Spotlight on Bells Mill Elementary
Week of January 7, 2013
Office of the Principal
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/bellsmilles
http://www.twitter.com/bellsmilles
Week Ahead:
Mon., Jan. 14
Language Stars, 3:30-4:30
Art, 3:30-4:30, rm. 163
Lego Cyber-Robotics, 3:30-4:30, rm. 153
Boy Scouts, 3:30-4:30, rm. 235
Tues., Jan. 15
Basketball, 3:30-4:30 pm, gym
Rock Guitar, 3:30-4:30, rm. 125
Lego Engineering, 3:30-4:30, rm. 120
Reading Network, 3:30-4:30, Media Center
Wed., Jan. 16
Beginning French, 8:00-9:00 am, rm. 218
Intermediate Spanish, 8:00-9:00 am, rm. 223
Beginning Spanish, 3:30-4:30 pm, rm. 223
Power Hour, 3:30-4:30 pm, rm. 164
Art, 3:30-4:30 pm, rm. 163
Chess, 3:30-4:45, Media Center
Instrumental Music Concert, 7:00 pm, APR
Thur., Jan. 17
Hip Hop, 3:30-4:30, rm. 120
Reading Network, 3:30-4:30 pm, Media Center
Basketball, 3:30-4:30, gym
Information Meeting for Incoming Kindergarten Parents, 7:00 pm, Media Center
Fri., Jan. 18
Odyssey of the Mind, Media Center
Violin, 3:30-4:30
Have a great long weekend! See you on Wednesday, January 23.
A Look Ahead
Jan. 21
Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday, School Closed
Jan. 22
Professional Day for Teachers, No School for Students
Jan. 28
Dr. Starr visit, 7:15-8:15 am, APR (parents invited)
Jan. 31
Report Cards Distributed

We are excited that on Monday, January 28, 2013, Superintendent Joshua P. Starr will be visiting our
school for Community Day. Bells Mill parents are invited to join Dr. Starr at Bells Mill for drop-in
coffee, 7:15-8:15 am, in the APR. Dr. Starr will then spend the day visiting other schools throughout the
Churchill, Poolesville, Richard Montgomery, Rockville, and Wootton school clusters. He will end this
Community Day with a Town Hall meeting for parents, where you can ask questions and share your thoughts
and ideas. The Town Hall meeting will be held from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. at Richard Montgomery High School,
250 Richard Montgomery Drive in Rockville. Free childcare and interpretation services will be provided for
the evening Town Hall meeting. For more information, visit the MCPS website at
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org and search “Community Days”, or call 301-279-3100.

Thank you for spreading the word to parents with incoming kindergarteners for the next school year.
We already have 32 kindergarteners on our list for next year. Please continue to tell your neighbors to call
the school if they have a child who will be 5 years old by September 1, 2013. Parents of incoming
kindergarteners are invited to an information meeting on Thursday, January 17, 7:00 pm, in the Media
Center, where they will learn about our kindergarten program and get their questions answered. Parents and
their future kindergarteners are invited to an Open House on Friday, February 8, 9:30-11:30 am, when
they can observe a typical morning in a kindergarten classroom (we ask that younger siblings not attend).
Our tentative dates for Kindergarten Orientation are Thursday and Friday, April 18 and 19 (by appointment).

Please check backpacks for an information packet on upgrades to the MCPS Mathematics Program.
The information can also be found at www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/2.0/ or
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/math/ .

Please take a few minutes to view a video about our safety and security procedures on the MCPS
website. This video provides an overview of our security protocols and explains in clear language the
different levels of response to incidents, including lockdown, evacuation, and shelter in place. The video can
be viewed at the following link: www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/emergency/preparedness/. Information
brochures will be sent home in backpacks at a later date.

MCPS offers Spanish, French and Chinese Foreign Language Immersion Programs for grades K-5 at
seven elementary schools throughout the county. Participation is by lottery. For information on the
lottery process, programs, sites and applications, please visit the MCPS website at
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/specialprograms/admissions/immersion . Deadline for
applications is April 13, 2013

Register now for Montgomery College Kids’ College. Enrichment courses for students in grades 3-12 are
offered after and on Saturdays on the Rockville and Germantown campuses. Classes include cartooning,
web design, creative writing and music. To view a full list of youth program offerings please visit
www.montgomerycollege.edu/youth .
Thank you for being partners in your child’s education.