March 2024
Beechwood Knoll School Newsletter
Principal Mrs. Marisa Rodriguez 617-984-8781 marisarodriguez@quincypublicschools.com
Secretary Mrs. Katie DeLancey 617-984-8781 kaitlindelancey@quincypublicschools.com
Guidance Mrs. Maura Hurst 617-984-8631 maurahurst@quincypublicschools.com
Nurse Mrs. Debbie Cerone 617-984-8632 deborahcerone@quincypublicschools.com
School Hours
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday - 8:15 AM - 2:30 PM
Wednesday - Early Release 8:15 AM - 11:55 AM
BKS Info
225 Fenno Street, Quincy, MA 02170
Telephone: 617-984-8781
Fax: 617-984-8636
Website
Calendar
March Events
- Monday, March 4 Grade 3 Quincy Historical Virtual Field Trip
- Monday, March 4 Grade 5 Planning Meeting 5:30 PM & PTO Meeting 6PM Zoom Link
- March 4-8 Read Across America Week at BKS
- Tuesday, March 5 No School - Massachusetts Presidential Primary Election
- Wednesday, March 6 QPS School Committee Meeting 6:30 PM
- Wednesday, March 6 BKS PBIS Virtual Assembly
- Wednesday, March 6 Last Day of Quincy Rec Winter Gym Program
- Thursday, March 7 Last day of Session 2 Extended Day Programs
- Monday, March 11 Grade 5 CTP Testing 9:00 - 11:00 AM
- Monday, March 11 Grade 2 Thomas Crane Public Library Presentation
- Tuesday, March 12 MARC Family Virtual Assembly 6:30 PM Zoom Link
- Thursday, March 14 Grade 5 Neponset River Watershed Association
- Monday, March 18 Citywide PTO Meeting 7:00 PM
- Friday, March 22 QPS Parent Academy: Science of Reading K-5 Event Link
- Wednesday, March 20 QPS School Committee Meeting 6:30 PM
- Friday, March 22 School Council Meeting 10-11 AM
- Friday, March 22 Term 2 Report Cards Published in Aspen
- Friday, March 29 No School - Good Friday
March Days of Recognition
- March is Women's History Month
- March is Irish American Heritage Month
- March is Greek American Heritage Month
- March is National Developmental Disability Awareness Month
- Tuesday, March 5 No School - Massachusetts Presidential Primary Election
- Sunday, March 10 Ramadan Begins
- Sunday, March 17 St. Patrick's Day
- Tuesday, March 19 Spring Equinox
- March 20-23 Nowruz
- Thursday, March 21 World Down Syndrome Awareness Day
- Monday, March 25 Holi
- Friday, March 29 No School - Good Friday
- Sunday, March 31 Easter
Spring 2024 MCAS Testing Dates Families of students in Grades 3-5, please make note of these testing days. Planned student absences on these days is highly discouraged. Thank you!
- Grade 3 ELA Monday, March 25 & Tuesday, March 26
- Grade 4 ELA Tuesday, April 2 & Friday, April 5
- Grade 5 ELA Monday, April 8 & Tuesday, April 9
- Grade 4 & 5 VOCAL Survey Wednesday, April 24
- Grade 3 Math Monday, May 6 & Tuesday, May 7
- Grade 4 Math Tuesday, May 14 & Friday, May 17
- Grade 5 Math Thursday, May 9 & Friday, May 10
- Grade 5 STE Monday, May 20 & Tuesday, May 21
Event Fliers
Report Cards: Term 2
Report Cards will be posted to all students' Aspen on Friday, March 22nd. Not sure how to log on? Please review the QPS Introduction to Aspen linked below. If you need your Aspen password reset, please call the main office at 617-984-8781.
Printing report cards will be upon parental/guardian request only for all Quincy Public Schools. If you would like to request a printed copy of your child's report card, please contact our main office.
Conferences
- Beechwood Knoll Term 2 Report Card Conferences
Wednesday, April 3, 2024
Afternoon - 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM in person at BKS
Evening - 4:30 PM - 6:30 PM remotely via Google Meet - Please use the PTC Fast link to sign up for your child/children’s conferences! You will need the name of your child’s homeroom teacher! www.ptcfast.com/schools/Quincy_Public_Schools
- Conferences will be 10 minutes per child. We encourage families to look over the report cards on Aspen the day before and come with any questions or concerns. In Grades 3-5, your child has more than one academic teacher. We are asking that we keep the conferences to the homeroom teacher so that all families can be accommodated for. Families are welcome to make additional appointments with intervention support & specialists.
- Families who have requested translators have been scheduled already. If you need to reschedule your translated appointment or would like to request to have a translator at your conference, please email Principal Mrs. Rodriguez at marisarodriguez@quincypublicschools.com
- Once you have signed up, www.ptcfast.com will send you reminders for your scheduled conference! If you are unsure of your appointment, please contact the main office at 617-984-8781
- Please make sure you are able to log into Google Meet prior to your conference to ensure there are no technology issues during your scheduled meeting.
Nurse's Message
I can not believe March is here. The days are longer, brighter and the first day of Spring is March 19th. March weather is fickle. We still may be cold in the morning, but warm up in the afternoon. If you are missing clothing items please check our lost and found.
As we head out of the cold and flu season I wanted to share some reminders. School sick rules remain in place. A child must be fever free and without medication or symptoms (vomiting, diarrhea) for 24 hours prior to the start of the school day. If your child will be absent from school please call the main office or my number and provide the reason for their absence.
4th grade physicals are past due. Please update the office on the status of your child pediatrician visit if you are not up to date. Vision and hearing failures have gone home a few times. If you have not seen a specialist yet please call my office to update me on when the appointment is scheduled. If you need a referral please let me know I have some local contacts. Good vision and hearing are instrumental in being able to access the school curriculum.
Thank you as always for communicating any illness, injury or concerns you may have for your child during the school day. If you need help or are in need of suggestions to help your child, please feel free to call the health office. My phone number is 617-984-8632 or email deborahcerone@quincypublicschools.com
I greatly appreciate your help in keeping our kids healthy and learning.
Mrs. Cerone, MSN, RN
617-984-8632
Counselor's Corner
March Madness
Happy. Sad. Angry. Disgust. Surprise. Fear.
So many human emotions. All feelings are normal. All feelings are temporary. They deliver a message. If we listen to that message, they move on. If we do not listen, they tend to come back.
Let’s talk about anger. What message is anger trying to give us? Did we have expectations that were not met? Did we feel unsafe? Are we tired, hungry, uncomfortable? Hurt? Feeling powerless? What is hiding behind that anger?
There are many ways that we can support kids as they are learning how to handle anger (beyond my favorite: “take a deep breath.”)
First off, it is important to let them know that it is ok to be angry. It’s normal. It just is not ok to hurt themselves, others or property when they are angry.
As adults, we need to keep ourselves calm if we are going to help them.
Take a moment. Take a breath. If we can stay calm, we can help them get there too.
The special connections we have with kids is our most powerful tool.
“Where in your body do you feel your anger? What clues is your body giving you?”
This can help get the “thinking” part of their brain back in charge. It also helps them learn to pay attention to what is going on inside of them.
“What happened before that angry feeling started?” We can help them start to notice the events or thoughts that brought on the angry feelings.
Here are a few of my favorite books on the subject:
Hello, Anger by Jessica Sinarki (Grades 2-5)
A Little SPOT of Anger: A Story About Managing BIG Emotions (Inspire to Create A Better You!) by Diane Alber (Grade K-3)
Roaring Mad Riley: An Anger Management Story for Kids by Allison Szczecinski, MEd and Dean Gray (Grades K-1)
What Should Danny Do? (The Power to Choose Series) by Adir Levy, Ganit Levy (Author), Mat Sadler (Illustrator) (Grades K-3)
Good Inside, by Dr. Becky Kennedy (parents)
Maura Hurst, School Counselor
PBIS
March expected behavior: Respect for others in the cafeteria
- Control your body
- Be responsible for your own food
- Respect lunch monitors and peers
Chronic Absenteeism
Together with the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (MA DESE) and the Quincy Public Schools, Beechwood Knoll is focusing our efforts on student attendance. Massachusetts defines chronically absent as missing at least 10 percent of days enrolled (for instance, 18 days absent if enrolled for a typical school year of 180 days), regardless of the reason for the absence. Being chronically absent can have a significant impact on a student's academic progress and their ability to access the variety of academic and non-academic supports that schools provide.
Throughout the school year, our goal at Beechwood Knoll is to continue to inform our families of the district and state policies for student attendance. Our Main Office is monitoring student attendance closely and will communicate with families of students who are absent more than 10% of the school year at any given time. We are also increasing opportunities to highlight strong student attendance! While we understand students will be absent for illness or special circumstances, we appreciate your support in routine attendance of your child daily! Our day of learning begins promptly at 8:15 AM! We love seeing your child at school each day and thank you for your support!
More information about student attendance and chronic absenteeism can be found in the following links:
BKS PTO
Ways to Support our PTO
Read Across America Read-a-Thon: NOW through 3/9/24
Dear BKS Families,
We are excited to streamline our fundraiser by going online with 99Pledges. You will now be able to reach out to friends and family by email, Facebook, and Twitter, instead of going door-to-door, tracking commitments, and handling checks.
To add your child as a participant, please follow these 3 easy steps:
- Go to this link - www.99pledges.com/fund/beechwoodknoll24/addme
- Enter your child’s name, enter your email(s), and select their group.
- Click “Add” > this will take you to your newly created pledge page!
All you have to do is make a donation for whatever amount you can, and share your child’s pledge page link with friends and family. We are shooting for 100% participation so no amount is too small.
Prizes will be awarded for the class with most registrations, top earning class, and top earning student!
Grade 5 End of Year Planning Meeting
Monday, Mar 4, 2024, 05:30 PM
BKS PTO Sponsors: MARC Webinar on Navigating Healthy Peer Relationships
Please join us for a MARC Webinar on Navigating Healthy Peer Relationships with Dr. Elizabeth Englander, Executive Director and Founder of Massachusetts Aggression Reduction Center & Professor of Psychology
Let's talk about bullying, cyber-bullying, peer conflicts, frenemies and more.
Before the pandemic, screen use, anxiety, and social problems (like bullying and fighting) were top concerns for parents. The last few years have made some of these issues even more challenging. This talk will examine how kids are doing emotionally and socially, in light of the ways kids use screens, gaming, and social media, and how these impact challenges in school, like bullying and friendship skills. Research will be summarized, and practical approaches to family life that can help children develop emotional resilience, healthy social skills and friendships, and sensible screen and social media habits will be discussed during this presentation. We will discuss how to move forward to a healthier "new normal" and how to help parents be most productive in guiding their children towards healthier social and emotional relationships.
March 12, 2024 at 6:30 PM
Zoom link: https://bridgew.zoom.us/j/97840259737?pwd=VXhTRFR3azRrbXAzNk8vWlZqT1Z1Zz09
This event is sponsored by the Beechwood Knoll & Merrymount PTO
School Lunch Menu
Quincy Public Schools is Hiring!
For more information, go to: https://www.quincypublicschools.com/our_district/academic_support/human_resources_department/current_employment_opportunities or call the QPS Human Resources Department at 617-984-8767
Interested or have questions?
Reach out to Beechwood Knoll's Secretary, Mrs. Katie DeLancey at 617-984-8781 or kaitlindelancey@quincypublicschools.com
Student Opportunity Act (SOA)
The Student Opportunity Act (SOA) was enacted by the Massachusetts Legislature in 2019 requiring every district to set clear targets for improving disparities in achievement among student groups and develop a three-year plan to implement evidence-based strategies to meet their targets.
Districts are encouraged to engage with students, families, educators and other stakeholders and your feedback will assist us with prioritizing and achieving these desired outcomes. Please follow this link to participate in a brief survey: https://forms.gle/xVGTeb9Vfz372mRh6
In order to access more information regarding the Student Opportunity Act plan please use the following link: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1bu2hE4Mh-7BC37t8icZ_SMH1M-OY6gIl0pZpTQiGwFU/edit?usp=sharing
The Student Opportunity Act (SOA) was discussed at the January 24th Quincy School Committee meeting, linked below.
Quincy Public Schools 2023-2024 School Year Calendar
At the September 13th School Committee Meeting, the 2023-2024 School Year calendar was reviewed in light of scheduling of the 2024 Massachusetts Presidential Primary Election Day on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. March 5 will now be a NO SCHOOL day as most school buildings are now polling sites. (The Coddington Building and high school offices will be open.)
The revised 2023-2024 School Year Calendar is included, reflecting one snow day closure.
- the last day of school for students is now Thursday, June 20
- the last day for professional staff is now Friday, June 21
- the last day for high school seniors remains Friday, May 31