Read the March BRES PTA Newsletter

BRES PTA Supports Return to School. The BRES PTA is supporting our students and teachers returning to school this spring by providing supplies of individual hand sanitizer bottles for students as well as refills and antibacterial soaps. These important materials will be a part of the safe reopening of BRES. See the Back to School packet for more information about return to school, including recommended school supplies for students heading back into the classroom. Parent donations for classrooms are also welcome. Needed supplies include tissues, paper towels, wipes and hand sanitizer. Donations can be dropped off in front of the school. If you donate, please leave a note or card with the items. Learn more about Return to School Logistics.

Interested in serving on the BRES PTA Board next school year? The 2021 BRES PTA Nominating Committee needs you! Detailed board position descriptions are available on the BRES PTA webpage: https://www.brespta.org/boardpositions. If you are interested in serving in a leadership position with the BRES PTA next year, please contact Ruth Steinmetz at ruth_steinmetz@yahoo.com, Stacy Field at stacymfield@yahoo.com, or Calandra Tate Moore at themoores1108@gmail.com.

BRES International Night Submissions Needed by March 19. This year’s International Night, Monday, March 22, will be virtual, like many other things this year with COVID-19 restrictions. We are excited to create a special event to celebrate and share the cultures and traditions of BRES students! Would you like to share a short video clip showcasing your unique cultural background? Whether that's performing, showing off and explaining attire, dance, cooking dishes or special items that make us who we are, all submissions are welcome.

Please submit your videos to our Google Form by Friday, March 19, 2021. We will debut all videos to our BRES International Night YouTube Channel during International Night on March 22.

Wondering About Gifted and Talented Programs? MCPS has provided more specific information about the Gifted and Talented Identification Pandemic Plan for 2020-2021. The process this year will include current second and third graders (since this year's third-graders weren't screened last year in second grade). Fifth and seventh graders who are new to MCPS or who have been identified for re-screening will also be screened. This GT identification process is separate from the magnet (criteria-based) lottery process.

Read the January-February BRES PTA Newsletter

Free BRES STEM Night Presentation! The BRES PTA will host Mad Science for a free BRES STEM Night Zoom on Thursday, February 18, 4:30-5:30 p.m. Zoom Meeting ID: 857 2225 0889 Passcode: 787304

Volunteers needed for 2021 BRES PTA Board Nominating Committee. Three volunteers are needed for the 2021 Nominating Committee to organize a slate of nominees for the 2021-2022 BRES PTA Board. Learn more about what is involved. Email info@brespta.org to volunteer or for more information.

 

Volunteers needed for virtual BRES International Night.  Interested in helping put together photos and videos for an international night celebration? The BRES PTA is looking for volunteers to help solicit, organize, and combine photos and videos to help celebrate cultures at BRES. Email info@brespta.org for more information or to get involved.

 

Celebrate scientists who are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.  ColorMePhD has published free resources on History-Making Scientists who inspire us. Learn more.

 

Share your thoughts on armed school resource officers. The Montgomery County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (MCCPTA) is debating a proposal to ask Montgomery County Public Schools to discontinue the practice of placing armed School Resource Officers (police officers) full time in high schools.  Delegates to the MCCPTA will be asked to vote on whether to support this proposal at the March meeting. We welcome feedback from the BRES community. If you have any questions or comments you would like to share about the school resource officer program, please email delegate@brespta.org.  View the presentation and read the frequently asked questions and answers here.

Save these dates for BRES PTA Meetings. BRES PTA Meetings in 2021 will take place the first Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. Dates are:

  • Tuesday, February 2

  • Tuesday, March 2

  • April- no meeting

  • Tuesday, May 4

Read the December BRES PTA Newsletter

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Have you joined the BRES PTA?: Help us achieve our goal of 200 members. We have over 60 so far. Click here to renew or sign up to become a PTA member today. Membership dues are $20 per individual or $40 per family, per year. Read more about our work this year, including how we are providing teachers with $100 stipends toward supplies and training, hosting online learning events for parents and planning to distribute future supply kits for students.  

Book Fair Report: Thank you to all of those who shopped the Book Fair in October and November! We raised over $400 to provide books and classroom materials for the school.

After School Activities: Several after-school providers are offering virtual programs to enrich students after school this winter. Activities include art, chess lessons, science & engineering, foreign languages and many others – see list below. Visit the PTA webpage for more. 

Child Care and Distance Learning Support for Children in Need: The Children’s Opportunity Fund and the Black and Brown Coalition for Educational Equity and Excellence are coordinating low-cost childcare and distance learning support for MCPS students at facilities across the county. Priority is given to low-income, kindergarten through 5th grade students, and students needing more assistance with virtual learning. For more information, visit EquityHubs.org or call 240-200-4999.  

Looking for a Bayard Rustin Gifted & Talented Liaisons: The MCCPTA Gifted Child Committee (GCC) is looking for volunteers from every school. Help represent Bayard Rustin for the 20-21 school year. The GT Liaison plays a vital role in advocating for the needs of highly able learners by providing a critical link between the school community, the MCCPTA GCC, and MCPS. If you would like to volunteer, please email president@brespta.org. 

Support BRES PTA with Amazon Smile: AmazonSmile is a simple way for you to support BRES PTA while you are holiday shopping, at no cost to you. BRES PTA can benefit from 0.5% of your eligible purchases when you shop. To shop at AmazonSmile simply go to smile.amazon.com on your web browser or activate AmazonSmile on your Amazon Shopping app on your iOS or Android phone (found under settings on your app). On your browser, you may also want to add a bookmark to smile.amazon.com to make it even easier to return and start your shopping. When you’re using the app, always check for the “AmazonSmile” logo to ensure you’ve activated AmazonSmile. Learn more

Nominate a Master Teacher: Each year, MCPS sponsors a series of awards honoring outstanding leaders within our system. The Marian Greenblatt Excellence in Education Master Teacher Award recognizes three full-time teachers in kindergarten through Grade 12 who have a demonstrated record of promoting student success, such as closing the achievement gap. Nominate a teacher by January 8. Click here for more info.

BRES Virtual Book Fair: Shop over 6,000 Products October 27 - November 9

The Scholastic Book Fair is online-only this year! Join your kids in exploring titles and plots and discovering inspiring characters. Plus every dollar you spend will benefit our school directly with 25% back in rewards.

Be sure to visit the Fair online October 27 – November 9!

Enjoy these special online shopping features:

  • Access to over 6,000 products

  • All orders ship direct to home

  • FREE shipping on book-only orders over $25*

  • All purchases support our school and earn 25% in rewards

 Visit our Book Fair homepage to learn more and get started with online shopping:

 Thank you for supporting our school.

BRES PTA Meeting and Curriculum Night is Tuesday, Oct. 6

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BRES PTA Meeting and Curriculum Night (Part 1)

This first curriculum night will focus on reading, writing, math and technology. A second curriculum night at the November PTA meeting will focus on art, music, PE, and wellness.

The main focus will be on learning more about the Eureka Math curriculum and Benchmark Reading Curriculum as well as accessing technology tools and resources.

Tuesday, October 6

6-7:30 p.m.

Free and open to all parents/guardians at BRES

Join us via Zoom

https://mcpsmd.zoom.us/j/89640205581?pwd=Rm9BckxuNEl0Yit5UzF0OGVNVTg1QT09

Save the date for November’s PTA Meeting and Curriculum Night (Part 2)

November 10 6-7:30 p.m.

WE NEED YOU: BRES PTA WELCOMING NEW MEMBERS FOR 2020-2021

Why join PTA this year? In this unprecedented year, your membership dues will directly support students and families in need, teacher and staff appreciation, professional development, and new remote opportunities. Last year, Bayard Rustin PTA sponsored multiple events including STEM night and International Night, and provided the funding for teacher supplies, playground equipment, and much more. This year, we will be supporting our children with specials supply kits, access to educational online resources, and more. The PTA will also continue to provide teachers with $100 worth of reimbursements toward their supplies of choice, such as manipulatives for the students or home office supplies. We also plan on continuing our support of teacher training and continued education. Finally, we want to invite all incoming kindergarten parents (and new parents) to join the PTA as a way to become part of the special community that we have at Bayard Rustin. We want to support all of our families during this challenging time and being part of the PTA allows you to advocate on behalf of your children. If you have any questions or suggestions about PTA membership, please reach out to us at membership@brespta.org. Click here to renew or sign up to become a PTA member. Membership dues are $20 per person per year or $40 per family per year.

Elections for 2020-21 Bayard Rustin ES PTA Board

Tuesday, Sept 8, 6:30pm

Elwood Smith Community Center Parking Lot

601 Harrington Road, Rockville

 

  • PTA Members – please join us to elect our BRES PTA Board for 2020-21 and approve the PTA budget for this school year.

  • Due to state PTA guidelines, we must have an in-person meeting to conduct the elections and to approve the budget. In light of public health guidelines, we will have a meeting in the parking lot in which we will maintain physical distancing and wear masks. You may stay in the car or stand nearby as we conduct our PTA business. To let us know if we’ll have quorum or minimum of 15, please RSVP at this link. 

  • These agenda items are an important part of our governance requirements as a non-profit organization, and we appreciate your attendance as we need a quorum of 15 members in order to proceed with voting.

  • Please see the proposed slate of PTA Board officers below and email nominations@brespta.org with any questions or for additional info. Note that we will also accept nominations from the floor at the meeting too, if anyone is still interested in running for the PTA Board.

 

Current slate of candidates for the 2020-21 BRES PTA Board: 

  • President - Becky Phillips

  • VP of Programs – Chloe Zhu

  • VP of Membership - Mindy Chong

  • VP of Communications - Jen Strohm 

  • VP of Fundraising - Cindy Chung

  • Treasurer - Weirong Zhu 

  • Secretary - Paula Tully 

  • Delegate 1 - Calandra Moore

  • Delegate 2 - Monica Berger