Ballenger Creek MS Newsletter
February '23
Message from Mr. Schill
Dear Ballenger Creek Middle Families,
I hope that you and your loved ones are well. Being an educator--more specifically, a middle school educator--is challenging and rewarding work. So is serving as a middle school principal. However, many of you reading this know of a calling that is probably even more challenging and rewarding: being a parent.
I’ve long maintained that before I became a parent 22 years ago, I was a pretty effective teacher. Once I became a parent, however, I grew to become an even better teacher. In addition, while some people who don’t have children of their own are very effective administrators, I personally know I could never have served as an assistant principal, then principal, without being a parent. I needed that life-changing experience.
People can describe in great detail about what it’s like to be a parent, but one still doesn’t fully understand what it means until you feel what it’s like to be a parent. The love; the joy; the exhaustion (especially when they’re really young); the pride; the frustration; and sometimes, the fear when our children are in crisis or struggling.
Please know that you’re not alone when times are challenging with your children. We know that there are many books on parenting, but nobody has written the book that describes precisely how to be a parent to each of our children. They are unique--and that’s both a beautiful and sometimes frustrating reality. We understand that each of your children that you entrust to us every day is your baby. When they leave your house each day, part of your heart goes out the door with them.
Our BCMS team is committed to partnering with you however we can to benefit your children. Not sure where to go or what to do with a specific situation? You’re welcome to reach out to me, our assistant principals, or our school counselors, and we’ll problem solve--including getting the right people involved in the discussion to help your child through the inevitable rough patches of adolescence.
It may not always be easy, but working together, we’ve got this.
Sincerely,
Jay Schill
Principal, BCMS
8th grade parents: The Precious Moments section is open and ready to be filled with baby pictures of your 8th grade students. Pictures will be accepted until Friday, March 31st. Send them to Windy.schmidt@fcps.org in a jpeg format. Your picture and student’s name will need to be included in the email to be featured in the Yearbook.
8th Graders
As we head into 8th grade’s last semester here at BCMS, we have an exciting announcement! We will be planning an 8th grade field trip to Downtown Frederick on Wednesday, April 16th, 2023.
This field trip will give our 8th grade students a great opportunity to explore Frederick and learn about Frederick's rich history. Throughout the school year, the students have been learning about major events in U.S. history and now they will be able to connect those major themes with their local history.
On Wednesday, April 26th we will have a field trip to Rose Hill Manor and various historical sites in Downtown Frederick. We are looking for several parents/guardians to help us facilitate this amazing opportunity! If you are interested in chaperoning, please click on this link and complete the form.
6th and 7th Grade
It is hard to believe that the year is halfway over! The 6th and 7th-grade team is excited to continue working with your students for the rest of the year to prepare them for 7th and 8th grade and beyond.
Administration visited students in history class recently to remind them of school expectations and procedures at the halfway point of the year.
Please remind your students to charge their Chromebooks every night, remove hats/hoods when entering the school building, keep phones away during the school day, and avoid touching others.
We hope that these reminders will help students make the most of the rest of this year!
Math Inventory Celebration
Based on county data for all 14 middle school who have taken the Math Inventory for the winter testing window, Ballenger Creek’s progress was very impressive! The Math Inventory is taken at the beginning, middle and end of the school year. It gives us information on how much the student has grown in their math skills. Based on total school growth, we came in second in the county. In a year’s time, for 6th graders to be on track with anticipated growth, we look for a gain of 85-130 points for the ENTIRE school year. The average for the 6th graders is already 84 points. The 7th and 8th grade classes were first in the county for growth achieved! We at Ballenger Creek Middle School are so proud of their progress and the hard work they put into the class and we cannot wait to see the gains they make for the entire year.
Math Department
6th Grade - Students will continue working with algebraic expressions. They will simplify expressions by combining like terms and learn how to recognize and explain when and how arithmetic properties are used in the simplification process. Later in the month, students will find the solutions to equations or inequalities by substituting values from a set.
6th grade Pathways - Students will continue using the distributive property and combining like terms to simplify expressions. They will then apply these skills to write and simplify expressions based on real life situations.
7th Grade - Students will be continuing their work with distributive property and combining like terms where it applies to expressions. Towards the end of the month we will connect all of these skills that we have been practicing into solving equations that require distributive property and combining like terms to solve. Practice makes perfect when it comes to getting comfortable simplifying or solving expressions and equations.
7ACC -- Students will continue working with the concepts of distributive property and combining like terms to simplify and solve equations and inequalities. The work in this month will prepare us to solve systems of equations that contain more than one equation in a problem in March.
8th Grade - Students will continue solving multi-step equations with variables on both sides and identifying the number of solutions an equation has. Later in the month we will move on to solving systems of equations by graphing, substitution, and elimination.
Alg - Students will use knowledge from Unit 4 (polynomials) to work on solving Quadratic equations in multiple ways as well as identifying key features of quadratic graphs.
Students should be completing weekly ALEKS topic goals in Math. Students should be checking their Math schoology pages to see what their specific weekly goal is. Students can monitor their own progress by checking their topic reports in ALEKS, a step-by-step how to for this can be found here. Students can make up missed topics by completing extra in the next week. ALEKS topic goals have the same mid-term/end of term due date as other class assignments. For questions about ALEKS topic goals - please reach out to your grade level Math teacher; our school Math specialist, Ms. Boyer (Laura.Boyer@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 grade level Math teacher.
Hearing and Vision Screening will take place at BCMS on: _March 23 & 24, 2023 for all 8th grade and any new enterers to the Maryland public school system. Maryland State Law mandates this screening. Parents/guardians who have an objection to this screening based on their church or religious practices must submit a request for their child to be exempt from screening. All written requests must be submitted to the health room by March 10, 2023. Please make sure, if your child wears glasses or contacts that they have them on the screening days. If you have any questions, please contact the health room at 240-236-5708.
Science Department
6th Grade: Students are learning about the different factors that affect climate.
7th Grade: Students are investigating the factors that affect the strength of electric and magnetic forces.
8th Grade: Students are investigating Newton’s first and second law of motion.
History Department
In 6th Grade, the China unit will be finishing up by midterm. Afterwards, students will be starting the unit on Ancient Greece. Students will learn about the different government systems, the impact of geography on the civilizations there and many more topics. Your 6th grade teachers would also appreciate it if you could reiterate to your student the importance of bringing a charger computer to class along with a writing utensil.
In 7th Grade, students will be finishing the 5th unit which focuses on Central and South America during the medieval time period. Students will be completing an essay and benchmark on this topic. Afterwards, we will return to Europe and learn about the changes in government and politics after the fall of the Roman Empire.
In 8th Grade, students are finishing up their last official benchmark for the year! This benchmark had the students integrate all the skills they have learned this year for writing a DBQ Essay. Now that we have finished our unit on Westward Expansion, we are now moving into Unit 5 which covers the “Causes of the Civil War”.
ELA Department
7th Grade – Students are currently finishing up ELA curriculum cycle 5, which asks the essential question “What makes people who they are?” To explore this, students have read a poem as well as several short stories and a novel and analyzed how authors develop the perspectives of different characters in these texts.
After midterm, students will move into cycle 6, which returns to a focus on nonfiction texts. This cycle asks, “What can we learn from tragedies?”
8th Grade -
Students are currently beginning a new curriculum cycle, in which they will address the essential question, “How are people changed by love.” To explore this question, students are reading and analyzing a number of songs and poems that address related ideas. Students will compare and contrast the different ways that an idea (in this case love) can impact people and events.
After midterm, students will move onto our next cycle, which focuses on a number of non-fiction texts that addresses courage and resilience in the face of the Holocaust.
Students are reminded that they have until Wednesday, February 8 at 11:59pm to submit work for midterm grading. Please send Mrs. Nuckols or Mrs. Weller a message if you are requesting a regrade to an assignment.
Math Intervention’s Progress is Outstanding!
Based on county data for all 14 middle school who have taken the Math Inventory for the winter testing window, Ballenger Creek’s progress was very impressive! The Math Inventory is taken at the beginning, middle and end of the school year. It gives us information on how much the student has grown in their math skills. Based on total school growth, we came in second in the county. In a year’s time, for 6th graders to be on track with anticipated growth, we look for a gain of 85-130 points for the ENTIRE school year. The average for the 6th graders is already 84 points. The 7th and 8th grade classes were first in the county for growth achieved! We at Ballenger Creek Middle School are so proud of their progress and the hard work they put into the class and we cannot wait to see the gains they make for the entire year.
Special Education Department
Counseling Department
NEED COUNSELOR SUPPORT? ❤️
Use your grade level counseling page on Schoology and select "Student Support Request Form." Your grade level counselor will speak with you as soon as possible.
Mr. Webber: johnny.webber@fcps.org
Ms. Reese: rebecca.reese@fcps.org
Mr. Ledyard: david.ledyard@fcps.org
Parents of current 6th and 7th Graders - Mr. Ledyard and Mr. Webber will be talking to your students about registering for their classes for next school year on February 15th. A google form will be assigned to each student on Schoology to complete. These forms will be due by February 24th.
Parents of incoming 6th graders - Ms. Reese will be visiting each feeder elementary school during the 3rd week in February to explain the middle school registration process. A google form will be assigned to each student on Schoology to complete. These forms will be due by February 24th. There will be a parent information night held on Tuesday, February 21st from 6:00PM-7:30PM. We hope to see you there!
Parents of 8th grade students - 9th grade registration forms were due on January 27th. Please reach out to Ms. Reese if you have any questions.
The Career and Technology Center and Academy for the Fine Arts was at BCMS on February 3rd and they presented information to our 8th graders about their respective programs!
The Academy for the Fine Arts will be hosting a Middle School Shadow Day on Wednesday March 8th from 8am-10am. During this time, students will have the opportunity to tour the AFA, meet the teachers, and engage in arts based activities with current students from each focus area. The AFA is a half day college and career prep program hosted at Gov. Thomas Johnson High School that is open to students in grades 10-12 from any FCPS High School offering focus areas in Art, Dance, Music, Musical Theatre, and Theatre. This is a great opportunity for students to visit and see if this is something they would like to be part of their four year high school plan.
We also plan to hold an Open House in May so students and parents can attend together and learn more about the program.
IMPORTANT: Transportation is NOT provided to this event. Students will need a ride to TJ and then back to their home middle schools. A roster of attending students will be sent to each school so the absence is excused.
To register for the MS Shadow Day, please visit: https://app.acuityscheduling.com/schedule.php?owner=16058749&calendarID=2286826
WIDA Testing
As our WIDA ACCESS English Language Proficiency test comes to an end in February I want to take a moment and thank all the students for their hard work! It has been 4 weeks of taking tests and they have handled it extremely well. I am very impressed by their hard work, patience, and perseverance to complete all 4 sections of the test well.
To the parents, thank you for your encouragement and support. Student attendance has been excellent and it has helped students to get the practice they needed to feel confident taking the test.
I can’t want it celebrate and share student growth when the results are returned in May. I will be meeting with students to share their individual growth. Parents, in May i will be providing more information about Parent Sessions to understand the scores. Official score sheets will most likely be sent home in the mail with students’ final report cards in June.
Diversity Night is coming to BCMS!
Mrs. Rogers, our community liaison, is hosting a Diversity Night on May 15 and our English Learners have been invited to participate!
Students in the EL English classes will begin working on the slideshows to gather information about their countries as a class project. Then, interested students will be able to take their ideas and make a poster for their booth at the diversity night.
If you would like your child to share their culture at the diversity night, please see more information in the Community Liaison section of this newsletter.
Reserve your copy today!
(only ordered copies will be printed. No extras will be bought and sold after the yearbooks have been ordered.)
Go to ybpay.com to order your yearbook. Yearbook ID Code: 4846923
Spring Pictures are March 1, 2023. Head over to LifeTouch.com using our school code EVTD8NPCV to order.
Announcements from Ms. Rogers
BCMS will be gearing up for another service learning project. This one is for Heifer International. We will be raising funds to buy baskets that will be given to feed hungry families in other countries. One $20 basket will feed 2 families.
This is a battle of the classes, 6th, 7th and 8th grade. One class will take the title and earn the right to pie their Assistant Principal. They will be known as the Winners of the Change for Love. If you would like to make-a- donation, please contact Ms. Rogers at Kathleen.rogers@fcps.org. Donations will be accepted from Feb.6 through and including February 10.
For Information & Referral Crisis Intervention 24/7 call 211. Or 1-866-411-6803. Help with linking callers to needed resources.
Are you struggling with the loss of a loved one? Do you have a child who is struggling also? It is not easy talking to a child about death and dying. If you need help please reach out to Frederick Health Hospice Bereavement Team, they are here to support you in any way possible. They offer 1 to 1 grief counseling, support groups, grief camps for children and adolescents. Call 241-566-3030 or visit FrederickHealthHospice.org.
JUDY CENTER LOCATIONS IN FREDERICK COUNTY
At the Frederick county Judy Center, the goal is to improve school success through early interventions and comprehensive family support services. Any individual who resides in the Butterfly Ridge, Hillcrest, Lincoln, Monocacy or Waverly elementary school districts with a child (children) from birth to 5 are eligible.
En el Centro Judy del condado de Frederick, el objetivo es mejorar el éxito escolar a través de intervenciones tempranas y servicios integrales de apoyo familiar. Cualquier persona que resida en los distritos escolares primarios de Butterfly Ridge, Hillcrest, Lincoln, Monocacy o Waverly con un niño (niños) desde el nacimiento hasta los 5 años es elegible.
Leslie Frei, Supervisor of Early Childhood Education Leslie.Frei@fcps.org
Kathy Allen, Coordinator of Judy Centers and ECE Kathleen.Allen@fcps.org
Lauren Perry, Coordinator of ECE Program Quality Lauren.Perry@fcps.org
Kay O’Hara, Secretary for Judy Centers Kay.OHara@fcps.org
Hello BCMS families:
I am excited to plan an event that celebrates our diverse culture here at BCMS. The plans are in the works for a BCMS Diversity Night on May 15, 2023 from 6-7:30pm.
We are inviting you to share your country/culture and traditions by highlighting things that represent who you are and where you are from, it could be music, crafts food samples and or clothing.
If you are interested in hosting a table, please fill out the information below and send a request to Kathleen.Rogers@fcps.org no later than the end of the school day April 17, 2023. Thank you.
Name:
Country/culture:
Email:
Phone number:
Table display of: ___ display of clothing ____display of crafts/art
____display of food samples (all ingredients must be displayed)
____other (explain)
Or send a digital interest request using this form.
Sincerely, Kathleen Rogers
Community Liaison BCMS
240-236-5700
