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Dear Beach Elementary Students and Families,
Welcome to the 2026–2027 school year! We hope your summer has been filled with sunshine, fun, family time, and plenty of opportunities to relax and recharge. While summer is wonderful, there is something pretty special about seeing our hallways filled with smiling students again—and we are so excited to welcome our Seagulls back to Beach!
Beach Elementary has been anything but quiet this summer! Behind the scenes, our team has been busy preparing classrooms, polishing floors, organizing materials, planning lessons, and getting everything ready for another fantastic year. Ms. Ravenel and I have been working alongside our amazing staff to make sure BES is ready to welcome our students from the moment they walk through the doors. A huge thank-you goes to Ms. Parker, Ms. Jones, Ms. Brooks, Mr. Philbert, Mr. Gray, and our entire summer team for helping our school look its very best!
Our teachers and staff have also been learning this summer! Many have participated in professional development, collaborated with colleagues, and gathered new ideas to make learning meaningful, challenging, and fun. We have some exciting things planned for the year ahead, and we cannot wait to get started.
We are especially excited to welcome our newest Seagulls! If your family is joining Beach Elementary for the first time, welcome to the team. We think you will quickly discover why we are proud to call Beach Elementary “A Great Place for Kids!”
One Last Summer Challenge...
There is still time to give those brains a little workout before the first bell rings! Pick up a great book, practice a few math facts, write about a summer adventure, or visit one of our wonderful Calvert County libraries. Even a little practice helps get those learning muscles ready for school!
And don't forget to enjoy these last few days of summer. Sleep in a little. Play outside. Spend time together. Make one more summer memory. School will be here before we know it!
Backpacks Ready? Here We Go!
Inside this newsletter, you'll find important information to help your family prepare for a smooth start to the year. Please take a few minutes to review everything so that everyone is ready for a great first day.
As we begin this new school year, our commitment remains simple:
Students First. Every Student. Every Classroom. Every Day.
Together, we will continue making Beach a school where children feel safe, welcomed, challenged, supported, and excited to learn. We look forward to partnering with you throughout the year and celebrating all the ways our students learn, grow, and SOAR!
Questions along the way? Please don't hesitate to reach out. We're always happy to help.
Enjoy the rest of your summer, Seagulls. We can't wait to see you!
With excitement for a great year ahead,
Mr. Fulton
Principal
Beach Elementary School
Our Vision
At Beach Elementary School our vision is to create “A Great Place for Kids”, where all learners will learn to think critically, collaborate with others, communicate clearly and problem-solve creatively.
Spirit Days are every Friday! Students, family members, and staff are encouraged to participate and proudly wear our BES blue and white or other BES attire!
Our PTO will be selling spirit wear as a fundraiser as well this fall. Stay tuned for details!
School Hours & Arrival Procedures
Our school day runs from 8:45 AM to 3:30 PM.
- Bus Riders: Buses will enter campus via Old Bayside Road and use the designated bus loop.
- Car Riders: Families dropping off students by car should enter via Bayside Road and follow the car rider loop.
- Drivers MUST stay in the car and students MUST exit the car from the passenger side.
- If you must assist your child in exiting the car, please park in the parking lot and walk your child to the school entrance.
- Please keep the car line moving. If your car is next to the cement sidewalk, please have your child exit the car and start walking toward the school.
Staff will begin greeting students between 8:35 and 8:45 AM. Please note:
Any car riders arriving after 8:45 AM will be marked tardy and must be signed in by an adult at the main office.
Students eating breakfast at school should report directly to the cafeteria upon arrival.
Dismissal Procedures
- Afternoon car riders will be dismissed from the library (note: this is a change from last year) starting at 3:25 PM.
- Parents/Guardians should enter the parking lot via Bayside Road, park, and walk to the side of the building near the gym, located just before the playground. This process will occur rain or shine, and photo ID is required for student pickup.
- To ensure a smooth dismissal, students will not be released from the office after 3:15 PM.
- All car riders must be signed out at the gym dismissal area.
While we will continue to accommodate car riders, we encourage families to consider using CCPS Bus Transportation whenever possible.
Important Transportation Information for the Start of School
To ensure a smooth start to the school year, it is essential that students who will be riding the bus regularly ride the bus on the first day of school. This helps bus drivers begin to associate each student’s face with their name and address, and ensures that no student is accidentally missed in the days that follow.
On or about 8/12: Transportation details—including bus number, stop location, and approximate stop times—will be available in your student’s Home Access Center (HAC). This information is based on the guardian’s home address unless a different pick-up or drop-off location has been provided to Beach Elementary School. If you need to make changes, please contact BES before the routing software is updated.
Stay Informed with “Here Comes the Bus”
Click the button below to sign up for Here Comes the Bus, a tool that shows the real-time location of your child’s bus, provides schedules, and sends notifications when the bus is near your stop.
Additional Resources:
- Click the button below to learn more about CCPS transportation services.
- See the attached document for transportation rules and regulations.
Bus Tagging on Arrival on first day:
As students arrive by bus, staff will greet them and place a tag on their backpack with their bus number. This helps ensure they know which bus to take home. Please remember that each student may only have one pick-up and one drop-off location.
Menus, nutrition information, payment methods and information, and photos of food served are accessible online on the CCPS Website on the Child Nutrition page.
This year, student breakfast is $1.85 and lunch is $3.00. Students may purchase milk or water and funds will be deducted from a computerized account. You can deposit money online using your child’s 5-digit student ID number or you can send in cash or checks ranging from $10 on up made payable to BES Cafeteria. Students will eat in the cafeteria. ID numbers are in HAC, but if you can't find or access it, please call the school for help.
As a reminder, students will have opportunities to purchase snacks in the cafeteria using their lunch funds. You may want to have a discussion as a family about what you will permit them to purchase, how often, and how much they can spend. We are limiting snacks to two items, and we are not allowing them to purchase snacks for classmates unless you send in a note giving them permission to do so.
Click HERE for information about LINQ, where you can manage payments, view menus, and more!
Water bottles are not really necessary as there is a water fountain in every classroom. However, if you do send in a water bottle, please make sure that your child's name is on it AND that it is a non-spillable water bottle. Also, ONLY water may be consumed outside of the lunch period. Left behind water bottles that do not have names on them will be discarded.
Medications occasionally must be administered to students by our school nurse, Nurse Bogaczyk, RN. According to Maryland state guidelines, any medications – including over the counter medications – must have a “Physician’s Authorization Form” on file in the health room before they can be administered at school. They must be in the original container and have the child’s name on the bottle. Medications must be brought to school by the parent or guardian. Cough drops are also to be given to Nurse Julie who can provide them to your child as necessary. Nurse Julie will be glad to answer any questions you may have concerning this policy. You may bring medications to school during “Greet your Seat” or New Student Orientation.
Requirement from the Maryland Department of Health: Kindergarten through 5th Grade students need proof of two Varicella (Chickenpox) vaccines. A parent/guardian must confirm that an appointment has been made for any school-required vaccine by the first day of school in Sept. 2025. If the child has not received the vaccine by the 20th day after school begins, the child will not be allowed to attend until proof of vaccination has been received by our school nurse.
Illness Information:
If your child should become sick or injured at school, he/she will be sent to the school nurse. Nurse Julie will call home to share any injuries from the neck up. Nurse Julie will assess and address minor injuries, headaches, stomach aches, etc. and send students back to class unless she determines that a phone call home is appropriate and necessary. In the event your child needs to leave school, he/she will be made as comfortable as possible until you arrive. Please notify the school of any changes to contact or emergency phone numbers
RETURNING TO SCHOOL AFTER AN ILLNESS
A student may return to school:
• 24 hours after a fever breaks (without the need/use of fever reducers)
• 24 hours after vomiting or diarrhea has ceased.
• 24 hours after starting an antibiotic (i.e., for Pink Eye, impetigo, and strep)
• Following head lice clearance by school nurse
• Following ringworm when exposed area is covered, and the nurse is notified of medication follow-up.
MEDICAL CONCERNS
In the event your child develops new medical concerns or experiences an injury that results in crutches, a wheelchair, or activity restrictions, please contact the school nurse. A doctor’s order clarifying the restrictions should also be shared with the school office.
ILLNESS SCREENING GUIDANCE
Screening is the responsibility of all families and staff members to self-assess for symptoms of an infectious illness such as COVID-19, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, and gastrointestinal infections before entering a school bus or CCPS facility.
Tuesday, September 22nd
- Grades PK-2 5pm to 6pm
- 5:00-Welcome from Administration
- 5:05-5:30 Session 1
- 5:35-6:00 Session 2
Thursday, September 23rd
- Grades 3-5, 5pm to 6pm
- 5:00-Welcome from Administration
- 5:05-5:30 Session 1
- 5:35-6:00 Session 2
There are many military families who live in our community and who have children who attend our school. If you are a military family, please click HERE to let us know. We will be working on helping military families connect with each other this year and of course, we will support any military families who experience a deployment.
Military Child Education Coalition: Homepage - Military Child Education Coalition® (MCEC®)
Volunteer with us! CCPS uses the Raptor system for volunteers and visitors to sign in and out of schools. All volunteers (anyone interacting with children for activities such as field day, field trips, VIP Day, etc.) will need to review the volunteer handbook, watch the volunteer training video, and apply to be an approved volunteer each year before volunteering in any school. Click HERE to become a volunteer!
It would be very helpful if you applied to be a volunteer as soon as possible, even now when you might have a little extra time in the summer. The application and approval process takes a little time and we have experienced issues where volunteers were not approved in time to chaperone field trips. Don't let that happen to you!
Weis Market
Please select the Weis Market file below for a NEW way to help us raise funds for BES! SO EASY! You basically just scan a bar code!
Box Tops for Education
No need to send in Box Tops any longer!!! You simply need to download the Box Tops for Education app and follow the directions!
Harris Teeter VIC
BES will earn 5% of your Harris Teeter brand purchases when you give our account number (6760) to the cashier at check out and ask them to link the number to your Harris Teeter VIC card. You only need to do this one time this school year. You may also link your VIC card online at www.harristeeter.com. You may link up to 5 schools, with funds being divided equally between your chosen schools. You will need to re-link your card at the beginning of next school year.
Nondiscrimination Statement
Nondiscrimination Statement
Calvert County Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability, or any other characteristic protected by law in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth programs.
Calvert County Public Schools does not refuse enrollment of a prospective student, expel a current student, or withhold privileges from a current student, or prospective student, or the parent or guardian of a current or prospective student because of an individual’s race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, age, national original, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.
Calvert County Public Schools does not discipline, invoke a penalty against, or take any other retaliatory action against a student or parent or guardian of a student who files a complaint alleging that the program or school discriminated against the student, regardless of the outcome of the complaint.
The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies:
Ø Director of Student Services
Ø Director of Human Resources
443-550-8000
For further information on notice of non-discrimination, visit the Office for Civil Rights Complaint Assessment System at: https://ocrcas.ed.gov or call 1-800-421-3481.