Spring has arrived and Mother Nature has been teasing us with hints of the beautiful weather that is to come. The children joyfully play in the warming sunshine and the walls of the school seem to vibrate with their energy! It continues to be a busy time at school. The 2014 – 2015 school year is now three quarters completed and the last quarter begins when we return from spring break. There are many activities for the children coming up so please check folders and emails to find information. One activity we will have is on Friday, May 8th. It is called JA in a Day. JA stands for Junior Achievement and it is a series of lessons for all the children on financial literacy. Bellows Spring is dedicating a day to teaching children about needs vs. wants, supply and demand, and using money wisely. We will have members of the business community to help us in school. This activity relies on parent involvement and we will be asking for one or two parents from each homeroom to spend the day with us. A specific letter will come home after spring break, but please save the date on your calendars now to join us. We have been fortunate with the success of our PTA this year, but it is time to look head. The PTA nominating committee is looking for nominations for next year’s Board. The PTA is an important part of our school community and we will continue to work together for our children. On a personal note, thank you for the many notes of congratulations upon my selection as Maryland’s National Distinguished Principal. The children were an amazing audience last week and were very excited by the special presentation. This is a wonderful honor and I am very grateful. I will admit the award causes me to want to continue to strive for continued success for the students, families, and staff at Bellows Spring. Our school is a wonderful place to learn! Please have a safe and relaxing spring break. We will be happy to see the children on Tuesday, April 7th at 9:15 to start the sprint to the end of the school year.  

Principal’s Desk

Important Upcoming Dates

Mar 30th thru Apr 6th: Spring Break Apr 8th 5-9pm Restaurant Night Chic-Fil-A, Executive Park Dr Apr 10th Spirit Day- Twin Day Apr 13th 7pm PTA Meeting Apr 14th Report Cards Issued  

 Our Vision

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.        

CHEETAH NEWS

From the P. E. Department: Thank you to everyone who was able to attend our Family Fitness & Wellness Night on Wednesday, March 25. We had a great time and appreciate all the support and participation from the school community. We are looking at ways to hopefully allow more families to participate in the future, while maintaining a safe, participatory environment for all attendees. We hope to see many of you at next year’s event. Save the Date…Field Day 2015 is coming! Friday, May 29th will be our school-wide Field Day. Primary Grades (K–2) will have their activity time in the morning from 9:30-11:30am and Intermediate Grades (3–5) will get their activity time in the afternoon from 12:45-3:15pm. We will need many volunteers to make this day a success, so please save the date and look for more information in the upcoming weeks. M&M Calendars: In Friday Folders this week, you will receive an M&M Calendar for each child. This Mind and Muscles Reading and Activity calendar is to help increase mind and muscle power! 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 five 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 (Elizabeth_schultz@hcpss.org) or Ms. Eastridge (sandra_eastridge@hcpss.org) at school. From the Front Office: Our school hours are 9:25 a.m. to 3:55 p.m. For the SAFETY of YOUR CHILD, please walk your child into the front office to sign them in when they are late for school or returning from an early dismissal. If you wish for your student to have an early dismissal, please arrive by 3:30 p.m. to sign your student out. If your child is absent, please be sure to send in a hand written note or an email to the homeroom teacher. If you know that your child is going to be having an extended absence (3 or more days), an Extended Absence Request Form needs to be filled out and returned to school. You may call the school office and request one or print one from www.hcpss.org. Lost and Found: Many articles of clothing and other items have accumulated in Bellows’ Lost and Found. If your student has lost something, please encourage them to check the Lost and Found. Parents and/or other family members are welcome to check in at the front office and look in the Lost and Found for missing items. All items that have been left behind will be donated to a charitable organization at the end of the school year. Shoe Recycling Drive: Thank you to everyone who has sent in used shoes for our shoe recycling drive. We will continue this for the remainder of the school year, so please keep sending your old shoes in! Any shoes that you no longer use or you no longer need can be donated. As you clean out your closets in the coming months, please consider donating your old or worn shoes to BSES. The shoe drive helps us raise funds to support extra student health and physical activity programs at BSES.

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

5th Grade Parent Orientation for Puberty Education: Puberty Education will take place the week of May 11th for fifth grade students. This course requires a signed permission slip to participate. Parents are invited to preview materials and ask questions about the puberty education curriculum on April 22, 2015 from 4:10-4:40 in Mrs. Westendorf's classroom. This information session is for adults only. No children may be in attendance. Please contact Jessica Westendorf at jessica_westendorf@hcpss.org with any questions. 6th Grade Parent Orientation for Thomas Viaduct Middle School: Please join the Thomas Viaduct Middle School administration and staff for our 6th Grade Parent Orientation on April 16, 2015, from 6:30-8:30 pm. Parents will hear about the many opportunities offered at Thomas Viaduct Middle School for our students. We are excited and looking forward to meeting our new members of the Thomas Viaduct Middle School family. Please contact Student Services, 410-313-8247 with any questions. 6th Grade Parent Orientation for Mayfield Woods Middle School: Mayfield Woods Middle School is holding their 6th Grade Parent Orientation on April 21, 2015, from 6:30-8:00 pm. Parents are invited to hear about the many opportunities offered at Mayfield Woods Middle School for students. If you have any questions, please contact Student Services at 410-313-5025. New to Bellows! Electronic Payments! You may now pay for field trips, yearbook, RECC tuition, etc. with your credit/debit card. You will create an account at http://osp.osmsinc.com/HowardMD. The event that you are paying for will be listed there the day you receive the permission slip or order form. Please remember that you

still need to send in the permission slip or order form to the appropriate person. If you have any questions you may call Mrs. Stickles at 410-313-5057.    Yearbook News: Yearbooks are still available for $20.00 each. If you have any questions, please email Ginny Stickles at ginny_stickles@hcpss.org or call 410-313-5057.

 

Announcements

PTA

Our next PTA meeting is Monday, April 13th at 7pm in the Media Center. Restaurant Nights: Apr. 8th: Chic-fil-A @ Executive Park Dr @ Rt. 100 from 5-9 p.m. 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 Columbia Association Columbia Art Center School’s Out Spring Break program for grades 1 – 8. Mar. 30- Apr. 3 and Apr. 6, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., $50 per child drop-off begins at 7:30; art activities beginning at 9 a.m. To register, please call Columbia Art Center at 410-730-0075 or email art.staff@columbiaassociation.org ES, MS Robinson Nature Center Butterfly Gala, all ages, Sat., Apr 11, 6:30-9 p.m. The Howard County Therapeutics Division and Robinson Nature Center cordially invite families of children and adults with special needs to join in an evening of sensory-friendly activities celebrating spring. ES, MS, HS Elkridge Youth Organization The EYO 12U Baseball Team is hosting a Bingo Night, April 11, 7 p.m., at the OLPH Gym located at 4801 Ilchester Road, Ellicott City. There will be Designer Purses filled with great prizes for each bingo winner and also Special Bingo card rounds. Tickets are $20.00 in advance or $25.00 at the door. Tickets may be bought online at http://12ucanesbingonight.eventbrite.com or 12ubingo@verizon.net CAMPS 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 410-455-2638 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

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.

Counselor’s Corner

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 school-counseling 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!