The Bulldog Blast
BCMS Community Newsletter
November has come to an end, and we hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving break. We want to remind you that mid-term for term 2 is quickly approaching on December 2nd. Please check in with your student(s) to make sure all their work is submitted before the deadline. Students will not be permitted to submit work from the first part of the term after December 2nd.
For the parents of our 8th grade students, it is almost time to start thinking about high school registration. Ms. Reese is working closely with the Tuscarora High School to set up dates and times to share registration information with students and families. More THS registration will be coming out as we get closer to the new year.
As always, students and parents are encouraged to reach out to their grade level counselor for any questions or concerns. Below you will find each of the counselor’s contact information along with their assigned grade level.
Rebecca Reese 8th Grade Rebecca.reese@fcps.org
Johnny Webber 7th Grade Johnny.webber@fcps.org
David Ledyard 6th Grade David.ledyard@fcps.org
Mathematics Department:
We are happy to welcome our new Math Specialist at BCMS, Ms. Maleita Moffitt!
6th Grade: Students will be completing Module 4 - Integers, Rational Numbers, and the Coordinate plane. This module focuses on understanding concepts related to negative numbers on number lines and coordinate plane, absolute value, and finding the distance between points on the coordinate plane.
7th Grade: Students will be finishing up Module 4 (Operations with Rational Numbers), which focuses on adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing decimals, fractions, and whole numbers. In the later part of this module, students are focusing on decimals and fractions rather than whole numbers alone.
7ACC: Students will be finishing up Module 4 (Exponents and Scientific Notation) and continuing to Module 5 (Real Numbers). In Module 5, they will be identifying rational and irrational numbers, estimating irrational numbers, and comparing rational and irrational numbers.
8th Grade: Students will be finishing up Module 4 (Linear Relationships and Slope) and beginning Module 5 (Functions). In Module 5, students will be learning to identify, construct, and compare linear and nonlinear functions.
Algebra: Students will be finishing up Module 5 (Creating Linear Equations) and beginning Module 6 (Linear Inequalities). In Module 6, students will review how to solve one-step and multi-step inequalities along with learn how to graph inequalities in two variables.
Students should be completing weekly ALEKS topic goals in Math. Students should be checking their Math Schoology pages to see their specific weekly goal. Students can monitor their own progress by checking their topic reports in ALEKS. For questions about ALEKS topic goals, please reach out to your student’s grade level math teacher, our school Math Specialist, Ms. Moffitt (Maleita.Moffitt@fcps.org), or our school Math Department Chair, Ms. Dickson (ashley.dickson@fcps.org).
Students should be checking their grade reports on Schoology weekly to see updates regarding missing/re-do work. If there are any questions regarding student grades, please reach out to your student’s grade level math teacher.
Advanced Academics
Attention 8th grade families interested in the IB program at UHS:
the application for the upcoming school year is open to all interested 8th grade students
The deadline for all application materials (including teacher recommendation forms) is Friday, December 5 at 2:30pm
See website for more information: https://sites.google.com/fcps.org/international-baccalaureate-pr/home/application-information
Middle School Young Author’s Contest Information:
Attention students in 6th through 8th grades! Write a poem or short story to enter in the Young Author’s Contest at the school level. Winning entries move on to the county level!
Contest Parameters:
Entries must be original work.
All entries must use a 12 point font in Times New Roman.
A short story entry must range between 600-1,600 words.
A poem entry will consist of a single poem, any style, and it must range between 25-200 words.
Entries must not include graphics.
Each entry must include a completed cover sheet signed by the student author’s parent.
There will be winners for poems and short stories at each grade level.
Entries are due December 3! If you have any questions, talk with ELA teachers.
Frederick County Public Library-teen calendar link: https://frederick.librarycalendar.com/events/month?age_groups%5B60%5D=60&branches%5B86%5D=86
Christine Brown | Middle School Advanced Academics Teacher Specialist
Serving Ballenger Creek MS & Brunswick MS
Office Location: Ballenger Creek MS
Media Center And Technology
Teen Winter Reading Challenge:
C. Burr Artz Library just launched a Teen Winter Reading Challenge. Ms. Lungociu, our Media Specialist, is promoting and assisting with the challenge. Let's encourage our students to participate.
Facts About The Teen Winter Reading Challenge:
- Runs from November 3rd to January 5th
- For every 5 days read, readers get a raffle ticket
- Students will see Lungociu for raffle tickets and put in a bin. They will be picked up by C. Burr Artz Library before the drawing.
- After 20 days of reading, participants can pick out a free book (a C. Burr Artz Librarian will bring books for student to choose from - date TBD)
- Raffle drawing will be on January 6
Raffle prizes:
- My Hero Academia Vol 1-20
- City of Bone Vol 1-6
- Noragami Vol 1-17
- Stardew Valley (Nintendo Switch)
*Prizes will be delivered directly to Ballenger Creek Middle School for any BCMS winners.*
Please use the following link for updates and information regarding the Media Center and Technology: https://secure.smore.com/n/7pd81
- Jenn Lungociu
Fellowship Of Christian Athletes
Our school is only as good as its volunteers, so if you want to be a part of something bigger than yourself and helpful to the school, think about joining the PTSA, Membership is $10 for the year. If you are interested please contact ballengercreekms.ptsa@gmail.com.
BCMS VOLUNTEERS are needed!
Interested family and community members should be directed to the FCPS Volunteer Webpage to follow the new onboarding process found below:
· Complete a registration form.
· Complete one training module on Unified Talent.
· Await school approval on application.
· Once approved, sign-up for volunteer opportunities facilitated by individual schools.
**Please note, this is an annual process and must be completed every school year. To avoid delays, volunteer applicants should only apply once and can be added to multiple schools AFTER initial building approval. Additionally, we are advising all prospective volunteers that they must complete the registration form and training using the exact same full name and email address each time. Using nicknames, abbreviations, hyphen variations, or alternate spellings or email addresses will create delays in import.
BCMS Clothing Giveaway
It’s that time again. The BCMS annual clothing giveaway is coming on December 8th, 5-7:30pm. I am looking for volunteers to help set up and tear down. To help with set-up please be here by 3:30pm. Those assisting with tearing down should be done by 8:30pm. To help, you must complete the online volunteer registration process.
Thank You, ~Kathleen Rogers, Community Liaison for BCMS
Winter Concerts
Snow may soon be falling and the weather is truly chilling, but your hearts will be warmed by the music department's Winter Concerts. Join us on December 15th for the Instrumental Concert and December 17th for the Chorus Concert at BCMS. Both concerts start at 6pm. We hope you will come support one or both, as we celebrate not just the holidays season, but season of winter in general. Admission is free for both concerts. We hope to see you there!
Congratulations All County Students
Congratulations to the following students for making All County for the 2025-2026 school year! It was a tough competition season and the students at BCMS really showed the county judges the quality of musicianship we have blooming here:
Myra Agbenyikey
Christelle Ayivon
Estelle Ayivon
Aissatou Barry
Grace Cheng
Amaya Darrell
Bruce Edelin
Lillian Francis
Kaelyn Gallardo
Holly Gebremariam
Andersen Irons
Andrew Kirchhoff
Katie Kwon
Jaxson Moore
Alice Rupp
Tristan Sagbo
Jenavieve Tippets
Angela Vallecillo Rangel
Troubling Social Media Trends
Parents and guardians, please be aware that social media users are participating in the “Picked my Date” trend on Tik Tok to post their suicide date.
The state’s attorney shared that there is a 200% increase in online sadistic exploitation, where people are telling kids to harm themselves, others, younger siblings, etc.
Youth are being targeted through SnapChat, Instagram, Discord, TikTok, Reddit, WhatsApp, YouTube, and video games with messaging options, like Roblox.
Please take some time to monitor your child's social media accounts and to talk with them about their mental health and wellbeing.
Mark Your Calendars And Save The Date!
This year BCMS will present a production of The Mysterious Murder at Manchester Manor. Play dates are as follows:
Friday, January 30th, 7pm
Saturday January 31st, 1pm
Saturday January 31st, 6pm
School Year 2025-2026
As we begin the school year, we wanted to provide a reminder about school meals.
In 2025-26, the price for meals is $1.75 for breakfast and $2.80 for lunch for elementary school students and $2.00 for breakfast and $3.05 for lunch for middle and high school students.
To apply for free and reduced-price meals, Visit the FCPS Food Service online parent portal at www.linqconnect.com and click on School Services and then select Free & Reduced Meal Application.
BCMS Spirit Wear Is Here!
Our BCMS Spirit Wear Store is finally OPEN!
Click the link below to see the store.
https://teamlocker.squadlocker.com/stores/ballenger-creek-middle-school-spiritwear-2724241
If you are looking for a specific item and can't find what you want, let us know! We can try to add more items if there is demand, and if our vendor offers that option.
-The BCMS PTSA Board
Volunteer Registration And Training Now Available
Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) is thrilled to partner with family and community members who are interested in joining efforts to support our students and schools with their time and talents by way of volunteering.
Last year, we welcomed over 12,700 volunteers into our school system contributing over 76,550 volunteer hours.
THANK YOU!
This year, FCPS collected the feedback from our volunteers and staff to modify the volunteer process, while prioritizing the safety and security of our students, staff and community. As a result, we have streamlined the process of registration and training to be completed by all volunteers across the county. All volunteers will be equipped with the necessary information they need to partner with our schools.
Family and community members interested in volunteering should begin the volunteer process by visiting our FCPS Volunteer Webpage. Applicants will be directed to:
Complete a registration form.
Complete a training module on Unified Talent.
Await school approval on application.
Sign-up for volunteer opportunities facilitated by individual schools.
*Complete only ONE registration form per person. Additional school selections may be added after original approval.
Please note: To avoid delays, you must complete the registration form and training using the exact same full name and email address each time. Do not use nicknames, abbreviations, hyphen variations, or alternate spellings or email addresses.
The volunteer registration and training process is completed annually for each school year. Volunteers must complete the process before being signed up for volunteer opportunities. FCPS encourages family and community members interested in volunteering to complete the process early as processing times can vary.
For technical support in Unified Talent, volunteer applicants may contact unifiedtalent@fcps.org. For all other volunteer related questions, volunteer applicants may contact: FCPSVolunteers@fcps.org. FCPS is grateful for the generous support from our family and community volunteers.
Click here for the FCPS Volunteer Webpage.
Be sure to consult the Frederick County Public Schools parent handbook and calendar for important dates and observances.
For a copy of the FCPS 2025-2026 SY Calendar, click here.