Happy Holidays

As we start our winter break I would like to thank each and every one of our families for a wonderful 2016 and extend my warmest wishes for the happiest of holidays and a wonderful start to 2017. I look forward to spending 2017 with you and your children.

 

 

BCHMCPS staff showing their best looks today at "Ugly Sweater" Day

A note from Mr. Norton:

Dear Families,

I am in the process of revising my website link and would welcome feedback from you, on articles that may be of interest to you.Below is a link to a questionnaire. Please check any topics that may be of interest to you or add a topic under other. Thank you. I look forward to your responses.

Peter Norton  MEd., C.A.G.S.
School Psychologist
https://goo.gl/forms/T2Fo8bYnl3jsCZyW2
 

 

Our  neighbors across the street at Faith Assemblies Church would like to inform and invite families to their family kitchen meals for free dinners. See below for more information.

Faith Family Kitchen

is serving free meals for families with children

Mon/Wed/Fri 5:00 - 5:45 p.m. 154 Bearses Way, Hyannis

Dine-in only 

This has been an early season for student sicknesses. Nurse Melley would like to remind families about the Medication Administration Protocol which can be found under "health services" on the school's home page of the website. 

 http://www.barnstable.k12.ma.us/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=61&ModuleInstanceID=558&ViewID=047E6BE3-6D87-4130-8424-D8E4E9ED6C2A&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=439&PageID=482 

Medications MUST be hand delivered by a parent/guardian and cannot be sent in with a child. 

Please see below for important information regarding when to keep your child/ren home from school when he/she is sick.

Please keep your child home from school if he or she has:

• Temperature 100 degrees or higher in the past 24 hours
• Vomiting or diarrhea in the past 24 hours
• Fever of unknown origin that causes chills, sweating, or muscle aches
• Strep infections of any kind, ringworm, conjunctivitis, or impetigo. These are all contagious infections and must be treated with medication for at least 24 hours before returning to school.
• Rash of unknown origin- this may indicate many different things and should be checked out by your primary care physician
• Pain such as earaches, toothaches and headaches should be taken seriously and need evaluation.

Reminder: There is NO SCHOOL Friday December 23. School will resume after winter break on January 3 2017.

BRRRR... it's cold outside! With the colder weather, students need to be dressed appropriately for this weather. When the temperature goes low, students need to have winter coats, hats and mittens for outside recess. Please make sure that your child/ren wear clothes to keep them warm. It can be a challenge to keep up with growing children and new winter coats to keep them warm. If your family needs help with this, we are here to help. Please contact me  (Dr. Kukstis) if we can help.

This Friday is predicted to be extremely cold. We make decisions about outside recess using the Child Care Weather Watch chart. This chart uses outside temperatures and wind chill. When the temperature and wind chill combination is in the red zone we will have an indoor recess. If it is in the yellow zone, we consider very carefully whether it is outside or indoor recess. I have pasted this chart below for your information.

Speaking of winter clothes, our lost and found still contains a number of winter coats, along with many hats and mittens.  If your child is missing any of these items please feel free to check our lost and found located at the base of the stairs by the cafeteria and gym.


During this time of cold weather and holidays, BCHMCPS takes the opportunity to reach out and help those in the community who are challenged with homelessness in a small but very important
way through the school-wide Sock Drive. Please consider helping those who struggle with homelessness by donating new white socks. There are collection boxes located in the front hall for this collection. Thank you!



Two reminders for Friday:

• This Friday is the December All School Community Meeting. All families are invited and encouraged to attend. We look forward to seeing you there.

• This Friday is also the December School Store. Thank you to the PTO for running the school store each month.

Tradition Quilt pictures

This week at BCHMCPS

 

Thank you to all the families who have shared their winter traditions to help make our "Winter Traditions" quilt. The quilts are hanging in the front hall for all to see. I will post a picture on the blog tomorrow in case you do not have the opportunity to stop by and see the quilts. If you haven't sent your square in yet, there is still time. We want to have as many families as we can represented on the quilts.

Another way to help celebrate this season is to help those who may be in need. One way to do this is through the sock collection going on right now at school.
We are collecting new white socks for the Homeless Family Shelters on Cape. We will take all sizes kids-adult. We will be collecting the socks until December 16th and there are drop box locations in the front lobby, near the book fair.



It was great to see so many families today at Parent/Teacher Conferences. I look forward to seeing more of you on Thursday. Look for the Lost and Found clothes collection to be located in the front hall during conferences. We are trying to find the way home for as many of these items as we can. The collection has grown quite large!


The Book Fair is all this week with a great selection of books for all ages. During Parent/Teacher Conferences is a great time to browse and make the perfect selection. Make sure you get your favorites!
Thank you to everyone who has volunteered at the Book fair and to those who have supported it through their purchases.



On this Saturday December 10th the Hyannis Fire Department will be hosting a holiday event open to all.

Welcome December!

As we welcome December, we recognize that there are many traditions and ways that our families celebrate at this time of year. In an effort to celebrate all of these traditions, we have sent home with each student a square piece of tagboard and a letter explaining how this piece of tagboard can help become part of our Winter Traditions Quilt. Each decorated piece will be attached with the others sent in by other families to form a "quilt". The completed quilts will be hung in the school for all to see. Please work as a family to decorate the tagboard to illustrate how your family may celebrate this time of year and help us build our quilt.

The school bookfair is next week (December 5-9) and the  PTO needs your help! Volunteers are needed especially on Tuesday and Thursday from 12-3:30 to help out at the bookfair. Please contact the PTO  at PTO.bchmcps@gmail.com if you can help out.





Thank you to all of you who work so hard to keep afternoon car pick up running smoothly. As we enter the colder weather with more inclement weather on the horizon it is a good time to remind everyone that the smooth pick up depends on all of you.
Please remember to:

• Stay in your car and do not get out. If your child needs assistance to get in the car a teacher will be there to assist.
• Pull all the way forward to keep the line rolling. If you need to stop after picking up your child, please pull over to the parking area.
• If you wish to park your car and pick up your child, this is not the correct pick up space. Please park on the other side of the building in the parking spots in the lot near the Hyannis Youth Community Center and pick up your child at the walkers' door near the small playground.

Thank you for your support to keep afternoon pick up smooth.

Warmest wishes for a happy Thanksgiving to all our BCHMCPS family and friends from the faculty and staff.

We are thankful for you every day!

November 17 post

A big thank you to all the parent volunteers who have made the BOKS program such a success and such a fun way to start the day. Today (Thursday) was the last day for the Thursday BOKS session and next Tuesday is the last Tuesday session.

The first week in December (December 5-9) is the annual Book Fair run by the wonderful PTO. Books make a great gift anytime, with the holidays around the corner the Book Fair gives you an opportunity to support the school and get some holiday shopping done.
The PTO needs volunteers to work during the Book Fair. If you can share a few hours to help out please contact the PTO at PTO.bchmcps@gmail.com. Thanks so much.

If you are using Amazon to shop during the holidays or anytime, you can help support the school just by shopping! Logging into Amazon at smile.amazon.com and choosing BCHMCPS will give back a percent of your purchase at no cost to you! Please consider using this when shopping through Amazon.


If you didn't get a chance to see the front page of this week's Barnstable Patriot, check it out- a picture of the BCHMCPS flag garden was on the front page.

Monday from 9-9:30 is the November Principal's Second Cup of Coffee meeting. Adjustment counselors Krista Swanson and Joan Hogan will speak about bullying and the reporting process.

Thanksgiving recess starts on Wednesday. School will be held only Monday and Tuesday next week.

New blog post

Reminder- There is NO SCHOOL tomorrow in honor of Veterans Day.

We thank all of our veterans for their service to our country! 

Please make a note to complete the online student registration in the next few days if you have not already done so. As a reminder, the "Back to School" information that was previously sent home in paper form to be filled out must now be filled out by families on line.

Please log on to the Barnstable Public School's "Back to School Student Information" website http://www.barnstable.k12.ma.us/bts and update your child's informational records. Updating your child's information is crucial for your child's safety and wellbeing and gives the school accurate information about 

• emergency contacts
• medical information
• consent to give over the counter medications such as Tylenol
• as well as alerting us to any custody or legal issues.                                                                                                                                                               

All families must update this critical information by November 14th. 

Please follow the link above or below or feel free to come into the school and use the laptop available in the lobby for your use. If you have any questions, please call Erica Aceto, our administrative assistant at (508) 790-6985.

Thank you for your cooperation!

http://www.barnstable.k12.ma.us/bts

The Principal's "Second Cup of Coffee" will be held this month on November 21st from 9-9:30. School adjustment counselors Krista Swanson and Joanie Hogan will be presenting on bullying- awareness, prevention and the reporting process. 

NURSE'S NOTES

Please go online and fill out the Annual Back to School Student Information Site if you haven’t done so already. The site can be accessed under the Barnstable Public Schools Home page. You will need your child’s LSAID # for the username and your child’s date of birth for the password. The instructions are on the first page under Frequently Asked Questions. This once a year process is necessary and extremely important in order for the school to have accurate and important information, such as addresses, phone numbers, emergency contacts and medical needs. This also gives the nurse permission to give OTC medication such as Tylenol and Motrin if your child becomes ill and needs it.

FLU FACTS

The flu is an infection of the nose, throat, and lungs caused by the influenza viruses. There are many different flu viruses that are constantly changing. The flu can range from mild to severe. The flu is spread from respiratory droplets when you cough or sneeze. Some symptoms of the flu are: fever, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. Some people with the flu may not have a fever. The best way to protect your child from getting the flu is having them vaccinated. Peg Stanton the Public Health Nurse has 400 doses of the flu vaccine for children 18 and under at the next flu clinic on Nov. 16^th at the Greek Church in Hyannis. If you cannot make that day please call Peg Stanton @ 508 862-4644 to make other arrangements.

When Do I Keep My Child Home From School?

Please keep your child home from school if he or she has:

·      Temperature of 100 degrees or higher in the past 24 hours.

·      Vomiting or diarrhea in the past 24 hours

·      Fever of unknown origin that causes chills, sweating, or muscle aches.

·      Strep infections of any kind including: ringworm, conjunctivitis, or impetigo. These are all contagious infections and must be treated with medication for at least 24 hours before returning to school.

·      Rash of unknown origin-this may indicate many different things and should be checked out by your child’s doctor.

·      Pain such as earaches, toothaches, should be taken seriously and need evaluation. 

Veterans' Day Flag Garden

Today was a beautiful day as the students paid tribute to the veterans for their sacrifice to our country. Students and staff brought in names of veterans and wrote them on labels that were attached to flags that were "planted" in the flag garden. Grade 3 student Caden Dalzell's grandfather came to be part of the tribute and brought a picture of himself taken when he was 19 years old and serving in Korea. What a great lesson for all. Thank you to the PTO for their support and everyone who contributed names and/or helped out today. 

Caden Dalzell and his grandfather

Grade 2 starting the "garden"

 

 

Our Flag Garden

New blog post

Important: The "Back to School" information that was previously sent home in paper form to be filled out must now be filled out by families on line.

Please log on to the Barnstable Public School's "Back to School Student Information" website http://www.barnstable.k12.ma.us/bts and update your child's informational records. Updating your child's information is crucial for your child's safety and wellbeing and gives the school accurate information about 

• emergency contacts
• medical information
• consent to give over the counter medications such as Tylenol
• as well as alerting us to any custody or legal issues.                                                                                                                                                               

All families must update this critical information by November 14th. 

Please follow the link above or below or feel free to come into the school and use the laptop available in the lobby for your use. If you have any questions, please call Erica Aceto, our administrative assistant at (508) 790-6985.

Thank you for your cooperation!

http://www.barnstable.k12.ma.us/bts

Last night's All School Community Theme Celebration Open House was a great success and lots of fun. The students worked so hard and were so proud to show off their projects. Thank you to BethAnn Allen and her team for organizing such a successful day and evening and to the teachers who worked with their students to produce such great work. A big shout out as well to the PTO for providing the ice cream social. It was a sweet way to end a great day! If you could not make it last night I have included a few pictures below. 

Grade 3 ambassadors greeting guests

Student work in the gym

More student work

We are planting our  "flag garden" on Monday, if you have any veterans names that you would like added, please make sure that your child's teacher has the form by Monday morning.  

Reminder that there is no school on Tuesday November 8th for faculty Professional Development and no school on Friday November 11th in observance of Veterans' Day.

Have a wonderful weekend!

All School Community Theme Celebration Reminder

A hint of the wonderful displays you can see at tomorrow's celebration. The All School Community meeting will be from 9:15 to 10:00 am in the gym. The evening open house will be held from 6-7:30 pm. We look forward to seeing you all tomorrow!

Kindergarten Community theme display

All School Community Theme Celebration Reminder

This Thursday is the big day- The All School Community Theme Celebration! We start the day with an all school community meeting from 9:15-10:00 am. Classes will have displays set up in the gym that illustrate themes. In the evening from 6-7:30 families are invited to join the school community in continuing the celebration. In the evening there will be a scavenger hunt and an ice cream social as well as an opportunity to review all the classes' displays. We hope to see you on Thursday.

Our lost and found collection is growing by the day. If your child has lost or forgotten a jacket, sweatshirt, scarf hat or gloves we may have it waiting for him or her. Please check the picture below for what is now at lost and found. If any of these items are your child's, please feel free to collect it or have your child pick it up. Theme Night will be a great time to check the lost and found. We want to get these clothes back to their owners!

Batty Friday in Grade 1

Things got a bit batty in Grade 1 classrooms today! Students have studied bats all week- they have researched bats, written about bats and, I am sure, dreamed about bats when they closed their eyes at night. As a culminating project, their classrooms were transformed into bat caves today. See some of the fun students had today while learning so much.

Veterans' Day is just around the corner and we at BCHMCPS would like to honor our veterans. Today your child will be bringing home a flyer with information about a new event at BCHMCPS that will honor and remember our veterans. We are asking families to identify a veteran that your family knows, fill out the bottom part of the flyer with the name of this veteran and return this to the school. Children will be writing the name of this veteran on a twist tie label that will be attached to a flag. These flags will then be "planted" in the front green in a flag garden honoring our veterans. There will also be a banner thanking veterans.
Thank you to the PTO for purchasing the flags and ties to support this activity and thank all of you for your support in honoring those who sacrificed for our country.

New blog post

What a busy and fun week we had last week! We started with Wednesday night's Literacy Night with over 101 of our students enjoying a night filled with a book author, books, and reading activities with their families. A huge success! Thank you to all of you who made the night so special and a really big thank you to Reading Specialist Kelly White and the teachers who volunteered their time to be here that evening.

Book author Martha Szchock speaks to families at Literacy Night

On Friday night the PTO hosted a fun-filled Halloween party for the BCHMCPS students. See below for some pictures of the festivities.

Reminder- tomorrow's scheduled lockdown drill has been postponed. I will let you know as soon as we have a new date.









Congratulations to the last two week's October raffle winners:
October 9-Joe Dontanio
October 10-Patrick Destano
October 11-Heather Pastor
October 12-Jennifer Lynch
October 13-Brittany Zimmerman
October 14-Adilson Rubio
October 15-Bryan Hughes
October 16-EJ Boulhack
October 17-Lamar Anderson
October 18-Brittany Zimmerman
October 19-Josiane Piva
October 20-Jason Norell
October 21-Patrick DeStefano

A gentle reminder for morning and afternoon walker drop off and pick up to please make sure to always park in the designated parking spaces in the parking lot and walk your child/ren to the door. For the safety and security of your child, please make sure that you always stay with your child if you arrive before the 8:40 drop off time. Thank you!





District informational fliers will now be posted on the district and school website and will no longer be sent home in paper form in backpacks. Please make sure to check the district and school website often for these informational fliers.