August 2018
Dear BCHMCPS Families:
Welcome to a new school year! The
BCHMCPS staff has been working hard to get ready to welcome your children and
families for the 2018-2019 school year. For many of our families this is a
welcome back, for others this is a welcome to BCHMCPS.
Whether you are a veteran BCHMCPS
family or one new to the school, we are so happy you are here.
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 the following new staff members:
· Ms. Lena Greeley as our
special education teacher. Mrs. Greeley has formerly been a special education teacher
in Bourne and most recently has been at BCHMCPS as Grade 1 Assistant and a Special Education
Assistant.
· Ms. Paige Appelt as our
new school psychologist. Mr. Norton resigned his position in June and we are
very happy to welcome Ms. Appelt. Ms. Appelt has most recently been a school
psychologist in Sandwich.
· Ms. Meghan Swanson will
take Mrs. Pacella’s place as the new art teacher. Ms. Pacella has decided to
reduce her hours so will no longer be at BCHMCPS. Ms. Swanson has taught art in
both Wellfleet and Walpole previous to joining us in Barnstable.
In addition to the teachers above we
also welcome this additional staff:
· Ms. Aline Gomes- Family
Liaison – two days a week. Please note in addition to English, that Ms. Gomes
speaks both Portuguese and Spanish and will also be available for translation
support.
· Ms. Bethany Gay- Reading
Assistant
· Ms. Helene Kennedy-
Grade 1 Assistant
· Ms. Mary Beers-
School-wide Teaching Assistant
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
Beginning the first day of
school, August 29, 2018, we will no longer have a WALKER DOOR (the door near
the Kindergarten wing between the school and the HYCC), accessible for student
arrival or dismissal. Below are the three options for your child to arrive and
leave our school:
- BUS
- PARENT DROP-OFF/PICK UP via DOOR A (North side of
building next to the cafe/aftercare door; please note the new procedures
below).
- WALK - via the front entrance, with NO car being parked on school or HYCC
property.
Through this new exit and entry
system we hope to increase the safety of our school community and the security
of our building. If this change impacts your family, please plan your
child/children’s arrival and departure from school accordingly.
With ALL Parent Drop-Off /Pick-Up
now located at one single location, there will be a new ONE WAY traffic pattern for cars entering and exiting the parent
pick up area. Please review the attached diagram for more information.
- Cars will ENTER via the south driveway between HYCC and
BCHMCPS and line up along the back side of the building in a single line.
- Cars will EXIT via the north driveway, past the big
playground and the woods.
During student drop-off and/or
pick-up all drivers must remain in their cars. Families will be issued 2 large laminated cards with their child’s
last name, one of which needs to be displayed on the dashboard of the car. The
cards will be available for pick up in the office the day before school starts,
August 28th, or will be handed out on the first day of school. The second card
may be used by a second family member/caretaker who may also pick up students.
Additional staff will be at the Parent Pickup door to load/unload multiple cars
safely. To ensure the safety of all involved, it will be extremely important
for all drivers to pay close attention to the staff who are directing traffic.
We believe this will be a much
more efficient and safe option for our school community. Please watch for more
information on these changes on my blog, and the BCHMCPS website. If you have
any specific questions about this procedure, please call the office or email me
before the start of school.
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.
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).
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@mybps.us). We take your child’s safety and security with the
highest regard.
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 29
|
First Day of School Grades
1-3
|
|
August 29
|
Kindergarten Orientation (see
letter sent for assigned time)
|
|
August 30
|
Full school day- ALL
students K-3
|
|
August 31
|
No School
|
|
September 3
|
No School-Labor Day
|
|
September 11
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 5
5:30-8:00
|
Curriculum Night
|
|
September 12
|
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@mybps.us)
BCHMCPS Principal
