Friday Notes
December 11, 2020
Congratulations to our Patriots Pen Winners!
We are so proud of the three students who placed in the annual , county-wide Patriots Pen essay contest, hosted by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. We thank Mrs. Shinners for her continued efforts, preparing our students and supporting their efforts in articulating what patriotism means to them.
- First Place: Rosalee Howell (grade 7)
- Second Place: Ramsey Davis (grade 6)
- Third Place: Ella McCormack (grade 8)
BJAMS Christmas Cantata
We are excited to be able to share with you this compilation of music, student-written and performed skits, and holiday cheer in lieu of our traditional Christmas concert! Mrs. Holly Boucher has been working hard with all of our students in Pre-K3 through 8th grade providing musical instruction that falls within all of the new protocols and guidelines. We would also like to extend a thank you to Mrs. Nordenson for her editing expertise! We hope you enjoy the show!
BJAMS Lights Up the Night - Tomorrow Night!
Please join us tomorrow night at 6:00 PM as we light up the night!
Our celebration will start with Christmas caroling and end with Santa. We invite students to bring their letters they have written to Santa and mail them that night to the North Pole in our special North Pole mailbox!
To help with planning purposes, please fill out this Google Form to let us know if you will be joining us on this special night. We hope to see you there!
Get Your Beautiful Holiday Swag - LAST CHANCE!
Decorate your home, office, or car with a beautifully made, natural hemlock holiday swag. Only $20! The proceeds to benefit the 8th graders class trip to Boston (protocols allowing). We're taking orders until the end of the day today. Please
email Mr. Close with your order - he only needs your name and quantity of swags.
Swag pick ups will be on Dec. 12, Dec. 14, and 15.
PTO Meeting
Were you worried that you missed this week's PTO meeting? We have great news! The PTO meeting was pushed to this coming Monday, December 14 at 9am! Please email Michelle Tomlinson for the Zoom link!
Tacky Christmas Sweaters and PJs?
On Monday, December 21, we invite students to wear their tackiest (or cutest/festive!) holiday sweaters, sweatshirts, and shirts! On Tuesday, December 22, we invite students to wear their cozy jammies for our half-day of school before we depart for Christmas break.
Classroom Christmas Parties - important reminders!
Some classes will be hosting Christmas parties during the short week before Christmas break. To continue our adherence to safety protocols, please note the following:
- All donated food must be packaged by the manufacturer in unopened, original packaging - unfortunately, we cannot accept homemade treats, even if individually wrapped.
- Your child's teacher will let you know what foods to avoid, due to allergies/sensitivities.
- The teacher will distribute all food items at the Christmas party, wearing disposable gloves.
- Juice pouches/boxes work best, if providing drinks.
Breakfast Meal Bags - Christmas Break
We will be offering a breakfast meal bag to home with students over Christmas break;
this is part of the USDA free meal program all families are currently accessing while we are in session. The bag will consist of 7 days' worth of breakfast food items, such as: milk, juice, fruit, cereal, yogurt, string cheese, parfait, and quick bread for each student(s).
You must sign up through FACTS by 12/15 for breakfast, selecting the dates 12/23-12/31. The breakfast bags will be labeled with your family ID number and ready for pick up at dismissal on Monday, 12/21. If your child is attending ASP that day, you can grab your breakfast bag (look for your family ID number) outside of the school's main entrance.
Families who require meals while learning remotely due to COVID, please email Heather Gentle directly at hgentle@bjams.org for information.
Need to Be Connected to Food Resources?
One in three Vermonters are at risk for food insecurity, struggling to find help feeding their families. If your financial situation has recently changed, you may now qualify for Vermont nutrition and food programs. They include: WIC program (Women, Infants and Children), 3SquaresVT/SNAP, and more. Newer programs such as Farmers to Families and Everyone Eats are helping to fill the gaps. All these programs can help keep healthy food on the table.
Contact the Health Department, Hunger Free Vermont, or call 2-1-1 for more information.
Vermont Department of Health to Begin Text Notifications to Close Contacts
Health Commissioner Mark Levine, MD, announced Tuesday that the Health Department will launch a new text notification system for certain people who have been identified as close contacts by someone who has COVID-19.
“This will help us get information out as quickly as possible, so these close contacts can quarantine right away and access other important information on our website,” Dr. Levine said at a press conference. “Please know that the texts do not replace our expert contact tracing work – everyone identified as a close contact will still get a phone call from a contact tracer.”
The phone numbers we use to text people will be provided by the person who has COVID-19.
Determination of who get these texts will be made by the contact tracing team based on the situation, Dr. Levine said, adding “Not everyone will get a text, but if you do, please know it is a legitimate and important message from the Vermont Department of Health.”
People who receive the Health Department text will see two short messages from the number 89361. (NOTE: this number has been updated from what was initially announced at the Tuesday press conference.)
The text will tell them:
- they may be a close contact
- to expect a call from a contact tracer
- to quarantine right away, and
- to visit our website for more information: healthvermont.gov/closecontact.
Attention Parents of Eighth Graders!
Eleventh Installment from the USCCB's Pastoral Letter Condemning the Sin of Racism
Dec 12 - BJAMS Lights Up the Night, 6pm
Dec 14 - PTO meeting, 9am
Dec 21 - Tacky (or festive) sweater day
Dec 22 - Cozy PJ day and half day - 12pm dismissal
Dec 23 - Dec 31 - No School - Christmas Break
Jan 1 - No School - New Year's Day
