Burtonsville Beat (August 27, 2023)

August 27, 2023

Good evening, Burtonsville families!

Upcoming Dates to Remember:

  • 8/28 - First Day of School
  • 8/28 - Kindergarten Parent Kiss & Cry Mtg - 10:15 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.
  • 8/31 -  Back-to-School-Night - 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
  • 9/4 - No School (Holiday)
  • 9/5 - PTA Mtg (Zoom) 6:30 p.m.
  • 9/8 - Back-to-School-Bash - 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.
  • 9/23 - Burtonsville Day Parade

⭐ The first day of school for students grades K-5 is Monday, August 28th.  Burtonsville ES is unique in that we do not have walkers which can cause heavy traffic at times from buses and cars. If you drive your child to and from school, you should expect a wait as the car line for parent drop-off and pick-up will be long, especially during dismissal for the first few weeks of school. We appreciate your patience and understanding and thank you in advance for showing thoughtfulness and respect to each other, our students, staff, and volunteers.

If your child will be riding the bus, please allow them to begin riding on the first day of school to help them get used to the routine. If you are a kindergarten parent who plans to visit Burtonsville on the first day of school, please put your child on the bus; you can then follow the bus to school. This helps make the transition so much smoother for our students when they start the new routines on the first day.

On the first day of school, kindergarten students will report to the cafeteria.

We know the first day of school is a memorable time for families, but unfortunately due to limited parking at Burtonsville, parents of students in grades 1-5 will not be able to park vehicles, enter the school building and walk their children to class. This is reserved for kindergarten parents only on the first day of school. We kindly ask that you take your first day of school pictures before your child reports to school. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. 

⭐ Kindergarten Parent Kiss & Cry Meeting: Monday, August 28th from 10:15 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. in the Media Center – Meet with the principal, Mrs. Lloyd, the Burtonsville PTA, and other staff members from Burtonsville Elementary.  

NOTE: If you missed Kindergarten Back to School Night or did not have a chance to share dismissal information for your kindergarten student, please use this link to let us know how your child is getting home. 

⭐ Back to School Night: Thursday, August 31st from 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. for 1st thru 5th grades. There is limited parking at Burtonsville Elementary so we will have a school bus shuttle from the Giant parking lot to and from the school throughout the evening. Kindergarten will have already had Back to School Night (8-24-23), so kindergarten teachers will not be present for this event.  

⭐ Back to School Bash: Friday, September 8th from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. (PTA Event)

⭐ Burtonsville Day Parade: Saturday, September 23rd. Make signs, wear your Burtonsville t-shirt, or our school colors (blue & yellow), and come out to show your school spirit and represent Burtonsville Elementary! More information to come!  If you have questions, please do not hesitate to contact the main office at (240) 740-5700 for additional information. 

Instrumental Music Parent Information Meetings 

Parents and Guardians of current 4th and 5th-grade students may attend any of the two scheduled meeting dates regardless of the school their child attends, as these same topics will be discussed at each meeting: Instrument suitability, rental cost, scheduling, performances, expectations, and parent questions. 

Meeting Dates: 

Wednesday, Sept. 6 at 12:00 p.m. on Zoom (student log-in not required)

Wednesday, Sept. 13 at 6:00 p.m. at Stonegate Elementary School

Your attendance is not mandatory for your child to participate in the program. I look forward to meeting you and to a successful school year. Parents and Guardians who wish to register for the program can fill out the form here: https://forms.gle/7LSRc8HcegWxwfDp6

Transportation & Safety

Safety is our number one priority; therefore, we need every parent to exercise patience and respect, follow staff directions and adhere to the traffic flow pattern and drop-off/pick-up procedures. We have very limited parking at Burtonsville. Parents driving their children to school must adhere to the parent drop-off/pick-up carpool lane rules. Make sure your child is ready to get out of the car when you pull up. Please be a courteous driver on school grounds and please do not let students out of the car alone in the front of the building for any reason. If your child is late, you must park to come into the building to sign your child in. Please do not send late students into the building alone. 

School buses will be identified by bus route numbers but Burtonsville will assign an animal name to each route number to make it easier for your students to learn their bus.  Students will receive a sticker as they exit the bus on the first day of school.  Please note that Burtonsville is now part of West Farm UPPER Depot. All West Farm Upper routes begin with a “7”.  

Linked below are the bus schedules for the upcoming school year along with additional information for parents:

Please carefully review the arrival and departure bus routes provided by the Department of Transportation to determine which bus your child will use to ride to and from school. Parents are responsible for making sure their child knows and understands which bus to ride and how they go home in the afternoon. 

Please make sure your child knows their dismissal plan (bus rider, car rider, Kids After Hours). If the dismissal plans change, please inform your child and the child’s teacher immediately.  

If you need to make a change to your child’s dismissal plan during the school day, please call the office at 240-740-5700, before 3:15 p.m. 

Transportation information including arrival and departure routes and an informative parent letter can also be found on our school website under the Back to School Information: https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/burtonsvillees/

Meal Services - Division of Food & Nutrition Svcs (DFNS)

  • Breakfast will be FREE, and students will have the opportunity to eat breakfast in their classroom. We encourage families to check out menus here and students to eat breakfast at school, fueling them to learn each day.
  • Daily Lunch - $2.55 - Students who qualify for Free and/or Reduced Meals (FARM) will not be charged for lunch. 

Free and/or Reduced Meals (FARMS)

Families can now apply online and avoid longer processing times in September. Online FARMs applications are available now. Please visit www.MySchoolApps.com to complete and submit the 2023-2024 online application. 

Paper application forms will be distributed to all MCPS Schools the week of August 28th. Households that complete an online application DO NOT need to submit a paper application. The paper version of the 2023-24 Household Application for FARMS is designed to allow for electronic scanning. Due to this, only original applications can be processed. Please do not duplicate the paper applications. Again, while we will accept paper applications, online applications are strongly encouraged. 

Please complete the FARMS application, even if you think you do not qualify. We have had parents think they don’t qualify so they don’t fill out the forms.  Student meal eligibility from the 2022–2023 school year will carry over into the 2023–2024 school year through October 11, 2023, or until a new application is processed. After that, if a student has not newly qualified for free or reduced-price meals, meals will be charged at the regular meal price; $2.55.

GIVE BACKpacks Campaign

More than one-third of MCPS’ 160,000 students qualify for Free and Reduced-priced Meals. Now more than ever, in recovering from this global pandemic, more students will need help accessing school supplies for the beginning of the school year. Your donation to the MCPS GIVE BACKpacks campaign will play a critical role in helping all students thrive academically. Donate now at MCPS GIVE BACKpacks or text “Backpack” to 301-329-2238.

Saturday School

The Saturday School program will open in the fall with physical locations at Wheaton, Northwest, Einstein, Montgomery Blair, Paint Branch, and Clarksburg High Schools.  Each of these centers will serve your students in Pre-K through 5th grade and includes breakfast and transportation over 23 Saturdays from September to May.

Saturday School serves MCPS as a strategic partner and provides mentoring and tutoring from 8:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. on Saturday mornings, which is what we consider the 6th Day of Learning.  The elementary Saturday School curriculum is aligned with the MCPS curriculum and taught by MCPS teachers with the goal of extending and supporting the weekly grade-level learning outcomes.  Course Flyers: English | Español | Francés  | Fill-in Registration Form

Bell Time Schedule 2022-2023

9:10 a.m. – 9:20 a.m. Students enter the building and report directly to classrooms

9:25 a.m.           Tardy Bell Rings

3:50 p.m.            Dismissal

Student Day

9:20 a.m. – 3:50 p.m.

Teacher Duty Day

8:50 a.m. - 4:20 p.m.

Main Office Hours

8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Early Dismissal

Students dismiss at 1:10 p.m.

2-hour Delay

Students arrive at 11:20 a.m.

Yours In Service,

 Kimberly Lloyd, Principal

Terry Gobourne, Assistant Principal