October 31, 2010
Dear BCS Families,
Having a voice can be empowering for people of all ages. BCS firmly believes that by giving our students and their families a voice, we are advocating for a true community school. An environment where all stakeholders have a voice is an environment where true learning occurs.
As principal of BCS, it is both my desire and responsibility to make sure all of you have a voice in framing our vision for the future. I have registered BCS for the Project Tomorrow Speak Up Survey conducted nation wide each year. The survey is created to allow students, staff, and parents to assess the use of technology in schools and will allow us to gauge where we are in comparison to other schools in order to be on the cutting edge. It is essential to gain feedback from our families, and the speak up survey is a great tool to collect the necessary data to move forward.
Please go to http://www.speakup4schools.org/speakup2010/Default.aspx
to access the survey. You will click on the parent tab and use BCS as the secret word. The survey is approximately 25 questions. Our goal is to have every family, parents and students, participate in the survey to give us a clear picture of how we are doing in incorporating technology and what we must focus on in the future. Your results will be included in the nation wide survey but will also be available for us to specifically look at data connected to BCS.
I would like to encourage all of you to participate and thank you in advance for having a voice here at BCS. Our staff and students will be receiving a separate letter to participate. If you have any questions regarding the Speak Up Survey, please contact me at ah07bps@birmingham.k12.mi.us.
Have a great week!
G.E.E.K.ed,
Adam
Quotes for the week:
My dear friend, clear your mind of can’t.
-Samuel Johnson
Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint you can on it
-Danny Kaye
Life is partly what we make it, and partly what it is made by the friends we choose.
-Tennessee Williams
WEEK AT A GLANCE –November 1-5, 2010
(Disclaimer: Please check all your calendars and bcsonline.info in case we missed something)
- To submit an item for next week’s “WAG”, email nb01bps@birmingham.k12.mi.us by THURSDAY 7AM
Monday, November 1
- 7:45-8:15AM – Medication round-up for 5/6 camp-parents should bring in medications that are required to be administered to their children during camp. If your child has emergency medications on file in the office already, please know that those medications will be going to camp.
- 7:00PM Webmasters Committee Meeting-Media Center
Tuesday, November 2 – ELECTION DAY
- Fire Drill
- 8:20AM - 5/6 leaves for Camp Copeneconic in Fenton-students should meet at the camp busses in front of the school with all their camp gear.
- 8-8:20AM – Bagel sale in front of the media center by the 8th grade celebration committee
- 3:15-4:00PM – School store is open in the main hallway during choice hour
- 7:00PM Board of Education Meeting – Administration Building
Wednesday, November 3
- POPCORN Day – freshly popped popcorn is sold during choice hour for $1 in the main hallway
Thursday, November 4
- End of First Quarter
- 8:45-9:45- Rising Star Performance for 3/4 students - Cafe
- 12:30-1:15PM Seaholm Leadership Class Partnership Program / G.E.E.K.ed about Leadership
- 5-6:30PM Proud Dads Co- Ed Flag Football 3-8 @BCS Fields 1,2,3 (not soccer field)
- 7:00 PM – Friends of Different learners Meeting-Media Center, Curriculum Modification
Friday, November 5- NO SCHOOL – RECORDS DAY
Saturday, November 6
- 6:00-7:00PM Proud Dads Co- Ed Tennis 3-8 @Birmingham Racket Club
Sunday, November 7
- Daylight Savings Time ends-set clocks back one hour
Hot Entrée menu for the week: (subject to change, if necessary)
- Available everyday: Pizza, Hamburgers & Cheeseburger, Chicken Sandwiches, Nachos, Beef Soft Shell Tacos, Freshly made Salads and Sandwiches, Garden Fresh Salad Bar
Monday – Baked Mac & Cheese or Chili Cheese Mac, Steamed Broccoli, Fresh Fruit, BBQ Chicken Pizza
Tuesday – Chicken or Beef Soft Taco, Spanish Rice, Carrots, Vegetarian Pizza
Wednesday – Chicken Fettuccini, Choice of White or Wheat Noodles, Breadstick, Green Beans, Cheese Quesadilla
Thursday – Italian Sub on a Wheat Bun, Side Salad, Fruit Cup, Hawaiian Pizza
Friday – NO SCHOOL
NOTES:
3/4 Swim Schedule: Butzin, Davis, Harvath and Parkin will SWIM from Monday, November 8th through Friday, December 10th. Please send a swimsuit and towel with your child on their PE day.
3/4 GYM Schedule: Burns, Frishman, Seley, and Wallington will be in GYM from Monday, November 8th through Friday, December 10th. Please send tennis shoes in with your child on their PE day.
BCS CONFERENCES
BCS Conferences are on Wednesday, November 17 from 5-8PM and Thursday, Nov. 18 from 1-4 & 5-8 PM. There is a half-day for students on Thursday. Please watch for future emails regarding conference sign-ups for 3-6 grades. Conferences for 7-8th grades are held in the cafeteria on a first come, first served basis for each teacher. The 7-8 format models the high school conference process. Please disregard the BCS conference times listed in the BPS Family Guide.
SPECIAL EDUCATION BUILDING COFFEE AT BCS – Thursday, Nov. 18 at 9AM
You are cordially invited to meet with Mr. Hartley and Special Education Administrators, Ms. Kelly Lovik - Executive Director, and Wendy Albanese - Supervisor. Join us for coffee, meet other parents who have students receiving special education services in our building, and ask questions. This is a great opportunity to network within our building community! The coffee is hosted by BCS in collaboration with Friends of Different Learners.
BCS WEBMASTERS COMMITTEE
The BCS Webmasters Committee invites all interested parents to their next meeting on Monday, November 1 at 7pm in the Media Center. We launched our new website at the Blast last spring and we still have lots of new ideas we would like to implement. No experience is necessary to join, just an interest in updating and enhancing our website www.bcsonline.info. We look forward to seeing YOU!
JINGLE BELL RUN
Save the Date! On Saturday, November 20 the Arthritis Foundation will be hosting its 23rd annual Jingle Bell Run. The run will start and finish at BCS. Chris Manchester and BCS Proud Dad'sare working together to get the BCS community involved – their goal is to have 150 members of the BCS community sign-up. To register for the event, go to www.bcsonline.info. If you are interested in helping you can contact David Stone at DSTONE1@US.IBM.COM .
Fall Book Fair Volunteers Needed!!
If you love books and have 2 hours to spare, please contact Shiva Motlagh (shivamotlagh@comcast.net) to volunteer for the upcoming Fall Book Fair! If you have an upper class high school student who needs community service hours, we would welcome their help too! Helping at the Fair is lots of fun and 25% of the proceeds go directly to the Media Center to buy books, ipods, materials, and furnishings!!
2 hour shifts are available during the following times:
- Monday, November 15 - book fair set up- 8:30 am to 2:00 pm
- Tuesday, November 16 - student preview times - 8:30 am to 3:00 pm
- Weds. & Thurs. November 17 & 18 - student preview/public sale - 8:30 am to 8:30 pm
- Thursday November 18 - book fair pack up - 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm
ATTENTION PHOTOGRAPHERS:
The 8th Grade Celebration Committee is looking for a Professional Photographer (or Photo Enthusiast) who can take pictures at the various sporting events throughout the year. The pictures will be included in the 8th Grade Celebration DVD. If interested or for questions, please contact Peggy Kassab at peggykassab@gmail.com
ATHLETICS UPDATES
The girl’s basketball and the boy’s soccer teams ended a successful Fall athletics season this week. Online registration for the Winter I season of boys basketball and girls swimming is now up and running (http://www.bpsregister.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=2010-11_BCS_ATH_W1). The Winter I season begins officially on November 15th. Please watch the website and emails for upcoming information on try-outs and practices!
BPS Athletic Updates
All BPS parents/guardians are invited to attend the semi-annual ATHLETICS UPDATES on Tuesday, November 9 from 7-9PM at Berkshire Middle School. Tom Flynn, athletic director at Groves and Aaron Flynn, athletic director at Seaholm, will discuss the following topics: fall sports review, winter sports review, and the work of the athletic advisory board. There will be time for Q’s & A’s.
