January Updates
January 2024 for BSMS
From the Desk of Mrs. Clark
The first half of this school year has gone by quickly and smoothly, and we have many reasons to be optimistic about focusing forward.
This semester we are continuing our work around our four main priorities which align with that of all GCPS schools: Safety, Student Behavior, Attendance, and Academics.
Please ensure your child is in school every day by 8:00 a.m. and stays the entire school day. If they are sick, please have them bring a note or doctor's note within two days of their absence. Students can not learn if they are not at school.
Please ensure that your child has a library book from our media center and is reading 20 minutes daily. Just twenty minutes can make a huge impact on your child's vocabulary acquisition, fluency, and comprehension.
Please encourage your child to complete their learning path each week in iReady. Each student is asked to complete 45 minutes in Math and Reading to ensure their unique learning needs are met.
We have a busy January planned for our school and I look forward to seeing you throughout the month. Please stay warm and take care. If you should need anything from me, please fell free to email me at clarka@gcs.k12.nc.us or call our school office at 919-575-9429.
Calendar Dates to Remember
Character Trait of the Month: Fairness
1/3 Return From Winter Break
1/3 Start of the 3rd 9-Weeks
1/12- Honor Roll Breakfast for Quarter 1
1/15 Holiday/No School
1/18 Early Release Day 12:00 pm
Parent Teacher Conferences @ 4:00
1/19 Semester 1 Awards Day
1/26 PBIS Event
Thursday Tutoring
If you can answer yes to any of the following questions, then your child needs to attend Tutoring on Thursdays:
- Does your child need help in a particular class?
- Are they failing a core class?
- Have they missed a quiz or test?
- Do they need extra support with math facts?
- Do they need extra support with test preparation?
Core teachers tutor every Thursday from 3:30-4:30. If your child is planning to attend, please have them let their teacher know and bring something specific to work on during this time. Our staff is eager to support students with tutoring efforts during this time.
Upcoming Benchmark Testing
Students will be assessed over the next few weeks regarding their growth this year. All students will take the following assessments on the following dates. Please encourage your child to do their best and put forth 100% effort so that their teachers can get a true reflection of their needs.
Our plan is to start intervention efforts early this year so that your child can be successful on all of their EOGs. However, this is a TEAM effort between parents, students, and teachers.
January 9th- NC Checkin for Reading (All Grades)
January 11th- NC Checkins for Math (6th and 7th Grade only)
January 11th- 8th Grade Math iReady Benchmark
January 17th- iReady 6th and 7th Grade Math Benchmark
January 18th - iReady Reading Benchmark (6-8 Grade)
January 23rd- NC Checkin for Science (8th Grade only)
BSMS Winter Spelling Bee
On Monday, January 8, Intervention teachers will receive a spelling bee list of words and spelling bee test form. By Friday, January 12 they should give the test to all students in every class. The top two scores in each class will determine each class's participants in the school spelling bee.
The school spelling bee will be the week of January 16-19. The school winner will be given materials to prepare for their participation in the district spelling bee.
Safety Efforts
Safety is our top priority at BSMS. We continue to have safety checks weekly through our metal detector screenings. Please help us keep our school safe by doing the following:
- ensure that if your child is walking to school you have documentation of this on file in the office.
- pick up your child as a car rider by 3:30 daily. After 3:30 in the afternoons, we have limited supervision due to meetings and tutoring.
- encourage your child to utilize the "See Something, Say Something" platform if they have acknowledgment of anything suspicious or have encountered something where someone may hurt themselves or others.
- check your child's cellphone regularly for group text messages and social media posts that may cause interruptions to learning at school.
- have regular conversations with them about how school is going in general.
Cell Phone Policy
As a reminder, your child should have their phone phone "OFF and AWAY" all day while at school. We appreciate all parental efforts in this matter.