Please see below for the Spotlight for the week of November 11. You can also click here for a PDF version.
Week Ahead:
Mon., Nov. 11 Early Release, 1:00 pm (parent conferences as scheduled)
NO HEAD START
Food Drive now through Nov. 19
Tues., Nov. 12 Early Release, 1:00 pm (parent conferences as scheduled)
NO HEAD START
FluMist Clinic in the Health Room, by appointment
Guitar, 3:30-4:30, rm. 165
Wed., Nov. 13 Report Cards Distributed
Beginning/Intermediate French, 8:00 am, rm. 240
Spanish Intro, 8:15 am, rm. 212
Beginning Spanish, 3:30-4:30, rm. 235
OM Giraffes, 3:30, rm. 154
Principal’s Tea for 4/5 Parents, 7:00 pm, APR
Thur., Nov. 14 Beginning Chinese, 3:30-4:30, rm. 218
I9 Sports Soccer, 3:30-4:30
First meeting of Parent Resource Group, Media Center, 7:00-8:00 pm (see details below)
Fri., Nov. 15 Intermediate Spanish, 8:00 am, rm. 239
Play-Well TEKnologies Lego, 3:30, rm. 163
Bingo Night, 7:00 pm, APR
A Look Ahead
Nov. 21 Gr. 2 to Strathmore Concert
Head Start Parent Meeting, 10:00 am, rm. 165
Nov. 27 Early Release Day, dismissal at 1:00 pm
Nov. 28 & 29 Thanksgiving Holiday, school closed
Monday and Tuesday, November 11 and 12, are Early Release Days. Dismissal is at 1:00 pm on both days. No Head Start.
- Gr. 4/5 parents are invited to the Principal’s Tea on Wednesday, November 13, 7:00-8:00 pm in the APR. Please feel free to send Mr. Meiners any questions via email ( [email protected] ) or note for topics you would like to have addressed. This is an informal evening that provides you with an opportunity to ask questions that are specific to the Gr. 4/5 programs.
- The PTA is introducing a new Parent Resource Group for parents of children with special needs to discuss navigating available community resources with greater ease, hear speakers, and more. The first meeting of this new PTA-sponsored group is on Thursday, November 14, 7:00-8:00 pm, in the Media Center. This group will be facilitated by Diana Gallagher who has successfully completely the LEADers special education advocacy training. She is also the BMES special needs chair, local representative for county SEAC, and the mother of a special needs child. Questions, contact Diana Gallagher at [email protected] .
- Parent-Teacher Conferences are held on the two early release days, November 11 and 12, 2013. Please contact your child’s teacher and schedule a conference to discuss your child’s progress. Your involvement in education is critical to your child’s success. Dismissal is at 1:00 pm on both days.
- Bells Mill will offer a Flu-Mist Clinic on the early release day, November 12. Only a few appointments are still available. To schedule a time for your Bells Mill student to receive the vaccine, please call Mrs. Messina in the health room (301-469-1248). A parent/guardian must accompany the child.
- From now until November 19, Gr. 2 Brownie Troop 2794 is holding a food drive for A Wider Circle. A donation bin is located near the main office door. Most needed items are whole grain pasta, cereal, beans and canned fruits and vegetables, but all donations are welcome.
- The cafeteria salad bar is now offered 5 days a week to students in Grades 1-5. Students purchasing a lunch can visit the salad bar as a part of the purchased lunch for no extra charge. The salad bar replaces the side items that go along with the main entrée, or students can continue to choose the side items and not the salad bar; their choice. Additionally, students may purchase a salad separately at a cost of 43 cents per ounce. No preordering required.
- Student photos were sent home in backpacks. Make Up Portrait Day is scheduled for December 4 for children who missed the original Portrait Day and for those who want a retake. Children who were absent will be photographed for the yearbook. If you wish to order photos, forms are available in the office. If you are not pleased with your child’s photo and wish to have it retaken, please have your child return the photo packet to the photographer on Make Up Portrait Day.
- Save the Date! MCPS State of the Schools Event is set for November 11. Superintendent Joshua P. Starr will deliver his second State of the Schools address on Monday, November 11, at the Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, Bethesda. This free event will take place from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m. and will feature artwork and performances by MCPS students. Visit the State of the Schools website at www.mcpsstateoftheschools.org for more information and to RSVP.
- Are you thinking of purchasing a piano? Schaeffer Piano Co. in Rockville is holding its annual sale of specially-priced pianos to MCPS families, Friday and Saturday, November 15 and 16, 2013. Call for an appointment, 301-424-1147. On Sunday, November 17, the sale will be open to the general public.
- Tune in for an Education Town Hall, Thursday, November 21, 7:00-8:00 pm on Maryland Public TV. Get an informative look at the new Common Core State Standards, and learn how students are being prepared in today’s classroom for college, career and the workplace of tomorrow.
- Students in Grades K-5 can explore the arts by participating in Reflections, an arts program sponsored by our PTA in conjunction with the National PTA. This year’s theme is “Believe, Dream, Inspire.” Interested students may create an original work in any of the following categories: dance, film, music, literature, photography and visual arts. Deadline for entries is November 27. For details contact Stefie Heideman, Bells Mill PTA Reflections Chair, at [email protected] .
- Register now for Saturday School. The George B. Thomas, Sr. Learning Academy is a small local nonprofit known to most as Saturday School. Each Saturday morning their staff and volunteers provide tutoring and mentoring support to thousands of students. Saturday School is offered now through May at 12 locations throughout the county. Registration fee is $50, $30 for students receiving free/reduced price meals. For more information visit www.saturdayschool.org, or pick up a form in the Bells Mill office.
- Superintendent Joshua Starr is recommending that MCPS consider changing school starting and ending times, also known as bell times. Dr. Starr is recommending that high schools start 50 minutes later, middle schools start 10 minutes earlier, and that the elementary school day be extended by 30 minutes. MCPS would like to hear from you on this proposal. The district will provide various opportunities for members of the community to provide input, including community forums, focus groups, surveys, Neighbor-to-Neighbor discussions, and email ([email protected]). Upcoming forums are as follows:
–Monday, December 16: Richard Montgomery HS, 250 Richard Montgomery Dr., Rockville
-Monday, January 6: Seneca Valley HS, 19401 Crystal Rock Dr., Germantown
–Monday, February 10: Montgomery Blair HS, 51 University Blvd., East, Silver Spring
Free child care (ages 4 and older) and interpretation services will be provided. For information about the bell times proposal and ways you can provide input, visit www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org, search “bell times.”
Thank you for being partners in your child’s education.