Week of 9/28/2020
.... 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
9/28/2020- Week's Events
*denotes more information provided below
Monday, 9/28
- District Religious Observance: Yom Kippur -No tests, new material, or assignments due. No homework assigned.*
- BCS Parent Survey Released - 5 PM
- District Religious Observance: Yom Kippur- No tests or assignments due. Teachers can introduce new material and assign homework.
- 5/6 Materials Pick-Up 3-5 PM*
To all families & staff observing this holiday, we honor you.
- 7/8 Materials Pick-Up 3-5 PM*
- BCS PTA Zoom Meeting - 1:15 PM*
- 3/4 Materials Pick-Up 3-5 PM*
- BCS Parent Survey Due - 5 PM
Greetings, BCS Families!
First, we would like to thank you for the overwhelmingly positive feedback we received after our Parent Town Hall on September 25, 2020. We sincerely appreciate your enthusiastic support, recognition, and praise for our presented plan. Like we understand, no plan will replicate our normal in-person instruction, but we are feeling inspired by the new opportunities this plan affords BCS. By collaborating with all of our BCS community members who make it great, we are proud to stand by a plan we believe best supports our BCS students, parents, and staff. As we work together to transition into our half-day hybrid/virtual plan, we will continue communicating updated information and field additional questions you may have. If you would like to submit a question, please continue to add questions to our BCS SUBMIT A QUESTION FORM.
If you were not able to attend the Parent Town Hall, you may review the video presentation here: Parent Town Hall Video 9/25/2020. To view the slides from the presentation, Parent Town Hall Slides 9/25/2020. These resources will provide you with information regarding our proposed plan and next steps, including a parent survey to collect return-to-school information. We will send the survey tomorrow around 5PM, and we are asking all families to complete the survey by Friday, October 2 at 5PM.
Again, we cannot thank you enough for working alongside us as we work to provide our very best despite these challenging times!
Yours in BCS Solidarity,
Dr. Hakim & Mr. Hill
Congratulations, Mr. Joseph!
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.
COUNT DAY is WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7:
Please make sure all kids are present in their classes and avoid any appointments if possible. If seeing a doctor, please provide a PDF of the Doctor’s note. Count is crucial to the functioning of our school and contributes most to our school's funding, so we need to make sure we see everyone in class with accurate counts.If you will NOT be present, please email the attendance line along with the teacher.
BCS PTA Zoom Meeting - Thursday, October 1 @ 1:15 PM
Please join us for the first Zoom PTA meeting of the year on Thursday, October 1st @ 1:15 pm. The Zoom link will be sent through E-News and will be posted on the PTA Facebook page. We will be voting on the 2020/2021 budget which was posted on the PTA website on August 31, 2020.
Student Materials Distribution - Follow Teacher Guidance
Not all grades will need materials this week. Please follow teacher's instructions should there be a need for additional materials deployment.
Please adhere to mask protocols, thank you!
Tuesdays – Grades 5 and 6
Distribution Days: Tuesdays, 3-5 pm
Next Distribution: Tuesday, September 29
Wednesdays - Grades 7 and 8
Distribution Days: Wednesdays, 3-5 pm
Next Distribution: Wednesday, September 30
Thursdays - Grades 3 and 4
Distribution Days: Thursdays, 3-5 pm
Next Distribution: Thursday, October 1
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
BCS Pride Meetings
BCS Pride is an after school club that promotes diversity and inclusion and celebrates differences. It is for all students who want to make BCS a safer school for everyone. The club is open to students who care about diversity and acceptance, regardless of identity or orientation, and welcomes and encourages allies to attend. BCS Pride will be a positive, affirming space for all students grades 6-8, but younger students with an interest in joining are also welcome. Please e-mail Mr. Rick Joseph for Zoom link and password if you would like to attend!
From Mrs. Truesdell, BCS Media Specialist
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.
Curriculum Night Update
Our Curriculum Night dates were postponed once the year started due to the virtual start. We are currently working with our staff and BCS PTA to plan Curriculum Night—with some different options on the table given the virtual return. Once we know more information, we will be sure to communicate it. New dates are forthcoming.
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 dates forthcoming.
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
Religious Observances & Guidelines from BCS & BPS
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
BPS Community Update (9/25)
9/25/2020
BPS Families,
There has been a flurry of activity throughout the District this week as we prepare to welcome back our first wave of students to in-person learning on Wednesday, Sept. 30 and continue to work with our virtual learners in a remote setting. As a reminder, our timeline is linked here describing the phased-in return. The full plan can be viewed here. Our staff members have been incredible as they’ve worked tirelessly to prepare our buildings for students and created welcoming environments that feature new health and safety protocols for all.
As we move into face-to-face instruction, we ask our community to join us to ensure this safe return of students. Our Health Advisory Board medical volunteers spent time with staff this last week addressing health and safety questions. Time and time again, our medical professionals expressed the importance of social distancing, wearing a mask/facial covering and hand hygiene as we combat the spread of COVID-19. It is incumbent upon all of us to adopt these practices if we are to move forward with in-person learning. Please consider these practices when you leave your home and interact with the community, whether it is to go to the store, view an athletic event or gather with friends and family.
We will be working with our returning students to review safety protocols just as we would any school rule in a typical year. And while this is not a typical year, we know our kids will follow the examples we set. Please join us as we share mask protocols, proper handwashing/hygiene, social distancing guidelines. We also encourage you to learn more about our COVID scenarios and actions as we gear up to welcome students to our classrooms over the next few weeks.
Sincerely,
BPS Central Leadership Team