Grade 3 Ambassadors

At last Friday's All School Community Meeting, the new Grade 3 ambassadors were introduced to the community. They did a great job!
Today, the ambassadors were invited to lead the Pledge of Allegiance at the 9/11 memorial service at the fire station. We are so proud of our new Grade 3 ambassadors!

Curriculum Night and All School Community Meeting Reminder

Just a reminder that tonight is BCHMCPS's Curriculum night. Kindergarten and Grade 1 families are invited from 5:30-6:30 in classrooms and from 6:30 to 7:00 in the gym for general information. Grade 2 & 3 families are invited from 6:30-7:00 in the gym for the general information followed by 7:00-8:00 in the classrooms. We are looking forward to seeing everyone tonight!



For those families attending tonight, if your child has not passed in his/her summer reading log yet, please bring it along. Reading Specialist Mrs. White will be happy to take it tonight. All students who completed and passed in the log will be recognized at the All School Community meeting on Friday.

Speaking of the All School Community meeting this Friday at the HYCC from 9:30-10:30, PLEASE do not forget to send in your child's permission slip to walk over to the HYCC. This is the only time you will need to sign the permission slip for our All School meetings  at the HYCC as your signed permission slip will cover all meetings this year. All are welcome at the All School Meetings!

This week at BCHMCPS

We had a great start to the school year with happy students and staff filling the school to begin what will be a wonderful 2017-2018 school year.   

Thank you to all our new Kindergarten families for completing the online registration. For our veteran families please remember to update your child's information by September 30. To help you answer your questions please read the FAQ, which can also be found on our school's website under District Information.

Last year our families completed a Family Survey that was sent out to all families. Thank you to everyone who completed the survey. Your feedback helps us to identify ways to improve the school and areas that we can celebrate. In the next blog, later this week, I would like to share the results of that survey.

A reminder that this Wednesday, September 6th BCHMCPS is holding Curriculum Night from 5:30-8:00. This is an opportunity for families to meet teachers and get information about what students will be learning this school year. Two sessions- 5:30-6:30 and 7:00-8:00 will be held in the classrooms so that families with more than one child can attend two sessions. From 6:30-7:00 an informational session will be held for all families. This session will include information from the nurse, adjustment counselors, PTO and me (the principal) that will address issues such as communication, health and safety, etc.

Next Tuesday morning September 12th  we will have the first Principal's Coffee. These monthly meetings will usually have a theme. This month Officer Cabral will be with us to talk about school safety. The Principal Coffee will be held in the cafeteria from 9:00-9:30.


Did you know, due in great part to our schools, that the major publication U.S. News & World Report recognized Massachusetts as the best state in the nation this year ?
This is great news for Massachusetts and its families and is a credit to the hard work that our teachers and faculty put in every day! To find out more about what Massachusetts is doing, use the link below (Back to School Basics- http://www.doe.mass.edu/commissioner/Back-to-School/Basics.pdf) to find out more about education efforts in our great state.
Back-to-School Basics: A brief overview for parents on how the state and districts work together to support teaching and learning [Accessible version]

Girl Scout troops are forming now!
Troops are organized by school grade (K-12), meet regularly during the year, and are led by a team of volunteers. Annual membership is $40 per girl and financial aid is available. Space is limited. Visit gsema.org/join to sign up for a troop or find an upcoming Discover Girl Scouts event.






As we concluded Week One students gave the thumbs up to school starting again:

Thank you to Ms. Allen for these great pictures!

Welcome Back!

We are all looking forward to welcoming Kindergarten students for Orientation and Grades 1-3 students back to BCHMCPS tomorrow. It is going to be a wonderful 2017-2018 school year!

Kindergarten Family Workshop- Day One!

Wow! Day One of the Kindergarten Family Workshops was a great success. Looking forward to Day Two. Thank you Justice Resource Institute!

Kindergarten Playdate!

What a wonderful way to start the year for our youngest students! A big thank you to the families who came out this morning to enjoy the beautiful weather, make some new friends and enjoy those popsicles! Thank you also to the BCHMCPS PTO for hosting this fun event.

A reminder that we have two more Kindergarten events- two family workshops, tomorrow Wednesday August 23rd and Thursday August 24th starting at 10:00 at the school. I look forward to seeing many of our new families there.

Welcome Back!

   

             

August 2017

Dear BCHMCPS Families:

It is hard to believe that in less than two weeks we will be welcoming back the children for a new school year. So many new beginnings mark this time of the year and it is with great anticipation I look forward to the day when the children are back at school to start our new year. The staff of the BCHMCPS has been preparing to welcome your children and families; for many families this is a welcome back from a summer respite, for others this is a welcome for the first time. Whether you are a veteran BCHMCPS family or one new to the school, we are so happy you are here. A school, though, is not really a school until the children are here and the staff and I look so forward to having your families return.

As we start to enter the waning days of summer, and with the start of school  right around the corner, I would like to offer important information to start the year.

Faculty Updates:

What makes BCHMCPS special is the talented and committed teaching staff.  I am pleased to welcome Courtney Mwebazze to our Grade 3 teaching team. Mrs. Mwebaze comes to us after a very successful teaching practice in California. She and her husband are recent transplants to the Cape and we are as thrilled as she to have her as part of the BCHMCPS community.

In addition to Mrs. Mwebaze, there has been a new and additional role for our wonderful and talented administrative assistant, Ms. Erica Aceto. Ms. Aceto has accepted the position of Day Care Director. We are so happy to have Ms. Aceto’s talents in our main office as well now in our extended Day Care Program. If you are a Day Care family, more information about Day Care will be coming out soon as well!

                         

A reminder to veteran families as well as an informational point to our new families that BCHMCPS has universal FREE breakfast every day for all students. This breakfast program takes place every morning in the classrooms. It includes milk and juice, fresh fruit and a breakfast item. Please see the breakfast/lunch menu for each day’s offerings. We will be sending home the school meal menus as well as the free/reduced lunch forms at the start of school. Please fill out as soon as possible and return to school if your family qualifies.

                                                               

Arrival and Dismissal Procedures

Arrival Plan: BCHMPS hours are 9:00 am to 3:30 pm. Students should arrive between 8:45 am to 9:00 am. As there is no supervision prior to 8:45 am, families requiring an earlier drop off should contact the Day Care staff to inquire about enrolling their child/ren in the Before School Day Care Program.

Students in car drop off will enter the school through the door next to the cafeteria (Door A).

Students walking enter the school through the walkers’ side door (Door C) facing the Hyannis Youth and Community Center. This is an entrance for students only.

Upon arrival, students should go straight to their classrooms.

Remember, there is no parking during morning drop off or afternoon pick up in front of the school.

To ensure we are efficiently using time on learning and providing the safest environment for our students, parents/guardians are always welcome to the school but do not accompany students in the building or to their classrooms during morning drop off. Parents/Guardians who need to enter the school for school business will be asked to enter through the front door and sign in at the office. This is for all staff and student safety.

Dismissal Plan: Dismissal takes place at 3:25 pm. All families need to identify to their child’s teacher in writing at the beginning of the year how they would like their child to go home (e.g. pick up, bus, etc.). If this plan changes, we need written notification from a parent/guardian. It is recognized that emergencies do occur. Please contact the main office as soon as possible in the day, preferably by email by 2:30 (aceto_erica@barnstable.k12.ma.us. We take your child’s safety and security with the highest regard.

1. Car Drop Off/ Pick Up
1. Curbside Drop Off/ Pick Up - Cars must enter through the main parking lot and proceed through the parking lot to the side cafeteria door (Door A).  To ensure the safety of all students and the efficiency of traffic circulation, this is strictly a car drop off and pick up area.  Parents should pull as far forward as possible, and most importantly, remain in the car at all times.
2. Walker Drop Off/ Pick Up - Parents/ guardians who wish to drop off/ pick up their child/ren at the designated meeting door (Door C). Walker Drop Off/ Pick Up - Parents/ guardians who wish to drop off/ pick up their child/ren at the designated meeting door (Door C) MUST park in the Hyannis Youth and Community Center parking lot.  The school parking lot directly in front of the school is closed during the drop off/pick up designated times.  During pick up, parents/ guardians may wait outside Door B to greet their child/ren,
2. Buses: Buses will use the front entrance to the school to drop off/pick up students. To ensure the safety of ALL students, staff members will greet bus students as they enter the school and be present to board bus students.

Thank you in advance for your cooperation during drop off and pick up. The procedures are in place to ensure the safety of your children.

Important calendar dates:

August 30	First Day of School Grades 1-3
August 30	Kindergarten Orientation (see letter sent for assigned time)
August 31	Full school day- ALL students K-3
September 1	No School
September 4	No School-Labor Day
September 12 9:00-9:30	Principal “Second Cup of Coffee” meeting Open for all parents/guardians. Come for an informal meet and greet and topics of interest to families. These meetings will be held once a month from 9:00-9:30.
September 6 5:30-8:00	Curriculum Night
September 13	District Professional Development Day. It is a half-Day for students with a 12:00 dismissal. No afterschool Day Care on this day.

Over the course of the year, you will receive email communications from me with updates and reminders. I keep a blog at bchmcpshappenings.blogspot.com. You can always view current communications and updates, as well as access previous information either by clicking on the Principal’s Blog link on the school’s homepage (right hand side of the home page) or by using the blog address of bchmcpshappenings.blogspot.com. I will also email out directly to your inboxes any blog posts.  Let me know what you think!

I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer, and I look forward to seeing you soon.  As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

Warm regards,

Dr. Sheila Kukstis (kukstis_sheila@barnstable.k12.ma.us.org)

BCHMCPS Principal