December 2024

Dear Families,

As we approach the end of the calendar year, I’d like to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude for your support and involvement in our school community. Your encouragement and dedication make such a difference in your child’s learning journey.

This year, our students have grown in incredible ways - not just academically but in kindness, resilience, and responsibility. Each day, we see their faces light up with joy and curiosity as they explore new ideas and build friendships. We are so proud of their achievements, big and small, and we are constantly inspired by the love and encouragement you provide at home.

As we look forward to the new year, we remain dedicated to creating a warm, supportive space where each student feels safe and excited to learn. Our goal is to keep nurturing a learning environment where children are excited to ask questions, share their thoughts, and grow at their own pace.

Thank you for being such a vital part of our school family. Your trust, partnership, and involvement make all the difference. Wishing you a peaceful and joyful December filled with wonderful memories with your loved ones.

Warmly,

Tanya Montgomery, Principal

Karyn Chisholm, Assistant Principal

As winter approaches, we know the season brings colder weather, busy schedules, and sometimes illnesses. While it’s natural for winter to bring a few more challenges, we want to emphasize the importance of keeping up regular attendance whenever possible. Each day in school is a valuable opportunity for your child to build skills, connect with their classmates, and participate in engaging lessons that keep their learning on track.

Studies show that consistent attendance is a strong factor in student success. When students are present, they not only keep up with classwork but also benefit from classroom discussions, group activities, and the personal connections they build with teachers and friends. These interactions are vital to their learning and help build the confidence and sense of belonging that motivate them every day.

We understand that health is a top priority, and if your child is sick, rest is the best medicine. But for those brisk winter mornings when it may just be hard to get going, remember that every day of learning counts, and we’re here to support you in making sure your child arrives ready for a day of growth and discovery.

Thank you for your commitment to your child’s learning and success. Let’s work together to make this winter season one of growth, learning, and shared accomplishment!

Just a reminder - any and all medications must be dropped off by a parent in the health room with the appropriate documentation signed by both the parent and a physician. Please do not send any medication to school in your student's backpack, it will be confiscated and thrown away. For the appropriate documentation, please contact the health room.

Pre-K 3

Hello Parents/Guardians,

Your child is learning about Safe and Healthy Me (Me cuido y soy saludable) throughout Theme 4. They will learn songs about stop, drop, and roll, washing your hands, and the hokey pokey! They will read It's a Safety Rule, We are Safe and Healthy Kids, Cowboy Mouse, Eat Green, Get Moving!, and Better Things to Do. In math, they will be learning about AB, ABC, and AAB patterns. Our focus letters for the month are: J, j, N, n, H, h, M, m V, v, X, x, K, k, Q, q. Please work with your child to recognize their name, know the first letter in their name, and begin trying to write the first letter in their name. As the weather begins to get colder, please remember to label your child's jacket/coat and send in pants as an extra change of clothes. Thank you for your continued support!

Happy December! We had a fantastic November with many amazing experiences and opportunities for our youngest learners. We went to the aquarium to get us ready to make our Coral Reef! Please continue to send in your recyclables (boxes, toilet paper & paper towel rolls, different shape containers, etc.) Thanks to all who already donated for our projects and crafts!

We began to learn about our environment and how to take care of the Earth. We are now focusing more specifically on coral reefs. Students have begun creating different parts of our class coral reef (sand, sharks, fish, coral.) We have a lot more to do! We will learn the letters Ff, Gg, Nn, and Pp. In math, we will focus on numerals 0-10, one to one correspondence, and review shapes.

As the weather is getting cooler, please remember that we go outside daily (as long as the temperature is above 32 degrees). Please be sure your child has appropriate clothing to play outside. We are working on zipping and putting coats on independently. If you could work on this at home, we would really appreciate it! Additionally, please make sure your child has a clean change of clothes at school that is appropriate for the weather.

Pre-K Team

Kindergarten

Happy December Kindergarten Families!

Here is what students will be learning in December:

LIteracy: In Knowledge, students will be continue learning about plants and then will move onto a unit about farm animals. In Skills, students will continue learning letter sounds, corresponding spellings, and tricky words.

Math: We will be learning about 2D shapes.

SS/Science: Students will continue exploring our community and learn about different types of transportation.

Reminders: It is getting very cold outside! Please make sure you send your child to school with a heavy jacket, gloves, etc. If your child needs these items, please reach out! December homework packets will be coming home at the beginning of the month with directions attached. If students return them at the end of December, they will receive 5 pesos for completing their work! Please try to find a couple minutes each day to complete this with your child. It takes a village, and your support means everything to us!

1st Grade

Hello First Grade families! We are rocking and rolling into the end of 2024! First Graders have been hard at work learning new skills and becoming awesome readers. We have jumped into the world of Ancient Civilizations in our CKLA Knowledge. We are learning about the ancient people of Mesopotamia and Egypt and how they lived. We finished our addition strategies math unit and are starting to learn subtraction strategies. In Skills, we are learning more vowel teams and how to write a fictional narrative. We have also started spelling words/lists and will have our first spelling test shortly. In science and social studies, we are learning how to be creative and resourceful and honing our problem solving skills. We will also learn about human and animal attributes and traits. We will also explore culture and different holidays celebrated around the world. Please make sure to check your child’s folder daily so that you don’t miss out on fun things happening.

Thanks!

The First Grade Team

2nd Grade

Did you catch that breeze? We sure did! The weather is changing so quickly and it’s extremely important that our children are dressed warm, ready for us to explore outside! Please don’t forget we are in Quarter 2 and there’s still so much more learning to do. Thank you to everyone attending the Parent/Teacher conferences. Please know that we are always available whenever you would like to check on the progress of your child. Your support is always important to us. We are all complete with the CogAt testing. Great job 2nd grade!

It was a great pleasure seeing our families out for “Touchdown” Math Night. We hope you enjoyed that hands-on experience, thank you for attending. We are continuously learning various math skills in Unit 5 and Unit 6 from our Reveal math curriculum. We ask that you continue to encourage and practice with your children. Reviewing any graded assignments sent home is a great reinforcement along with the optional “ChoiceBoard” homework. The CKLA curriculum has really sparked an interest in learning about the Greek Civilization during Knowledge time. This encourages our students to express and creativity write paragraphs about the gods or goddesses they’ve learned. This is great 3rd grade readiness! Stay tuned, the new year is approaching. There is so much more to do. We will work extra hard to master many skills we previously learned and practice new ones! Thank you for your love and support!

2nd Grade Team

3rd Grade

Reading

The nonfiction Reader for Unit 3, entitled “How Does Your Body Work?,” consists of selections that will further students’ scientific understanding of the skeletal, muscular, and nervous systems of the human body. The role of various body parts and organs associated with each system, such as bones, joints, muscles, nerves, the spinal cord, and the brain, will be described. Students will also take an in-depth look at the senses of sight and hearing and the various body parts that enable these senses to function properly. The later chapters of the Reader will provide insight into difficulties that may occur when vision and/or hearing are impaired and how people cope with these challenges.

Spelling

During this unit’s spelling exercises, students will review the spelling of regular and irregular plural nouns, as well as adding –s or –es to certain verb forms. Students will review changing the letter ‘f’ to ‘v’ and adding the suffix –es to create the plural form of words. Students will review spelling patterns and irregular formation of plurals to correctly spell plural words. In addition, students will have two Challenge Words added to each spelling list.

Students will also continue to practice alphabetizing spelling words in preparation for dictionary skills.

Grammar

Students will identify and write topic and concluding sentences for paragraphs and will write and sequence supporting detail sentences within paragraphs. Students will remove irrelevant sentences in paragraphs and write titles for paragraphs. Students will be introduced to a new part of speech called a pronoun. Specifically, they will learn to replace nouns that are subjects of sentences with subject pronouns.

Students will apply their new knowledge of pronouns by determining subject-verb agreement in sentences, recognizing the pattern of adding –s or –es to third person singular verbs.

Morphology

Throughout Grade 3, students will study word parts, such as prefixes, suffixes, and root words, during the morphology portion of the lessons. In this unit, students will study the common prefixes dis– and mis– and review prefixes learned thus far in Grade 3, which are un–, non–, re–, pre–, dis–, and mis–. They will continue to review how prefixes change the meaning of root words and how they may change the part of speech of that word.

Mathematics

This month, our Mathematicians are continuing to explore patterns and properties in multiplication as they learn to recall the basic multiplication facts. We will begin Unit 6 and explore the connection between area and multiplication. Recalling basic multiplication within 3-5 seconds is a very important skill students will need to be efficient mathematicians. Encourage your child to practice the 2s, 5s, and 10s facts this month. Math homework is sent home weekly. Students should use homework as a way of practicing the skills we are learning in the classroom.

Science

This month third grade scientists will explore magnetism and how magnets repel and attract. They will begin to explore ecosystems and how being part of a group helps animals survive. Encourage your child to read about a variety of organisms and compare their life cycles looking for similarities and differences.

Social Studies

During the month of December, students will learn about holiday traditions around the world as we research different cultures. Encourage your child to record traditions you have within your family.

~Third Grade Team

Mrs. Bonaparte, Ms. Dacus, Ms. Mason and Ms. Reed

4th Grade

Reading: For many readers—adults and children alike—poetry can be challenging. Readers often find poems inaccessible, suspecting a secret meaning they cannot decode. This unit gives students tools and strategies for approaching poetry, training them in the methods and devices poets use and equipping them to read and interpret both formal and free verse poems.

Writing: In this unit, students are celebrating their creativity and imagination by creating poems. They are using knowledge gained from their reading and understanding of the unit’s poems.

Social Studies: Students will work on analyzing what caused people to deny freedoms to others. Then we will move into how slavery shaped Maryland as a colony.

Science: This month we will be learning about outrageous acts of earth, covering different types of maps, earthquakes/seismographs and types of waves.

Math: During the month of December, students will work on using multiplication strategies, such as decomposing numbers, distributive property of multiplication, area model, and partial products, to multiply multi-digit numbers. Students will then apply what they have learned in order to solve multi-step word problems. We encourage students to practice their factors, multiples, and multiplication.

Extra: In November students spent a week participating with STEM in the Box lessons. Students used 3-D pens to create sunglasses, used circuits to make a spinner fly, built a robotic car, and created a city to show how renewable energy works. The lessons were engaging and students loved each day!

December 16th will be a busy day! We have a morning band and chorus concert for students in the morning. Students must arrive on time. Then for the remainder of the day, students will participate in an in-school field trip learning about terrapin turtles and their habitat. If your student participates in band or chorus, there is a family concert in the evening.

5th Grade

In 5th grade math, students will continue to multiply multi-digit numbers and decimals. In ELA class, we will continue to write poetry and start our unit about the classical tale: Don Quixote. We are continuing our science unit about stars and the earth. We are exploring the 1800s in Social Studies and seeing what challenges our country faced during that time. Our quarterly assessments will be given in early January, so attendance in December will set everyone up for success! Have a wonderful holiday season!

ELD

Hello Families,

It was so nice to meet many of you during our parent teacher conferences on November 25 and 26. If you were not able to come during this time and would like to have a meeting, please reach out to one of us and we will make sure to schedule an appointment that works for you.

This month we will focus on preparing students for the WIDA ACCESS. The ACCESS is a test that we use to assess students’ growth in English Language Development. Students will be assessed on their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in English. We will prepare students by giving them questions similar to the ACCESS.

The domain that is the most difficult for our English speakers is the reading domain because students struggle with multiple choice questions. Please continue to support your students by having them practice their reading daily on the Amplify Hub located on Classlink. On this website, students have access to books they are reading in class.

The ELD Team

Ms. Brynita Lacey

Mrs. Laura Dembeck

Mrs. Aga Ratliff

PTA

The PTA wants to thank everyone for joining us at our Bubba’s Dine and Donate and Donuts with Grown-Ups, we hope you had a great time! We hope to see everyone at Winterfest on December 14th from 10:00am - 2:00pm. We wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season!

Also, this month we will have the following events:

~ December 2nd - Chick-Fil-A Night, mention you are with BPES

~December 3rd - PTA Meeting at 6:00pm

~ December 14th - Winterfest Vendor Fair.

All flyers and information will be shared on the BPES PTA Facebook page, the app as well as flyers sent home. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us at bpes_pta@yahoo.com

Chorus and Band

The Music Department is presenting their annual Winter Concert at the Chesapeake Arts Center on December 16th, 2024! The concert will feature 3rd, 4th and 5th Grade Strings & Band as well as the 4th and 5th Grade Chorus. Concert letters were emailed and sent home last week. Please plan ahead! This is not a ticketed event. You may bring family and friends. The concert will start promptly at 6:00pm.

PBIS

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1m9D0XpblrHN471KzL-manZKibqvzFSEx_Usj-i9kshY/pub

CSI

Our school has been designated as a Comprehensive Support and Improvement (CSI) School by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), based on schoolwide performance and other criteria. In partnership with MSDE, Anne Arundel County Public Schools has provided a dedicated team to address the unique needs of CSI schools. This team works to support students and teachers through targeted interventions, data-driven individualized plans, professional development for teachers, and family and community engagement initiatives.

These efforts aim to create a supportive and effective learning environment that accelerates student achievement and enhances overall school performance. If you have questions about the resources and supports available at our school, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Together, we can ensure the success of every student.

Counselor

What does a School Counselor DO?

I work alongside teachers and parents to help students develop

socially and emotionally, and to help remove any barriers to learning!

I Provide:

•Classroom lessons teaching social skills, how to take care of strong feelings, study skills, etc.

•Small group counseling

•Short-term individual counseling

•Consultation with parents and teachers

•Parent workshops

•Community resource referrals (including longer term therapy services)

•Schoolwide programming (Kindness Week, Harvest for the Hungry etc.)

Navigating Special Education: A Family Support Night

The Title I and Special Education offices are working together to host an event specifically for the families of Students with Disabilities at our identified CSI and ATSI schools on January 15, 2025, 4:30-6:30 PM at Hilltop Elementary School. It is called Navigating Special Education: A Family Support Night.

There will be a presentation called: What does it mean to have an IEP. What are services during the school day? In addition, we will have many service providers and supporters present so families may ask general questions related to services.

For more information, please email sabell1@aacps.org or talk to the Special Educator in your building.

Last year we introduced our Appreciation Station Snack Cart to our staff! The cart will be filled every Wednesday full of sweet and salty snacks and drinks to show our BPES staff just how much we appreciate them. This school year we are looking for families to sponsor a week by either purchasing snacks or making a $40 donation so the snacks can be purchased. We ask that donations are dropped off to the school by Monday of the sponsored week. Please consider signing up below! Thank you for helping our staff know how much we appreciate them!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080D4BABAA2CA0FB6-appreciation

Five Star Parent

1. Builds a positive relationship with all staff members.

2. Dedicated to the BPES community.

3. Builds a partnership with their child's teacher. This partnership is based on trust, communication, and student growth.

4. Dedicated to preventing chronic absenteeism and chronic tardiness.

5. Respects and honors our community of diverse learners.

Emergency card verification emails have been sent. Please make sure you check and update your emergency contact information. The links are only active for 10 days. If you need assistance, please contact the main office at 410 222 6590.

Doors open at 7:40.

Students are dismissed at 2:25.

Late arrival/Early Dismissal

If your child arrives at school after 8:00, they are considered late. Please make sure they are at school prior to this time. Students need to be in their classrooms by 8:00 in order to be marked on time. If your child is late to school, or is getting picked up early, an adult MUST come into the building to sign them in or out.

Early dismissals must take place before 2:00 pm. The office is busy after 2:00, preparing for dismissal procedures, and will not be able to call any kids for dismissal after that time.

Below is the link for Before/After Care for families who need childcare.

School start times:

The doors will open at 7:40am for breakfast and community building. Instruction will begin at 8:00am. It is EXTREMELY important that all kids arrive on time ready to learn!

Walkers

Walkers will be dismissed at 2:25

Bus-Riders

To access BPES bus schedules, please click HERE

Car-Riders

We will dismiss car riders car by car. Please have your child's name on the hang tag so we can quickly call them to your car. Please do not park on 13th Ave during dismissal or arrival. It can make it challenging for people to enter and leave the lot.

Arrival

When students arrive they will pick up their breakfast and report to their homeroom. Teachers will greet students as they arrive.

Dismissal

At dismissal, walkers will be released. Following the release of walkers, car riders will be escorted to the cafeteria. Bus riders will be called as buses arrive.

Visitors

We will be planning several events this year where we will be inviting parents into the building. Unfortunately, we will not be able to allow parents to have lunch with their children in the cafeteria.

Student Birthday Celebrations

• Each student will receive a Birthday pencil and be acknowledged by the whole school on the morning announcements.
• We will celebrate all students' birthdays each month.
• It is very important to understand that food cannot be shared to celebrate. Please do not bring food to share with the class for your child's birthday. We have students with allergies and food sensitive health conditions.

Families can pay for their student’s meals online by going to www.mypaymentsplus.com.

At schools this year, breakfast will be free, and lunches will cost $2.75 for full price students.

Students will need to log in with their student ID in order to get their lunch. Please work with your student at home to help them memorize their ID.

Apply for Free or Reduced-Price Meals: Online Meal Benefit Application (MBA) (English and Spanish) - Link to online MBA – www.aacps.org/mealapplication. Applications must be filled out each school year, even if you qualified the previous year.