BCE Bear Mail

Friday September 1st

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Message from the office.

Hello BCE Community-


Thank you to all who made it to Back to School Night. We had a lovely turnout. If you could not make it, please get in touch with your teacher to get the materials. Connecting with your teacher is essential to ensure we partner in your child's education throughout the year.


Students are starting a new online math assessment called iready. We will use this assessment for all 1st- 5th grade students. Students will take the assessment 3 times this year so we can monitor their growth. You will learn more about the results at conferences in October.


If you have a 5th-grader interested in Band this year with Mr. Gonzalez, please complete the sign-up form here.


I want to thank Chantel Long and Liza Miller for kicking off our Conflict Managers this week. We are very lucky to have 35+ 4th and 5th-grade students who have applied and been accepted to our program. The students will be going through several different trainings. They will be out at recess to help build relationships, solve conflicts, and play games with our BCE community.

We look forward to having our student leaders show us the BCE Way.


We will start our 5th week of school next week and are already seeing many students with attendance issues. Please make sure you read below, and if you can send your student to school, please do. The office has started sending notices to those who have missed 3 or more school days. I will also meet with families with continued attendance concerns —every minute counts.


Drop-off and pick-up continue to be a very big challenge for us at BCE—families parking in red zones, not parking spots, and leaving cars in the drop-off-only lane. Please remember we are only trying to keep the flow going and everyone SAFE. Please be kind to one another and think of all the BCE families when you are parking.


Big shout out to the Boulder Creek Fire Department for helping us cool off on Wednesday. We are so lucky to live in this amazing community.


Have a great 4 day weekend.

I can be reached best by email at gfippin@slvusd.org


Gerri Fippin

Principal BCE

Dientes- Free Dental Exams

Dientes is coming on September 7 to provide free dental exams, including x-rays, check-ups, cleaning, fluoride varnish, and sealants.

We want to get the word out to parents to encourage those who need support to take advantage of this opportunity. If you have not yet returned your form, please do so ASAP. If you need a form, you can pick it up in the office.

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Attendance Matters

We know people get sick, people get injured, and there can be family or life responsibilities and other issues that are reasonable and excused.

But if your student can attend, they need to be in school.

If your student is out for three or more consecutive days, we may request a doctor's note to continue excusing the absences.


Students who miss 3-5 days will receive a Chronic Absence letter. We will then meet with those families to attempt to support the student attending school. On the second Chronic Absence Letter, families may be required to meet at the District Office to put a plan in place for the student's attendance. On the third Chronic Absence Letter, families may be required to meet with the County Office Student Attendance Review Board for truancy.


Our goal is that nobody ever gets that far along with truancy. We are here to help and support, but it does start at home with the expectation that your student will attend school regularly.

Narcan Distribution

The Santa Cruz County Office of Education is partnering with Santa Cruz Community Health and SLVUSD to offer free Narcan in San Lorenzo Valley on Sunday, September 10th, from 9 a.m. -1 p.m. In addition to this life-saving tool, families are welcome to meet with staff in the Park and Walk Up area and gather parent guides on how to have difficult conversations with youth about the risks of substances. We hope this helps to normalize how hard it is to be a parent and, in turn, reduces stigma.

CAASP Scores

Parents of 4th and 5th graders can now access their student's 2022/2023 CAASPP Scores. Please click on the attachments below and follow the directions to access the PowerSchool Parent Portal link and Smarter Balance Summative Assessment Scores.
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Drop off and Pick Up

We are so excited to see everyone, and the first couple of weeks can be very busy in the parking lot. Please be patient with everyone while we learn and remember the parking lot rules. If you are dropping off or picking up, please remember not to leave your car if you are not parked in an assigned spot. There is no parent parking on campus, all parents need to park on the street and walk in. If you drop off at YMCA before 8, you may park in the bus zone for your quick drop-off. We do not have supervision for students before 8:10. Please do not leave your students before 8:10 unattended. Staff will be out and about to help and ensure everyone is safe.
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