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Welcome: Preparing to Start the Year at Ballenger Creek Middle School!
This Find Out First contains a lot of important information to start the school year smoothly. Please read all of the items carefully. We look forward to working with you this year!
Student Schedule Information
Student Schedules will be mailed today, Wednesday, August 19th. Parents will receive a welcome back packet of information that includes both the student schedule in Schoology and a Weekly Schedule Template that explains exactly when each class offers synchronous (live) instruction. Electives changes are not possible; however, if your schedule shows an error in level or any other type of discrepancy, please reach out to your child’s counselor for assistance. To help clarify how to read your schedule, please click here (https://bit.ly/3hf4Dmf) for a video from our counseling department that explains what your child’s week will look like.
Grade 6- Rebecca Reese
Grade 7- David Ledyard
Grade 8- Johnny Webber
Schoology
For the 2020-21 school year all BCMS teachers will use the Schoology platform for instruction, grading and communication. If you are unfamiliar with Schoology, please visit www.fcps.org/schoology for an overview of the platform. A letter containing your Schoology password is included in the welcome back packet.
Technology Needs
If your child is in need of an FCPS issued chromebook, please make sure you complete the Student Profile Form available at this link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BCMS-RegIntent Please do not send emails to staff members or call the front office to request a Chromebook. BCMS staff will be reviewing the information in this survey to determine who will receive a Chromebook. If you would like to purchase a Chromebook for your child’s use, the following specifications will ensure it works well with our platforms:
Minimum recommended requirements:
§ Wireless 802.11n (802.11ac or 802.11ax preferred)
§ 11” Screen with a minimum resolution of 1366x768 or greater (touchscreen preferred)
§ Intel Processor (Celeron or better
§ 4GB RAM Memory
§ 16GB Storage (SSD)
§ 1 USB port
§ Keyboard
§ Chrome OS 80 or above
Chromebook must be a model that is supported until the end of the school year by Google. Please verify your model using this link: https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/6220366?hl=en
School Supply List
Middle School Supplies
5 Subject Spiral Notebook
Ballpoint Pen
Colored Pencils
Glue
Headphones or Earbuds
Highlighter
Pocket Folder
Sharpened Wooden Pencils
Sketchbook
Thin Markers
Scissors
Due to delays in delivery of materials, we are forced to postpone our materials pick-up event. Our user support specialist will be in touch with individual families who have completed the Student Profile Form (please see link above) and expressed the need for a device. Please look for upcoming communications via FoF and Schoology about school supply pick-up event.
Back to School Night
BCMS is pleased to offer VIRTUAL Back to School Night sessions via Google Meet on Thursday, August 27th. You are encouraged to attend your assigned session, but if you need to attend at a different time because of your personal schedule, please understand that sessions are designed for specific grade levels and we have a capacity of 250 participants for each session. In order to access the presentation, please login to meet.google.com and use the appropriate code provided below.
5:00 p.m. - 8th grade students and parents (code: BCMSGr8BTS)
6:00 p.m. - 7th grade students and parents (code: BCMSGr7BTS)
7:00 p.m. - 6th grade students and parents and other students new to BCMS (code: BCMSGr6BTS)
Students and their families will hear a brief presentation by the administration, then hear introductions by teachers for their grade level. Ahead of these events, we encourage you to preview our orientation slideshow, which will answer many commonly asked questions and will be sent out via Find Out First, through Schoology, and will be posted on our school website (https://education.fcps.org/bcms/) the week of the 24th. Should your schedule not permit you to virtually attend a Back to School Night session, they will also be recorded and posted to Schoology and/or our school website.
While many questions will be answered during the presentation, please use this link (https://forms.gle/6fPWSaR9DFCZzzEQ8) to ask questions that you might have about our virtual first semester. Answers to these questions will be posted on our school website and/or included in our presentation.
Free or Reduced Meals Form
The following link is available for families to apply for Free and Reduced Meals: http://www.fcpsnutrition.com/
http://education.fcps.org/bcms
5525 Ballenger Creek Pike
Frederick, MD 21703
Phone: 240-236-5700
Fax: 240-236-5701