Spout out to our DEI Committee and NAACP reps — Kathleen Foster, Nausheen Noor, Monica Thakrar, Sarah Zetterli, Jenni Weinstein, Julie Miller, Sharmell Anderson, and Stephanie Burrows — for organizing the October 28th Community of Care Event, which brought families together to explore how we can build a kind, inclusive, and caring school community by focusing on our Speak Up strategies. 

Big thanks to our amazing Book Fair Committee - Jessica Rykman, Kate Cappaert, Liz Ruby, Erica Long, Stephanie Rosen, and Laura Shull-Chandler for organizing a wonderful book fair! Big thanks to all of the parent volunteers who gave their time throughout the week to keep the book fair running smoothly!

Spooky applause to the many wonderful classroom volunteers for organizing the Halloween festivities and to Lindsay Karr, Meghan Gudelsky, Jess Jay, the 5th grade faculty, and so many 5th grade party and haunted house volunteers!

Mon, Nov 3 – No School (Grading/Planning Day)

Thurs, Nov 6 – Geography Bee Finals (7pm, APR)

Tues, Nov 11 – BHES Open House (9:00-10:30am, RSVP, details below)

Fri, Nov 14 – November Birthday Bash (2:30-3:00pm, BHES APR)

Mon, Nov 24-Tues, Nov 25 – Early Release Days (12:55pm)

Weds, Nov 26-Fri, Nov 28 – School Closed (Thanksgiving)

GEOGRAPHY BEE CLASS WINNERS!

Congratulations to the class winners and runners-up for the 2025 Bradley Hills Geography Bee! The Geography Bee Finals will be held in the APR on Thursday, November 6 at 7pm. All are welcome to attend! 

Geo Bee Class Winners:

4th grade

  Claire Treacy - Ms. August

  Tomas Murrugarra Garrote - Ms. Chamandy  

  Arvin Rawat - Mrs. Hicks

  Natalia Szott - Ms. Taylor

5th grade  

  Jack Harrington - Ms. Dyer  

  Mihir Mittal - Mr. Newman

  Emma Dietze - Mr. Sichler

  Jonah Feld - Mrs. Swinehart

Geo Bee Class Runners-up:  

4th grade

  Emi Rivera-Jaff - Ms. August

  Matilda Malpass - Ms. Chamandy  

  Colin Foster - Mrs. Hicks

  Viyaan Javed - Ms. Taylor

5th grade  

  Ethan Chernyakov - Ms. Dyer  

  Owen Davage - Mr. Newman

  Elif Savasan - Mr. Sichler

  Vincent Finisdore - Mrs. Swinehart

PTA PARENT AND CAREGIVER SURVEY (CLOSES TODAY!)

The PTA launched a quick survey to gather feedback on how PTA funds are allocated. It only takes a few minutes — and we’d love your input on events, needs, and more! 

Please help us make our school wonderful for families, students, and teachers — your voice matters! Link to the Survey can be found here

Open through November 3rd!

ANNUAL OPEN HOUSE EVENT (NOV 11, 9:00-1:30AM, BHES)

BHES will be hosting an Open House on November 11th. The event will begin with coffee and conversation in the APR at 9:00 AM, followed by an hour open house from 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM. Please RSVP HERE. Please arrive through the APR door between 9:00 AM-9:30 AM, and then use the main entrance after 9:30 AM.

We are looking forward to opening our building to our parents and caregivers.

SUPPORT THE PTA AND WIN A CELEBRATION FOR YOUR CHILD’S CLASS - LAST WEEK OF THE MEMBERSHIP DRIVE!

Have you paid your PTA dues yet this year? Help your kids' class and grade win the PTA Membership Challenge!

• The first class to reach 100% participation in the PTA by Nov 7 wins a pizza party!
• The grade with the highest PTA participation by Nov 7 wins a donut party for the whole grade! 
• One of the benefits of paying our annual PTA dues is access to the A to Z directory which lets you search for your children’s classmates and friends to coordinate playdates and class parties. Access to A to Z will become limited to PTA members on 11/7. (Anyone who is signed up in A to Z but without a PTA membership will be able to receive communication from the PTA including information about events and the weekly whale but won’t be able to access the directory). 

Here are the current membership rates by grade! 

    K – 48/65 – 74%

    1^st – 43/59 – 73% 

    2^nd – 66/87 – 76%

    3^rd – 50/77 – 65% 

    4^th – 61/95 – 64%

    5^th – 73/97 – 75%

For the classroom race Ms. Winfield is in the lead with Mr. Newman coming up from behind and Ms. Hicks and Ms. Davis right behind them! Thank you to the 256 parents and 6 faculty members who have signed up so far. 

To pay your annual support fee and join the PTA:

1.    Visit https://bhespta.membershiptoolkit.com 

2.    Select “Membership Store” on the left. 

3.    Buy your Annual Membership and “Check out” 

Learn about the PTA on Our Website: www.BHESPTA.com 

Questions? Email: BHESPTAMembers@gmail.com. Thanks again to everyone who has already joined! We couldn't do this without you!

What is Bradley Hills Membership Toolkit (A to Z Connect)?

There are still 24 students who are not in A to Z Connect, and we would love to have 100% participation in order to make sure no one is missing out! This is how the PTA communicates school-wide and how room parents communicate with the families in their classrooms.

BHES has a Green School distinction, and both the school and the PTA try to avoid sending printouts home – so email and website communication is critical!

Our PTA has a listserv through our school directory database, Membership Toolkit. All registered families receive emails about PTA events, including the Weekly Whale and community announcements. Please follow the instructions below to register.

New to BHES? How to register on Membership Toolkit:

If you are new to Bradley Hills (and don’t have a Membership Toolkit account with BHES):

• Go to the https://bhespta.membershiptoolkit.com/ and click on Register/Login.
• Click Create Account. Enter your account information.
• The website will send you a confirmation e-mail before you can continue with the registration process.
• Confirm your e-mail address and then you can enter your family information and set your Directory & Publish preferences.
• You must complete your family information AND your directory publish preferences (under My Account) in order to view the directory. After November 7, 2025 you will be able to continue receiving PTA communications but will have to be a member of the PTA (by paying the $50 annual membership fee) to access directory information. You can use the web or download the Membership Toolkit app from the App Store or Google Play. 

Membership isn’t in your budget? Let us know! BHES PTA values membership access for all BHES families. Your membership funds are not the only way to show support. Participation and volunteering are essential to everything the PTA does! We want to make sure that all families can join the PTA, whether they can easily afford the $50 membership fee or not. If the membership fee doesn’t fit into your budget, you can still join, providing you with access to the online directory and the ability to vote during general membership meetings! Please reach out to our PTA President at bradleyhillsptaprez@gmail.com to let her know of your situation and we will help you acquire membership.

SUPPORT THE BHES FOOD DRIVE FOR WELLER ROAD ELEMENTARY - LAST WEEK OF THE FOOD DRIVE!

The Community Service Committee is holding a food drive to support our sister school, Weller Road Elementary. Weller Road is a Title I school with a food pantry onsite that serves students and their families in need. We invite all BHES families to participate by donating canned and non-perishable food items.

From October 21st to November 7th, donation bins will be placed outside the front entrance of BHES. We welcome a variety of non-perishable items, such as pasta, canned vegetables, dried beans and lentils, and other sealed dry foods. You can send donations with your children or drop them off directly in the bins.

Note – if you are donating gift cards please hand them to the front desk staff directly and they will pass them onto the PTA team collecting donations.

Let's come together as a community to help our friends at Weller Road! Your generosity can make a big difference in the lives of these students and their families. Thank you for your support!

 Consider donating the following items: 

• Shelf-stable food: Instant oatmeal, brown rice, whole grain pasta, cannedtuna, salmon, or chicken, dry or cannedbeans (low sodium), cannedvegetables (low-sodium), canned fruit or fruit cups (in juice), cooking oil & spices, natural nut butter, shelf-stable, individual milk boxes, 
• Baby/infant nutrition: Infant formula, baby foods (shelf-stable)
• Diapers
• Personal Hygiene Items: Deodorant, toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, soap
• Laundry Detergent
• Gift Cards for goods (Giant, Safeway, Target)

LAST CHANCE FOR THE LOST & FOUND!

Only two weeks left to claim Lost & Found items before they are donated! If your child is missing a coat, sweatshirt, water bottle, lunch box, or anything else that belongs to them please check the Lost & Found for it. More items are being added each day so even if you don't see something belonging to your family in the online gallery, it could be worth stopping by in person to take a look. 

The Lost & Found is located to the left of the stage in the All-Purpose Room (Cafeteria). Students or caregivers can visit any time they are at school. ALL ITEMS LEFT UNCLAIMED ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14TH WILL BE DONATED. If you have questions, please contact Shannon Coffey at ssoconnell@gmail.com. Thank you! 

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 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee works to advance this goal through educational resources, community conversations, in-school programming, and collaboration with school and county staff. Our focus this year is the Speak Up Strategies to empower our community, students and adults alike, to be upstanders in the face of hate and bias.

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 Nausheen Noor and Kathleen Foster at klubey@gmail.com

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

Interested in volunteering? Contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Jess Jay at bradleyhillsvolunteer@gmail.com 

Please visit the PTA website for information about becoming a Media Center, Recess, or Lunch volunteer and to learn about how to support one-time events!  

BHES Volunteer Expectations/Agreement: 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/

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

Bradley Hills Education Foundation Websitehttps://www.bradleyhillseducationfoundation.org/

BHES Membership Toolkit (for school directory & to join or donate to PTA) https://bhespta.membershiptoolkit.com/

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

Clip box tops: Clip and turn in box tops in the school office. Don’t forget to register at boxtops4education.com to scan and email grocery store receipts.  

Harris Teeter Rewards: Support the BHES PTA every time you shop and Harris Teeter. Register your Harris Teeter rewards card at https://www.harristeeter.com/together-in-education