Originally delivered on 6/9/2025 12:14 pm

SUBJECT: Weekly Whale 6/8

SPOUT OUTS!

Spout out to the Bradley Hills staff, teachers, students, and room parents for wonderful Student Showcase and end of the year classroom celebrations! It was great to see some of the students' incredible work as the schoolyear comes to a close!

Big thanks to the Movie Night committee -- Lauren Murphy, Sara Weiser, Anna Fleming, and Nadia Howlader -- for hosting a fun night for all on the soccer fields despite the uncooperative weather!

Big thanks to the BHES Boundary Study Committee -- Audrey Adams, Julia Bartels, Alex Bond, Michelle Feld, Kara Ghassabeh, Chris Hertz, Kit Leininger, Marissa Morabito, Jessica Ryckman, and Jen Villani -- and everyone who came to the MCPS Woodward Boundary Study discussion hosted by the BHES PTA! 

Please remember to share your feedback with MCPS through the survey by July 15(details below) 

Enjoy this last full week of the 2024-2024 schoolyear! See you next Sunday for one last Weekly Whale before we swim off to summer vacation!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Tues, June 10 – Volunteer Breakfast (9:15am, BHES Media Center, RSVP info below)

Fri, June 13-Tues, June 17 – Early Release (12:55pm)

Fri, June 13 – 5th Grade Clap Out (12:30pm)

Tues, June 17 – Last Day of the 2024-2025 School Year!

WHALE WATCH

GIVE MCPS FEEDBACK ABOUT THE BOUNDARY STUDY

The BHES PTA held a general meeting last week for all members to learn more about the Woodward Boundary Study and its potential impacts on the Bradley Hills ES community. In summary, Options 1 and 4 keep BHES students going to Pyle MS and Whitman HS. Option 2 splits BHES students (half to North Bethesda MS/Walter Johnson HS and half to Pyle MS/Whitman HS). Option 3 would send BHES students to Westland MS and Bethesda-Chevy Chase HS. After the presentation, the membership voted in favor of the following resolution which prioritizes Options 1 and 4:      

  • Whereas, MCPS is conducting a boundary study that impacts the articulation of students form Bradley Hills ES; and 
  • Whereas, the Bradley Hills ES PTA is committed to advocating for the best interests of our students, therefore be it
  • Resolved, that the Bradley Hills ES PTA supports boundaries that prioritize stability followed by geography in order to promote walkability, safety, and community cohesion while minimizing disruption to families.

MCPS is collecting community feedback on the four initial boundary options until July 15. Your feedback will be used to create revised options in September 2025. If you would like to use the information drafted by the BHES PTA Boundary Committee, you can review the BHES Boundary Study Talking Points. We encourage you to add your own personal touch to your comments in the survey.

It is important for us to have one voice, but all voices are important.  If you would like to share your perspective or if you have questions, please contact BHES PTA President, Jen Villani at bradleyhillsptaprez@gmail.com or our Whitman Cluster MCCPTA Representative Kara Ghassabeh at karamaureen@gmail.com.

BHES CONSIDERING CHANGES TO 4TH & 5TH GRADE CURRICULUM

MCPS elementary schools, including BHES, are phasing out the stand-alone Enriched Literacy Curriculum (ELC) that previously served 4th and 5th graders in cohorted classes. Instead, schools can now choose between two models for learning Language Arts:

  • Model 1 – Enriched Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) curriculum taught in dedicated, cohorted advanced classes
  • Model 2 – Enrichment provided as an add-on within mixed-ability classrooms  

Why this matters:

Per MCCPTA, Model 1 offers a more structured and consistent way to meet the needs of advanced learners and on-grade level learners. While enrichment in mixed-ability classrooms can be valuable, it often depends on individual teacher capacity and resources—especially during this time of transition to a new CKLA curriculum. Model 1 helps ensure that enrichment is delivered reliably and effectively.

With many teachers still adjusting to CKLA, providing meaningful enrichment in a mixed setting can be challenging. Cohorted classes allow a smaller group of teachers to receive targeted training and deliver a comprehensive, enriched experience for advanced learners.

How you can help:

Please consider reaching out to your school principal to express your support for Model 1. Hearing from families makes a real difference. If you’re comfortable, feel free to encourage other parents to do the same. 

Also!:

You may also choose to copy central office staff and Board of Education members to ensure they’re aware of community interest in this issue.

2025-2026 VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! HELP SUPPORT A STUDENT ACTIVITY NEXT YEAR

The 2025-2026 PTA is still in need of volunteers for some of our committees! We are looking for volunteers to help with next year’s Spelling Bee, Read-A-Thon and the Indoor Movie Night! Please reach out to bradleyhillspta@gmail.com if you are interested in volunteering or learning more about the roles. 

VOLUNTEER BREAKFAST RSVP (HELD JUNE 10TH, 9:15AM, BHES MEDIA CTR)

Ms. Kemp will be hosting a breakfast on June 10th at 9:15 AM in the media center to show the school's appreciation for volunteers. This breakfast is for anyone who has given time, effort, and energy to support our school as class volunteers, room parents, Career Day presenters, lunch and recess volunteers, as well as anyone involved in PTA events and Foundation fundraisers. Please complete the RSVP Form HERE, so they know how much food and coffee to order.

LAST CALL FOR THE LOST & FOUND!

Remember to check Lost & Found before the end of the school year! You can view all new photos of the numerous items waiting to be claimed here. The Lost & Found is located in the All-Purpose Room (Cafeteria) to the left of the stage. Students or caregivers can access it any time they're at school. ALL ITEMS LEFT UNCLAIMED AT THE END OF THE SCHOOL DAY ON TUESDAY, JUNE 17TH WILL BE DONATED. Please contact Shannon Coffey at ssoconnell@gmail.com with any questions. Thank you!

ORDER YOUR SCHOOL SUPPLIES FOR NEXT SCHOOL YEAR - CONVENIENT, EASY, AND PROCEEDS GO TO THE PTA

Order your 2025-2026 school supplies anytime throughout the summer and have them delivered straight to your front door! We've partnered with School Toolbox again this year to make school supply shopping easy and convenient. Bonus that a small percent of your purchase supports our very own PTA! Order here.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS NOW FOR SEP 21 COMMANDERS GAME

It’s not too early to be thinking about football in the fall. Book your tickets for the September 21st Commanders football game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Tickets are heavily discounted at $59 plus a $10 donation to the Bradley Hills PTA. Book early with friends to get great seats. An all-school photo on the field will take place shortly after the game. Last year we brought 100 people from Bradley Hills to the Commanders' Stadium. Let's have an even bigger turnout this fall! The lights, the sounds, the crowd, the winning team - it's all so fun!  

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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