Happy New Year from the Weekly Whale!

Spout out to Mx. Durgin, Mrs. Kemp, and all of the BHES students who worked so hard to prepare for the Winter Sing-along! It was wonderful to see so many families there before the break and to hear so many student voices!

There are a lot of great events coming up! Please be sure to sign up for the Science Fair, the Variety Show, and tables for Heritage Night. More information below.

Weds, Dec 17-Weds, Jan 7 – BHES Winter Read-a-Thon (details below)

Fri, Jan 16 – January Birthday Bash (2:30-3:00pm, APR)

Mon, Jan 19 – Martin Luther King Jr Day (No school)

Mon, Jan 26 – No school

Thurs, Jan 29 – BHES Science Fair (K-2nd: 6:30-7pm, 3rd-5th: 7:15-7:45pm, APR)

Fri, Feb 6 – Whale Mart (8:30am-9:00am, Blacktop)

Fri, Feb 6 – February Birthday Bash (2:30-3:00pm, APR)

Thurs, Feb 12 – BHES Spelling Bee

Fri, Feb 13 – Valentine's Day Class Parties (2:30-3:00pm, classrooms)

Mon, Feb 16 & Tues, Feb 17 – Presidents Day (No school)

Thurs, Feb 19 – Heritage Night (7:00-8:30pm, BHES)

Fri, Feb 27 – Early Release (School ends 12:55pm)

Sat, Feb 28 – BHES Variety Show (7pm, Whitman Auditorium)

THE READ-A-THON ENDS JAN 7: 100,000 MINUTES - LET'S REACH $10K!

Over winter break, our BHES students read like champions—logging over 100,000 minutes together! We’re so close to our $10,000 goal, and with a little extra help, we can finish strong.

Share the Read-A-Thon with your friends and family and help us cross the finish line! Visit: https://www.read-a-thon.com/readers/tool/TkXcMD/2 for easy sharing options via email or text on the left side of the dashboard home page.

Questions? Email us at BHESReadathon@gmail.com

SIGN UP FOR THE BHES VARIETY SHOW!

The BHES Annual Variety Show is Saturday, February 28th at 7:00pm. It’s a highlight of the year for our community and tons of fun!

Register: Check out our 2026 Variety Show Website, with everything you need to know about the event including registration, volunteer information, FAQs, and special opportunities for 5th graders.

Click here to register. Registration for acts is open now through Friday, January 16th. Please note there is a mandatory dress rehearsal for all performers Friday evening, February 27th.

Volunteer: Please sign up to volunteer and make this year's show the best one yet! The event requires a LOT of parent support and involvement. Middle and high school students can volunteer for SSL hours. 

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

REGISTER A PROJECT FOR THE SCIENCE FAIR!

The BHES Science Fair will be held on Thursday, January 29, so get started on your projects! Science Fair project presentations will occur in 2 sessions held at the school:

    6:30-7:00pm for students in grades K-2  

    7:15-7:45pm for students in grades 3-5

How to participate:

1) Check out ScienceBuddies.org for project ideas by grade level and topics of interest.

2) Register your science fair project here by January 20. It’s OK if you don’t know your project title yet! Go ahead and register – you can just put TBD for project title.

3) Apply the scientific method while you do your project at home.

4) Summarize your project on a tri-fold poster board. Describe all aspects of the scientific method on your poster, including the Research Question, Background, Hypothesis, Experiment, Materials & Methods, Results, and Conclusion.  

5) Write your full name, grade, and teacher’s name on your poster board.

6) Practice telling people about your project.

7) Present your project to the Science Fair judges on January 29!

Any questions? Please contact Colleen Fahey at cefahey@yahoo.com. 

SAVE THE DATE FOR HERITAGE NIGHT (THURS, FEB 19)

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 19! 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 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