Each year many of your BMPRSS families send us holiday cards so that we can display them in our BMPRSS Main Office. If you would like to put us on your holiday card list, we would love to display your holiday greeting. You can mail it or send it in with your bluebird.
Second grader Hunter S. was "Principal for a Day" on Thursday this week and fourth grader Celia M. was "Assistant Principal for a Day" on Friday this week. They both won these experiences as silent auction items at this year's Blind Brook PTA's Fall Fest! They participated in various activities such as joining Morning Announcements, walk-throughs of the building, organizing the Lost and Found, attending meetings, and of course, a pizza lunch! We were proud to have such great building administrators like Hunter S. and Celia M.
How can we repurpose homegrown Bluebird Blaze pumpkins? Why make winter bird feeders from them of course! This week Gabby, Max, Preston, Taylor, Christina and Leah all came to the greenhouse to make hanging bird feeders for our courtyard trees. As the student council members chatted about bringing more birds to our gardens, the pumpkins were cleaned out, strung with string and filled with sunflower seeds. How colorful our courtyard trees look! We hope we make finding winter food a bit easier for our local birds.
We celebrated Bingo’s Birthday Month the best way we know how — the 6–7 way! Two weeks in a row in December (12/1 & 12/8), from 6 to 7 PM, over 100 bluebirds brought the energy, the laughs, and the friendly competition. What a party!
Over 50 bluebirds jumped into a festive afternoon of cookie decorating! With Steph’s Sweet Creations guiding them step-by-step, the room turned into a holiday cookie art studio filled with laughs and sprinkles. What a night of connection, creativity, and pure sweetness. Cookies really do bring all ages together!
Ms.James, Ms. Johnson, Mrs. Mangiaracina, Mrs. Fava and Mrs. Fernadez’s classes learned a little bit about the upcoming Hannukah holiday. They ate sufganiyot, a round, jelly-filled doughnut traditionally eaten during the Jewish festival of Hanukkah and played the Dreidel game with Mrs. Yablow and her mother. These activities helped students connect with the holiday’s history in a fun and meaningful way. It was wonderful to see our bluebirds interact together and share these cultural experiences together!
On November 18th, 19th, and 20th, our students participated in the WSSA (World Sport Stacking Association) worldwide Stack UP! event, joining students across the globe in an attempt to break the World Record for “Most People Sport Stacking at Multiple Locations.” The previous record was 752,632 participants.
During Physical Education classes that week, we counted and verified 590 Bluebird stackers, and our total was submitted to the WSSA for inclusion in this year’s count. Throughout the lessons, students developed hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, persistence, and sportsmanship as they learned the skill of sport stacking. They practiced the 3-3-3, 3-6-3, and even the Cycle (for some of our older grades), working individually, with partners, and as a full class.
The WSSA has just posted the results, and we are excited to share that our 590 Bluebirds helped contribute to 784,036 stackers worldwide, setting a new World Record for “Most People Sport Stacking at Multiple Locations,” officially breaking the previous record.
Enjoy some pictures of our event below!
In our Mystery Science States of matter unit, Mrs. Krouskoff and Mrs. Bigler's students participated in the "Candy Melt" activity. This is a hands-on elementary science lesson where students test different candies in hot water to see which melts best, exploring states of matter (solid/liquid) and how heat affects substances, helping them decide which candy is best for a hot summer day, teaching concepts of dissolution and molecular energy. They also discovered why plastic was invented! Here are some photos!
Ms. Pirrazzi’s second grade class had a very special visit from David’s Mom, Mrs. Ybarra! Mrs. Ybarra talked to the children about her career in the United States Army. Students were thoroughly engaged in conversation and really enjoyed asking lots of questions about her experience and about the United States military!
We want to extend a HUGE thank you to Mrs. Ybarra for taking the time to share with us, and most importantly, for her service to our country.
Blind Brook PTA - BMPRSS Book Fair Online
Set up an easy, secure eWallet so kids can shop without carrying cash:
Click here: Set up E-Wallet
Can’t make it in person? Shop online from Dec. 3–16 for even more selections —
and 25% of every online purchase directly benefits our school.
Online Shopping Includes:
A larger selection of exclusive books, new releases, and value packs
Direct-to-home shipping
FREE shipping on book-only orders over $35
Please visit the PTA website and click the Book Fair link: https://blindbrook.givebacks.com/ for all things book fair!!! For any questions you can email Lynda Frischer at laf5305@gmail.com
Hi Blind Brook Families,
If you haven’t visited our PTA website yet… you’re missing out!
From upcoming events to volunteer opportunities, fun photos, easy ways to support our schools, and so much more — it’s all in one place.
Take a quick peek: https://blindbrook.givebacks.com/
Bookmark it, browse it, and come back often — we’re always adding new updates!
Thanks for being part of our amazing community!
Your Blind Brook PTA
Registration for the 2025-26 RYE BROOK AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM is now open!
We offer many different options. Below are our monthly fees:
2 days per week: $295
3 days per week: $400
4 days per week: $495
5 days per week: $575
Have a fun & safe rest of the summer. We look forward to providing your child/children with After School care for the upcoming school year.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact Rocky Furano at rfurano@ryebrookny.gov or 914-438-2087.
Rye Brook Recreation Staff
P.S. If you are thinking about sending your child in September, please see click here for the Health and Registration Form that will need to be submitted, along with your child's immunization report, before the start of the program. Email forms to Rocky Furano at rfurano@ryebrookny.gov.
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
If your child will be absent please remember to email all three:
BMPRSS Nurse's Office - rssnurse@blindbrook.org
BMPRSS Attendance Office - rssattendance@blindbrook.org
Your child's teacher
Our school nurses are responsible for all matters relating to individual student health issues, including verifying medical excuses, monitoring individual student health matters, emergency intervention, and special programs related to student health.
The BMPRSS Nurse is the main point of contact for:
Parents to inform the school of children's absences
Assessing and caring for infirm children during the school day
Contacting parents to report children's illnesses and injuries
Maintaining and dispensing children's medications
Ensuring that food brought into the classroom (i.e., for parties) is nut-free
We are very happy to have three nurses at our school - Nurse Frannie, Nurse Tara, and Nurse Erica. Please use our Health Office email to contact them about any medical questions! If you need to contact the BMPRSS Health Office PLEASE email rssnurse@blindbrook.org so that ALL of our BMPRSS receive important information.
If your child has severe allergies, or a newly diagnosed medical condition, and you have NOT notified the school at this time, please email rssnurse@blindbrook.org ASAP!
BMPRSS Health Office Email Address: rssnurse@blindbrook.org
BMPRSS Health Office Phone Number: 914-937-3600 x2217
Please click here for the December Lunch Menu!
NutriKids/MySchoolBucks - NutriKids is the system that our cafeteria uses to manage student food purchases. Parents may view what their children purchase in the cafeteria as well as add money to their student's lunch account through My School Bucks. A quick reference guide containing directions on setting up your account can be found at this link. Please note that there is a service charge for putting money on a student's account electronically.
Don't forget! All payment for lunch is through your My School Bucks account. Please click here to set up your My School Bucks account for your child/children! Please see the IMPORTANT NOTE BELOW 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.
If your child is eligible for our bus service, you will receive information 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. By now, all NBS families should have received information in the mail. If not, please contact the BMPRSS Main Office for your NBS bus info.
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
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.
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!
BMPRSS will begin to conduct all of our required fire drills and lockdown drills starting in September for the 2025-2026 school year. Families are required to receive notification of drills prior to the scheduled drills. If you have any questions about these drills, please contact Dr. Letizia - tletizia@blindbrook.org
Click HERE to go to our BMPRSS Mental Health Resources page.
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
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
December 17
5th Grade Winter Band Concert
Daytime concert is for students in Grades 3, 4, 5.
Evening concert is for 5th Grade Band Families ONLY. Band students arrive at 6:30 pm. Winter Concert will start at 7:00 pm.
December 22, 2025 - January 2, 2026
Winter Break
January 5, 2026
School Re-opens
BMPRSS Bluebirds fly back to the nest on Monday, January 5, 2026