Bellingham Buzz
All Things To Know About at BMS 10/26/18
SAVE THE DATE
- Friday, October 26th – 4th & 5th Grade PTO Halloween Dance 6:00pm – 8:00pm
- Tuesday, October 30th - 7th Grade Punkin Chunkin (rain date - October 31st)
- Tuesday, October 3oth - BHS Community Presentation - Hidden in Plain Site
- Wednesday, October 31st - Adjective Day at BMS - Dress up like an adventurous adjective dress code still applies, no masks or weapons
- Wednesday, October 31st – Early Release 11:05am
- Monday, November 5th - Friday, November 9th - Scholastic Book Fair
- Tuesday, November 6th - Book Fair Family Night 5:15pm - 7:00pm
- Wednesday, November 7th - Picture Re-Takes
- Monday, November 12th - No School - Veteran's Day Observance
Administrator's Corner
Between apples in homeroom, field trips in fifth grade, and Survivor simulations in science class, it's been a fun and busy week at Bellingham Memorial School! Our students have been up to their elbows in learning and applying their knowledge in meaningful ways both in and beyond our building. In addition to learning curriculum, we also wrapped up a month of fundraising for cancer awareness. In total, between selling bracelets, headbands, and allowing students to wear hats, we raised over $500 to help families battling cancer and local organizations who support those families. We are excited to foster a sense of compassion in addition to the academic skills we regularly work on.
NURSE'S NEWS
Parents - if your child is not feeling their best and you send them to school, PLEASE feel free to call me and give me a heads up. I will gladly call you if that is what you wish. I have seen quite a few students who come in right off the bus, or very early in the day, telling me that mom said "if they come to the nurse they should call home and they will be picked up". They are not open to any of my suggestions to make them feel better and are intent on just going home. This makes for a VERY DISAPPOINTED student who thinks they are going home when that is not possible.
REPORT CARDS
All report cards will be available for parents to view and print on the SchoolBrains portal this year.
If you do not have a login for SchoolBrains or are having difficulty accessing the portal, please contact Jeff Maxwell for assistance by emailing jmaxwell@bpsdk12.org.
BMS LIBRARY NEWS
The Scholastic Book Fair begins Monday, November 5th!
Students will all have the opportunity to visit the fair during regular school hours beginning Monday, November 5th through Friday, November 9th.
Please make plans to join us on Tuesday evening, November 6th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. for our FAMILY NIGHT at the fair OR shop ONLINE beginning November 1st at: http://www.scholastic.com/bookfairs/findafair
PTO NEWS
Parents – start your holiday shopping early! Gift cards are the perfect gift for everyone on your list. Our PTO has partnered with Scrip – an organization that we can buy gift cards from. There are 100s of options to choose from and no mark up to you! A $25 gift card to The Gap will cost you $25 (as an example). The PTO will get a % back on each card you buy. Ask your friends and neighbors if they’d like any cards too – the more cards we sell, the more dollars the PTO has to run some great programs. We will be sending copies of the flyer and order form home early next week.
For the orderform with our School ID number, please use this link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2MfjOMgBC0_UWdPeG9QV1dfV2lPUFBiM19sNDFIcjZaTDR3/view?usp=sharing
BMS WRESTLING SIGN UPS
- Sign up with be outside the BMS Cafeteria on Monday Oct. 29th for 5th, 6th, and 7th graders
- Wrestling practice starts Monday Nov. 26th after School in the BHS cafeteria
- Students will be walked up by the coach after school to BHS
- Students must provide their own transportation home @ 3:30pm and can be picked up behind the BHS cafetaria
- Students must register thru familyid.com
YMCA Program Offered
10-26-16
SAVE THE DATE
- Saturday, October 20th – BHS Gym – Wizards Basketball 6:30pm
- Monday, October 22nd – Dress rehearsal for 7th Grade Step Band Concert - BHS 2:30 – 4:30
- Tuesday, October 23rd - Red Sox Day at BMS - Wear favorite Red Sox Gear
- Thursday, October 25th – 7th Step Up Band Concert – BHS Auditorium – 7pm
- Friday, October 26th - Pink Day at BMS - To Support Cancer Awareness
- Friday, October 26th – 5th Grade Sturbridge Village Field Trip
- Friday, October 26th – 4th & 5th Grade PTO Halloween Dance 6:00pm – 8:00pm
- Tuesday, October 30th - 7th Grade Punkin Chunkin (rain date - October 31st)
- Wednesday, October 31st - Adjective Day at BMS - Dress up like an adventurous adjective dress code still applies, no masks or weapons
- Wednesday, October 31st – Early Release 11:05am
ADMINISTRATOR’S CORNER
Another week is in the books for BMS! As the seasons change and the weather gets colder, please make sure your students are dressing for the elements. Particularly, students in grades 4 and 5 should have winter gear for outdoor recess, in addition to all students who wait for parent pick up or walk home from the bus.
Related to buses, please make sure your child has their bus pass every day to come to school. If you are still in need of a bus pass, please contact Mike Roche at mroche@bpsdk12.org to arrange obtaining one. That information, and many other helpful links, can be found on our school website and our Facebook page.
Thanks, as always, for staying up to date and working with us to provide the best learning experiences for our students!
NURSE'S NEWS
We still have almost 20 7th graders who are STILL non-compliant with the state mandated updated physicals and immunization documentation. Letters were sent home last week setting a cutoff date for attendance for those students who have not presented the previously mentioned documentation. As always, if you have any questions, please contact me at 508-883-2248 or mloftus@bpsdk12.org
Parents - if your child is not feeling their best and you send them to school, PLEASE feel free to call me and give me a heads up. I will gladly call you if that is what you wish. I have seen quite a few students who come in right off the bus, or very early in the day, telling me that mom said "if they come to the nurse they should call home and they will be picked up". They are not open to any of my suggestions to make them feel better and are intent on just going home. This makes for a VERY DISAPPOINTED student who thinks they are going home when that is not possible.
BMS Library
BMS will be hosting a Scholastic Book Fair and VOLUNTEERS ARE NEED! If you have some time to volunteer during the school day and you have an approved CORI on file, please email Mrs. Dowrey, Library Assistant/Book Fair Chairperson at sdowrey@bpsdk12.org indicating your interest and availability between November 5th and 9th.
Students will have the opportunity to visit the fair during regular school hours. More details will follow in the days ahead.
PTO NEWS
Parents – start your holiday shopping early! Gift cards are the perfect gift for everyone on your list. Our PTO has partnered with Scrip – an organization that we can buy gift cards from. There are 100s of options to choose from and no mark up to you! A $25 gift card to The Gap will cost you $25 (as an example). The PTO will get a % back on each card you buy. Ask your friends and neighbors if they’d like any cards too – the more cards we sell, the more dollars the PTO has to run some great programs. We will be sending copies of the flyer and order form home early next week.
Reminder, the deadline is October 21st for BMS spirit gear! Please feel free to purchase gear from the PTO Spiritwear online store here:
BMS WRESTLING SIGN UPS
- Sign up with be outside the BMS Cafeteria on Monday Oct. 29th for 5th, 6th, and 7th graders
- Wrestling practice starts Monday Nov. 26th after School in the BHS cafeteria
- Students will be walked up by the coach after school to BHS
- Students must provide their own transportation home @ 3:30pm and can be picked up behind the BHS cafetaria
- Students must register thru familyid.com
10-15-18
SAVE THE DATE
- · Friday, October 12th – PTO Family Fun Night – Urban Air 4:00pm – 9:00pm
- · Friday, October 19th – 4th Grade Field Trip – NE Rev’s Fitness Day
- · Saturday, October 20th – BHG Gym – Wizards Basketball 6:30pm (flyer below)
- · Friday, October 26th – 5th Grade Sturbridge Village Field Trip
- · Friday, October 26th – 4th & 5th Grade PTO Halloween Dance 6:00pm – 8:00pm
- · Tuesday, October 30th - 7th Grade Punkin Chunkin (rain date - October 31st)
- · Wednesday, October 31st – Early Release 11:05am
ADMINISTRATOR’S CORNER
Happy Bellingham Blackhawk Pride Day! Students had a great time showing off their Spirit Week pride for their school by participating in pajama day, wacky Wednesday, twin day, and today's black and white day. We had lots of fun being goofy while we learned. To keep the spirit alive, please feel free to purchase some BMS gear from the PTO Spiritwear online store here:
https://bmsspiritwear18.itemorder.com/sale
In addition to all the regular learning opportunities in store for our students this month, we are hosting the Harlem Wizards this Monday afternoon for a whole-school anti-bullying presentation. This supports our Hawks Expectations of Acting Appropriately and Having Respect. We appreciate you engaging in ongoing conversations with your kids about these topics and all the other things they are learning and doing at school.
6/7 PROGRESS REPORTS
If you do not have a login for SchoolBrains or are having difficulty accessing the portal, please contact Jeff Maxwell for assistance by emailing jmaxwell@bpsdk12.org.
Moving forward, due to the increasing use of SchoolBrains, we plan to eventually discontinue the practice of posting separate quarterly interim reports. All teachers will update grades in SchoolBrains no less than every two weeks so families can get an accurate snapshot of their child’s progress, negating the need for the quarterly interim reports. This will likely happen during the second half of the school year, and we will communicate that change out to families at that time.
NURSE'S NEWS
We still have almost 20 7th graders who are STILL non-compliant with the state mandated updated physicals and immunization documentation. Letters were sent home last week setting a cutoff date for attendance for those students who have not presented the previously mentioned documentation. As always, if you have any questions, please contact me at 508-883-2248 or mloftus@bpsdk12.org
The Town of Bellingham will be holding their Family Flu Clinic on Monday, October 15th from 4 - 7 PM at the Town Hall, in the Arcand Room. Please bring insurance information, no one will be turned away!
Parents - if your child is not feeling their best and you send them to school, PLEASE feel free to call me and give me a heads up. I will gladly call you if that is what you wish. I have seen quite a few students who come in right off the bus, or very early in the day, telling me that mom said "if they come to the nurse they should call home and they will be picked up". They are not open to any of my suggestions to make them feel better and are intent on just going home. This makes for a VERY DISAPPOINTED student who thinks they are going home when that is not possible.
DISTRICT & SCHOOL WEBSITES
Please note the deadline to purchase Chromebook insurance for 7th grade has been extended through October 31.
In addition to the district website, BMS uses a variety of websites and apps to enhance communication and student learning. In an effort to streamline that information for you, we have created this overview of websites that your child may be using for school. Please be aware that not every student will be using every website or app, but we hope you find this database to be useful. Please contact individual teachers with questions regarding access to specific websites or apps as appropriate.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1leCQReFmyyCdIL89VvPPb37Q5RJscI4k68J2LMI4RCc/edit?usp=sharing
LATE BUSES, EXTRA HELP, & EXTRACURRICULARS
Please communicate with your children so you know whether or not they are staying after.
REMINDER – Robotics club will meet this Monday, October 15th. The club will be held in C-202 at BMS. Mr. Haddad from BHS (math teacher) will be teaching the club along with students from his National Honor Society. There is a waitlist, so students that are not present for the first class may lose their placement. Good grades and good attendance are required to be in and remain in the club.
Teachers come in early or stay late on some days to provide extra help for students. Teachers' help days can be found here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/16Ou7AZjSn_7tsHc9X9E2kkIVAP8gCz9eW6s5mqnk8fQ/edit?usp=sharing
BMS offers several after school activities for the students. In addition to what was posted last week, Robotics Club and Drama have been added to our list.
Click below for information regarding the clubs being offered right now.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Lln169jIVW2y7GdO-DjIJQgEHpG8jWZf3oHdCINo0xo/edit?usp=sharing
BMS LIBRARY NEWS
BMS will be hosting a Scholastic Book Fair and VOLUNTEERS ARE NEED! If you have some time to volunteer during the school day and you have an approved CORI on file, please email Mrs. Dowrey, Library Assistant/Book Fair Chairperson at sdowrey@bpsdk12.org indicating your interest and availability between November 5th and 9th.
Students will have the opportunity to visit the fair during regular school hours. More details will follow in the days ahead.
NEWS FROM ATHLETICS
Boston ECG Project:
The athletic department is excited to bring to Bellingham the Boston ECG Project, an initiative that is highlighted in this month's edition (page 25) of the Bellingham Bulletin.
Testing (by reservation) is scheduled for Saturday, October 20 between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm and is limited to 150 participants. If interest exceeds 150, an attempt will be made to add staff, but since there are no guarantees - REGISTER NOW!
The target audience is youth age 12 - 25 and you do not have to be a student-athlete to be tested. Thanks to a generous donation from the town's new trash removal company EL Harvey & Sons, testing is free!
Here are some statistics Boston ECG Project has shared with us:
• Sudden Cardiac Death is the #1 medical killer of young athletes
• Sudden Cardiac Death is the #2 medical cause of death among youth under age 25
• One student athlete dies every 3 days – it's the leading cause of death on school campuses
• 1 out of 200 adolescents will harbor a potential lethal undiagnosed cardiac condition.
Boston ECG Project Charitable Organization is a 501c3 non profit organization whose purpose is to save the lives of children and adolescents by preventing sudden cardiac death, and identifying underlying cardiac abnormalities and conditions, which are often missed by the usual history and physical examination. This will be done with a screening electrocardiogram (ECG). The organization's goal is to develop an affordable model, and initiate a study, that ultimately may justify wide spread ECG screening for all of our youth.
We are thrilled that Bellingham Public School will take part in what we believe will be a seminal study. To register, use the following link:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0d49aaad2fa0f49-tvlbellingham
Winter Sports:
Registration is now open for Middle School Wrestling. This is a co-ed sport under MIAA guidelines and is open to BMS. The team is coached by our HS Wrestling staff. You will need a current physical on file. to participate.
Please use FamilyID to register:
https://www.familyid.com/organizations/bellingham-high-school-athletics
Week of 10/5/18
SAVE THE DATE
Friday, October 5th - Parent Portal open for 6/7 Progress Reports 3:00pm
Monday, October 8th - Columbus Day - NO SCHOOL
Tuesday, October 9-Friday, October 12: SPIRIT WEEK!
Tuesday: Pajama Day
Wednesday: Wacky Wednesday
Thursday: Twin Day
Friday: BMS Blackhawk Pride DayFriday, October 12th – PTO Family Fun Night – Urban Air 4:00pm – 9:00pm
Saturday, October 20th – BHG Gym – Wizards Basketball 6:30pm (flyer below)
Friday, October 26th – 4th and 5th Grade PTO Halloween Dance 6:00pm – 8:00pm
Tuesday, October 30th - 7th Grade Punkin Chunkin (rain date - October 31st)
Wednesday, October 31st – Early Release 11:05am
ADMINISTRATOR’S CORNER
We had another productive week at BMS, and look forward to all the exciting things October has to offer for our students! Between field trips, extracurriculars, and projects, our students are learning and growing every day.
Just a reminder for families who drop students off students in the morning: There is no supervision before 7:45, so please have a conversation with your children about safe behavior and respectful expectations if you plan on leaving them before there is oversight. Likewise, pickup is at 2:20, so if you will not be here at that time, please have a plan for your child to have an activity or place to go as they cannot stay in the building unsupervised. Student safety is paramount, and we need your help in ensuring our school is the best it can be.
On a related note, if you haven’t done so already, please take a moment to read through our parent/student handbook that can be found here on our district website:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wVFNPydeD-iCDUwZhVjxqSdUnRw8zXB6PmwB9i-oYqg/edit?ts=5b7f08de
While much of the information is the same as prior years, our dresscode and Chromebook policies have been updated. We encourage you and your children to familiarize yourselves with that information, and refresh yourself about everything else in the handbook.
Finally, below is a picture of our Hawks Expectations matrix. These are posted around the building to reinforce appropriate behavior and expectations. We appreciate your support in using some of this language at home with your children and encouraging them to try and earn some Hawks Tickets! We are in the process of reworking our prize menus for winning students, and these positive reinforcements along with with student safety and an environment of learning are our ultimate goals!
6/7 Progress Reports
Interim Reports for students in grades 6 and 7 are now available on the parent SchoolBrains portal, which can now be accessed from the district homepage using the SchoolBrains icon. If you do not have a login for SchoolBrains or are having difficulty accessing the portal, please contact Jeff Maxwell for assistance by emailing jmaxwell@bpsdk12.org. At the end of Term 1, report cards will be posted here as well.
Moving forward, due to the increasing use of SchoolBrains, we plan to eventually discontinue the practice of posting separate quarterly interim reports. All teachers will update grades in SchoolBrains no less than every two weeks so families can get an accurate snapshot of their child’s progress, negating the need for the quarterly interim reports. This will likely happen during the second half of the school year, and we will communicate that change out to families at that time.
NURSE'S NEWS
We still have almost 30 7th graders who are STILL non-compliant with the state mandated updated physicals and immunization documentation. Letters will be going home in early October setting a cut off date for attendance for those students who have not presented the previously mentioned documentation. As always, if you have any questions, please contact me at 508-883-2248 or mloftus@bpsdk12.org
The Town of Bellingham will be holding their Family Flu Clinic on Monday, October 15thfrom 4 - 7 PM at the Town Hall, in the Arcand Room. Please bring insurance information, no one will be turned away!
TO 7TH GRADE PARENTS: SBIRT screening for 7th grade will begin in October. If you wish to opt your 7th grade student out of the SBIRT screening, please return the opt out form sent to you in August. If you have misplaced the form and want to opt out your student, please call the Nurse, Maureen Loftus at 508-883-2248.
FOOD SERVICES
Breakfast is $1.50 and lunches are $2.75 ($.30 breakfast & $.40 lunch for qualified reduced meals). If you qualify for free meals, we hope your child takes advantage of both meals at no cost. We provide a wide variety of delicious and nutritious meals for your students to choose from!
The 2018-2019 Free & Reduced Meals application is available either in the main office or on the District website. You must reapply annually, so if you qualified last year, you must have applications submitted by October 16th to ensure your student is eligible for this school year! You can apply throughout the school year if you need assistance.
Students are expected to pay for their meals at the time of service. Snacks and beverages are not allowed to be charged if no money is on the account. Our District charging policy has a maximum of -$9.00 at BMS. We encourage you to prepay in advance either at the register by cash, check (made payable to Bellingham School Nutrition) or myschoolbucks.com.
Please take advantage of myschoolbucks.com to set up a free account that allows you to receive low balance email notifications, view meal purchases, or pay student meal accounts online by credit & debit card (for a transaction fee). To set up a new account you will need your student ID# (if you are unsure what that is, please contact the School Nutrition office).
Feel free to contact the School Nutrition Office at (508) 883-0744 if you have any questions and check us out on the District Website & our Bellingham Public Schools Nutrition & Wellness Facebook page for menus and helpful information!
DISTRICT & SCHOOL WEBSITES
There was an update to the district website. In order to find the parent portal of SchoolBrains easier, the icon on the homepage has been updated to be a direct link for families.
Also, please note the deadline to purchase Chromebook insurance for 7th grade has been extended through October 31.
In addition to the district website, BMS uses a variety of websites and apps to enhance communication and student learning. In an effort to streamline that information for you, we have created this overview of websites that your child may be using for school. Please be aware that not every student will be using every website or app, but we hope you find this database to be useful. Please contact individual teachers with questions regarding access to specific websites or apps as appropriate.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1leCQReFmyyCdIL89VvPPb37Q5RJscI4k68J2LMI4RCc/edit?usp=sharing
If you haven't already done so, it is very important to complete the important beginning of year paperwork which we are now collecting through FamilyID. All of the questions on these forms are important to ensure student safety with medical updates as well as other important information. If you have not already done so, please log onto the district website and choose your child’s school to access the FamilyID site, or click on the links below:
https://www.familyid.com/bellingham-memorial-school/bms-2018-2019-school-year-forms
LATE BUSES, EXTRA HELP, & EXTRACURRICULARS
Please communicate with your children so you know whether or not they are staying after.
Teachers come in early or stay late on some days to provide extra help for students. Teachers' help days can be found here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/16Ou7AZjSn_7tsHc9X9E2kkIVAP8gCz9eW6s5mqnk8fQ/edit?usp=sharing
BMS offers several after school activities for the students. In addition to what was posted last week, Robotics Club and Drama have been added to our list.
Click below for information regarding the clubs being offered right now.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Lln169jIVW2y7GdO-DjIJQgEHpG8jWZf3oHdCINo0xo/edit?usp=sharing
The Ski Club is not a BMS sponsored activity, but is available for students in our school. The Ski Club goes to Wachusett Mountain every Sunday starting January 6th for six (6) weeks. The Ski club is the ideal way for kids to get outdoors during the winter for a fun, healthy activity. Great opportunity for anyone who wants to learn to ski or snowboard. Rental equipment and lessons are available for all levels. Students Grade 4 through 7 and their parents are welcome. Any 4th grade students must have a parent who skis or snowboards must accompany them each week. Registration will open in October. Additional information will be available soon. If you have any questions in advance please free to email Debbie Forget at bmmskiclub@gmail.com