Week Ahead:
Mon., Mar. 11 MD State Assessments, Gr. 3/4 Math
Language Stars, 3:30-4:30 pm, rm. 236
Lego Cyber-Robotics, 3:30-4:30 pm, rm. 153
Art, 3:30-4:30 pm, rm. 163
Gr. 1 Boy Scouts, 3:30-4:30 pm, rm. 235
Talent Show Tryouts, 3:30-5:00 pm, gym (students must have a signed permission form)
Gr. 3 & 4 Math Curriculum Mtgs–Gr. 3 Parents at 6:00 pm and Gr. 4 Parents at 7:15 pm, Media Center
Tues., Mar. 12 MD State Assessments, Gr. 3/4 Math
K Daisies, 3:30-4:45 pm, rm. 129
Big Learning Engineering, 3:30-4:30 pm, rm. 163
Lego Engineering, 3:30-4:30 pm, rm. 121
Reading Kids Network, 3:30-4:30 pm, Media Center
Basketball, 3:30-4:30 pm, gym
Wed., Mar. 13 MD State Assessments, Gr. 5 Math
Beginning French, 8:00-9:00 am, rm. 218
Intermediate Spanish, 8:00-9:00 am, rm. 223
Grade 3 Brownies, 3:30-4:45 pm
Grade 1 Daisies, 3:30-4:45 pm
Grade 2 Brownies, 3:30-4:45 pm
Beginning Spanish, 3:30-4:30 pm, rm. 223
Power Hour, 3:30-4:30 pm, rm. 164
Chess, 3:30-4:45, Media Center
Thur., Mar. 14 MD State Assessments, Gr. 5 Math
Reading Kids Network, 3:30-4:30 pm, Media Center
Basketball, 3:30-4:45, gym
Kung Fu, 3:30-4:30 pm, rm. 121
Chemistry K/1, 3:30-4:30 pm, 163
Chemistry 2/3, 3:30-4:30 pm, 219
Talent Show Mandatory Dress Rehearsal, 3:30-5:00 pm, gym
Fri., Mar. 15 Wear your school colors
Talent Show, 6:30-8:30 pm, APR
Have a great weekend!
Don’t forget to set your clocks ahead 1 hour
A Look Ahead
Mar. 19 Bells Mill Night at California Tortilla to support Gr. 5 end of year activities
Mar. 21 Potomac Pizza Night to benefit Odyssey of the Mind program
Mar. 25-Apr. 1 No School for Students and Teachers, Spring Break and Easter Holiday
Apr. 2 No School for Students, Professional Day for Teachers
- Attention parents of 3rd, 4th and 5th graders, Maryland State Assessments (MSA) schedule has changed due to last week’s snow day. Please note new dates on the schedule below. We encourage students to eat a healthy breakfast, come to school on time, and be well-rested for testing. Testing will last all morning. Students who are absent due to illness will have the opportunity to make up all or part of the tests. Parents, please refrain from making appointments for your students during these important testing dates:
Gr. 3 and 4 Math—Mon., Mar. 11, Tues., Mar. 12 Gr. 5 Math—Wed., Mar. 13, Thurs., Mar. 14
Make-ups—Fri., Mar. 15
- Attention Grade 3 and Grade 4 parents. Due to cancellations, we are rescheduling the parent math curriculum meetings for both grade levels. The new schedule is as follows:
- Grade 3 Parent Meeting to learn about the tree for identifying students for the compacted curriculum—Monday, March 11, 6:00-7:00 pm, in the Media Center
- Grade 4 Parent Meeting to learn about the transition to Math Curriculum 2.0 in Grade 5— Monday, March 11, 7:15-8:15 pm, in the Media Center
- Potomac Pizza Night that was originally scheduled for Wednesday, March 6, has been rescheduled for Thursday, March 21, 4:00 pm-closing. Join Bells Mill families and friends at Potomac Pizza, and 20% of the evening’s proceeds from eat-in and carry out orders will benefit the Bells Mill Odyssey of the Mind program. Potomac Pizza also offers healthy salads, sandwiches, subs, and more. Be sure to tell your server or the person taking your phone order that you are with Bells Mill.
- The Head Start Program is accepting applications for their pre-K program. Students must be income eligible and four years of age by September 1, 2013. Information/applications, call the Head Start office at 301-230-0676.
- All 3rd, 4th and 5th graders are invited to participate in the Geography Bowl. Study packets will be handed out to students on March 15. Students who wish to try out for their class team will take a quiz during the week of April 22 (all students who take the quiz will receive a prize). The four top scorers in each class will comprise the class team. Teams will compete in the Geography Bowl May 21-23. The class with the winning team will receive a Baskin-Robbins ice cream party. For more details, visit the PTA website.
- Bells Mill Has Talent! Our 5th annual Talent Show is Friday, March 15, 2013, 6:30-8:30 pm, in the APR. Tryouts are Monday, March 11, 3:30-5:00 pm, in the gym. Mandatory rehearsal is Thursday, March 14, 3:30-5:00 pm, in the gym. No transportation is available. Every student who auditions will be included in the show. Pink information flyers/permission forms went home in backpacks. The form is also available on the PTA website. https://bellsmill.org . Please complete the permission form portion of the flyer and have your child bring it to tryouts on Monday, March 11. All performances must be appropriate for elementary-age children. Questions, call Latisha Gasaway at 301-977-9393 or [email protected] .
- It’s time to order the Bells Mill yearbook. Order online by logging on to ybpay.lifetouch.com . Enter job # 11371913 which will take you to a secure order site for Bells Mills ES. Early order by March 22 and the cost is $22. From March 23 to April 12 the cost is $27. Please order by April 12.
- MCPS will be conducting a parent engagement survey beginning on March 1 that will focus on parent and guardian perceptions of their child’s school and education. The information provided will help our schools better understand your involvement in your child’s education and improve connections between schools and families. A random sample of families at all grade levels in each MCPS school will be asked to participate in the survey. If you are selected, the information will be sent directly to your home with instructions on how to complete the survey. The survey will be available March 1 through May 24, 2013. The survey is translated into six languages: Amharic, Chinese, French, Korean, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Families will receive the survey in the language they have indicated is spoken at home.
- The Japan Fair, sponsored by the Montgomery County Recreation Department and Sakura Educational Exchange, will be held on Saturday, March 23, 1:00-5:00 pm, at the Bauer Drive Community Center, 14625 Bauer Dr., Rockville. High school students from Japan will present traditional dance and theatrical performances. Other activities include Japanese Tea Ceremony, calligraphy, origami, martial arts and more. FREE and open to the public.
- Mark your calendars. There is no school March 25 through April 2 due to spring break, Easter holiday, and professional day for teachers. See you back at school on Wednesday, April 3.
- Read three books and get a free ticket to a Frederick Keys baseball game! Bells Mill students have been participating in the Keys for Reading Program. Red bookmarks/tickets and flyers explaining the rules were sent home with each student. Students who read the three books required w/ parent signature can soon turn in the red bookmark for a free ticket to attend a Frederick Keys game anytime during the weekend of April 5-7. Directions for turning in the red bookmark/ticket for a free ticket are explained on the back of the bookmark. Additional discounted parent and sibling tickets can be purchased for the game. Bells Mill staff and students hope to have a big crowd for the Sunday, April 7, game day. There will be a parade on the field starting at 1:30 for all the kids who participated. The game starts at 2:00. We hope to see many families there rooting for the Keys!
- The 2013 Bells Mill Science Fair is scheduled for Friday, April 19, 7:00-8:30 pm, APR. There will be a Science Fair Help Night on Thursday, March 21, 6:30-7:30 pm, in the Media Center. Come to the meeting and get answers to your questions, develop ideas for projects, and learn the guidelines for science fair projects. All students in grades K-5 are invited to participate. Participation is voluntary, but you must register your child online by Tuesday, April 9. For science fair guidelines, resources and to register, visit the PTA website at https://bellsmill.org . Volunteers needed. To volunteer or ask questions, contact Adrian Marques at [email protected] .
- G/T Global Screening Grade 3 & testing of new-to-MCPS students and rescreening of students in Grades 3-5–We are still collecting data for the G/T Global Screening. This is a process required by the State of Maryland to provide additional data to assist us in providing appropriate instructional programming for students. Sometime in late May/early June we will hold a parent meeting to discuss this process and the instructional implications for your student. Following that meeting parents will receive a letter with their child’s individual results. We will post the date and time of the meeting in the Spotlight.