Birch Meadow Newsflash
December 10, 2023
Notes From Dr. Burnham
*I'm excited to announce we were recently invited to give the RPS School Committee a presentation on the Birch Meadow Composting Initiative! As you may recall, Birch Meadow rolled out this composting initiative last year, and is currently the first and only RPS school that fully composts student food waste for all grades in the building. We're proud to be the first building to do this. An integral part of this initiative has been our 5th grade Composting Student Ambassadors. Each day students in 5th grade who have reviewed the training guide with their teacher take turns volunteering to assist younger students at the composting station in the cafeteria. By teaching our younger students how to compost, our 5th grade Student Composting Ambassadors help ensure that our composting initiative becomes self-sustaining in nature. The following students will be helping me with the presentation and were selected by their classroom teacher, cafeteria staff, and facilities staff for demonstrating leadership and commitment to the Birch Meadow Composting Initiative:
1. Owen DeCroteau
2. Margaret Smith
3. Anna Henneberry
4. Mikayla Austin
5. Penny O'Karma
6. Ellie McCormick
7. Lucy Balicki
8. Britt Flaherty
*Please use the link below to see Christina Erb's (Art Teacher) newsletter for families:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1qnB2XUk8F9JEoyrz8ly3QfSDcoFCJ04uq6nZjerc_wI/edit?usp=sharing
*At our next PTO General Assembly I will be presenting information on the 2022-2023 MCAS. I will also push out the presentation via the Newsflash for those of you unable to join us live.
*As we approach the holiday season, the Student Council is excited to announce our December Food Drive aimed at supporting those in need within our community. We believe that by coming together, we can make a significant impact and spread some warmth during this festive time. Attached is a PDF flyer providing detailed information about the food drive, including drop-off locations, acceptable food items, and other essential details. Thank you to our student council advisor, Patrick McCracken, and all of our student council members for their work on this initiative!
*RPS 2023 Community Report: Click here to read the second annual “Reading Public Schools Community Report” that was recently mailed out to all Reading residents and non-resident staff. We feel it is important for all members of our community to understand some of the goals, progress, and accomplishments across the district from the past year. There is much to be proud of across our district! We truly appreciate the continued investment and support of the entire community in our schools. This community report is mailed to every household in Reading, and is a great way to generate an appreciation of the great work that our schools are doing. Spotlighted in this year’s report is the Birch Meadow Composting Pilot.
*RPS is excited to announce that it is removing the “interim” title and naming Ms. Jessica Callanan as the permanent principal at RMHS. The feedback received from RMHS staff, RMHS School Council members, RMHS PTO Board Members, and the RMHS Student Advisory Committee was vital in shaping this decision. On behalf of the Birch Meadow community, congratulations Jessica! RPS is lucky to have you on it’s leadership team.
*Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves. Together let’s build this habit early so they learn that going to school on time, every day is important.
PLEASE READ: BIRCH MEADOW ATTENDANCE GUIDANCE
*Lost and found- If your child is missing any items of clothing, lunch boxes, hats, gloves, etc. please check our lost and found! Items that are still here by winter break will be donated. Anything labeled with a name will be returned so please take the time to label items. Below the notes you will find a picture of the items we've collected.
*MWRA Annual Poster & Writing Contests for the 2023-2024 School Year: The MWRA School Program has announced the 2023-2024 Poster and Writing Contest. Participation in the Poster Contest is open to students in grades K-12 and participation in the Writing Contest is open to students in grades 3-8. All entries must be postmarked by Wednesday March 13, 2024. Early entries are encouraged! Please click HERE to learn more about contest rules and registration.
Dr. B
Birch Meadow PTO News
Thank you to Mr. McCraken, Gina McCormick, and the 5th Grade Student Council for their hard work on the Birch Meadow "Kindness Tree" for the REF Festival of Trees. And congrats to the Hayley family (a Birch family!) on their win!!🎄
Celtics Tickets Update - Tickets will be distributed over the next week! Very sorry for the delay, they will be ready for holiday gift giving!! Those who are attending, pay attention to the Jumbotron during the FIRST quarter, FIRST timeout for a welcome message!
Ordering Holiday Cards? Don't forget our partnership with Minted. You get 20% off your order and the school gets 15%! Use code: FUNDRAISERBIRCHMEADOW
Clearing out Clothing/Shoes/Textiles? Consider dropping at our BLUE Helpsy box outside the 4th/5th grade classrooms.
Teacher Appreciation Luncheon Info - 5th grade parent, Liz Castiglia, is heading up the Teachers Appreciation Luncheon this year on 12/20. Food will be catered by EJ's. A Sign Up Genius has been created if you want to bring some extra goodies or to sign up to help out in your child's classroom so their teacher can have a nice long lunch!
Birch Meadow Community Giving
Some of our Birch Meadow families can use a little support to bring Christmas and holiday magic to their children this season! If you'd like to purchase a gift, please reach out to PTO volunteer Julie Wall (wall.julie516@gmail.com). You can also Venmo Julie (@Julie-Wall-28; last 4 digits of phone number are 5078), and she will purchase items from the families' wish lists!
And, if your family can use some support this holiday season, please feel welcome to contact Dr. Burnham (stephen.burnham@reading.k12.ma.edu) anytime.
Thank you for supporting each other this holiday season!
UPCOMING EVENTS
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER DATE REMINDERS
Wed. December 20th - Teacher Appreciation Lunch - Sign Up Genius if you want to help!
Fri. December 22nd - Early Release @ 11am.
December 25 - January 1 - Winter Break. School resumes Tues. Jan 2nd.
Monday, January 15th - MLK Day, No School
Cold Weather/Parking Update
With temps dropping, we expect to see an increase in cars vying for the same parking spots and using the rolling drop off option. If you are parallel parking, please pull up to the car in front or behind you, leaving just enough space for you to pull out paying attention that you aren't taking up two spaces. The lot across from Coolidge is open as well ❄️
Rolling Driveway Drop Off Procedure Reminders:
- Please pull as far forward as possible in the driveway.
- Children must exit the vehicle on the right-hand side.
- Parents are asked to stay in their vehicle at drop off.
- Traffic should be in a single line only.
- Once your student has exited the car, you can pull out and around the line in front of you if there is not a school bus or van with flashing lights indicating that children are loading/unloading. Please drive slowly and cautiously in the driveway.
NEW VOLUNTEER SPOTS!
Birch Meadow Enrichment & Event Volunteer Opportunities:
If you are interested in helping with any of our open volunteer opportunities below:
Restaurant Fundraiser Coordinator (1 volunteer)
Red Sox fundraiser Coordinator (1 volunteer)
Read-a-thon fundraiser support (1 volunteer)
BIRCH MERCH
CUSTOM NAME LABELS
MINTED STATIONARY & CARDS
Enjoy 20% off Minted cards & gift orders throughout the year, and Minted will donate 15% back to Birch PTO. Perfect for holiday cards!!
Use code: FUNDRAISEBIRCHMEADOW
PARENT INFO NEEDED*
If you haven't updated your contact forms for this year - please do so ASAP. This important information often changes from year to year.
Start here: https://plusportals.com/readingpublicschools
The Special Education Parent Advisory Council works for the understanding of, respect for, and support of, all children with special needs in the community (including ALL children on IEPs or 504 plans and children who may require specialized support). Watch this brief introductory video to learn more!
Follow SEPAC on Facebook or Instagram
See our 2023-2024 Calendar of Events
Tuesday, Dec 19th, 6PM
Tiered Support for Students Presentation and SEPAC Winter Business Meeting
Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) is used by the Reading Public Schools to give targeted support to struggling students. Join us to learn how it works and to ask questions.
Business meeting to follow
Opportunity for parents and caregivers-only conversation following conclusion of the meeting.
Virtual Event - Meeting URL: https://readingpsma.zoom.us/j/81226110598
Social Media Pages
Please "like" Birch Meadow Elementary PTO" Facebook page and follow our Instagram: @birch_meadow_pto