Bellows Spring certainly was busy since the winter break! We had two wonderful concerts that spotlighted the musical talents of our children. At the Band and Orchestra Concert last week, students showcased their growth with their instruments. It is amazing to see the changes between third and fifth grade. Last night, our fourth and fifth grade students entertained their families with vocal music. They tackled some challenging pieces of music and sounded wonderful. Thank you to our families for their support of our music programs. We know you help with the practices and are an audience at home. Were you at International Night on Wednesday? It was an amazing showcase for the many cultures that blend in our community. It is an evening that makes a happy memory for everyone present. The children and staff represented the culture, dress, and food of 30 countries. The school was so vibrant because of the traditional outfits and swirl of activity. The evening ended with the fashion show that also featured information about the country with some music and demonstrations. We are grateful that so many of our families participated and proudly shared their heritage. Thank you! Have you heard of the Selfie Project? Students from Howard County currently have their “selfies” on display at the Columbia Art Center in Long Reach Village Center. The art reflects something the students wanted to express about themselves. We have four students’ work in the exhibit. We are also celebrating Liya in third grade and Brynn in fifth grade because they won recognition for their categories at the county level for their entries in the Young Authors’ contest. We want all our children to be wonderful writers and celebrate when they are recognized for their efforts. Looking ahead to next week: Monday, January 19 – No School Thursday, January 22 & Friday, January 23 are early dismissal days. Children will be dismissed at 12:55. One note about arrival and dismissal for people who transport their child to school: Our official start time is 9:25. That means children are in their seats ready for the day. Announcements begin then. The doors open at 9:15 and children have ten minutes to get settled. Also, we know traffic can be heavy in the afternoon, please allow time to pick up your child on time. We have dedicated staff members in all types of weather helping with traffic in the morning and afternoon. Please make sure these members of Bellows staff are safe by driving carefully and slowly. Thank you.

Principal’s Desk

Important Upcoming Dates

Jan 19th No School MLK Jr. Day Jan 22nd & 23rd 12:55 PM Early Dismissal Jan 30th 6:30pm K-2 Movie Night Feb 6th No School Professional Day Feb 9th 7:00pm PTA Meeting Feb 12th & 13th Parent/Teacher Conferences Feb 12th & 13th 12:55 PM Early Dismissal

 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

Pre-K Application & Registration: The Howard County Public School System offers a Pre-K program for income eligible children who will be four years old by Sept. 1, 2015. Applications for the 2015-16 school year will be available beginning Tuesday, February 17, 2015. You may pick up an application in the Bellows Spring office during school hours. Please visit http://www.hcpss.org/schools/pre-k-programs/ for more information. RECC Learning Together Peer Program: Regional Early Childhood Center (RECC) preschool programs include children with and without disabilities who will be three or four years old by Sept.1, 2015. A limited number of openings are available for children without disabilities and selection is based on a lottery process. The monthly fee for the preschool program is between $150 and $270 monthly depending on the number of hours of participation in the program. Applications will be available in the Bellows Spring office from February 17, 2015 through March 20, 2015 during school hours. Questions about both programs can be emailed to Willow Maldonado @ willow_maldonado @hcpss.org. Kindergarten Registration and New 1st Grade Registration: Kindergarten registration and new 1st Grade registration, for the 2015-2016 school year, will be held March 2nd - March 6th. Students must be 5 years old by September 1, 2015 to register for kindergarten. More information will be posted in our next newsletter. Road to Kindergarten Workshops: The purpose of the session is to help make the process of entering kindergarten less stressful and more exciting. Howard County parents with children who will be five years old by Sept. 1, 2015 are invited to come with questions and concerns pertaining to the kindergarten process. For details about dates, times, and locations, please visit http://www.hcpss.org/f/schools/kindergarten/road2Kflyer.pdf. If you have any additional questions, please contact Kris Woodson at kris_woodson@hcpss.org or 410-313-5693. Attention WATCH D.O.G.S.! The new Sign Up Genius calendar for February 2015-May 2015 will go live on the morning of Friday, January 23, 2015. If you have submitted a Registration Form to the office, filled out the Certificate of Registration for the Volunteer and Service Provider Child Abuse Power Point and you have not yet had a WATCH D.O.G.S. day at the school, then you can sign up for a day with the new calendar. Please contact Rick McCray at bellowsalphadog@gmail.com with any questions. I can also email you a copy of the necessary forms if you request them. Thank you and have a great week! Attention girls in grades 3-5!!! SAVE THE DATE! Girls Night Out, for girls in grades 3-5 and their adult female guests, will be held at Bellows Spring on Tuesday, February 24, 2015. Mark your calendars, more details to come soon! Beth Ivey, School Counselor, http://bsescounselor.weebly.com/ Book Cart: The Book Cart will be located in the center of each pod from 9:15-9:25. Please see below for your grade level date. Cost: $3.00 per book Mondays: First Grade Pod Tuesdays: Second Grade Pod Wednesdays: Third Grade Pod Thursdays: Fourth Grade Pod Fridays: Fifth Grade Pod

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

Parent/Teacher Conferences: P/T Conferences will be held on February 12th and 13th. More information will be given at a later date regarding signing up, etc. Art Department: Ms. Rubock is currently collecting magazines and large gallon plastic containers in various shapes and sizes (milk cartons, etc…). If you have any of these materials, please send them in with your student! Thanks for all of your help! Phys Ed Update: Upcoming Fitness & Wellness Activities: Jump Rope for Heart - Feb. 12th & 13th, February Activity Calendars, Fruity Fridays in Feb. & March, Family Fitness & Wellness Night on March 25th

Please look for the information in this week’s Friday Folders for BSES Jump Rope for Heart events. During Jump Rope for Heart, students participate in fun jumping challenges. Bellows Spring will have two Jump Rope for Heart events. Both will be held in the gymnasium from 1pm-2pm. Our Jump Rope for Heart Event for Primary Grades (K, 1st & 2nd) will be on Thurs., Feb. 12th. Our event for Intermediate Grades (3rd, 4th & 5th) will be held on Fri., Feb. 13th. Please note that our events are being held on half days again this year during Parent/Teacher Conferences. Please make sure your child has appropriate transportation home immediately following the conclusion of the event at 2pm.

. If your child would like to participate in this event, please complete the consent letter and return it to your child’s Phys Ed teacher. Consent forms must be returned in order to start fundraising. All consent forms must be turned in by Fri., Feb. 5th in order for students to participate. No forms will be accepted after this date. Any questions that you have, please let

us know. Thanks for supporting our school, students, and the American Heart Association! February Family Activity Calendars will be coming home soon! Look for them in Friday Folders on Jan. 30th. Fruity Fridays: Information will be coming home in Friday Folders on Feb. 5th. We will begin this on Fri., Feb. 20th. Family Fitness & Wellness Night: Wed., March 25th 6:15-8:15pm. Save the date for this exciting event! Participate in 5 different family-friendly activities and learn more about healthy snacks and many local resources in our community to support our families in staying healthy and active together. Information will come home in folders on March 6th. Elizabeth Schultz Bellows Spring Phys Ed Teacher Health & Wellness Chair GOTR & Chasing Cheetahs http://bsesphysed.weebly.com/ Young Author’s Contest Winners! Second Grade's Young Author's Winner Poem: Teotl Miranda-Moreno, WINTER acrostic Short Story: Elena Power, Snickerdoodle vs. Elfie Third Grade's Young Author's Winner Poem: Liya Johnson, Colors Short Story: Isabella Roberts, Now We Are Four Fourth Grade's Young Author's Winner Poem: Lydia Ladle, What My Mother Gave Me Fifth Grade's Young Author's Winner Poem: Danielle Moses, Short Story: Brynn Saffer, Love Lost County Level Young Author's Contest Winners! Third Grade: Liya Johnson (Poem- Colors) T. Wetzel Fifth Grade: Brynn Saffer (Short Story- Love Lost) J. Westendorf

 

Announcements

PTA

Our next PTA meeting is Monday, February 9th at 7pm in the Media Center. 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

KidzArt After School Grades K-5 / 10 classes starting Jan 20 / $180 Start building a lifetime love of art with KidzArt! Developed with the philosophy that learning to draw creates confidence, focus and perseverance, our students engage their imagination in a whole new way! Our curriculum never repeats and enables students to confidently create their own masterpieces each week. We keep it simple and FUN by creating an environment where there is no right or wrong way to do art. Younger children, practice following directions and using fine motor skills. Older children, learn to love having the freedom, guidance and encouragement to further drawing skills. Within each session, students explore a variety of artist-grade mediums, such as Prismacolor Markers, ArtStix, Oil Pastels, Chalk Pastels, Charcoal, Watercolor, Clay, Copper, Textured Papers and more! Find out what other parents in Howard County already know, KidzArt means fun and brings out the creativity and KidzArtist in all of our students! Students are asked to bring a nut-free snack to be eaten while supervised between school dismissal and when class begins. Material fee included in registration fee. Info: Melissa Calleri, 410-313-4721 or mcalleri@howardcountymd.gov. RP0113.202 4:10-5:10 PM Tuesdays Kid Empowerment Smashing ANTs & Leadership FUN-damentals Combo! Grades 1-4 / 7 classes, starting Jan 26 / $119 + $20 materials Empower your child with tools for success and happiness with Kid Empowerment, an activity-based, hands-on program! Smashing ANTs is a fun and enlightening experiential program that helps kids realize they have the power to create their own success and self-confidence through personal and group leadership skills. With a toolkit of strategies to recognize their own Automatic Non-Supportive Thoughts (ANTs), along with the empowerment skills to smash them, kids learn to lead and inspire themselves and others. Animated cartoon videos connect and resonate with kids, making learning these important life lessons engaging and fun. New and returning students feel right at home with our Intro/Review Team Building. Through enjoyable hands-on learning activities, we jump-start your child on the path to success and happiness! Class meets for one hour each week. (No class 2/16.) Info: www.smashingants.com or Adam Wienckowski, 410-313-4714 or awienckowski@howardcountymd.gov. RP3333.201 4:05-5:05 PM Mondays Chess Club Before School with Silver Knights Chess Company Grades K-5 / 12 classes starting Feb 9 / $159 Learn how to play chess from highly rated professional chess instructors, who have coached many state and national champions! Time is evenly split between lesson and play. Lessons range from learning the rules to advanced tournament strategies. Open to all ES grades and experience levels. Playtime is structured to pair against opponent of similar skill. All chess supplies provided. (No class 2/16, 3/30-4/6.) Info: Adam Wienckowski, 410-313-4714 or awienckowski@howardcountymd.gov. RP3323.202 8:10-9:10 AM Mondays

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!