Birch Meadow Newsflash
February 4, 2024
Notes From Dr. Burnham
*We're excited to announce that the faculty of Birch Meadow will be participating in the Polar Plunge this year to raise money for the Special Olympics! The Special Olympics is a cause that is near and dear to us at Birch Meadow as we have athletes compete in this event every year. Participating in the plunge this year are faculty members:
- Administrative Assistant Di Owens
- Adjustment Counselor Cindy Marte
- Special Education Team Chair Melissa Forbes
- Special Education Teacher Andrew Scarpa
- Principal Stephen Burnham
- Former Special Education Team Chair and Forever Birchie Bear Jackie Ryan
If you'd like to sponsor the team with a donation you can head to our team page by clicking the the following link: Birchie Bear Polar Plunge Team Page
*Please see the message below from Birch Meadow alumni, Will Carney:
Hi! Iโm Will Carney, Birch Meadow alumni and RMHS class of 2029. In a few weeks, I will be traveling to a remote village in Nicaragua called San Juan del Sur. Young children there frequently go without shoes until theyโre older. They often have only plastic flip-flops due to the price of sneakers/shoes/sandals. My goal is to collect gently used shoes from our Reading community and bring them with me on the plane to then donate them to the children of San Juan del Sur.
Please consider bringing in any used children's shoes you might have, ideally, sized for children five years old and younger. I am able to accept donations up until February 13th.
Thank you for your efforts!
Will
*National School Counseling Week 2024 will be celebrated from February 5 through February 9. This annual celebration is the perfect time to recognize the contributions of our very own school psychologist, Ashley Dennis, and school adjustment counselor, Cindy Marte. Ashley and Cindy, thank you for everything you do for the students of Birch Meadow!
*2024 Preschool Summer Adventure: Registration is now open for the 2024 Preschool Summer Adventure Program. This is a 7-week program run Monday through Friday from 8:00-11:30 AM. Click here to check out the flier and learn more about the registration process!
*Burbank YMCA Adaptive Swim Buddies Volunteers: The Burbank YMCA is seeking two or three volunteers to help with their Sunday Adaptive Swim Buddies Program. Their next session starts up on February 13th. For more information or to sign up as a volunteer, please contact John Feudo.
*Projected MCAS dates for planning purposes:
4/3 & 4/4 - Grade 4 ELA
4/10 & 4/11 - Grades 3 & 5 ELA
5/8 & 5/9 - Grades 3 & 5 Math
5/15 & 5/16 - Grade 4 Math
5/20 & 5/21 - Grade 5 STE
-Dr. B
BIRCH MEADOW PTO NEWS
Mandarin Restaurant Fundraiser - Sat. 2/10
Does your family love Asian food? Do you dread figuring out what to make for dinner?!
Why not take the night off from cooking and support the Birch PTO at the same time?!
On Saturday, February 10th, our PTO is hosting a restaurant fundraiser at the Mandarin Reading Asian restaurant! (296 Salem Street in Reading).
Dine in OR order take-out and the Birch PTO receives 20+% of sales!
The Mandarin Reading is open for lunch or dinner (11:30 AM - 10:30 PM), and our fundraiser runs all day!
Please see our flyer for more information and please bring your flyer to the restaurant on Saturday, February 10th. Thank you!
TURKEY TROT AWARDS DISTRIBUTION
Beginning with the school-wide pajama and movie day on Friday, February 16th, the Turkey Trot prizes are coming! They'll be listed in the Newsflash Upcoming Events section with a trophy icon ๐
Dr. B will also be dyeing his hair Rockets Colors - pictures will follow!
Community-Building Circles
This spring, Dr. Burnham will host three Community-Building Circles for Birch Meadow care givers (K/1, 2/3, 4/5 grades). If you are interested in participating, please respond to the survey with details about your child/children, availability and possible topics.
Dr B. Circle availability survey: https://forms.gle/d9pG5fxpFrnkTPFX9
END OF YEAR FIELD DAY T-SHIRT SIZES NEEDED ๐
The PTO is donating funds towards the purchase of FIELD DAY t-shirts for our kids.
Please complete the form by 2/16: https://forms.gle/3fe9p2mFW1agbzjv7 to help us capture t-shirt sizes for the event.
UPCOMING EVENTS
UPCOMING DATE REMINDERS
Tuesday, February 13th - PTO General Mtg @ 8:30AM or via zoom
Friday, February 16th - ๐ ALL SCHOOL PJ & MOVIE DAY Plus Dr. B will dye his hair rocket colors!
Monday, February 19th - Friday, February 23rd - Presidents Day/February Vacation
Monday, February 26th - READ-A-FUN fundraiser starts
March 4 - 8th - Book Fair
March 21st - ๐ Silly Sock Day!
PROJECTED MCAS DATES
- April 3 - 4th - 4th Grade ELA MCAS
- April 10 - 11th - Grade 3 & 5 ELA MCAS
- May 8 - 9th - Grade 3 & 5 Math MCAS
- May 15 - 16th - Grade 4 Math MCAS
- May 20 - 21st - Grade 5 Science MCAS
๐ = TURKEY TROT PRIZE!
BIRCHIE BEARS @ THE CELTICS
We've gotten tremendous feedback about the Celtics game on January 30th! With a 129 to 124 victory, it was a great night to be at the Garden! Enjoy a few photos in the newsflash, feel free to share more on our PTO Facebook page to relive the night. If you have feedback for next years Celtics fundraiser, please share them with BirchMeadowPTO@gmail.com
Outdoor Recess Snow Gear Donation
Please consider donating items to our school's new "Outdoor Recess Closet"! Items will be used for students who don't have boots, snow pants, etc. for outdoor recess, as students must wear these items to play in the snow during outdoor recess.
We are collecting:
* snow boots
* snow pants
* winter hats and gloves/mittens
Please drop off your donations to PTO volunteer Julie Wall's house (37 Colburn Road in Reading) so items may be sorted for sizes. Items may be left on the front stoop or the side deck. Please contact Julie with any questions (wall.julie516@gmail.com).
If your family has a specific need related to winter gear, please reach out to Dr. Burnham (stephen.burnham@reading.k12.ma.us) and include specific sizes.
BIRCH MERCH
CUSTOM NAME LABELS
MINTED STATIONARY & CARDS
Enjoy 20% off Minted cards & gift orders throughout the year, and Minted will donate 15% back to Birch PTO.
Use code: FUNDRAISEBIRCHMEADOW
The Special Education Parent Advisory Council works for the understanding of, respect for, and support of, all children with special needs in the community (including ALL children on IEPs or 504 plans and children who may require specialized support). Watch this brief introductory video to learn more!
Social Media Pages
Please "like" Birch Meadow Elementary PTO" Facebook page and follow our Instagram: @birch_meadow_pto