September Bellows Cheetah Chat
We hope to see you this week for Back to School Night!
Bellows Best!
Email: julie_schruefer@hcpss.org
Website: bses.hcpss.org
Location: 8125 Old Stockbridge Dr, Ellicott City, MD 21043
Phone: 410-313-5057
Twitter: @hcpss_bses
Message from Adminstration
Hello Bellows Families,
We are off to a great start at BSES. Students are learning routines and showing they are "Bellows Best." We are rocking and rolling in week three here at Bellows Spring. We are very proud of the hard work our students have put in to get acclimated into their new school year. Please remember if your child will be absent or if they are out sick to email bsesabsence@hcpss.org and the classroom teacher.
Thank you for your patience as we all work together to support the arrival and dismissal changes with bus routes. We will continue to communicate with you through text messages and emails. We appreciate your help in communicating changes for dismissal in a timely manner to the office and your child's teacher. Please call and notify the office before 3:20 pm if you are changing your child's dismissal plan or if you are picking your child up early.
Our administrative team has begun visiting with each grade level to review the code of conduct and a few of our important school rules and policies. These topics can be found within the HCPSS Student and Parent Handbook. The handbook is a helpful resource to frame expectations for our students and includes HCPSS practices and policies.
Bullying: Please read this update on Policy # 9460 on Bullying, Cyberbullying, Harassment, and Intimidation. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OG8OhihBi0vTEOhHtQTaBzix2jBvIr3Bt-gwK9Rkwwo/edit?usp=sharing
We look forward to seeing you at Back to School Night this week. Here is our schedule:
Back to School Nights (for parents and guardians only)
Tuesday 9-12-23
1st Gr.9/12/23 @ 6:00-7:30
2nd Gr. 9/12/23 @ 6:00-7:30
3rd Gr. 9/12/23 @ 6:00-7:30
Thursday 9-14-23
4th Gr: 9/14/23 @ 6:00-7:30
5th Gr: 9:14/23 @ 6:00-7:30
GT: 9/14/23 @ 5:30 pm
9/14/23 7:15 in the cafe *Bellows Achievers(More information below)
Julie Schruefer-Principal
Melanie Krablin-Assistant Principal
Eric Soskil-Leadership Intern
Hispanic Heritage Month
Hispanic Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15th to October 15th each year in the United States. This celebration honors numerous people from Spanish-speaking backgrounds who have come to the United States. We celebrate their cultures and traditions during this month. September 15th was chosen as the starting point for the celebration because it is the anniversary of the independence of five Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Also, Mexico celebrates its independence day on September 16th and Chile celebrates its independence day on September 18th.
Check out these websites for more information about Hispanic Heritage Month and how you can celebrate virtually and at home!
Help us earn money for our students and teachers with our School Store Fundraiser!
Have you completed your Family File for 2023-24?
The 2023-2024 Family File is now available for families to complete. Every year HCPSS families must complete a Family File for each child who attends school. HCPSS utilizes Family File for parents/guardians to complete emergency information.
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Parents/guardians must verify and/or update information for each child and can do so by logging in to HCPSS Connect PARENT ACCOUNT and selecting the MORE OPTIONS tab on the left and then clicking on Family File.
Once logged in, you will be asked to update or provide the following information:
Student Information
Parent/Guardian Contact
Emergency Contacts
Medical Information
Arrival/Dismissal Procedures
Photo Approval Data Confidentiality
PTA/PTSA Directory
Again, it is important that you complete the Family File in order to receive the name of your child's teacher for the upcoming school year. Here is the link to guides to support the completion of the Family File - HCPSS Connect – Guides – HCPSS.
Thank you for your help in getting this completed as soon as possible for the upcoming school year!
Join the BSES staff on Friday's for Walking School Bus!
Band, Strings, and Chorus at BSES
Band and Strings
There is still time to sign up to play an instrument in band/orchestra and sing in chorus! We are extending the deadline to register- all registrations will close this Friday 9/15.
Below are the signup links for all three grades: (if you have already signed up, you do not need to do so again)
5th grade band/orchestra/chorus signup:
4th grade band/orchestra/chorus signup:
3rd Grade Orchestra Signup:
3rd Grade Orchestra Registration 2023-2024 (google.com)
Classes will start next week on Monday September 18. We will be sending out band/orchestra schedules and rosters to students at the end of the week.
Please feel free to reach out to your music teachers with questions you may have-
Mr. Solomowitz (4th and 5th grade Band/Orchestra): kevin_solomowitz@hcpss.org
Mrs. Harper (3rd grade orchestra): jennifer_harper@hcpss.org
Mrs. Hughes (4th and 5th grade Chorus): Elizabeth_hughes@hcpss.org
Looking forward to starting classes next week!
BSES Health Room Tips and 411
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-5j0MLd6giE40ZrAEONR0iT0UYSyNYpS/view?usp=sharing
Do you need Holiday Help? Sign up starts today!
Please click this link to learn about the Angel Tree from Salvation Army to support families who need holiday help.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PtN3Mg3I_TKvPksoLy_2Tlo9DQhJ6ioK/view?usp=sharing
Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS)
We have three rules which are reinforced daily: Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Ready. '
Here is a brochure to help parents/guardians know the ins and outs of our PBIS Program at BSES. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1q49iMZP1iP2UoxYHrB7ZN3yy93v_EAPX/view?usp=sharing
BSES Needs Volunteers
Volunteer Opportunities:
School Marquee:
Volunteers are needed to help maintain and update the school marquee. Volunteers can complete this task based on their own schedule. Please reach out to Mr. Soskil if you are interested in volunteering to work on the school marquee. eric_soskil@hcpss.org
Office Support:
Volunteers are needed to occasionally help with some organization of school materials and clerical support. Please email Mr. Soskil if you are interested so we can create an email list and reach out when we have specific needs.
*All volunteers will need to be trained. If you attend back to school night you will be trained at that time.
Breakfast and Lunch Prices and Free and Reduced Meals 411
New! Student Meals & Payments
New for the 2023-2024 school year, HCPSS no longer will use Nutrislice for school menus or MySchoolBucks for payment. Instead, we have a new parent site for all things food and nutrition. LINQ Connect is a secure, online portal that allows families to make online payments to their child’s meal account, monitor their child’s account, schedule automatic recurring payments, set up low balance alerts, submit a Free and Reduced Meals program application, and more.
Please note: MySchoolBucks meal balances were automatically transferred to LINQ Connect. If your child had a balance at the end of the 2022-2023 school year, when you add your child to your profile, that meal balance will be displayed. To request a refund of meal balances at any time, complete this brief online form.
For the 2023-2024 school year, students whose families do not qualify for free or reduced lunch will be required to pay the daily meal price.
Breakfast - $2.00
Lunch - $2.80
Bellows Link to the meal calendar: https://linqconnect.com/public/menu/GA4UME? buildingId=b22bdeda-50e4-ed11-8a28-87c574706ef3
Free and Reduced Meals (FARMS)
The HCPSS participates in the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs. Students from households that meet federal income guidelines are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals. Qualification is based on family size and income, and enrollment is confidential. All children in households receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) can get free meals regardless of income, and students from households that meet federal income guidelines are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals. Those eligible for Free and Reduced Meals receive both breakfast and lunch for free.
Parents/guardians must submit a new application every school year to maintain their student’s eligibility. Click the button below to apply.
Calendars
Students participate in Related Arts daily for one hour. There are five related arts classes: Art, Media, Music, Physical Education, and Technology. The rotating schedule is called the Related Arts Color Calendar.Your child's teacher will share their specific color calendar schedule with you and your child. You can refer to the color calendar below. It is very important to make sure your child dresses appropriately for the classes he/she has for related arts, especially for physical education. Link to Related Arts Colored Calendar: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1E8eDOzZ4ZuWfBmpWyOhjif944aY30fqY/view?usp=sharing
As you prepare your children for school, please note that they will need sneakers that fully cover their foot and stay securely on their feet (tie/Velcro). Crocs are not safe footwear for PE.
HCPSS Calendars
There will be no printed 2023-2024 calendars. Staff, students, and families may add our online calendar to their own mobile/online calendar by
Going to https://www.hcpss.org/calendar/
Scrolling down to Subscribing to a Calendar
Right-clicking on the calendar you wish to subscribe to
Selecting Copy Link Location/Address/Shortcut
Adding to your calendar of choice (See your calendar for specifics on adding a new calendar)
You also may view and/or download printable PDFs of the full calendar and/or important dates only. Updates to the PDFs will be noted on the HCPSS calendar page.
PLEASE NOTE! The calendar is subject to change. The online calendar reflects the most recent version.
Calendars in Spanish, Chinese, and Korean