Week of 9/8/2020
.... It's a GREAT place to be!
Birmingham Covington Schools (BCS)
Website: https://www.birmingham.k12.mi.us/bcs
Location: 1525 Covington Rd, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48301, USA
Phone: 248-203-4444
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Birmingham-Covington-School-257853467700898/
Twitter: @bcs_cobras
9/8/2020- Week's Events
- 9/8/2020 (Tues.) - Welcome Back from Labor Day Recess! 3/4 & 5/6 will follow Tuesday's virtual schedule. 7/8 will follow a modified schedule sent via e-News blast. Choice Hour begins online/virtually!
- POSTPONED MATERIALS PICK-UP - We will continue with materials distribution next week, the week of 9/14. We have worked to establish a process for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday next week.
Greetings, BCS Families!
We hope this update finds you and your families relaxed after a well-deserved long weekend! We appreciate all of your support as we continue to launch our virtual learning platform. Overall, we had a fantastic first week, and with your partnership, we look forward to continued success as we journey forward.
As we work to find strong systems and processes to support our learning, we are crafting plans to address the following:
- Structures for Materials Pick-Up/Drop-Off: We will continue to plan and revise plans for materials return/pick-up. Our 3/4 teachers had an additional round of materials deployment last week. Thank you to the incredible team who worked relentlessly to prepare those materials after a hefty launch the week prior. We are working with our BCS community to develop a sustainable structure with clear, organized procedures for pick-up and drop-off. Additional information forthcoming.
- Schoology Help & Resources: You will find initial resources for Schoology, our online learning platform here. As we continue to launch Schoology, we will provided helpful updates and useful resources.
- Curriculum Night: Generally, we would begin Curriculum Night this week during a traditional BCS year. During this time, families would have an opportunity to meet their child's teachers and learn more about the year's learning. We are exploring options for a later launch with additional details forthcoming. With additional time and responsive planning, our goal is to plan Curriculum Night that will be most useful to you and your families given our virtual return.
- Sports/In-Person Services: Mr. Hill, our AP and Athletic Director, is working closely with our district to provide as many safe opportunities for students to engage in physical activity. Mr. Hill will communicate updates to families once they are finalized. In addition, we are planning and working with district facilities staff and central office leadership members to launch limited in-person services for our students requiring specialized instruction. More information forthcoming. As we await final plans, please adhere closely to the guidance from our district (communicated in a letter dated 9/3/2020, attached in its entirety at the end of this newsletter): "As a reminder, state guidelines and safety protocols must be met for anyone on school property. Our staff members continue to wear masks, practice social distancing and practice recommended hand-hygiene. Anyone planning to be on our property should be adhering to these same protocols in an effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and to help us return our students to the classroom as soon as we can safely do so. To learn more about ways to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, visit https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus."
As always, please connect with us if we can be of additional assistance. Go Cobras!
Yours in BCS Solidarity,
Dr. Hakim & Mr. Hill
Top Ten Tips for Online Learning with Dr. Hakim & Mr. Hill
Choice Hour Schedules are now available!
Choice Hour begins Tuesday, September 8. As a reminder, our various Choice Hours run M-F from 3:25-4:10pm online. You can find all Choice Hour information including schedules, zoom links, FAQs and more at this link: Quarter I Virtual Choice Hour Information.
Please direct all Choice Hour Questions to Courtney Bassett at cbassett@birmingham.k12.mi.us or 248-203-4625.
New Covington Spirit Wear
...is now available to order! Shop the awesome new designs by heading to the online store. All Spirit Wear proceeds go directly to your BCS PTA. All orders are due by September 20th. If you have any questions contact Kari Skubik (kariej525@gmail.com) or Hollie Murray (holliemmurray@gmail.com). Show your BCS spirit! We’ll notify you when you items are available for pickup at Bloomfield Sports Shop at 3594 W Maple Rd, Bloomfield Hills. If you prefer delivery to your home, the site allows for a flat delivery charge.
From Ms. Truesdell, BCS Media Specialist
All BPS K-12 students and staff are now eligible for a Baldwin Library card! We would like to strongly encourage all families and staff to take advantage of this amazing opportunity to access a wide range of resources. With a Baldwin card, you have the ability to check out print books and access most online databases (including Hoopla -- a favorite for audiobooks and eBooks). Plus, curbside pickup is available during the pandemic! Go to https://www.baldwinlib.org/get-library-card/ for details, or watch this video for detailed instructions on how to sign up. Note: if Baldwin is not your "home" library, you will need to obtain a library card from your home library first.
Schoology Help
If students are having trouble logging in to Schoology or if they found that upon entering, there were no classes, please contact the Help Desk at HelpDesk@birmingham.k12.mi.us or at (248) 203-3123.
Schoology Parent Introduction:
You should have received more information about Schoology, our learning management system. Please review the attached district resources for additional Schoology information.
Note: Your child's teachers will provide class-specific guidance to students/families as they begin to integrate Schoology's features in their courses.
Emotional Health & Wellness Resources
Religious Observances & Guidelines from BCS & BPS
From the Birmingham Food Service Team
Dear Parents & Guardians,
We have exciting breaking news from the USDA and Michigan Department of Education!!! We may continue to feed all children 7 breakfast and 7 lunches for FREE!!! Please pre-order your meals to ensure we have plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables for all. It’s a very easy google survey on Birmingham Public Schools website under the menu link. Simply click on the link for “Pre-order your students meals for pick up during remote learning”.
Meals can be picked up by anyone for the children. Family, friends or neighbors. Children do not have to be enrolled at Birmingham Public Schools.
We recognize that many families may be experiencing a change in financial circumstances and are seeking additional help. Please know that we are here to help connect you to programs and resources that can provide support. Regardless of this exciting announcement, we still need families to complete their free and reduced forms. Having these forms completed will ensure a more smooth transition for families when the Federal funds are depleted. You can complete it online at www.lunchapp.com.
Our priority is the health and well-being of all students so they are able to succeed in their education and beyond. The Dream Team will be serving up happy, healthy and pixie dust!!
Thank you,
Pattie Guck, Director of Dining Services
Birmingham Public Schools
(248)228-7172
Flu Vaccination Clinic for BCS Families
Tuesday, September 15, 1:00-3:00pm
Outdoors in Front of Main Office
The flu vaccine is being offered to BCS families by Walgreens Pharmacy. The minimum age to receive the vaccine is 4 years. A consent form must be completed for each person who will be receiving the vaccine. Print both sides of the form, answer questions 1-6 and sign. Please bring the consent form and a copy of your insurance card. Accepted insurance companies will be billed. Flu shots are covered by most insurance companies. Walgreens will provide vouchers for those not covered by insurance. Masks and social distancing will be enforced.
BPS PLUS @ BCS (Grades 3-6)
Weekly – Monday/Wednesday OR Tuesday/Thursday; 4 sessions total
4:30pm – 6:00pm
Starting 9/14/20 and ending 9/24/20
Tuition: $65
This is an opportunity for students to interact with their friends and classmates in a supervised outdoor setting. Activities will include combinations of outdoor games, arts and crafts, fitness and community service. Students should use the bathroom beforehand as the building will be closed. Class will be cancelled due to bad weather. NO REFUNDS! Face masks are required. To register, go to www.communityed.net. Class size is limited to ensure appropriate ratio and social distancing.
Other Helpful Resource Links...
Latest Update from BPS (Sent 9/3/2020)
Dear BPS Families,
Our first week of school was met with excitement from both staff and students as they attended their first virtual sessions of the new school year. While there were bumps in the road, as we experience at the beginning of any new school year, administrators, staff, students and parents worked together to get back on track and create strong foundations of learning for the year ahead. We extend our thanks to our parents for their continued support for students at home during this time. For those interested, we are including Michigan State University’s College of Education Parenting During COVID-19 Parent Resource Guide. This 71-page document is certainly not required reading, but we wanted to share it, as it may provide useful tips during this COVID-era.
Districts across Oakland County and our state that began in virtual learning environments continue to seek ways to safely return students to in-person learning. Know that BPS continues to engage in this important work as efficiently as we can with experts to help guide our approach. We maintain our commitment to returning students to our schools as soon as we can safely do so and we are grateful for the engagement of our medical professional parents who are helping us with this process. Our Health Advisory Board (HAB) continues to meet and members are focused on three important steps required for an in-person return. These include an additional review of all necessary safety protocols and procedures, positive COVID response scenarios and the metric guidance on a phase-in approach to a return to our physical classrooms. This week our HAB is breaking up into smaller committees to make quick work of these tasks in order to provide recommendations to the Board of Education. We will update the Board of Education on our progress at the Sept. 8 study session and will have a more detailed presentation on a possible return at the Sept. 15 Board of Education meeting.
Next week, we anticipate having updates on athletics from the state as well as more detailed information from our buildings around athletic, enrichment and small-group intervention opportunities for students. As a reminder, state guidelines and safety protocols must be met for anyone on school property. Our staff members continue to wear masks, practice social distancing and practice recommended hand-hygiene. Anyone planning to be on our property should be adhering to these same protocols in an effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and to help us return our students to the classroom as soon as we can safely do so. To learn more about ways to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, visit https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus.
Finally, our schools will be closed tomorrow, Sept. 4, as we head into Labor Day weekend. Closing on Friday was a part of the waiver requirements from the state in order to begin school prior to Labor Day. We wish everyone a restful weekend and look forward to a new week of learning beginning Tuesday, Sept. 8.
Sincerely,
BPS Central Leadership Team