BSMS News to Know
FEBRUARY 2021
717-528-5137
Mrs. Shannon Myers, Principal (smyers@bermudian.org)
Mr. Mark Herb, Assistant Principal (mherb@bermudian.org)
Twitter @BSMS Eagles
Facebook - http://www.facebook/com/BermudianSpringsMiddleSchool
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Friday afternoons continue to be utilized for what we call "Academic Support." Students are invited by teachers to stay after school so that they can complete assignments, get caught up from absences, or just receive extra support. Students who have been invited and taken advantage of this opportunity have found it to be incredibly helpful. Please reach out to your child's teacher if you think they could benefit from this support.
We appreciate the pro-active approach and communication from families regarding COVID exposures. Please continue to call the office if you suspect or have been exposed to COVID. We will gladly walk you through the steps needed to ensure that the building is not impacted and we can contact those who need to be contacted as the result of an exposure. It is also important to note that the state continues to have a Travel Mandate in place for trips out of state. You can find those guidelines here. Students over the age 11 do have to quarantine or produce a negative test after traveling out of state. Please call if you have questions regarding this mandate and how it may impact any travel plans you may have.
Sapphire continues to be a great tool to monitor your child's grades and assignments. Please be sure you have access to the portal and are checking your child's attendance and grades regularly. We are always here to offer help or answer any questions you may have!
Mark Your Calendar
2/01 - PTO Meeting @ 6:30 via Zoom
2/12 - Weather makeup day, School in Session
2/14 - Valentine's Day
2/15 - President's Day (No School)
ATTENDANCE
Absences
Regular attendance at school is essential to maintain a good academic standing. Excused absences include: illness, family emergencies, prearranged doctor and dentist appointments, and pre approved trips and school activities. Other absences are unexcused unless prior approval is given through the main office. Prior approval should be requested by the parent or guardian in writing prior to the day of absence. After three unexcused absences, a notice of Illegal Absences will be issued. After a 1st Notice of Illegal Absences has been issued, a parent meeting will be scheduled in an attempt to support the family and student with attendance. Future illegal absences may result in the school presenting the attendance issue before the local magistrate.
The Sapphire Community Portal should be utilized by parents to monitor student attendance.
Excuses
There are a number of options for providing an excuse/note for your studentsβ absence. Any of the following are acceptable methods to submit this documentation including:
Complete the electronic form at this link https://forms.gle/CpobRhchUkVyZcze8 and hit submit.
OR
Email a note/excuse to Ms. Jaworski at kjaworski@bermudian.org at the middle school.
OR
Send in a written note/excuse directly to the office with the student.
Please feel free to complete this form if your child will be absent, tardy, or scheduled for an early dismissal. This information will be sent to our building secretaries. A paper excuse will not be needed in the office. Please notify the office that you have arrived by using the intercom in the vestibule. A staff member will escort your child out.
FAMILY TRIPS
Please request a family trip from from the office or select the link below, complete it, and return to the office for pre-approval by the building principal no later than one full week prior to the trip. Upon receiving a request for an educational trip, the principal will review the request in accordance with the District Guidelines and respond whether the trip will be approved. Approximately one week prior to the trip, students will receive a homework assignment sheet to collect missed work (these sheets will be provided to the student at school). Students will have two weeks after returning to school to hand in missed assignments. Neglecting to gain prior approval for the educational trip will result in the recording of unexcused absences for those days absent from school.
Requests for educational trips on PSSA testing dates will not be excused.
**The maximum number of days allowed to accumulate for educational trips is 10 days per school-year.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1aRlniTdtx8pmqcHFYItmpfXSpG3PZilawX8oAJvQbvY/edit?usp=sharing
NOTES FROM THE NURSE:
February is National Dental Health Month
Lifelong dental habits begin at home:
π Floss every day.
π Donβt forget to change your tooth brush regularly, especially after an illness.
π Limit eating sticky and/or sugary snacks to help prevent cavities.
π Drink plenty of water after eating to help clear your mouth of food particles.
π Protect your teeth by wearing a mouth guard when playing sports.
π Visit a dentist regularly for routine cleanings and exams.
Reminder: All 7th grade students are required to have a dental exam, please return the purple dental exam paper as soon as possible. If you need a form, please contact me or visit our Health Services tab on the district website to print one out https://www.bermudian.org/domain/110
Julie Nelson, RN, BSN, CEN, CSN
717-528-4113 x3740
COUNSELING CENTER
During the second semester we begin to plan the 8th grade transition to the high school. Attached in the link below you will find some important information from Mrs. Null, the 9th and 10th grade Counselor. Please reach out to me if you have any questions Sincerely, Mrs. Umbaugh Middle School Counselor
Collaborating for Youth
ZOOM LINK
email- BSMSafterschool@cfygettysburg.com
password- Password02
Zoom mtg. ID- 828 580 7595
MEDIA CENTER
IMPORTANT REMINDERS:
In case we have any weather related early dismissals, it is best to have a family plan in place ahead of time. Please make sure your child knows how you would like them to get home on days there is a chance of bad weather. Phone lines are very busy during these occasions. Please monitor radio, television, and email notifications so you are aware of possible changes to our schedule. If you have not been receiving phone calls and email notifications, log onto the
Sapphire portal to check your contact information is correct.
YEARBOOKS
Don't miss out, order your BSMS Yearbook today.
PTO NEWS
Berm's Got Heart: Give a Heart To Get a Heart
Our PTO is sponsoring our local food banks. If you or your student brings in $1 or 2 food bank items, you will get to put your name on a heart displayed in our lobby. The PTO will then purchase candy grams and you will be able to send the person of your choice a candy gram the week before Valentine's Day. The deadline is February 5th for Steel students and February 8th for Cherry students. Feel free to stop by the school with your donation to surprise your student and/or your student's teachers with a candy gram. This is a great way to help out our community and surprise your friends - all at the same time!
Rocco's East Berlin Night Out
On Wednesday, February 3rd, Rocco's of East Berlin is sponsoring a fundraiser night. From 4pm until closing Rocco's is donating a portion of their sales to our PTO. Please remember to mention the BSMS PTO when you order. This is an incredible chance to help out our PTO and support a local business. Give your kitchen a break and relax with the best food around!
Coke Rewards/Pepsi Pepcoin
We are having a contest to pick your favorite group to dance a TikTok routine on camera. Students will be able to choose their candidate based on votes placed in the cafeteria. Students will vote with Coke Rewards or Pepcoin lids. Look for the reward codes on the inside of Coke or Pepsi products. For plastic bottles, these are on the lids. If you have a multi pack, check out the plastic box with a code. If you buy cardboard 12 packs, these codes will be found on the inside of the cardboard. Just take a look around before you throw out these free codes. This is a free way to help out our PTO - ask your family and friends to save their lids for us!
Do you follow our PTO on Facebook? We are under BSMS PTO. This is a fun way to stay on top of events here at the Middle School. Life is so busy, we all need a reminder sometimes.
Our next meeting is Monday, February 1 @ 6:30 via Zoom. Please email agerringer@bermudian.org if you would like the Zoom link.