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November Community Flyer

Ballenger Creek Middle School

NovemberCommunity FlyerBallenger Creek Middle School

November Dates

November 3rd - Student Pictures

November 5th - Report Cards will be sent home with students.

November 24th - 26th - Schools and Offices closed for Thanksgiving Break


Upcoming Events:


Veterans Day Concert

Thursday November 11, 2021

Ballenger Creek Middle School

6:30 pm Cafetorium Doors open at 5:45pm

Face Covering/ Mask must be worn inside the building at all times

Principal's Message

Dear Ballenger Creek Middle Families,


We hope that you and your family are all well. As you probably know by now, the district has a new virtual tutoring option available for all students called TutorMe. Available to all middle and high school students in FCPS, TutorMe offers live tutors in every subject area at all hours of the day. There is more information later in this newsletter about how your students can access TutorMe. On a personal note, I can tell you that my wife and I are excited for this opportunity for our high schooler, who is having a challenging time in chemistry right now!


While TutorMe is a wonderful option that we hope many families will use, please know that we believe that our teachers are the best tutors for our students. They know your students personally and obviously know the specific assignments your children are working on. If you or your students would like for them to be tutored by one of their teachers, you can request tutoring during extended learning time the following ways:


  • Your student can ask the teacher in person

  • You or your student can email the teacher or message him or her in Schoology

  • You can contact your student’s school counselor to help arrange the tutoring



We’re here for you and your students--please reach out to us if you have a need!


Take care,


Jay Schill

Principal, BCMS
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Volunteer and Chaperone

If you are willing to volunteer or chaperone at BCMS please make sure that you reach out to Ms. Kathleen Rogers and review the FCPS 400-86.


Kathleen.Rogers@fcps.org

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ELT What is it and FAQs

What is ELT? What do students do during this time? Click HERE to find out more information.
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BCMS is a Silent and Away School

During the day from 7:30 - 3:00, Cell Phones, Ear Buds or any other electronic devices besides FCPS Chromebooks or BYOD Chromebooks should be Silent and Away.
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The 6th Grade team is looking forward to a successful term two. As a reminder:

  • Students and parents should check Schoology regularly, especially when absent, to make sure they are not missing assignments.

  • Students should speak with their teachers about coming in for help during ELT time if they need help finishing an assignment.

  • Hats and hoods should not be worn in school, during the day.

  • No cell phones - BCMS has a no phone policy. Cell phones are to be turned off and in backpacks or lockers from 7:30 - 3:00.

  • Chromebooks/laptops need to be fully charged and brought to school everyday.

  • Masks - please remind your student that masks need to be worn over their nose and mouth at all times, except in the cafeteria or recess.

Thank you for all your support at home. We are looking forward to a great term two

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It’s hard to believe that term one is already over! The 7th Grade team is looking forward to a successful term two. As a reminder, students should be checking Schoology regularly, especially when absent, to make sure they are not missing assignments. Students should speak with their teachers about coming in for help during ELT time if they need help finishing an assignment. Please also remind students that hats and hoods should not be worn in school and phones should be away. Thank you for all your support at home. We are looking forward to a great term two!
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8th grade has had a great start to the year and we’re looking forward to a successful second term! As a reminder, students should be checking their grades on Schoology every day! Also, if there’s a blue paper icon next to the student’s assignment, then that means an assignment has been submitted. If your student needs help completing their assignments, they should contact their teacher specifically so they can sign them up for ELT (Extended Learning Time). Please also remind students to refrain from wearing hats/hoods, wireless headphones and/or crop tops. Thank you for all your support at home! :)
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Lost and Found

Has your student lost a jacket, sweatshirt, hoody or any article of clothing? It might be in this picture.
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Lost and Found

The lost and found is starting to fill up with multiple articles of clothing, water bottles, lunch boxes and school supplies. If your student is missing any of the items in the pictures please have them claim them. If the items are not claimed, they will be donated in December.

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Lost and Found

Has your student lost a water bottle, lunch box or any school supplies? Please claim have them claim their items..
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Face Coverings

As we take over 2nd term and move in to the colder months, we ask that families reinforce the importance of proper mask wearing and fit of face coverings. BCMS students have been doing an amazing job with face coverings, but we want to remind everyone of the guidelines and expectations.


https://www.fcps.org/healthhub/face-coverings
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Dress Code Policy

"To outline standards for student dress that support creating a positive and non-disruptive learning environment and respect students’ rights to express themselves through their choice of personal attire". FCPS Policy 439
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TutorMe

TutorMe is an online tutoring platform that connects students to live tutors, 24 hours a day in over 300 subjects, right from their home.


Their network of over 10,000 verified tutors has helped more than half a million students improve their grades, understand difficult concepts, or just get help with simple questions. Students can even have their papers reviewed using TutorMe’s Writing Lab, which provides detailed feedback on their essays or reports in less than 12 hours.


https://www.fcps.org/about/news/1724560/fcps-launches-virtual-tutoring-option

Information about Transportation and Bus Delays can be found here Information about Transportation and Bus Delays can be found here

EL Department

Thank you to the families that attended EL Technology Night on October 26, 2021. It was great to see you and share with you about Talking Points, Schoology, and Find Out First.


If you were unable to attend and have any questions about Talking Points, Schoology, or Find Out First - please contact Mrs. Beaucage.


Mariah Beaucage

EL Teacher

Phone: 240-236-5766

mariah.beaucage@fcps.org

Note from Ms. Rogers

To staff and families of BCMS, I know we have all been affected by the pandemic in one way or another and with that in mind, I am going to place a “Giving Tree” up front for families to request a little help through the holidays. Anyone who is seeking some help, please know that this will be done anonymously.

The way it works is that you will reach out to your grade level counselor with an e-mail that they will convert to a bull dog, and place it on the giving tree.

Grade 6 will reach out to Mr. Webber at Johnny.webber@fcps.org

Grade 7 will reach out to Ms. Reese at Rebecca.reese@fcps.org

Grade 8 will reach out to Mr. Ledyard at David.Ledyard@fcps.org

If you have children in multiple grades here (ex. 6 and 8th) reach out to Ms. Rogers at Kathleen.rogers@fcps.org

This event will run from November 15th through and including December 6th. The last day for an item to placed on the tree (this is so that shopping can be done in a timely manner), will be December 6th.

December 17th ALL items need to be picked up from the counselors.

I know that every little bit helps and we want to help.

Ms. Rogers

Community Liaison BCMS

240-236-5773

News from the School Counseling Office

It's never too early to start thinking about high school plans. Below is a link to a Google Sites page with information about the county-wide college & career programs. It includes information and links for...

  • The Academy of Fine Arts (AFA)

  • The Career & Technology Center (CTC)

  • FCC Dual Enrollment

  • Frederick County Virtual School (FCVS)

  • The International Baccalaureate Program (IB )

  • The NJROTC

https://sites.google.com/fcps.org/county-widecollegecareerprogra/home


Academy for the Fine Arts Open House Event

The Academy for the Fine Arts will host an open house on Thursday November 18th from 6:30-8:00pm at Governor Thomas Johnson High School. The event will begin at 6:30 with a presentation in the auditorium, and then parents and students can visit AFA classrooms and instructors to ask questions about the program and see the instructional spaces and studios from 7:00-8:00pm. This is a great time to see the spaces up close, learn about the scope of the program, and get some tips for the audition process.

To register, please use this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfeYHl35xSb1PwASjMGysIC5C7pcLvH_hmtTTEbmHGJZfLFKQ/viewform

The Academy for the Fine Arts is a college and career pathway program for FCPS students in grades 10-12 which offers focus areas in art, dance music, theatre, and musical theatre. For more information about the AFA, please visit: www.fcpsartsacademy.org


Career and Technology Center Open House Event

Come see the amazing things students can do at the...

FCPS Career and Technology Center (CTC)

OPEN HOUSE

Thursday, October 28

6 P.M. - 8 P.M.

24 Career Programs for FCPS Students in 10th-12th Grades

Many Offer College Credits, Dual Enrollment, Industry Certification/Licenses

Enjoy Fun Hands-On Activities for All Ages

Learn about Potential Careers

Students: Find out How to Jump Start Your Future at CTC!

Facing Covering Required

7922 Opossumtown Pike

Frederick, MD 21702

240-236-8500

www.careertech.net


NEED COUNSELOR SUPPORT? ❤️

Use your grade level counseling page on Schoology and select "Student Support Request Form." Your grade level counselor will speak with you as soon as they are available.

Mr. Webber: johnny.webber@fcps.org
Ms. Reese: rebecca.reese@fcps.org

Mr. Ledyard: david.ledyard@fcps.org

Media Center News

Book Checkout: Students in each grade level have the opportunity to come to the Media Center to check out books on their assigned days during ELA.

  • Monday - 8th Grade

  • Wednesday - 6th Grade

  • Friday - 7th Grade

Books are checked out for 3 weeks at a time and can be returned to the blue bins in the ELA classrooms.


Lunch in the Media Center: Starting November 1st students will have the opportunity to sign up to come to the Media Center during the second half of lunch. More information about this and how to sign up can be found on our BCMS Library Media Center group in Schoology.


BCMS Library Media Center group in Schoology: Information and updates are shared frequently on our group in Schoology. The code for this group can be found in grade level Guidance courses on Schoology and the Media Center doors.


Technology Reminders:

  • Students are responsible for their assigned devices and chargers.

  • Students are required to keep their devices in their case at all times.

  • Damage to an FCPS device or charger will incur fees for repair.

  • Lost devices, cases, and chargers will result in a fee.

  • Any fees for repairs will be issued and paid through School Cash Online.


Technology Tips:

  • Do not slam lids closed as this will break the screen!

  • Do not store items in your Chromebook or case.

  • Close your Chromebook while charging to ensure a full charger.


Technology Updates:

Around September 28 an update was pushed out to Chromebooks that causes student accounts to log out every time a Chromebook lid is closed. This is not an error and will continue to be a normal function from here on out as it allows for fewer password and log on issues. Please remind students to save and close their work before closing their Chromebook.

Community Liaison

Hello families, here is some news I think you might want to know.

The Mark Adolescent Clubhouse is for youth ages 12-17 living in Frederick MD.

They are open Mon-Fri from 2:30-6pm and Saturdays from 11-5. They provide snacks and fun activities.

Located: 350 Montevue Lane, Frederick, MD. 21702 Entrance “C”

For more information contact Lindsay Ridenour at 301-600-1122 or LRidenour@frederickcountymd.govOr Jeffrey Thompson at 301-600-4804 or JThompson2@frederickcountymd.gov

Did you know that there is support if you are dealing with an adolescent who has substance abuse habits? It is more common than you think and you are not alone. For help contact:

The Phoenix Recovery Academy at 117 East Church St. Frederick MD. 240-370-2656 or Jeffery@phoenixrecoveryacademy.org

This is a parent support group which begins Nov.11. It runs the second Thursday of every month. There is help, there is support, there is hope.

DId you know that BCMS offers nonperishable items for students who have nutritional needs on the weekends. If you feel that this is you, please reach out to me at 240-236-5773. Kathleen.rogers@fcps.org.

Math Department

This year, students will have the opportunity to re-take Standards Based Formative Assessments (SBFs) to earn a better score. This includes quizzes and checkpoints. Before re-taking, students must participate in re-teaching to prepare them to score at mastery level.

Re-teaching activities include review problems with accompanying review video and a mini-assignment with problems based upon the SBF. Students must reach out to their teacher to let them know they have completed the re-teaching materials before the assessment will be re-opened. Students can find the re-teaching materials on our schoology course pages in the "Math Assessment Reteach" Folder. Students can complete the re-teaching activities at their own pace during ELT or at home. Assessment re-takes should be submitted by the mid-term/end of term deadline.

Unit Tests are not available for re-takes as this data is used to track overall student understanding and growth through the units in our courses.

Social Studies

6th Grade

Sixth grade is now studying the fascinating world of Ancient Egypt. Students will learn about the importance of the Nile River to the Ancient Egyptians and how the Egyptians learned to depend on the rivers for many of their needs. Soon we will explore other dynamics of Ancient Egyptian culture including the pyramids, hieroglyphics, Egyptian gods, and the famous King Tut. Students often really enjoy this unit, so encourage sharing and discussion at home!


7th Grade

This term, in 7th grade, students began Unit 3, which looks at medieval Africa. Students have already begun to learn about the geography and natural resources of the region and how they helped form a strong foundation for the various empires that existed there.


Later on, students will learn more about the culture of the various West African kingdoms as well as learn more about the histories of the empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai.


The 7th grade history team would also like to welcome Eric Witt, who will be the long-term substitute teacher for Mrs. Montgomery while she is on her maternity leave.



8th Grade

8th grade will be diving into Unit 3, which focuses on the early presidencies and the effect they had on the United States in its formative years. Afterwards, students will begin writing a Document-based Question (DBQ) which will focus on the Louisiana Purchase.


ELA Department

6th Grade

This term in ELA, students will be reading narratives that focus on responsibility. Students will read and analyze a variety of texts that range from folklore to modern works of fiction to become more proficient at discovering theme, understanding different character perspectives, and developing their perception of what it means to have responsibility. For the beginning of the term, 6th grade will be working with Folktales; a Russian folktale by Leo Tolstoy and a Japanese folktale by Yoshiko as we analyze characters’ interactions and perceptions and how the author develops the theme of a story. We are revisiting plot structure, point of view, and how to properly cite evidence from the text. We will also begin reading our chosen novels as we further explore characters, plot development, and theme of a text.

Students will also be starting a novel unit in which they will explore literature through discussion and independent analysis. Once a week, students will meet in groups to discuss their independent findings and to further develop their understanding of their assigned novels. We are excited to begin the second term with this extended novel study.

7th Grade

In 7th Grade, we are continuing curriculum cycle 3 by looking at another Greek myth and also exploring tone. We will also be analyzing how the author develops each of the characters and their perspectives in the story. Later on, students will write a response discussing how the tone and character development in the story reveals the theme. Students will also get to show their knowledge of cycle 3 standards in a Greek myths mini-project!

8th Grade

In 8th Grade, students have been studying intergenerational differences by analyzing the perspectives of the main characters in Walter Dean Myers’s The Treasure of Lemon Brown and Rober Cromier’s The Moustache. We have been talking about how each characters’ unique values, beliefs, experiences, and attitudes impact how they respond to and interact with others and drive the action of the plot. In the next few weeks, students will continue to analyze the differences between generations through poetry analysis.

Fine and Practical Arts

Kudos to the following students who are being chosen as the PE department’s Students of the Month. These students always participate to their capability in class, they have a fantastic attitude and show good sportsmanship, they are always engaged and enthusiastic, they demonstrate proper use of equipment, and work hard to improve or maintain their fitness level in PE class. Congratulations to these students. Please keep up the great work habits.


6th Grade Students:

Carson Moody

Genevieve Taylor

Addison Irons

Cole Jordan

Sempre Forse

Xavier Bennett

Mahai Harris


7th Grade:

Leah Stitley

Brendan Johnston

Cavanaugh Brown

Skylar Sword

Keira Conley

Tyler Riggs

Cole Bigler

Genevieve Noland


8th Grade:

Hailey Lane

Ashley Cadenas

Abe Basford

Alissa Argueta

Cahya Jefferson

Brendan Lee

Adnan Khan

Sierra Grisez


Life Skills


In Life Skills, for our Service Learning Unit, our seventh graders made dog chew toys to be donated to a shelter out of old t-shirts. Our eighth graders made blankets for the needy to be donated to Project Linus. Jasmine Lopez took service learning to a higher level when she initiated and offered her homemade jewelry to be donated to a children’s hospital.

Science Department

6th Grade

Students will begin the Water Unit this month. Our first focus will be on the water cycle. Students will describe how the cycle is driven by energy from the sun and the force of gravity.


7th Grade

Students are beginning the Chemistry Unit. The standard will require that students develop models to describe the atomic composition of simple molecules. Additionally, students will learn to balance chemical equations.


8th Grade

Students began the Inheritance Unit. The standard will focus on variation of traits and how traits are inherited in both sexual and asexual reproduction.


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Special Education Department


Thank you everyone for helping end term 1 with great success. Term 2 will be even better.


Special Education Department wants to highlight this month:


Julie Kaufhold , ( School Psychologist)

Hi, my name is Julie Kaufhold. I am the school psychologist at Ballenger Creek Middle School and Walkersville Middle School. I have been working at FCPS since 2005. I started as a school psychologist in Pennsylvania, spent five years there, and then two years in Montgomery County before coming to FCPS.

I am married, and have two boys, ages 12 and 15. I am passionate about advocating in the area of P.A.N.D.A.S. and mental health. I enjoy nature, animals (especially cats, we have a pride in them), reading, meditating, yoga, and scary movies/psychological thrillers


Emily Pemrick ( 8th grade case manager) I moved to Maryland three years ago and taught in the Pyramid Program here at BCMS. This year, I transitioned to becoming the 8th Grade Case Manager. I currently live in the Washington County Area and enjoy watching my daughters play field hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and volleyball. We are also enjoying the beautiful hiking trails here in Maryland!


Resources

WALK-IN BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES

. : https://fcmha.org/how-we-help/behavioral-health

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Ballenger Creek Middle School

Website: https://education.fcps.org/bcms/home
Location: 5525 Ballenger Creek Pike 21703
Phone: 240236-5700
Twitter: @FCPS_BCMS

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