2nd - Spring Picture Day

8th - Pre-K & Kindergarten Registration 9am-2pm and 4:30-6pm

16th - Schools Close 3 Hours Early

20th - Spring Concert 6 pm

26th - Schools Closed for Memorial Day

30th - Field Day

Hello BHES Families,

I hope everyone had a restful and enjoyable Spring Break. We are entering an exciting and important part of the school year. The end of the school year is fast approaching. While there are many exciting events coming up there are several other tasks that some families will need to complete including Shared Domicile Renewals and Transition Year Residency Verification.

Families who registered as Shared Domiciles must renew their Shared Domicile each year. Letters were mailed last week to all families who are registered as Shared Domicile. To complete the renewal process you must return the Shared Domicile Renewal form along with three pieces of mail dated within the past 60 days and a copy of the parent's photo ID. Please return the documentation before Friday, May 30, 2025.

Families with students in 5th grade must complete the Transition Year Residency Verification. Letters were mailed last week to all families with a student in 5th Grade. To complete the Transition Year Residency Verification five documents are needed - a copy of your current lease or proof of home ownership, 3 pieces of mail dated within the past 60 days, and a copy of the parent's photo ID. Please bring the documents to the school office before Friday, May 30, 2025.

We will be holding a registration event for all of our Future Bulldogs on May 8th! This event is for registering new Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten students. Please see the information below for more details.

Over the next few weeks, we have many events and activities planned. I encourage everyone to stay engaged, set goals, and finish the year strong. Let's continue to support one another, maintain our positive momentum, and make the most of every opportunity. Let's make the remainder of the year our best yet!

Thank you,

Mrs. Goldbloom

Join us for our Pre-K and Kindergarten registration at Baltimore Highlands Elementary and give your little one a strong start in their educational journey!

Date: May 8, 2025

Time: 9 am - 2 pm and 4:30 - 6 pm

Please call the school office at 443-809-0919 for an appointment to come in on May 8th to register.

Who can register?

• Children who will be 4 years old by September 1, 2025 for Pre-k
• Children who will be 5 years old by September 1, 2025 for Kindergarten

What to bring?

• Birth Certificate
• Proof of Residency (Lease or proof of home ownership, 3 pieces of mail dated within the past 60 days, Photo ID)
• Immunization Records

Why enroll in Pre-K?

• Early learning in a fun, nurturing environment
• Social and academic development
• Experienced and caring teachers

We can't wait to welcome our newest Bulldogs!

Pre-K

We are getting ready to wrap up Pre-K! What a wonderful year we have had so far. This month, we are finishing our letters and their sounds. We will continue to practice our letters in fun ways. We are going to be having relay races, writing them in chalk, and with basketball games. We are also going to start putting together some of the sounds we have learned to blend them together to read basic words. In math, we are going to continue counting to 20, basic addition and subtraction to 10, 3-dimensional shapes and building sets. We are going to be learning about butterflies and different animals at the end of this unit as well as gardening. For our social/emotional learning, we are going to keep practice using our big voices and making positive choices. May 23rd, we will be taking our field trip to the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. More information to follow from your child's teacher.

Kindergarten

In Phonics we will be focusing on long vowel spellings as well as phonetically building simple words independently. In Reading, we will be exploring poetry and continuing to Zoom in and look closely at different types of text that we are reading. Students are working on building their comprehension skills by asking and answering questions about the text that they have been reading in class. In Writing, we are going to be producing poetry and opinion pieces. Students are working hard to produce and write their own sentences independently by applying the skill we have focused on in phonics and reading this year. In Math, students are composing and decomposing numbers from 11-20 to build a better understanding of place values. We are also working on solving addition and subtraction story problems this month. In Content, we are finishing up our unit called "Squirrel", where we have been exploring and determining essential elements for a successful habitat for our community's animals. We are developing a plan to make our school community an even better habitat for the butterflies, squirrels, and other animals around.

1st Grade

Happy May! Hope everyone is doing awesome! In Math, we are working on addition and subtraction within 120. Students will continue to practice value and how to use place value to count to 120 using 1s, 5s, and 10s. We are continuing a new Science unit called "Making Waves". Students will explore the ways to design and build a communication device to include in each classroom emergency bag. The device must use light and/or sound to communicate. In Phonics, we will continue to learn letter sounds and spellings. We will continue to work on long vowels and their many spellings such as bossy r and irregular spelling such as /oo/. Continue to work with your child to recognize and spell words with these letters. In Reading, we have started our ninth module called "Grow Plants Grow" and will be learning what plants need to live and grow! In Writing, we will be writing a procedural text about a science experiment. Please look out for our ABC Summer Countdown starting May 8th. Hope you have an amazing month and let us know if you have any questions!

2nd Grade

Reading- In ELA this module, children will learn about the different habitats where animals live. Hot deserts, warm rainforests, and cool, underwater habitats all provide food and shelter for the animals that live there. Through reading a variety of texts and collaborative work, children will explore how the conditions in different habitats help different animals to survive.

Math- In Math, students will estimate, measure, and compare the lengths of objects in centimeters and meters; split whole shapes into 2, 3, 4, and 8 equal parts called halves, thirds, fourths/quarters or eighths and solve, pose, and write addition, subtraction, and money story problems involving 2 and 3 digit numbers.

3rd Grade

Reading- In Reading this month, 3rd grade will be learning about how our food gets to our tables. We will be exploring reading concepts such as text structure, central idea, text features and more, while learning how the food we buy and eat make it to our stores. We will be reading about different farming and processing methods that allow us to have the food we eat. By the end of the month, we will also have written a poem about our favorite season!

Math- In Math, we will continue learning about multiplication but taking things a step further by learning how to multiply by 11, 12 and multiples of 10. We will also take our understanding of fractions to the next level by determining equivalent fractions and learning new fraction games.

4th Grade

ELA - Module 8 & 9 "Global Guardians" and "Food for Thought" - In May, we will cover two modules. Our 4th graders will continue to listen, read, and view a variety of texts that will provide them with the skills and knowledge about conservation. The genre focus will be on persuasive text which will provide our students with the opportunity to identify ideas and support, text, graphic features, and author's purpose. These strategies will develop our ability to understand unfamiliar texts. Students will also encounter a graphic novel, realistic fiction, and a biography to build knowledge of both genres. We will continue to build their vocabulary and build on their prior knowledge that it is up to us to work together to preserve our planet's natural resources. The student's will conclude this module with a performance task. They will write an opinion essay. The prompt is "What can people do to care for our planet?" We transition into Module 8, where will learn about making healthful food choices. Students will listen to, read and view a variety of texts and media that will present information about nutrition. The genres of focus will include informational and argumentative text. We will identify text and graphic features, ideas and support, and author's purpose in order to understand unfamiliar text. Students will encounter realistic fiction and recipes to build knowledge across genres. We will build our knowledge by learning new vocabulary about healthy eating, sustainable foods that are good for our bodies and our world. Students will conclude this module with a module assessment.

Math - Unit 7 "Reviewing & Extending Fractions, Decimals & Multi-Digit" - This month in Math, our 4th graders will review and extend skills and concepts in several foundational skills.These standards are major standards for our students. Students will refine their skills at recognizing and generating equivalent fractions. They will compare fractions that have unlike denominators. The focus will be benchmark fractions such as halves. We will continue to module and transition into reviewing some strategies they have developed for multi-digit multiplication. We will also explore standard multiplication algorithm.

5th Grade

Reading- Welcome to the Unknown and Unexplained! In this module, students will listen to, read, and view a variety of texts and media that present them with information about mysteries. Our genre focus will be on mystery to provide students with opportunities to make inferences, to make and confirm predictions, and to identify literary elements and figurative language in order to better understand unfamiliar texts. Students will also encounter informational text to build knowledge across genres. As students build their vocabulary and synthesize topic knowledge, they will learn about different types of intriguing mysteries and the methods people use to try to solve them. Try reading some mystery books in order to build their interest on the genre.

Math- In this unit, students continue their study of division, including its relationship to multiplication. As we begin this unit, students will work with problem strings to find partial quotients as they divide 3 and 4 digit divisors. They also investigate scenarios involving rates such as cups of fruit per pizza, and minutes it takes to run a mile. As we continue, students will center around sharing and grouping interpretations of division, providing opportunities to review the skills and concepts associated with dividing unit fractions by a whole number and vice versa. They will also solve and discuss a wide variety of division story problems, including contexts that require decisions about how to handle the remainders. To finish this unit off, students will review and extend their thinking about the effects of multiplying and dividing by powers of 10, as well as multiplying and dividing decimal numbers. Division is one of the hardest lessons 5th graders struggle with so be sure to reinforce and practice division strategies and problems at home!

As we get closer to the end of the school year, we want to talk about the importance of MINDFULNESS in our daily lives. Mindfulness - the practice of being fully present and aware of our thoughts, feelings, and surroundings - can be a powerful tool for reducing stress, improving focus, and building emotional resilience. We will be focusing on mindfulness activities such as breathing techniques, recognizing emotions, guided reflection, and mindful movement like yoga.

You can support mindfulness at home, too! Simple strategies like pausing for a few deep breaths when you are getting frustrated, practicing gratitude at dinner, or taking a mindful walk together can make a meaningful difference.

When students learn to pause, notice, and respond thoughtfully, they are better equipped academically and personally.

May 6th HEALTH FAIR 5:30-7 pm

We will be having our annual Health Fair here at school with many health care providers, safety instruction, nutrition information, samples of healthy foods, games, raffles, and much more! We hope to see you there!

The character strengths that we will be highlighting in our daily morning meetings during May are leadership, fairness, problem solving, and dealing with disappointment. The students will learn more about each strength through a variety of activities, videos, and games. Ms. Phipps and Mrs. Bradham will be teaching classroom guidance lessons on mindfulness. In Pre-K, the students will identify ways to practice mindfulness. They will practice deep breathing exercises and other ways to feel calm. In Kindergarten, students will learn to use their sense of touch in order to practice mindful attention. In 1st grade, the students will listen to Charlotte and the Quiet Place and identify mindfulness strategies to apply when having big emotions. In 2nd grade, students will classify feelings vs sensations in order to identify emotional vs physical signals in the body. In grades 3-5, the students will examine multiple stress-management strategies to develop healthy coping skills that include talking to a trusted adult. The 5th graders will also continue to discuss their transition to middle school.

We have been having competitions between grade levels and classrooms to help encourage our students to come to school every day. Regular school attendance is essential for our children's success. When students attend school consistently, they build strong learning habits, stay engaged with their peers and develop the skills they need for future academic achievement. Thank you for your continued partnership in making school attendance a priority.

If you need to contact the counselors, please email or call Ms. Phipps (PK-2nd Grades) pphipps@bcps.org 443-809-2473 or Mrs. Bradham (grades 3-5) bbradham@bcps.org 443-809-1053.

Many parents have concerns about how their children use technology. Maybe you fight with your child when they won't down their phones or other electronic devices at bedtime. Your child may have been bullied or have bullied someone on social media. You may struggle to get your child to do chores, spend time with family, or pay attention when you speak to them because it's hard to get their attention away from electronics.

Teaching children how to use digital media like cell phones, social media apps, tv and online gaming is hard! Here are some tips from the American Academy of Pediatrics to guide you:

Try using the 5 C's of Media Guidance:

• Child: Not every child is the same. Think about each child's personality and how that affects what media they like and how it affects them. Does your child tend to be anxious or worried? If so, might that make them more vulnerable to feeling anxious? Or does your child struggle to fit in, so being online gives them a safe place to find supportive friends?
• Content: What a child views online makes a difference. Watching violent or rude content can be harmful. Learning or practicing a new language might be beneficial. Not all digital media exposure is bad. Make sure your child is exposed to content that helps them grow.
• Calm: In this fast-paced world, children need to learn ways to handle anger and stress. They also need to learn ways to fall asleep at night. Help your child learn practical ways to cope with emotions and learn to sleep (like reading, listening to music, getting outside, talking to a friend or parent) and avoid using social media as a quick fix.
• Crowding Out: Be sure to save time in your child's and family's day for the healthy things that matter to your family. Watch your child's and family's use of digital media to be sure there is still time to do the important things!
• Communication: Talk about media use often. This will help your child become a good consumer of digital content and give you the chance to step in when they need to make better digital media choices.

If you are interested in understanding tricks companies use to keep people "addicted" to social media, here is a great video to watch:

Please call our health office with any questions at 443-809-6063 or email our school nurse, Mrs. Grisley, at lgrisley@bcps.org.

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week!

Every day our teachers enthusiastically greet our students and work hard to ensure that each child has a great day of learning. There are many hours of planning and preparation that go into each day - much of which happens before and after school and at home in the evenings. They regularly review progress data to see how their students are doing and adjust lessons and support to make sure that all children are getting what they need to grow their skills.

Once a year, there is a week set aside to acknowledge and celebrate the work of our "Teacher Heroes" and it's a perfect opportunity to let our teachers know how much we appreciate the work they do every day to provide a quality educational experience for all our students. A simple note, text or email goes a long way to let teachers know you are grateful for their efforts. Please join me in making sure our teachers know how grateful we are for all their hard work to help our students succeed.

ALSO...COMING UP....

Our 3rd Annual Health Fair will be held on Tuesday, May 6th from 5:30-7 pm. Come explore health and wellness resources, games, prizes, food samples and more!

As always, if you have questions, other concerns, or would like to know more, call or text Jill Savage at 443-885-0792 or email at jsavage@bcps.org.