Ballenger Creek Middle School

Dear Ballenger Creek Middle Families,

I hope that you and your loved ones are well. As I’m writing this, I’m just back from San Antonio, Texas where my family and I attended my younger brother’s retirement from the Air Force after 25 years of service. Colonel Ben Schill’s resume would be impressive to me even if he wasn’t my brother: United States Air Force Academy graduate; F-16 pilot (for 23 years) who flew over 3,200 hours in that model of jet; flew more than 150 combat missions; graduate of Air Force Weapons School (the Air Force’s equivalent to “Top Gun”); trainer of over 400 pilots to safely and effectively fly the F-16 during his career. At the time of his retirement, he was the second-highest ranking officer in the 149th Fighter Wing at Lackland Air Force Base. Despite all of these achievements, other than being highly skilled at what he does and often wearing a flight suit, Ben bore little resemblance to the characters in the Top Gun movies in terms of attitude. He’s humble, kind, approachable, and understood the immense responsibility he and the pilots he trained and commanded held.

At his retirement party in front of around 100 family and friends on Saturday, Ben thanked many people who helped him along the way, including family, friends, co-workers, and possibly most significantly, his former high school basketball coach, Dan Fry. Coach Fry, who attended the party, went above and beyond for both my brother and me when we were teenagers (he was my coach too). Though he only coached me my senior year, he coached and mentored my brother for all four years of high school and was a real difference maker.

During his speech last weekend, my brother shared that after our parents split up when he was young, it became increasingly important for him to have someone else besides our dad tell him, “Hey, you can do it.” While it’s good to hear this message from our own parents, Ben explained, it can sometimes make a profound impact coming from someone outside of the family. “They look you in the eye, and they say, ‘You’ve got this.’” Coach Fry did that over and over again, and planted the idea in Ben’s mind that he might make a good candidate for the United States Air Force Academy. This option had never entered our family’s conversation--we had very few relatives who had served in the military and had no one who had attended an academy. The suggestion and support from Coach obviously has had a life-changing impact on my brother and those who have worked with him and for him. While my brother’s example might be an extreme one, it clearly illustrates that providing well-timed, accurate, and sincere feedback to adolescents can have a huge influence on their success.

As educators who work with your children every day, we also strive to make a meaningful and positive impact in their lives through mentorship, feedback, and encouragement. If you think we can team with you to assist with specific scenarios involving your child, please reach out to your grade level counselor, assistant principal, or me. Helping your children start down the right path to achieve their dreams is why we are here each day!

6th grade counselor: Johnny.Webber@fcps.org

6th grade assistant principal: Susan.Messmore@fcps.org

7th grade counselor: Rebecca.Reese@fcps.org

7th grade assistant principal: Robert.Everett@fcps.org

8th grade counselor: David.Ledyard@fcps.org

8th grade assistant principal: Sarah.Gordy@fcps.org

Sincerely,

Jay Schill

Jay.Schill@fcps.org

Principal, BCMS

Warm wishes to our 8th grade students as they transition from middle school to high school. We hope they enjoy making memories as they near the end of their middle school years.

Each grade level will host a picnic for the students at the end of the school year. Please note that student behavior is tied to the picnic and this information was shared with your child during Term 4 Behavior Expectation Town Hall Meetings. The picnics will occur during the school day and students will have an opportunity to play various games outside or work on technology or crafts inside. ALL students, regardless of participation, will receive snacks and drinks as part of the celebration.

Grade 6 Picnic:

• June 2nd (Rain date of June 3rd)

Grade 7 Picnic:

• June 4th (Rain date of June 5th)

All grade levels will hand out yearbooks to students who ordered them on June 9th. As a reminder, all yearbooks needed to be pre-purchased. Yearbooks will not be for sale on June 9th.

Twice weekly students take part in SEL lessons that focus on the social and emotional well being of middle schoolers as well as connecting with one another. The most recent topics covered in the SEL lessons are:

• Confidence Skills
• Self Compassion
• Building Character
• Fixed vs. Growth Mindset

Please take a moment and talk with your child about what they learned in the most recent SEL lessons.

Car Rider Drop Off and Pick Up

Please be sure to use the car rider line to drop off and pick up your child each day. Our goal is to ensure the safety of everyone coming to and from school daily. Dropping off students on Ballenger Creek Pike is not only dangerous, but is not permitted. We kindly ask that all car riders are dropped off and picked up properly each and every day.

Students' Walking Home

To ensure the safety of all our walkers, please remind your child to walk on the designated sidewalks and not cut through the car rider line to get the path in the back of the building. It is imperative that our students follow the directions of our staff members daily to ensure that they all get home safely. Also, please remind your child to use designated crosswalks to cross all roadways.

Cell Phones/Personal Electronic Devices

Students are not permitted to use cell phones or any other type of personal electronic device in FCPS middle schools while school is in session. At BCMS, our rule of thumb is "Off and Away from 7:30am-3:00pm." This is important for all of our students as they should be focused on their learning and socializing with their peers and teachers. Please support BCMS by reiterating this message to your child at home.

Outside Food

Outside food is not permitted in our cafeteria. If a student does not have a lunch because they forgot it at home, school staff will support your child in getting a lunch from the cafeteria. However, in the event that you do have to drop off a lunch for your child, please know that your child may not eat food from a restaurant in the cafeteria. The student will be asked to eat the food elsewhere before reporting to the cafeteria. It is best practice to drop off a lunch that is in a packed lunch box for your child so that he or she may remain in the cafeteria during their lunch.

Attendance

Students are to be in their 1st period class each day by 8:00am. If they arrive after 8:00am, students will be marked tardy. When they accumulate 3 tardies, they will be issued a lunch detention and if the chronic tardiness continues, students will be issued after school detention(s). If your child is going to be tardy or absent for any reason, please send an email to BCMS.Attendance@fcps.org. Please be sure to indicate your child's first and last name as well as the reason for the tardy or absence. Thank you for your continued support.

Students have begun exploring the rise of the Roman empire. We will explore how geography impacted this civilization and how it transformed from a small city on the banks of the Tiber River to one of history’s largest and most powerful civilizations.

7th Grade:

Students are working on the Age of Exploration Unit. We have just begun exploring English colonization of the New World and will be writing our final essay of the year based on the English colonies in North America.

8th Grade:

Students are examining the second industrial revolution and the problems of the Gilded Age. This will include conditions in cities and factories, union strikes as well as robber barons vs captains of industry.

6th Grade:

Students are working to conduct investigations to provide evidence that living things are made of cells; either one cell or many different numbers and types of cells.

7th Grade:

Students are working to gather and make sense of information to describe that synthetic materials come from natural resources and impact society.

8th Grade:

Students are working to develop and use a model to describe the role of gravity in the motions within galaxies and the solar system.

The school year is winding down, Your student has worked hard all year, Ms. Birmanns and I hope they know much more English now than they did at the beginning of this year.

There are end of the year activities for each grade: Grade 6 has a picnic on June 2nd, 7th grade has their picnic on June 4th, and 8th grade has their picnic on June 9th. There are other 8th grade activities happening before the end of the school year. Please send an email to us if you need to know any information, or need help with any activities.

THANK YOU!! To all the students that participated in Multicultural Night in April. It was so interesting learning about your cultures, food, and clothing. I enjoyed tasting food from all over the world, and seeing students dressed in their native dress. I hope to see you all there next year, and I hope some more multilingual students will join us too!

If your student is interested in having an English Language tutor over the summer (up to 5 hours a week) to prepare them for next year, or so they don’t forget all the English they learned this year, use this link to fill out your information and apply for a summer tutor.

Good luck to all the 8th graders moving up to High School!!. It was our pleasure working with all of you. We will definitely miss you next year.

We hope you all have a great summer and look forward to working with your student next year!!

If you need to contact us please don’t hesitate to reach out.

ML Teacher Contact Information:

Sarah Birmanns - 8th grade and A - H 6th grade

• sarah.birmanns@fcps.org

Claudine Webb - 7th grade and I - Z 6th grade

• claudine.webb@fcps.org

We’ve just wrapped up testing season, and we want to take a minute to congratulate our students on their hard work!

What is the i-Ready Diagnostic?

The Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that identifies students’ strengths and opportunities for growth. That information helps determine how to best support their learning. Watch this video to learn more.

How can I access my student’s results?

1. ­­­Log in to your student’s i-Ready Dashboard using their district or school’s portal credentials and then click on the i-Ready icon.

2. Click on the For Fami­lies dropdown and select the For Families report.

3. Enter your District’s Report Code Y3C2YZ.

NOTE for students with an IEP: The i-Ready Reading Assessment is used to identify students who may need additional support for reading difficulties. It is also used to monitor the efficacy of students’ current reading support pathways and as a data point for qualifying students for accommodations. For this purpose, it is imperative that no human reader, text to speech, or screen reader accommodations are utilized for the diagnostic assessment.

For more information and support, visit the i-Ready Family Center: Understanding Diagnostic Results

Thank you again for your continued partnership and support of your student’s learning.

Please contact your child’s math or ELA teacher with any questions.

Contact Information:

Katherine Shaffer, Literacy Specialist

Email: Katherine.Shaffer@fcps.org

Phone: 227-203-2150 Ext. 41608

¿Qué es la Evaluación diagnóstica i-Ready?

La Evaluación diagnóstica es una evaluación adaptativa que identifica las fortalezas del estudiante y las áreas que necesita desarrollar. Esta información ayuda a determinar cómo mejor apoyar su aprendizaje. Vea este video para saber más.

¿Cómo puedo acceder a los resultados de mi estudiante?

• Inicie una sesión en el Tablero del estudiante i-Ready usando las claves del portal de su distrito o de su escuela y después haga clic en el ícono de i-Ready.
• Haga clic en el menú desplegable “For Families” y seleccione el “For Families Report”.
• Introduzca el código del informe de su distrito Y3C2YZ.

NOTA para estudiantes con un IEP: La Evaluación de Lectura i-Ready se utiliza para identificar a los estudiantes que pueden necesitar evaluaciones adicionales de dificultades de lectura. También se utiliza para monitorear la eficacia de las vías actuales de apoyo a la lectura de los estudiantes y como punto de datos para calificar a los estudiantes para adaptaciones. Para este propósito, es imperativo que no se utilice ningún lector humano, texto a voz o adaptaciones de lectores de pantalla para la evaluación diagnóstica.

Para más información y apoyo, visite el Centro para la familia i-Ready: Comprender los resultados de la Evaluación diagnóstica.

6th and 7th grade students have taken their second and final i-Ready Math Assessment the week of 5/12-5/16. Our literacy specialist has shared some great information to the right of this box that explains how to access your student’s scores on i-Ready. If students or parents have additional questions regarding the results of the i-Ready test I am more than happy to sit down and go over what the scores mean. Please send Laura Boyer a message on Schoology or email me at Laura.Boyer@fcps.org to set up a time.

We will also be taking at the end of the month the End of the Year Knowledge Check for ALEKS. This will show the students progress over the entire year on grade level skills. As a school we have seen more students get close to completing their entire pie than we did last year. Students who are working on their ALEKS topics are seeing a correlation to their scores that they are receiving on their Module Assessments in their math classes. Please encourage the students to try their best on these assessments because they help us determine placements for next year. They also help us understand what standards we need to focus on more when we are looking at curriculum writing during the summer.

Contact Information:

Laura Boyer, Math Specialist

Email: Laura.Boyer@fcps.org

Phone: 227-203-2150 Ext. 41574

Local Summer Enrichment Programs:

• FCPS Earth and Space Science Lab (ESSL)
  Special events happen all summer long at the ESSL, starting with Summerfest. Event listings and tickets are available online.

• Frederick Community College: Kids on Campus
  Kids on Campus (KOC), a Maryland Certified Youth Camp, offers full and half-day programs with adventures in science & technology, culinary & creative arts, theater production, the great outdoors, literature & language, and more. Our unique collection of summer programs, designed for kids ages 8 to 15, provides a wide range of hands-on supervised activities throughout our campus, encouraging everyone to explore and learn while having fun in a safe environment. Browse by topic | Browse by week

• Frederick City: Summer Camps and Activities - be sure to use the filters to make the activity list more manageable.

• Frederick County: Parks and Recreation Summer Programming - be sure to use the filters to make the activity list more manageable.

• The Delaplaine Arts Center

• Helen Smith Free Workshops for Kids

• Summer Camps

• FCPL Resources and Events:

• Student Resources
• GALE - Test and Career Prep: Free Advanced Placement (AP) test prep through Peterson’s Test & Career Prep
• Frederick Library Events Calendar

Christine Brown | Middle School Advanced Academics Teacher Specialist

Serving Ballenger Creek MS & Brunswick MS

BCMS Spirit Wear

BCMS SPIRIT WEAR IS STILL AVAILABLE!

Spirit Wear can be purchased online all year. Spirit wear makes great gifts for birthdays and holidays so we encourage you to keep us in mind. Now is the perfect time to plan ahead for the next school year and purchase spirit wear in advance.

New designs have been added showing our Bulldog mascot! Orders can be placed online at http://www.ballengercreekspiritwear.com.

PTSA MEMBERSHIP

PLEASE CONSIDER JOINING THE PTSA!

Families, faculty and students: this is a great time to join the BCMS PTSA. Yes, that’s right! Students are permitted to join the PTSA. The cost of a membership for parents is $10 but is only $5 for students.

The PTSA’s Board of Directors typically meets on the 2nd Tuesday of every month virtually. The link will be sent out via email ahead of the meeting date. All PTSA members are welcome to attend these monthly meetings. Joining these meetings is a wonderful way to get involved with your child’s school. We want to hear from you!

The goal is 130 members this year. There are nearly 800 students and over 90 staff members at BCMS this year. We can do it! You may join the BCMS PTSA by going to https://bcms.memberhub.com/store.

I can’t believe we are already half way through term 4. Any students who received D’s or F’s at midterm should expect an interim to be sent home. Since the end of term 4 is still a few weeks away, the students have time to bring up their grades. Parents, please make sure to check your child’s grades on Schoology to make sure they are keeping up with the assignments. Feel free to contact your child’s teacher if you have any questions or concerns about grades. When students attend school consistently, they do a much better job keeping up with the work and understanding the assignments. Please do your best to have your child attend school regularly. If your child needs to miss school, this is a reminder to contact the school or send a note with your child if they’re absent from school. Don’t hesitate to contact your child’s grade level counselor if you have any questions.

School Counselor Contact Information:

• Grade 6 - Johnny Webber (johnny.webber@fcps.org)
• Grade 7 - Rebecca Reese (rebecca.reese@fcps.org)
• Grade 8 - Dave Ledyard (david.ledyard@fcps.org)

Update from Ms. Rogers, Community Liaison

I am the person who you will reach out to if you are in need of any resources for your child or your family. I also work collaboratively between home and school to bridge the communication and make things easier for everyone. Some supports that I can assist you with are getting food if your pantry is low, helping to locate a therapist, transportation, school lunch support, etc. I am here to support our school community and am only a phone call or email away.

Ms. Kathleen Rogers

kathleen.rogers@fcps.org

240-236-5773

Frederick Food Bank Information

The Frederick Food Bank at Trinity (6040 New Design Road) will operate for food distribution from 2:00pm to 4:00pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays for residents seeking assistance.

The Food Bank at 14 E. All Saints will continue to operate from 2:00pm to 4:00pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. It is also open from 6:00pm to 8:00pm on Mondays and Wednesdays.

Additional Food Pantry Information:

Crestwood Middle School will have a food drop that will take place the 4th Tuesday of every month, which is also open to families from our school community.

Want to Be a FCPS Volunteer?

Please follow all directions to create an account in order to complete the FCPS volunteer training, which is linked at the top of our Community Newsletter.

Lunch Monitor Volunteers NEEDED

BCMS is looking for volunteers to help support lunch monitoring in all of our grade level lunch shifts. Lunch occurs between 11:00am to 1:25pm Monday through Fridays. If you are interested in volunteering by monitoring lunch shifts, it would be greatly appreciated. It is also most helpful to have someone who will volunteer on a specific day/time each week so that our students get to know the volunteer. If this volunteer position is of interest to you, please call me at 227-203-2168 ext. 4158. BCMS could really use your support!

Free and Reduced Lunch Information

Technology Reminders:

End of year Technology Procedures

• 6 & 7 Device Checks Thursday, May 29th

• 8th Grade Collection on Monday, June 9th

• Stay tuned for more details.

Device Care & Usage - All students have been issued an FCPS Chromebook and are responsible for proper care and use of their devices. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Keeping the device in the school issued case at all times.

• Refraining from sharing the device and/or charger with others.

• Refraining from adding stickers or drawing on the device.

• Only using websites and programs as instructed by staff.

• Charging their devices each night so it is ready for use the next day.

Mr. Steedley

isaiah.steedley@fcps.org

User Support Specialist

I am pleased to announce that you can now register for Titans Youth Soccer Camp.

Camp will be held at Tuscarora High School from 8:30a-12:30p on 6/23-6/26. We will hold Friday, 6/27, open as a rain date. This is a 4-day camp.

Camp is for boys entering Kindergarten - 9th grade for the 2025-26 school year (currently in Pre K-8th).

Follow this link to find information about camp:

https://soccer.titansportscamps.com/index.cfm

Follow this link to register:

https://register.ryzer.com/camp.cfm?sport=7&id=292488

Follow this link for last year's camp video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=nKQ6lX7SgTQ

We've shattered camp records over the last 3 summers, finishing last summer with 162 campers. Soccer has grown so much in our community and camp has become so popular that we will be forced to move away from the coed model and have a separate girls camp, likely the week after the boys camp (more info to come).

Thanks and hope to see you there!

Todd Knepper

Tuscarora High School

Drawing & Painting Teacher

Boys Soccer Head Coach (Twitter: @giveallgainall)

The Urbana High School robotics team is offering two robotics summer camps from July 28 - July 31 at Urbana High School. These two camps are for students in grades 3-5 and 6-8. Students will be working with each other and helped by members of the robotics team to build and program a robot to compete in their own various competitions. Students will also get the chance to drive and operate the teams 140 pound robot that picks up, carries, and places pieces of PVC up to heights of 6 feet.

Students currently in grades 3-5 will build and program a robot using LEGO Mindstorms to compete in games of tug of war and sumo robots. No experience necessary! Students will also build and keep a custom STEM LEGO set. This camp is from 9am - 12pm. The cost of this LEGO camp is $150 per student. To find more information and to register for this camp, please go to https://www.cryptohawks8726.com/outreach/summer-camp-elementary

Students currently in grades 6-8 will build, wire, and program a robot using Raspberry Pi to compete in a game titled Mountain Mayhem. Students will learn to program their robot in Python to have it work autonomously and also control it by a controller. No experience necessary! This camp is from 1pm - 4pm. The Raspberry Pi camp costs $200 per student. To find more information and to register for this camp, please go to https://www.cryptohawks8726.com/outreach/summer-camp-middle

Please direct any questions to Urbana High School's Robotics Coach, Joshua Holmes, through joshua.holmes@fcps.org

• May 26th - Memorial Day (Schools and Offices Closed)
• June 10th - Move Up Day for 8th Grade @ THS (10:00am)
• June 12th - Last Day of School (2 Hr Early Dismissal for Students)