April 2026

Rooted in Relationships. Driven by Learning. Focused on the Future.

At BPES, we show up for each other. Students and staff feel seen, supported, and ready to learn. We work together to create a safe, welcoming environment. Through strong relationships, open communication, and partnerships with families, we continue to build a thriving community where everyone belongs.

Dear Families,

We hope you are enjoying a restful Spring Break! We are excited to welcome students back to school on Tuesday, April 7 as we begin the fourth and final quarter of the school year.

This is an important time for continued learning, growth, and preparing students for the next grade level. During this quarter, students will be building and strengthening the skills and concepts that are essential for a strong start next year, making daily attendance, engagement, and effort especially important.

Students in grades 3–5 will begin MCAP testing for English Language Arts this month, and we encourage families to support their children by ensuring they get plenty of rest, arrive on time, and feel confident in doing their best.

As always, thank you for your continued partnership in supporting student success. We look forward to finishing the school year strong together!

Dear Families,

We’re excited to offer families an opportunity to join us for Campus Conversations this year. This will be a series of informal gatherings created to keep you informed about key aspects of our school community, including academic initiatives, student attendance trends, school culture, and overall campus progress. These sessions offer a valuable opportunity to hear directly from school leadership, ask questions, and stay closely connected to the heartbeat of our campus.

Our next Campus Conversations session will be held in person on Friday, April 24th at 7:40am. Join us for breakfast and coffee and to learn more about the progress being made at BPES.

Please use this link to RSVP in advance. We look forward to working together to make this year one of connection, clarity, and shared success!

Please make sure all students have a change of clothes in their locker. We only have a small amount of extra clothes available for students. There is always a possibility of slipping in the mud, ripping your pants, or having an accident. Please try to have extra clothes in your students' lockers.

Thank you!

Parents be sure to join us on March 11th at 5:30 for a fun filled paint night and our Parent Input Meeting! First, we will meet to gather your input for our Title 1 program and where we would like to go with it next year. Then you will gain a ticket to Paint Night! We will have all the supplies you will need. This is a family friendly event, be sure to RSVP so we know how much to order. Please note, you can not join paint night unless you attend our Parent Input Meeting first. We will be sure to keep the information short so you have more time for painting with the family. Any questions please reach out to Laura Roussey, our Title 1 Math Resource Teacher. We hope to see you there!

https://www.canva.com/design/DAHB4eJXr3U/ofEsXKDDs864fsgJaE76Rg/view?utm_content=DAHB4eJXr3U&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=h555a0b306b

Pre-K 4

It was so great to see so many parents at our Pre-K Fossil Day! Thank you all for coming! We are going to begin our second to last unit in Pre-K! It is hard to believe how fast the year flew by and how much our students have learned. They have mastered so many topics, and we are so proud of them! We appreciate all of your support at home through reinforcing skills and communication with us. Thank you! ​ Our new unit is Growing Our Garden. We will be exploring growth over time by investigating gardens and living things within them. Students will learn about what plants need to grow, what creatures live in and benefit gardens, and how people grow gardens for food. We will be learning about our final four letters: Ww, Xx, Yy, and Zz. We will continue reviewing the other 22 letters through upper- and lower-case matching, letter sound games, and handwriting. In math, we will focus on simple addition, review shapes, and subitizing. Thank you for your continued support! Please keep an eye out for Pre-K conference information coming in May.

- Pre-K Team

Kindergarten

AVID

We are reaching for the stars in AVID with Kindergarten! This month, our focus is to be incredible Note-Takers! We have introduced Cornell Notes, Frayer Models, and One-Pagers as a way to illustrate and write important information in our CKLA Literacy and Reveal Math curriculum!

Literacy

Based on our CKLA Curriculum, your child is able to identify all 26/26 initial letter-sounds, 26/26 uppercase letters, and 26/26 lowercase letters in the alphabet. Your child is able to use learned skills to "tap out" and orally "blend" CVC, CCVC, and CVCC words. Your child has developed skills of phonemic awareness and tricky word spellings to read age-appropriate texts (picture readers/decodables), independently.

In April, we introduce new double-letter spellings for consonant sounds (mm, nn, pp, bb, tt, dd, cc, gg, ff, ss, zz, ll, rr) and continue learning high-frequency Tricky Words (funny, all, from, was). We continue to review and practice our prerequisite skills for reading-readiness and encourage independent reading in this unit!

Writing

Based on our CKLA Curriculum, your child is able to use appropriate letter-formation to write 26/26 uppercase and 26/26 lowercase letters of the alphabet. Your child continues to use these initial letter-sounds, tricky words, and age-appropriate spellings to write simple words or phrases. Your child is also able to use drawings and illustrations to express their understandings of age-appropriate content.

In April, we will transition our focus on the prerequisites of sentence writing! We will learn and practice writing complete sentences with an understanding of using a capitol letter at the beginning, finger spacing between words, and ending punctuation. We will continue to use CKLA Skills to help develop these simple sentences!

Mathematics

Based on our Reveal Math Curriculum, your child is able to identify, represent, and decompose numerals 0-20. Your child is also able to solve addition and subtraction within 0-10 with the use of manipulatives and equations. Your child has developed strategies and critical-thinking skills to solve Word Problems and explain their Mathematical Thinking!

In April, we introduce Kayla in Reveal Math! We will be learning how to identify 3-dimensional shapes and tell where shapes are located, especially cubes, spheres, cones, and cylinders. We will learn how to tell the difference between 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional shapes. Mid-April, we will transition and meet Sienna, and we will Count to 100! We will continue to count to 100 by 1's and will also learn to count to 100 by another number, such as by 5's or 10's!

Science & Social Studies

In Science, we will continue to explore and experience the environment as the days are warmer! We will utilize Nature Walks and our Outdoor Classroom to identify human needs to survive and how the earth meets our needs! We will also observe and participate in scientific experiments to study weather patterns, plant cycles, and the life of animals.

In Social Studies, we will continue to study geography in both the state of Maryland and our own Brooklyn Park community! We will utilize tools and technology, including maps, globes, GPS, and Google Earth to be able to explain how location makes our community special by natural and human-made features.

- Kindergarten Team

1st Grade

Hello First Grade Families!

We have made it to Marking Period 4! First graders have been working so hard! We start Skills 6 with learning alternative spellings for /s/, /n/, and /w/. We will also be working on writing a personal narrative. Be sure to practice your spelling words! We have a test every week! Math has had us living in the land of place value. We looked at 2-digit addition with and without regrouping. We will be using those skills to solve compare word problems and 2-digit subtraction. Knowledge has taken us on a trip around the world as Rattenbourough takes us to visit and learn about different animal habitats. After habitats, we will be reading and comparing different fairy tales. Stay tuned for our upcoming fairytale themed spirit week followed by a fairytale ball! In Science and Social Studies, we will start our Bubbleology unit and learn all about bubbles and how we can make them. Make sure you check your child’s folder for our permission slip for our upcoming May field trip to the zoo. If you would like to chaperone, please make sure you have your background check completed.

Thank you!

- 1st Grade Team

2nd Grade

Reading

Domain 10 covers a number of topics regarding the human body. This domain first covers concepts regarding cells and how cells form the building blocks of life on Earth. Students are then taught how collections of cells form tissues, and tissues form organs, and finally how organs work within the various body systems. In addition, students are taught about Anton van Leeuwenhoek and his work with the microscope and his discovery of the tiny one-celled bacteria.

Students will then hear about the digestive and excretory systems. They will learn the fundamental parts and functions of these two body systems. The narrator of these Read-Alouds is a nutritionist named Nick Nutri, who reinforces basic facts that students will be learning.

The remainder of this domain focuses on the importance of good nutrition and how to make good choices in order to eat a well-balanced diet. Students will be taught five keys to good health—eat well, exercise, sleep, keep clean, and have regular checkups.

Vocabulary

The following list contains all of the core vocabulary words in The Human Body: Building Blocks and Nutrition in the forms in which they appear in the domain. These words appear in the read-alouds or, in some instances, in the “Introducing the Read-Aloud” section at the beginning of the lesson. The inclusion of the words on this list does not mean that students are immediately expected to be able to use all of these words on their own. However, through repeated exposure throughout all lessons, they should acquire a good understanding of most of these words and begin to use some of them in conversation.

Lesson 1: nutrients, nutrition, nutritionist, organs, systems, vaccinations

Lesson 2: bacteria, lens, magnifies, microscope, observations

Lesson 3: cells, functions, microscopic, stimulus, tissue

Lesson 4: collapse, kidneys, liver, nourish, transplant

Lesson 5: absorb, esophagus, filtering, saliva, villi

Lesson 6: excrete, regulate, sweat, toxic

Lesson 7: carbohydrates, essential, fats, minerals, proteins

Lesson 8: fiber, moderation, scan, variety, well-balanced diet

Lesson 9: calories, network, recovery, terms, windpip

Writing

In this domain, students will create several entries for a My Human Body Journal.

Mathematics

For our Math focus, we are back to learning to use place value patterns to mentally add and subtract 10 or 100 to a 3-digit number and add 3- digit numbers with/without regrouping. Students are learning to use different strategies for adding 3-digit numbers and explain why they chose the strategy they used. Please don’t forget to practice homework from our practice book. It is a great reinforcement.

Science and Social Studies

In our next unit “We are Researchers”, students learn about ways that researchers gather information, conduct experiments, analyze data, and make conclusions to learn something new to create something new.

- 2nd Grade Team

3rd Grade

Reading

The Reader for Unit 9, entitled The Age of Exploration, consists of selections that will further students’ understanding of the reasons for European exploration, what exploration was like, and who went exploring. Aspects of navigation and life on a ship are described as well as the journeys of and locations reached by specific explorers. In addition, interactions with native people and lasting contributions as a result of European exploration are described. Later chapters include information about the history of people in North America and the origin of some English words.

Spelling

During this unit’s spelling exercises, students will review words with spelling patterns of /ue/ spelled ‘u’, ‘u_e’, and ‘ue’ and spelling patterns of /oo/ spelled ‘oo’, ‘ew’, ‘o’, and ‘o_e’. Students will also review the spellings patterns of /f/ spelled ‘f’, ‘ff’, ‘ph’, and ‘gh’. Students should be familiar with these spelling alternatives as they were taught in Grade 2. Challenge Words have been assigned each week. Content Words will continue. Each week, students will have the option of trying to spell a content-related word on the spelling assessment. In this unit, the Content Words do not follow the spelling pattern for the week.

Dictionary

Students will also continue to practice dictionary skills. As the year progresses, students should become proficient in interpreting the different pieces of information found in a dictionary entry, such as pronunciation, part of speech, and various meanings. In this unit, students will practice using sentence context to determine word meanings and then use a dictionary to see if the definition matches the usage of the word in a sentence. Students will also write sentences to match specific definitions. The dictionary worksheets have been designed to reinforce recognition of elements of a dictionary and to build proficiency of dictionary skills. If you find that there is insufficient time to complete every worksheet item, you may select fewer items for each student to complete.

Grammar

In grammar, students will be introduced to and practice the linking words for example, in the same way, and in contrast. Students will also be introduced to comparative and superlative adjectives using the suffixes –er and –est as well as more and most. Students will also be introduced to irregular comparative and superlative adjectives.

Morphology

During the morphology portion of the lessons, students will learn the prefixes pro– and anti– as well as review these prefixes and the suffixes –ish, –ness, –able, and –ible. Students will continue to apply knowledge of how prefixes and suffixes change the meaning of root words and how adding affixes can change the part of speech of words.

Mathematics

This month our Mathematicians will work on solving two-step problems and using multiplication and division strategies and properties. We will move into our perimeter unit at the end of the month. Please make sure to review and practice the MCAP practice packet that was sent home. This is a great way to help prepare for MCAP.

Science

In Science, we will begin to investigate and classify fossils and the fossilization process. As part of our investigations, we'll talk about both living and extinct organisms and ways to identify them in fossils. Later, we will begin exploring the effects environmental change has on animals. By the end of the unit, your student should be able to identify changes in environments and discuss how those changes impact the lives of the animals in that environment.

Social Studies

In Social Studies, we will conclude our unit on the “Tools of History”. Students will finish the unit which is a culminating project. They will apply their historical thinking skills and their understanding of how the government can make a difference. They will do this by exploring the oyster restoration project in Chesapeake Bay. Hopefully by the conclusion of this exploration, they are more informed citizens and environmental stewards.

- 3rd Grade Team

4th Grade

Reading:

In this reading unit, students will explore the classic adventure story Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. The unit will take about 3–4 weeks to complete, with daily lessons focused on building strong reading and writing skills.

Students will read an adapted version of the novel and follow the exciting journey of Jim Hawkins as he searches for hidden treasure and encounters pirates along the way. As they read, students will learn about important story elements such as characters, setting, and plot, while also exploring themes like bravery, greed, and adventure.

In addition to reading, students will work on writing their own adventure stories. They will practice planning, drafting, revising, and sharing their writing, with a focus on describing characters and using dialogue.

This unit also helps prepare students for more complex reading in later grades by building vocabulary and comprehension skills. Along the way, students will connect what they read to topics like geography, exploration, and life at sea.

At the end of the unit, students will complete an End-of-Year Assessment to show what they have learned in reading, grammar, and writing.

Math - In this unit, Decimal Fractions, your child will learn how to represent tenths and hundredths using decimals, compare decimals and add fractions. You can make this fun at home by working with students with coins and money.

Social Studies - Students have learned what led Americans to the American Revolution. Students will learn about different battles, and events as well as how Maryland played a part in the American Revolution.

Science - Students will learn how to identify patterns in rock formations and fossils in rock layers by explaining how landscapes have changed over time.

- 4th Grade Team

5th Grade

Reading:

In this unit, students will learn about the history, culture, and traditions of Native American peoples. Through the Reader A Changing Landscape, they will explore how Native Americans were connected to their land and how contact with settlers, explorers, missionaries, and government policies in the 1800s affected their communities. Students will study a variety of tribes to understand their unique identities, ways of life, and stories.

The unit includes lessons that are designed to help students develop reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. Students will read Native American myths and historical accounts to learn how stories preserve culture and values across generations.

In writing, students will complete a persuasive essay showing how a chosen image reflects the connection between Native Americans and the land, practicing research, note-taking, and revising skills.

Additionally, students will have opportunities to improve reading fluency and expression through selections from the Fluency Supplement.

By the end of this unit, students will gain a deeper understanding of the diversity of Native American cultures, their history, and their ongoing contributions today.

Math - In this unit, Divide Fractions, your child will learn how to use different strategies and representations to interpret quotients as mixed numbers, to divide unit fractions and whole numbers, and solve problems involving division.

Social Studies - Students will dig into what it means to live and learn in the "Land of the free." Students will investigate Rosenwald Schools in Anne Arundel County and how civil rights played a part in the 1900's-the present day.

Science - Students will begin by being engineers and designing filtration systems that can help solve the pollution problem in Maryland.

Reminders-

5th grade baby pictures and current pictures are due to Mrs. Richmond at arichmond@aacps.org

MCAP testing will take place in April and May.

June 10th is 5th grade promotion at 5:30.

- 5th Grade Team

ELD

Hello Families,

We are in the final stretch of the school year and we are going to finish strong.

In grade K-2, there has been a strong emphasis on writing our thoughts on paper by stretching out words to hear every sound in a word.

In grades 3-5, students continue to expand their academic vocabulary.

Thank you for all the support you are providing your students at home! Our students have made a lot of growth since the beginning of the school year!

The ELD Team

Ms. Karyli Cedillos

Mrs. Laura Dembeck

Ms. Vanessa Gonzalez

Ms. Brynita Lacey

Title I

"Please be sure if you have not done so already to fill out our lunch forms for the 25-26 school year! Even if your child does not buy lunch, or you do not plan on having your child buy lunch, this is extremely important and helpful for our school. When the lunch forms are filled out, we are able to keep our Title 1 funding and get amazing resources and host events for our school such as Math and Literacy night, extra staff members to support students learning, and materials to help students learn hands on. Please reach out with any questions to Laura Roussey, our Title 1 Math Resource Teacher! Please use this link to fill out your form today: https://www.aacps.org/page/apply-for-free-or-reduced-price-meals"

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.)

Hello Music Families!

Please be sure your calendars have MONDAY JUNE 1st blocked out for our annual Spring Concert! The Spring Concert will once again be held at the Chesapeake Arts Center and will start promptly at 6:00 p.m. Concerts are mandatory performance events for Band/String/Chorus students. If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. Israel or Mr. Henning via email (risrael@aacps.org, mhenning@aacps.org). We hope you have a wonderful and safe Spring Break!

Thank you for everyone who attended the Opening Reception for the Youth Month Art Exhibit at the Brooklyn Park Library. Brooklyn Park Elementary School had a 60% turn-out- the largest turnout in recent years!

The next exhibition will be the Spring Student Art show, held at the Annapolis Mall. Stay tune for details!

The Art department is need of the following:

Newspaper, plastic grocery bags, and zip lock bags.

Donations would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

We wish a Warm and Happy Spring!

The fourth quarter brings students exciting new projects in S.T.E.M.

Pre-K: Pattern Parade ~ students create a variety of patterns using multiple art forms

Kindergarten: Bee Kind to Insects ~ students will create an insect hotel to be a home for different bugs in our local ecosystem

1st Grade: Pigeon Perch ~ students will design a perch for a select bird that can withstand the birds weights

2nd: Make Way for Ducklings~ students will create a prototype of a wildlife crossing

3rd: Water Harvesters ~ students will design a prototype of a water harvesting system for a county with a warm climate

4th: Secret Signal Society ~ Students will design a communication device to carry information without using speech or text

5th: RoboRovers~ Students will program a robot to navigate an obstacle course.

Hello BPES Families!

The Scholastic Book Fair is coming! After Spring Break, teachers will be given flyers that advertise the Book Fair and its titles! During their Cultural Arts time the week of April 13 - 17, students will get more details about what to expect at the Fair. Cash is accepted from students and adults may pay with cash/Credit Card/mobile apps. The final price of each item will be the LISTED PRICE + Sales Tax and then rounded up to the nearest dollar. The rounding up adds money to the Scholastic Fund for our school and allows me to make purchases from the fair for our school library!

Scholastic Book Fair Dates: Monday April 20 - Friday April 24!

We look forward to seeing the happy faces of students at the Fair!

Families in Grades 3-5...Are you smarter than your child? Come join us on April 14th from 5:30-7:00 for a night of fun! All families with students in grade 3-5 are encouraged to join us for a fun filled game night to see if you are truly smarter than your student and ready for MCAP. The night will have pizza, prizes, and blooket! Be sure to be on the lookout for the RSVP form to let us know if you can make it!

Families in grades 3-5 can you keep a secret? Coming home in your child's backpack will be an envelope. In the envelope will be directions and a letter template so you can write a letter of encouragement to your child for the first day of MCAP testing. We know the week is filled with lots of nerves and stress, so we want students to feel your love and support. They are more than a test, and we want them to try their best! Please don't tell your child what is in the envelope, just return it to your child's homeroom teacher when you are done. Thank you!

Kindergarten families, be sure to join us for our first Kindergarten to First grade transition day! This will take place May 17th from 7:40-10:00. We invite you to come peak in and see what a morning in first grade will be like and then join your student to see how much they have grown this year in Kindergarten. Our hope is to ease some nerves about the move to first grade and help you learn some strategies to try over the summer break to prepare students for a year with transitions and a departmentalized grade. Be on the lookout for the RSVP flier, coming home soon!

Pre-K families, April is National Poetry Month, and your students have been working hard on their poems. Please join us on April 21st from 8:30-9:00 for our poetry day. Students are so excited to recite some poems just for you! There will be resources to take home as well!

Spring has sprung and we are so excited about this time of year! First, thank you to everyone that participated and/or supported our Double Good Popcorn Fundraiser last month and came to Chuck E. Cheese Day! Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week is right around the corner. We are working on some great ideas to show the BPES staff just how much we appreciate them. If you are willing and able to donate, please click the link below.

Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week donations

Events this month

4/6: Chick Fil A Spirit Night Glen Burnie location 4:00 - 8:00pm

Upcoming Events

May 1st Family Carnival/Dance - Information will be sent home after break!

May 4th - May 8th: Teacher/ Staff Appreciation Week

Hello Parents and Friends,

I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to serve as your Community Schools Program Manager. The Community Schools strategy for the 2025-2026 school year has been to build on and expand the existing programs at BPES. According to your survey responses from last year, many of you wanted BPES to sponsor more family events. An important directive of the Community Schools grant is to be responsive to the needs of our parents. Therefore, Community Schools has played a role in funding: Grand friends Day, Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration, Campus Conversations, Title I Math Night, Landscaping Day and several other events. In the month of December, Community Schools will continue to support school sponsored events including Literacy Night and the Winter Concert.

Beginning in the month of January, Community Schools would like to begin a series on Financial Literacy. This series would be 3-4 weeks covering topics such as a Vision Board for Goals, Budgeting, and Savings. There will also be an opportunity to connect with Career Counselors from Anne Arundel Workforce Development. Community Schools is planning a Wellness Fair during the month of February as well as several other family activities for the spring. We are looking forward to your contributions and participation.

Finally, as we’re always trying to improve and update the Community Schools Program, please feel free to reach out with your suggestions. I can be contacted at:

krandolph@aacps.org

Thank you,

Kevin Randolph

Here is a website for anyone in need of some community resources: www.aacps.org/community

Change of Clothes!

We kindly ask that all students in PreK through 5th grade keep an extra change of clothes at school. Spills, playground accidents, and unexpected mishaps can happen at any age, and having a clean set of clothing on hand helps your child feel comfortable and ready to continue learning without interruption. Please include a shirt, pants, underwear, and socks in a labeled bag, and be sure to update the clothing as the seasons change and your child grows. Thank you for your support in helping us keep students comfortable throughout the school day!

Leading by Feeding

We are excited to announce that this month’s Leading by Feeding Food Giveaway will take place on Thursday, October 9th, beginning at 4:00 PM in the back parking lot. Families are invited to come and receive free food items to help support their household needs. This monthly event is part of our commitment to serving and caring for our community, and we welcome everyone to join us. Supplies are limited, so we encourage you to arrive early.

Background Checks for Volunteers at Brooklyn Park Elementary School

Anne Arundel County Public Schools is committed to providing safe and secure learning environments for all students and employees. Successful completion of a background check is required before any person has access to students, either on or off school property. The Office of Investigations has continued to work closely with the Office of School Security to review AACPS protocols for conducting background checks.

Background investigations are divided into two categories: fingerprint-supported background checks and commercial background checks. Once a fingerprint-supported background check is performed, applicants no longer need to submit an electronic background check. Anyone applying to be a chaperone or volunteer must be at least 18 years of age.

Fingerprint-supported background checks must be scheduled through the Fingerprinting Office at 410-222-5045. The Fingerprinting Office is located at the AACPS Central Office on Riva Road and is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, during the school year. The cost of fingerprinting is $63.00 and it includes the commercial background check. Fingerprint-supported background checks for chaperones should be completed at least 3 weeks prior to the scheduled field trip.

Each applicant requiring a fingerprint-supported background check is provided with a pink Fingerprint Verification Card. This card should be kept with the applicant while on school grounds and should be displayed to an administrator upon request. Each school should keep a running list of chaperones and volunteers that have been fingerprinted.

All questions regarding this process, or to confirm the results of a fingerprint-supported background check should be directed to the Office of Investigations at 410-222-5287.

Commercial Background Check

All chaperones and volunteers without one-on-one unsupervised or unrestricted access to students must complete the online request for a commercial background check. This group is inclusive of PTA and PTO officers, CAC officers, Booster Club officers, and chaperones or volunteers who work with children in the presence of an approved AACPS representative (e.g. daytime field trip to the zoo). These background checks are at no cost to the applicant and are valid for 2 years. All applications should be submitted electronically at least 3 weeks prior to the intended school event.

*Persons without personal computer access may access this process on a school computer or use computers in a public library.

https://onboard.screenid.net/gen/inquiries/

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.