Ms. Hough and Ms. Williams-McKinney
PARCC Testing
The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, also known as PARCC, is administered each spring to students in grades 3-5. The PARCC assessments cover two courses – English Language Arts/Literacy (ELA) and Mathematics (MATH). These assessments are intended to be used as indicators of student needs and progress for teachers to identify and address. The window for the administration of PARCC began Monday, April 23 and continues through Tuesday, June 5, 2018. Please be on the look out for your child's specific assessment dates on teacher's individual Canvas pages. Please make sure that your student is well-rested and arrives on time to school on assessment days.
Spring MAP Testing
Students in grades 1 and 2 will participate in the Spring administration of MAP (Measures of Academic Performance) from May 29 - June 6, 2018. MAP is an assessment that is administered to students three times a year (Fall, Winter, Spring) for both ELA (English Language Arts) and Math. The assessment provides essential information about a student's continuum of learning and growth. MAP is a tool to help identify strengths and opportunities in order to provide instruction on the areas of greatest need. Home reports will be mailed home after testing has been completed. If you have any specific questions regarding your student's performance on MAP, please contact your student's teacher.
4th Quarter Interim/Progress Reports
Quarter 4 Interim/Progress Reports were distributed to students on Thursday, May 17, 2018. Please take some time to review and celebrate your student's current progress, review expectations, and set goals for these last few weeks of school. If you have any question regarding your student's current level of performance please contact his/her teacher(s).
Field Day
Field day is quickly approaching on Friday May 25th with a rain date of Friday June 8th.
In preparation for field day, volunteers are always essential to have a well ran day for the students. Please feel free to sign up for A.M. or P.M. or both. Please sign up on the following link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080f45adab23a3f94-bwes
Students who ordered a field day T shirt will receive it next week. If students did not purchase a BWES field day shirt they may dress in the color corresponding to their grade:
PreK- Lime Green
K- Dark Green
1- Purple
2nd- yellow
3rd- Red
4th- Orange
5th- Blue
Students will spend 3 hours of their field day participating in outdoor activities so please have students apply sunscreen before coming to school. Students should bring water bottles (please label with student’s name!), hats, sneakers, and comfortable clothing to move in. If you have any questions regarding field day please contact Mr. Monjes or Ms. Tyrrell.
Boys Night Out
On the evening of Thursday, May 17th boys in grades 3-5 participated in Boys Night Out. This annual event is organized by Ms. Armstead, our wonderful school counselor. This year's theme was, "Boys to Men." From 6:00-8:00 participants had an opportunity to be inspired by a guest speaker. They also had an opportunity to learn more about gentlemen etiquette, participate in games and races and various other activities that promote mental, physical, and social wellness. The highlight of the evening was a visit by young men from Wilde Lake High School's basketball team and members of the Alpha Achievers Program. All had fun playing and learning with each other.
Simulated Congressional Hearings
Each year, students in grade 5 participate in Simulated Congressional Hearings. Also, known as SCH, this unit of study incorporates a Social Studies unit focusing on the United States Constitution as well as an ELA unit focusing on persuasive and informational writing. During SCH, students deliver speeches defending their perspective on specific aspects of the Constitution. Judges, comprised of community members, provide feedback and encouragement to students as they present. This year, our fifth grade hosted and participated in SCH on Friday, May 11th. We are particularly proud of the wonderful job our students did and how well they were prepared. An extra special kudos goes out to the fifth grade team: Ms. Brehm, Mr. Pickens, Mr. Swann, and support staff for all of their hard work in preparing our students for SCH.
Grade 5 End of the Year Activities
Time really does fly by when you are having fun! We are so excited for our upcoming events for Fifth Grade. Please make sure you check with your child and homeroom teacher to make sure all permission slips and money has been turned in. Here are some dates to keep in mind:
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Tuesday, May 22nd (8:45am-11:15am) |
Wilde Lake Middle School Orientation |
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Wednesday, May 23rd (7am-5:45pm) |
Philadelphia Field Trip |
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Thursday, May 24th (9am-2pm) |
Bowie Baysox Field Trip |
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Friday, May 25th (12:15pm-2:45pm) |
Field Day |
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Week of May 29th - June 6th |
Puberty Education Unit |
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Tuesday, June 5th (10am-2pm) |
5th Grade Picnic at Centennial Park |
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Friday, June 8th (12:15pm-2:45pm) |
Field Day (Rain Date) |
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Tuesday, June 12th (9:00 AM) |
5th Grade Promotion |
If you have any questions regarding any Grade 5 End of the Year activities, please contact any member of the fifth grade team: Ms. Brehm, Mr. Pickens, and Mr. Swann.
Calendar Changes and Updates
The Howard County Public School System (HCPSS) will extend the 2017-2018 school year by two days to make up for inclement weather closings. The last day of school for students will now be Tuesday, June 19, 2018.
HCPSS schools were closed seven days this year due to inclement weather, two more than were accounted for in the school calendar. The Maryland State Board of Education (MSDE) voted on April 24 to deny a request by HCPSS to waive the two make-up days. Subsequently, the Howard County Board of Education voted on April 24 to extend the school year by two days.
The final, updated calendar for June includes:
No new graded work will be assigned at any level June 15-19.
An updated version of the HCPSS calendar is available at http://www.hcpss.org/calendar/.
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Bear Standard Reminders
At BWES we have 3 Bear Standards:
Please continue to remind your students of these standards as they are our behavioral expectations. With the warmer temperatures we are beginning to see a spike in behaviors that are interrupting instruction. We want to encourage all of our students to make good choices and help our school be the best it can be.
Educationally yours,
Ms. Hough, Principal
Ms. Williams-McKinney, Assistant Principal