September 8, 2023

And just like that, school is back in session and we couldn’t be happier here at Bernabi! It’s been an absolute joy to visit each setting across the school this week to find students and staff engaged in learning, all with big smiles across their faces! I have a few important notes for you below, and I thank you in advance for reading.

A reminder that practicing emergency drills is a regular part of the school experience for students and staff. A number of the following drills are on our schedule throughout the fall, so if you hear your kiddo(s) talking about something like this, there is nothing to worry about. If our school engages in any real emergency protocols, you will hear from me directly.

• Hold-in-place: used to limit movement within the school while supporting short-term emergencies
• Shelter-in-place: used to shelter all students and staff inside the building
• Evacuation: most commonly known as fire drills, and in addition to getting out of the building quickly and safely, we will practice using emergency window exits and evacuating to our neighboring school Canal View
• Lockout: used to secure the building during incidents that pose an imminent concern outside.
• Lockdown: used to secure the building during incidents that pose an immediate concern in or around the school.

• Color Connection Day - Friday, Sept. 15: students wear their grade level colors as a part of our school-wide PBIS model in support of connections and community! Please see grade level colors below as there was an error in the “Special Days” sheet that came home earlier this week—my apologies!
  

  o pre-K - yellow

  o K – green

  o 1 – periwinkle

  o 2 – blue

  o 3 – purple

  o 4 – red

  o 5 – orange

• Picture Day - Thursday, September 28, and a digital order form is attached below. Paper copies of the order form will also make their way home to you, but please know that the attached PDF has a hyperlink built in, so clicking on it takes you directly to the Clix ordering site--no passcodes are needed! For anyone who is not in school on September 28, we also have a make-up date scheduled for Thursday, November 2.

• Open House/Book Fair - Thursday, September 28 at 6:15 pm: As we’ve done in the past, our fall book fair will be available the evening of Open House. That said, the Bernabi Parents Association needs some help! Please visit the new BPA Facebook Group: Bernabi Parents Association for more information and to sign up to volunteer! You can also reach out to the BPA directly any time at: bernabiparents@gmail.com and we will be sending home brochures with more information soon!
  

As a result of the feedback received through the recent ThoughtExchange, the district is working to include text messaging as a means of communicating important events such as school closings. The first step in this process is for parents and guardians to ensure that their Emergency Contact #1 in Infinite Campus is a cell phone number, and not a landline. To confirm whether your Emergency Contact #1 is up to date, please access the IC Parent Portal to check. If you need to change your Emergency Contact #1 in IC, please reach out to your grade level Infinite Campus Data Management Specialist by Friday, September 15.

• Grade Level Infinite Campus Data Management Specialists:
• K-5: Charles Ocasio - (585) 349-5152
• 6-8: Phil Koyoumjian - (585) 349-5324
• 9-12: Lori McSorley - (585) 349-5247

One of our community’s greatest assets and largest evening/weekend draws is our athletic program—go Rangers! This is just a quick reminder that all students in PreK-8th grade need to be accompanied by an adult when attending high school athletic events. Thank you in advance for your support and I hope to see my Bernabi families at these events this fall, including homecoming the weekend of September 22-23!

Enjoy the weekend ahead!

Sincerely,

David Caiazza

Principal