Originally delivered on 2/16/2025 8:33 pm

SUBJECT: Weekly Whale 2/16

SPOUT OUTS!

Spout out to Golriz Chrostowski andJackie Meier for running the spelling bee! 

Big thanks to all of our awesome room parents, volunteers, and teachers for a fun Valentine's Day celebration! 

UPCOMING EVENTS

Mon, Feb 17 – Presidents Day (No School)

Mon, Feb 24 – Showing of the Screenagers movie, elementary school edition (7pm, Whitman HS Auditorium)

Thurs, Feb 27 – BHES Heritage Night (7:00-8:30pm, BHES)

Fri, Feb 28 – Early Release (12:55pm)

Tues, March 4 – PTA General Meeting, with guest speaker Dr. Rebecca Resnick (7:30-9:00pm, BHES Media Center - more information below!

Weds, March 19 – Whitman Cluster Community of Care event (at BHES, details below, and more details forthcoming)

Sat, March 29 – BHES Variety Show (7:00pm, Whitman Auditorium - sign up by Friday!)

WHALE WATCH

THE BHES SPELLING BEE

Congratulations to the 4th and 5th grade finalists who participated in the School Spelling Bees! The bee lasted over an hour and half, despite our best efforts to give the kids challenging words. The kids impressively spelled words well-beyond their grade level and into the eighth grade. They should all be very proud of themselves! 

The finalists were cheered on by the third, fourth, and fifth grade classes, who were well-mannered and spirited. We also wanted to thank the teachers and parents for their patience through the bee. In addition, a very special thank you to Mr. Legaretta, who served as a fantastic judge and helped make sure we had everything we needed for the bee.  

We are very pleased to announce that fifth grader Dylan Samantaray won the School Spelling Bee, and will be representing Bradley Hills at the Regional Spelling Bee on March 6 at 6pm at Landon. Our outstanding runner-ups were fifth graders, Leo Sun and Nicolas Crilchuk, who tied for second place! 

Thank you to all the students who participated in the Spelling Bee! You amaze us every year! 

SIGN UP FOR THE BHES VARIETY SHOW BY FRIDAY!

The BHES Annual Variety Show is Saturday, March 29th at 7:00pm. It’s a highlight of the year for our community and tons of fun!

Check out our 2025 Variety Show Website, with everything you need to know about the event including registration, volunteer information, FAQs, and special opportunities for 5th graders. Registration for acts is open now through Friday, February 21st.

Questions: Review our FAQs or email bradleyhillsvarietyshow@gmail.com

JOIN THE FIRST-EVER FLASH MOB (DANCE) AT THIS YEAR'S HERITAGE NIGHT - FEB 27

Do you love dancing? Ever dream of starring in a Bollywood movie? The Bradley Hills Heritage Night Committee is calling on all students, siblings, and parents to join us for a flash mob dance the night of Heritage Night, Feb 27 between 7:00pm - 8:30pm. Click on this link to sign-up, learn the 2-minute dance at home, and come ready to jump up and dance with the rest of your friends and family. If you have any questions, please contact Cynthia Platou - PTA Heritage Night Committee at cynthiaplatou01@gmail.com

SHOWING OF "SCREENAGERS: ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EDITION" (MON, FEB 24, 7-8PM, WHITMAN AUDITORIUM)

Join our PTA on Monday, February 24 for a special viewing of Screenagers: Elementary School Edition. This film is 55 minutes long and is geared toward parents and caregivers; however, it is suitable for children and they are welcome to attend. This edition of Screenagers focuses mostly on issues facing elementary-aged children but contains information and tools for all children. For more information about the film, you can view the preview here.

In the film, Screenagers: Elementary School Age Edition, Dr. Delaney Ruston takes a deeply personal approach as she explores the vulnerable corners of family life to explore struggles over social media, video games, academics, and internet addiction. Through insights from authors, psychologists, and brain scientists, Screenagers reveals how tech time impacts kids’ development and offers solutions for empowering kids to navigate the digital world and find balance.

Time: 7:00 - 8:00pm (doors open at 6:30pm)

Location: Walt Whitman HS Auditorium

Register: There is no fee to attend, but registration is required here

This event is co-sponsored by the Whitman cluster elementary school PTAs. Questions? Email Alissa Peruzzini, Burning Tree ES PTA President, at president@burningtreepta.org.

PTA GENERAL MEETING WITH GUEST DR. REBECCA RESNICK (MARCH 4, 7:30PM, BHES MEDIA CENTER) 

Bullying in the 2020s looks very different from the way most of us remember it, but it can be just as harrowing. In this talk, Dr. Rebecca Resnik will discuss where, when and how bullying occurs among today's children and teens, including how to recognize the often subtle signs that a child is being bullied. Now that bullying often happens in coded messages shared over the internet, bullying may be even harder to detect. Dr. Resnik will discuss differences in how boys, girls and gender non-conforming kids are likely to bully and be bullied and how victims respond. Finally, she will share evidence-based interventions for professionals and parents to apply. 

Please click here for more information about Dr. Resnick. We look forward to seeing many parents and caregivers in-person on March 4. If you have any questions, please reach out to PTA Co-VP Kathleen Foster at bradleyhillsptavp@gmail.com.  

SAVE THE DATE FOR THE WHITMAN CLUSTER COMMUNITY OF CARE EVENT (MARCH 19, AT BHES)

Did you know that incidents of bullying go up in the “tweenage” years? Nationally, one of every five students (ages 12-18) is being bullied every year. Come be part of building a nurturing community for all of our students. Join us as we host families from the Whitman Cluster for an interactive session on March 19th at Bradley Hills. RSVP here to be part of our community of care. 

WONDERING HOW YOU CAN HELP? PLEASE LEND A HAND TO OUR TITLE 1 SISTER SCHOOL IN THEIR TIME OF NEED

We understand that many families have been affected by recent government changes, both directly and indirectly. The community of our sister school, Weller Road, has been especially impacted. We have reached out and prioritized some critical needs that we at Bradley Hills can support. Given the urgency of these requests, we are asking you to please donate what you can by 28 February

They have an immediate need for groceries. We have agreed to pass on gift certificates to allow them to purchase the food that they need. Please donate money for groceries by sending $25 (suggested) to Noelie Creaghe (Venmo ID @noelie-creaghe) BHES Community Service Committee Chair. 

They urgently need access to immigration lawyers. If you or someone you know is able to donate their time and expertise, please email Noelie Creaghe (noelie.creaghe@gmail.com) BHES Community Service Committee Chair. Feel free to forward and share this email with your network, if you think of immigration lawyers who might be able to help.

If you have any questions, please reach out. We know there is a lot going on right now and deeply appreciate your attention. Any support we can give our Weller Road students will make a big difference.  

Separately and just for your information, we are still planning the Annual Book Drive and book fair for Weller Road students in March and April. More on that to come. 

SUPPORT THE PTA, BUY A DISCOUNT CARD, ENJOY DEALS AT LOCAL BUSINESSES

Click HERE to purchase your BHES Discount Card now! For $35 (all proceeds go to BHES PTA), you'll get a card that lets you enjoy exclusive deals and discounts at local Bethesda businesses such as Bradley Food & Beverage, Gregorio's, Matchbox, and Tropical Smoothie Cafe, (see card for participating businesses). Just present your discount card at the local merchant and enjoy your great deal (discounts vary by merchant). We thank all participating businesses for their support! 

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

PRINCIPAL'S CORNER

Principal's Weekly Newsletter
Click here to find Ms. Kemp's latest newsletter. 

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

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.

CONTACT US

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/

RESOURCES
PLEASE SUPPORT THE PTA

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).

BHES staff and PTA volunteers can post informational emails via AtoZ by sending the email to: BHESAtoZConnect@gmail.com. Please include PLEASE POST in the subject line.  Ads or announcements for non-school sponsored events can be sent to the community announcements moderator at BHEScommunityannouncements@gmail.com.

If you do NOT want to receive these informational emails in the future, you may click "unsubscribe" at the bottom of any AtoZConnect email.  Warning - by unsubscribing you will no longer receive updates about any PTA events.  

To access your AtoZConnect account anytime to update your directory/contact info and/or to pay your annual BHES PTA family membership dues of $40, go to https://bhespta.membershiptoolkit.com/home If you forgot your password, go to the link and click "Forgot password."  

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