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Summer Highlights 2025
Summer Highlights 2025
Looking forward to a fantastic year!
Looking forward to a fantastic year!
Dear BMPRSS Families,
We are so excited to welcome our bluebirds back into the nest as we begin a brand-new school year! We missed our students over the summer and hope everyone enjoyed a fun and relaxing break. We can’t wait to see their smiling faces, hear about their adventures, and start another wonderful year of learning and growing together.
Please note the following:
The first day of school is on Tuesday, September 2, 2025. Our school day begins at 8:30 am and ends at 3:10 pm.
SPECIAL NOTE FOR KINDERGARTEN: Kindergarten students will arrive one hour later at 9:30 am on Tuesday, September 2nd - the first day of school ONLY. This allows our youngest students the time to come into the building and be escorted by our faculty, staff, and administrators to their classrooms. Kindergarten students who are eligible to ride the bus will have a special bus run just for them one-hour later than their regular pick-up time. More information will be sent to families during the week of August 25th.
If you need to contact the BMPRSS Health Office PLEASE email rssnurse@blindbrook.org so that ALL of our BMPRSS receive important information. If you child has severe allergies and you have NOT notified the school at this time, please email rssnurse@blindbrook.org ASAP!
If you need to reach anyone in the BMPRSS Main Office, please make sure you use our Main Office email address and Main Office phone extension:
Phone - 914-937-3600 x2199
You can always find our monthly lunch menus on the Blind Brook District Website under Food Services. You can also access it by clicking here!
School Spirit Fridays for the month of September! Each Friday please wear our school colors (blue and white) or your Blind Brook/BMPRSS gear!
Please join us as the Blind Brook Federation of Teachers hosts their annual Meet and Greet on August 27, 2025 at BMPRSS Blacktop!
Here’s to a fantastic year ahead!
With Bluebird pride 💙,
Tracy Taylor, Principal
Dr. Teresa Letizia, Assistant Principal
Class Placement
Class Placement
Class placement will be available on the Parent Portal on August 22, 2025 at 3:00 pm. Bus Transportation information will also be available on the Parent Portal. Click here for a link to the Parent Portal.
PLEASE NOTE:
Across grades 1–5, some of our classrooms use a co-teaching model (ICT) where two certified teachers work together all day to provide engaging, challenging instruction for all learners. This model offers students more small group opportunities, a variety of teaching styles, and a supportive environment that meets the needs of every child. If your child is in a co-taught class, you will see one teacher’s name in the Parent Portal, followed by a welcome letter from the teaching team.
Teachers will be sending out their welcome letters after class placement is released, and before the forst day of school. You may always reach out to your child's teacher directly if you have any questions!
Please join us for the Blind Brook Federation of Teachers
Please join us for the Blind Brook Federation of Teachers
Meet and Greet on August 27th at 2:30 pm!
Meet and Greet on August 27th at 2:30 pm!
Transportation Information
Transportation Information
If your child is eligible for our bus service, you will receive information in August on the Parent Portal of your child's bus number and bus time pick-up and drop-off. If you have any questions about bus transportation, bus stops, or pick-up/drop-off times, please reach out to Mr. Juan Zhindon (Head of Transportation) via email: jzhindon@blindbrook.org
If you're found NOT to be eligible for the District's bus transportation you are considered a non-bus student (NBS) will receive an NBS tag to display on your vehicle's rearview mirror. Information has been sent to families.
School Spirit Fridays in September
School Spirit Fridays in September
Please dress in our school colors (blue and white) and/or wear your Blind Brook /BMP Ridge Street School Apparel each Friday for the month of September!
School Supplies
School Supplies
If you are looking for a list of our School Supplies, please go to our school's website under the "Parents" tab. For easy access, click here!
Summer Bingo
Summer Bingo
As always, we encourage our Bluebirds to keep up with their reading over the summer! To celebrate their efforts and promote a love of reading in our school, we’re excited to share our annual Summer Reading Bingo Board.
Participation is optional, but any Bluebird who completes the board and brings it to the office will receive a Reading Charm, a Reading Certificate, and a feature in our Weekly Highlights!
Click here to access the Summer Reading Bingo Board
Bluebird Fitness Fun Out of the Nest
Bluebird Fitness Fun Out of the Nest
Hello Active Bluebirds!!
We are so excited to see how you flew high and stayed active and fit this summer! Use the link below to send us pictures of how you moved and ruffled your feathers out of the nest this summer!
We can’t wait to see what you were up to! All picture submissions will be displayed on a bulletin board outside of the New Gym! We would like to have this put together before the kids arrive in September. See you soon!
All the best,
The BMPRSS PE Staff!
Mr. Forzaglia
Mrs. Quinlan
Mrs. Venuto
Open House - SAVE THE DATES!
Open House - SAVE THE DATES!
Please SAVE THE DATE for our Open Houses this year. More info will follow, but here are the dates so that you can add them to your calendar:
Kindergarten & Grade 5 – Monday, September 8th
Grade 2 & Grade 3 – Tuesday, September 9th
Grade 1 & Grade 4 – Wednesday, September 10th
More information will follow as the schedule at each Open House will follow the same structure:
6:00-6:30 pm – Meet the Specials Teachers, Special Education Teachers, and Service Providers (These teachers and providers will be available on certain dates and we will send you the schedule the first week of school!)
6:30–7:00 pm – Welcome Back Session with Ms. Taylor and Dr. Letizia in the Cafetorium
7:00–7:30 pm – Meet your child's classroom teacher
BMPRSS Bluebird Parent Chat - DATE CHANGE
BMPRSS Bluebird Parent Chat - DATE CHANGE
Our Bluebird Chats will be throughout the year to bring our families together for various events.
Our first one will be held on Thursday, September 25, 2025 in the B.M.P.R.S.S. Cafetorium as we welcome everyone back for the 2025-2026 school year! Please join us for coffee and treats! (This date was originally on September 18th, but was changed so parents can attend the Blind Brook PTA Meeting on September 18th!)
6:00 pm - 6:30 pm - BMPRSS New Families Bluebird Chat
If you are new to our school, we'd like to welcome you and share a few things that make our school and community so special! This is a great opportunity to meet other new families!
6:30 pm - 7:30 pm - BMPRSS Family Bluebird Chat
Join Ms. Taylor and Dr. Letizia to hear a little bit about the upcoming school year and get a chance to meet some new families! Our new families may stay during this session, too!
Summer Gardening
Summer Gardening
Our garden has been growing and we are thankful for our bluebirds who helped to plant pumpkins...they are certainly growing! Thanks to Ms. Aquino for getting this ready for our bluebird gardeners this coming school year!
We are a "Nut Aware" School and Allergy Aware School!
We are a "Nut Aware" School and Allergy Aware School!
Dear BMPRSS Families:
The Blind Brook School District has established a Health and Wellness Policy committed to providing a school environment that promotes and protects children's health, well-being, and the ability to learn by fostering healthy eating habits and physical activity.
As a school community, we are committed to the health and safety of our students. We are writing to alert you that some of our students have a type of food allergy that can be particularly serious and, in some cases, life threatening. If the child comes in contact with the offending food (whether airborne, ingested or physical contact) there may be an anaphylactic reaction resulting in the inability to breathe. For this reason, we have a “nut aware” environment at the Bruno M. Ponterio Ridge Street School. Our food service vendor does not sell peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or use peanut oil or any tree nut products in the preparation of the food sold in our cafeteria. Our faculty and staff are trained and take great measures to ensure the safety of our children.
In addition, there are things that you and your children can do to help keep these specific children safe. In particular, please do not send food to school that “contain peanuts or tree nuts”, “may contain nuts”, “are made in a factory that processes peanuts”, or “are made in a facility that makes or processes tree nuts”. If your child eats peanut butter or any product containing tree nuts for breakfast, please have your child wash his/her hands and mouth thoroughly and brush their teeth after eating. This will help avoid contact with any peanut or tree nut residue, which can cause a potentially fatal reaction for a child with a peanut/tree nut allergy. Children who happen to bring a food item to school for lunch, and this item contains or may contain peanuts/tree nuts, will sit at a specifically designated peanut/tree nut table during their lunch period, and they are allowed to ask one friend (who is not allergic to peanuts/tree nuts) to sit with them. Please pack a wipe packet and stress to your children that they must wash their hands after eating their food containing peanuts/tree nuts. (Please note that hand sanitizer is available to all children. We also have a handwashing station in our Cafetorium.)
We are asking you to scrutinize labels and if there is ANY sign of peanuts/tree nuts, please do not bring the food items to the classroom. Our classrooms remain peanut/tree nut free. Any food item that is brought in must contain a label. We recognize that some of our children may have allergies to foods other than peanuts/tree nuts. Our BMPRSS nurses will send out specific information to those classes and grade levels so that everyone is mindful of any allergens. As such, we do NOT condone the sharing of food during lunch time or in the classroom.
For your convenience, we have attached a list of healthy food guidelines and suggestions. If you are sending in a food item not listed in these guidelines, you MUST send in the label. We have taken these measures to protect all of our students. We understand that this may be an inconvenience for many of you, but exposure can be life threatening to some. If you have any questions, you may contact the BMPRSS Health Office at ANY time: 914-937-3600 x2217 or via email rssnurse@blindbrook.org
Thank you for helping keep our children safe!
Tracy Taylor, Principal
Dr. Teresa Letizia, Assistant Principal
BMPRSS Health Office - rssnurse@blindbrook.org
Visitor Information
Visitor Information
In our effort to maintain a safe and secure environment, all school visitors must enter through the school’s main entrance, provide a valid photo ID, sign in at the security desk, and wear an ORANGE VISITOR LANYARD while they are in the building. If you have a meeting with a teacher, staff member, or administrator, please enter through the Main Entrance as the security monitor will have a list of scheduled meetings.
Visitors will not be allowed in the building without a valid Photo ID and a scheduled meeting.
Disruptive Devices and Items
Disruptive Devices and Items
(This includes reference to the NYS Distraction-Free School Law)
(This includes reference to the NYS Distraction-Free School Law)
At BMPRSS, we strive to create a learning environment where all of our bluebirds can engage fully with the world around them—learning, connecting, and growing together each day. To support a distraction-free environment, we are reminding families of our long-standing expectations around personal devices and disruptive items.
In alignment with New York State’s Distraction-Free Schools Law (NY Education Law § 2803), "Students cannot use devices like smartphones, tablets, and smartwatches (or any device accessing the internet) on school grounds from the start of the school day until the end, including all instructional and non-instructional time." This applies even if the internet or WiFi is turned off. These items must remain off and out of sight during school hours.
As outlined in our BMPRSS Family Guidebook, the following items have always been considered disruptive and should not be brought to school or on school grounds unless authorized by a member of the school staff or administration:
Smartwatches (including those that send/receive messages or connect to the internet)
Phones, tablets, iPods/iPads, hand-held video games
Toys or collectibles, such as Pokémon cards, trading cards, Silly Banz, etc.
Any item that resembles a weapon of any kind
Clickers or noise-making devices
Please note: This list is not exhaustive. Any item that disrupts the learning environment or poses a safety concern will not be allowed in school.
We appreciate your support in helping us maintain a focused and safe learning environment for all our bluebirds!
School Safety Drills
School Safety Drills
BMPRSS will begin to conduct all of our required fire drills and lockdown drills starting in September for the 2025-2026 school year. If you have any questions about these drills, please contact Dr. Letizia - tletizia@blindbrook.org
Mental Health Resources in the Bluebird Nest
Mental Health Resources in the Bluebird Nest
Click HERE to go to our BMPRSS Mental Health Resources page.
Updating Emergency Contact Information
Updating Emergency Contact Information
As part of our ongoing commitment to student safety, we are strongly encouraging all families to review and update their emergency contact information in eSchoolData. In the event of an emergency where we are unable to reach a parent or guardian, having accurate and comprehensive contact details is essential.
We kindly ask that you include anyone you trust who might serve as an emergency contact, such as a babysitter, family friend, or relative. Updating this information now ensures that we are prepared in case unforeseen circumstances require us to reach out to someone other than parents.
For your convenience, here is the information we have been sharing in the Weekly Highlights:
Log onto the eSchoolData Parent Portal and click on the name of your BMPRSS child.
Click the “Contact Verification” button below your child’s photo.
In the Guardian Information section:
Ensure that each guardian is assigned a contact priority number. Priority numbers must begin at 1 and cannot be used more than once.
Ensure that all listed phone numbers are accurate.
Ensure that guardian email addresses are correct.
In the Emergency Contact Information section:
Ensure the name and contact information for any adult (over the age of 18) who will be permitted to sign your child out in the case of an emergency.
Thank you for taking the time to keep this critical information up to date. If you have any questions or need assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Thanks,
BMPRSS Administration, Faculty, and Staff
September Lunch Menu
September Lunch Menu
Please click here for the September Lunch Menu!
Important Notes About our School Lunch Program
Important Notes About our School Lunch Program
The Blind Brook-Rye School District utilizes an independent 3rd party, My School Bucks, to process charges and payments to individual student accounts. The parent/guardian sets up this account and decides which options they want to utilize including automatic payment and low balance notices. We do not have access to this information due to privacy concerns and to safeguard personal financial information. If you believe there is an issue with your My School Bucks account, we suggest you contact the company directly. We are unable to intervene on your behalf.
Once this account is set up, you can view your child’s purchases and balances. If you have specific questions concerning individual items purchased, please contact our food service company here. If you wish to restrict your child’s purchases to only meals or only one additional item per day, you can contact our food service management company and they will note that in your child’s account.
If a student’s balance becomes negative and exceeds $50, the student will no longer be allowed to charge supplemental meal items such as snacks, second servings of meal components or additional drinks. However, the Blind Brook-Rye School District will still allow the purchase and charging of a lunch. Please log into your "My School Bucks" account and check if there is any balance remaining on the account.
If any family is experiencing financial difficulties, please contact our guidance department. They will be able to provide resources and contact information. All personal information provided is strictly confidential.
Visitors - Photo ID Required
Visitors - Photo ID Required
In our effort to maintain a safe and secure environment, all school visitors must enter through the school’s main entrance, provide a valid photo ID, sign in at the security desk, and wear a VISITOR sticker while they are in the building. If you have a meeting with a teacher, staff member, or administrator, please enter through the Main Entrance as the security monitor will have a list of scheduled meetings.
Visitors will not be allowed in the building unless there is a scheduled meeting.
Blind Brook District Technology Resources for Families and Students
Blind Brook District Technology Resources for Families and Students
Please check out this link below for any tech resources that you need!
Please check out this link below for any tech resources that you need!
Also, please do not hesitate to contact our Technology Department if you need any assistance at ANY time:
Mr. Charles Von Hollen - cvonhollen@blindbrook.org
Mrs. Katie Gambino - kgambino@blindbrook.org
Mrs. Jen Vazquez - jvazquez@blindbrook.org
UPCOMING EVENTS
UPCOMING EVENTS
August 22
Class placement is released on the Parent Portal at 3:00 pm. (Transportation information will also be released.)
September 2
First Day of School for ALL Bluebirds!
The school day starts at 8:30 am.* School ends at 3:10 pm.
(NOTE: *Our Kindergarten Bluebirds will be arriving at 9:30 am - one hour later - on the first day of school!)
September 8
OPEN HOUSE - Kindergarten and Grade 5
More information will follow as the schedule at each Open House will follow the same structure:
6:00-6:30 pm – Meet the Specials Teachers, Special Education Teachers, and Service Providers
6:30–7:00 pm – Welcome Back Session with Ms. Taylor and Dr. Letizia in the Cafetorium
7:00–7:30 pm – Meet your child's classroom teacher
September 9
OPEN HOUSE - Grade 2 and Grade 3
More information will follow as the schedule at each Open House will follow the same structure:
6:00-6:30 pm – Meet the Specials Teachers, Special Education Teachers, and Service Providers
6:30–7:00 pm – Welcome Back Session with Ms. Taylor and Dr. Letizia in the Cafetorium
7:00–7:30 pm – Meet your child's classroom teacher
September 10
OPEN HOUSE - Grade 1 and Grade 4
More information will follow as the schedule at each Open House will follow the same structure:
6:00-6:30 pm – Meet the Specials Teachers, Special Education Teachers, and Service Providers
6:30–7:00 pm – Welcome Back Session with Ms. Taylor and Dr. Letizia in the Cafetorium
7:00–7:30 pm – Meet your child's classroom teacher
September 18
Blind Brook K-12 PTA Meeting
7:00 pm
Blind Brook MS/HS Library
September 23 & 24
SCHOOL CLOSED FOR ROSH HASHANAH
September 25
BMPRSS Bluebird Parent Chat
Location - BMPRSS Cafetorium
6:00 pm - 6:30 pm - BMPRSS New Families Bluebird Chat
If you are new to our school, we'd like to welcome you and share a few things that make our school and community so special! This is a great opportunity to meet other new families!
6:30 pm - 7:30 pm - BMPRSS Family Bluebird Chat
Join Ms. Taylor and Dr. Letizia to hear a little bit about the upcoming school year and get a chance to meet some new families! Our new families may stay during this session, too!
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