland exige esta evaluación. Los padres / tutores que tienen objeción a esta evaluación basada en su iglesia o religión deben presentar una solicitud para que su hijo esté exento de la evaluación. Todas las solicitudes por escrito deben ser enviadas a la sala de salud antes de 11/14/25. Asegúrese de que si su hijo usa anteojos o lentes de contacto, los tenga en los días de evaluación. Si tiene alguna pregunta, comuníquese con la sala de salud al 227-203-1889.
Kindness Week
Join our school community in celebrating World Kindness Week from November 10th to November 14th!
We will focus on how kindness inspires us to be our very best selves and doing small acts of kindness to spread happiness throughout our school.
Classrooms will work together to create a kindness quilt that we will display near the cafeteria.
Additionally, we will have a Kindness Spirit Week!! (see the flyer below)
Your School Counseling Team can't wait to celebrate with you!
2025-2026 FCPS Volunteer Training and Registration is Open
Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) is thrilled to partner with family and community members who are interested in joining efforts to support our students and schools with their time and talents by way of volunteering. Last year, we welcomed over 12,700 volunteers into our school system contributing over 76,550 volunteer hours. THANK YOU!
This year, FCPS collected the feedback from our volunteers and staff to modify the volunteer process, while prioritizing the safety and security of our students, staff and community. As a result, we have streamlined the process of registration and training to be completed by all volunteers across the county. All volunteers will be equipped with the necessary information they need to partner with our schools.
Family and community members interested in volunteering should begin the volunteer process by visiting our FCPS Volunteer Webpage (select the sta image to access the webpage). Applicants will be directed to:
1. Complete a registration form.
2. Complete a training module on Unified Talent.
3. Await school approval on application.
4. Sign-up for volunteer opportunities facilitated by individual schools.
*Complete ONE registration form only per person. Additional school selections may be added after original approval.
Please note: To avoid delays, you must complete the registration form and training using the exact same full name and email address each time. Do not use nicknames, abbreviations, hyphen variations, or alternate spellings or email addresses.
The volunteer registration and training process is completed annually for each school year. Volunteers must complete the process before being signed up for volunteer opportunities. FCPS encourages family and community members interested in volunteering to complete the process early as processing times can vary.
For technical support in Unified Talent, volunteer applicants may contact unifiedtalent@fcps.org. For all other volunteer related questions, volunteer applicants may contact: FCPSVolunteers@fcps.org. FCPS is grateful for the generous support from our family and community volunteers.
For more information on the volunteer program and process, please see our FCPS Volunteer Handbook.