Bobcat Bulletin
October 30, 2023
Our character trait focus for October was BE INCLUSIVE, and that was shown best this month at the Special Olympics. Our school came out last Thursday to give our athletes and buddies a sign language clapping send off. For the last month, Special Olympic buddies in grades 3rd-6th have been training with our RVP 4th-6th grade students; specifically with soccer skills. We are fortunate to have the district's Adaptive PE Coaches on our sites regularly - and a huge thank you to them: Coach Deb and Coach Jay.
Binkley is a strong community with outstanding home/school connection and partnership. When times are more challenging, we come together to continue our work developing good humans that will contribute to the greater world when they are grown. With that, we will continue teaching students how to resolve conflict in a healthy way, create friendships based on mutual respect, and talk to trusted adults when unsure or unable how to resolve a problem. Stop-Walk-Talk will be our Be Respectful focus strategy for November/December.
We are happy to welcome additional noon duty staff: Ms. Ginger and Ms. Sam. Students are very familiar with Ms. Ginger, as she is also our office clerk. Ms. Sam is a parent of both a primary and upper grader and will help get our clubs get going during recess time for those students who would like to start one.
Reminder - there is no school on Wednesday, November 1st. And on November 2nd and 3rd we will be celebrating Día de los Muertos with an ofrenda set up in the multi purpose room for families, students, and staff to add a picture of a loved one or leave a decoration. As well, there are numerous days throughout the month of November that are 1:55 dismissal (see below) for all students due to family/teacher conferences. Please pick your child up on time, and make transportation arrangements in advance. Thank you.
BE Safe. BE Responsible. BE Respectful.
BE YOUR BINKLEY BEST!
Warmly,
Harmony Harvell, Principal
The Literati Book Fair is Coming!
Do you have what it takes to Crack the Case? Come get clued in to the best new books after school on November 3-9. Every purchase benefits our school library. Shop now online or in person during the fair. https://efairs.literati.com/?school=binkley-elementary-school-santa-rosa-ca
Help readers gather new leads with book fair gift cards! Make in-person checkout easier for your student, or send them as teacher gifts. Buy digital gift cards at efairs.literati.com.
We are looking for book fair volunteers! We need help after school and at lunchtime. Volunteers get 20% off their book fair purchase. Please check out the sign up genius link to sign up for a slot. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C49AFA929AAFF2-45146606-book
JOIN School Site Council?
School Site Council is a required to develop and approve the Single Plan for Student Achievement and the Safe School Plan. We meet four times a year, either in person or via Zoom depending on council preference. Our council includes teachers, staff, parents and community members; each elected to represent that group.
RVUSD TECH TIPS
How to Help Kids Balance Phones and Screens with Sleep
Phones and devices are a major part of a kid's daily routine, and that extends to nighttime as well. In fact, over half of preteens and teens surveyed by Common Sense reported using their phones overnight.
Not getting enough sleep can affect children's physical and mental health. Staying up too late can even impact their attention, behavior, and development. When it comes to screens and sleep, there are a few things to remember:
Blue light at night interrupts natural sleep rhythms. So it's best to avoid it before bed. (Blue light from the sun keeps us alert during the day. The highly concentrated blue light from screens does the same thing.)
Just using a device is stimulating. Using screens before bed makes it harder to fall asleep, because they keep your brain alert when it should be winding down.
Young people can face a lot of pressure during the day. So it's understandable that many turn to their phones to relax. Try to help your kids reflect on their tech experiences without judgment. Then, check out these ideas to support them in balancing their tech use at night:
Limit using screens before bed. Whenever possible, shut everything off—including phones and tablets—at least an hour before bedtime. Set a screen-free routine with your child, like reading or listening to podcasts, to help them settle in for the night. And for older kids who might be doing online homework late, help them find a routine that calms their brain and body down after they turn off their device.
Block the blue light. Make sure kids are using "night mode" on their devices after sunset. Apple and Android devices have options to adjust display color based on time of day.
Turn off notifications. Make sure your kids turn off their notifications at night. You can use built-in features like Apple's Screen Time or Google's Family Link to set limits.
Keep phones out of the bedroom or sleeping area at night. Teens tell us that putting their phone in another room overnight is the best way to help them resist the temptation to use it—and this leads to better sleep. But some kids use their phones to play background noise or music to fall asleep. If this is the case for your child, try other options, like a white noise machine. Or, have them turn off notifications and set "do not disturb" on other apps overnight so the phone's only job is to play music.
Talk about tech expectations. Use a Family Tech Planner to create rules for how everyone uses devices. This will give kids a say and develop a shared understanding of how they can make the most out of entertainment and tech time.
Walk the walk. Of course, adults can also have a hard time putting down their devices. Whenever you can, model healthy tech habits that you want your kids to pick up.
We want to partner with families on this topic! Click here to learn more.
BOOSTER EVENTS
Save the Date
Binkley Elementary Charter School
Email: hharvell@rvusd.org
Website: https://www.rvusd.org/o/binkley
Location: 4965 Canyon Dr, Santa Rosa, CA 95409
Phone: 707-539-6060
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BinkleyRV/