update from Bernabi
Published on Mar 7, 2018 07:52

Wednesday, March 7, 2018

Greetings from Bernabi where, like the weather, March roars in like a lion and out like a lamb!  We have a lot going on to kick off this month, but believe it or not, we are only three weeks away from another week off—March/April break!

First and foremost, a reminder that tomorrow, Thursday, March 8, is our third half-day of the school year.  Those in grades 3, 4 and 5 will have their normal specials classes, and while there will be no school lunch, breakfast will still be available as normal.  Our instructional day will start on time at 8:55 am and will end at 11:50 am, with buses departing for home by noon. 

As always, thank you in advance for your flexibility and support as these half days are extremely valuable for our faculty as we collaborate in teams, analyzing multiple data points to support the creation of instructional goals for all students!  Also, and if you have not already done so, please remember to send in a note if you plan to pick your child up from school tomorrow.  Early dismissal days are always hectic in the office as we navigate last minute changes; so thank you for notifying us of your plans in advance! 

Next up: a small schedule change is coming for all students.  On Monday, March 12, we officially move into the final of our three trimesters, and with this comes a schedule change.  Students in grades K-2 will no longer have library as a weekly special, and instead will be meeting with Mrs. Gurz, our enrichment specialist and technology teacher!  Conversely, students in grades 3-5 will now be meeting with Mrs. Yu our school library media specialist for a weekly special!  All other specials classes, teachers and schedules will remain the same.

Speaking of trimesters: faculty and staff are hard at work at preparing report cards and comments for the second term, which will be coming home with students on Friday, March 23.  Between now and then, a great deal of data is compiled and analyzed, and each student is assessed for both progress toward grade level benchmarks (good information), as well as with respect to their individual levels of growth over the last 15 weeks (great information).  Thank you for taking the time to read through your child’s report card, especially the comments as I know how hard our faculty and staff work at providing you with the best information about your child’s learning and growth.

Last but certainly not least, I have a few more safety updates to pass along.  Based on my last e-news, I was able to take two concrete parent suggestions and move forward with immediate implementation.  You may have already noticed the first, which focuses on entering the building while school is in session.  Visitors have always been asked about their destination when signing in at our greeter’s desk, however we have now shifted that dialogue to take place through our intercom system while visitors remain outside of the building.  Thank you in advance for letting us know when you’re coming (when possible), and for knowing the name of your child’s teacher as you arrive.  This will always help move things along both safely and efficiently.  The second suggestion was in support of any substitute faculty or staff who may be in the building.  While there are always plans both in classrooms and in our main office to ensure any substitute’s ability to support student learning and safety, we are also revisiting daily plans to ensure all substitutes’ readiness to engage in any of the emergency response drills or scenarios that all New York State schools have in place.

That's all for now, but perhaps I will see a few of you at tonight's Kindergarten Registration Night!  I am always excited to meet our newest Bernabi families and continue the incredible partnerships we have with our current families!

Sincerely,

David Caiazza
Principal