Parent Newsletter

September 2021

Principal's Message:

We have had a wonderful start to the school year, and I want to thank you for your support. It has been rejuvenating to have students back in the building this week and there is definitely a sense of excitement in the air! Students have been learning school expectations, classroom routines, building a classroom community, and have started to dig into their grade-level curriculum. It has been a very engaging and purposeful week with our dedicated, hard-working staff focused on putting children first. This year, I encourage you to keep open the lines of communication between home and school to maintain an active role in your child’s education. We will be using Class Dojo to streamline communication this year. If you have not connected with your child's class, please reach out to your child's teacher. As always, thank you for your continued support. I can't wait to see what we will accomplish this school year!

Reminders and Updates:

  • Spirit Rock Information

  • Visitors are NOT allowed in the building due to the increasing numbers of COVID and quarantines. Parent meetings, IEP meetings, and other school-related meetings will be held via Zoom moving forward. Thank you for your understanding.

  • The school board voted to require masks to be worn indoors by all students and staff effective September 1, 2021. This decision will be reviewed every 30 days.

  • Car riders need to be dropped off and picked up in the car rider line. In the afternoons, a car rider sign must be displayed to pick up your student.

  • This year BES qualified for Title 1 funds. You might ask what is Title 1 and how do you qualify? Those are great questions. Schools qualify based on their Free and Reduced Lunch numbers. If a school has a certain percentage of students that qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch, then that school receives these additional funds. This year BES qualified and received $144,000 in federal funds through Title 1 funds. With these funds, we will be able to hire three interventionists, provide additional professional development for staff, and purchase numerous instructional supplies. If you haven't applied for Free and Reduced Lunch, please do so. This will help our school continue to receive these funds to support our students.

Join PTO:

We are looking for parents to help with our Parent Teacher Organization. There are many ways that you can help. If you are interested in being part of PTO please click on the link below, complete the form, and the PTO president, Dinah Brown, will reach out to you with more information about how you can get involved!

PTO Meeting Dates:

  • Sept 16

  • Nov 18

  • Dec 16

  • Jan 20

  • Feb 17

  • March 17

  • April TBD

  • May 19

(Meetings start a 4:30 PM and will be held via Zoom)

Upcoming Events:

  • August 30 - September 3: iReady BOY Diagnostic (K-5) and Dibels assessment (K-3) (Click on the hot links to see more information about each assessment)

  • September 2: Hungry Howie's Spirit Night (4-9 PM)

  • September 6: Labor Day - No School

  • September 8: Third Grade ELA BOG Test

  • September 8-22: School Product Sale Fundraiser

  • September 14: Board of Education Meeting (6:00 PM)

  • September 15: School Improvement Team Meeting

  • September 16: PTO Meeting via Zoom

  • September 27: Third Grade Read to Achieve Parent Meeting (5:30 PM)

  • September 28: 4th Grade CogAT Assessment

bethlehem pto Hunry Howie Flyer 9.2.21.pdf