Dear Bells Mill Community,
As we wrap up the school year, I wanted to share my appreciation to the parents, teachers, administrators and broader school community who supported PTA this year. We are lucky to have strong membership, generous supporters, and dedicated volunteers committed to our school.
With your help we were able to support more than 50 programs and activities to support our children’s education and student experience at Bells Mill. To help build community we planned events such as the Back to School Picnic, Outdoor Movie Night, Magic & Muffins, Family BINGO Night, Talent Show, and last week’s Bells Mill Bash. We also provided opportunities for learning outside the classroom with Science Fair & STEM Night and GeoBowl. To improve your students’ academic experience, we provided classroom funding to support all teachers, purchased $5,000 in additional instructional materials, and provided student planners. We celebrated diversity during our International Festival and cultural arts assembles. We improved the student experience with recess equipment and a dedicated group of lunch and recess volunteers, provided welcome bags for incoming kindergarteners, gave funding for 5th grade end of year activities, and thanked our dedicated patrols by paying for them to attend the county’s end-of-year Patrol Picnic. We also provided funding for the Student Wellness Classroom and ordered two funnel ball hoops that will be installed for next school year. We raised funds with read-a-thon, spirit wear, and our donation campaign. We celebrated our amazing staff with treats and tokens of appreciation throughout the year! Finally, we advocated for BMES students and staff as active participants in the Montgomery County Council of PTAs (MCCPTA). What a great year!
This week we were pleased to submit our application for the National PTA School of Excellence Program. More than 50 families completed our final survey, which showed that 69% of respondents believed that PTA always strengthened the school community and always improved the educational experience at Bells Mill. We couldn’t be more grateful! So many volunteers contribute to this — either by leading an activity, keeping our website running, volunteering to pass out pizza or set up tables, giving your lunch hour to spend it with our kids at recess, or supporting our fundraisers. THANK YOU! We also want to thank our teachers for their support of PTA.
None of this would be possible without the dedicated work of our PTA Board of Directors who dedicate so much time for the benefit of all of our students. My deepest thanks go out to this group for their dedication, candor, compassion, and commitment to excellence: Amanda Klueger — VP for Community Events, Deb Palisin — VP for Communications & Family Engagement, Devin Donaldson — VP for Membership & Fundraising, Varsha Morar – VP for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Alison Jacknowitz — Treasurer, Jessica McClellan — Secretary, Karen Lust — MCCPTA Delegate, Erin Penfold — MCCPTA Delegate, and Dr. Smith — Principal. If you see them this summer, please say thanks as our children have all benefited from their efforts! I’ve been honored to work with you all this year!
This summer the PTA Board will begin planning for next school year and will be looking for volunteers for next year’s activities! Please consider getting involved! It’s a great way to get to know other families and the school, in addition to supporting your child’s education. After two years as president, I look forward to passing the baton to Deb Palisin, the next president, and working under her leadership! Our PTA is in great hands! Wishing the entire BMES community a great summer!
With Gratitude,
Debbie Fleischer, BMES PTA President (’22-’23) / BMES PTA Secretary (’23-’24)