Bonnie Brae ES: Family Newsletter

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Principal's Message

Hello, Scottie families!  

What a great week it has been, filled with fun and learning.  Our class winter celebrations have been a joy to see, and SCA Spirit Day - Cozy Day, was also a huge hit today!  It was awesome seeing so many of our staff and students in their comfy clothes, PJ's or Bonnie Brae colors of blue and white.  

Thank you to all who helped make our December Days of Cheer so special for our staff.  It has been a fun month at Bonnie Brae, and your donations have been greatly appreciated!  

As we head into break, we hope you all have an opportunity to relax and spend some quality time with family, friends, and loved ones these next two weeks. A reminder that the office will be closed over break, and will reopen when school resumes on January 6, 2025. 

Happy winter break, Scotties! 

Morgan Birge, Principal

Natalie Vershaw, Assistant Principal

Melissa Johnson, Assistant Principal


Family.  Relationships.  Success.


Week at a Glance

  • December 23-January 3 - Winter Break (no school for students and staff)
  • January 6 - First School Day of 2025 

Positivity Project logo

Positivity Project

Upcoming Weekly Focus:  Optimism

Character Strengths:  You expect the best from the future and work to achieve it.

Quote of the Week:  “Optimism is a happiness magnet. If you stay positive,
good things and good people will be drawn to you.”

-MARY LOU RETTON


Positivity Project logo and outline of a house

Positivity Project for Families

Families can find resources to help continue the discussion of character strengths at home by visiting the Positivity Project for Families webpage.


Scottie Feature

A few amazing highlights that happened this week...


Beam Signing

Students and staff signed a support beam that will be installed in our new wing.


Updates

Winter Break

Winter Break (Student Holiday)

As a reminder, winter break will be held Monday, December 23, to Friday, January 3. To help make sure you and your children have a restful break, we have asked that no homework be assigned during this time. Teachers may assign long-range assignments in the weeks ahead of the break, allowing students to practice time management skills, but no assignments will be due immediately following the break. We look forward to welcoming students back in the new year.Classes resume on Monday, Jan. 6, 2025See the complete school year calendar.


Bonnie Brae Office Closed Over Winter Break

The Bonnie Brae office will be closed over winter break, December 23-January 3.  The office will reopen when students return on Monday, January 6.


Yearbook Ordering

Order Our 2024-2025 Bonnie Brae Yearbook!

Bonnie Brae yearbooks are officially on sale!  All orders (online only) are due by April 4, 2025.  Soft cover yearbooks are $18, hard cover yearbooks are $24, and there is an option to add a foil name stamp for an additional $4.  These prices are for all yearbooks purchased by April 4, 2025.

To order a Bonnie Brae ES Yearbook via credit card online, visit https://www.buytheyearbook.com/en/bty/findmyschool and use School ID Number 725788

We will have a limited number of yearbooks for sale on-site in June at a cost of $20 per soft cover yearbook (no hard cover yearbooks will be sold on-site).

Yearbooks are expected to arrive late-May/early June. 

Visit the Bonnie Brae Yearbook webpage for details.


Robinson Curriculum Night for Families of Rising 7th Grade Students - January 15

Families of rising 7th grade students are invited to attend the Robinson Curriculum Night on Wednesday, January 15, 5-8 PM. Families will learn about middle school courses, curriculum, and educational services.  

Teachers from all subjects (core and elective) will be available to answer your questions and share more details about what to expect from their class. Specialists will also be available to discuss special education needs and how to support multilingual learners and immersion students.


Family Math Week

MIND Research is hosting family math week January 13 - January 17, 2025. During that time, students are encouraged to log onto the FCPS Family Math website to engage in math activities with their families at home that include stories with mathematical concepts connected to a variety of different math games from around the world. All activities are available in English and Spanish and links will be available in the New Year.

To learn more about Family Math Nights, check out this video. Help us reach our goal of logging on for three million minutes as an FCPS community. 


Be Among the First to Hear About School Delays/Closings

Watch this video to see how FCPS makes weather closing decisions

FCPS’ website is generally the first place to find out about emergency weather closings. Other communication channels will be used as quickly as possible, including email, text, social media, and news stations. Learn more about how schedule changes are communicated.

Be among the first to hear about weather delays and closings! Update your contact information in SIS ParentVUE. Emails and text messages are sent to parents and caregivers based on the addresses and cell phone numbers entered on this platform.


Dual Language Immersion Lottery Registration

Registration for the countywide lottery for Dual Language Immersion (DLI) program will open on Monday, January 13, 2025. Current pre-K students may apply for the kindergarten immersion program, and current kindergarten students may apply for the first grade immersion program for the 2024-25 school year. 

Dual Language Immersion is available in French, German, Japanese, Korean, and Spanish. 

Parents/caregivers who are interested may want to attend an informational meeting. Meetings are held at the school site. Visit the Dual Language Immersion Program Registration page for a list of meetings by language offered

Get more information on the DLI Program webpage and DLI Program Registration webpage.


Free Webinars and Events for Families

In January, the Family Resource Center (FRC) will host webinars for families on:

Sign up for the FRC newsletter or visit their webinar webpage.


Comprehensive Boundary Review Update

The Superintendent’s Boundary Review Advisory Committee held its second meeting on December 16 at Gatehouse Administration Center. View key takeaways from that meeting and access the meeting agenda, slides, and other materials that committee members received.  If you did not get a chance to attend an in-person Community Boundary Review Meeting, please consider participating in a virtual meeting:

  • Friday, January 10, 2025, 6-7:30 p.m. 
  • Thursday, January 16, 2025, 1-2:30 p.m. 
  • Saturday, January 25, 2025, 9:30-11 a.m. 
  • Monday, January 27, 2025, 6:30-8 p.m. 
  • Tuesday, January 28, 2025, 6:30-8 p.m. 
  • Monday, February 10, 2025, 6:30-8 p.m. 

Language interpretation will be available. 

All virtual meetings will follow the same format as the in-person meetings that were recently held, and the same information will be shared. Please stay tuned for details on how to register. Visit FCPS’ Comprehensive Boundary Review webpage to learn more. Sign up for FCPS’ School Boundary Review newsletter as well.


Bonnie Brae ES PTO

Spirit Wear

New Bonnie Brae Spirit Wear-Construction Themed!

We're excited to announce a special fun construction themed Spiritwear sale! Check out our portal for the adorable design in various Scotties themed items.

The “Building the Future” portal is open for orders through Sunday, December 22nd.  Orders will be sent home with your student mid-January.

Your purchase will also help support the BBES PTO and $3 per item will help support our Scottie community as we build the future together!  Thank you for your support! 


Winter Session After School Clubs - Spaces Available!

iCode's Robotics class and Acting for Young People still have space available for the upcoming winter session of after school clubs! Visit their websites directly to sign your student up!


Please Subscribe

PTO Subscription Calendar

We're catching up with technology and cutting down on paper waste! Help us save trees and reduce flyers for every event/fundraiser by subscribing to the PTO Calendar. Visit our website here for instructions: https://www.bonniebraepto.org/calendar


Join the PTO

Get involved, stay connected, and learn what's happening with our Scottie community! We're an organization of parents, school staff, and community members supporting our Scotties and school community. Join the PTO today: https://www.bonniebraepto.org/ptomembership 


Donate ANY TIME!

Don't wait for a fundraiser to donate to the PTO! Share via text, email, or social media with your family and friends. Let them know that donations support our Scotties with field trip transportation, assemblies and enrichment programs, fun and educational events for all students, and so much more! Donate today!


Amazing Volunteers Needed!

Are you looking for a way to feel connected with your school community and want to help make so many wonderful memories for your Scottie? We make it SO easy to help! Pick and choose volunteer opportunities from a menu of options! Fill out the google form today and we will contact you as we get close to the event to help: https://forms.gle/F7SHrig2fqSJ1kmr6


Upcoming Events

  • January 13-17 - FCPS Family Math Week
  • January 15 - Robinson Curriculum Night for Families (for rising Robinson 7th grade families and current Robinson grades 7-11 parents), 5-8 PM (Robinson Secondary)
  • January 15 - PTO Meeting, 6-7:30 PM (virtual)
  • January 20 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday (no school for students and staff)
  • January 24 - PTO Bingo Night, 6-8 PM (Cafeteria)
  • January 28 - Second Quarter Ends
  • January 28 - Winter Strings Concert, 6:30-7:30 PM (Oak View Elementary)
  • January 29 - Teacher Workday (no school for students)
  • Ja