Week of 4/12/2021
.... 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
4/12/2021 - Week's Events
*denotes more information provided below
Monday, 4/12
- PSAT 8/9
- BCS Diversity Committee Meetings every Tuesday 7:30-8am. Please join at this link: https://zoom.us/j/94515515954?pwd=VGgvWVJUUWQ3SjdCWmhvWU9DRFhKdz09
- BCS Pride every Tuesday 4:15-5pm. Please email Rick Joseph at rjoseph@birmingham.k12.mi.us for details.
Thursday, 4/15
- 5th Grade M-Step 8:35 - 9:40 a.m.
- Material Distribution, ALL VIRTUAL STUDENTS 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.*
Friday, 4/16
Coming up week of 4/19: End of 3rd Quarter on 4/23, Half Day of School, CH Sign Up due April 18 by11:59pm
All School News
Greetings, BCS Families!
We continue to enjoy some wonderful spring weather. It has been a true pleasure these past few weeks to see both our in person cohorts as well as our virtual students working hard to finish the year strong!
We have a lot to look forward to, namely summer recess! Lets make everyday count between now and the best break of all!
What can you do to reward your lovely child and encourage their engagement in school?
Simply register them for our awesome road rally (by clicking here https://event.auctria.com/5b6bce14-ed6c-471f-81e2-46c9f35a5b59/ ). Thank you for your support and for making BCS a great place to be.
Yours in BCS Solidarity,
Dr. Hakim and Mr. Hill
Early Dismissal Procedures
Please review these procedures to help keep your students and school safe.
Parents
- Buzz the front door
- Show identification to the camera
- Enter building and sign out student on blue sheet on clipboard
- Wait in vestibule for student
Students
- Will be released after the office staff calls the teacher
- Student will be sent to the office
- Student will be released to the parent through the vestibule door
STUDENT IS NOT ALLOWED TO LEAVE CLASS UNTIL PARENT IS HERE. STUDENTS MUST BE SIGNED OUT IN THE OFFICE. STUDENTS CANNOT EXIT THROUGH ANY OTHER DOOR.
No Early Dismissal after 3:00 p.m
BCS Choice Hour Updates
Quarter IV Sign Up goes live on Sunday, April 11!
Sign up is due by Sunday, April 18 at 11:59pm.
Quarter IV course offerings and sign up can be found here: https://www.birmingham.k12.mi.us/Page/6952
Choice Hour Quarter III Schedules (listed by Student ID Number)
Choice Hour Quarter III Zoom Links
There will be NO CHOICE HOUR on the following dates:
Wednesday, 3/24
Thursday, 3/25
Friday, 4/23
While Mrs. Bassett, our Choice Hour Coordinator, is out on maternity leave, Ms. Veronica Pilarski will be overseeing Choice Hour. Ms. Pilarski is already a part of our BCS team as a choice hour teacher, noon aid, and office assistant. If you have any questions regarding choice hour, Ms. Pilarski will be answering the bcschoicehour@birmingham.k12.mi.us email!
PTA Blast Road Rally
This year our school Blast event has been recreated into a Road Rally! Do you know what a Road Rally is and how it will work? Think scavenger hunt!
You will download and log into the Goosechase app, get clues for landmarks or activities to do around the city, upload pics into the app and get points. Top points will win (gift card) prizes!
You can drive through our district or walk through downtown Birmingham answering clues in the app. Clue answers might be pictures in front of store front or similar.
Our app will also have many BCS Trivia questions loaded into it for a chance to gather even more points! Also, 20 checkered flags will be placed in various locations around town that students will bring back to the school to cash in for a small prize.
This is our biggest PTA fundraiser of the year! The dollars collected from this event will directly support the budget for next school year and all the things the kids love most.
It will be a socially distanced competition game with clues and an app, so a device will be needed to enter the Rally. It’s a fun activity for the family or a small group of friends.
The points you collect may win you a nice Amazon gift card. But only paid participants get prizes so buy your $25 entry ticket now on the Auctria website. As you play the game each student will see where they stand with other competitors. Non BCS students/siblings are welcome to enter as well. Did you graduate a previous year from BCS and want to join us? Please join us by purchasing entry admission on the Auctria site.
Parents do not need to purchase a ticket and new 2021-2022 students can enter for free. New students who wish to participate will need to complete the Google Form sent out this week in an email.
Afterwards, we plan to gather in the school bus loop for some outdoor fun with food trucks and music. Covid protocols will be in place. Raffle tickets will continue to be sold at a table in the bus loop and 2 random winners will be picked at 6pm. The Grand Prize is 50% of the raffle sales, and the Runner-Up Prize is a basket filled with $100 worth of Lotto tickets. Maybe you will be a lucky winner!
To purchase entry into the Road Rally event please go to: www.auctria.com/auction/bcsblast. This will also be the link to the online BCS Auction which will open April 21st.
We look forward to bringing our BCS family together and hope to see you there!
If you have any questions, please email: bcsptsabcs@gmail.com
Click https://www.birmingham.k12.mi.us/cms/lib/MI01908619/Centricity/Domain/16/2021%20BCS%20Blast%20Details%20Overview_.pdf for more details!
Gorillas on the Line
Please help the Warner-Joseph 5/6 students help gorillas by recycling unwanted phones and hand-held devices.
A collection bin has been set up inside the front door of BCS for collection between now and the end of April.
Our goal is to collect 648 devices – one for every BCS student. This project is in cooperation with the Detroit Zoo.
Contact Rick Joseph with questions. Thank you!
BPS Parent Pride
Schools Offer Support Helps BPS Families
SOS (Schools Offer Support) is helping families across the district. Pick up a week's worth of meals every Wednesday from 11-1 at Groves High School. SOS also provides food boxes the first Wednesday of every month to families with an extra need for food. If you need additional support, we can help with that too. For more information or to request support please contact Maggie Mittelstaedt, CSO at 248-203-4448 or mmittelstaedt@birmingham.k12.mi.us or visit schoolsoffersupport.org and hit the Request Support button.
An Invitation from the Seaholm PTA for 8th grade parents
Parents of incoming 9th grade students: Do you still have questions about the transition to high school? The Seaholm PTA is here to help!
Please join us for a special PTA Zoom meeting on April 21 from 7-8 PM where Seaholm parents will talk and answer questions about the transition to high school. Our goal is to add a parent’s perspective to the information you’ve already been provided.
We encourage everyone to submit questions ahead of time to: shannon.herbst51@gmail.com. You will also be able to submit questions via the chat function during the meeting.
We look forward to seeing you on April 21st!
Your Seaholm PTA
Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/8705541582?pwd=RUNQbUFXYlc5UlB3QzBUU3VlS0syQT09
Material Distribution - Thursdays 9 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Material distribution for VIRTUAL STUDENTS IN ALL GRADES will take place in the front vestibule of the school. This is the ONLY time we will have distribution during the week. Please confirm with your student's teacher if material will be handed out. If you cannot pick up material at this time, please coordinate with a friend or family member to do so. Not all Grades or Classes will have distributions each week. (If your student is hybrid, they will receive material in school.)
Thursdays: 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
Breakfast and Lunch by Chartwells
Lunch is available free of charge to all students. There will be 2 cold lunch options provided by Chartwells.
Chartwells Meals for Distance Learning
Travel Guidelines
For those requesting information regarding travel guidelines, please see the following guidelines and recommendations from the CDC:
Domestic Travel Guidelines
If your travel is within the United States, the CDC recommends that you consider getting tested when you return and reducing non-essential activities for a full seven days. The CDC also asks that you practice good social habits, stay 6 feet from anyone you did not travel with, wear a mask, wash your hands frequently and watch for symptoms of COVID-19. All questions regarding travel, including international travel, please review the CDC guidelines linked below.
Student Medications & Medical Updates
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.
Starting March 17, 2021, Clear to Go MUST be submitted for your student BEFORE they enter school for the day.
Partnerships@Home Learning Series
The most important thing parents and caregivers can do right now is to keep a love of learning alive for their children. Parents and caregivers are essential partners in supporting learning at home, but what does this mean? Parents do not need to be teachers or content area experts. Please join our Partnerships@Home Learning Series for some ideas about fostering curiosity and a sense of wonder during everyday family life.
Please see this flyer to learn more and register for the events: https://www.smore.com/sb0xg-partnerships-home
This Series is brought to you by Oakland Schools. There is no fee, but registration is required.
BCS Student Opportunities!
Birmingham Community Education Spring Programs
Birmingham Community Education just added virtual and in-person Spring programs for all ages! Heartsaver/First Aid/CPR/AED course for Adults | PKSA Karate for adults, family and youth | Kids Kickboxing | Soccer School for Little Folks | Challenge Island STEAM classes | SNAP Spring Flag Football League
Register or for more information go to www.communityed.net
BPS Saturday School
We are happy to announce that the BPS Saturday School will once again be operating throughout the school year to offer academic support and tutoring for all BPS students grades K – 12. Although we are currently operating virtually as a district, BPS Saturday School takes place every Saturday (excluding holidays and breaks) throughout the school year. Saturday School is normally hosted in the media center at Berkshire Middle School, but we are now operating virtually through Zoom from 9:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. each Saturday on the following dates:
November: 21
December: 5, 12, 19
January: 9, 22, 30
February: 6, 27
March: 6, 13, 20
April: 10, 17, 24
May: 1, 8, 15, 22
The BPS Saturday School Coordinators will be working together with Groves’ NHS students as well as Oakland University student teachers to provide tutoring through Zoom and the use of “breakout rooms.” Our coordinators will be able to maneuver back and forth between breakout rooms to be able to monitor and support the tutorials. Zoom Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2047672482?pwd=T3pVU1REUXZTN09NM1MvSSsrVTJiZz09
Please visit the BPS Saturday School webpage to learn more and we hope to see you in this year’s virtual setting! https://www.birmingham.k12.mi.us/domain/839
Register Now for Summer Camp
Summer camps are online now at www.communityed.net – Birmingham Community Education.
Groves Women's Golf
Groves Men's Soccer
8th graders thinking about playing Groves men's soccer in the fall, please send an email to grovessoccerboosters@gmail.com to be added to the contact list for communication. We are planning a meeting for families who are new to the program, and there will also be training in June for incoming freshmen.
Seaholm Football
Seaholm Football: Calling all 8th graders interested in playing football at Seaholm. Please join us for an informational ZOOM meeting, April 24th @ 9 am with Coach DeWald
Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86493398419
Seaholm Boys Soccer
Calling all 8th grade boy soccer players... Those interested in playing for the Seaholm Boys Soccer Program can now Pre-Register for 2021 Season & Try-Outs on our booster website at www.seaholmboyssoccer.com. Please join us for an informational ZOOM meeting, April 20th @ 6 pm with Varsity Coach Jared Vince. Join Zoom Meeting: http://zoom.us/j/92519706548
Seaholm Dance Team
Seaholm Dance Team Informational Meeting – April 7th
Have a student that loves to perform? Join Seaholm Dance Team Varsity Coach Allie and JV Coach Gillian for an informational Zoom meeting on Wednesday, April 7th at 7:00 pm. Please check out the flyer linked here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1geFEhs1CPb_BlhI_npFPfNO8tjwFJUNq/view to receive a link to the Zoom Meeting. Join Allie and Gillian on April 7th to learn more about the Seaholm Dance Team!
Birmingham Bulldogs Lacrosse
Registration for Birmingham Youth Lacrosse Spring Season is Now Open!
Come play the fastest growing sport in America! Please visit 2021 Spring — Birmingham Bulldogs for more information.
Field Hockey League with Oakland Yard Athletics
Field Hockey League Opportunity 3rd - 8th graders!
Come and learn how to play field hockey! No experience necessary! League is open for 3rd - 8th graders, boys and girls. Players will receive basic skill instruction and game play. If you don’t have a stick, you can purchase one through online registration (chose the session indicated "With Starter Equipment”). League will run April 10 - May 15 at Oakland Yard Athletics. Register online at https://www.oaklandyard.com/lg_fieldhockey.asp.
Discover Field Hockey - One day 90 minute clinic Open to boys and girls ages 5 - 17, March 27 10 -11:30 am at The Sports Academy, Chesterfield, MI. Register online.
https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Field-Hockey/EVENTS/2021/March/27/Discover-Field-Hockey---Chesterfield
Nurses' Update
Shop BCS!
BCS Tumblers & Bottles
Other Helpful Resource Links...
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)
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.