The Beach Elementary Weekly Wave

10/14 2 Hour Late Arrival

10/16 Wear orange for Unity Day

10/17 Fall Teacher Appreciation Luncheon (Sign up below)

10/18 No school for students, Staff PD day

10/25 Trunk or Treat @ BES 6:00 to 7:30 pm

10/28-11/1 Red Ribbon Week (details below)

10/31 End of first marking period

10/31 Goblin Parade (details below and in Thursday folder)

11/7 First marking period grades available

11/1 2-hour early dismissal

11/5 Election Day, school closed for students and staff

11/11 no school for students, parent-teacher conferences

11/27-29 Thanksgiving break

*Important* Please log into your HAC account and fill out the Annual Student Update form for your student(s). It is very important that you complete the form, so we have current emergency contact information for your student. If you have any questions, please contact the front office.

*Once a student leaves the building at dismissal, they are not allowed back in the building to retrieve their belongings or anything that may have been forgotten.

*If your student will be a surprise car rider for the day, please email the teacher and/or the main office or send in a written note so we are aware and to avoid any dismissal confusion. Surprise car riders need to be signed out(with identification) on the library side of the building between 3:15-3:25pm. Then the student's name will be announced overhead to meet the parent/guardian in the library.

*Once a student gets on a bus for dismissal, he/she will not be taken off if parents/guardians arrive.

Thank you for your understanding to help dismissal go as quickly and smoothly as possible.

The information below is from CCPS Policy 3415 regarding homework in elementary school:

• Homework is a valuable and integral component of an effective instructional program and should be regularly assigned to all students in order to reinforce their learning and understanding.

• Students should be encouraged to view homework as their responsibility, and parents are encouraged to play a supporting role in this effort.

• Teachers should provide meaningful homework that fosters lesson application, review, clarification, and/or enrichment of concepts. Homework may also involve preparation for future lessons and completion of long-term assignments.

• Homework should be assigned to all students and be appropriate to their age, ability, and independent work level. Homework should be differentiated based on this information.

Recommended time limits for homework assignments are:

• K/1: 10 – 15 minutes total/day
• Grades 2/3: 15 – 20 minutes total/day
• Grades 4/5: 30 – 45 minutes total/day

• The purpose of homework is to provide review and practice for a student progressing toward mastery. Parents shall not be expected to play a "formal teaching role” in homework. Parents can, however, support this aspect of their children’s education by establishing regular times for homework completion and identifying specific places in the home where students can work with minimum distractions. When a child attempts to complete assigned homework but does not understand, a parent may “sign off” on work to alert the teacher and there will be no penalty to the student’s grade.

• Teachers will provide timely and specific feedback for any assigned homework, so that students can improve their understanding and application of targeted concepts and skills. Homework will not be used to calculate a student’s marking period grade.

• Homework should never be used as the only evidence of a student’s achievement in a particular content area.

• Homework should never be assigned as a disciplinary or punitive measure.

If you would like to join your child at lunch, we have a guest table where you can your child can eat together. You must be an approved volunteer to dine in our cafeteria.

For the safety of our children, please follow the BES procedures for students who are transported to and from school daily:

• Arrival begins at 8:35. Please do not come early.
• Enter BES off of Bayside Road.
• Drive along the curb and drop your children off at the sidewalk near the school.
• Students should exit the vehicle on the passenger side.
• Stay in the lane, do not pull out and pass vehicles in front of you.
• If your child needs assistance exiting, please park and walk your child to the entrance.

Please do not send glass containers to school. We had one break during a lunch shift and we want to avoid any accidents. Thanks!

Student birthdays are very exciting and will be recognized by the classroom teachers and staff. We kindly request that, due to increased allergies, students with diabetes and other health concerns, non-food items such as pencils, stickers, trinkets, etc. be sent in to share with the class rather than cupcakes or other snacks. Please communicate with the teacher in advance if you are planning on sending items in to celebrate your child’s birthday.

You may request a birthday wish on the BES marquee for $25 for the weekend. Please contact the office to make arrangements to get on the calendar and for payment.

Families, we need your help! We are having an increasing issue with water bottles spilling. Please ensure that your child's water bottle does not spill or leak. Also, be sure to only fill it with water. No flavors or other beverages, please. Please help us keep our school safe from spills and our students healthy by drinking water. Thank you so much for your help and support!

There are many military families who live in our community and who have children who attend our school. If you are a military family, please click HERE to let us know. We will be working on helping military families connect with each other this year and of course, we will support any military families who experience a deployment.

Military Child Education Coalition: Homepage - Military Child Education Coalition® (MCEC®)

Heather Hammett

Professional School Counselor

Beach Elementary School

443-550-9529/410-286-4014(fax)

Angel Tree

BES has always been a community that helps each other. Every Christmas we have tried to reach out to families who may be in need. However, we realize that we don’t always have the full picture and sometimes the families who really need help due to a tragedy or crisis, get overlooked. So, if you are in a position where you need help or know someone in our school community who may need help this holiday season, we would like to hear from you. Please fill out the form: https://forms.gle/1wAggbxQnEmGakK98 by Monday, November 4. If you need a hard copy, please contact Mrs. Hammett at 443-550-9529 or hammetth@calvertnet.k12.md.us. Forms will not be accepted after this date!

New program schedules announced

Chesapeake Life Center's program guide for October through December 2024 has been released!

There are programs available for children, teens, adults, and families, with some programs being conducted virtually. If you, your family, or clients could benefit from any of these programs, please feel free to share, register, or reach out to us with questions.

Current Program Guide

Register for Programs Today!

For full descriptions of each program, you can visit our online events calendar.

Questions? Call 888-501-7077 or email griefinfo@chesapeakelifecenter.org

Goblin parade flyer

Menus, nutrition information, payment methods and information, and photos of food served are accessible online on the CCPS Website on the Child Nutrition page.

Click HERE for information from the Child Nutrition Department

Click HERE for information about LINQ, where you can manage payments, view menus, and more!

Just a friendly reminder that you must be an approved volunteer to have lunch with your student. (see the link below to apply to volunteer) Only parent(s) and guardian(s) are allowed to have lunch with their student. Once in the lunchroom, you and your student will sit at a separate table together. Please contact the front office if you have any questions.

Volunteer with us! CCPS uses the Raptor system for volunteers and visitors to sign in and out of schools. All volunteers (anyone interacting with children for activities such as field day, field trips, VIP Day, etc.) will need to review the volunteer handbook, watch the volunteer training video, and apply to be an approved volunteer each year before volunteering in any school. Click HERE to become a volunteer!

We love to celebrate our students for showing safety, ownership, acceptance, and respect! One of the ways we do that is with our Woot Woot Cart, where we give students an opportunity to redeem their Beach Bravos. If you would like to assist Ms. Conley with this by volunteering some time while kids "shop", please complete the form below. We plan on having the Woot Woot cart on A Days during the lunch shifts from 10:30 to 2:00

We do have a lost and found area at BES, that seems to fill up rather quickly. Families spend a lot of money on jackets and water bottles! Please take some time to put your child's name on their jackets and water bottles so that we can return them. We do purge our lost and found at the end of each month. We donate the unclaimed items so others may use them.

There will tables set up in the main hallway on Monday October 14th for families to stop by during conferences to claim their lost items before school begins late at 10:35am.

Our Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) has always supported Beach Elementary. An active PTO has provided several advantages for our students and staff. The PTO has formed closer school and community bonds. The parents and other citizens who have contributed time, effort, talents, and materials have a personal commitment to Beach Elementary. The fundraising efforts of the PTO have helped to improve and enrich the learning experiences for our children by supporting the cultural arts and field trip programs. Our staff has always appreciated the PTO's loyal support and we plan to continue working in this active partnership. Please join the PTO.

Join the BES PTO today to get on our email list, stay up to date on events and volunteer opportunities, and to have your thoughts and ideas heard. Membership is $10 per family, all membership fees are used to fund events including the Ag Lab mobile field trip, dances, and many more!

For information about family events and youth activities taking place in our community, click the Community Events button, below. Please note: These events and activities are not sponsored by the Calvert County Board of Education or Calvert County Public Schools. We provide equal opportunities to outside agencies to distribute materials that offer opportunities to students and/or their parents, but that permission should not be considered a recommendation or endorsement by the school district.

2024 – 2025 School Counselors of the Year Awards

Use this link to access the Maryland School Counselors Association nomination form for this year's School Counselors of the Year Awards! Please share this opportunity with your entire school community to nominate a school counselor. For Information about the MSCA School Counselor of the Year (Elementary, Middle and Secondary Level) award criteria, click HERE

Calvert County Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, ancestry or national origin, familial status, marital status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, or genetic information in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies:

• Director of Student Services
• Director of Human Resources

443-550-8000

For further information on notice of non-discrimination, visit the Office for Civil Rights Complaint Assessment System at: https://ocrcas.ed.gov or call 1-800-421-3481.

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Anti-sexual, Anti-racial and Anti-disability Harassment Statement
Discrimination can manifest itself in behaviors such as bullying, harassment, or intimidation of individuals.

Calvert County Public Schools does not tolerate any form of harassment including, but not limited to, sexual, racial, or disability. Any individual (student, employee, or community member) who believes that he or she has been subjected to any form of harassment is encouraged to report the allegation of harassment. Students, parents, and community members may report allegations of harassment to: Ms. Cecelia Lewis, Director of Student Services, Calvert County Public Schools, 1305 Dares Beach Road, Prince Frederick, MD 20678

Employees may report allegations of harassment to: Mr. Zachary Seawell, Director of Human Resources, Calvert County Public Schools, 1305 Dares Beach Road, Prince Frederick, MD 20678.

Calvert County Public Schools is committed to conducting a prompt investigation for any allegation of harassment. If harassment has occurred, the individual will be disciplined promptly. Disciplinary actions for students found to have engaged in any form of harassment may result in suspension or expulsion. Disciplinary actions for employees found to have engaged in any form of harassment may result in suspension or termination.

Calvert County Public Schools encourages all students, parents, employees, and community members to work together to prevent any form of harassment.

For further information on notice of non-discrimination, visit the Office for Civil Rights Complaint Assessment System at: https://ocrcas.ed.gov or call 1-800-421-3481.

Calvert County Public Schools Antiracism Statement

Calvert County Public Schools explicitly denounces racism, bullying, discrimination, white supremacy, hate, and racial inequity in any form within our school community. Furthermore, CCPS will not tolerate the values, structures, and behaviors that perpetuate systemic racism.

Each member of the district, individually and collectively, is responsible for creating and nurturing a safe, antiracist learning environment where each student, staff member, and community partner is a respected and valued member of the CCPS community.