Dear BMS Families,
We hope everyone had a relaxing, healthy and enjoyable summer vacation. We are just about ready to welcome all our students back to school. This email includes information about the start of the school year, including the safety protocols in place to support the health and wellbeing of our school community, and some new additions to our schedule.
Re-opening Plans
As you know from Dr. Kaishian's communication last week, we anticipate all students will return to school, unless they are required by the Westchester County Department of Health to quarantine. As we move toward more normalcy, you can expect:
- Students and staff alike will wear appropriate masks whenever in the school building or on a school bus. Masks are not required outdoors.
- Students will be in full classes again, with approximately 20 to 25 students per room. Desks will be arranged in rows with students three feet apart.
- Students will move between classrooms and use hallway lockers. Locker assignments will be added shortly and will appear on your child's schedule. Master locks will be distributed in class. Locker stops will be limited to before home base, before and after lunch, and at dismissal.
- Students will NOT change clothing for Physical Education. Please be sure your child wears appropriate clothing and sneakers on the days he/she has PE class.
- Performing music ensembles will return, with 6 feet of space between students in band and chorus. Students will receive instrument lessons during their grade level "Explore" periods. (Read more about Explore classes below.)
- We will return to the student dining room for lunch. However, students must be seated 6 feet apart while unmasked for eating. Therefore, half the grade will eat during the first 20 minutes of the lunch period and then go out for recess. The other half will go to recess first, and then eat for the remaining 20 minutes of the lunch period. There will be food service provided; please watch for a separate message about school lunch coming soon.
- After school activities will begin in October. A flyer outlining clubs will be sent to you in late September. Modified sports (grades 7 and 8 only) will begin as planned on September 13.
- We will continue to limit visitors to our campus during the school day. Please avoid dropping off forgotten items. Back to School Night (Sept 30) and parent-teacher conferences will be virtual events.
Our school day begins with Home Base (home room) at 8:35 a.m. Students may begin entering the building at 8:20 and should go directly to the home room listed on their schedules. We will dismiss at 3:00. Please see a copy of our daily schedule here.
Please see our FAQ for quick reference.
The Explore Period
At each grade level, one period is designated as the "Explore" period. This is a time of day when students may access support or enrichment mini-courses, go to instrument lessons and have advisory activities. Each Explore offering has been created to extend the learning and skills for content areas; it does not replace any core content class. Based on each child's needs, schedules will vary during the Explore period. Mini-courses and specific content will vary by grade level.
- Culture (all grade levels): This course has been developed by our World Language Teachers. It is an exploration and celebration of music, art and traditions around the world.
- Social Studies Enrichment (all grade levels): Social Studies Teachers will work with students to practice and apply content related skills as students deepen understanding about history, civics and citizenship. In grade 8, we will explore Model UN with an emphasis on research, debate and current events.
- Science Enrichment (all grade levels): Science teachers will provide STEAM and problem based activities related to grade level content.
- Math Enrichment (grades 7 and 8): Students will be challenged with problem solving and critical thinking through hands-on activities.
- Wellness (grade 6): This course enhances our PE and Health program by offering additional activities to promote physical and mental wellness.
- Library and Research Skills (grade 6): Students will learn foundational skills for doing research, evaluating sources and using a variety of tools related to writing a research paper.
- Dance (grade 8): Students will be introduced to the ways in which movement, space and time converge to express a message or feeling. This course is designed to include to all students, at all levels. Students may follow this course with HS Dance next year.
- Support classes (all grade levels): Math Strategies, ELA Strategies, and Learning Center all offer additional support for students. Students are recommended for Strategies or Learning Center by their teachers. We use student progress data from MAP to determine placement in Strategies and Learning Center.
Finally, here are some dates to keep in mind:
Sept 9: Orientation day for grades 6 and 7, 8:30 to 12:15
Sept 10: Full day of school, grades 6 – 8
Sept 16: No school
Sept 30: Virtual Back to School Night, grades 6 – 8
Oct 4: School Pictures
Oct 8: Emergency Dismissal Drill, 2:45
Oct 11: No school
Nov 2: No school; Parent-Teacher Conferences (full day)
Nov 5: Half day for students; Afternoon Parent-Teacher Conferences
We look forward to seeing you tomorrow at Dr. Kaishian's virtual Town Hall meeting to review reopening plans for the district. Please see the previous email for a link to sign into the meeting.
Regards,
Susan Howard and Amy Gladstone