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.

First Week of School

We have almost finished week one and it has been a wonderful week!  Tomorrow is predicted to be a beautiful day with lower temperatures and humidity. A great way to end the first week.

A few items as we conclude our week:

· I want to personally thank all of the families who have been so supportive of our new drop off/pick up procedures. The first two days were a bit slower as we put the new procedure in place and by today, it was smooth sailing and all students were dropped off and picked up in a safe and timely manner.  Your cooperation is so appreciated.                                                                                                                              I want to remind families that walkers picked up in front of the school should be TRUE walkers who walk from home to school and/or school to home.  We cannot police the HYCC parking lot to ensure that families do not park there and walk over to the school, thereby not following the procedure that all our other families respect; I would ask and expect that families adhere to the school procedures. We expect that our children follow the rules, please remember the children look to you to set the example. This school is a community and we expect that our families join in the community protocols set up for the safety of all our children. A VERY big thank you to all who support and respect that!

• ·       A reminder that tomorrow is our first All School Community meeting at 9:30 at the HYCC. All students need a permission slip to walk to the HYCC tomorrow. These permission slips were sent home on Tuesday. If you have not returned your child’s permission slip, please return it tomorrow morning our your child will not be able to attend the All School meeting.

·      School safety is a priority for BCHMCPS and the Barnstable District as a whole. As we open the 2018-19 school year, I write to update you on an important enhancement to our district’s emergency management cycle of Prevent, Prepare, Respond, and Recover. The district has placed a high priority on transitioning to the ALICE protocol (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) as an emergency response. ALICE emphasizes proactive, options-based strategies during a school-intruder emergency, and is a different response than our previous Run-Hide-Fight protocol from the U.S .Homeland Security. This summer the BCHMCPS Administrative Assistant Mrs. Erica Aceto and I participated in a two-day training in order to become an ALICE Certified Instructors. Additionally, every staff member at BCHMCPS has had the opportunity to complete the ALICE online course. As a result of our training, all nine schools in Barnstable Public Schools have transitioned to the ALICE protocol and will no longer use the previous lockdown protocol. Our school will continue to focus on ALICE protocols during our October 10th early release day, and in partnership with the Barnstable Police Department we will practice scenarios during our November staff meeting. When we begin to include students in our ALICE training and drills, I will notify parents/guardians in advance. To that end I am happy to inform you that the Barnstable School District is now an ALICE district.

Thank you again for all you do for our school every day.

Welcome Back

Dear BCHMCPS Families,

After a bit of a delay due to the excessive heat last week, I want to welcome all families to the 2018-2019 school year! As we start the year, a few general reminders for the start of the year:

·      The new drop off/pick up procedures will start tomorrow with the first day of school. As a reminder, the entrance for vehicle morning drop and afternoon pick up is the driveway between the school and the HYCC on the left of the school as you face the front of the school. The exit is on the right of the school- this is NOT a drop off/pick up entrance. If you are dropping off for Day Care, please use the same door as always. If you are dropping off to Day Care before 8:30 you may use the entrance on the right as before. If you are dropping off for day Care after 8:30 you must use the school drop off entrance on the left. ONLY school staff and Day Care families (before 8:30) may use the right side driveway to enter. True walkers (walking all the way to school) will be dropped off at the front school entrance.

·      This week’s weather is predicted to be hot. We have water available at school but you may want to send your child with extra bottles of water to ensure good hydration during the day. Please make sure that your child is dressed appropriately for the warm temperatures. Long sleeves and heavier long pants may be best avoided during the warmer weather.

·      Curriculum Night originally scheduled for Wednesday September 5^th has been rescheduled to Thursday September 13^th due to the school opening delay. Please mark you calendars for September 13^th. The schedule is below:

o   5:30-6:30- K & 1 in classrooms

o   6:00-6:30- Title I Information- Grades 2 & 3

o   6:30-7:00- Gym- Everyone

o   7:00-7:30- Title I Information- K & Grade 1

o   7:00-8:00- 2 & 3 in classrooms

·      Our first All School Community Meeting is scheduled for this Friday September 7^th. All School Community meetings are held next door at the HYCC. Students MUST have a signed permission slip to leave the building grounds and go to the HYCC. Permission slips will be sent home tomorrow. Please sign and return the permission slips to your child’s teacher ASAP and before Friday morning for your child to go to the meeting at the HYCC. This permission slip will cover all the meetings this year at the HYCC and needs to be signed just once.

I look forward to welcoming Grades 1-3 back tomorrow morning and seeing our Kindergarten families at Orientation. I also look forward to seeing all of our families at either the All School Community Meeting this Friday or at next week’s Curriculum Night.

As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions.

Kind regards,

Dr. Sheila Kukstis

Principal