Week of November 19

As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, please allow me to extend my warm wishes for a happy Thanksgiving to all of our BCHMCPS families and friends. When I count my blessings, I count all of you among those blessings. Thank you for all you do!

Calendar Reminders:

• Picture Retake Day is Tuesday November 27th
• PTO General Meeting is Wednesday November 28th 
• Parent/Teacher conferences will be held December 4th. Thank you to all families who have signed up for the conferences. This is an important time to meet with your child's teacher and we encourage all families to attend. 
• Book Fair- December 2-6 
• Screens Off/Minds On family Night- December 12th

PTO News

The PTO will be holding the BCHMCPS Scholastic Book Fair December 2-6. Please watch for book fliers to come home next week! This great fundraiser not only supports our school, encourages student reading (yay!!) but also helps with your holiday shopping. Books make a great gift for all ages. The Book Fair will be open during parent conferences on December 4th; this is a great time to browse and shop the selection of books. Please remember to support the PTO Book Fair.

You can easily support our school while doing your in other ways while doing your holiday shopping. Here are some ways to easily do this :

1. You can sign up with Amazon Smile. Amazon will donate 0.5% of the price of your eligible Amazon smile purchase to our school. If you use your phone or tablet for shopping you’ll have to go to your web browser and go through smile.amazon.com when you check out.

Follow this link: https://smile.amazon.com/ch/20-3849692

And choose: Barnstable Community Horace Mann Charter Public School PTO Inc

Remember to go to smile.amazon.com every time you shop.

2. Our Yankee Candle online store will remain open until January 9th 2019.

Follow this link: https://www.yankeecandlefundraising.com/store.htm

And type in our group number: 999987808

Thank you for supporting our PTO.

On December 12th, we are hosting the family event- "Screens Off/Minds On". Attached are fliers in English, Portuguese and Spanish. These fliers will also be sent home in your child's backpack. This is a fun night for the whole family! Pizza will be served, so you don't even need to think about dinner. Students are encouraged to come in pajamas if they would like and they will have stories read to them as parents/guardians attend the "Screens Off/Minds On" workshop. The Book fair will be open for the evening as well. Reservations are needed so we can know how much pizza to order. We hope to see you there!

Notes from Nurse Melley

FLU FACTS

To protect against the flu, the first and most important thing you can do is get a flu vaccine for yourself and your child. Flu viruses spread mainly by droplets from a person's sneeze or cough. Below are some signs and symptoms to be aware of.

Theme Night and Ice Cream Social

Tomorrow Night is the BIG  night!  We are looking forward to welcoming all families to the BCHMCPS  Theme Night and Ice Cream Social! The fun will start at 6:00 and go right through to 7:30. So much fun in one night! 
A big part of tomorrow is the PTO ice cream social and the PTO needs your help with this. 

The PTO needs parent helpers to scoop the ice cream from 6pm to 7pm. Even if you  can only do it for 15 minutes that is just fine, please help out by coming to the cafeteria with your willing hands and volunteering spirit!. The PTO appreciates all the help they can get!

Some of the other fun activities:

•  Visit the work done for each grade level's theme!
• People in Our Neighborhood- Kindergarten
• Animal Adaptation- Grade 1
• MSPCA Partnership - Respect and Support for Animals- Grade 2
• Animal Traits and the Environment- Grade 3
• What Makes a Global Community-English Language Learners-

• Raffles! The Garden Committee and the PTO will be holding raffle during Theme Night with some exciting prizes, including prizes from Cape Air, Trader Joe's and Pain D'Avignon. Thanks to the many sponsors who support our school. Please support these businesses who support our school.
•  The Garden Committee and PTO are collecting canned goods, Please consider bringing a canned good item for the Food Drive to support those in need.
• Scavenger Hunt 

Don't forget that the All School Community meeting is tomorrow, 

Thursday November 8th at 9:30 at the HYCC.

Your opinion is so important to us. We want to know what you think of your child’s and your family’s school experience. Please take a few minutes during Theme Night to help us by filling out a survey that will be available to families in the front lobby. This survey is anonymous.

There are three areas in the survey:

·      School Climate

·      School Fit

·      Barriers to Engagement

The survey should take no more than 5 minutes to complete and will help us to know more about how to support your child and family.  All families who return the survey during Theme Night will have their name entered into a raffle to win a $25 Amazon gift certificate! Just return the survey in the front lobby and put your name and telephone number on a card that will be put in a bowl. The winner will be notified later this evening!

Thank you!

 

December 11th- Chipotle Garden Fundraiser on December 11th. Get your sit down or take out dinner and support the BCHMCPS Garden at no extra cost to you. Chipotle will donate a third of the proceeds to the Garden Committee. So get your appetite on and get down to Chipotle on December 11th. A flier will be going home in the next few weeks about this fundraiser.

December 12th we are holding a wonderful and informative family event called  "Minds On/ Screens Off Night". This evening is for the whole family and more information will be coming out closer to the date. As you think about this important topic of the amount and types of screen time children are exposed to, a link to a New York Times article that gives some further thought on this topic is below. Just copy the link into your browser.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/26/style/phones-children-silicon-valley.html?smid=fb-nytimes&smtyp=cur&fbclid=IwAR2Fw74jvwNU1z7b7iR2WSrUeAvaEaC-Oq8lVVkW3GqVyOSIC5jqoTyociU

This week at BCHMCPS

I am not sure where October has gone but we are looking at the last of October this week. As we bid farewell to October, the Garden Committee and PTO are busy preparing for the rescheduled Harvest Festival this Saturday. The festival will still take place in and around the garden with lots of fun for everyone. The Harvest Festival is a free event; if you are able, you are encouraged to bring a canned good for a food drive being held during the Harvest Festival. 

For the past two years our students and  families have honored veterans by creating a "flag garden" in the front green area of the school. Last Friday, your child should have brought home a form that allows you to name a veteran (or as many as you would like) that we will honor. We do this by writing the veteran's name on a tag that is adhered to a flag that will be planted in our flag garden. We hope this provides an opportunity for a discussion about the ways that others have given of themselves to keep us safe.

There are so many ways that you can support the school while just doing your everyday shopping. PTO vice-president Heather Gately offers the following fundraising opportunities you can sign up and/or access online using whatever device you use to shop. All funds benefit BCHMCPS and do not cost you anything. 

Don't forget to "like" the PTO's Facebook page to find important info about our school. Just search for "Bchmcps PTO" on Facebook. 

Below are some of the ways you can help.

A plus School rewards

• If you shop at Stop and Shop you can sign up online for A+ Rewards to benefit BCHMCPS.

Amazon Smile

• When ordering from Amazon please remember to go to
• www.smile.amazon.com
• proceed to look for BCHMCPS PTO

Shoparoo APP

Shop, snap, and earn money for our school

• http://www.shoparoo.com

  Shoparoo | Hassle-Free Fundraising Shoparoo is the free app that turns pictures of your receipts into cash donations for your school! www.shoparoo.com

• enter in your zip code and look for Barnstable Community Horace Mann Charter Pubic School
• select school and begin to save receipts & its free to sign up

BOX TOPS BONUS APP

• http://www.boxtops4education.com/bonusapp

  Box Tops Bonus App Earn even more cash to help your school get what it needs through the Box Tops for Education® Bonus App. www.boxtops4education.com

Each spring our Grade 3 students take the MCAS, the Massachusetts' state assessment that all public and charter students take. Students are assessed in Math and English Language Arts. To see how last year's BCHMCPS Grade 3 students, now in Grade 4, did (really, really well!) use this link to access BCHMCPS's MCAS report:
http://profiles.doe.mass.edu/accountability/report/district.aspx?linkid=30&orgcode=04270000&orgtypecode=5&
This link will display the school's Accountability information. You can look at more detailed information by clicking on the "Detailed Information For Each Indicator" tab. Because we are a charter school, we are our own district as well and we are the only school in the "Schools in This District" tab. So, this tab will show BCHMCPs data, not Barnstable Public Schools' data.

This year, for the first time, student attendance in Grades 1-3 is counted in the school report. This is the one area where we see that we can improve and I ask your support in this. Please make sure that your child/ren attends school every day that he/she is healthy and that family vacations are not planned during school time.

Polished Dental is a group of dental professionals providing preventative dental care right at our school. Kids don't have to miss school and, you don't have to miss work. They will be at our school on Monday, Oct.29th. It's not to late to sign up. Please contact Mrs. Melley @ 508 790-6495 for any questions about this program.

Donation of pants- Sizes 6,7,8

Ann Marie Melley M.Ed,BSN, RN.School Nurse

BCHMCPS

165 Bearses Way

Hyannis, Ma

Office: 508 790-6495

melley_annmarie@mybps.us

Fax: 508 790-6432

October 16 post

The last couple of days have had a bit of a chill in the air as we settle into Autumn and say good-bye to the hot weather and welcome the cooler days. Please remember as the temperatures get cooler to pack a sweater or jacket for your child for recess time.




A great way to celebrate this season will be the Garden Harvest Festival being held in and around the

school garden on Saturday October 27th from 12:30 -2:30. Mark your calendars now and look for more information soon from the Garden Committee and PTO about this fun family event.

The drop off and pick up line has been moving quickly and smoothly. Thank you to all of you who have been patient as we changed this process this year. One thing that all BCHMCPS families can do to ensure that the line continues to move along quickly during afternoon pick up is to make sure the card with your family name is always displayed on the dashboard of your car. This allows the staff to relay your child's name to staff inside the school and have your child ready when you pull up. Please let the office know if you need a new card for your family.



On a previous communication I wrote about the Safety Committee that we are putting together. We are still inviting volunteers from our families who would like to serve on this committee. Please contact the office if you are interested.




The All School Community Meeting that was cancelled last Friday due to weather has been rescheduled to Friday October 26th. The meeting will still be held at 9:30 at the HYCC. 

Welcome October!

Happy first day of October!  October welcomes us with cooler and drier air and the start of the spectacular fall foliage that signals this time of year. At BCHMCPS we also have much to welcome in October and the first half of October is filled with school events. As a reminder of the upcoming events, please see below:
October
8- Columbus Day- No School
9- School Picture Day
9- Principal Coffee- Topic this month is "School Safety"
10- Half Day for Students- 12:00 Dismissal for Teacher Professional Development
12- All School Community Meeting- 9:30-10:30 at the HYCC

Thank you again to all the families who have made the new drop off/pick up a success. The line is moving along well thanks to the courteous attention drivers are giving to the process. As a reminder, please form two lines for drop off and pick up starting at the yellow gates. When advancing beyond the yellow gates to form one line beyond the yellow gates please make sure to observe first one car on one side, then the car on the other side weaving one after the other to form one line. Thank you!

Coming Up at BCHMCPS

Annual registration update- Letters with important information about the annual student registration update went home to all families via backpacks last week. Please make sure to complete the online annual registration update using the instructions and specific student id provided on the label attached to the letter. If you have any questions please contact the school for assistance.

We are looking to form a School Safety Committee for BCHMCPS. This committee would meet 3-4 times a year during the school day to review safety protocols and make recommendations that will work to help keep BCHMCPS a safe and secure school. We invite any interested parents who would like to join to please contact me (Sheila Kukstis) either by email kukstis_sheila@mybps.us or at 508-790-6485. I would like to have two parent representatives on the committee.
 

BCHMCPS PTO & the Garden Committee invite you and your family to our Harvest Festival, Saturday October 27 at 12:30-2:30. Kids can wear their Halloween costume for a fun day of games, pumpkins, bake sale and learning about our amazing community garden. More information coming soon. 





The next PTO meeting will be on Thursday, October 18th at 6 pm. We’d love to see you there. 

The PTO has a new Facebook page. Search Bchmcps PTO and follow us for information on our events.


Nurse's Notes:

I have started the vision & hearing screenings this week. Please make sure if your child wears glasses that they bring them to school. If your child needs to follow up with and eye doctor or ear, nose and throat doctor a referral note will be sent home. Please then bring the referral note to the doctor and return it to school.

The annual back to school update serves as the emergency procedure card. It also allows me to give your child Tylenol or Motrin if needed. It is important that this be done as soon as possible. Any questions or concerns please call Mrs. Melley @ 508 790-6495.

The Week Ahead- September 10-14

This week marks the first full week of school and we have a busy week! Thank you to all who attended the first All School Community Meeting on Friday. It was a great way to kick off the year and all students at school on Friday had their permission slips back so all students attended. Thank you for making it a success.

The week ahead is a full one!

On Tuesday morning is the first Principal Coffee. Held from 9-9:30 in the cafeteria, it is an opportunity to enjoy a second cup of coffee and hear more about events/programs at the school. This month's Coffee will focus on the school Title I program- what it is, how it affects your child and offers an opportunity for your feedback. Mrs. Milne and Mrs. Kelly will join me to facilitate the conversation.




Wednesday, September 12th is a staff professional development day and a half day for students with a 12:00  dismissal for all students. There is no after school program so please make sure that the school knows how your child will be going home on Wednesday.



On Thursday evening from 5:30 to 8:00 we will hold Curriculum Night. ALL families are encouraged to attend.
This is an important evening to meet your child's teacher and hear about academic and behavioral programs and expectations. We look forward to seeing our families on this evening.