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CHEETAH NEWS
Principal’s Desk
What a wonderful week! The Chemistry Musical on Wednesday night was entertaining and informative. Thank you to Mrs.
Richman and all the children who worked so hard to create a fun and memorable night. Thursday night was all about STEM.
Thank you to our staff for organizing the evening and leading the activities. We were so happy to see so many families
discovering the joy in science, technology, engineering and math. The LEGO constructions were awesome! Our County
Executive, Allan Kittleman, visited Friday in recognition of Autism Awareness and recognized our staff for their dedication to all
our students.
There is a sign in my kitchen that says, “Home is where the Air Force sends us” and it has been our kitchen in 3 other states.
It reminds me that wherever I am, it is home. The month of April also recognizes the Military Child. The child of a military
member develops adaptability, flexibility, and a sense of adventure. Many times the child restarts their school experience,
makes new friends, and learns a new neighborhood. Sometimes he/she experiences separation from parent(s) for long periods
of time or lives with a grandparent while the service member is overseas. Military children are also flexible, adaptable, and add
rich ideas to discussions because of all their experiences. Bellows Spring is lucky to have many military children in our “ranks”
and we appreciate their service for our country. We hope our military families feel at home at Bellows Spring.
Every April, on Poem in Your Pocket Day, people throughout the United States celebrate by selecting a poem, carrying it
with them, and sharing it with others throughout the day. On Wednesday, April 29, Bellows Spring staff and students will
celebrate the joy that poems bring by carrying a poem in their pocket and sharing it throughout the day with others. Students
will be given a sticker to wear if they are participating in the fun so no one feels “on the spot” for a poem.
This week you will receive information about our “Screen Free Challenge”. We are challenging our students to not use their
devices for a week. The packet in the folder explains how to participate. There is a list of what to do instead of watching TV or
using computer games. We also will have a prize patrol looking for some of our participants. Look out in your neighborhoods!
I am asking again for parents to consider volunteering for our JA in a Day. Children will learn financial literacy and have hands
on experiences. We will provide our volunteers lunch, a great memory, and our deepest appreciation.
Important Upcoming Dates
Apr 28th Restaurant Night @
McDonalds/Snowden
5-8 pm
Apr 29th Poem in Your Pocket
Day
Market Day Pick Up,
6:30 pm
May 1st No school for students
Professional Work Day
May 4th-8th Screen Free Week
Staff Appreciation Wk.
th
May 7
Interim Reports Issued
May 8th JA in a Day
Variety Show, 7 pm
Every classroom in Bellows
Spring Elementary will be a
place of excellence in
teaching and learning. Our
staff will demonstrate
leadership, caring and
respect in all that we think,
say and do. Through
collaboration and rigorous
instruction, we will help all
students reach their full
potential and eliminate the
achievement gap.
Our Vision
Announcements
From the P. E. Department:
Field Day 2015
Save the Date! Field Day 2015 is coming! Friday, May 29th will
be our school-wide Field Day. Primary Grades will have their
activity time in the morning from 9:45-11:45 a.m. and
Intermediate Grades will get their activity time in the afternoon
from 12:45-3:15 p.m. We will need many volunteers to make
this day a success, so please save the date. Parents can sign up
to volunteer using this link:
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040e4ca5af2eab9-field
You may need to copy and paste this address. Volunteer slots
are in 30 minute sections, you may sign up for whatever stations
you'd like to run/manage. Thank you in advance for helping to
make this day a success for our school!
Special Edition of the Walking School Bus: Wed., May 6th!
Join us to celebrate walk/bike to school day on Wednesday, May
6th with a special edition of our walking school bus. We will
meet and walk to school, picking up students along the way to
Bellows that wish to join us!
The Walking School Bus will continue to meet every Friday as
long as the weather is good! So join us along the way for the
walk to school! We will start at the corner of Coachlight Lane &
Old Stockbridge Drive at 8:55 a.m. and make the walk up Old
Stockbridge Drive to Bellows Spring Elementary in time for the
start of the school day. Students and parents who want to walk
to school are welcome to join us along the way. We will be on
the sidewalks only, on the side of the neighborhood pool and our
school.
We live in a great neighborhood for walking to school and
getting some exercise before the school day! For any questions,
please email: elizabeth_schultz@hcpss.org
M&M Calendars
Keep your students reading and being physically active with our
M&M calendars! Look for the May calendar to come home next
week in Friday Folders. Students will receive an M&M calendar
each month to record the amount of time they read and exercise
out of school. The program will run from April through May.
Goals: Mind – read for 20 minutes four days per week & Muscle
– exercise for 20 minutes four days per week. Students should
circle the book and/or ball each day they meet the goal!
Calendars are due to homeroom teachers the first week of the
following month and must be signed by an adult. We will have a
celebration for students who meet the monthly goal. If you have
any questions, please contact Mrs. Schultz or Ms. Eastridge at
school.
From the Guidance Department:
Career Week is quickly approaching! If you, or someone you
know, have some time during the week of May 18-22 to spend
with our students talking to them about your occupation, please
contact Beth Ivey at elizabeth_ivey@hcpss.org. Additionally, we
have the ability to have visitors via Skype, so let us know if that
is an option for you as well. Thanks for giving your time to our
Bellows students!
EMERGENCY SCHOOL
CLOSING
ANNOUNCEMENTS
In the event of bad
weather, please check your
local TV and/or radio
stations including Verizon
Channel 42 for any
emergency school delays or
closings. In addition, any
school delay or closing
news will be announced via
the HCPSS website,
www.hcpss.org, or HCPSS
newsletter. Please note
that no announcement will
be made if schools are
opening on time.
INFORMATION ABOUT
CHECK PAYMENTS
The HCPSS Finance Office
has contracted with the
Envision Payment
Solutions, Inc. for the
electronic collection of
check payments. If the
check is returned unpaid,
Envision Payment
Solutions, Inc. will assess a
$35 fee allowed by
Maryland state law and
charged as an electronic fund transfer.
Announcements
From the 5th Grade:
The 5th Farewell Assembly will
be held on Thursday, June 18th
from 9:40 – 11:30 a.m. in the
Bellows Spring ES cafeteria.
Friday, June 19th will be the 5th
Grade Star Wars and Pizza
Picnic.
Poem in Your Pocket Day:
Every April, on Poem in Your
Pocket Day, people throughout
the United States celebrate by
selecting a poem, carrying it
with them, and sharing it with
others throughout the day. On
Wednesday, April 29th, Bellows
Spring staff and students will
From the Music Department: celebrate the joy that poems
Show your support for the music bring by carrying a poem in
program at Bellows Spring! All
their pocket and sharing it
students in strings, band, or
throughout the day with others.
chorus are invited to wear their
A few days before Poem in
blue music t-shirts to school for
Your Pocket Day, students will
a music spirit day on May 15th.
have an opportunity to find a
All other students are invited to
poem of their choice. It can be
wear music-themed shirts to
a poem they have written
join in the celebration.
themselves or a poem they find
in a book. On Wednesday,
Mark your calendars! Our
April 29, students and staff
concerts are coming up soon,
who choose to participate will be
and we'd love to see you there.
given a label to place on their
All concerts are free and open to shirt. This way staff and
the public, so bring your child
students will know who is
for an exciting evening of
participating.
Bellows Spring Music and
support our student musicians.
The 4th and 5th grade Chorus
Concert is Thursday, May 21st at
7 p.m. in the cafeteria at
Bellows Spring.
The 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade
Strings Concert is Monday, June
1st at 7 p.m. in the auditorium
at Long Reach High School.
The 4th and 5th grade Band
Concert is Tuesday, June 2nd at
7 p.m. in the auditorium at Long
Reach High School.
From the Front Office:
If you are planning to move
before the end of the school
year or over the summer,
please contact the Bellows office
@ 410-313-5057.
PTA
Our next PTA meeting is
Monday, May 11th at
7pm in the Media
Center.
Restaurant Nights:
Apr. 28th:
McDonald’s on Snowden
River Pkwy from 5-8
p.m.
Our 2014-15 PTA
Executive Board is:
President: Ronnie
Miller
VP of Fundraising
Events: Charissa
Rothman
VP of Activities &
Programming: Jen
Mertes
Treasurer: Laurie
Ramey
Corresponding
Secretary: Erin Adero
Recording Secretary:
Angela Perez
PTAC Delegate:
Debbie Eikenberg
Community Information
CAMPS
Centennial High School Boosters
2015 Lady Eagles Basketball Camp, girls ages 8-14, July 13-17, 9 a.m.- 12 p.m., Centennial HS, 4300
Centennial Lane, Ellicott City, MD. For information contact Bobby Macheel, 443-474-5558,
macheelr@gmail.com
Junior Achievement
JA BizTown Summer Venture for young people ages 9 to 12. Dates: June 22 – 26, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m., Junior
Achievement of Central Maryland, 10711 Red Run Blvd., Suite 110, Owings Mills, MD. For details or to register,
contact Rebecca Golloub at rgolloub@jamaryland.org or 410-753-3292
http://jamaryland.org/programs/summer-camp
University of Maryland
iEngineer@UMD a summer STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) camp for rising 4th and 5th grade
girls. This one-week commuter day camp is an exciting opportunity for girls to learn more about STEM through
a variety of fun, hands-on activities. Mon., Jul. 6 –Fri., Jul. 10, 9 a.m. -3 p.m. for more information and to
apply, visit http://wie.umd.edu/k12/iengineer ES
UMBC Summer Day Camp
The UMBC summer Day Camp will be celebrating it’s 36th year of existence in 2015, and we hope that you will
send your child to spend all or part of the summer with us. Please let us know if you have any questions 410455-2638 or email us at summercamp@umbc.edu
Savage Boys and Girls Club
Savage Recreational Baseball, register now and learn from the 2014 Maryland High School Coach of the Year.
Coach Adam Leader of the Reservoir Gators will conduct free in-season Coach & Player clinics this season.
Ages 5 - 14 can register at Savagebgc.org or call Ken Harn at 443-605-6977
Baseball Factory
July 6-10, 2015 at Kiwanis-Wallas Park, July 13-17, 2015 at Kiwanis-Wallas Park.
All Star Camp Designed for boys and girls ages 8-11. Grouped according to age and ability, players will learn
the fundamentals of baseball through individual, group and team instruction.
Elite Camp This camp is for boys ages 12-15 and is designed to teach fundamentals, advanced skills and
strategies of baseball. Learn and improve skills through an intense week of instruction, drills and simulated
game experiences. All proceeds benefit the Factory Athletics Foundation, the charitable arm of Baseball
Factory. www.baseballfactory.com/camp Mark Lemon at 800.641.4487 x 109 ES, MS
Counselor’s Corner
Want an easy way to support
BSES? When you shop at
Giant, Safeway and Target
you can support our school.
With the exception of Target,
please be sure to re-designate
your store cards each year.
Please send in your saver card
numbers, with store names
and your name and address
or call Mrs. Stickles to request
a form.
Howard County Public Schools have full time counselors in every
elementary school - our more highly enrolled buildings have an
additional half time counselor as well! This is definitely not the
case in all areas; I feel fortunate to live in a place where
children's mental health and emotional development is so highly
valued. School counselors provide a variety of services to
students, staff, and parents. For more information on the schoolcounseling program here at Bellows Spring, please check out my
website: http://bsescounselor.weebly.com
Here you'll find general information about my program, as well
as what I'm currently teaching at each grade level, a monthly
Home/School Connection newsletter, and a few other things of
interest. As always, please feel free to contact me at any time if
I can be of support to your child and/or family!