Week of 10/12/2020
.... It's a GREAT place to be!
Birmingham Covington Schools (BCS)
Website: https://www.birmingham.k12.mi.us/bcs
Location: 1525 Covington Rd, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301, USA
Phone: 248-203-4444
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Birmingham-Covington-School-257853467700898/
Twitter: @bcs_cobras
10/12/2020- Week's Events
*denotes more information provided below
Monday, 10/12
- 3/4 - NO 3/4 STUDENTS; 3/4 Teacher Preparation PD Day
- 3/4 - NO 3/4 STUDENTS; 3/4 Teacher Preparation PD Day
- 3/4 - "Asynchronous Assembly" with Dr. Hakim & Mr. Hill
- 5/6 and 7/8 Students- Half-Day AM; Teachers- PM PD
- 3/4 - New 3/4 In-Person & Virtual Hybrid Schedule Starts
- New Materials Distribution Process - Information Forthcoming *
- Materials Distribution Time: (3:30 pm - 5:00 pm)
Friday, 10/16
- New Materials Distribution Process - Information Forthcoming*
- Materials Distribution Time: (11:15 am - 12:15 pm)
Coming up...
- 5-8 In-Person & Hybrid Return November 4
- Picture Retakes November 11
Greetings, BCS Families!
This will be a very busy week here at BCS as we welcome our 3/4 students returning in-person on Wednesday, 10/14! Many of us spent this weekend at BCS preparing the building. We had over 200 desks delivered to BCS to create socially-distant spaces in our classrooms, a special crew conducting a deep sanitization and cleaning of all touch-surfaces, and a great deal of PPE and safety marks & signage abound. A huge thanks to all of the BCS and district employees involved in such a herculean task!
3/4 Students:
This week, 3/4 Students will NOT have school on Monday (10/11) or Tuesday (10/12). All 3/4 Students (in-person and virtual) will begin the new schedule on Wednesday (10/14). Tuesday (10/12) morning, our 3/4 Students will receive a link to an "Asynchronous Assembly" where we plan to provide important information & a video related to the launch of our new hybrid in-person and virtual learning model. This should not take more than an hour for students to complete.
NOTE: If 3/4 students are in 5-6 or other upper grade math, they should plan to attend just their math Zoom courses on Monday and Tuesday. If they cannot make class this day, please make arrangements with teacher.
5/6 and 7/8 Students:
Our 5-8 students will continue with their current schedules this week with a half-day (AM) on Tuesday (10/12).
If you have not yet reviewed the FAQ document sent this week, you may find the BCS FAQ here. For 3/4 families returning in person, you were sent the 3/4 In-Person Final "Must-Do" tasks to complete BEFORE Wednesday.
Again, thank you so much for your support. As with any new transition, we will have a few hiccups, and we humbly ask for your patience in advance. While planning has admittedly been a huge undertaking, it is been nothing short of inspiring to observe everyone at BCS working with their incredible talent and dedication to make this work. It reaffirms that BCS is indeed "a great place to be."
Yours in BCS Solidarity,
Dr. Hakim & Mr. Hill
Staffing Updates
Happy Retirement (Sort-of), Mrs. Balicki!
- Community Service Organizer Mrs. Cindy Balicki is retiring from her CSO position at BCS but will continue to work part-time remotely with Community Education in our district. With decades of her remarkable service to BCS as CSO, Mrs. Balicki has been an invaluable member of the BCS community, and we wish her happiness as she gets to enjoy more time with her family. Thank you for all you have done for our BCS community!
New District Assignments:
- Mr. Billy Bodle, LRC Teacher, has accepted a position at Berkshire Middle School. Thank you, Mr. Bodle, for your service to BCS. We have no doubt you will continue your exceptional work serving our special services students in our district.
- Mr. Jordy Whitmer, 3-8 Engage and Thinkering Teacher, will be teaching a 4th Grade cohort in the all-virtual Birmingham Virtual Academy for the remainder of the year. Mr. Whitmer has been at BCS for over 25 years and has been instrumental in developing our Engage and Thinkering program.
Long-Term Leave:
- Mrs. Amanda Husband, 3-8 art teacher, will be on leave through February.
Plans for posting/hiring to fill these positions are in progress, and we will provide updates as soon as we can.
Student Medications & Medical Updates
Updated Materials Distribution Process
Going forward, materials distribution for ALL grades will be:
Thursdays: 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
Fridays: 11:15 am - 12:15 pm
Because we will have students in the building throughout the day, materials distributions are limited to the above days and times. If you cannot pick up during these times, please coordinate with a friend or family member to do so. Not all Grades or Classes will have distributions each week.
Attention to Attendance
Parents/Guardians must email the attendance line at bcsattendance@birmingham.k12.mi.us to provide detailed information regarding your students’ absence or tardiness by 8:45 am each day.
Absences or tardies not reported to the BCS attendance office will be recorded as unexcused (please note that sending a note to your child’s teacher does not excuse your child. Always contact the attendance office in the event of a student absence). Please send an accompanying doctor’s note as well (PDF format) if appropriate.
Counseling Corner
We are here to help support your child academically, socially and emotionally during this time. If you would like to request a counseling appointment for your son or daughter, just email his or her counselor using the contact information below. Your counselor will then respond in order to set up an appointment.
Please keep us updated if we can be of any help at this time.
Your BCS Counselors,
Karen Kohler - Last Names A-K (kkohler@birmingham.k12.mi.us) and
Jenny Wagner - Last Names L-Z (jwagner2@birmingham.k12.mi.us)
BCS Tumblers & Bottles
PTA Membership App
DO YOU HAVE YOUR BCS DIRECTORY ON YOUR PHONE (APP)?
Tip of the day!
If you have not done so already, please go to your app store to download the app -> "Membership Toolkit". After you log in with your family's account email and password (each student's family has one - you may need to ask your child's other parent for log in information), you will have your BCS Directory right at your fingertips! And - if you have a child at another school that utilizes Membership Toolkit, you can easily toggle between!
If you do not seem to have access to the online directory, you may need to complete your PTA dues. Please contact ptsatreasurer@bcsonline.info.
(If you still need to enter/update/confirm your information for this year, you can still do so at bcspta.membershiptoolkit.com. Although the deadline has passed for printing, you can still have your current information available for the online/app version.)
BCS Choice Hour
Choice Hour has launched! As a reminder, our various Choice Hours run M-F from 3:25-4:10pm online. You can find all Choice Hour information including schedules, zoom links, FAQs and more at this link: Quarter I Virtual Choice Hour Information.
Please direct all Choice Hour Questions to Courtney Bassett at cbassett@birmingham.k12.mi.us or 248-203-4625.
Kaiser Studio School Photos Contact Information
Picture retake day is November 11, 2020!!!
e-mail: cs@kaiserstudio.com
CUSTOMER SERVICE HOURS
Monday - Friday
8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
STUDIO LOCATION
Kaiser Studio
1825 Birchwood Drive
Troy, Michigan 48083
T: 248-619-9119
F: 248-619-9143
Other Helpful Resource Links...
Schoology Help
If students are having trouble logging in to Schoology or if they found that upon entering, there were no classes, please contact the Help Desk at HelpDesk@birmingham.k12.mi.us or at (248) 203-3123.
Schoology Parent Introduction:
You should have received more information about Schoology, our learning management system. Please review the attached district resources for additional Schoology information.
Note: Your child's teachers will provide class-specific guidance to students/families as they begin to integrate Schoology's features in their courses.
Parent & Student Schoology Reference Page
Check out the Student Schoology Reference page! This document will provide students and parents with instructions on setting up their Schoology account, navigating Schoology, and performing everyday tasks in courses. This reference sheet may provide helpful resources for you to use to help your students become proficient with Schoology.
Emotional Health & Wellness Resources
BCS Media Center Material Circulation
The BCS Library Media Center is excited to begin circulating materials for the 2020-21 school year! Until we are back in school face-to-face, we are implementing a holds-and-pickup system. All patrons are invited to find materials using our Destiny Library Catalog. If you find something you want, put it on hold! Mrs. Truesdell, your school library media specialist, will pull the materials that are available and have them ready for you by your next grade level pickup day at BCS. Please visit our library website or watch this video for more details.