Belmont Ridge Middle School

“EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION”

19045 Upper Belmont Place, Leesburg, VA 20176

www.loudoun.k12.va.us/bmrms

Dear Belmont Ridge families and friends,

As we welcome the month of June, our thoughts turn to summer

vacation and what we will be doing without having to come to school. While

the finish line to our journey is in sight, we still have 10 school days during the

month of June. During these remaining 10 days students will be taking end-of-

year SOL assessments along with various other assessments in their classes.

Students will also be completing projects or engaged in other One to the World

learning experiences. There are field days, ceremonies, and the important

yearbook distribution still in front of us. While the month of June signals the

home stretch of our academic marathon which is the school year, we want to

finish strong knowing we put our best effort forward.

I would like to thank all of the parents and guardians who volunteered

their time during this school year. Whether you served on the PTO Executive

Board, attended PTO meetings, chaperoned field trips, assisted with the spring

musical, or volunteered in the building, we would not have been able to

accomplish as much as we did this year or provide the opportunities to our

students without your support and assistance. The Belmont Ridge community

is strong and your efforts have a positive impact on everything we do.

I would also like to thank our business partners, many of which are our

parents or family members. I would also like to thank our PTO for their

support during the year. From our many community service projects to items

purchased for our staff and students, our various partners allowed our students

to make positive contributions to Loudoun County and contribute their ideas to

identifying and solving complex, real-world problems.

While many people look forward to the end of the school year, I

usually do not. The end of the school year is a great opportunity to reflect

about what has occurred during these past eight months and the journey we

have been. My dad used to tell me, “The reward for doing good work is the

opportunity to do more good work.” This is a hard working group of students

who have made a tremendous positive impact on so many. I am sad to see our

journey come to end but look forward to the fact we can begin all over again in

a few months. Thank you for taking the time to read our newsletter and I wish

you and your family a wonderful summer.

Sincerely,

Dr. Ryan P. Hitchman

June 2016

Administrative Team

Dr. Ryan Hitchman Principal

Mr. David McKenzie

Assistant Principal

Mr. Michael Surma

Assistant Principal

8th Grade

Mrs. Veronica Zimmerman

Dean

Mrs. Terry Mawyer

Counselor

Mrs. Mary Moorehead Secretary

7th Grade

Mr. F. Michael Skinner Dean

Mrs. Amy Scott

Counselor

Mrs. Marlo Newman Secretary

6th Grade

Mrs. Jasmine Carpenter Dean

Mr. Damien White

Counselor

Mrs. Tina Kamis Secretary

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

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1

Guitar Concert

7:00 p.m.

2 3

6th Grade Civil

War Day

All Library

Materials Due

Today!

4

Band & Strings

to Hershey Park

5

6

Rising 6th Grade

Visit BEMS

( Newton Lee &

Steuart Weller)

7

Rising 6th Grade

Visit BEM

(Seldens Landing)

8

LAST DAY FOR

ACTIVITY BUSES

9 8th grade Promotion

Ceremony

7:30 p.m. @

Riverside HS

10 8th Grade Awards

9:15 a.m. @

Riverside

8th Grade Picnic

10:30 @ BEMS and

Riverside Fields

11

12

13

7th Grade

Field Day

@ BEMS

14

End of Grading

Period

Last Day of

School for Students!

15 16 17 18

19

20 First day of Summer

21 22 23 24 25

2016

3

Belmont Ridge Middle School

Standards of Learning (SOL) Assessments Spring 2016

DATE SOL Testing (Grades 6-8) - Online

June 1, 2 Civics, Math 6 (6th graders enrolled in Math 6)

June 3, 6 Science 8

June 7 - 10 Expedited Retakes

For more information and resources on the SOL assessments, you may go to the following websites:

SOL practice items: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/sol/practice_items/index.shtml Virginia Department of Education: http://www.doe.virginia.gov/testing/index.shtml Loudoun County Public Schools: www.lcps.org Go to Academics>Testing

ALL HIGH SCHOOL CREDIT COURSES – including

Algebra 1, Geometry, and all World Languages (Spanish,

French, German, and Latin) - will be giving cumulative tests

and CPAs (writing/speaking) on June 6, 7, 8 and 9. Please

make sure your child attends school on ALL of these days,

unless they are ill. Also, please do not schedule any doctor,

dentist or orthodontist appointments if at all possible on these dates. Thank you!

4

2016 Middle School Summer Recovery Program

What: The middle school summer recovery program is intended to meet the needs of

identified learners in the areas of Math and English/Language Arts. Students can be

recommended by a parent, teacher, or school counselor. There is no cost for students to

attend the summer recovery program. No transportation will be provided.

Who: General education, ELL, and Special Education students in grades 6, 7, and 8 for

the 2015-2016 school year.

Where: Belmont Ridge Middle School

When: June 27th-July 28th Classes will be held Monday-Thursday 8:30-11:30. Students

will spend 90 minutes in a grade level math class and the other 90 minutes is a grade level

English/Language Arts class. (During the week of July 4th, classes will be held Tuesday-

Friday)

Why: Program content will focus on specific SOL strands and areas of need, not the

entire curriculum. Students who successfully participate in summer recovery may receive

a passing grade in Math and/or English/Language Arts for the previous school year. Data

from quarterly assessments, SOL results, grades, and teacher recommendations will be

utilized to determine which students would benefit from participating in the summer

recovery program.

Belmont Ridge Middle School…

Relay For Life of Loudoun County 5/21/2016 @ Heritage High School!

55 teams and 738 participants raised $212,549.77 for the American Cancer Society!

TOP TEAMS: APEX Gymnastics $22,605.20

Teachers Makin' Tracks $17,820.51

Belmont Ridge Middle School $15,633.10

Thank you to everyone who supported our team!!!!

5

Looking Forward to 2016-2017

Personalized Learning at Belmont Ridge

Belmont Ridge Middle School has been selected to participate in a Personalized Learning Cohort

beginning the 2016-2017 school year. We are very excited for this opportunity to incorporate this

instructional strategy. According to iNACOL, personalized learning is tailoring learning for each

student’s strengths, needs, and interests – to provide flexibility and supports to ensure mastery of the

highest standards possible. This will be a three to five year journey for our teachers and students.

During this journey, our teachers will undergo intensive professional development to build capacity in

incorporating personalized learning strategies.

What this means for your student... as we work through this process, your child will have

opportunities to master Virginia State Standards of Learning through the lens of their own interest,

strengths and needs. They will have greater opportunity to control their pace (time to advance

through the content), path (approach to learning the content), and place (more content will be

available anytime, anywhere). Students will also have the opportunity to develop their own

personalized education goals and have their teachers’ support in meeting and exceeding those goals.

What you can expect… Orientation nights, back to school open house, school newsletters, and

Parent Connect Ed messages will include information on our journey to personalized learning. Some

of your student’s assignments may have different aspects than that of their peers. Assessments will be

used to identify student readiness levels, mastery of the content and will be progressive toward

achieving that goal.

Why… at Belmont Ridge, we believe that we have a responsibility to prepare students to be

successful in the world in which they currently live and the future. We live in a very personalized

environment. We can watch whatever TV shows we want when we want by streaming them instead

of waiting until Must Watch Thursday. We can learn anything from quilting to advanced coding by

connecting to experts online. We have an abundance of information at our disposal. The skills that

our students require to navigate this 21st century environment successfully cannot be accomplished by

only focusing on state required grade level content. Students must learn to be in charge of some

aspects of their own learning, take advantage of opportunities that benefit their learning style, and be

empowered to make a difference in what is important to them now. Belmont Ridge is poised to

facilitate personalized learning to benefit all students, so why wouldn’t we?

Rising 6th graders and their parents, please remember that 6th graders at Belmont Ridge CAN take guitar in 6th grade. Music Lab 6 at Belmont Ridge

IS Guitar 6. Students who want to take guitar should sign up for Music Lab 6.

Students will need to have their own classical guitar at home to practice with. See more info on Ms. Edmondson's web

page: http://www.lcps.org/Page/2685

Guitar News!

6

Information from Nurse Carlone…

School is almost out, it is time for summer!!

Medication Collection:

Please remember to make arrangements to pick up any medications in Student

Health Office by 3:30 pm June 14th Please remember LCPS policy requires all prescribed and non-prescribed medications must be picked up

by a parent at the end of the year. Parents are responsible for picking up any unused medication. Students

may not transport any medication to or from school, unless otherwise indicated by physician order for

epinephrine, inhalers, and diabetic medications only.

Medication remaining in the clinic will be properly disposed of as per LCPS and Virginia

guidelines.

Immunizations:

Please verify your child’s immunizations are current. Please contact your health care provider if there are

discrepancies and provide updated documentation to the health office by the start of the new school year.

Being properly immunized helps to keep your child and members of your community safe from

preventable illnesses.

Please have a fun a safe summer!

It is starting to be warm and the sun is out at last! Take this opportunity to enjoy the outdoors and fun

summertime activities. Remember to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water and eating all the yummy

summer fruits and vegetables available in our area, support your local farmers! Don’t forget to protect

your skin by wearing sunscreen, sun protective clothing, hats, and seeking shade to prevent sunburns and

skin damage. Remember to be diligent about ticks, continue to scan for ticks whenever spending time

outdoors in grassy areas. Enjoy your summer vacations and we look forward to seeing you at the start of

the next school year! “Take care of your body. It's the only place you have to live.” --Jim Rohn

Math Academy!

Do You Need Service Hours for TJ or AOS???

Watch for this flyer next year!!

Rising 7th and 8th grade Algebra/Geometry students can earn Volunteer

Service Hours by serving as tutors for Math6 students next year!

Questions? Contact Mrs. Raffensperger (donna.raffensperger@lcps.org)

or Mrs. Nord (kelly.nord@lcps.org)

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Counselor’s Corner…

Upcoming events in June:

Village Wellness Center is sponsoring a presentation by Dr. John Walker at Frying Pan Park

on Sat, June 4 from 10 am to 12 pm: Mindful Parenting: Navigating the Precarious Road

Through Middle and High School Years.

Our rising 6th graders will be coming to BEMS to visit and learn all about the day in the life of

a middle schooler. The visits are planned as follows:

o Monday, June 6, 2016 9:45 – 11:00 – Rising 6th graders from Newton Lee

Elementary and Steuart Weller Elementary

o Tuesday, June 7, 2016 9:45 -11 – Rising 6th graders from Seldens Landing

Elementary

Please be sure to check your child’s 2016-2017 course request within ParentVue. Simply click on the

Course Request tab above the Gradebook tab, and you’ll be directed to a list of courses your child is

signed up to take for the 2016-2017 school year. If you’d like to make a change to any of these

courses, please contact your child’s grade level counselor by June 14th.

Please keep an eye on our website for information regarding our summer orientations for students in

grades 6 -8. During the orientations, students receive a copy of their schedule and are able to meet

their teachers while we run an abbreviated A and B day schedule. This orientation helps our students

to become familiar with their schedule and teachers, reconnect with classmates, and get excited for the

upcoming year.

The counseling staff would like to wish all of our students and families a wonderfully fun, relaxing,

and safe summer. We look forward to seeing our students again in August!

School supplies for the 2016–2017 school are available for pre-package purchase now!

Pre-Packaged Supplies will be delivered to Belmont Ridge Middle School and ready for pick-up at the August Orientation!

http://sproutsupplies.com/belmontridge

Back-To-School Shopping Made Easy!

8

LIBRARY HAPPENINGS!

The Virginia Reader’s Choice winner for middle grades for 2015-2016 was Prisoner B-3087 by Alan

Gratz! Thank you again to our students that voted for their favorite!

We will be providing a suggested list of books to read over the summer in case your son or daughter is

looking for a great read! We will post the list on our library website.

The library has been busy with SOL testing! Students were able to check out books to keep in their lockers

to have for testing. Students should continue reading their books, but if they are finished, they should

return their books to the library drop box. All library materials are due by June 3rd! In an effort to get

all library materials returned and accounted for, we encourage students to turn in their materials by this

date. However, we will continue to collect all library materials through the last day of school. Please

return any library materials or take care of any obligations before you leave for summer break!

The Loudoun County Public Library Summer Reading Program runs June17th through August 30th, is

held at all branch locations, and is for all ages! Encourage your student to participate! For more

information, please visit the link provided. http://library.loudoun.gov/News-Events/Summer-Reading-

Challenge. If you complete the challenges, you earn a free book! Middle school students can also sign up

to help with the program.

Check out the 27th Annual Giant Used Book Sale! The Loudoun Library Foundation sponsors this

event, to be held at Smart's Mill Middle School. All proceeds go to LCPL activities and services.

Hours 6/24 9A.M.-7 P.M.; 6/25 9 A.M.-5 P.M.; 6/26 1 P.M.-4 P.M. Sweet deals: Every visitor (up to

8th grade) receives a free book on Friday and Saturday; Sunday is a Bag Sale, so you can fill a bag

with books for $10.00. Make this a new tradition to kick off summer, and get the whole family some

great books to read!

We would like to thank all of our student volunteers that helped out in the library this year. We are very

appreciative of the time and effort each student gave. Having reliable helpers in the library is important to

our staff as you all help us complete a variety of tasks that keep our library organized. Best wishes to you

all as you move on to high school!

We would also like to thank the parent volunteers that took time out of your busy day to assist us in the

library! It has been a great year, and we have been very lucky with our wonderful student and parent

volunteers!

Heading to the beach this summer? Taking a long car trip? Maybe you are having a

Staycation? Summer break is a fantastic time to catch up on your reading.

MackinVIA will be available to students through the end of July! Remember,

MackinVIA allows students to check out eBooks and audio books using your

Belmont Ridge student log-in and passcode. You can visit their website or

download the free App in the App Store. Don't forget to stop by the public library's

website or your local branch for information on all of the wonderful resources they

offer! Audio books and eBooks may also be checked out through the public library.

Take advantage of these free resources available to you!

https://www.mackinvia.com/ http://library.loudoun.gov/

9

Students in the News…

East Coast Triathlon Festival (ECTF: http://www.endorphinfitness.com/races-

events/east-coast-triathlon-festival) was on May 1, 2016 in Richmond, Virginia. The ECTF is one of the 4 qualifying events from which the top 19 finishers in each race

(Junior Female, Junior Male, Youth Female, and Youth Male) qualify for the Junior Elite National Championship later this summer in Ohio

(https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Triathlon/Events/National-Championships/2016-Youth-and-Junior-National-Championships).

Two 8th grade girls from Belmont Ridge (Hannah Ye and Chloe Ramirez) made the qualification for the Youth Female (13-15) National Championship! They

competed with other great athletes from all over the country including most of the top 10 finishers from last year National Championship. It's a huge accomplishment

for each of them, and I think a worthy news for the school. Both girls, along with a few other Belmont Ridge students, are part of the Endorphin Fitness Fairfax-

Loudoun Youth Tri team.

Here is the final results: http://triregistration.com/TriResultsNew.php?raceid=1513.

Cafeteria….Lunch Accounts!!!!

Parents, Please check your child’s café account and pay any deficiencies by June 10th. Any unpaid café accounts will be paid to the Food Services Department out of our school’s instructional money! So please take the time to check their lunch accounts. Thank you.

We have many items on our lost and found tables, in the house offices, and in the front office. Please make sure to have your child take a look or ask the secretaries if they have any lost items. If these items are not picked up by last day of school, June 14th, they will be donated or thrown away. Thank you!

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Summer 2016 Math Boot Camp Summer Math Boot Camp registration will is OPEN.

https://fs4.formsite.com/bemsptso/form28/index.html

Math Boot Camp will review necessary skills from the previous school

year, make connections to new material and key vocabulary, and

preview topics covered in the first quarter.

Current Class Boot Camp

All current 5th

graders………………………………..

Middle School Math I

All current Math 6

students………………………

Middle School Math II

All current Math 6/7 or Math 7

students…..

Algebra 1

All current Algebra 1

students……………………

Geometry

All current Geometry

students………………….

Algebra 2

The fee is $200.00

No refunds or changes after June 30, 2016

Session 1: August 1-5

Session 2: August 8-12

MS Math I Algebra 1 8:30-10:30 MS Math II Geometry

MS Math I Algebra 2/trig 11:00-1:00

MS Math II

Algebra 1

MS Math II Geometry

1:30-3:30 MS Math I Algebra 1

MS Math I 4:00-6:00 Algebra 2/trig