Bobcat Bulletin

Good Afternoon Ballenger Creek Families!

We’ve made it to May, and there’s a lot to look forward to with sunshine and warmer weather just around the corner! The students were amazing during our surprise power outage today. As shared in our community update, students were able to continue with normal instruction throughout the day, with the exception of our instrumental music classes. We have since learned that emergency lighting needs to be installed in our music rooms, and our FCPS maintenance team will be addressing this early next week.

The PTA sponsored Booster-a-thon was a huge success! We reached our goal and had a wonderful day full of grade level GlowRuns! Thank you to the PTA for purchasing new Bobcat shirts for each of our students to celebrate the fun. We appreciate all the families who donated money in support of our school.

During these final six weeks, our students and staff are involved in many unique opportunities. As it’s a busy time of year, please review the list of school events listed below. We are excited for these activities and opportunities to celebrate our students. Congratulations to the following students who represented BCES in the FCPS Honor Chorus this week. Way to go Athena, Mazie, Mia, and Ruth! We are so proud of your efforts!

Sincerely,

Jonathan Davis

Principal, Ballenger Creek Elementary School

• May 1: Mid-Term, 2-Hour early dismissal for students (dismissal will be @1:45 pm); Spirit Day: BCES Spirit Wear

• May 4 - May 8: Staff Appreciation Week

• May 14: PTA Meeting 6:00-7:00 pm; Family Bingo Night to Follow
• May 19: Spring Chorus Concert at 6:30 pm
• May 21: Restaurant Night at Urban Air 4:00-8:00 pm
• May 25: Schools and Offices Closed, Memorial Day
• May 27: Schools Closed, Eid-al-Adha
• May 29: Field Day for Grades K-5 (Rain Date June 5th)

June Dates

• June 1- June 4: Penny Wars!
• June 4 & June 5: Smile Mobile Dentist
• June 5: PreK Field Day; PTA: Spring Carnival 5:30-7:30 pm; Spirit Day: Sunglasses and vacation shirts
• June 9: Bobcat Best Celebration: Kindergarten, 5th, and 2nd grade; PreK Promotion
• June 11: Bobcat Best Celebration: 3rd, 1st, and 4th grade; 5th grade Picnic at Ballenger Park
• June 15: 5th Grade Promotion 4:30 pm
• June 16: Last Day of School for Students; 2 Hour Early Dismissal
• June 17: Last Day for Teachers

Next week, we are excited to celebrate Staff Appreciation Week! Our Bobcat staff works incredibly hard each day to support, inspire, and care for our students, and this is a special time to recognize their dedication.

If your family would like to participate, simple gestures such as a kind note, a drawing, or a small token of appreciation can go a long way in brightening a staff member’s day.

Thank you for helping us celebrate our amazing staff, who make BCES such a wonderful place to learn and grow!

Dear BCES Students, Staff, Families, and Supporters,

Wow, what an incredible Glow Run season!

Because of YOU, we didn’t just meet our goal, we surpassed it! Together, we raised an amazing $17,710.35 to support our students, classrooms, and school community. This is truly something to celebrate!

We are so grateful to:

• Our students for their excitement, energy, and participation
• Our staff for their support and encouragement every step of the way
• Our families for sharing, donating, and cheering on our Bobcats
• Our sponsors and community partners for your generous contributions
• Our amazing volunteers who gave their time and energy to make the event run so smoothly
• A special shoutout to our BCES Specials Team for partnering with the PTA and helping bring this event to life. We truly appreciate your collaboration and support!

It truly takes a village, and this Glow Run showed just how strong and supportive our BCES community is. Because of you, we’re able to continue funding important programs, events, and resources that benefit all of our students.

It truly takes a village, and this Glow Run showed just how strong and supportive our BCES community is. Because of you, we’re able to continue funding important programs, events, and resources that benefit all of our students.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for making this year’s Glow Run such a huge success!

With gratitude,

BCES PTA

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.

Email Contact Information:

• Jonathan Davis, Principal- Jonathan.Davis1@fcps.org
• Candace King, Assistant Principal- Candace.King@fcps.org

Website: https://education.fcps.org/bces/home
Location: 5250 Kingsbrook Drive, Frederick, MD, USA
Phone: 227-203-1880