February 2, 2024

Good afternoon Bernabi! Before I get to my updates below, I want to hit pause and share my gratitude for your ongoing partnership and support. For more than one reason, my week included a great deal of personal connections with families and as I reflect on the work we accomplished together, I am so proud to be your principal. Thank you!

First and foremost, thank you for your support with the one-question BPT parent survey from my last update. With 96 responses, I wanted to share the results with you as I share them with my staff:

• 78% of respondents (75 individuals) selected the first response: I have noticed and appreciate the school’s efforts toward this goal and feel the Bernabi love!
• 19% (18 individuals) selected the second response: I appreciate the goal and while I don’t feel disconnected, I am interested in continuing to grow more connected.
• 3% (3 individuals) selected the third response: I don’t yet feel connected to the school community but look forward to growing closer.

While I’m sharing the data, here is what the faculty had to say on their end, 33 of whom responded:

• 76% (25 staff) I am putting forth time and effort in increasing families and my own connections within our learning community, and I think it’s working!
• 24% (8 staff) I could probably do a bit more on my end to support this goal as I’m not feeling as connected as I could be.

In summary, the data tells me that we’re certainly doing well in terms of this goal, but we still have work to do! That said, this is not a one-and-done initiative. My vision is to enhance our connectedness comprehensively and sustainably so that everyone from staff to students to parents can enjoy the best elementary school experience for years and years to come! Thank you for your support with this essential element to our shared experience and success!

Mark your calendars for one week from today: Friday, February 9 is our district’s next half-day and a reminder that this half-day is for all students pre-k – 12. For those of you with students at the high school and/or middle school, please be sure to look for dismissal times from Mr. McCabe and Mr. Centola. As for Bernabi, you will find our dismissal timeline and procedures below, but please note that there are some differences based on grade and program!

Students in grades K – 5: While breakfast will remain available as normal, students will not be served lunch and they will not have specials on this day. With respect to dismissal, those who are being picked up will be called down to the cafeteria beginning at 11:40 am, and those taking the bus will be dismissed shortly after with buses rolling away from the building and on their way home at 12:00 pm. If you are planning on picking up your child on this half-day, please send in a note ahead of time so that we can prepare for the busiest dismissal of the year, and we will open our doors to have you sign your child out at 11:30 am. As is our normal daily practice, no bus passes will be issued, so unless we have a pick up note, your child will take his/her normal bus home. Thanks in advance for your support with this half-day schedule and tune into teacher updates to hear more about what our instructional focus on play will look like for your child(ren)! PS—Friday February 9 is also this year’s 100th day of school! Tune into classroom/grade level communication for more details on how to join in on the 100th day fun!

Students in our pre-k classroom with Mrs. Angie: students will follow their regular dismissal routine, where designated pick-up persons can arrive at exit 20 (same doorway as always) around 11:15 for dismissal at 11:20.

Students in Mrs. Wingrove’s BOCES pre-school classroom: both AM and PM sessions will run as normal! This half-day does not impact your program!

Parents and guardians now have the ability to request changes to contact information in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal. Once logged into the Parent Portal, parents can access the MORE tab to make updates to phone numbers and email addresses. Additionally, parents can add or edit emergency contact information for individuals outside of the household. All updates will be processed for approval by the appropriate district staff member before they are finalized. If you have any questions about this, please contact your grade level Infinite Campus contact.

• Spencerport High School- Lori McSorley at 585-349-5247
• Cosgrove Middle School-Phillip Koyoumjian at 585-349-5324
• Elementary Schools- Charles Ocasio at 585-349-5152

• Friday, February 9: So much is happening! First, it’s a half-day, information for which can be found above. Next, it’s the 100th day of school—please refer to classroom/grade level communication for details. Third, the BPA is holding its annual Sweetheart Dance from 7:00 – 9:00 pm.
• Wednesday, February 14: Valentines Day – please refer to your child(ren)’s classroom/grade level communication relative to any celebrations taking place during the school day, and please remember that Bernabi continues to engage in food-free celebrations in support of severe student allergies. Halloween and Valentine’s Day are the two days I worry about most, so thank you in advance for your support!
• All month: As you know, February is Black History Month across our country and Bernabi is celebrating by showcasing some important Black Americans and their contribution to our history through the lens of the arts! From musicians to authors to poets and more, we will utilize bulletin boards, morning announcements and daily teach-pieces to shine a light on this rich element of Black history!

In case you didn’t know this, next week is National School Counseling week across our country, which provides us with an opportunity to call attention to the amazing work that these individuals do in our schools to support students and families. To that end, I want to take this opportunity to shout from the rooftops how grateful I am for my mental health team; Ms. Chelsea Didas (counselor pre-k – 2), Ms. Allison Hendricks (counselor 3-5) and Mrs. Tina Brien (school psychologist). From social-emotional lessons to academic supports and everything in between, I am truly impressed with how dedicated and connected these individuals are to our students and families and if you feel the same way, don’t hesitate to take the opportunity to share your feelings with them sometime next week! Below, please find a message from my team to you!

Dear Families,

As we celebrate National School Counselor week, we wanted to take time to thank our families for their support and collaboration. Throughout the week, we will be having fun activities for students to participate in during lunch. Our hope is to grow student connections and community. We feel lucky to work with amazing students, teachers, and families and have felt so welcomed coming into the #OneBernabi family.

Thank you,

Chelsea Didas, Allison Hendricks, and Tina Brien

We are looking forward to dancing the night away at the annual Sweetheart Dance next Friday! We are still in need of raffle baskets and volunteers. If you would like to donate a basket or volunteer to set up, clean up, or during the dance, please sign up using the link on our Facebook group, or send an email. We appreciate the support and assistance to make the event a success! Bernabiparents@gmail.com

Save the date: Roller Skating Event, Friday April, 19. More details and permission forms coming soon!

Please join us at our next BPA meeting, Wednesday, February 7, at 6:00 pm, in the Bernabi cafeteria.