BAM Bear Blast-8/16/24

• Tuesday, August 20, 2024: Open House for Students & Families; 1:00-3:30pm
• See more information in a section below.
  
  
• Thursday, August 22, 2024: First Student Day (A-Day)
  
  
• Friday, August 30, 2024: Student and Staff Holiday
  
  
• Monday, September 2, 2024: Student and Staff Holiday
  
  
• Thursday, September 5, 2024: Back-to-School Night for Families; 5:30-8:00pm
• See more information in a section below.

Please, review the link below for LCPS 2024-25 School Calendars for your planning:

LCPS 2024-2025 School Calendar Link

We are excited to welcome students and families back to Brambleton Middle for our August Open House! Open House is Tuesday, August 20th from 1:00-3:30pm. Families and students may arrive at any point within the 1:00-3:30 time frame and stay as little or as long as you wish within the time frame.

This is an optional and informal time where students and families can visit Brambleton to walk their schedule, visit classrooms, meet teachers and set up lockers. There will be no printed schedules available for open house, so please make sure that you have your ParentVue and StudentVue accounts set up to view your child's schedule. Schedules were available for view through PVue and SVue beginning on Monday, August 12th. See the section above for schedule and ParentVue information. Student's locker assignments, school counselor and teams have all been added to student schedules.

As our student population has significantly decreased due to the opening of Watson Mountain Middle School serving the 6th grade students in our cluster, we no longer need multiple open house times. As we try this for the first time, please be patient and flexible with other families with parking, locker space, hallway space, etc. Families are welcome to park in any of the parking lots and the bus loop for this event.

On this day, we will also host a special education case manager meet-and-greet at 12:00pm. Families will be sent a personal invitation through US mail. Feel free to contact Ms. Lisa Gray at Lisa.Gray@lcps.org with questions.

We look forward to seeing you!

If families purchased a School Supply Kit through Sprout, they will be available for pick up during the Open House on Monday, August 20th. Supply kits will be organized by alphabet in the Auxiliary gym.

If families are not attending the open house, supply kits may be picked up at Brambleton on Wednesday, August 21st, 2:00-4:00pm. Any supply kits still not picked up after that date will be distributed to the student during school hours.

Loudoun County Public Schools (LCPS) Online Verification process for the 2024-25 school year is now open. This means you can now fill out and update all required, important information about your student(s) via ParentVUE in order to view student bus and class schedules. Bus schedules and class schedules went live on Monday, August 12. Please note: To view schedules, you must complete the Online Verification process prior.

If you do not have a ParentVUE account, please contact your student’s school to request an Activation Letter.

For resources and FAQs about the Online Verification process and start of the new school year, go to the First Day Information page.

All families should complete their updates via the Online Verification process by Friday, September 20.

If you do not have a ParentVUE account, please contact the Brambleton main office contacts below to request an Activation Letter.

PJ McMahon, Registrar: Pamela.McMahon@lcps.org

Christina Eklund, Main Office Administrative Assistant: Christina.Eklund@lcps.org

Student schedules are available in both StudentVUE and ParentVUE. Please, see the note above in the "LCPS First Day Information" for steps necessary for parents to view the schedule in ParentVUE.

Our school counselors and administrators will be actively scheduling new students and adjusting schedules to balance class sizes, so please be aware that individual schedules may shift through this next week to be ready for the August 20th Open House. If you have questions related to your student's schedule, you may contact the grade level counselor. Note: Unless there is an error on the part of the school, course request changes can not be honored at this time.

7th Grade Counselors: Kasey Husadzinovic (Kassondra.Husadzinovic@lcps.org) and Lisa Olek (Lisa.Olek@lcps.org)

8th Grade Counselors: Kelly Dunn (Kelly.Dunn@lcps.org) and Keenan Elder (Keenan.Elder@lcps.org)

The LCPS School Board recently passed Policy 8655 regarding Student Personal Device Use. Students at all LCPS middle schools, including Brambleton Middle School, may not use personal devices including cell phones, tablets, earbuds, and personal gaming devices during the school day (8:00 am – 3:18 pm). Students must keep their devices silent and not visible, stored in their locker* during the school day. During the 8:00-8:10 am arrival time in the cafeteria, students must keep their devices silenced and unseen until they have access to their lockers at 8:10am. Personal devices may be used before or after the school day. Other important information includes:

• Inappropriate use of social media, images, text messages, or videos shall not be permitted at any time on school property, during a school-sponsored activity, or on LCPS school transportation. Cyberbullying will not be tolerated in any form. Any violation of this policy shall result in disciplinary action in accordance with the Student Rights & Responsibilities and Student Code of Conduct, as well as Policy 8210.
• LCPS recognizes parents need to know how to contact their child in case of an emergency. If there is an emergency, parents may contact the main office of their child’s school (Brambleton MS - 703-957-4450).
• Per School Board Policy, the school and its staff are not liable for students’ cell phones or other personal devices.

It is important for each of us to understand that the purpose of this policy is to support a higher focus and engagement with teaching and learning as well as increased prosocial behaviors. While we know this is a shift from our prior practice at Brambleton for our returning 7th and 8th graders, we fully support this policy and will work with our students and staff to follow it with fidelity. To support the shift, school administration will be providing reminders on the morning announcements through September 3rd for students to silence and store their electronics in their locker. We also encourage and welcome conversations at home between families and students to prepare our returning bears in following this new policy. You may click the linked button below to read the policy in full.

*Note: Each student will be assigned a locker this school year in order to have access to store any personal electronics. Besides for that purpose, students are not required to use lockers and may continue to carry backpacks with their class materials if they so choose.

We will continue this school year with the same family car line pattern as in past years. You may review the map below for image details. One entrance door near the cafeteria opens at 8:00am for student arrival and the remaining two doors (main and music area) open at 8:10am. The family car line is open from 8:00-8:25. We ask families to understand that instruction begins at 8:30am and students need time to enter the building, place items in lockers and get settled into Den Time by 8:30am. We welcome you as early as 8:00am! We always begin each school year with a grace period as we know transportation may have delays and we welcome family pictures on Day 1! (How exciting!) As you enter the pick-up/drop-off zone in the mornings and afternoons, please pull all the way forward to allow as many cars as possible into the drop zone. We can't wait to see you and your students (and your pets) all again next week!

The McKinney-Vento program supports students experiencing homelessness by providing educational stability. If your student lacks a fixed, adequate, or regular nighttime residence, they may qualify for McKinney-Vento services. To apply for this program, complete the online application for the 2024/25 school year.

The 2024/25 school year application window opened on May 20, 2024, and will remain open during the entire 2024/25 school year. Applications must be completed online and are available in your preferred language via computer or smartphone. Please remember that applications for McKinney-Vento services must be submitted every school year, even if there is no change to your housing.

To learn more about how a student may qualify for McKinney-Vento or to understand your child’s rights under the McKinney-Vento Act, please visit the LCPS McKinney-Vento webpage.

If you need assistance with your application, please contact the LCPS McKinney-Vento office at McKinneyTeam@lcps.org or 571-252-6523.

Middle school students who have taken a high school course while in sixth, seventh, or eighth grade may elect to have the course expunged (grade and credit omitted) from the student’s high school records. The high school credit courses available to middle school students include the following; Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra II/Trig, Robotics, and World Languages (Spanish, French, Latin & German). Student’s GPA and class standing will not include the grade from the expunged course, nor will the student receive a credit towards graduation for this course.

Please review our Expungement Information page to better understand course progression options, courses eligible for expungement, access to the expungement forms and more. All high school credit courses taken during the 2023-2024 school year that you want expunged from your child's high school records must be submitted on or before the end of the first quarter of the 2024-2025 school year. All expungements must go through the appropriate school permission click form; email requests will not be accepted. If you have questions, please contact your child's middle school counselor.

Please, view the flyer and frequently asked questions document below if you are interested in the after school programs offered through PRCS.

Virginia requires all 7th-grade students to have the following immunizations and to show proof of immunization to the student’s school:

Required Vaccinations for All 7th-Grade Students:

• One dose of Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, acellular pertussis) is given at age 7 or older.
• One dose of Meningococcal Vaccine (MenACWY, Menactra, or Menveo) is given at age 10 or older.

(Please Note: MenB, Bexsero, and Trumenba vaccines are not the same as MenACWY and will not be accepted in place of MenACWY. Please confirm with your medical provider that the appropriate vaccination is administered.)

Encouraged Vaccinations

• HPV (Human Papillomavirus) vaccine. While the first dose of this two-dose vaccine must be administered before an adolescent’s 15th birthday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that the first dose be administered at the age of 11 or 12. This vaccine is at the discretion of the parents or guardian but is recommended. LCPS does not require opt-out documentation for the HPV vaccine.

Carefully read the LCPS letter below. If you have any questions please review the answers to our most frequently asked questions before calling the clinic. If you still have questions you can reach the clinic at 703-957-4451 or email Nurse Coulter at Jennifer.Coulter@lcps.org.

Frequently Asked Questions: https://docs.google.com/document/d/13GTFjXwfLo6IAvOFSI_7dC20Kk-MnsaszKhk6maYAgQ/edit?usp=sharing

Families, students, community members and staff can nominate a deserving BAM teacher and/or staff member for an LCPS SHINE recognition and we encourage you to nominate anyone that you feel goes above and beyond to make our school great for students. Thanks in advance for your support!

Click THIS LINK to read more about SHINE.

Click THIS LINK for the SHINE nomination form.

Mr. James Goldsmith - BAM School Security Officer

Nominated by a Staff Member during Mr. Goldsmith's summer work at LCPS Extended School Year services housed at Willard MS.

"At Willard, our ESY School Security Officer (SSO) Jimmy Goldsmith, is an incredible asset to our summer program. Building positive relationships with our students is crucial, especially for their feelings of safety and security. When Officer Goldsmith takes time to connect with students, it fosters trust and a sense of belonging. Office Goldsmith will occasionally play games of H.O.R.S.E with the students during brain breaks to the gym. These fantastic gestures show genuine care and engagement to our students. I want to showcase our phenomenal SSO, Jimmy Goldsmith, at Willard ESY."

There is currently no information to share at this time. Please, review the information above related to course schedules.

Check one thing off of your back to school list.
Register today for Brambleton Middle School PTSA.
Regular membership is $25 and a Booster membership is $60. Those registering as a Booster will receive a complimentary gift as well as Bear Bucks for their student to use at PTSA sponsored events.
Please note: once you get to the website (either by using the QR code or the linked flier below) you will need to log in with your username/password. If you haven’t registered with us before, you will need to create an account before registering for membership. Also, memberships need to be renewed yearly.
We hope that you will consider joining- we can’t wait to start another amazing year!

PTSA BAMgram will begin in a few short weeks--stay tuned!

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