BSES NEWSLETTER
November 2022
Mrs. Jennifer Eley, Principal - jeley@bermudian.org
Mr. Ethan Sentz, Assistant Principal - esentz@bermudian.org
Mrs. Tanya Gelb, Counselor - tgelb@bermudian.org
A Message from the Principal
"The secret is to work less as individuals and more as a team." -Knute Rockne
Bermudian Springs Elementary School Families,
As we embark on the second marking period of the school year, I look forward to working together to support the continued academic and social-emotional growth of our students. As a reminder, Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on November 3rd and November 4th. Conferences are an excellent opportunity for our teachers to partner with parents to discuss students' progress and to make plans for continued growth. This team approach during conferences is one of many wonderful ways we can work together to support our students and strengthen our home and school partnership. If you have not signed up for a Fall Conference, use this link: https://www.myconferencetime.com/bse/ Fall Conferences will be offered in person, via Zoom, or phone. If you would like a Zoom or telephone conference, please indicate “phone” or “Zoom” when signing up in My Conference Time under the Optional Comments section.
As I shared in previous communications, our focus this year is on providing additional avenues for our families to be engrained in our school community. This team approach between home and school, provides better support for our students and our families. During Fall Conferences, we will be offering two parent informational sessions. One session will provide parents information on Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). Our second session will focus on reading strategies and ways to support literacy at home. Specific times and locations for these sessions can be found below.
I encourage families to review our November newsletter for important information and exciting events that will be happening throughout the month of November. Some highlights from this month's newsletters include Parent Informational Sessions, American Education Week, and PTO Updates.
Learn Together, Grow Together!
Jennifer Eley
Principal
Home and School Compact
As part of Title I, parents will be asked to sign Home and School Compacts during Fall Conferences. The brief video below highlights the importance of the Home and School Compact. After receiving the Home and School Compact, you will be asked to complete an electronic Title I survey. We would greatly appreciate if parents completed the Title I Parent Survey prior to leaving conferences. iPads will be set up in the elementary school lobby to complete the survey. If you are unable to participate in conferences in person, an electronic Title I survey will be emailed after Fall Conferences.
Standards Based Report Cards
Our Kindergarten-2nd grade report cards are standards based. If you are unfamiliar with standards based report cards, the video below provides information to better understand the grading key as it relates to the grade level standards.
Save the Date!
Next Week at a Glance
Tuesday, November 1st (Day 2): Report cards will be posted on the Sapphire Parent Community Portal
Thursday, November 3rd (Day 4): School will be dismissed two hours early due to Parent-Teacher Conferences. Students will be dismissed at 1:35 PM. Please be sure to make childcare arrangements for your child(ren). If there is a bus change for your child because of this, please remember to send a note with them on November 3rd.
Friday, November 4th (Day 5): No School due to Parent-Teacher Conferences and Teacher In-Service.
ALL pumpkins entered into the pumpkin decorating contest must be picked by the end of the day on November 4. Any remaining pumpkins will be discarded.
Sunday, November 6th: Daylight Savings Time - Don't forget to turn your clocks back one hour.
Lifetouch Picture Retake Day
Upcoming Important Dates
Wednesday, November 23rd through Monday, November 28th: School will be closed as we observe the Thanksgiving Holiday. School will be in session again on Tuesday, November 29th.
American Education Week
American Education Week focuses on celebrating public education and honoring individuals who make it their goal that every child receives a quality education. We will be celebrating American Education Week during the week of November 13th. Research consistently shows that parental involvement in schools improves student achievement and reduces absenteeism. Thank you for your continued partnership to ensure your child(ren)'s academic success. American Education Week is always a great time to show appreciation for public education. This appreciation can be demonstrated through a kind note or email to a staff member in the building. Additionally, we have planned several student and parent events to continue strengthening our home and school partnership.
For planning purposes, we kindly ask that you RSVP HERE by Friday, November 11th if you plan on attending our Pastries with Parents Event.
National Fire Prevention Month
October was National Fire Prevention Month. In recognition of National Prevention Month and in conjunction with our October fire drill, on Friday, October 14th, the York Springs Fire Company participated in Bermudian Springs Elementary School’s October fire drill. Volunteer firefighters swept the building, demonstrating the process firefighters go through in the event of a real fire situation. All students were given an opportunity to witness our York Springs volunteer firefighters responding to an emergency situation. Students observed first hand the critical role these community members play in keeping our town safe. At the completion of the fire drill, The York Springs Fire Department met with all second grade classes to share fire safety information and answer questions specific to their role as a firefighter in the area. These second grade students also received an activity book to take home and share with their family on fire prevention. This is a wonderful example of the community partnerships our school has with our community.
McKinney-Vento Act
From The Art Studio
There is an opportunity to create from the Adams County Arts Council! Make a gingerbread creation for a chance to win cash prizes! Entries are due November 23rd.
Clothing Reminders
ATTENTION FAMILIES OF KINDERGARTEN, FIRST AND SECOND GRADE STUDENTS:
Students are required to keep a complete change of clothing (shirt, pants, underwear and socks) in their book bags at all times. There are many reasons for students needing to change clothing outside of having bathroom accidents. Some examples would be spilling their water bottle, food, milk, glue or paint onto their clothing or getting into mud and rain puddles on the playground. The nurse’s office is very limited on the sizes available for students to change into. Students also feel more comfortable in their own clothing instead of borrowed clothing. Please make sure that the clothing is appropriate for the season.
TO ALL FAMILIES:
If your child has borrowed clothing from the health room, please wash and return the items immediately so that others may use them if needed. Look for notices in your child’s take home folders or book bag if they have borrowed clothing and have not returned it.
Coats at Recess
It is that time of year again when the frost is on the pumpkins and coats need to be on your children at recess. Weather permitting, students will be expected to go outside unless prevented by an illness and a medical note. Please see that your child wears suitable clothing for outdoor play.
Second Step Lessons
Linked are the Homelink pages that accompany Second Step lessons taught in the classroom. These pages provide information on what skill was taught, as well as how families can further support or strengthen at home what they learned. It is not necessary to do anything with it, but we want to be transparent about what our program is teaching. Please note that not all lessons have Homelink pages, but we'll always share what topics are being covered. If you have more specific questions you can always contact your child's classroom teacher.
This month, students are learning to be assertive, use positive self-talk, and respect others' similarities and differences.
In October, grade level lessons are:
- Kindergarten: Being Assertive
- First Grade: Self-Talk for Learning, Being Assertive
- Second Grade: Using Self-Talk, Being Assertive
- Third Grade: Being Assertive, Planning to Learn
- Fourth Grade: Respecting Similarities and Differences, Understanding Complex Feelings, Understanding Different Perspectives
In November, grade level lessons will be:
- Kindergarten: Feelings & More Feelings
- First Grade: Identifying Feelings & Looking for More Clues
- Second Grade: Identifying Feelings & Learning More About Feelings
- Third Grade: Identifying Others' Feelings & Understanding Perspectives
- Fourth Grade: Conversations and Compliments & Joining In Conversations
Lost & Found
Race For Education Update
Our students ran the Race for Education and raised just over $22,000 (with donations still coming in) thanks to our BSES families, friends, & local businesses! Donations to Race for Education fund “above & beyond” projects like special classroom activities, student gifts/prizes, family fun events, teacher grants (like chicken incubators, raised bed learning garden, field trips), an end-of-year picnic for our graduating 4th graders, and more! Thank you so much for supporting our fall fundraiser!
Staff Appreciation Breakfast - Friday, November 11th
Our Staff Appreciation Breakfast is coming up on Friday, November 11th. Sign up at ttsu.me/november-breakfast to sponsor coffee or contribute a cold or hot breakfast item as a simple way to thank our staff, teachers, & bus drivers. **Note the new pick-up/delivery option for hot items in the sign-up sheet description.**
Parents Night Out - Saturday, November 12th
We’re teaming up with Championship Martial Arts in Hanover to host a “Nerf Games” Parents Night Out event from 5pm-9pm on Saturday, November 12th. Register your BSES student for $10 (only 40 spots available!) and take the night off. Proceeds benefit the BSES PTO! Registration info at www.bsespto.com/events/2022/11/12/parentsnightout
Next Meeting - Wednesday, November 16th
We meet at 9:30am (PTO Room) and 6:30pm (Library/Media Center & remotely via WebEx) to accommodate varying work schedules. Children are welcome to attend either meeting with parents — we’ll have some toys, activities, & snacks on hand. Agendas and minutes from past meetings can be viewed at bsespto.com/minutes.
Parents who attend one meeting (AM in person or PM in person or virtually) each month will be entered into a drawing for a $50 gift card. The winner will be pulled at the December 21st evening meeting! You can earn up to two more chances to win by attending a meeting on November 16th and December 21st!
Shop AmazonSmile to Support the PTO
Do your holiday shopping via AmazonSmile and Amazon will donate 5% of every sale to the BSES PTO (at no additional cost to you!). So far, we’ve received over $2,100 thanks to purchases made through the AmazonSmile program! Simply add AmazonSmile to your Amazon account & designate the BSES PTO as your charity before you start your shopping! Or shop via desktop at smile.amazon.com/ch/23-1976498 to make your purchases count!
Contact
If you have questions about the PTO or want to get more involved but aren’t sure how, reach out to Andrea Everhart (President), Jason Mleczko (Vice President), Amanda Wolfe (Treasurer), Giovanna Biles (Secretary), or Julie Williams and Kylee King (Appreciation Committee Co-Chairs). We'd love to get you plugged in at BSES!
Email: bsespto@bermudian.org • Website: bsespto.com
Facebook: fb.com/BSESPTO • Twitter: @BSES_PTO
BSES RESOURCE PAGE
NOVEMBER MENUS
BERMUDIAN SPRINGS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CONTACT INFORMATION
Email: tlaughman@bermudian.org
Website: bermudian.org
Location: 7335 Carlisle Pike, York Springs, PA, USA
Phone: 717-528-5147
Facebook: Facebook.com/BSES
Twitter: @BSES_Eagles