Week 5/16/2022
.... 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
5/16/22 - Week's Events
*denotes more information provided below
Monday, 5/16
Tuesday, 5/17
- BCS Pride Meeting 4:15-5:00 p.m. in Mr. Emmi's Room
Wednesday, 5/18
Thursday, 5/19
Friday, 5/20
- BCS Volunteer Breakfast, 8:00-9:30 AM in Media Center
Upcoming Dates:
- Memorial Day, Monday May 30th, No School
All School News
Greetings, BCS Families!
We hope to see everyone on Sunday for the BCS Blast and Road Rally event! All of our volunteers have been incredible in creating what is bound to be a wonderful event. A special thank you to our PTA Chairs for the countless hours they have spent making this a special event for our community.
For all the information regarding the event, please visit the following 2022 BCS Blast Site. The online auction information is also available on the site and will continue through May 18.
As a reminder, here are the events planned for Sunday, May 15:
- 2:30-5 PM: Road Rally through GooseChase App
- 5 PM-7 PM: Tailgate in BCS Parking Lot- Inflatables, Raffle, Food, Cake Walk. Wristbands for the tailgate and raffle tickets can also be purchased at the Check-In Table.
If you are available to help volunteer, please consider signing up. We appreciate any time you are willing to contribute!
- Blast: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090F4DADA922A4FA7-road
- Cake Walk: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090F4DADA922A4FA7-20221
Looking forward to a wonderful event!
Yours in BCS solidarity,
Dr. Hakim & Mr. Hill
BCS Happenings
Food Delivery to Students
Graphic Design Help Needed
Our students have submitted their designs for our new BCS Touchstone and we have selected our top 3 favorites. We are looking for somebody with graphic design experience who would be willing to help our students take the designs to the next level . Using your expertise we would like to develop professional looking graphics for our touchstone for the whole community to vote on our favorite. Hopefully we can learn about the design process along the way. If you are interested in helping our Character Ed Team with this work please email PRoberts@birmingham.k12.mi.us.
BCS Volunteer Breakfast
You are invited to a special breakfast in your honor
on May 20 from 8-9:30 a.m.
in the BCS Media Center
The BCS staff is excited to have this opportunity to thank our parents and guardians for the incredible support provided to BCS all year long. We are so excited that we are making you breakfast!! There is no doubt that your partnership with us has positively influenced the climate and culture that makes BCS a great place to be!!
In whatever way you have helped and supported the students or staff at BCS, we THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts . We truly hope you are able to join in this celebration and to eat some yummy breakfast. It will be fun to see which staff members are whipping up hot waffles that day!!
Please drop in anytime between 8-9:30 a.m. on Friday, May 20 in the Media Center. Dr. Hakim will make special remarks at 9:00 a.m. – you won’t want to miss that.
Come and bring another BCS parent or guardian with you.
Sincerely,
The BCS Staff
Garden Donations
The students and teachers in two Choice Hour classes this quarter are planning a clean-up and replanting of the Global Garden next to the BCS playground. Our goal is to have a garden for flowers, vegetables, and herbs to attract pollinators - honey bees and butterflies.
We welcome your donations of flower, herb or vegetable seeds and live plants that you may be dividing this spring. There is a plastic bin in the BCS lobby with a sign for your donations. Most of the garden is full sun, but there is one area of partial shade.
Students will be working in the garden every Wednesday and Friday, weather permitting. Interested parents/guardians are welcome to join us. Thank you.
Questions - mleduc@birmingham.k12.mi.us
Media Center Volunteers
BCS students visit the Media Center at least once a week for a library lesson about literacy, research skills, or Digital Citizenship, followed by time to check out materials. Be sure to ask your child what they’ve learned in the library each week!
Volunteering in the Media Center
We are always looking for volunteers in the Media Center! Please see the schedule below to find out when your child visits the Media Center:
3/4 Team
Bates/McNulty - Monday AM
Parkin/Wallington - Monday PM
Frishman/Butzin - Tuesday PM
Mali/Coletti - Friday AM
5/6 Team
*5/6 students visit with their ELA class; 6th grade ELA in AM, 5th grade ELA in PM
Cook/Lowery - Wednesday
Arbaugh/Brown - Tuesday
Joesph/Warner - Tuesday
Burns/Burdick - Wednesday
7/8 Team
*7/8 students visit with their ELA class
C-1, C-3, C-5 - Wednesday
C-2, C-4, C-6 - Thursday
Family Focus Groups - Assessment Pilot
At the start of the 2021-22 school year, Birmingham Public Schools embarked on a quest to establish an equitable, comprehensive, and balanced assessment portfolio that is student-centered and provides educators and administrators with actionable data. As part of our pilot program, the Student Learning and Inclusion team is engaging groups of stakeholders to determine which benchmark assessment BPS will use for the 2022-23 school year. Please complete the linked form to register for an upcoming focus session to discuss your experience with assessments in BPS. We value your opinion!
Form Link: https://forms.gle/VLfwhrz4e5BAgByv5
Thank you for your consideration. Have a great weekend!
Please return BCS Open House Yard signs!
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
Disability Awareness Workshop - Volunteers Needed
BCS Parents,
The Disability Awareness Workshop will be presented to all BCS 5/6 grade students on Thursday, May 26th and Friday, May 27th. This program is a hands-on; activity based workshop whose main emphasis is to help student’s understand how difficult and complex daily living can be for individuals with disabilities. The program includes activities centered on an empathetic understanding of physical, speech, hearing, vision and learning impairments. The students participate in a wheelchair obstacle course wear glasses that give them momentary vision impairments, experience speaking with an electric larynx and experience several reading disabilities. The goal is for the students to learn through this hands-on experience that people should be resected no matter how they may look, act, walk or talk.
We welcome ALL parent volunteers, please consider volunteering for a full day or half day assignment. To make this workshop a success we need a minimum of 18 volunteers per day.
SIGN UP TODAY https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0C49A9AD2FA5F58-disability
Questions, please feel free to contact DAW parent coordinator, Amy Slosar at 248-506-0060 or email amyslosar@gmail.com.
BPS Community News
Seaholm Activities Fair for rising Freshman
We hope you can join us for our Seaholm Activities Fair on June 1st, 5:30-7:00PM in the Seaholm Gym. If you have questions, please contact Suzanne O’Leary, soleary@birmingham.k12.mi.us.
Seaholm Boys Soccer
Seaholm Boys Soccer Head Coach Greg Perkins and Seaholm players will be at BCS on Thursday, May 19 during lunch for any 8th grade boys who are interested in playing soccer in the Fall at Seaholm. Pizza will be served!
- Summer Captains Practices start the week of June 13th (no practice July 4 week)
- Soccer Camp will be held at CMU from July 15 to 18th
- Tryouts will be the week of August 8th
Please make sure to go to the website
https://seaholmboyssoccer.com/teams/?u=SEAHOLMBOYSSOCCER&s=soccer for additional information and updates and to register!
Birmingham Unified Hockey - Summer Training Camp
Registration is now LIVE for the Birmingham Unified Hockey Summer Training Camp.
You can register at this link – https://www.hometeamsonline.com/teams/default.asp?u=MCK1196&s=hockey&p=registration
Camp is for all returning players, current high school players who are interested and incoming freshman who are interested.
For new players, we are also hosting a Zoom intro meeting on May 10th at 8pm with our varsity head coach, Zack Warson. Zack has a long history of coaching success at all levels, including college and AAA. He is excited about the future of our program and to meet all potential players. You can reach him directly at: (810) 287-7877 or zack.warson@gmail.com. If interested in the Zoom meeting, please email jimwalsh582@gmail.com and he can provide the Zoom link.
TWO additional Birmingham Unified Hockey registration forms are now LIVE
To register click on: https://www.hometeamsonline.com/teams/default.asp?u=MCK1196&s=hockey&p=registration&formID=92344
o Orchard Lake Summer League for JV and Varsity: Begins the week of June 13th
- Schedule has yet to be announced
- Begins the week of June 13th
- Total of eight games for JV and eight games for Varsity
- No games the week of July 4th
- Games held during the evening on Monday – Thursday
o Summer Workouts with Steve Alley:
- Thursdays from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm at the Groves weight room.
- June 16, 30; July 14, 21, 28; Aug. 4, 11, 18
o Summer Skates with Coach Zack (or other BU Coaches):
- Wednesdays 4pm - 5:20 pm at Birmingham Ice Arena; June 15, 29; July 13, 20, 27; Aug. 3, 10, 17
Summer Volleyball Camps
Sign your child up for one of the many volleyball camps run by Seaholm Varsity Coach and Berkshire Middle School teacher, Heather Gambone during the month of July. Heather and Jason Gambone are entering into their 17th year as coaches at Seaholm High School, and their 19th year of coaching National level club volleyball. Students Grades 1st-10th can train with the coaching staff and high school players from both Seaholm and Groves! Camps will be held at Seaholm and Groves High School. Questions can be sent to Heather at: Seaholmvball@gmail.com
For more information and to sign up, see this form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdcVws_DifCrWaducO1XqE322ygdsQqScqyAZT2tYb4qTkU6Q/viewform
Girls Seaholm Swim & Dive Announcement
Attention all 8th grade girls interested in becoming part of the Girls' Seaholm Swim & Dive Team next year. We want to encourage you to visit our booth at the Seaholm activities fair currently scheduled for 6/1/22. You will have a chance to meet some of your future teammates and learn more about this awesome team. If you are unable to attend the activities fair and want to learn more don't hesitate to reach out to:
Swim Team Reps
Kara Gifford - kara.f.gifford@gmail.com
Amy Murray - ctmurrays@gmail.com
Dive Team Rep
Jessica Ballard - jessicapottballard@yahoo.com
(Note: no prior diving experience necessary)
Be sure to submit your contact information via the activities fair sign-up sheet or through the above contacts, to ensure you receive early communications. We kick things off in July with team events, and practice begins in August. Looking forward to meeting all of you!
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.