Birch Meadow Newsflash
April 8, 2024
Notes From Dr. Burnham
*Attention 5th Grade Families: I will be sending out a finalized list of dates and scheduled events for our 5th grade celebration week tomorrow! Please watch your inbox for this email. This will be the first year we've held a "5th grade celebration week," and we hope to make it an annual tradition. The events have been heavily influenced by student input shared with me during 5th grade circles with the principal this year, and I am really excited to share the schedule for the week with you.
*Postural screenings are being conducted on fifth graders the week after April vacation (4/22). Please read and complete the form that was emailed to you on 3-28-24 if you do not want your child to be screened at school. Please feel free to contact our nurse, Peggy Costello, if you have any questions.
*I look forward to hosting the next PTO General Assembly live and in-person "coffee with the principal" this coming Wednesday in the Birch Meadow cafeteria at 8:30 AM. I will be presenting information on MCAS. I hope to see you there!
*ArtsFest 2024: We’re excited to report that Birch Meadow has 60+ pieces of student artwork on display, and that Birch Meadow students will be featured in the live student performances on Monday starting at approximately 5:30 PM. ArtsFest 2024 officially kicks off this Monday, April 8th and is a three-day annual festival celebrating the artistic work of RPS students. Student-created visual artwork and media will be on display at the art exhibition running the length of RMHS Main Street and open for public viewing each day from 5:00 to 8:15 PM.
I hope to see you there! For more details please see the attached flyer.
*Reading Police Department Cafeteria Takeover: Members of the Reading Police Department took over the Birch Meadow cafeteria last week to serve lunch and spending some time with students. Thank you to our officers for giving our awesome lunch staff a break! Click here to see some photos from RPD school visits.
*METCO Sweatshirts: Interested in purchasing some METCO swag? Many Birch Meadwo families have been asking about METCO sweatshirts, and now is your chance to get one! Click here to order a METCO sweatshirt in black, mint or classic Reading red! Orders will close on April 16th and there is an estimated 2-week turnaround for orders placed. When completing the form, please list your school address as shipping address. All orders will be delivered to the school and you will be notified when they are ready for pickup
*Solar Eclipse Safety Updates: There is much anticipation around Monday’s Solar Eclipse! The eclipse will begin here in Reading just shortly after 2:00 PM and last about two and a half hours. As it will overlap with dismissal we ask for your help in talking with your student(s) about the importance of not looking directly at the eclipse without proper eye protection. DESE has shared some educational and informational resources. Click here for some more important information to note about the Eclipse.
*SEPAC Newsletter: Click here to read the SEPAC newsletter and learn more about upcoming events such as transition presentations, IEP presentations, and the annual SEPAC survey.
*Projected remaining MCAS dates for planning purposes:
4/10 & 4/11 - Grades 3 & 5 ELA
5/8 & 5/9 - Grades 3 & 5 Math
5/15 & 5/16 - Grade 4 Math
5/20 & 5/21 - Grade 5 STE
BIRCH MEADOW PTO NEWS
Read-a-thon PRIZE UPDATE
Thank you all for your support of our Read-a-thon fundraiser! The school did an amazing job and helped us raise over $11,000 in support of our school-wide PTO funded initiatives. Students read an impressive 211,743 minutes, had a lot of fun dressing up their “Owlvatars”, and enjoyed interacting with their friends.
We’re excited to announce our prizes (stay tuned for dates):
- We met our school-wide goals and Birch Bears won both a Crazy Hair Day and PJ & Stuffy Day.
- Our top class with most minutes read and winners of Silly String fun with Dr. Burnham and Ms. Azzarito: Miss Mucha & Mr. Woods' Fourth Grade Class
- Top classes by grade and winners of an extra recess (to be staffed by volunteers, stay tuned for a sign-up):
- Kindergarten - Ms. Waldman’s Class
- First Grade - Mrs Carroll’s Class
- Second Grade - Mrs. Gagnon’s Class
- Third Grade - Miss Kramer’s class
- Fifth Grade- Mrs. Murzycki & Ms. Sanfelieu’s class
- Additionally, 38 students won raffle prize books (2 per class, distributed by teachers). Students who logged over 300 minutes were entered into our raffle drawing.
Calareso's Gift Certificate Distribution -
Thank you all for your purchase of Calareso’s gift certificates. Gift certificates will be distributed the week of 4/22. If you placed an order for over $100, please pick up in the Birch Meadow office. Orders under $100 will go home in your child’s backpack.
If you would prefer to pick up your gift certificate, please email BirchMeadowPTO@gmail.com.
UPCOMING EVENTS
UPCOMING DATE REMINDERS
April 10th - General PTO Mtg @ 8:30 AM in school Cafeteria
April 12th - All School Dance Party, Board-Game Day, & Ice Cream* at Lunch! 🏆
April Vacation Dates - Monday, April 15th - Friday, April 19th
Monday, May 27th - Memorial Day. No School
PROJECTED MCAS DATES
- April 10 - 11th - Grade 3 & 5 ELA MCAS
- May 8 - 9th - Grade 3 & 5 Math MCAS
- May 15 - 16th - Grade 4 Math MCAS
- May 20 - 21st - Grade 5 Science MCAS
🏆 = TURKEY TROT PRIZE!
*Ice cream graciously donated by Cal's Creamery! Dairy-free option will be available!
PTO Board Position Opening!
Our Enrichment Coordinator, Gina McCormick, will have her last Birchie Bear graduating this year so we are looking for a new Coordinator! This position is so vital to the mission of the PTO and enrichment programming makes up the majority of our annual budget. The coordinator oversees the planning and scheduling of all enrichment visits to the school and field trips. They assign programs to the volunteers from each grade and they handle all of the budgeting, invoices and bus scheduling. They coordinate some grade-level programs and the all-school author event. In the past they have also worked on grants to support our enrichment programming. The coordinator also sits on the PTO Board and is a voting member.
If you're interested in hearing more about this important position, our current Coordinator, Gina, is happy to answer any questions you might have. You can email the PTO at birchmeadowpto@gmail.com to get in touch!
School Transition Presentations:
Thursday, April 11th, 12-1pm (Virtual)
Wednesday, April 24th, 6pm (In Person at the RMHS Library Media Center)
Registration for virtual event, April 11th, 12-1pm
Registration for in-person event, April 24th, 6pm
The New IEP Presentations:
Wednesday, May 8th, 6PM (In Person - location TBD)
Thursday, May 9th, 12PM (Virtual)
We reviewed the survey results at our last meeting. Thank you to everyone who was able to complete the survey. If you did not get a chance yet, it’s not too late to submit as we will use this as a reference point to plan for next year.
Past Events:
Recorded events that’s available on the Reading SEPAC Webiste:
Extended School Year (ESY) Presentation Recording
MCAS & Students with Disabilities Presentation
Multi Tiered System of Support (MTSS) Presentation Recording Available on the Reading SEPAC Website
Review tiered system of supports and provide examples
Outline effective communication channels with your team and school
***Should you wish to reach out to Reading SEPAC anonymously, please use this form
BIRCH MERCH
CUSTOM NAME LABELS
MINTED STATIONARY & CARDS
Enjoy 20% off Minted cards & gift orders throughout the year, and Minted will donate 15% back to Birch PTO.
Use code: FUNDRAISEBIRCHMEADOW
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