Turtle Talk 11/7/2025

A word about our WAAG - Watershed also uses a cultural calendar to ensure visibility of all holidays, holy days, and national days of recognition, across various backgrounds. Watershed continues to be a space of learning, dialogue, and safety for all people. If you have a comment or correction regarding the WAAG, please contact our Turtle Talk editor, Sage Magness-Hill.

BCPS Daily Menu: https://bcps.nutrislice.com/menu/bcps-weekly-menus

We are grateful to be able to continue our experience of outdoor learning with all students! From paper planes and physics with Mr. Kyle’s 5/6 science classes to the amazing PTO fall fest this afternoon from our PTO. Together with our community, Watershed is making a splash on the education scene! The Maryland State Department of Education has released the 2025 Maryland Report Card, and we are proud to share that Watershed maintained its 4-star rating with our middle school achieving a 91st percentile rank, and our Elementary at the 68th percentile. We know that our school is only here because of YOU and your commitment to your child’s growth and development through environmental education – your continued connection with staff and the support of the Watershed Mission and Vision is crucial to our success!

Thankful for Communication: November 18 is conference day for all grades - kindergarten through eighth! Please make sure to use this time to be in communication with your child's teacher about their progress through the first quarter. And then join us for our first Unit Showcase at 4:30 pm!

Thankful for Pets: We love our fur babies! Please do not bring them to school without prior approval from school leadership. We have many moving parts that are not fair to our fur babies if they are not properly trained to be in large crowds. Please do not bring dogs, cats, birds, hamsters, rats, ferrets, or any other fur baby that is not already living on campus (the chickens are not furry, and the goats from Fall Fest were preapproved!)

Thankful For Breakfast: We are thankful that so many of our students are coming to breakfast each day! Please remember that Watershed Staff do not supervise students until 7:45 am. Students who are 9 years and older may be on campus waiting before that time. Students who are 8 years and under must have a 13 years or older caregiver with them if they are waiting before 7:45 am.

Thankful for Support: We know that the impact of the federal government shutdown has a ripple effect. If you are directly or indirectly impacted, please know that there is support we can connect with you - below are community resources:

Capital Area Food Bank

211 Maryland

Maryland Benefits Programs & Services Portal

Maryland Workers Impacted by the Federal Government Shutdown

Cornerstone Franciscan Ministries- Housing Assistance for students in Community Schools

Watershed is excited to announce a partnership with the Baltimore County Public Library. On the first Tuesday of every month, the BCPL Bookmobile will visit Watershed at dismissal from 3:00-4:00 to give students a chance to borrow library materials. All Baltimore County students have a library card and can check out up to 5 books with no late fines. These books can be returned to any Baltimore County Public Library when they are finished or returned to the Bookmobile on their next visit to Watershed. Our first visit will be Tuesday, November 4th. The Bookmobile will be set up in the back/side of the building closest to the fields. Save the dates for future visits, December 2nd, January 6th, February 3rd, March 3rd, No visit in April (Spring Break), and May 5th.

Hello 3rd-5th graders! Black Excellence after-school club is starting soon. This club will be for all students who are interested in studying Black history and make great projects for a county-wide showcase! Look out for a sign-up flyer that will be sent home soon.

• Always park in a parking space - never the fire lane or in a non-line spot - to pick up your child.
• Slow and steady wins the race (it's how the tortoise beat the hare!) - please make sure your speed is between 5-10 mph on the lot.
• When there is the food pantry at the church, please avoid parking at the end of the parking spot lines so that the pantry line moves easily.

We are working with Baltimore County Public Schools and County Government to look at adding traffic calming measures. We hope to have an update from that collaboration soon! Your patience and support is appreciated!

Every year, Watershed participates in a challenge to recycle plastic bags. In 2024-2025, the Watershed community recycled 555 pounds of plastic! Last school year, we got even closer to our goal! A new challenge year begins September 10th and our school's goal is to recycle 1,000 pounds of plastic! There are 2 large white containers outside of the front office to deposit your plastic recycling. Here is a list of items that are accepted: produce bags, store bags, ice bags, Ziploc and other re-sealable bags, cereal box liners, bread bags, newspaper sleeves, dry cleaning bags, bubble wrap and plastic shipping mailers.

Any questions, please email Nurse Flor at ftorres@bcps.org

Seasonal allergies are an immune system response to airborne allergens such as pollen, dust mites, and mold. Ragweed pollen, mold spores and dust mites are the source of allergens during fall season. Symptoms occur when airborne irritants enter the eyes, nose, and throat, setting off allergic reactions that include itchy red eyes, itchy, stuffy, or runny nose, sore throat, cough and dark circles under the eyes.

Ways to minimize seasonal allergy triggers:

• Wash their hands and faces as soon as they come in from playing outside. • Better yet, have your child take a shower or bath right away after coming from outside or coming home from school.

• If showering or bathing is not possible, have your child change clothes right away, to prevent transfer of allergens from their clothes to the inside of the house like couch or bed and outside shoes should stay outside for the same reason.

• Consult with your pediatrician or Health care provider (HCP) for the appropriate medication, typically antihistamines, that can help in decreasing or stopping symptoms. Most of the medications are over the counter.

• Although Benadryl is an antihistamine, it is not usually prescribed by HCP as a first line of medication due to its side effect, which is drowsiness.

• Antihistamines should be taken until the fall season is over, until you stop seeing symptoms when no longer taking the medication. Most antihistamine medications take a couple of days to be fully effective.

Hand, Foot & Mouth Disease is a common viral illness in children. We have recently seen an increase in cases throughout Baltimore County as often occurs in late summer and fall.

Here is some information about Hand, Foot & Mouth (HFM) disease:

• It is caused by a virus.
• People infected with HFM often have tiny blisters in their mouths and on the palms of the hands and bottom of feet. These blisters often last for 7-10 days. Most people with HFM have very mild symptoms, but some can develop a fever.
• It’s most common among younger children.
• It is easily spread between people. Virus can be found in feces, as well as saliva. If the blisters break, the fluid in the blisters is also infectious.
• People are most contagious at the beginning of the infection, but sometimes they can spread the infection for several weeks.

Fortunately, HFM disease is usually very mild. Children with HFM disease may attend school unless:

• They have a fever of 100ºF or greater. They may return to school when the fever is gone for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medicine.
• They are drooling, have “uncontrollable hand to mouth” behaviors, or have draining sores that cannot be covered with a bandage.

To reduce the spread, parents, students and staff should:

• Wash their hands often and thoroughly with soap and water, including after going to the bathroom, changing diapers, arriving home and before eating or feeding a child.
• Wash objects that are contaminated with saliva with soapy water.
• Cover all coughs and sneezes.

If you or your child exhibits symptoms listed above, such as a fever (100 ºF or higher) or has unexplained blisters on the skin, please consult your health care provider.

• 24 hrs. fever-free without the use of any medication
• 24 hrs. diarrhea-free
• 24 hrs. vomit-free

Clothes: Please make sure you have extra clothes (including underwear and socks) in your child's book bag. If Nurse Flor loaned your student clothes, please return the clothes to Nurse Flor once washed/cleaned, please and thank you! The nurse's suite currently doesn't have any more pants to lend for any age.

Garden Class is looking for donations! We've been busy these first few weeks of school - clearing out weed foes from our raised beds and working to get a compost system up and running. Now that it's fall, we've got some leafy greens and garlic planted by Watershed students and growing in the garden. The following supplies will help us keep pests off our greens and keep them protected and nourished: neem oil, fish emulsion fertilizer, and white ag fabric (such as those pictured above). I can't wait to see what these students create in the garden! - Ms. Bolling

Do you love history and diversity? We need a diverse group of students to participate in the Black Excellence program October - February! The program is designed to engage students in the people, places, and events important to the Black experience.

The program has three main components:

• Part 1: Book Study: Students will study books related to the Black experience, such as The Remarkable Story of George Moses Horton by Don Tate and The Secret Garden of George Washington Carver by Gene Barretta.
• Part 2: Competition: A school-based competition where students work in teams to share their knowledge of Black history. The competition will have two rounds, with questions based on provided resources and the book study.
• Part 3: Student Presentation: Students will research and create a presentation in response to an assigned statement related to Black history. Presentations will be shared at the school and possibly at a district-level event.

Interest forms will be out soon. If you have questions, please see Mrs. McLean.

As we settle into the school year, there’s so much to celebrate and look forward to on our campus. From exciting progress on the Upper School Modulars to the launch of our 2026–2027 enrollment season, our community is continuing to grow and thrive. Thank you for your patience, flexibility, and partnership—you play an essential role in making all of this possible.

Progress continues on the new Watershed Upper School building as we move closer to the start of construction! Approvals for the sediment, erosion control, and water management plans are nearly complete, with final signatures expected soon.

The project team is also finalizing required payments and permits, including the stormwater management variance, to keep the timeline on track. Our general contractor, New Edge, is preparing for next steps once the grading permit is issued.

Installation planning for the building’s fire protection system is underway, with coordination among the architect, contractors, and project managers to finalize details. Construction is expected to begin shortly after the final permit approvals are received. We’ll continue to share updates as the project advances and milestones are reached!

We hope you enjoyed meeting members of our Board at the Fall Fest “Meet a Board Member” table! Be sure to stop by the Board table again at the Unit 1 Showcase on November 18—we look forward to connecting with you!

Watershed students—earning Service Learning Hours—are partnering with the Watershed PTO to plan and run the annual Food Drive to support St. Gabriel Church’s Food Bank from November 17–21.

Please consider donating non-perishable food items if you are able. The St. Gabriel Food Bank distributes food for those experiencing food insecurity on:

• The first Wednesday of each month, 4:30–6:00 p.m.

• Every subsequent Thursday, 4:30–6:00 p.m.

For more information, please contact the Food Bank at 443-328-2323.

The enrollment window for the 2026–2027 school year is now open through January 15, 2026! Applications and details are available on our website. Please help spread the word—our families are always our best ambassadors!

Watershed will host four open houses this fall for prospective families. Sign-up information is available online with the application: https://forms.gle/9wnDUTjRwVzFGsG59

Towson University students will be on campus Wednesday and Thursday afternoons through December, helping with outdoor projects and activities—please give them a warm Watershed welcome if you see them around!

On Tuesday, November 18, the electric connection for the small construction trailer (part of the Upper School Modulars project) will be completed. Since November 18 is a Conference Day, this work will not impact the school day.

Thank you to everyone who attended the October Watershed Board Meeting! Please click here for the October 2025 Board Meeting Minutes.

All Watershed community members are welcome to attend both in-person and virtual Board meetings, held on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 6:00 p.m.

Ideas/Questions/Concerns Contact us at PTO@watershedpto.org