Originally delivered on 8/24/2025 9:02 pm

SUBJECT: Weekly Whale 8/24 - Have a Great First Week of School!

SPOUT OUTS!

Happy first week of the school year!

We are pleased to welcome several new faculty and staff this year! A hearty spout out to Meredith Luther (K), Vanessa Reyes (1st), Desiree Anspach (3rd), Matthew Newman (5th), Nicolai Jerbic (Special Ed para, Lunch, Recess), and Nehaben Ramanlal (504 para)!

Big thanks to Katherine Melgarejo and Jess Jay for coordinating the teacher luncheon last week!

We hope to see you all at Sneak-a-Peek or Transition Day tomorrow!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Mon, Aug 25 – Transition Day for Kindergarten and New Students, Sneak-a-Peek for everyone! (details below)

Tues, Aug 26 – First Day of School

Mon, Sept 1 – Labor Day (No School)

Thurs, Sept 4 – Back-to-School Night (6:00-8:30, BHES)

Fri, Sept 5 – September Birthday Bash (2:30-3:00pm, BHES APR)

Mon, Sept 8 – PTA Volunteer Training (7-8pm, Zoom)

Sat, Sept 13 – Back-to-School Carnival (5-7:30pm, BHES Blacktop)

Mon, Sept 15 – Fall Picture Day

Mon, Sept 15 – PTA Membership 411 (evening, adults only, details TBA)

Sun, Sept 21 – Commanders vs. Raiders Football Game PTA Fundraiser - with photo on the field (details below)

Tues, Sept 23 – No School

Fri, Sept 26 – Early Release

Sat, Sept 27 – Bradley Hills Educational Foundation (BHEF) Fall Social (6:00 pm, adults only, details TBA) 

WHALE WATCH

TRANSITION DAY AND SNEAK-A-PEEK (MON, AUG 25, BHES)

Monday, August 25th will be “Sneak-a-Peek” day, which will give families a chance to meet their teachers for the new year and have a peek at their classrooms. Students entering grades 1-5 can visit their classrooms and teachers 1:45pm - 2:30pm, and Kindergarteners can visit theirs 2:30pm - 3:00pm (though Kindergarteners will already be in their classrooms for Transition Day - more information below!) You should have received an email from your children's teachers on Aug 19th and the information will also now be available ParentVue.

Transition Day for Kindergarten Students - Monday, August 25th will be a full day of school for Kindergarten students (9:00am-3:25pm). Please read through the information HERE if you have a Kindergarten student. Ms. Kemp and Mr. Legarreta will be hosting an informal meeting for all Kindergarten parents/caregivers in the Media Center from 9:10am - 10:00am

Transition Day for Students New to BHES in Grades 1-5 - Monday, August 25th will be a mini-orientation to welcome students new to BHES in grades 1-5, where they will get a chance to meet their teachers and explore the school. If your child is entering grades 1-5 for the 2025-2026 school year and they are new to BHES, RSVP to this event using the form HERE. Ms. Kemp and Mr. Legarreta will host a Meet and Greet in the Media Center for new students' parents/caregivers from 10:00am -10:30am.

2025-2026 VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES! ROOM PARENT SIGN-UPS, AND MORE

2025-2026 Volunteer Opportunities! Room Parent and Additional Volunteer Sign-Up - Save the Date for Virtual Volunteer Info Session on September 8 at 7 PM

We are looking for 2-4 room parents per classroom to help make this year a success! Sign up here (please fill out a separate form for each classroom you sign up for): https://forms.gle/TZVWvQthVuCRty8W9. As a reminder, room parents support teachers during the school year for PTA organized events, as well as teacher/classroom specific needs. Duties include collecting and managing class funds, organizing class parties, coordinating volunteer opportunities, and communicating information from the school, the PTA, and the Bradley Hills Education Foundation. 

We are also looking for additional volunteers who will be added to a list of parents/guardians who may be contacted in the case of additional volunteer needs in the classroom, at the grade-level, or for the school in general. 

Use the same link as above to sign up or use the QR code you'll find in your children's classrooms at Sneak-a-Peek. If you have any questions, please email bradleyhillsvolunteer@gmail.com.  

BHES BACK-TO-SCHOOL CARNIVAL (SAT, SEPT 13, 5:00-7:30PM, BHES BLACKTOP)

Mark your calendars! Our school carnival is coming up on Saturday, September 13th from 5:00–7:30 PM! It’s always an evening full of fun with inflatables, carnival games, a cake walk and lots of other activities for the whole family. Pizza can be pre-ordered ahead of time (pizza will not be sold the day of). Information about ordering pizza and purchasing tickets will be sent soonWe can’t wait to see everyone there! 

SEEKING SSL VOLUNTEERS FOR CARNIVAL!

Do you have a middle or high school student looking for SSL Hours? The Bradley Hills PTA is looking for SSL volunteers to help with this year's Bradley Hills ES Back-to-School Carnival on Saturday, September 13th! Volunteers will help with set up/cleanup and various activities (e.g., art projects, inflatables, face painting, cake walk, handing out food).

Details: The Carnival is Saturday, September 13, at Bradley Hills ES. We'll need volunteers to help out from 4:15-8:00pm (including setup and clean-up). Volunteers must stay the entire time and will receive their signed SSL form after cleanup is complete. 

If your student is interested in volunteering, please fill out this form ASAP. This opportunity will be on a first come first serve basis.  

BOOK YOUR TICKETS FOR THE SEP 21 COMMANDERS GAME WITH BHES!

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. 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!

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, Jess Jay at bradleyhillsvolunteer@gmail.com 

Media Center Volunteers info soon to get you 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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