Big spout out to Hannah Epstein, Sogun Hong, and Sari Wilde for running a successful Read-a-Thon!! The Read-a-Thon ends on Monday, so there is still time to log reading! Thanks also to all of the readers and to all of the family and friends cheering them on!

Sun, Jan 5 – Read-a-Thon Closing Event (Wonderland Books, 5-7pm)

Fri, Jan 10 – WhaleMart

Weds, Jan 15 – California Tortilla Spirit Night (11am-9:30pm)

Fri, Jan 17 – January Birthday Bash

Mon, Jan 20 – MLK Jr. Day (No School)

Weds, Jan 29 – End of Term (No School)

Thurs, Feb 27 – BHES Heritage Night

SIGN UP TO BE A VOLUNTEER FOR BHES CLASSROOM SPELLING BEES-THIS WEEK!

The classroom Spelling Bees for 4th and 5th graders this week are still looking for more parent volunteers to help run the class bees!

We are looking for 2-3 volunteers per time-slot. Please review the available slots HERE, motivate other parent-friends, and sign up! Each session is no more than 1 hour of your time! Volunteers will be given instructions in advance. 

Please remember that you cannot volunteer for your own child's class. However, parents from any grade are welcome to volunteer (not limited to 4th and 5th grade parents).

The time-slots reflect the start time. Please arrive a few minutes early to sign in at the front office and make your way to the classroom. The classroom bees move quickly and typically take about 40-45 minutes.

If you have any questions, please contact Golriz Chrostowski at golrizshoai@gmail.com

Thanks to everyone who's already signed up!

READ-A-THON ENDS TOMORROW (JAN 6): 100,000 MINUTES – LETS HIT $10K!

Our BHES readers are almost at the finish line! With 100,000 minutes read, we're so close to our $10,000 goal. Help us finish strong by sharing the Read-A-Thon with your friends and family.

Go to: https://www.read-a-thon.com/readers/tool/323736303732/2 and you’ll find sharing options (emails or texts) on the left side of the dashboard home page.

Closing Celebration: Join us at Wonderland Books in Bethesda, TONIGHT (Sunday, Jan 5), 5–7 pm!

For questions, contact BHESReadathon@gmail.com

READ-A-THON CLOSING EVENT AT WONDERLAND BOOKS (TONIGHT--SUN, JAN 5TH, 5-7PM)

We are excited to announce our closing event for the Read-a-Thon! Love reading all year long? The reading never stops at Bradley Hills, so please join us at our concluding event at the newest bookstore in Bethesda! 

     Wonderland Books

     Where: 7920 Norfolk Avenue, Bethesda

     When: Sunday, January 5th, 5-7pm 

5% of proceeds go to Bradley Hills! The bookstore will stay open late just for us! Happy Reading!

BHES STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION TOY DRIVE (ENDS JAN 12)

The SGA is having a toy drive! Please bring any new or lightly used toys to the front of the building and put in the boxes labeled toy drive. The drive will run now through January 12th and all donations will go to the Green Tree Shelter.

Please reach out to Ms. Howell with any questions: Caitlyn_L_Howell@mcpsmd.org  

The SGA thanks you for your support!

WINTER AFTER SCHOOL ENRICHMENT

Bradley Hills PTA is excited to offer after school enrichment programming this winter in partnership with Baroody Camps. The Winter session will run from January 21 – March 28, 2025 with classes available Tuesdays – Fridays. (No enrichment on Mondays.)  Please see the attached flyer – or click here – for the class schedule and pricing information. Registration closes on Sunday, January 12th. Some classes have filled up, and some need more participants to run, so don't delay! 

After school enrichment programs are neither sponsored nor endorsed by the Montgomery County School Board, the Superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools, or Bradley Hills Elementary School. Email Natalie Ram at natalie.ram@gmail.com or Helene Gouarne (helene.gouarne@gmail.com) with any questions.

FIRST WHALEMART OF 2025 (FRI, JAN 10, 8:30-9:00AM)

Our second WhaleMart of the school year will be Friday, January10th from 8:30-9:00, on the blacktop at BHES.  We’ll have lots of new and exciting merchandise for sale—-get excited for various types of squishies!!  We can’t wait to see everyone there.

***all items are between $1-$5

SAVE THE DATE FOR HERITAGE NIGHT (THURS, FEB 27)

What is Heritage Night? It is a beloved tradition at Bradley Hills. Each year, we open up the school for one evening and children and their families can "tour the world", visiting various tables with displays that celebrate cultures, traditions, countries, and religions. Tables are set up by volunteer families and can include informative posters, displays, arts, crafts, music, instruments, even food and beverages. It's always a lot of fun!

Consider hosting a table at this year's Heritage Night on February 27! Sign-up info is coming soon.

THE PTA IS HERE FOR YOU

The BHES PTA is committed to promoting an enriching and supportive climate where all members of the BHES community feel safe, seen, and respected. The PTA -- primarily through its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee -- works to advance this goal through the following means: dissemination of educational resources for parents/guardians; organization and facilitation of Heritage Night as well as other events and small-group community conversations to help parents/guardians explore their family identities and issues of bias; financial support of assemblies and other in-school programming to advance diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging goals; and collaboration with school administration, teachers, and staff on development of materials to supplement teacher lessons on anti-bias and commemorative months. 

The PTA's DEI Committee welcomes input from all members of our community about how we collectively work to prevent and respond to hate-bias incidents within our community. If you are interested in sharing feedback, or joining the DEI Committee, please contact DEI Committee Co-Chairs Britt Hogue and Kathleen Foster at klubey@gmail.com

Interested in volunteering? Contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Claire Heffez at bradleyhillsvolunteer@gmail.com 

Media Center Volunteers email Tracy Sislen to get on the schedule.

Recess Volunteers sign up and review guidelines HERE.

Lunch Volunteers sign up and review guidelines HERE.

MCPS and BHES Volunteer Requirements: Click here.

Questions, comments, suggestions for the PTA? Contact PTA President Jen Villani at bradleyhillsptaprez@gmail.com

Have PTA news to share or Community Event Information? Contact Communications Chair Lesley Freiman at bhescommunications@gmail.com

Visit our website at www.bhespta.com

Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/bradleywhalespta/

Bradley Hills Elementary School Websitehttps://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/bradleyhillses/?utm_source=sendgrid&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=atoz-app

Bradley Hills PTA Websitehttp://www.bhespta.com

Bradley Hills Education Foundation Websitehttps://www.bradleyhillseducationfoundation.org/?utm_source=sendgrid&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=atoz-app

A to Z Connect (for school directory & to join or donate to PTA)  https://bhespta.membershiptoolkit.com/home

MCPS COVID 19 Info: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/coronavirus/

CDC Travel Guidance: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/travel-during-covid19.html

Join or Donate to the PTA: Fill out the PTA membership and donation form found HERE or login A to Z Directory (https://bhespta.membershiptoolkit.com), select “Membership” on the left side menu then "Join" and/or "donate" .

Scan Receipts for Box Tops and Register Your Grocery Store Cards: Download the box tops app and scan grocery store receipts to redeem box tops earnings for BHES. Register your grocery store cards at www.escrip.com (school ID: 6477724) and www.giantfood.com/aplus (school ID: 00665).