Birch Meadow Newsflash
3/18/24
Notes From Dr. Burnham
*I'm excited to announce that I will be holding my first Parent/Guardian Community Building Circle with the Principal on Friday, 3/29, at 12:00 PM. Based on feedback provided through the survey sent out earlier this circle will be in person at the building. Our first circle will be for 4th and 5th grade families and will be centered on issues that are of significance to those grade levels. Please sign up for this in advance by using the link below. I'm looking forward to seeing you!
https://forms.gle/KF82WjE9QVGmTsrNA
*We're excited to announce that Paula Falvey, our school librarian, is spearheading a spirit week at Birch Meadow next week. Please see the attached flyer for full details.
*Please use the following link to see our most up to date school lunch menu -Updated School Lunch Menu Link
*Projected MCAS dates for planning purposes:
4/3 & 4/4 - Grade 4 ELA
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
*For planning purposes, we are aiming for the week of June 3rd-7th for 5th grade “graduation” events. This week will prevent us from any conflicts with RMHS Graduation the week before, and Coolidge Middle School Graduation the week after.
BIRCH MEADOW PTO NEWS
READ-A-FUN Fundraiser
Thank you for your support and participation in our Read-a-thon! Our fundraiser hit over $7,000 / 85,000 minutes this week and our kiddos won a school-wide crazy hair day! We hope that you and your kiddos enjoy logging their reading, visiting their friends’ pages and dressing up their Owlvatar. Let's see if we can hit our goal of $10,000 / 210, 000 minutes!
- Login: https://app.readafun.com/. Parent and student instructions on how to use the website have been sent home. Your child will not be able to invite any sponsors without your authorization.
- How to authorize your child's Reading-Raiser account: https://youtu.be/X4KCsWBwA7M
- How to become a sponsor and invite more sponsors: https://youtu.be/NrUbWdEfy24
Prize Reminders:
- Top class for each grade by number of minutes read will win an extra recess. We will staff the extra recess with volunteers.
- Top class overall will get to silly string Dr. Burnham & Ms. Azzarito.
- Any student who logs 300 minutes will get entered into a raffle for fun prizes! See pic for a some of the books that will be raffled off!
- If we hit 105,000 minutes or $5,000 we will have a school-wide crazy hair day.
- If we hit 210,000 minutes or $10,000, we will have a school-wide stuffy & pajama day. Birch Meadow will also receive a custom drawing by local author Scott Magoon.
SEE FAQ ATTACHMENT FOR MORE INFO (ex. "what if my child can't read yet?")
Calareso's Fundraiser
Calareso’s Spring fundraiser:
Get started on your spring shopping at local business, Calareso's, and help support the Birch Meadow PTO! Calareso’s continues to support Birch Meadow fundraising efforts and we’d appreciate your support through the purchase of either a $10, $50 or even a $100 gift certificate. 25% of Proceeds from this fundraiser will benefit enrichment programs and field trips for the students, teacher appreciation events plus more! Gift cards can be purchased online or via check. If paying via check, print out the order form and send it to school with your child. Orders must be received by 4/5/24!
UPCOMING EVENTS
UPCOMING DATE REMINDERS
March 18th - Teacher In-Service Day NO SCHOOL
March 21st - 🏆 Silly Sock Day!
March 26th - Scott Magoon Author Visit
March 29th - Last day of the Read-a-thon!
April 5th - Last day to purchase Calareso's gift certificates.
April 10th - General PTO Mtg @ 8:30am (reschedule from 2/13)
April Vacation Dates - Monday, April 15th - Friday, April 19th
PROJECTED MCAS DATES
- April 3 - 4th - 4th Grade ELA MCAS
- 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!
Friends of Reading Recreation Annual Daddy Daughter Dance 4/5/24
Annual FORR Daddy/Daughter Dance
A social for girls of all ages with their fathers, grandfathers and other guardians!
Date: Friday, April 5, 2024
Location: The Field House / Gymnasium at Reading High School
Time: 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 per child
Free photo booth, music by DJ Ken. Light refreshments and snacks available for purchase.
Tix available at Reading Rec, at the door, and online.
Proceeds will benefit the Fireworks at Town Day in June.
Do you have a child who is on an IEP, a 504 plan, or with special needs. If so, the Reading SEPAC exists for YOU.
Please fill out this brief, anonymous survey to help your SEPAC Board to plan for the 2024-2025 school year. It should only take a few minutes.
We also want to hear from you on how we are doing in meeting our community’s needs and what more we can do to improve Reading SEPAC.
The survey results will be discussed at the next Reading SEPAC Business meeting on April 2nd at 8:45AM.
Extended School Year (ESY) Presentation
Tuesday, March 19th, 6-8PM (Virtual)
Please join us for an information session on the Extended School Year (ESY) presented by Kymberly Bryson (ESY Coordinator) and Student Services.
This presentation will be hosted virtually and you must pre-register to receive the zoom link.
Please note that the previously published zoom link will change and a new zoom link will be emailed to registered individuals only. Please Click Here to Register
Daytime SEPAC Business Meeting:
Planning for the next school year and reviewing the survey results.
Tuesday, April 2nd, 8:45AM (Virtual)
School Transition Workshops:
For parents and caregivers whose child has an IEP and will be transitioning to a different school in Reading or who is new to Reading.
Thursday, April 11th, 12-1pm (Virtual)
Wednesday, April 24th, 6pm (In Person - location TBD)
The New IEP Presentations:
Wednesday, May 8th, 6PM (In Person - location TBD)
Thursday, May 9th, 12PM (Virtual)
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
Social Media Pages
Please "like" Birch Meadow Elementary PTO" Facebook page and follow our Instagram: @birch_meadow_pto