BAM Bear Blast-11/10/23

Click the icon image below to view "The CLIMB", Brambleton's Weekly Academic Newsletter, to review upcoming activities and assessments in your student's classes.

• Monday, November 13: Student and Staff Holiday
• Tuesday, November 14: A-Day
• Wednesday, November 15: B-Day
• Club Ranger Day
• Thursday, November 16: A-Day
• Friday, November 17: B-Day

We are happy to share that Brambleton Middle School has recently been recognized as a 2023 School of Distinction by the Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE). The AMLE School of Distinction designation honors schools that represent a commitment to middle grades best practices and chosen through a rigorous application and review process. This year, Brambleton is one of only eleven schools nationally that received the honor. As seen in the seal to the right, AMLE School of Distinction reviews schools based on three pillars of middle grades education: Curriculum, Instruction & Assessment; Leadership & Organization; and Culture & Community.

Thank you to all the staff, families and students that participated in the application, review and school visit process last spring. This honor is shared with every staff member, family and student at Brambleton Middle School. Congratulations, BAMily!

See pictures below of Mr. Gray, Ms. Husadzinovic, Ms. Lilly and Mr. O'Brien with our school banners after presenting at the conference and receiving the award from this past weekend. Our school's banners and plaque are now visible in the BAM main lobby.

This week, we received updates from the schoolwide fundraiser company that are important to share with families that participated.

Product Delivery Update

The sales products have been filled, are being organized and scheduled to be shipped from Colorado on November 16. The company estimates a 3-5 day delivery time to the local Virginia frozen warehouse. When the products are received at that warehouse, they will call Mr. O'Brien/BAM to schedule a delivery to Brambleton Middle. We will communicate that pick-up date as soon as we have it from the warehouse. Families will pick up from Brambleton in the afternoon/evening after school dismissal. Thank you for your patience! We were told our overall orders were such high quantity that it took quite a bit of time to fill and organize all orders.

The company shared that online orders where purchasers chose delivery to their home directly are being shipped currently or have already shipped.

Student Prize Update

• For students that qualified for additional prizes, our Prize Day will occur on Thursday, November 16 during all lunch shifts. Students do not need to do anything extra as the company has provided us with a spreadsheet of all sales. We look forward to this fun activity for students!
• For students that sold at least five items to qualify for the magic show, that will occur on Tuesday, November 28 beginning at 8:45am. We will communicate this with students via morning announcements and eligible students will be provided a pass to attend. We look forward to this show as well!

For fundraiser questions, feel free to contact Ms. Jen Friedman, Financial Technician, and Mr. O'Brien, Principal.

The AMC 8 (American Mathematics Competition) is a 25-question, 40-minute, multiple choice examination in middle school mathematics designed to promote the development of problem-solving skills. The AMC 8 provides an opportunity for middle school students to develop positive attitudes towards analytical thinking and mathematics that can assist in future careers. Students apply classroom skills to unique problem-solving challenges in a low-stress and friendly environment.

This year's competition will be held on Thursday, January 18, 2024 after school in the BAM Cafeteria. Your child may ride the activity bus home or can be picked up at the conclusion of the test (approximately 4:45pm).

There is a $5 participation fee for this competition, payable through SchoolCash Online. Families can log into their SchoolCash Online account to choose AMC 8 in order to pay.

If your student would like to participate in this year's competition, please do the following:

• complete this registration no later than Friday, December 15 at 3pm. Registrations will NOT be accepted after Dec. 15 at 3pm!
• pay the $5 registration fee through your SchoolCash Online account no later than Friday, December 15 at 3pm. Payment will NOT be accepted after Dec. 15 at 3pm.

Missing an item? Please check the lost and found tables through out our school. All unclaimed items will be donated to a charitable organization before Thanksgiving Break.

Quarter 1 Report Cards are now visible in ParentVue by visiting the students document tab. Families are encouraged to reach out to the teacher with any questions regarding a specific class.

The Virginia Growth Assessment (VGA) is designed to measure student progress and allow educators and families a greater understanding of their foundational knowledge in Reading and Math.

Students will participate in the Winter Reading VGA in their English classes on November 29th and 30th 2023.

Students will participate in the Winter Math VGA (Except High School Math classes) in their Math classes December 5th and 6th 2023

Please ensure that your student brings their LCPS Chromebook fully charged on these testing days.

If you have any questions in regard to these assessments' please reach out to Ms. Corrina Orr, Assistant Principal and School Testing Coordinator, at Corrina.orr@lcps.org,

Does your student want to participate in the Step Up Loudoun Youth Competition but they are struggling to find a topic? Check out the flyer below for a virtual “Brainstorming Workshop” hosted by SULYC. The workshop will take place on November 14th and December 5th at 7pm. Students do not need to be registered for the competition to attend, and only need to attend once. Both sessions will be the same. At this workshop SULYC will be giving students brainstorming activities, strategies and tools to help develop an idea into a project. Please see the attached flyer for more details.

The Step Up Loudoun Youth Competition presents middle and high school students with an opportunity to identify an issue in their communities and implement a solution as they contribute to the world around them. Students will create a 5-minute team video due February 21, 2024, and then the top 20 teams will present live to judges on March 11, 2024. The Finals and Awards Ceremony will be on March 21, 2024, where the top 10 teams will be invited to present for cash prizes.

Registration for the Step Up Loudoun Youth Competition is now open. You will find information about SULYC and the link for the application at: www.loudounyouth.org under Programs: Step Up Loudoun Youth Competition.

If your 8th grade student is interested in applying to Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology (TJHSST), please visit their website for important admissions information. Additionally, TJHSST asks that parents watch the 33-minute presentation on freshman admissions prior to attending a Fall 2023 TJHSST Admissions presentation. Click here for the list offered parent admissions presentation dates, times and locations. Their website provides specific update-to-date information about the freshman application timeline, requirements, components, and more.

After reviewing the TJHSST admissions presentation and attending one of the parent admissions presentations, if you have additional questions about the application process please reach out to your student's assigned school counselor.

Click the file link below for this week's PTSA BAMgram!

Website: https://www.lcps.org/BAM
Location: 23070 Learning Circle, Ashburn, VA, USA
Phone: 703-957-4450
Twitter: @BAM_MS_Official