A Message from the Principal:

Dear Parents,

School is off to a wonderful start. We opened school with 930 students, including

276 excited sixth graders! Blue Ridge Middle, similar to all Loudoun schools, was

visited and rated on our school’s opening. Blue Ridge was evaluated on academic

and building readiness – we received an overall rating of Excellent! Some week-

one activities included: students practicing opening lockers, grade

six and new students learning their way around Blue Ridge, team

planned “getting to know you” activities, and many other fun events

to transition students from summer time to learning time. Back to

School Nights were very successful and well-attended. Thank you

so much for meeting your child’s teachers and supporting the school.

In early November, we begin our clubs and activities. This year we have over fifty

clubs from which to choose. Club announcements will begin on the morning

announcements to inform students of the opportunities to join in this fun program

at Blue Ridge. Clubs meet on Wednesdays from 3:00 to 3:38. Please visit our

website to learn more about our clubs. (http://www.lcps.org/domain/283)

Blue Ridge Banner 551 East A Street, Purcellville, VA 20132

Phone 540-751-2520 FAX 540-338-6823 Absentee Line 540-751-2522

www.lcps.org/brms

School Hours: 8:50 a.m. to 3:38 p.m.

LLLou

Our fundraiser program officially ends in the middle of October. The money is

used to fund assemblies, PTO/school events (i.e. field day, etc.), student events and

other climate enhancing activities. Participating families will receive a “We Are

Blue Ridge” car magnet for a $35 donation and a “What we do Matters” PBIS tee-

shirt for a $75 donation. Finally, if our $25,000 goal is met, each family that

donated $35 and above will be entered to win a Google Chromebook!

We encourage parents to monitor your child’s academic

progress using Phoenix’s ParentVue, our electronic grade

parent portal. Passwords were sent mid-September. If you

have any questions, please contact the school regarding set up

or access. ParentVue provides a wonderful opportunity to communicate with your

child about his or her performance with current data. We believe it offers

parents the capability to have conversations about learning that will enhance

achievement and strengthen the bond between teacher and home. We

encourage parents to not only focus on the numeric grade(s), but more

specifically, the learning that grade conveys. Consider having your

son/daughter describe to you what the grade says about his/her efforts;

furthermore, how he/she might work to either reproduce excellent achievement

or improve poor achievement. This system provides so much more than just

numeric grades!

Communication between school and home is a critical component of student and

school success. Please visit our outstanding school website for information; it is a

one stop shop for all Blue Ridge Middle information.

Administration Dean Counselors Principal: Brion Bell Sixth Grade – Megan Baird Penny Cohen

Assistant Principal: Nancy Griffin-Cochran Seventh Grade – Andy Olejer Eryne Racino

Assistant Principal: Matt Bolen Eighth Grade – Karin Nixon Todd Peterson

October 2 Kindness Week

October 2 Blue Shirt Day for Anti-bullying Awareness

October 2 Peter Pan Auditions

October 3 Peter Pan Auditions

October 4 Interims

October 6 Band 8 Marches at Loudoun Valley Football Game

October 7 Junior Regional Orchestra at Eagle Ridge MS

October 8 Purcellville 5K

October 9 Columbus Day – NO SCHOOL

October 10 PTO Meeting 9:30 am

October 14 Ida Lee Night 6th Grade 8:30 pm

October 17 8th Grade FACS Tea Cart

October 18 Purcellville Walking Tour 6th Grade

October 19 German Concert Field Trip

October 23 NO SCHOOL Staff Development Day

October 24 Same Sky Assembly 6th and 8th Grade

October 27 Ambassador’s Training 6th Grade

November 1 Clubs Begin

November 1 Picture Day Make-ups

November 2 Picture Day Make-ups

November 3 Quarter 1 Ends

November 5 Daylight Savings Time

Technology

Resources

Please subscribe to the YouTube channel

“BRMSTRT”. Mrs. Hawk, our Technology Resource Teacher, has

made numerous video tutorials, including the following topics:

Logging into ParentVue;

GAFE for Blue Ridge Parents;

LCPS GO!

The link for the website is https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNU-

TNEEWRCj0ee6Yt3Cx0A.

Google Classroom = Workspace

Where students complete their work

Online access to assignments that need to be completed and turned in

Do not need to print may be turned in online

Start in class, finish at home by logging into Google Classroom -

pick up right where you left off in class

GREAT for Snow Days! :)

Google Drive = Storage of in-progress and completed documents

Access current work being completed using Google in the classroom.

Find previous assignments

Classroom folder automatically created-

contains Google classroom assignments

If you ever have any questions or can’t access something online while at home...email

your child’s teacher.

We hope that everyone has had a smooth start to the 2017-2018 school year! We are certainly looking forward to

working with our students, parents, and staff to ensure a successful year for all BRMS students.

Parent/Teacher Conferences - Counselors are available to help students with a wide variety of concerns.

Counselors can arrange conferences between teachers and parents. Please contact your child’s grade level counselor

if you would like to meet individually with the counselor or to set up an appointment with a team of teachers.

Small Groups– Counselors will be starting discussion groups in October/November that address a variety of student

needs. Each counselor, along with teachers and parents, determine the needs of students and the best way to help

them. These groups benefit students by giving them an opportunity to work with other students with similar

experiences. The goal of the groups is to support and enhance all student’s academic and social development needs

at BRMS. Our small groups will usually last 6-8 weeks. Parent permission is required to participate in small groups.

Classroom Activities - During the months of September & October, counselors have been in classrooms to present

an overview of school counseling services. Our 6th grade students focused on getting to know Mrs.Cohen as well as

tips for studying and organization strategies. All 7th & 8th grade students reviewed counselor responsibilities and

how we can help all students while focusing on good academic and personal/social habits.

Academy o f Science (AO S) – For students who completed Part 1 of the application by September 21st, the PSAT will

be given at AOS on Saturday, October 14th. Please see the AOS website for details.

Academy of Engineering and Technology (AET) –All applications were due by Thursday September 21st. After

completing the application students should have signed up for the California Critical Thinking Disposition Inventory

(CCTDI) and the California Critical Thinking Skills Tests (CCTST). See the AET website for more information.

Thomas Jefferson High School for Science an d Technology (TJ) - Applications were due Friday, September 9th at

4:00 p.m. Additional information is available online on the TJ Admissions website.

Character Recognition– During the year, teams will be recognizing students who have demonstrated good

character. Each quarter, those students will be honored at a reception during the school day. Parents will be notified

about their child’s selection and are welcome and encouraged to join in the celebration. The six character pillars

of focus are: Trust, Respect, Caring, Responsibility, Fairness, and Citizenship.

School Counseling

at BRMS

Blue Ridge Middle School

Tuesday, November 14th at 9:15 am Rachel Bailey, M.A., CPDPE will present...

Recognizing signs of depression and anxiety AND

useful strategies for parents

Registration Opens October 2, 2017

Closes December 15, 2017

*This is an opportunity to get involved in your

community!

*Students can work as a team or individual, identify

an issue and have the opportunity to make a

difference. Students will display their project at the

Step Up Loudoun Youth Competition judging event

in March 2018.

Please see the Step Up Loudoun Youth website

below for more information.

www.loudounyouth.org

BRMS Counseling Team

Bulldog families, We are excited about the kickoff of our 4th Annual “Bucks for Bulldogs” PTO/BRMS fundraiser which runs now through October 13th. Thanks to the amazing support of our community last year, we exceeded our $25,000 goal. With your help, hope to do the same this year! Unlike traditional product sales, 100% of profits generated from this donation fundraiser directly benefits our students - funding programs such as classroom grants to support instruction, student activities, assemblies, and technology. Great news! For the second year in a row, a private

foundation has offered to match any donations made to our

Bucks for Bulldogs Fundraiser, up to $2,000! Through

Wednesday, October 4th, any donation made will be

matched. For a limited time, if you make a $35 donation, it

will actually be a $70 donation!

Every donation made over the next week will have twice the

impact!

To make a donation, please access the Fundraising Letter & Donation form on the

BRMS homepage, visit the PTO Facebook page, or make an on-line donation via

PayPal.

If you have questions about the fundraiser, please contact Dean Karin Nixon (knixon@lcps.org) or PTO President Jennifer Bodamer (jennifer_bodamer@yahoo.com).

“Bucks for Bulldogs”

What is PBIS?

PBIS is a research and evidence-

based practice for creating a common

vision of behavior expectations among

staff and students. The program

addresses the whole child – focusing

on behavior, academics and social

development of students. For

additional information on the

program, please visit the LCPS Pupil

Services website.

What does PBIS look like at BRMS?

Blue Ridge is excited to launch year four of our “Positive Behavioral Intervention &

Supports” (PBIS) program. BARK represents our school-wide expectations: Be

Respectful, Act Responsibly, Remember Safety & Know Staff Support You! Students

received a BARK Pledge in first day packets. Students and parents were asked to sign

and return the pledge to show their commitment to fostering a positive atmosphere for

all students. Faculty and students will continue to engage in discussions and activities

to enhance our positive school climate throughout the school year. Focusing on

acceptance and awareness, we are committed to the ideal of “What you do matters!”

What role does the family play in PBIS?

BRMS will communicate with families regarding PBIS lessons so topics are not only

a focus in the classroom, but they can be extended into the home. A Connect Ed

message will be generated each time students experience a PBIS lesson, and lessons &

other useful information are also posted on our PBIS webpage. Through a

collaborative effort between home and school, we hope students will realize the

weight the lessons carry both at home & school and understand these are important

life lessons that they will carry with them far beyond their time at BRMS.

Bulldogs…What you do matters!

MONDAY

Examples of kindness video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1YpSJ9CdoU

Blue Shirt Day for Anti-bullying Awarenes (wear

blue shirt)

TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY

Stick it to Kindness Activity

Students will use sticky notes to describe random

acts of kindness and display them on their

homeroom door

THURSDAY

PBIS Lesson on PERSPECTIVE

Discuss how seeing things from other people’s perspective helps us be kind and open

to new ideas

FRIDAY

Hats off to Kindness Friday

Students may wear a hat to recognize kind acts

Receive bracelets: “Break the Cycle of Meanness…Try Kindness”

Blue Ridge Middle School is

starting October’s Bully Prevention

Month with Kindness Week. From

Monday, October 2nd to Friday,

October 6th students will be thinking

about what kindness means, looks

like, sounds like and how they can

engage in random acts of kindness

this week and every week of the

year! The activities and videos

were put together by our Bulldog

Peer Helpers.

KINDNESS WEEK AT BRMS

The Physical Education department is wrapping up physical fitness testing. Students are working on setting SMART goals for these tests. Your student can access this information from home by visiting the website www.focusedfitness.org. Find the login for WELNET on the lower left hand side of the screen and enter login information:

User Name: Student ID number Password: Student’s last name This site should have previous year’s scores as well as their pretests from this year and the goals they have set to achieve. We are also working on our Frisbee unit in 6th & some 7th grade classes and Flag Football in some 7th Grade and all 8th grade classes. Students are welcome to bring in sweatpants and sweatshirts to wear over their gym uniform if it is a little chilly in the morning.

“Yes, kids love technology, but they also love Lego,

scented markers, handstands, books and

mudpuddles. It is all about balance.” I read this

quote the other day. How apt? The more I do this

TRT job, the more I am asked by parents how much

is too much? Is too much bad? Is too little bad? Is

none bad? What is ok? What isn’t? What is this app

or that one?

“I am so thankful I had a childhood before

technology took over.” When I read this one, I

giggled - I am a mom of an 8th grader here at Blue

Ridge AND I am the TRT- Parenting is hard.

Parenting with technology is hard. Did I mention I

am the Technology Resource teacher?? Do you find

yourself wishing you were trying to get your kid out

of the tallest tree on the property, instead of trying to

pry the game controller out of her hands?

DISCLAIMER: This article reflects the procedures,

policies and opinions of the author only. She only

knows what she knows and is in no way trying to

teach others how to parent. Goodness knows, she has

never won “Mother of the Year.”

In response to several requests by parents for

technology management advice, I will share what

works for my family - well, for me, not always for

The Boy. First of all, refer back to the first

quote. Really, the only word you need to remember

is BALANCE. Balance is everything - in life, in

work, in play, in TV, in phones, in games, in tree

climbing, in puddle jumping, in sleep, in chocolate,

in pizza, in vegetables… (especially veggies - yuck!)

you get my point. If you feel, in your gut, that your

kid is spending too much time on something, then by

all means, limit their use. Redirect their

attention. Make them go outside, then lock the door

behind them. JUST KIDDING...maybe…I mean,

I’ve done it. I have been known to call another mom

and tell her not to let him in to play with his

friend....kick them outside! The “too much of

something” doesn’t have to be tech, mind you. Too

much of anything is too much and you, as the adult,

get to decide where that line lives.

Second - Don’t let your kids take their devices to

their bedrooms at night. I make The Boy turn his

phone into my bedroom at 9pm. He can’t sneak

downstairs to get it (because we caught the stinker

doing that). Kids need sleep - lots of it. Don’t let

them keep the game controls in their rooms, either. I

collect those too. When he gets mad and says his

friends’ parents let them have their stuff - I tell him it

is because I love him more than his friends’ parents

love them. If we all restrict access at night, then it

makes parenting easier...we HAVE to stick together

and be consistent!

If cell phone usage keeps you up at night, look into a

family management app. Most carriers have them. I

restrict his texting and phone calls to times outside of

school and until bedtime. I also restrict his data

usage. He gets 1 gig a month (gasp!). When he runs

out, he’s out. “Suck it up, buttercup!” I tell him,

while I am laughing. He is learning to budget his

resources and his time. :) A win for mom and The

Boy.

Third - Keep an eye on the apps they download. DO

NOT ALLOW VPN apps, like BetterNet. Aside

from the fact they violate the Acceptable Use Policy

for LCPS, they put your kids in danger. Kids use

them to get around our firewalls and get to things that

are blocked. Most kids are not doing evil things,

mine wants to listen to Pandora at school during

Resource. Sorry, Charlie. Nope. VPNs send your

kid’s information out to a private, remote

server. Who owns that? I don’t know. That is

scary. We can’t block all the VPN apps; we have

blocked some of the more popular ones. There are so

many of them. Just be vigilant. Talk to your

children. They really do respond to logical

information and transparency. “Because I said so,” is

easy to yell, but it isn’t helpful. Show your love for

them by being forthcoming.

Fourth - Make sure you can always access your

child’s device. Get the password, the code. Or get

your fingerprint in there. If they change it, make

them tell you. If they won’t tell you, take it from

them. You pay for it - own it.

Fifth, and last for now - Glance through text

messages, Snapchat threads, Instagram. This is a

touchy subject - privacy. Back in the day, we wrote

in diaries and became incensed when our parents read

them. Our parents went through our chest of drawers

and closets. Sure, it stunk, but looking back, they

were just trying to find out what was going on with

us moody teens. They needed to know if we were

doing something our not-quite-developed frontal

lobes couldn’t recognize as stupid. They just wanted

us to be safe.

So. I have been upfront with The Boy that I will

follow him on Instagram and Snapchat. I will read

his text messages and scroll through his photo

gallery. I don’t do it often. When I do venture into

his phone, it is at night, in the dark - never in front of

him because that’s in-your-face awkward. Our deal

is that I NEVER comment. I never let on the next

morning that I read them. I know he uses bad words

and makes dumb decisions. I know there is girl

drama, but now I have an idea of what is happening

in his life. I can be supportive and gentle without

being pushy. The other part of The Deal is I speak up

when I see something unsafe, morally wrong, or

horrible. That is the only time I say anything. The

rest are his private thoughts and conversations. I just

want him safe. I respect my kid’s privacy, but I

respect his safety more.

In any of these situations, I am upfront with The

Boy. He knows The Deal; he helped create it. He

just conveniently forgets and we struggle. He was

bent out of shape on the time restrictions, but he got

over it. He believes with all his heart that it isn’t fair

he only gets 1G of data a month. BUT. He

understands it is my job to keep him alive and

safe. He knows I care and love and fiercely protect

(quietly in the background). We have a great

relationship. He knows I am his mom, not his friend.

So - for those of you who skip long-winded essays….

Maintain balance in all things.

No electronics in the bedroom.

Question app downloads and uses.

Always be able to access devices.

Snoop. I mean, investigate once in awhile.

Hang in there...one day we will wish we could turn

back time.

Frequently Asked Questions What if my child must be absent? If your child is absent, please call the Absentee Line at 540-751-2522 or

report the absence on-line. Please check the BRMS website, specifically Phoenix for each teacher using

ParentVue/StudentVue, for assignments. Please contact your child’s house secretary with any questions.

What if my child is tardy? If your child is tardy to school, he or she must report to the main office to sign in.

The student will be instructed to go his/her house office for a pass to class. Please be sure to send a note

(preferably a doctor’s note) to explain the reason your child is tardy. Excessive tardies, other than doctor

visits, may result in disciplinary action.

What if my child needs an Early Dismissal? If your child must leave school early you must send a note to

school with the child in the morning. The house secretary will give your student a dismissal pass and the

student will be released at the appointed time.

What if my child’s transportation plans for the afternoon change? If your child will not be going home via

their usual transportation, please send in a note the morning of the change. Students should deliver the note

to the appropriate house office before homeroom or give it to his/her homeroom teacher.

What is the Dress Code? Proper dress and grooming is the responsibility of the parent/guardian. The school

has the responsibility to see that cleanliness, dress, and grooming do not present a danger or a distraction.

Overcoats and hats are not worn in the building. Any clothing with improper or inflammatory language or

which advertises illegal substances such as tobacco, drugs, or alcohol is not to be worn to or in school. Also,

provocative or suggestive clothing, tattered clothing, short shorts and any clothing which is considered beach

attire is not appropriate for school, and students will be asked to change. Body shirts, bare midriffs and

spaghetti strap tank tops are NOT allowed. Please remember that your child has grown over the summer.

Clothing that fit in the spring may not fit now. Also, some jeans and shorts ride so low on the hips that when

a student sits on a bench or chair the student’s body could be exposed. Please check last year’s wardrobe.

These wonderful young people are growing up!

What about PE? PE attire must meet the LCPS dress code (see SR&R). As a service to our school community,

LCPS solicits bids from vendors for a volume purchase and offers an affordable option for PE attire that may be

purchased through the individual schools, which consists of Russell® shorts and a Russell® t-shirt with the LCPS

logo. PE teachers will provide additional information on ordering.

What about lunch? The price of middle school lunch is $3.10 for students. Breakfast is available in the

mornings for $2.10. You may put money in an account for your child so they do not have to carry money daily.

You may send cash or make a check payable to “County of Loudoun”. Please put your child’s name and

student number on the check.

When does my child need his/her Band instrument? Rising 7th grade band students should plan to start

playing in class the second day their class meets. It is not necessary to bring instruments on the first day of

band class. Rising sixth graders in “beginning band” must provide their own instruments by the second week

of school.

How can you help the Bulldogs?

eBoxTops - Just like regular Box Tops, these electronic Box Tops are each worth 10¢ for our

school. There's no clipping required and they are automatically credited to our

school. www.btfe.com

Target RedCard - Sign up your Target Red Card at www.target.com , choose Corporate

Responsibility at the very bottom of the page and look for Take Care of Education and

Redcard. (104089 - school code)

Harris Teeter - Link your VIC card at www.harristeeter.com/community, look for TIE (Together

in Education) and select our school! (1450 - school code)

Bring us your empty (or full) printer ink cartridges. We receive money for what we recycle with

Dazz Recycle. Your student can drop them off in the TRT

office. Emailmarnie.hawk@lcps.org with questions. http://www.dazz-cycle.com/fundraising.asp

smile.amazon.com - Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile

purchases to Parent Teacher Organization Of Blue Ridge whenever you shop on

AmazonSmile.

Giant A Plus Program: 02059

General Mills Box Tops for Education: collected in the Main Office