BFPP NEWS
Friday, January 7th, 2022
Principal's Corner
Dear BFPP Families,
Welcome to a new year! At this time of year we often pause and set some goals moving forward, otherwise known as new year’s resolutions. I think it is a great time to reflect on where we are with home learning and look forward to what the plans are for the remainder of the year.
Here are some think abouts:
Grace: Give yourself and family some grace. While you reflect on where things are, remember that we are still in the middle of a pandemic. Also, good things take time and persistence. Rather than laboring over all the things that did not get done, focus on the things that did. Sit together as a family and make a list of the adventures, conversations, projects, messes in the living room, science in the kitchen, books read, art created, and all of the other great learning that has happened. Then celebrate!
Return to structure: It’s always okay to take a break, with the holidays or a snow day, but then it is important to return to routines and structures. What rhythms in your family help with learning? Have a conversation and discuss what helps provide the time and space to support those structures. Then make some plans or try something new; maybe moving the furniture around, trying a new thing like a podcast or audio book, go through the workbook and look for things to review or art to recreate, or books to re-read. Sometimes it is returning to routines that worked or trying a new one on for size, as long as we return to structure.
Recommit to connection and communication: While I love the opportunity for family time with a winter break and snow, I also miss the chance to be with others. Now is a great time to reach out to your LPP, join or start a club, attend enrichment classes, and find ways to connect. Recommit to the regular weekly check-ins and monthly reviews. We know that the more we are connected the better we can support your family. We are here for you.
Here’s to a great 2022!
-Dr. K
Upcoming Events
Mon. Jan. 17th: No School - MLK Jr. Day (see below)
Tues. Jan. 18th-Jan. 20th: MAP Testing (see below)
Wed. Jan. 19th @ 4-5pm: Conversation with Dr. Baker (see below)
Mon. Jan. 24th & Tues. Jan. 25th: Family School Pictures (see below)
*The dates below are tentative due to all our winter weather - they may be pushed back a week - please stay tuned!*
Wed. Jan. 26th: Quarter 3/Semester 2 Class Schedule Published in AL*e
Fri. Jan. 28th: End of Quarter 2/Semester 1 Classes
Mon. Jan. 31st: No School
Tues. Feb. 1st-Feb. 4th: Mid-Year Learning Plan Partner Check Ins
Tues. Feb. 1st & Wed. Feb. 2nd: Enrichment Class Registration
Mon. Feb. 7th: Quarter 3/Semester 2 First Day of Enrichment Classes
Mid-Year MAP Testing
Reminder! Registration for Mid-Year MAP testing closes on January 10th. 3rd-8th grade students may sign up for this optional reading and math assessment taken on the computer and proctored via Zoom.
Testing Dates:
January 18th & 19th 12:30p.m.-2:30 p.m.
January 20th is MAKE-UP ONLY day 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Please sign up here by 12:00 p.m. on January 10th.
If you have questions, please contact:
Teacher Jim at james.diacogiannis@bellinghamschools.org
or Teacher Carrie at carrie.vining@bellinghamschools.org
Join a conversation with Superintendent Dr. Baker
Tuesday, January 19th at 4-5pm.
Contact Kate Baehr for the Zoom link.
Dr. Baker will be joined by Brad Swanson to share the recommendations from a recent Facilities Planning Task Force. They will also share information about the bond measure that will be on the February 2022 ballot. There will be an opportunity for questions and answers regarding the bond – and likely other topics if there’s time.
School Pictures with Lynn Tyler King
Promise Tomorrow Initiative
The Promise Tomorrow Initiative is back! This optional opportunity for students in grades 3 and up is project–based learning at its best. Students will work in teams on projects that envision creative solutions to transition to a better world. Their projects will take multi-disciplinary approaches to innovate technologies, designs, or plans that forge connections in their communities to create positive change.
Student collaborative groups will work across grades, meet weekly online, and be supported by a volunteer and supervised by the coordinator.
Program registration is January 3-19.
To learn more or to register please go to https://bellinghamschools.org/program/promise-tomorrow/
Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebrations
Register here to join NSEA and the City of Bellingham for a MLK Jr. Day of Service Work Party on Monday, January 17th from 9-12am at Squalicum Creek Park.
WWU is hosting a virtual Martin Luther King Day event on Mon. Jan 17th from 11:45-1:30pm. This event includes a live interview with Dr. Ibram X. Kendi along with other speeches and performances from members of our community. Click here for more info and the Zoom link.
Whatcom Human Rights Task Force's 24th annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Human Rights Conference will take place January 13th- 15th. Online workshops will create spaces for the community to share our stories and renew our commitment to the ideals that Dr. King held dear and believed deeply that this country could attain only by working together and acknowledging our shared history: ideals of equity, freedom, and self-determination. For more information on the many workshops or to sign up, please click here.
Why Sensory Play Is Important
The smell of fresh cut grass takes me back to being 7 and jumping on my friend Veronica Gonzales’ trampoline- all summer long. The taste of coconut will always remind me of my Grandma Georgia and these chocolate-dipped coconut balls wrapped in red cellophane. They came in a round tin through snail mail and always with a $5 bill just for me.
Children and even adults learn best and retain the most information when they engage their senses. Providing opportunities for children to actively use their senses as they explore their world through ‘sensory play’ is crucial to brain development.
Here are 5 reasons why sensory play is beneficial:
Sensory play...
1. Builds nerve connections in the brain’s pathways (helping to complete more complex learning tasks)
2. Supports language development, cognitive growth, fine and gross motor skills, problem solving skills, and social interaction
3. Enhances memory by creating stronger connections to process information
4. Helps calm an anxious or frustrated child
5. Develops vocabulary: sensory attributes (hot, cold, sticky, dry)
6. Provides authentic ways to use the scientific process
Oh, and guess what? Two of the commonly overlooked senses are body awareness and balance.
Body awareness (also known as proprioception) – the feedback our brains receive from stretch receptors in our muscles and pressure receptors in joints which enable us to gain a sense where our bodies are in space.
Balance – the stimulation of the vestibular system of the inner ear to tell us our body position in relation to gravity.
So, as the new year takes off and our kids are getting extra messy, extra loud and perhaps even a bit extra needy, just remember these are the times when our senses are heightened and connections are being made in our brains to help us make meaning of the world around us.
To building memories that will last a lifetime,
Sammy Cousens
Resource: Educational by Educational Playcare
*Looking for more Early Learning articles and resources from BFPP educators? Check out the Early Learner's World Archives.
LEO News and Who to Contact for Help
Grades K-8 Contact Information: For a list of BFPP staff supporting LEO, please see below to download a LEO directory with names and contact information.
Grades K-2 LEO: If your child experiences any tech issues with Seesaw, Dreambox, or Lexia please contact Janie for help.
Grades 3-8 Troubleshooting Tech Issues in Edgenuity:
Please contact Janie Overman for help with any of the issues below.
-Student is blocked or frozen in a course.
-Errors in computer grading in quizzes/tests for grades 3-5 – We are experiencing some incorrect auto-computer grading issues. If you have a quiz/test you feel has some incorrect grading please let me know.
-If your student gets an error when trying to submit a quiz/assignment, try the following steps. If they do not resolve the issue, please contact me.
- Log out of Edgenuity.
- Restart computer and log back into Edgenuity.
- Try to resubmit or continue the quiz/assignment.
- Clear the cache of the browser your student is using (usually Chrome). Please watch this video for how-to-steps: CLEAR THE CACHE
Grades 3-8 Materials:
Science Courses – These courses provide both a virtual lab experience and an optional ‘live’ experience. Due to the magnitude of materials required for the ‘live’ labs, these materials are not being provided. Students can complete the virtual lab and then skip through the ‘live’ labs. The live labs were kept in just in case a family wanted to find materials on their own for a lab.
Language Arts Courses – Some of these courses have indicated for students to read a book from a given list. Please use these lists as a suggested optional list. As a family, please choose a book for any assignment that is a best choice for your student and the project.
Projects in All Courses – For projects in all courses, please do not feel like you need to buy the suggested materials such as poster boards, etc. As a family, please adapt any of the projects to best fit the needs of your learner and choice in how to create a learning project to demonstrate the concepts of the course.
Library Announcement
We just placed a huge order of BRAND NEW books. Feel free to browse the collection, and if you are interested in checking any of these out, please place a request with your Learning Plan Partner. Happy Reading!
Seventh Grade Math Opportunity
Most eighth graders in public school will take Math 8, and we believe that most students are best served by our grade level middle school math curriculum and classes, and no action is required if you want your child to take Math 8 at a Bellingham middle school next year.
If you have any questions about whether the optional, additional, online, and independent class would be a good fit for your seventh grader, please reach out to your school principal.
If you wish to pursue this additional class, please fill out this form no later than January 10.
Minecraft Club
BFPP student Enzo and his mom Laura are looking to start a Minecraft club! All ages are welcome - you'll need to know how to play Java edition Minecraft in order to join the club server (sorry Bedrock players!).
Tentative Club Meetings: Sundays from 2-4pm on Zoom
This club is still in the planning stages - If you're interested in participating, please fill out this sign up form.
Fraction Resource: Frax
Dorky Dance Family Fun
Saturday, Jan. 29th 10-11am "Down on the Farm"
Saturday, Feb. 5th 10-11am "Halloween in February"
Saturday, Feb. 12th 10-11am "Wizards and Superheroes"
These events are sponsored by the Sno-Isle Libraries. If zoom events are your cup of tea, check out their wide variety of offerings, including storytimes for all ages, drum and dance workshops, lunar new year celebrations, craft times, and more.
Smash Boom Best Podcast
This delightful half-hour podcast features mini debates on a wide range of hot button issues, such as "Cats vs Dogs," "Lego vs. Minecraft," and "Dragons vs. Unicorns!"
Their website offers curriculum for structuring your own debates and lots of tips on building strong arguments and spotting logical fallacies.
5th Graders ~ Free Lift Ticket at Mt. Baker
Did you know 5th graders are eligible for a free lift ticket any time they visit Mt. Baker?
You can enroll online or in-person, and all instructions are available here.
Use a printout of your child's Skyward account that clearly lists their name, grade level, and enrollment in Bellingham School District as proof of eligibility for this program.