BTMS Community Newsletter - 23/24 (Archived)

BTMS Website

Parent Welcome Letter - 24/25

BTMS Information and Overview

As the second quarter begins on Monday, November 4th, please ensure you and your student(s) are reviewing grades in Synergy and reviewing upcoming assignments in Canvas. If your student requires academic support, please know that the Staff and Faculty here at BTMS are available to offer educational resources and encouragement to help your scholar develop an improvement plan for success. Parents, please continue to champion and support your scholar in areas of growth, both academically and socially. Praise them in the places where your student is excelling and encourage repetitive self-reflection. Setting realistic goals for improvement, implementing new study plans, and pursuing tutoring are all options for future student success.

BTMS- Parent Engagement Assistant: Tiva Lewter; Linktree

Synergy Directions: For directions and information on Synergy, please click on the Synergy ParentVue Presentation link.

School parking lot safety is crucial to creating a safe, welcoming environment for learning. When students, staff, and visitors come to your school, navigating where they need to go and parking are the first steps in their journey.

With so many people moving through an area and cars all around, it’s crucial to have safety measures in place to protect each person in your school parking lot. Families, we ask that you please be:

Be considerate & Kind: Be courteous and patient with other parents and drivers.

Use drop-off zones: Use the designated drop-off and pick-up areas Students must stay in the crosswalk when walking.

Cross at crosswalks: Use crosswalks when crossing from the parking lot to the building

Follow safety guidelines: Don't speed, drive recklessly, or engage in horseplay.

Support school efforts: Work with the school to improve drop-off and pick-up systems.

PGCPS Parent Guide: Ways to Help Your Child Succeed in Middle School Support from parents and families is critical to helping children succeed academically. Here are ten ways you can put your middle schoolers on track. For more information, please contact the Department of Family and School Partnerships at 301-618-7456.

The Department of Special Education & Psychological Services are sponsoring a series of Family Workshops.

Wednesday,November 20, 2024: Asking Educators the Right Questions about Instruction andt he Individualized Education Programs - Asking Educators the Right Questions

*Please see the see the Flyer below.*

The 2024-2025 Honor Roll Assembly will occur on Monday, November 18th. Parents, seating will be limited in the school cafeteria, and once filled, standing room only will apply. We look forward to seeing you. Thank you for your continued support. #PGCPSPROUD #TaskerTigers

Monday, November 4

• Benchmark I - RELA
• PTSO Restaurant Night

Tuesday, November 5

• Election Day (Schools & Offices Closed)

Wednesday, November 6

• Benchmark I - RELA

Thursday, November 7

• Benchmark RELA I - Makeups
• 6th grade Virtual Town Hall 6th Mod (Students Only)
• Basketball @ James Madison

Friday, November 8

• Benchmark RELA I - Makeups

Monday, November 11

• Benchmark I - Math
• Basketball vs Kenmoor (Home)

Tuesday, November 12

• Benchmark I - Math
• Science Bowl - Eliminations

Wednesday, November 13

• Benchmark I - Makeups
• Basketball vs CMIT North (Home) See sports section to purchase tickets

Thursday, November 14

• Benchmark I - Makeups

Friday, November 15

• Benchmark I - Makeups
• PGCPS Science Night
• Girls in Cyber event

Quarter 1 Benchmarks: Please review the Benchmark 1 Parent Letter about the upcoming Benchmark Assessments.

BTMS STEM Fair: Please Click here for more information regarding the BTMS STEM Fair

BTMS Scholastic Store: Please help us grow our classroom libraries throughout the school. Shop for all of your reading needs through the BTMS Scholastic store!! https://orders.scholastic.com/RX482

The Women in Cybersecurity (WiCyS) club at Prince George’s Community College will be hosting an event for girls interested in Cybersecurity or in any Information Technology careers this Friday. Females are still a minority when it comes to Information Technology fields particularly Cybersecurity. Please share the attached flyer with your students. Students should register with an email address that can receive a Zoom link. We will send the Zoom link to all registered participants.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1m3vI1FrANvdBDD0uYyDghQGY4a4D8Y78/view?usp=sharing

Instructional Support & Tutoring:

• Math Tutoring:

• Math Tutoring Flier (English

• Tutoring Flier (Spanish)

• Math Unit Study Guides by Math Level: The following guides share what your child is currently learning in math, as well as how they are learning.

• Math 6 Family Resource letter Unit 1

• Accelerated 1 Family Resource letter Unit 1

• Math 7 Family Resource letter Unit 1

• Accelerated 2 Family Resource letter Unit 1

• Math 8 Family Resource letter Unit 1

• Foundations For Algebra Family Resource letter Unit 1

Lumiere Education: The Junior Explorer Program is an 8-week program designed for middle school students (Grades 6-8) to explore their academic interests in fields such as economics, astrophysics, biology, history, and computer science. In the past, we have had students create research papers, case studies, and analytical presentations.

Nature Quest Art Contest: You are cordially invited to enter this year’s Nature Quest Art Contest!

Explore the beauty in your backyard, a local park, or other outdoor environment and tell your nature story by drawing, painting, photography, or through poetry. Enter the art contest by uploading your artwork to be displayed in our Nature Quest exhibition and possibly win a cash prize! M-NCPPC will recognize three winners from elementary, middle, and high school! $300 for 1st place winners, $200 for 2nd place winners, $100 for 3rd place winners. Must be a Prince George’s County resident, 18 years old and under. You may enter as many categories as you want! Entries must be inspired by nature. DEADLINE for Submission: December 6, 2024 Link to eligible requirements

Join us in celebrating the Washington Capitals with the Caps in School 50th Anniversary Fan Wall, presented by KPMG! This is a unique opportunity for students to showcase their artistic talents while honoring the rich history and future of the Washington Capitals. We encourage students to create artwork that captures the spirit of the Capitals, their love for hockey, and this incredible milestone. This is a great way to engage your students in a fun, creative project while celebrating a beloved team with deep ties to our community. Select pieces will be featured throughout the season, helping to tell the story of 50 years of Capitals pride! We can't wait to see what students create to help celebrate this exciting anniversary! Link to the submission form

Congressional App Challenge: We are excited for all Middle School and High School Students to participate in the 2024 Congressional App Challenge! This competition offers a fantastic opportunity for students to showcase their coding skills and creativity by developing an app, individually or as a team. You can find more information and register HERE

Nominations for the 2024 Baltimore Ravens Community Quarterback Award are NOW OPEN! Supported by the Ravens Foundation, Inc., T. Rowe Price and the NFL Foundation, the Community Quarterback Award recognizes individuals who exemplify leadership, dedication, and a strong commitment to improving the communities in which they live. Volunteers, ages 13 and up, who provide extraordinary service to area nonprofit organizations are eligible for the award. Charitable organizations are encouraged to nominate their volunteers and individuals can also nominate themselves. Recipients of this award will be acknowledged on December 1st at the Ravens-Eagles game at M&T Bank Stadium. Honorees will be given game tickets for themselves and a guest, Ravens apparel, and a financial grant benefiting their respective nonprofit organizations. Applications for the 2024 Community Quarterback Award will be accepted until Friday, October 18th, and can be completed online at https://www.baltimoreravens.com/community/community-qb/.

2025 C-SPAN StudentCam Competition: Where Students Become Filmmakers! The 21st year of C-SPAN’s StudentCam documentary competition for middle and high school students is officially underway. Students from grades 6-12 can participate in the competition and can do so as part of any subject area class, as an extra credit or enrichment activity, or on their own accord. This presidential election year's theme is: Your Message to the President? What issue is most important to you or your community? Examine your selected topic from multiple perspectives and assess what action(s) the president should take after Inauguration Day. Link to flyer

Annual Essay & Video Competition: The Board of Directors of the Henrietta Lacks Legacy Group (HLLG) is excited to remind you to submit your entries for the Annual Essay and Video Competition by Monday, November 25, 2024. Please see the attached flyer link for more information about the competition, the prizes, the opportunity to tour the community of Turner Station, Dundalk, MD., and Henrietta's singular contribution to modern medicine. We look forward to your exciting entries!

6th Grade News:

• November 7th Virtual Town Hall Meeting for Students Only, 6th Mod

• Field trip in December Greenbelt Cinema,December 17th and 18th

• More to Come

Administrator: Ms.Provost Counselor: Ms.Hardy Student Advocate: Mr.Porter

7th Grade News:

• Upcoming Field trip to JA Finance Park; VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED.VOLUNTEERS NEEDED for JA Finance Field Trip on December 3, 5, or 6, 2024. JA Finance is an opportunity for which all caregivers are excited to wait. It is the opportunity to witness our 7th Graders become adults. They are given a career, salary and lifestyle where they have a budget for everyday life. The students have to pay living expenses, family expenses, activities, vacations, loans, and debt. They have to select items that fit into the current income constraints. Witness them experience all the budgeting we try to make them aware of in our home lives. You do not have to be a 7th-grade family member to volunteer. Click here to volunteer on December 3, 5, or 6, 2024.

• Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Young Scholars Program: The Cooke Young Scholars Program is a selective five-year, pre-college scholarship for exceptionally promising 7th-grade students with financial need. It provides comprehensive academic and college advising, as well as financial support for school, Cooke-sponsored summer programs, internships, and other learning enrichment opportunities. Link to site

• More updates to come

Administrator: Ms.Hazel Counselor: Ms.Dzirasa Peer Mediator: Mr.McFarland

8th Grade News:

• Habit Burger Fundraiser November 4,2024 ; Vista Gardens, Bowie Md. 4pm to 10pm

• Maryland Center for School Student (MCSS): 8th-grade students are encouraged to become members of the Maryland Center for School Safety Student Focus Group. MCSS seeks energized and enthusiastic students who want to influence school safety efforts throughout the State of Maryland positively. The organization is now accepting student applications to join the MCSS Student Advocate for School Safety (SASS) program. Students in grades 8-12 during the 2023-2024 school year are encouraged to apply if they are interested in becoming an advocate for school safety. Link to application.

  
  

• High School Specialty Programs: The High School Specialty Program Application Window is now opened Link to the application window for different programs
  

Administrator: Dr.Scott Counselor: Mr.Reid Peer Mediator: Ms.Sibila

Check out the latest information regarding out BTMS sports

#GoTigers

Congratulations to the Benjamin Tasker 2024-25 Middle School Baseball Champions! It was a great game against Greenbelt Middle School. Both teams displayed excellent sportsmanship. Let’s give our Baseball team a LOUD ROAR!!

BTMS Softball finished the season as County Finalist falling to James Madison 6-4 in the County Championship. It marked the 5th consecutive appearance in the County Championship Game for BTMS Softball. Great Season Ladies. #GoTigers

The 2024/25 Basketball schedule is now available Purchase Tickets here

Science Bowl: Congratulations to our fantastic Science Bowl Team, which competed in the 24/25 Science Bowl. They won their first competition against Andrew Jackson Academy. Unfortunately, we did not take the win against Kenmore, but our students were very stiff competition, and we are proud of them. Take a look at the competition: BTMS Science Bowl Link.

BTMS Breast Cancer Awareness Recap

Congratulations to all of the inductees for the National Junior Honor’s Society. BTMS community let’s give them a loud ROAR in the comments #PGCPSproud #TaskerTigers #BTMS #NJHS

BTMS offers a wide variety of after-school clubs and activities. We encourage all students to participate. Please open the BTMS After-School Clubs & Activities doc to review the current offerings. Students participating in after-school clubs and activities must have their own transportation home.

Join us in the fight against food insecurities! The BTMS NHJS Chapter asks our school community to donate Water, Rice, Hot & Cold cereal, Oatmeal, Canned Vegetables, Canned Fruit, Canned Beans, Etc. For more information please contact Ms. Clarke-Green @janet.clarke@pgcps.org

The Leo Club is now full. We do have a waiting list of students in case a space becomes available. If your child is in the Leo Club, be sure to return the signed permission slip. Information about our schedule and upcoming activities can be found on our Leo Club Google Site. Questions? Email ann.fleming@pgcps.org.

🎨Our Wonderful Art Club gave our school shed a beautiful makeover🎨

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1LVGVfnqNN1GqH5YQ1y2ypszpP_06nFE2/view?usp=sharing

Meals (Breakfast/Lunch): Breakfast is available to all students from 8:00 am to 8:20 am. Students must be in line by 8:20 am to receive breakfast. However, all students arriving on a late bus will be permitted to receive breakfast, if they choose. Students may purchase breakfast ($1.60) and/or lunch ($3.00) daily

https://schools.mealviewer.com/school/BenjaminTaskerMiddle

Please check your student's My School Bucks account status and balance My School Bucks Links

Each year students are required to complete 3 forms (Emergency Contact Form, Publicity & Photography Release Form, & Parent Receipt of Acknowledgement form) to ensure BTMS has updated and accurate information in addition to ensuring important policy has been reviewed.

• Emergency Contact Form

• Publicity & Photography Release Form

• Parent Receipt of Acknowledgement

• Review: Student Behavioral Expectations

• Review: Student/Family Handbook

The 2nd Annual Winter Bazaar is hosted by the BTMS PTSO on Saturday, December 7th, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM! This event is a fantastic opportunity to showcase your products, connect with our community, and spread some holiday cheer. Whether you’re a student, parent, or staff member, we welcome all entrepreneurs to join us! If you’re interested, please fill out the vendor application using the link below: https://forms.gle/3PAEbDEpBPb2cnCs9 We look forward to seeing you and your creativity shine at the Winter Bazaar! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out and spread the word.

Website: https://www.pgcps.org/benjamintasker/
Location: 4901 Collington Road Bowie, MD 20715

Phone: 301-805-2660
X: @BTMSTigers

Instagram: @BTMS.TIGERS