BYRAM LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
April 5, 2019
UPCOMING IMPORTANT DATES
April 8, 2019: Grades finalized in Parent Portal
April 11, 2019: Third Grade Field Trip
April 11, 2019: PTA General Meeting @ 7:15 - Lakes School
April 16-18, 2019: Early Dismissal - P/T Conferences
April 19-26, 2019: School closed - Spring Break
April 29, 2019: BOE Meeting @ BIS APR
May 23, 2019: 1st Grade Patriotic Show @ 9:15 AM (TICKET REQUIRED)
May 29, 2019: 4th Grade Band & Choir Concert @ 9:30 AM (TICKET REQUIRED)
June 7, 2019: 3rd Grade Recorded Concert @ 9:15 AM (TICKET REQUIRED)
LIFE IS ALWAYS BETTER WITH A BUDDY
Byram Township Parks and Recreation Plan
Public Participation in the Parks and Recreation Plan
The Byram Township Open Space Committee is soliciting responses from the public about the Parks and Recreation Plan through an online survey.
The survey asks questions related to each section of the Parks and Recreation Plan, including Open Space and Recreation, Trails, Eco-Tourism, and Stewardship and Asset Management.
Participants are encouraged to complete the survey and share it with others. Participants do not need to be residents of Byram Township to take the survey.
CLICK HERE FOR SURVEY: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/byramparksNrec
In addition, Greener by Design, the environmental consulting firm contracted by the Township, will be holding a series of stakeholder meetings. These meetings will help shape the final Parks and Recreation Plan, which has an anticipated completion date of April 2020. Subsequent meeting information will be posted on Byram Township’s official website at:
https://www.byramtwp.org/index.php/articles/parks_and_recreation_plan
This survey and meetings are part of a larger effort to engage stakeholders and the general public. The PRP is designed to guide the responsible management of the Township’s shared assets, which requires the input from as many residents, businesses, visitors, and neighbors of the community as possible. Funds for the PRP were awarded by the Highlands Council late last year.
BTEF's ANNUAL TRICKY TRAY IS HERE!
Once again, the BTEF will be holding its annual Tricky Tray tomorrow, April 6th at the Byram Intermediate School. Doors open at 5:30 PM.
WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE FOR A NIGHT OF FUN & PRIZES!
2019-2020 BYRAM SCHOOL DISTRICT CALENDAR
FAMILY FUN NIGHTS
CELL PHONES & SMART WATCHES - PLEASE READ!
APPOINTMENT REQUIRED
PLEASE READ!
Please click here to view an important message regarding gaining entrance into our schools.
BYRAM LAKES ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
AUTISM AWARENESS MONTH
Each year the Byram Township Schools' staff purchase shirts that celebrate Autism Awareness. Over the years different people were given the opportunity to design the t-shirts with original artwork and designs. This year, we are so fortunate to be able to wear a t-shirt that was designed by Noah with his original artwork showing off his passion for both drawing and music. Check out the Byram staff on Monday, April 8th when we all wear our t-shirts that this phenomenal young man designed for us. While Noah is no longer a student at Byram Lakes, he will always be considered a member of the BLES family! Noah is an incredible kid and we are so fortunate that he has shared his amazing talent with us! Thank you, Noah!
PICKUP PATROL - PLEASE READ!
2nd GRADE SEEK TRIP
BYRAM RANKS AS #1 BEST FAMILY TOWN IN SUSSEX COUNTY!
https://www.njfamily.com/new-jerseys-best-towns-for-families-the-list-2019/
https://patch.com/new-jersey/mendham-chester/s/gnxph/50-best-new-jersey-towns-families-2019-rankings
https://www.njfamily.com/New-Jerseys-Best-Towns-for-Families-Methodology/
CHARACTER TRAIT OF THE MONTH - APRIL
The character trait of the month for April is INTRINSIC MOTIVATION. Intrinsic motivation is one of the most difficult traits to foster, yet one of the most critical. Students, especially at young ages, often rely on extrinsic motivation (e.g. stickers from prize boxes, fun activities earned for good behavior, etc.) as motivation for doing well or doing what they should be doing. Intrinsic motivation, rather, is the motivation that will provide a more fulfilling life for our students. Instead of doing something nice for a friend just to earn a prize, it's important for students to want to do something nice for a friend because of how it makes them FEEL. Extrinsic rewards have their role, however we also need to strive to show students that doing the right thing is good for the soul. During the month of April, teachers will be infusing the topic of intrinsic motivation in their lessons. All school staff will be focusing on intrinsic motivation during our conversations with students. We ask that parents and guardians also make every attempt to support this trait at home.
Paraprofessional Position Available @ Lakes - UPDATED
Pennies for Puppies
Start saving your spare change!
As you might know, here at the Lakes School we are currently raising our third Seeing Eye puppy, Patsy. As a district, the students will be participating in the Seeing Eye’s Pennies for Puppies fundraiser. The students will take part in a penny war during lunch April 1st thru the 12th. The rules are simple...Each penny counts as one point. If a student puts a silver colored coin in another class' jar, it deducts that many pennies from that class. The class with the most points will be the winners!
All funds raised will go directly to The Seeing Eye. The cost of each Seeing Eye dog over its lifetime, from breeding and raising to training, is about $65,000. As participants in this program, Byram Schools will become a sponsor of a future Seeing Eye puppy. Prizes will also be awarded to classes on each grade level that raise the most money!
CONCERTS, SHOWS, & EVENTS...OH MY!
BIRTHDAY SNACKS FROM SODEXO
Child Assault Prevention Program - Grades K & 1
There will be a parent workshop on Thursday, April 4, 2019 starting at 9:00 am. YOU MUST RSVP IN ORDER TO OBTAIN A TICKET FOR ENTRY INTO THE BUILDING.
The Results Are In...
Click here for more the full article from NJ.com
WAY TO GO TO THE ENTIRE BYRAM LAKES TEAM!
4th Grade Innovation Project
Some students in Mrs. Sturm’s 4th grade class (Kyla R., Bailey V., Abby W., and Olivia N.) are doing an innovation project where they are collecting items and donating them to B.A.R.K.S animal shelter to help dogs and cats. They would like to help B.A.R.K.S by collecting and giving them food and supplies for the animals that are sheltered there. Some items that are needed include:
Beds
blankets/pillows
water/food bowls
Food & treats
Litter, Litter Scoopers & Pee Pads
Collars, Harnesses & Leashes
Brushes
Scratching Boards
Toys & bones
Yarn
Thank you in advance for helping them collect needed items for the animals at B.A.R.K.S
Honeywell Instant Alert - PLEASE READ
Attendance Letters - PLEASE READ!
Dear Parents and Guardians;
I wanted to just take a moment to clarify some concerns regarding our attendance policy and the letters that are sent home as per that policy. Our student information system (SIS), Genesis, automatically prints letters once students reach certain benchmarks for absences and tardies. As the assistant principal at Byram Lakes Elementary School, it is my job to sign and send those SIS-generated letters home to BLES parents. While the attendance policy has been generally well-received, we have had some parents express concern over how the letters made them feel.
As a district, we are always open to parent feedback. Everyone brings a different perspective and, as parents, your concern is rightfully focused on your children and family. As a school district, our concern is for students on an individual level, and we combine that concern with the necessary global perspective of supervising and caring for a student body in excess of 800 students.
Our attendance policy is board approved and is, in fact, guided by the New Jersey Department of Education (NJDOE). According to N.J.A.C. 6A:16-7.6, all school districts in New Jersey must “develop, adopt, and implement policies or procedures regarding the attendance of students.” A strategy outlined by the NJDOE to help schools communicate attendance with parents is something referred to as “nudge letters.” Please understand these letters are not a judgment on your parenting abilities as some parents have suggested. Rather, these letters are our way of:
demonstrating the importance of attendance to a child’s success and well-being
educating parents on our attendance policy
discussing the impact that absences and tardies generally have on student performance
As a district, we would be negligent in our duties if we were not communicating the importance of attendance as well as monitoring your child’s attendance. When used in conjunction with other proactive strategies that we have put in place, the issue of absenteeism can be addressed. At the elementary level, our school is measured on College and Career Readiness on the NJ School Performance Reports. The state measures College and Career Readiness in the elementary grades by solely looking at chronic absenteeism. These reports indicate the success of a school in meeting the targets set by the state. Failure to meet these targets can have a variety of impacts including lower property values. Good, effective schools are a driving force behind how attractive a town looks to prospective buyers which increase property values.
While property values are important to the economic health of a town, the impact of attendance on student success is our main concern. Some students can definitely miss days of school and still be able to succeed. Many students, however, cannot. Even students who have demonstrated academic success, while having excessive absences, are susceptible to a reversal in success once those absences compound and more instruction is missed. While we completely understand that students get sick, and we encourage you to keep them home if they are contagious, it is important to get students, even at this early age, to understand the lifelong importance of showing up to school, a job, or any responsibility they take on in life.
Our school district is committed to working with you to keep our children socially, emotionally, physically, and academically healthy. The letters that we send home are simply our way to notify you of their attendance while doing our part to follow policies set forth by the New Jersey Department of Education. Thank you for your time and please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions.
Mr. Patrick O’Donnell
Assistant Principal
Byram Lakes Elementary School
Spring Book Fair
It is that time of year again...Time for the SPRING SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR! The PTA is once again organizing the book fair for students in both buildings. The dates of the spring book fair will be April 16th - 18th. Students will have the opportunity to visit the book fair with their classes during the school day and parents can shop in the evenings, during evening conferences on Tuesday and Wednesday from 6:30 - 8:30PM. On Thursday, parents can shop from 1:30 - 3:30 PM. The Online Book Fair will be open April 11th -April 24th. Each school has their own Homepage, there you can find the teachers wish lists, The eWallets, and can shop from a greater selection of books!
Byram Intermediate School's page is: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/middle
Byram Lakes Elementary School's page is: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/lakes
More information will be sent home with the students as the date approaches. If you are willing to volunteer to help with any aspect of the book fair, please contact Stacy Michaels at stacymichaels1@gmail.com.
BLES INSTAGRAM ART EXHIBIT
KINDERGARTEN REGISTRATION
PRESCHOOL REGISTRATION
We hope you will consider joining our Byram Lakes family!
BUS RETURN FEE - PLEASE READ
PTA & BTEF
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
We need volunteers to Chair the following committees/events.
Spring Book Fair April 16-18th, Chair Person Stacy Micheals
3rd Grade Very Important Person Dance May 3rd, Chair Person Melissa Yowe
4th Grade T-shirts for moving up to Intermediate school, Chair Person Susan McCall
4th & 5th Grade Alex's Lemonade Stand Charity fundraiser -Chair Person Needed
5th & 6th Grade End of the year Bash May 31, Chair Person Bonnie Spring
Lakes School Teacher Appreciation Week May 6-10th, Chair Person Needed
Intermediate School Teacher Appreciation Week May 6-10th, Chair Person Lana Wraith
International Festival May 11th, Chair Person Ana Lavrador
Google Internet Awesome Family Program May 16th, Chair Person Adrianna Allen
Sign up for a committee at: https://goo.gl/forms/kL6pI7vqR9UEgO5P2
"Let's Play Together"
On April 2, 2019 Byram PTA in collaboration with Sky Zone of Mt. Olive, NJ hosted a Day of Inclusion in honor of World Autism Awareness Day!
The night was a huge success! Over 75 children and adults attended the event. Everyone enjoyed themselves, including the parents! The most extraordinary thing about this event, was how ordinary it was! Looking at the kids playing and having fun, there was no way to tell who was on the spectrum, who had sensory issues, who had physical disabilities, who had epilepsy ... all you could see was children having fun, jumping, laughing making friends and making memories. Atticus the poet said it perfectly, “Watch carefully, the magic that occurs when you give a person just enough comfort to be themselves.” This event was pure magic.
Cupcake Wars
Smencil Grams!!
Byram PTA is selling $1 Smencil Grams to raise money for classroom books & supplies for both schools!
Smencils are scented pencils that come in a plastic tube to keep the scent fresh. The pencils are fully made with recycled materials, and will keep their scent for 2 years. The kids love them!! Purchase a Smencil for $1 each and send a note to your child, a favorite teacher, staff member or let your child send one to a friend! Smencil scents and colors will be distributed at random. Order forms will be going home with your children, you can also find it here. Orders are due by Thursday April 11th and will be delivered to the students during the week of 4/15-4/18!! (please send money in sealed envelopes)
Cooking up a fun time!
BOXTOPS FOR EDUCATION
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
PTA Meetings will be held in the Lakes School Cafeteria starting at 7:15 PM on the following dates:
April 11, 2019
May 16, 2019
June 6, 2019