Sign up for Kindergarten Orientation! 4/27 and 28 at BRES

Do you have a kindergartener starting at BRES this fall? Come meet the teachers, visit a classroom, and ride the school bus by visiting our SignUp Genius here! Act fast–spots fill up quickly! Before your appointment, be sure to complete the registration process online through the ParentVUE portal.  For information on the documents you need to register, visit the MCPS Kindergarten Enrollment Page. 

Need help completing the registration process? No problem! Call our school office at (240) 740-4320 for assistance.    

BRES Staff are SUPERHEROES! Staff Appreciation Week is May 1-5

Get ready to celebrate our super BRES staff MAY 1-5!

The PTA has organized several ways for BRES students and families to show their appreciation to our superhero staff throughout the week. If you are able, please sign up to donate items to make this week SUPER for our staff. 

Monday, 5/1

  • Grownup request: Donate caffeinated drinks and power/breakfast bars to the breakfast buffet. Sign up here! Please note that all donated items for 5/1 must be dropped off at the BRES front office no later than 3:30 pm on Friday, April 28.

  • Student request: Be a Superhero Sidekick! Complete a random act of kindness for a BRES staff member.

Tuesday, 5/2

  • Grownup request: Donate a variety of K-Cups and Keuring station accessories.

  • Student request: Tell a staff member why they’re SUPER! Complete the “I Think You’re Super Because…” sheet (download it here!) or draw a picture for them!

Wednesday, 5/3

  • Grownup request: Bring in an item for the staff appreciation potluck luncheon. Sign up here!

  • Student request: Remind your grownup to bring in an item for the staff appreciation potluck luncheon to fuel our superheroes! 

Thursday, 5/4

  • Grownup request: Every superhero needs vital tools! Purchase school supplies for a classroom. Staff supply request list is here.

  • Student request: Remind your grownup to purchase school supplies for a staff member. Bring in the school supplies and make your teacher's day!

Friday, 5/5

  • Grownup request: Remind your student to wear their superhero t-shirt to school.

  • Student request: You’ve been promoted to Super Student! Wear a superhero t-shirt to show your support of our super BRES staff!

Want to contribute but not able to bring something in? You can always donate funds to the PTA and indicate that it’s for Staff Appreciation Week! Visit our donate now page to get started.

5th Grade Promotion Committee Forming

The BRES PTA is looking for parents of fourth and fifth graders who are interested in helping to plan and organize this year's 5th Grade Promotion, which will be held on Tuesday, June 13. The committee involves 1-2 brief virtual planning meetings this spring and then dividing up activities to support a successful 5th-grade promotion, such as ordering decorations, as well as t-shirts and pizza for the students, to make it a special day.  Fourth-grade parents are particularly needed to help on Promotion day. To join the committee, email fundraising@brespta.org by April 9.

We're Searching for the 2023-24 PTA Board!

The PTA Board is excited to welcome new members into leadership positions for the 2023-2024 school year!

Are you ready to help lead the incredible work of our BRES PTA?

The nominating committee is looking forward to hearing from you and learning about you as you consider a PTA Board position. Our BRES PTA must have the positions of President, Secretary, and Treasurer filled in order to operate. All terms are for 1 year, and can be held by the same person for a total of 2 consecutive terms.

Please complete the form below to share your interest. You'll be contacted by a member of the nominating committee ASAP after submitting your interest.

The nominating committee will, in accordance with PTA Bylaws, propose a board slate to be voted on at the May meeting. For more information about the elections and nominating process, please feel free to contact robins.rebecca@gmail.com.

You can read more about the detailed job description for our PTA Board positions here: https://www.brespta.org/boardpositions

We're so looking forward to hearing from you soon!

March 20: Bring a Snack for a Rainbow-Themed Staff Appreciation Table!

Help us celebrate our amazing BRES Staff on Monday, March 20 with a rainbow-themed snack bar (check out the photo for examples of snacks in all different colors)! Please sign up which color snack you will bring and indicate what kind of snack it is (fruits, sweet, salty, drink) so that we can have a full array of choices. We are looking for individually wrapped snacks, and at least 10 servings of each snack per slot.

Please sign up by Saturday, March 18. Drop off your snacks by 10am on March 20 at the front office.

DEADLINE EXTENDED to MARCH 9 to Sign Up for the Science Fair/STEAM Expo

To make sure all our Redfoxes have the chance to enter a project in our STEAM Fair and Expo, we’re extending the deadline to enter to Thursday, March 9! Trifold posterboards will be distributed for free to all entrants on Friday, March 10.

Learn more about STEAM Day here: https://www.brespta.org/steam-day

Sign up to enter here (all you need is a title and short description of your project!): https://forms.gle/8VQ7UhnZHyFdriwr6

PTA Meeting February 7 at 7pm! Lots of Updates PLUS a Fox Box Raffle!

Get Ready for our Winter PTA meeting!

This meeting will be held at 7pm on Zoom and all you have to do to join is click below. Closed captioning will be available in languages including Spanish, Chinese, Russian, and more. As always, you do *not* need to be a PTA member to attend the meeting.

As a meeting incentive we are entering each attending family into a raffle for the FOX BOX! Ask your students if they know what it is Names will be drawn on the morning announcements Wednesday February 8.

Join on Zoom by clicking here: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82306669906

Along with our usual PTA updates, Principal West will be sharing updates about ELC roll-out at BRES, the Anti-Racist Audit and next steps, and more! We're also delighted to have special speaker Shaton Berry, National PTA Board Member and Healthy Minds Brand Ambassador.

The full agenda is below. We can't wait to see you there!

  • Welcome

  • Approval of last meeting’s minutes

  • Special speaker: Shaton Berry, National PTA Board Member and Healthy Minds Brand Ambassador

  • Principal’s Report

  • PTA Board Member Reports

    • President’s Report

    • Membership

    • Programming

    • Treasurer

    • Delegates

  • NAACP Parents Council

  • Adjourn (8pm)

Black History Month Assembly: Music of the African Diaspora

The BRES PTA is excited to sponsor Music of the African Diaspora, featuring Dante Pope, for our Black History Month Assembly for students on February 24th! This high-energy presentation will illustrate the sounds and songs of the African Diaspora using traditional African-based performance structures of: call and response, polyrhythms, and improvisation.

Featured instruments will be the djembe of West Africa, rhythm bones most notably used in early American roots music, acoustic guitar, and the voice.

There will be two performances: one at 9:45am and one at 10:45am. BRES parents and guardians are welcome to attend! Just check in with ID at the front office.

We're READY for Our Kids to Enter the Science Fair and STEAM Expo!

BRES 2023 STEAM Fair and Expo: Enter a Science Fair Experiment or STEAM Project!

Get ready for a blast of science as the Bayard Rustin Elementary School (BRES) STEAM Fair returns on March 18! We have partnered with local scientists and STEM organizations to provide interactive and educational demonstrations. 

We also invite students to share their own projects with us by entering our Science Fair or displaying a STEAM project at our expo. Both of these projects are fun, engaging, and noncompetitive ways for our growing learners to explore the world around them.

There is now LOTS of info on our website, including requirements and a form to enter the Science Fair or STEAM Expo, as well as resources that can give you and your child ideas on how to get started!

Questions? Please reach out to programs@brespta.org if there’s anything we haven’t covered here.