BPES Newsletter
Week of May 4th
Mark Your Calendar
- Virtual Learning - April 6th - May 22nd
- Monday, May 4th - Intent to Return Form Due (see below)
- Monday, May 4th - Student Insight Form Due (see below)
- Monday, May 4th - Spring and Group Picture Orders Due (see below)
- Friday, May 8th - 4th and 5th Grader House Shield Designs Due (see below)
BPES Virtual Lessons
Also, be sure to check out a video here from Mrs. Weems and Mrs. Bayko here about eLearning!
Intent to Return
Student Insight Form
Please click here if you would like to complete the Student Insight Form as we continue to plan for the 2020-2021 academic school year. If you have more than one student, please submit a form for each student. This form gives you an opportunity to share information about your child that will help us with the placement process. The information shared is confidential. Submissions will only be accepted until Monday, May 4th.
5th Grade Parents
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Z5RWtW_76atm_UTK6ruCZpzjag-mpkKi/view
Information about Elective choices for 6th graders at Simmons
Calling all 4th and 5th Grade Students
CALLING ALL 4th and 5th GRADERS. We hope you all participate in the HOUSE SHIELD DESIGN CHALLENGE! All designs are due next Friday, May 8th.
Watch this video to get info about the challenge and to see what steps you need to take.
Steps for logging into Adobe Spark: click link
Click this link to submit your design.
Have fun and happy designing!
Spring Picture Proofs and Group Pictures
We have been notified by Bill Miller Photographers that spring picture proofs are available for online viewing and orders. Parents wishing to view their child's proofs should call the Bill Miller office at 256-892-3150 weekdays from 8:00-12:00 or 1:00-4:00 to obtain an access code. You may also email hello@billmillerphotographers.com to obtain an access code.
Pre-order your child's 8x10 classroom group picture today at secure4.myschoolfees.com. These pictures were taken by Bill Miller Photographies, Inc. The firm deadline to pay online only is May 4th. All pictures will be mailed after the May 4th deadline. Bluff Park will receive 100% of sales. Since this is a preordered item, all sales are final. NOTE: The group pictures are NOT available for purchase through Bill Miller Photographies, Inc.
NOTE: “Bluff Park encourages the use of online payments at MySchoolFees (https://secure4.myschoolfees.com), accepting Discover and MasterCard (convenience fee applied) and electronic checks (no convenience fee). If the school should incur a fee due to a returned transaction, you will be responsible for paying that fee."
New Student Enrollment
If you have an incoming new student to Bluff Park Elementary for the 2020-2021 School Year, please complete our HCS New Student Pre-Registration Form. This process helps our school plan for the upcoming year. The form is provided in both English and Spanish:
https://bit.ly/2020_2021NewStudentEnglish
https://bit.ly/2020_2021NewStudentSpanish
Upon completing the Pre-Registration Form, you can drop off your required documents for enrollment (listed below) at the school on Mondays from 8:00am to 12:00pm. Please put all copies of documents in a gallon size ziploc bag labeled with the student’s name. There will be a drop off container displayed inside the front doors of the school.
Required Documents (copies):
Student’s Birth Certificate
Student’s Social Security Card (voluntary)
Government Issued Photo ID of Parent/Guardian
Current Lease Agreement or Recorded Deed in Parent/Guardian Name (must contact HCS Student Services if not in your name)
Current Utility Bill in Parent/Guardian Name (Power, Gas or Water)
Divorce, *Custody, Adoption Papers, if applicable (*if no Custody Papers exist, an Absence of Custody form will be provided from the school for completion)
Student’s State of Alabama ImmPrint Immunization Form
Hoover City Schools also has an online registration process. After your child has been enrolled, you will receive an email this summer with instructions on completing the online process. Please be sure this is completed and submitted when you receive it.
If you have any questions regarding enrollment, please contact the registrar, Marjee Frier.
SCHOOL SUPPLIES
2020-2021 School Supply Packs are on sale thru June 7th, late orders thru June 28th. Please click here for more information. The supply list will be posted after June 28th, if you need to purchase your own supplies.
BPES SOCIAL MEDIA
Don't forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram (@bluffparkelem) and Twitter. Please check the website for our weekly Newsletter as well.
School Supply Packs
The sale of school supply packs will begin soon! Save time and money on school supplies for next year by shopping online only through Educational Products, Inc. Since this is a preordered item, the sale of school supply packs are non-refundable. See insert flyer.
Click here for more information about School Supply Packs.
HCS New Student Pre-Registration
Fundraiser! Peskies Pest Control
Helpful Tip from Kindergarten
Are you having trouble keeping your child focused? Check out the suggestions below!
- Create a designated, quiet space for your child to work if possible
- Offer plenty of breaks as needed
- Set a time for your child (5-15 minutes is reasonable for most kindergarteners)
- Set small, attainable goals and offer positive reinforcement when goals are met (praise, stickers, free time, etc)
2019-2020 Yearbook
Digital Citizenship
Free Meals
Green Valley Elementary
Monday - Friday 11:00am - 1:00pm
Anyone age 18 or younger qualifies for a meal bag that contains a ready to eat lunch and breakfast items for the next day.
This is a curbside drive-thru pick up service.
Information From Our District Counselors
Handling Disappointment During COVID 19 Another devastating effect of the pandemic is handling disappointment. Disappointments are significant during COVID 19 - not being able to participate in sports, graduation, significant birthdays, and class parties; it seems like everything has been canceled. Even the inability to meet friends for dinner or a movie is having a huge impact on adults and kids. This isolation may be causing intense emotions at times and everyone will cope a little differently. Here are some tips you can use for not only your child but yourself as well. Listen and Validate: We can’t fix the problem but we can listen actively and validate their frustration. Remember not to judge; something that seems like no big deal to us may be devastating to them (missing end of year parties, a field trip, Prom, Graduation, etc.). Feeling disappointed right now is normal; give yourself and your child permission to grieve. Provide support and encouragement as they cope with this challenging situation. It’s Not Forever: Although we don’t know exactly when this will end, it will end. Let your child know you understand their feelings, for example, “I hear your frustration that you don’t believe this will end and I agree that it is hard. I am proud of you for how you are handling this very difficult challenge.” Talk about what there is still to look forward to. Find Solutions: Get creative. We may not be able to attend graduation or have the birthday party we planned but there are many ways we can celebrate differently, virtually, or otherwise. I passed a house in my neighborhood last week who had all their holiday blowups in their yard (Halloween, Christmas, Football) and signs celebrating their son’s birthday. A new family tradition? Provide a Sense of Control: Since we have so little control over events happening around us, control the events happening to us. Let your kids decide some daily activities and plans. (pick out what to do for dinner, choose a movie to watch or game to play, decide on an outdoor activity like going to the park, riding bikes or hiking). Even small decisions like these can provide a positive feeling of control over their environment. Find Ways to Give Back: It may be hard to participate in typical community service projects, but be creative and find ways you can help. Giving back to the community is a powerful way to have a sense of purpose. Send cards of encouragement to healthcare workers or people living in retirement communities and nursing homes. Leave your postal carrier a note of appreciation. (If you’re able, donate food to a food bank or to local families in need through Hoover Helps - accepting donations at the Hoover Rec Center Mon-Fri from 8:00 AM -10:30 AM.) For Parents of Elementary Students Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. The Second Step program is the SEL curriculum used by our elementary schools and they are currently offering free lessons during COVID 19. For anyone interested, the lessons can be found here https://www.secondstep.org/covid19support
Chromebook Repairs
BEFORE you consider bringing your Chromebook up to the school for repair, please keep in mind a few important details:
The Chromebook repair process will take longer than usual due to the precautions Hoover staff will take to stay safe. This includes a quarantine time period before we pass it off to the technician and an additional quarantine time period once it is received by the technician.
Only critical repairs will be processed at this time (as in, the Chromebook doesn't work and learning can't take place). Unnecessary or non-critical repairs will be sent back to BPES and returned to the student.
In order to process a Chromebook repair, you must complete this form first.
You may be able to fix some Chromebook problems yourself! Please view this document and possibly save yourself a trip and a week or more of downtime!
Daily Broadcast
Bluff Park Broadcast will still be a part of our students' lives over the next 8 weeks, and we need your help! We are looking for students or families to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. If you would like to join us on broadcast, please send us a video of your child or family leading the Pledge, and then watch our daily broadcasts to see yourselves! Also, keep watching for more calls for videos that will be a part of Bluff Park Broadcast! To submit videos, either share them via your student's Google Drive to Mrs. Copeland at macopeland@hoover.k12.al.us, or email them to her at macopeland@hoover.k12.al.us.
From Mrs. Gaines
¡Hola mi familia de Bluff Park! I have really missed seeing all of my ‘amigos’ in class these past few weeks. I wanted to reach out and really say MUCHAS GRACIAS to all the parents and students who have gone above and beyond and continued to be involved in Spanish. I have really enjoyed seeing the creativity in the Flipgrid video challenges and seeing my students use their Spanish at home with the Spanish choices as well. I look forward to hearing from more of you each week. I wanted to suggest some resources for those who want to learn a little more on their own as well. Some of my favorites are Duolingo and Word Reference. Duolingo offers practice and Word Reference is a dictionary. On youtube, you can find Rockalingua that has many videos of Spanish themes.
Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. I hope you are all doing well and look forward to hearing from you and/or seeing you all soon.
Gracias for all you do,
Profesora Melany Gaines
Instagram: sragainesbpes
From Mrs. Selman
Guidelines to Prevent Illness
- Stay home when you are sick. If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness. Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. Germs spread this way.
- Cover coughs and sneezes. Use a tissue to cover coughs and sneezes, then dispose of the tissue. When a tissue is not available, cough or sneeze into your elbow.
- Clean and disinfect surfaces or objects. Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at home, work or school, especially when someone is ill.
- Wash hands for 20 seconds. Washing hands often under clean, running water can help prevent the spread of germs. If you cannot wash your hands, use alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60-95% alcohol.
Handwashing video for students:
Bluff Park Elementary School
Website: https://www.hoovercityschools.net/bluffpark
Location: 569 Park Avenue, Hoover, AL, USA
Phone: 205 439 2800
Facebook: facebook.com/bluffparkelem
Twitter: @BluffParkElem
Equal Educational Opportunities
(Notice of Nondiscrimination for all Mass-Distributed Publications/Mass Communications)
Updated 2018
EQUAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
(Board policy, 6.6) No student will be unlawfully excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination in any program or activity offered or sponsored by the Board on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, disability, creed, national origin, sex, immigrant or migrant status, non-English speaking ability, or homeless status. All career and technical education opportunities are offered to all students regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, or disability. The district also provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups.
Mrs. Claire Jones-Moore, IDEA Coordinator
Mrs. Anna Whitney, Section 504 Coordinator
Dr. Debra Walker Smith, Title I Coordinator
Dr. Autumm Jeter, Title II Coordinator
Dr. Debra Walker Smith, Title III Coordinator
Dr. Tera Simmons, Title IX Coordinator
Hoover City Schools
2810 Metropolitan Way
Hoover, AL 35243
(205) 439-1000
EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY
(Board policy, 5.14.1) The Board is an equal opportunity employer. Personnel actions and decisions will be made without regard to factors or considerations prohibited by federal or state law (as such laws may from time to time be amended), including but not limited to race, gender, age, disability, national origin, citizenship, and religious preference. Subject to the limitations set forth in 4.6.2, the general complaint (grievance) policy (4.6.1) may be used to present any complaint alleging unlawful discrimination or harassment. Inquiries regarding compliance and complaint procedures can be directed to:
Mary Veal, Equal Opportunity Employment Coordinator
Hoover City Schools
2810 Metropolitan Way
Hoover, AL 35243
(205) 439-1000