Week of 1/3/2022
.... It's a GREAT place to be!
Birmingham Covington Schools (BCS)
Office Hours: 7:45 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
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
1/3/22 - Week's Events
*denotes more information provided below
Monday, 1/3
- School Resumes
- BCS Pride Meeting 4:15-5:00 p.m. in Mr. Emmi's room
Wednesday, 1/5
Thursday, 1/6
Friday, 1/7
- BCS Lottery Registration Closes at 4:30 p.m.
Upcoming Dates:
- BCS Lottery, January 12, 6:00 p.m.
- Records Day, January 14 - Half Day of School
- Martin Luther King Day, January 17 - No School
All School News
Greetings, BCS Families!
We want to begin by wishing all of our BCS families and students the best in health and happiness as we begin our new year, 2022. During this Winter Break, we hope everyone had time to disconnect and make precious memories with everyone you love.
Last month as part of BCS' character work, we focused on the word kindness, and we lived into it and modeled this virtue throughout the month. As we continue our BCS character journey, our hope is not to forget what we have learned from the previous month; instead, we wish to build and carry over our learning into the next. In this way, we are extending our learning of kindness from December as we feature our word of the month for January: empathy. In its most basic form, empathy is about being able to stand in someone else's shoes, so that we may consider the emotions & feelings of others. In current educational and psychological research, the pattern is clear: helping children develop empathy yields stronger, more meaningful relationships with others and positively impacts happiness levels both now and in the future.
In this day and age, we are no strangers to a challenge, especially in our schools. And we know we are entering a new phase of challenges as we respond to the Omicron variant as it impacts our schools in addition to reassessing, training, and strengthening our school safety and security capacity. By now, you should have received the district email from Superintendent Roberson regarding COVID points of clarification- CLICK HERE FOR BPS DISTRICT MESSAGE. We encourage you to read this information closely for information regarding quarantine/isolation protocols.
With empathy in mind, this time will call upon our collective empathy as each of us will be impacted uniquely by the challenges we may face. Through recent challenges, we have learned that when we work in good faith to partner with one another and try to understand each other's perspectives, we operate at our best. Let us continue to draw upon our empathetic strength once again as we continue to push forward for our greatest hope- the limitless potential of each and every Cobra!
Yours in BCS solidarity,
Dr. Hakim & Mr. Hill
BCS Happenings
BCS Lottery Registration - Closes on Friday, January 7th
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeVDkb55ZB10EAVAba6Ib9ISANv5XjctcdGsnekODwvgLF_lg/viewform
Please return BCS Open House Yard signs!
BCS Choice Hour
Important Reminders
- Choice Hour runs daily from 3:20-4:10pm
- Busses come AFTER Choice Hour
Choice Hour Schedules
Schedules are available online listed by Student ID number HERE.
Updated class lists will also be given to the teachers weekly while we process choice hour changes. The master schedule is also posted on the Choice Hour Board in the main hall. Our teachers do a great job of acclimating our students to Choice Hour the first few weeks!
Reporting a Choice Hour Absence
Email BCSChoicehour@birmingham.k12.mi.us or leave a message at 248.203.4625
Questions? Contact Courtney Bassett at BCSChoicehour@birmingham.k12.mi.us
BCS Pride
Attention all students! Want to be part of a fun club dedicated to making B C S a safe space for everyone?
Join BCS Pride! We meet every Tuesday 4:15-5pm in Room 600B. Email Mr. Joe for more information: rjoseph@bps-schools.com
PTA Update
Spirit wear
Holiday Spirit wear orders are ready for pickup at Bloomfield Sports Shop for those that ordered this last round.
BCS Road Rally Blast - Planning Meeting
Our very first 2022 BCS Road Rally Blast Planning Meeting will be Jan 12th at 9AM. Please come join the PTA Co-Chairs to discuss all things related to the Blast over Zoom!
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89037879711?pwd=aVM2UFhjMzJJK3h0TXllQ3VIUUMzUT09
Meeting ID: 890 3787 9711
Passcode: 614560
BCS PTA - Pistons Night!
Celebrate BCS!
Girls Swim Announcement
The girls swim team extended their win streak to 6 games with a 47-39 victory over a previously undefeated Berkshire Black team. Our 8th Graders let the way Maya S, Brooke T and Sadie K each won 4 events. Lauren G and Sylvia D were our other event winners. Claire P, Zoe W, Lyla S, and Stella M and Shipley G also swam very well. We hope to keep things rolling as we host Cranbrook on Wednesday, January 5th. Until then, we hope everyone is able to rest and recharge over the break. We also want to wish you Happy Holidays, enjoy your time together.
Co Cobras!
Mat Brown
Bill Johansson
Notes:
*Picture Day has been scheduled for Thursday, January 6th at 4:15. Please bring your team suit, we will have a practice after pictures.
*Please remind your daughters to let us know if they are not able to make it to a practice.
Upcoming events:
1/3 Practice 3:20-5:00
1/4 Practice 4:15-5:30
1/5 Home Meet vs. Cranbrook 4:15
1/6 Practice and Picture Day 4:15-5:30
1/7 Practice 4:15-5:30
1/10 Practice 3:20-5:00
1/11 COMSAC (League) Meet 4:00 @ Groves
BPS Community News
Support the BEF Annual Fund
Please support the Birmingham Education Foundation in their Annual Fund Campaign by making a donation TODAY!
The mission of the BEF is to create exceptional education experiences by connecting innovative teachers with community support. Each year the BEF provides teacher grants for activities that directly impact your children.
Visit supportBEF.org to learn more and to donate.
Library Cards from Baldwin Public Library
A Baldwin Library card is the ultimate passport to wonderful works of literature, music, movies and more. It also allows you to enjoy our digital media, like our growing selection of eBooks, online music and magazines, and premium research resources.. If you’re a resident, a property owner, a K-12 student, or are employed in our service area of Birmingham, Beverly Hills, Bingham Farms or the ... www.baldwinlib.org
Parents: Did you know that your child qualifies for a free Baldwin Library card? Please use this link to get your child his/her own card. This will allow us to connect all students to a vast library of ebooks and audio books.
MiSelf in Books
The Birmingham Public Schools Library Media Department is pleased to invite our community on a journey into the world of story. We hope to share with our community some of the diverse content in our libraries and how it impacts the way we walk in this world. We are inviting you to listen to a read-aloud and participate in a discussion of a selection of books chosen from the MISelf in Books list. This event occurs weekly on Thursdays 7-7:30pm, excepting school scheduled holidays.
For more information and to register for this event, visit https://www.smore.com/skn6a.
Announcements from Chartwells
BCS is going cashless:
If students would like to continue to make a cash payments, the student can find Mr. Allen in the cafeteria during breakfast.
Other Helpful Resources...
Student Medication
If the BCS Clinic needs to house medication for your student, please drop it off in the Front Office. Be sure you have an updated Permission to Administer form and Action Plan. These forms need to have a physician's signature. Contact Joni Say Gan at JSaygan@birmingham.k12.mi.us with any questions.
Early Dismissal Procedures
Please review these procedures to help keep your students and school safe.
Parents
- Buzz the front door
- Enter building and sign out student
- Show ID
- Student will be called to office
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
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
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
Cobra Crew
On Thursdays during 3/4, 5/6, and 7/8 lunch-recesses, we will be hosting Cobra Crew, an opportunity for peer engagement through games and conversation for any interested students.
A limited number of passes will be available each Thursday for those who would like to join. The purpose of Cobra Crew is to promote kindness, empathy and community at BCS.
If you are interested in opting your child out of this opportunity, please email your child’s counselor.