BPES Newsletter

• Tuesday, December 21st - Early Dismissal 11:30 AM
  
• Wednesday, December 22nd - Monday, January 3rd - Winter Break; No School
• Tuesday, January 4th - Students Return from Winter Break
• Tuesday, January 4th - First Day of 3rd Nine Weeks/2nd Semester
• Wednesday, January 5th - 2nd Nine Weeks Report Cards Sent Home

Thank you Bluff Park for your wonderful support this week at the book fair! We’ve had a great turn out and everything was a success. Bluff Park is the best!

We at Bluff Park would love to have more males around the school, and are hoping to do this through D2 (Dudes on Duty). This group was originally formed in 2019 and we are so excited to announce that D2 will be coming back in action! D2 is a group of dads, grandfathers, uncles, etc. that assist in a variety of ways and allow a male presence at Bluff Park. If you would like to sign up to receive emails from this group about opportunities in the future to help with school activities, please click here to provide your name and email address.

An upcoming opportunity for D2 is to assist in carpool. Additional dates have been added!

Click here to sign up if you would like to assist.

If your child has ANY symptoms of illness, please keep him/her at home until you can determine the cause of the symptoms. If your child has symptoms and they have been tested for COVID-19, they must remain home until the COVID-19 test results are reported to you. Per the ADPH Back to School Guidance, if your child has symptoms and has a negative covid test result, the child should stay home for 10 days UNLESS a healthcare provider issues an alternate diagnosis. We don't need to know the specific diagnosis, but we need to know there is a diagnosis other than COVID-19 to explain the symptoms. When students report to school with symptoms of illness and subsequently test positive for COVID-19, they have exposed countless others, creating multiple close contact individuals and additional COVID positive cases. Please refer to the ADPH Back to School Guidance pages numbered 13 and 15, or your personal Healthcare Professional if you have questions. https://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/covid19/assets/cov-school-guidance-073021.pdf

PARENTS, PLEASE DO NOT TO SEND STUDENTS TO SCHOOL WITH ANY SYMPTOM OF ILLNESS UNTIL IT IS KNOWN WHAT THE REASON IS FOR THE SYMPTOM.

BUSES

• If your child rides the bus, please remind him or her that masks MUST be worn at all times while on the bus.

CARPOOL

Please practice having your child get in and out of the car by him or herself. This may include buckling and unbuckling seat belts and getting in and out of the vehicle independently. Please have students gather all their materials (backpack, lunchbox, jacket, etc.) so that they can quickly get out of the car in the morning.This will be extremely helpful at carpool in order to help keep the line moving swiftly. Please be sure to display your carpool tag.

First Priority Kids Club meets every Friday at 7:00 am for grades 3-5 in Mr. Keyton's room. Permission must be given online via the link where you can also read more! We will provide a breakfast snack. Email kristimerritt2@gmail.com with any questions. https://www.prioritykids.com/sign-up-your-kid/

We are thankful to do big and small things with the support from parents and sponsors of BPES PTO. Especially so when it comes to the mental health of our educators. With your help, we were able to provide teachers and staff with some mental health related professional development hours, and that is so important! As we all know, the teachers and staff have been through the ringer the past couple of years, and they need our support more than ever.

We are also thankful to bring tooth holders back to BPES (after 14 years!!). If your kiddo looses a tooth at school this year it will now will come home in its very own tooth holder. No more lost teeth on the playground or in the bottom of a backpack!

So again, thank you parents and sponsors for your continued support of the BPES PTO. From staff birthday cakes, to grants covering much needed costs in and around our school, your support is appreciated.

NEXT PTO MEETING is Tuesday, December 14th at 9:30am (Zoom or in-person!). This is a change from Wednesday the 15th, which is the date of the holiday performance. Please come!!!

Abrakadoodle has classes after school on Mondays. Click here for more information and registration instructions.

Whether you’re celebrating a holiday this season or not, take a moment to reflect on your favorite traditions with your kiddies. Check out this idea for a Screen-Free Activity:

• Discuss and write down your family traditions, whether they’re for the holidays or other special reasons. Which are your favorites? Are there any new traditions you’d like to create?

For more Screen-Time Tips, consider subscribing to the Common Sense Tech Balance text message program. This is a FREE program from Common Sense; however, message and data rates from your mobile provider may apply.

Grace Klein Community partnered with food distributors and restaurants around Birmingham and rescue food from them on a regular basis. We strive to reduce the huge problem of food waste and get good food into the hands of good people who need it instead of it ending up in a landfill. Thanks to our partners who choose to donate their food to us instead of throwing it away, we are excited to tell you we have 6 drive-thru locations including Hoover, Wylam, Calera, Harpersville, Alabaster, & downtown Birmingham. There are no requirements for families to qualify to receive a free food box, and they may come as often as they need. Maybe money is just a little extra tight this week, or maybe they can use their grocery money saved by receiving food boxes regularly for a time to pay down a debt or meet an unexpected expense. We are so appreciative of our partners and also for our volunteers who spend their time going to grocery stores, restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops and more to pick up this food and deliver it to our office! Without our network of partners and volunteers, we could NOT do what we do!

1. Join our network of volunteers who serve at our drive-thru locations, office location, deliver food those in need, do administrative work for us, and help with special projects. If you have a group who would like to join us, we offer team serve opportunities. We are a great place for individual students to earn community service hours.
   
2. Sign up for our Food Rescue App. This app alerts you to food pick-ups when they are available. You can sign up for a one-time pick-up or adopt a regular route. You choose when and where you want to serve!
3. Become a part of our sustaining members program, Lunch Money. Consider skipping one lunch out a month to contribute to our recurring expenses allowing us to keep serving our community. If we all contribute regularly, it adds up no matter the amount.

Staying Mentally Healthy During the Holiday Season

w/ special guest Leigh Cohen Long, LICSW

In this episode of the Roots and Wings podcast, we clarify the differences between Mental Health and Mental Illness. Also discussed was how to observe signs and symptoms and when, where, and how to ask for professional help for ourselves and/or our children. Most importantly, practical ways to take care of yourself and your children are provided.

The podcast can be found here

or under the Student Services tab of the Hoover City Schools' website.

Anchor.fm https://anchor.fm/kandace-vanwanderham

Breaker: https://www.breaker.audio/roots-and-wings-podcast

Google: https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy8zZDlhZDUzNC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw==

Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/jf1cmh02

Radio Public https://radiopublic.com/roots-and-wings-podcast-WDEbPA

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1hPKeO4h4onYaut7MiFkzO

Hoover City Schools is now accepting applications for Substitute Teachers!

Do you enjoy the energy of schools? Do you enjoy being around children?

Come join our team of dedicated substitute teachers to continue the

learning process for our students when classroom teachers are absent.

The work locations and days are flexible!

Want to apply? Visit https://www.hoovercityschools.net/ and look for the Human Resources tab under Departments. You may also contact Sharon Pierson at spierson@hoover.k12.al.us 205-439-1093 for additional information.

Current substitute teacher pay rate:

$85 per day (with valid substitute license)

$90 per day (with Alabama valid teacher certification)

$95 per day (retired HCS teachers only)

We believe it is important for children to develop good habits at an early age and to learn that school is important. Parents, please help us by having your child here on time. Every minute counts! This is a reminder that students not in their seats by 7:50 a.m will be counted tardy. Our academic schedule begins at 7:50 a.m., and therefore, we need all students and staff members ready to go at 7:50 a.m. The first bell rings at 7:40 a.m. The tardy bell (third bell) will ring at 7:50 a.m. If the “your child is now late” sign is out, you will need to park and check your child in at the front desk. For the past week, we have closely monitored carpool and from 7:00 a.m.-7:30 a.m. there is little to no line. If the line is backed up to the road, it takes approximately five minutes for the car at the turn-in to make it to the unloading location. If weather or other extenuating circumstances slow down the carpool process, we will make an exception. Also, please be sure to only drop students off at the designated area. Thank you for your support.

Please click here if you would like to sign your child up to say the Pledge of Allegiance over the intercom in the morning. Be sure to complete the form separately for each child you would like to sign up.

All absence excuses (whether parent, doctor, or court notes) may be submitted electronically. Please save this email address for your convenience: BPESAttendance@hoover.k12.al.us. Parent notes MUST include parent signature - we cannot accept just a straight email with no handwritten signature. In addition, notes should include the student's full name, teacher name, dates of absence, and reason for absence within 3 days of the student's return to school. You may take a picture of a handwritten excuse and email it to this address. Thank you for your cooperation in this attempt to keep us healthy!

Further, if you student is going to be absent for a reason other than those listed as approved by the Hoover City Schools Code of Conduct (e.g., family trip), you may request that the days missed be coded as excused by submitting an Anticipated Absence Form at least three (3) days in advance of the absence. This can be for full day or partial day absences. You can find the form on our school website or by clicking here.

Click here to access the breakfast and lunch menu.

Click here for more information on applying for a Free or Reduced priced meal.

Click here for information on MySchoolBucks. You can also check out the website here - https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/getmain?requestAction=home

Due to manufacturing supply shortages and food/supply distribution disruptions, the menu will be subject to change each day. The entree menu may also be limited to only (1) hot choice instead of (2) at times, but we will always offer a variety of vegetables and fruits and provide the USDA required food components. Thank you for your understanding during this nationwide food industry challenge.

YMCA Afterschool Academy - click here for more information.

Hoover City Schools is pleased to announce that the USDA has extended free breakfast and lunch to all students during the 2021-2022 school year.

As always, our Child Nutrition Program staff will continue to offer a variety of entrée options, featuring a wide array of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Website: https://www.hoovercityschools.net/bluffpark
Location: 569 Park Avenue, Hoover, AL, USA
Phone: 205 439 2800
Facebook: facebook.com/bluffparkelem
Twitter: @BluffParkElem

(Notice of Nondiscrimination for Mass-Distributed Publications/Mass Communications)
Updated 2021

EQUAL EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES

(Board policy, 6.6) No student will be unlawfully excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination in any program or activity offered or sponsored by the Board on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, disability, creed, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, immigrant or migrant status, non-English speaking ability, or homeless status. All career and technical education opportunities are offered to all students regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, or disability. The district also provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups.

Mrs. Claire Jones-Moore, IDEA Coordinator
Mrs. Anna Whitney, Section 504 Coordinator
Dr. Debra Walker Smith, Title I Coordinator
Dr. Debra Walker Smith, Title II Coordinator
Dr. Debra Walker Smith, Title III Coordinator

Hoover City Schools
2810 Metropolitan Way
Hoover, AL 35243
(205) 439-1000

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

(Board policy, 5.14.1) The Board is an equal opportunity employer. Personnel actions and decisions will be made without regard to factors or considerations prohibited by federal or state law (as such laws may from time to time be amended), including but not limited to race, gender, gender identity, age, disability, national origin, citizenship, religious preference, pregnancy, genetic information, political affiliation, military service, sexual orientation, or other non-merit based factors. Subject to the limitations set forth in 4.6.2, the general complaint (grievance) policy (4.6.1) may be used to present any complaint alleging unlawful discrimination or harassment. Inquiries regarding compliance and complaint procedures can be directed to:

Mrs. Mary Veal, Equal Opportunity Employment Coordinator

Hoover City Schools
2810 Metropolitan Way
Hoover, AL 35243
(205) 439-1000