Jan 3-6, 2012 WAG

January 2, 2012

Dear BCS Community,

I would like to say Happy New Year to everyone!  I was watching Forrest Gump last week (it was on every day over break!) and in one of the scenes with Sargent Dan, a woman leans over and tells Forrest, “I love New Year’s Eve, everyone gets a second chance!” (or something like that).

I thought it was a great way to think about the new year. The past is gone and the future is uncertain.  Out of all the things in our lives, the most important is what is in front of us right now.  Dwelling on the past or spending too much time looking into the future can often keep us from living life the way we were meant to live it.  

Taking this mindset in the new year and thinking of BCS, all of us have a chance to work together and make 2012 a year to remember. We have had great projects, amazing parent volunteers, and prestigious awards in the past, we are all excited about the future, but if we can concentrate on what we are doing right now, BCS will continue to do what we do best- educate kids!

Educating 3rd-8th grade learners takes a team approach and all of you are important to help make our mission a successful one.  As 2012 begins, and our school year approaches the half way mark, I ask all of you to join me and concentrate on what is right in front of us here at BCS.  Whether you are a new BCS parent, if you have been part of the team for a while, or if you are reading this and are awaiting the BCS lottery, your participation in 2012 is as important than ever.  The past is over and the future is always a day away.  Just like the woman in Forrest Gump stated, “Everyone has a second chance!”  Take that chance and get involved in 2012!

G.E.E.K.ed about a new year,

Adam

WEEK AT A GLANCE –   Week of January 2-6, 2011

(Disclaimer:  Please check all your calendars and bcsonline.info in case we missed something)

 To submit an item for next week’s “WAG”, email mz07bps@birmingham.k12.mi.us  by  THURSDAY 11PM

Monday, January 2

• No School 
• Choice Hour books are online-selections due Mon JAN 9,2012 by 4PM

Tuesday, January 3

• 6:45-8 AM GIRLS SWIM  TEAM PRACTICE
• 6:45-8 AM BOYS BASKETBALL PRACTICE
• 8 AM BAGELS for Sale- for $1.25 (cream cheese .25 cents)in front of the Media Center
• 3:15 PM-SCHOOL STORE  OPEN DURING CHOICE HOUR

Wednesday, January 4

• 6:45-8 AM BOYS BASKETBALL PRACTICE
• 9:15 AM 5 /6 Room Parent Meeting-Media Center
• Market Day pick up in entrance hall
• Delicious Popcorn sold during Choice Hour-only $ 1
• 3:15-5:00 PM-GIRLS SWIM TEAM PRACTICE

Thursday, January 5

• 9 -AM- Friends of Different Learners Meeting-Staff Development
• 4;00 PM BOYS BASKETBALL –away @ABBOTT MIDDLE SCHOOL visit highschoolsports.net for map and directions to the school
• 4:15 PM-Girls Swim Team  -away v.east hills middle school-visit highschoolsports.net for map and directions to the school
• 7 PM-  BCS Enrollment Information Meeting-Media Center
• 7 PM- PTSA Management Meeting=Cafeteria
• 7PM- Friends of Different  Learners-New Year’s Resolutions for your child’s education- Staff Development

Friday, January 6

• 6:45-8 AM GIRLS SWIM  TEAM PRACTICE
• 6:45-8 AM BOYS BASKETBALL PRACTICE
• 8:30 AM -BCS 5^th-8^th Spelling Bee-Media Center 

Hot Entrée menu for the week:  (subject to change, if necessary)

-          Available everyday: Salad Bar, Hamburgers, Chicken Patties, Pizza & Cheese Breadsticks

Monday – 

Tuesday – Chef’s Choice!

Wednesday – Baked Chicken Nuggets, Steamed Green Vegetables, Baked Onion Rings, Supreme Pizza

Thursday –Home-style Turkey and gravy, Steamed Corn, Mashed Potatoes, Chicken Enchilada 

Friday –BBQ Chicken, Wheat  roll, Coleslaw, ,Vegetarian Pizza 

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR IMPORTANT FAMILY, SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY INFORMATION

See below for BATTLE AND 8^TH GRADE PHOTO INFORMATION

Important   infoRMATION  for 8^TH grade families

If you have not turned in your High School Selection Forms to the counseling Department we must know the school your child is planning on attending before they can have their scheduling appointment.

Attention 8^th graders attending Seaholm

If you are interested in visiting the FLEX program at Seaholm please email Kyle Hall at kh01bps@birmingham.k12.mi.us to reserve a space. Available dates are January 10, 17, 19, 24, and 26.

Choice Hour Information

3rd Quarter 2011 -2012 Choice Hour selection sheets will be going home the week of January 2^nd, 2012.  Selections can be viewed online at www.bsconline.info .Selections are due Monday January 9^th at 4:00PM.   Students who do not turn in a selection sheet will not be placed in any Choice Hour classes.  Students who do not turn in a selection sheet with payment by the deadline will not be allowed to make a change in their schedule.  

Also, please include proper payment if you are signing your child up for a 4^th and/or 5^th day of Choice Hour.   Do not include payment for classes with materials fees or pay to play fees.  A separate billing will be made once students have been placed in their Choice Hour classes.

Important information regarding 3^rd quarter:

Mrs. Stephenson is offering a Forensics I Choice Hour class on Mondays for students in grades 5-7.  This class is a pre-requisite for the competitive Forensics II team.   Students must be enrolled in this class to be eligible to audition for the team in the spring of 2012.  

Students interested in applying for the BCS Now Choice Hour class need to have their applications to Mr. Joseph no later than Monday January 9^th at 4:00PM.  The application is included in with the choice hour selection sheet!  Please read the instructions very carefully!!  This class meets every day but students are not expected to be available every day!  

6^th, 7^th and 8^th grade boys interested in participating in the BCS swim team program are encouraged to sign up for the Monday/Wednesday swim team Choice Hour class.

Choice Hour reminders – please email Linda Stone at ls06bps@birmingham.k12.mi.us ,call (248-203-4625 or send in a note  if your child is going to be absent from Choice Hour for any reason!  Students that do not have Choice Hour on any given day need to be picked up by 3:20 PM.  Students that do not have a Choice Hour class and are not picked up by 3:30 PM will be charged a $5.00 fee.

Thank you for always supporting the Choice Hour program!

Junior Great Books is returning to BCS! ***Attention Third and Fourth Graders ***

We will meet once a week at lunch time, for lively, fun, and thought-provoking discussions about stories contained in the Junior Great Book readers. If you LOVE to read, and share your thoughts and opinions with others - you will love this program!Jr. Great Books provides a forum for open ended discussions and challenging ideas to promote personal growth. Students will read engaging stories and have question driven discussions with the group to search for meaning in the stories and challenge yourself and those around you. 

The program is open to the first 15 students in 3rd and 4th grade who sign up. Students will be provided with a reader, that will be turned back in after the program has ended. They will be expected to read a story weekly, and come prepared to share thoughts and ideas. Also, bringing a lunch from home would help to maximize discussion time on the days the group meets, but is not mandatory. 

To register, please send an email to Chris Graham at christinag123@sbcglobal.net. Please provide the name of the student and parents, an email address, and their teacher. The first 15 students will be contacted with further details. 

BCS Spirit Wear is here! 
Show your school spirit, stay warm this winter! 
Return order forms to the office.  Make checks payable to:  BCS PTSA
Any questions?  Contact Teresa Rea: reateresa@gmail.com
All merchandise is custom ordered and all sales are final.

SAVE THE BEES PETITION

The petition is to pollinate Birmingham. We are taking part in the Disney Planet Challenge, we are trying to save the honey bees from extinction. CCD is causing extinction. The more signatures we get on the petition the better!  Please consider signing This website is to the petition that the Fitzgerald/Brown class room made: http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/222/574/307/..From: The Fitz/Brown Homeroom

BCS BAND INFORMATION

 PARENTS of 7^th & 8^th graders: The BCS Mid-Winter Band Concert for the 7^th & 8^th grade bands will take place on Wednesday, February 8, 2012. The concert will be held from 7:00-8:00pm in the BCS cafeteria. Students should arrive at BCS no later than 6:30pm. 

BCS Band Parents: Private lessons for band instruments are now available at Groves High School! Please visit the Groves Band website http://www.grovesband.com for more information. This is a fantastic opportunity for our young musicians

INFORMATION ABOUT A SPECIAL STUDENT RUN FUNDRAISER TO BENEFIT CITY MISSION

Hello Friends!

We're raising funds for City Mission's laptop carts and need your help to attain our goal.
You can purchase or renew subscriptions to your favorite magazines (like People, All You, TIME and Sports Illustrated) at up to 85% off, or enjoy exclusive offers on cookie dough and Restaurant.com eCertificates.
Each time you make a purchase, we'll receive up to 40%. 

You can also support us by sharing this page and spreading the word to friends and family.

Also, we are holding a book drive to help the kids at City Mission as well. Please bring in New or Gently Used Books to the Cubby near the 200 Hallway with the City Mission banner (across from the lunch line) Below is our wiki explaining more about our project
http://globalliteracies.wikis.birmingham.k12.mi.us/Internet+Survey-+Helping+City+MissionThank You!
Meaghan and Jackie
Join our online fundraising campaign- you can earn great prizes too!
Therese F.
City Mission Laptop Cart
P.S. You can buy something for yourself! This will also help our cause.

Calling all 8th Grade Parents and Guardians!!! Photos are due January 20th, 2011.
It's time to submit a baby photo (up to age 2) and a current photo of your 8th grader for the Farewell video!
Shortly you will receive the invitation to share your photos on our Grade 8 2012 Google Picasa Web Album. Below you will find directions on how to upload your photos to this album. Please print these directions and have them available for when your invitation arrives.
How to Upload Your Photos:

Click on “Contribute Photos to this Album” in the invitation box 

• Login as follows:
• Email: bcs8thgradevideo 
• Password: Photos4U (password is case sensitive)

• Click on the box that reads “Select Photos from Your Computer” 
• Select your photo 
• If the picture you have added needs to be rotated, scroll your mouse over the photo to rotate the image right or left 
• Click the box that reads “Okay” 
• Repeat for your second photo 
• Once you have uploaded both photos, click on the tab that reads “Birmingham Covington’s Gallery” 
• Click on the “Grade 8 2012” Album (your pictures should appear in the album) 
• Click on the first photo you loaded. Underneath the photo you will have the option to add a caption. 
• Click on “Add a Caption” and type in your child’s name. Click on the “Save Caption” Button. 
• Click on the left or right arrow to find your child’s second photo and add a caption to that photo as well. 
• Log out of g-mail – you’re done!

Digital/scanned images are preferred, however, if you are unable to upload your images, you may drop off your photos in the turn-in basket in the BCS office. Please be sure to include your name on the back of the photos so that they can be returned to you. Or, alternately, you may also e-mail your photos to Rob Lawrence, fellow BCS parent and 8th grade celebration committee member, at rob1lawrence@gmail.com and he will upload your images for you.

Battle News and Dates 

Mark your calendars for the BCS Battle Dates below

 Regarding Battle Team s---Buddy list will start after break for students who have already read six books. Pair of buddies will put on teams together, three if possible .depending on number of students participating and books read.   Teams will be formed the week after January 27, 2012, qualifying day. Battle teams will consist of 4^th and 5^th graders.

January &  February        Battle Book Clubs during 4^th and 5^th grade lunch (dates TBD)

January 9, 2012                 Battle program at Baldwin-, 7:00pm Meet Helen Frost, our Battle author for Diamond Willow.

January 19, 2012               Cosmic Breakfast 7:45-8:20 with BCS Proud Dads (or Moms) and Battlers; featured Battle Book is Cosmic by Frank Cottrell Boyce in BCS Cafeteria.  Mark your Calendars Anticipated breakfast cost is -$6 (includes parent and child) Pre-registration starts after break. If you want a personal copy of Cosmic, you can order from Amazon, via the BEF Amazon website link and help our Foundation (http://supportbef.org/ 

January 27, 2012               Battle Qualifying day by end of day to make a Battle Team   (Students need to have read 6 books and passed 6 AR Tests) 

Feb 7, 2012                 Battle Rush at BCS Cafeteria (right after choice hour—we will start promptly at 4:30-5:30. Students meet their teammates; choose team name, motto, and design of a Team Crest for Battle Day in March. Will need parent volunteers and donations of drink and ready to eat snack with little clean-up. A Parent volunteer is needed for each team and a photographer to take pictures of team crest. Watch for separate email. 

February 8, 2012-             Battle program at Baldwin 6:30 pm.-Learn to Finger Talk like Goldie and  

                                            Toadspit from the Battle book Museum of Thieves 

Feb 15, 2012                       Gold Medal Qualifying Day (must turn in AR tests for all ten books by end of day to get a gold medal) 

March 2, 2012                    District-Wide Battle Day.

ARE YOU  IN FOURTH GRADE?? THEN HIT THE SLOPES…FOURTH GRADE KIDS SKI FREE

The Michigan Snowsports Industries Association (MSIA) wants to give Michigan kids an opportunity to get out, have fun and get healthy this winter. MSIA has established a state-wide program which provides every fourth grader in Michigan the opportunity to ski for free. Fourth graders can obtain a “Cold is Cool” Ski & Ride Passport that gives them up to three free lift tickets or trail passes at 20 participating ski areas.  In order for fourth graders to use the free lift or trail pass coupons, a paying adult must accompany them.

Although the skiing is free, MSIA charges a $15 printing and shipping fee for each passport ordered.  For more information and a list of participating ski resorts, please visit: http://www.goskimichigan.com/cold-is-cool.html