BCS NTOUCH MSG:
May 1: Teacher of the Year, Meals, Grading & Schoology Info.
Dear Parents/Caregivers, Students, and Staff:
Welcome to May, a month filled with recognitions, celebrations and hopefully sunnier, warmer days. Today, May 1st, we're celebrating School Lunch Hero Day, and there is no time more appropriate than today to recognize and thank our child nutrition staff for their efforts to continue feeding our students during this school closure. Additionally, next week we will honor our teachers during National Teacher Appreciation Week, and our school nurses on National School Nurse Day, May 6th, both who have also played pivotal roles in educating and caring for our students during this pandemic.
I also want to call your attention to the five educators pictured above who have been named finalists for Berkeley County Schools' Teacher of the Year. This annual tradition dates back more than 50 years and honors a recipient being nominated by their peers. Please join me Monday night at 5:30 pm via zoom as the 2020 Teacher of the Year is announced. I know you are as proud of these educators as I am. You can read more about the finalists and locate the link to the teleconference on our website.
Honoring the class of 2020 remains very important to all of us. This week, updated plans for a celebration in May and graduation ceremonies in June are being finalized and shared with seniors and their families. This information is also available below by clicking on a provided link.
As the Governor begins plans to reopen services in our state, we are having conversations around many activities and events that will impact our staff and students such graduations as well as the as the pick up and returning of items to and from school. I want you to know that we are working to develop plans for these events within the guidelines of the health department so that everyone stays safe and well. What we are accustomed to in the past, now takes much more planning and careful consideration examining the most minute details of all these scenarios. Thank you for extending your patience to those who are working on these plans.
Finally, the 2020-2012 school calendar was approved by your Board of Education this past Monday night and has been sent to the state for approval. As soon as we receive the green light, we will communicate the complete school calendar to you. What I can tell you is that the proposed first day for staff is Aug. 12th and the proposed first day for students is Aug.18th.
I have a question for you. We can all agree that our parents/caregivers, students and all staff have made significant contributions and sacrifices during the Covid-19 school closure and deserve to be celebrated. What celebratory name should we give to this month to recognize one another and the collaborative efforts to successfully conquer remote learning? Email your thoughts to me, patrick.murphy@k12.wv.us. I look forward to hearing from you.
Read on, and enjoy.
Be Well, Stay Safe
Patrick K. Murphy, Superintendent of Schools
School Lunch Hero Day - May 1st
NEED YOUR PARTICIPATION: Teacher Appreciation Week-May 4th-8th
Open and print the attachment below, then display it on your front door, window or car window to show you support of Teacher Appreciation Week. AND, using #MyBCSTeacherRules in social media, share a picture or sentiment for a favorite teacher.
National School Nurse Day- May 6th
This year, more than ever, all members of our school communities, school nurses included, have been required to take on unprecedented roles and adapt quickly to changes in their jobs. It is reflective of the significant roles school nurses have in the health care of their school communities to help make a healthier place for children and families to learn and grow during this crisis.
Curbside Meal Service Continues-Monday, May 4th
Curbside meal service will be available at one location, Monday, May 4th from 11 am to 1 pm from Martinsburg South Middle School using 2 lanes of Bulldog Boulevard.
Please be patient and follow safety and health procedures in place for the welfare of both the recipients and the providers.
Important Details:
· Curbside Meal Pickup is for 1 day only and will include 5 days worth of breakfast and lunches per child.
· When ordering the number of meals needed, please lower the window of your vehicle to protect both you and our volunteers.
· At the curb, a volunteer will signal to you when a family member must step out of the vehicle to personally load food into car.
· Vehicle must be in line by 1 pm.
· Meal kits are available while supplies last and cannot be consumed on-site.
MEDICAL DIETS: If your student has a special medical diet on file, please contact Office of Nutrition and leave a voicemail at: 304-267-3510 ext 76004
National Association of Conservation District's Poster or Photo Contest-Deadline June 12th
Each year the National Association of Conservation Districts (NACD) hosts a photo and poster contest. This is broken down into a qualifying local and state level competition. There are monetary prizes awarded at each level of the process for the award winners.
The poster contest this year is focused on the NACD Stewardship theme, “Where would we BEE without pollinators?” The poster contest is a ½ size poster board and must include the theme title and an entry form on the back. More information on the poster contest can be found here. Since this is much more than just art, students are encouraged to explore and research the various types of pollinators and how they connect and interconnect with our ecosystem and our food system. This is a great standalone project or one that can be incorporated into a lesson or used as extension, additional ungraded work, or extra credit format.
The photo contest encourages the use of photography skills and capturing moments specific to their contest categories. This contest is open to amateur youth and adult photographers. More information on the contest can be found here.
More information included in the attachments below.
BERKELEY COUNTY SCHOOLS
This newsletter is a publication of the Berkeley County Schools' Communications Office.
Email: info@berkeleycountyschools.org
Website: berkeleycountyschools.org
Location: 1453 Winchester Avenue, Martinsburg, WV, USA
Phone: 304-267-3500