Bloomingdale Elementary News
September 7, 2021
Principal’s Notes
As the students arrived in front of the school this morning, I noticed that the line for breakfast was growing longer and longer. There was only one school nutrition worker serving the students their breakfast, and she was doing a great job of serving up the food all by herself, but she couldn’t keep up with the speed of the students lining up. (Later on, I learned that she was alone because the truck had come to deliver more food and some of the other cafeteria staff members were tied up with that). So, I did what most of our staff members would do. I grabbed a pair of gloves and started serving food to students. A teacher joined in, and then a counselor, and soon we had a crew of five staff members serving breakfast, most of whom were not cafeteria staff members. Our wonderful new cafeteria manager was amazed and said she needed a picture. She is finding out what kind of place this school is.
We are living in challenging times. When we have staff members who are absent, we don’t always have enough substitute teachers to take their places. Sometimes, we have more staff members absent than usual for any number of reasons, and we must go to “Plan B”, or even “Plan C” or “Plan D”, to make sure all our students are well-supervised and are getting the instruction they need. We move staff members around and figure it out. Almost every time we inconvenience our staff members by asking them to help out in another class or another grade, they do it willingly because they understand that we have to do what is best for our students. It’s a really difficult task sometimes, but we do it anyway. Our students deserve it.
I also see this spirit in our parents and our students. When students are quarantined, parents are greatly inconvenienced and their jobs and routines are sometimes disrupted, but most of the time our parents at Bloomingdale understand that we are doing what is best for students by trying to stop the spread of the virus. Our parents somehow find a way to make it work, and I salute them for it! When students might be having struggles academically or socially, we usually have the cooperation of our parents, in partnership, to help the student to improve. We work together to help the child. When a student might have a difficult challenge to overcome, I often see other students offering friendship and help. Our students usually support their classmates and build each other up.
I think these are examples of what makes Bloomingdale Elementary such a special place. We are truly in this together. When we must go to Plan B to make it work, our staff members, parents, and students are willing to step up. The folks at Bloomingdale understand that it’s not about our preferences or what would be easier for us. It’s about everyone remembering that it’s not about “me”, it’s about “us”. It’s about what our students need and how we can provide that for them. It’s about putting the needs of others before ourselves.
A great school is not a building, it’s the people. It’s all of us doing whatever it takes to make sure our kids get what they need. That’s what we are here for and what makes Bloomingdale Elementary the special place it is. I’m so proud of our school and our whole learning community here at Bloomingdale!
Respectfully,
Eric Heady
Principal
Bloomingdale Elementary School
Notes from Nurse Healy
September is National Family Meals Month
- Research shows that family meals have numerous health and societal benefits for everyone who eats together.
- Children and teens who eat more meals with their family are more successful in school; and are less likely to experiment with risky behaviors such as drug use, alcohol consumption or smoking.
- Frequent family meals enhance family connection and communication, which contributes to increased self-esteem in the youngsters.
- Meals at home are healthier and improve fruit and vegetable consumption.
- Meals at home are associated with lower Body Mass Index (BMI).
- Meals prepared and eaten at home are more economical.
Happy Reading from the Media Center
Do you ever wonder if a book is challenging enough for your child to read? Too challenging? Too easy? Try using the Five Finger Rule to help your child select a book on their reading level.
Five Finger Rule for Choosing Books
1. Find a book that you and your child would like to read.
2. Open to the middle of the book and select a page.
3. Read the page.
4. For every word your child can't read or has to sound out (or if your child doesn't know what the word is), hold up one finger.
5. Use this scale to tell if the book is too easy or too hard for your child:
0-1 Fingers- The book is too easy.
2-3 Fingers- The book is "just right”
4 Fingers- The book might be a little difficult, so read it slowly.
5 Fingers or more- The book might be too hard for now, so try again later.
Reading should be fun for you and your child. Choosing the correct book is important.
It keeps your child wanting to read more and both of you will enjoy the time spent together.
Happy reading!
Bloomingdale Elementary Title 1
There will be a Title 1 meeting on Zoom September 8th at 8:30am and 4:00pm.
The Zoom link will be shared on the school website as well by classroom teachers.
Title 1 compacts are going to be coming out.
Please be sure to sign the attached signature page and return it to your student's teacher.
Check out the Counselor Chaos Website!
SCHOOL GOVERNANCE
Georgia law requires each school to have an advisory group known as the School Council. This group is created to offer advice to the school board, superintendent and principal on matters pertaining to student achievement and school improvement. Membership on the School Council consists of parents, teachers, business/community partners and the principal. The school council meets approximately four times during the school year.
Parents exercise an important role on the School Council and are key to its success. For a parent to serve, there is an election held among the parent population of the school. In this connection, we are seeking parents/guardians of a student currently enrolled at Bloomingdale Elementary School who would interested in being a part of this important group and participating in the election process. If you would be interested, please reach out to your child's teacher and that teacher will inform the school administration.
THANK YOU!
Bloomingdale Elementary’s Talented and Gifted Program
Parents, you are your child’s first (and best!) teacher. Many times, our gifted students are first identified by their parents. Do you notice your child grasp concepts quickly, ask a lot of questions, exhibit intense feelings, or become frustrated with failure? Want to nurture your child’s giftedness and creativity at home? Here is a great article describing activities you can do at home with your child.
Top Ten Ways to Nurture Your Gifted Child at Home
https://www.idsalliance.com/news/2015/1/16/top-ten-ways-to-nurture-your-gifted-child-at-home
Bloomingdale Elementary School
101 East Main Street
Bloomingdale, GA 31302
(912) 395-3680
Savannah-Chatham County Public School System