belmont ridge middle school “excellence in education” · cookies and treats for visiting...
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Belmont Ridge Middle School
“EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION”
19045 Upper Belmont Place, Leesburg, VA 20176
www.loudoun.k12.va.us/bmrms
A Note from Your Principal …
Congratulations to Shivam Kollur who received a perfect score in AMC8 (25)
that was given in November. He was the only one to do so from Loudoun
County and one of thirteen in Virginia. Six students made the AMC honor roll
and two the distinguished honor roll.
Congratulations to our choir, band, orchestra, and guitar students. The various
winter programs here at Belmont Ridge made us proud to be associated with
this school. Even in very difficult times, the music enriched our spirits. We
also want to thank the choirs from Stonebridge for coming over and singing so
beautifully.
There has been a lot of discussion and review of our security procedures
following the tragedy in Connecticut. We are fortunate to have our door-
camera system and a full time Loudoun County Sheriff's Deputy on campus.
We will practice our various drills and be diligent in every possible way.
Please know that the safety of our students is always a priority.
Mr. Ryan Hitchman arrived on December 21st and will be in charge come
January. I have had the privilege for the past three months of being at a
wonderful school, working with great teachers, students, and parents. I want
to thank everyone for their kindness and good wishes.
The exam schedule for January is below. Friday the 18th
is a teacher workday
with no school for students. Monday, January 21st is the Dr. Martin Luther
King holiday and schools are closed. In the event of inclement weather
resulting in school being canceled on any day when exams have been
scheduled, the exam schedule will resume on the next day that students attend.
Regards,
Dr. Edgar Markley
Administrative
Team
Mr. Ryan Hitchman
Principal
Mr. David McKenzie
Assistant Principal
Mr. Michael Surma
Assistant Principal
8th Grade
Mr. Michael Skinner
Dean
Mrs. Kim Walters
Secretary
Mrs. Jorie Devine
Counselor
7th Grade
Ms. Giao Dang
Dean
Mrs. Marlo Newman
Secretary
Mrs. Amy Scott
Counselor
6th Grade
Ms. Jennifer Byrne
Dean
Mr. Damien White
Counselor
Mrs. Kelly Sovine
Secretary
Special Services
Mrs. Terry Mawyer
Counselor
School Nurse
Mrs. Sherri Flynn
School Information
Office Hours
8:00-4:30
Phone: 571-252-2220
Fax: 703-669-1455
Absentee Line
571-252-2222
House A – 8th
571-252-2228
House B – 7th
571-252-2227
House C – 6th
571-252-2226
January 2013
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday
1 Holiday
No School
2
It’s an A-Day
Classes Resume
3 4 5
6
7 Chorus 6 rehearsal
3:30-4:30 PM
8
9 Chorus 6 rehearsal
3:30-4:30 PM
10 6
th Grade Chorus
Concert 7:00 p.m.
11 12 District Band
Auditions
8:00 AM-5 :00 PM
A Capella Chorus
Workshop
8:30 AM-5:00 PM
13 8
th grade–block 5
Guitar students @
Rusk Library
2:00 p.m.
14 Burgundy Band 6
Rehearsal
3:30-4:30 PM
15 8
th Grade Winter
Guitar Concert
7:00 p.m.
PTO Meeting
9:30-10:00 AM
Principal Coffee
10:00-11:00 AM
16 Silver Band 6
Rehearsal
3:30-4:30
17 End of 2
nd Grading
Period
Burgundy Band 6
Rehearsal
3:30-4:30 PM
18 Student Holiday/
Teacher Work Day
19
20
21
No School
22 5
th Grade Instrument
Drive 6:30 – 9:30 p.m.
23 Silver Band 6
Rehearsal
3:30-4:30
24
Band 6 Concert
7:00 p.m.
25 26
27
28
5th
Grade Instrument
Drive 6:30 – 9:30 p.m.
29
30
Report Cards
Sent Home
31 District Band Clinic
6:30-8:30 PM JCHS
2013
3
FIRST SEMESTER EXAM SCHEDULE The table below shows the schedule for first semester exams for all middle and high schools.
Date Periods
Monday, January 14, 2013 6 and 5
Tuesday, January 15, 2013 1 and 2
Wednesday, January 16, 2013 7 and 8
Thursday, January 17, 2013 3 and 4
Friday, January 18, 2013 Teacher Workday
Tuesday, January 22, 2013 Grades Due
Wednesday, January 30, 2013 Report Cards Sent Home
Belmont Ridge Middle School
TESTING WINDOWS 2012 – 2013 SCHOOL YEAR
TEST START OF WINDOW END OF WINDOW
ACCESS for ELLs (ELL students) January 14 March 8
SOL English: Online Writing – Multiple Choice (8th Grade)
March 11 March 15
SOL English: Online Writing – Short Paper (8th Grade)
March 18 March 22
SOL End-of-Course (Alg 1, Geometry) April 29 May 24
SOL Non-Writing (All grades) May 3 May 31
** After May 24 will be make-ups only **
For more information and resources on the SOL assessments, you may go to the following websites:
Virginia Department of Education: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/standards_docs/index.shtml
Loudoun County Public Schools: www.loudoun.k12.va.us Go to: Academics>Testing
When your child will
be out of school for an extended
time please notify the House
Secretary, as well as their
teachers.
Did you know Belmont Ridge collects Box
Tops??? Please support our school by clipping
and sending in these valuable items. Collection
boxes are located in the main office and each of
the house offices.
4
Foreign Language Department
Attention, Rising 7th and 8th graders! Course offerings for seventh and eighth graders will include
Levels I and II high school foreign language courses in French, German, Latin and Spanish similar to
this year’s program. A grade of C+ or higher is strongly recommended for Level II.
Midterms! The comprehensive January midterm exams assess proficiency in the materials of the first
semester. Students are urged to complete the review packets in their possession, which are due in the
first weeks of January. The exams will consist of multiple choice questions, including listening
comprehension, a writing section, and a speaking component.
Guitar News
8th grade guitar students in the Block 5 class will perform at Rust Library in Leesburg on Sunday,
January 13th at 2:00 p.m. (Students, this is a mandatory performance). They are appearing as part of
the Loudoun Co. Public Library's Young Musicians of Loudoun concert series. The concert is open to
the public, and we hope to see many of you there!
The Winter Guitar Concert by Belmont's 8th grade guitarists will be held on Tuesday, January 15th at 7
p.m. in the school auditorium (Students, this is a mandatory performance). Guitar students & parents,
please see Ms. Edmondson's page on the web site for detailed information.
Spelling Bee Information
The champions of the Belmont Ridge spelling bees are Liliya Petrosyan for 6th
grade, Alexander Kim
for 7th grade, and Grace Bruce for 8th
grade. All three winners will represent Belmont Ridge at the
Loudoun County Spelling Bee on March 14, 2013 at Stone Bridge High School.
1. Go to the school website: www.lcps.org/bmrms
2. Click on "Staff" at the top of the page.
3. Find the teacher's name and click on the name.
4. Click the calendar link, often called homework.
5. Choose a day on the calendar and click on it, or you can go to the list of calendar events.
Your child should have his/her homework assignments written in their agenda.
Students must be absent from school for 3
consecutive days before work can be
collected from teachers for pick up.
5
LAST CHANCE TO ORDER YOUR
RIVER HAWK YEARBOOK!!!
The last day to order a yearbook is January 18th
Order your book at
www.yearbookordercenter.com or toll-free at: 1-866-287-3096
Order number: 13554
If you have any questions, please contact our yearbook Advisor,
Samantha Kelley: [email protected]
Sweet Chef Club….
We want to send a special Thank You to Lola's
Cookies and Treats for visiting Belmont Ridge
Middle School.
Members of the Sweet Chef Club had the
opportunity to learn how to decorate and
assemble a cake from chief decorator, Jillian
Cimino. Students also got to taste a piece of
their delicious cake! Lola's Cookies and Treats
is located in downtown Leesburg.
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Cafeteria News
The Loudoun County Public Schools new Secondary Lunch Menu is a three week repeating menu.
This menu may be viewed online at www.lcps.org by selecting school menu.
January Hot Meal Menu Schedule
Week of December 31st Week 3
Week of January 7th Week 1
Week of January 14th Week 2
Week of January 21st Week 3
Week of January 28th Week 1
Spectrum News!
During the past few months the Spectrum students have been business people! They’ve been creating,
making, and selling unusual items in the Spectrum Store. It has been an excellent hands-on approach to
learning about business plans, marketing strategies, advertising, profit, and loss along with the ups and
downs of all corporations. Quickly, it was learned that timing is a central part of any good business
decision and the life of a creative product is sometimes short.
Counselor’s Corner…
As of November 8, 2012 there was a title change from “Guidance Counselor” to “School Counselor.
Over the past few years the position responsibilities of the School Counselor have changed and
expanded greatly. The role of this position is no longer to provide “guidance” as the primary or
exclusive function. In fact, the stated expectation for the role of school counselors from the American
Association of School Counselors is to “do more than school counseling.” The services provided
include direct services to students, staff and families. Counselors provide education, support and
resources to promote academic achievement and personal social/emotional success. As the position has
changed, school divisions, professional associations and state agencies have moved to change the title
Guidance Counselor to School Counselor. As we continue to align with best practices and maintain our
commitment to professional standards, Loudoun County Public Schools have made the determination
that the title change is needed.
From this point forward, the term School Counseling will be used to identify the programs, services and
professionals in this capacity.
Thomas Jefferson Information – Students will be notified of their semifinalist status at the end of
January.
7
Note from your PTO President:
Dear Belmont Families,
With the unseasonably warm December weather it’s hard to believe that winter is here and it’s time for break and a New Year! I know how hard everyone is working to finish out the year, with a rush to the end to complete school and work obligations. I hope we can all look back on 2012 with gratitude, and be happy with our accomplishments.
The Sandy Hook tragedy has hit hard on our hearts. It was comforting to receive messages from Superintendent Hatrick and Principal Markley reassuring us of the ongoing efforts to keep our community safe. In addition, this past Tuesday at our PTO meeting, our School Resource Officer spoke to us about school security. He will be walking around the school on a more regular basis. Increased visibility will hopefully bring a more secure feeling to the staff and students and the school is looking at additional security measures.
When we return from winter break we will be doing a snowflake decorating event during lunchtime. Students can make one at lunch or bring one in from home. The Sandy Hook PTA is hoping to fill the new school with snowflakes, each snowflake representing care and compassion from others. The deadline for snowflakes will be Wed. Jan. 9. We are taking a group photo of each grade at the Friday, December 21st winter assembly at school. We will create a poster size collage with words of support and encouragement to be hung in their new school.
On the brighter side, Cate Todd and Beth Elrefai arranged for 160 dozen treats to be hand crafted for a staff cookie exchange last Friday, Dec. 14. We want to thank all of the willing and fabulous bakers from all over the community! It was a fun event.
We can’t thank the entire staff at Belmont Ridge Middle School enough for the constant and consistent job they all do to provide the best education and learning environment for our kids.
BASAP is over for this session and it was a big success. Teachers are asking if we can do another session and we are considering it.
We have enjoyed Dr. Markley and the work he’s done in the interim for our school. His experience and wisdom have been needed and helpful, we will miss him. He’s already on to his next school experience. So much for retirement!
We welcome our new Principal, Mr. Ryan Hitchman to Belmont Ridge.
Happy holidays to all!
Sincerely, Nancy Smith PTO President Belmont Ridge Middle School [email protected]
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LIBRARY NEWS!
Used book Sale
Did you read all of the books that you got as holiday gifts? Would you like to recycle them? Then
consider donating your books to the Used Book Sale that Belmont Ridge library is planning to have in
May. We are seeking donations of gently used children and young adult books. Proceeds from the sale
will be used to support the library activities and the Belmont Ridge book club. Students can bring their
donations to either their language arts teacher or to the library staff. The used book sale would be a great
opportunity for students to purchase summer reading material at bargain prices. Please think about
donating your used books for others to enjoy and support our book club! We will accept donations all
year long and store them for you.
Overdue Books
Some of our students have yet to return their overdue library books. We have a long list of students who
are patiently waiting for the books that others have borrowed. Please remember that library books may
be renewed or dropped off before school, during lunch, after school, or from Resource. You do not have
to wait for Library Day to return overdue books.
Book Club
The library sponsors an after school book club every Thursday. This year, our book club members, are
preparing for a Battle of the Books with the Smarts Mill Middle School Book Club and the Eagle Ridge
Middle Book Club to be held on March 19th
at the Rust Library’s Teen Center. The three book clubs are
reading the same set of books and as students are reading their books they are also creating questions for
the battle. They have read the following books: Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine, Matched by Ally
Condie, The Crowfield Curse by Pat Walsh, Warp Speed by Lisa Yee. Our January book is When the
Emperor was Divine by Julie Otsuka.
Library Mystery
Our December mystery was related to the gender of Santa’s reindeer. Students had to observe the
displayed deer skull and research facts about reindeer to figure out the gender. Our January mystery is
about snakes.