August 2024

Dear Burleigh Manor Middle School Community,

Now that it is the first full week of August, it is officially time to welcome the Burleigh Manor Middle School community to the 2024-2025 school year. It's astonishing how quickly summer is coming to a close and the new school year is only a few weeks away. We are busy getting ready for an exciting new academic year at Burleigh Manor Middle School. The school has been almost too quiet this summer. Burleigh Manor is not the same without our wonderful students.

I hope your summer has been exciting and filled with wonderful memories. We genuinely trust you've had the chance to unwind, rejuvenate, and enjoy precious moments with loved ones. We are finalizing our preparations and almost ready to welcome back the staff on August 15 for Burleigh Manor’s 33rd year of exemplary education. I would like to share some information in this newsletter to assist you with your back-to-school preparation. Please be sure to complete Family File before the first day of school. 

Enjoy the remainder of summer break.  We are excited for another great year of teaching and learning at Burleigh Manor Middle School.

If you have questions or need assistance, please feel free to call us at 410-313-2507.

Sincerely,

Allen Cosentino, Principal

 

 

FAMILY FILE UPDATE:  All parents/guardians need to visit https://www.hcpss.org/connect/ to update the Family File for each student – this is an annual task for everyone.  We are asking all BMMS parents/guardians to update their Family File before school begins. Parents should log in to HCPSS Connect and select the "Family File" tab and then click on "Family File". Once logged in, you will be asked to provide your login information. While we recognize many of you may not have any changes to make, you must click through all of the screens and click submit in order to have this task completed. Some decisions require annual permission, such as permission to photograph your student. Parents who have forgotten their login credentials may click the "Forgot Password" link on the sign-in page. If you need additional assistance, please fill out the Connect Help Form.

 

 

NEW BOBCAT ORIENTATION for all 6th-grade students and any new to BMMS 7th and 8th-grade students. Thursday, August 22nd, 1:00 p.m. We look forward to welcoming all 6th-grade students and new 7th and 8th-grade students along with their parents to our orientation event on Thursday, August 22nd starting at 1:00 p.m. Parents/Guardians will spend their time in the cafeteria while students will attend an orientation presentation, tour the building, visit classes, and learn about student organizations and clubs. 

 

 

STUDENT SCHEDULES. Students will have access to review their scheduled courses in Synergy beginning August 21st at 8 am.  6th Grade and NEW 7th and 8th-grade students will get a copy of their schedules at New Bobcat Orientation. We strongly encourage each student to review their courses for accuracy.  We will be balancing class sizes as needed which could impact the time a class meets. If any course changes are made, we will contact families individually.

Questions about schedules should be directed to Student Services.

6th Grade-Ms. Foos        7th Grade-Mrs. Morton    8th Grade- Mrs. Lucas-Zacharias

 

 

STUDENT TECHNOLOGY DEVICES. BMMS will continue to have a 1:1 student-to-device ratio.  All students have or will be provided with a Chromebook. These devices are required for all county and state testing and assessments. HCPSS Technology and Devices information 

All 6th graders will be issued a device in the first weeks of school.

7th or 8th graders who have not been issuedIf a student has not been issued an HCPSS device, they will report to the Media Center to be assigned a device during the first week of school.

 

 

CHANGES IN SOCIAL MEDIA AND GAMING ACCESS: Beginning July 1, 2024 HCPSS will block access to social media at all schools and most game websites at middle and high schools only on the HCPSS instructional (student) network and on student Chromebooks. Español | 中文 | 한국어

 

 

ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL PROCEDURES. The official school hours for Burleigh Manor Middle School for the 2024-2025 school year will be 8:30am to 3:15pm. Doors open to students at 8:20am to get breakfast and get their belongings situated. Transportation information, including bus schedules will be available online after August 15th and can be accessed using HCPSS Bus Locator.  

We believe that the safest way for students to get to school is by accessing the bus transportation provided. However, we do understand that there may be occasions when it is necessary to drive your student to school. When that happens, please follow the procedures listed below to help ensure the safety of all students during school arrival time.

Students who are driven to school are to be dropped off at our car loop located at the shared vehicle entrance to Centennial High School and Burleigh Manor. Follow the directions of BMMS staff as they assist with the arrival of students. Vehicles in the right lane should pull all the way down along the curb as close to the clothing donation bins to allow for the proper flow of traffic. The right lane is for quick drop offs. Cars with multiple students or instruments, etc. should drop off students in the parking lot.

Cars making a left into the entrance from Centennial Lane should stay in the left lane, enter the parking lot and drop off their child at the crosswalk. It is always advisable to allow ample time to arrive at school because traffic is regularly an issue. Please drive slowly and keep a careful watch for staff and students. Cars should follow the traffic flow in the picture below.

Students who arrive after 8:30 am should report to the Front Office to sign in as they are considered a late arrival.  

 

 

MEDICATION FORMS. Students who require medication to be administered during the school day need to have new forms (dated on or after July 1st) completed for this fall. For your convenience, you can find these forms online at the HCPSS website by clicking on the link for Physician’s Orders https://www.hcpss.org/about-us/forms/. Contact our Krista Johnson, BMMS Nurse at krisat_johnson@hcpss.org with any questions. 

 

 

 

BACK-TO-SCHOOL NIGHT - Thursday, September 5th, 6:00 pm. Our annual Back-to-School Night event will be held in person on Thursday, September 5th.  Parents and Guardians will have a chance to walk in their student’s shoes for an evening and get to experience a day at Burleigh Manor.  

Back to School Night: GT Parent Information Presentation

The Middle School Parent Information Presentation for the Gifted and Talented Education Program will be held on September 5 from 5:15 - 5:45 p.m. in the BMMS cafeteria, followed by Back to School Night at 6:00 p.m. This presentation will provide an overview of the Howard County Gifted and Talented Education Program for middle school students, with information on G/T content classes, G/T instructional seminars, and placement. All parents and guardians of students new to the HCPSS are encouraged to attend.

Please contact the school’s G/T Resource Teacher, Ms. Robyn Page, at Robyn_Page@hcpss.org or 410-313-2507 for more information.

 

 

VISITORS WELCOME. In order to ensure the safety of all students and staff, all visitors must press the buzzer located in our main entry vestibule to be admitted to our building.  You will see signs directing you. When we greet you, please provide us with your name and the reason for your visit. 

As a gentle reminder, please remember to bring in a valid form of identification (i.e. Driver’s License) if you are picking up one of our students.  It's also a good idea to double-check your Emergency Procedure information to ensure the list of individuals authorized to pick up your student during the school day is up to date.

 

 

LOCKERS and BACKPACKS. Lockers will be assigned to all students on the first day of school. Students are permitted to access their locker before school, before and after lunch, and at the end of the school day.  Students are permitted to use backpacks during the day. Students are not allowed to take their backpacks to lunch and must store their backpacks in their lockers during that time.  Lockers are for individual use only – students are not permitted to share their combination or allow others to use their assigned locker. 

 

 

PERSONAL ELECTRONIC DEVICES. Per HCPSS Policy 8080, all middle school students are not permitted to use personal electronic devices in school during the school day.  All devices, including cell phones, iPad, personal computers, earbuds, and headphones must be off and away in their backpack or locker until 3:15 PM.

 

 

DAILY ATTENDANCE PROCEDURES

Please follow these procedures to report an absence:

Absence notes and tardy notes for excused absences are to be emailed to BMMSabsence@hcpss.org. Students who bring in physical notes may drop them off in the Front Office before the start of the school day. 

 

 

 

SCHOOL BREAKFAST/LUNCH. Student breakfast costs $2.00 and lunch is $3.30. We encourage households to complete Free and Reduced Meal applications, based on their household income eligibility. Visit https://www.hcpss.org/food-services/ for more information.

 

 

HCPSS POLICIES, STUDENT HANDBOOK, CODE OF CONDUCT. HCPSS policies are regularly reviewed and updated. For the most current policy revision, or to view the policy in its entirety, along with supporting regulations and procedures, you may visit the HCPSS Policy Web Page: www.hcpss.org/board/policies .

Important information/links:

Student Handbook - https://www.hcpss.org/about-us/handbook/

Student Code of Conduct - https://www.hcpss.org/about-us/student-code-of-conduct/