There are many exciting events coming up at Boyertown Elementary School. We are looking forward to them!

January 13: PTO Meeting

January 17: Early Dismissal

January 20: No School

January 29: Parent Preview Night (Information below)

BASD has the ability to utilize 5 flexible instruction days throughout the school year in the event that inclement weather or other emergency school closing. Your child’s teacher will review these directions with your child early next week. Digital and paper/pencil options will be provided. If a student cannot access the Internet or paper copies of the learning activities, he/she will have three (3) school days to complete the assignments. Any student who fails to complete their FID assignment within three school days will be marked as absent.

Please do not park out front in the main entrance parking lot, where the buses pull in. We have had cars driving around our buses while our students were loading, and cars pulling out in between the buses while they are trying to leave. Also, please do not pull up in the bus loop and line up behind the buses. This is a NO CAR ZONE during student arrival and dismissals.

Fundraising links are coming soon from your teachers! Keep an eye out and check out the challenge that was presented to our school! We are raising money for a new playground! There has been an offer for an amazing donation, but we have been challenged before we can earn this donation! Let's come together and earn a new playground for our school!

IT IS TIME!

5th Graders ONLY (this is optional)

Please send 1 baby picture of your 5th grader via

Facebook group BES 2024~2025 YEARBOOK, via Facebook Messenger or

via email to arhoads1214@gmail.com

The picture will appear in the 2024-2025 yearbook; therefore, the picture needs to be *school appropriate (i.e. let’s leave the bathtub pics for private family reminiscing),

*clear image (a blurry image is even worse re-printed) and

*Child’s full name and homeroom teacher with the picture.

Attention parents/guardians of students in grades 2, 4, and 5! On the evening of Wednesday, January 29, we will be offering a Parent Preview Night for the following upcoming student lessons:

Grade 2: Keeping Touches Safe

Grade 4: Our Immune System and HIV/AIDS Prevention

Grade 5: Human Growth and Development - Our Changing Bodies

Please mark your calendars! Additional details, including times and locations, will be shared next week.

For ABSENCES that are for reasons other than illness as a vacation, a day trip, or a family visit, an EDUCATIONAL TRIP FORM must be completed and submitted to the school prior to the absence. Please do not use the online absence slip to report this type of absence. The form can be found here: BES EDUCATIONAL TRIP FORM.

**PHONE CALLS ARE NOT ACCEPTED FOR ABSENCES. PLEASE PROVIDE BOTH FIRST AND LAST NAMES OF STUDENTS WHEN SUBMITTING AN ABSENCE.**

For a LATE ARRIVAL, please email your student’s teacher and email the attendance mailbox directly at attendanceBES@boyertownasd.org.

For an EARLY PICK-UP, please either send in a note to the teacher(s) or email attendance at attendanceBES@boyertownasd.org. Please include the following: student’s name, teacher’s name, time of the pick-up, and name of the adult picking the student up (*they must show ID at the door).

For a FULL-DAY ABSENCE, please use the online slip (BES ONLINE ABSENCE SLIP ) or send in a note to the school that your child will be absent (please state the reason why).

***If a student is sent home by the nurse, an excuse is still mandatory if the student is absent the next school day. The nurse sending a student home does not excuse the child for the next day.***

UNLAWFUL ABSENCES: *If the school does not receive an email (or a written note) concerning an absence within three (3) school days of that absence, it will be coded as unlawful, and the Unlawful Absences letter will be sent to the parents/guardians. It will also be added to the student's file. *NOTE: We cannot remove an Unlawful absence after the three (3) school days have passed.

Each student may have a total of ten (10) excused absences per school year. Every absence after those ten absences will all require a Doctor’s Note.

There are new policies and procedures for clearances this year. Clearances must be uploaded into the new Raptor system in order to be in the school district's volunteer system. Volunteers who previously submitted clearances were grandfathered in until November 17, 2023. Once submitted, clearances will be take 10 days to be verified. Paper copies of clearances will no longer be accepted. Clearances are mandatory to volunteer in Boyertown Area School District. Please view the links below for more information and access to the Raptor site.

BASD Volunteer Process: NEW: BASD Volunteer Process | Smore Newsletters for Business

BASD Website/HR Department: Human Resources / Volunteer Information - Using Raptor (boyertownasd.org)

If you need to reach the Transportation Department, please email transportation@boyertownasd.org for assistance. If you need assistance determining the location of a bus, reporting a bus problem, etc., please dial 610-369-7684. If you need help with a deviation to daycare within your school's sending area, with non-public school transportation, etc., please call 610-473-3473.

For safety purposes and efficient dismissals, we ask all parents utilizing the car rider line, to please always remain in their vehicles. Getting out of your vehicle and/or pulling outside the cones is not allowed and may pose a safety hazard if not adhered to.

Please be aware of any parent(s), child/children or staff member(s) who may be walking throughout our parking areas and crosswalks. In addition, please continue to be mindful of our surrounding families who live in the area and the children who are walking to and from school. There are NO U-TURNS ALLOWED on Second Street.

If your child/children will need assistance during dismissal for any reason, please do not use the car rider line. Instead, please park in the side lot or in the back lot and walk to the school's front entrance to sign out your child/children for parent pick-up. Use crosswalks where applicable.

If using the parent pick-up at the end of the school day, please make sure to park in the school’s side parking lot, park in a parking spot, and walk around to the main entrance.

Please make sure to have your ID out and ready, sign out your student(s) in the sign-out binder, which will be located at (or just inside) the front door. The students’ names will then be announced over the loudspeaker and will be instructed to report to the main entrance, once all the bus numbers have been announced. Please do not call the office at dismissal time to have your student(s) report to parent pick-up.

⛔✋Please do not park out front in the main entrance parking lot, where the buses pull in. We have had cars driving around our buses while our students were loading, and cars pulling out in between the buses while they are trying to leave. Also, please do not pull up in the bus loop and line up behind the buses.✋⛔

IF YOU NEED TO PICK UP YOUR CHILD(REN) EARLY (before dismissal time) please SEND IN A NOTE to school or please EMAIL the teacher(s). Please include the student(s) full name, teacher/grade, the time of pick-up, the reason, and the name of the adult doing the pick-up (please make sure that they bring along their ID for verification purposes. This is for your child’s safety.

If your child’s transportation home (at regular dismissal time) is different than their usual mode of transportation, please send a note (or email) to their teacher so that they can make sure the student is reporting to the correct area at dismissal time. Thank you!

Hello BES Families!

This year our Vocal Ensemble will be singing the National Anthem at the Reading Royals game on February 15th, 2025.

If you have a student in Vocal Ensemble, please fill out this form. https://forms.gle/wTwvYZGHjur7VNqn8

If you do not have a student in Vocal Ensemble, but you are still interested in purchasing tickets to this game, follow this link to reserve tickets! https://fevo-enterprise.com/event/Boyertownelementary2

Please let me know if you have any questions about this event!

We are so excited to represent BES at the Reading Royals game!

Blessings!

-Anna Claire Vallette

avallette@boyertownasd.org

Thank you, parents, for attending the Title I Parent Meeting. Below you will find the resources that were shared at the meeting. You will also find the forms that we would like all parents to complete. Please take a few moments to complete the forms. We appreciate all your support, and we look forward to a productive school year.

Please complete these 2 Google forms:

1. School Parent Family Compact

1. Parent and Family Survey

Title One Resources:

1. Title I Parent and Family Engagement Policy

1. Title I Parent Meeting Slides

1. Parent Resources/Handouts

Happy Reading!

Mrs. Graff and Mrs. McCaw

At various points throughout the year, the intervention team, Reading Specialists, and classroom teachers get together to review student data and discuss specific needs. Through this collaborative process we determine which students are in need of additional reading support through our WIN (What I Need) program. Students in WIN will work with an intervention teacher, Title 1 Paraprofessional, or Reading Specialist for 30 minutes each day to target specific areas of need. Occasionally, the WIN teachers may be unavailable to see their groups in which case those students would remain in their classrooms during that time and work on various reading activities. Should you have any questions about the program please don’t hesitate to reach out to our Reading Specialists, Mrs. Graff and Mrs. McCaw.

Mrs. Graff: jgraff@boyertownasd.org

Mrs. McCaw: lmccaw@boyertownasd.org

Title I Programs in the Boyertown Area School District:

Boyertown, Colebrookdale, Earl and Washington are the identified Title I elementary schools in our district. Middle School West is also identified as a Title I school. These schools receive Title I funding based on the percentage of low-income eligible students.

Title I is a federally funded program purposed with ensuring all children have a fair and equal opportunity to learn and grow. Boyertown has transitioned to a Schoolwide Title I program. A Schoolwide program is designed to serve all students in a Title I building and improve all structures to help support student learning. Our Schoolwide plan was developed with the help of parents, community members, teachers, and administrators. Our plan is evaluated annually to determine the impact that these supports have on student achievement.

As a Schoolwide Title I building, the staff is reviewing all students' data to determine needs. Students are identified for intervention if in need of academic support, primarily in the area of reading. All students receiving additional support must qualify through our district assessments. Support is provided to the students individually or in small groups both in class and as a pullout program. Schools set a goal for academic progress that will be measured through mid-year and end-of-the-year assessments. The Reading Specialists, Intervention teachers, paraprofessionals, and classroom teachers partner together to support students.

Our district works diligently to use the Title I funds as required and to provide these additional services to enhance the educational program of our Title I students. If you have any questions about the Title I program, please reach out to your building's reading specialist or call the Title I office at (610) 369-7414.

Title I Programs Website Link

Each month our Reading Specialists, Mrs. Graff and Mrs. McCaw, will share some resources to support your student’s learning at home. Please enjoy the January editions of the Daily Planner and Newsletter.

BES December Health News

Reminders

Please email both BES nurses, Victoria Monts (vmonts@boyertownasd.org) and Valerie Bennett (vbennett@boyertownasd.org) with any health-related issues regarding your child. When emailing the nurse, please include your child’s first initial and last name (and grade if you have multiple children attending BES).

All 3rd grade students are required to have a Pennsylvania Required Dental Exam Form completed by your child’s dentist. If you have any questions regarding this requirement, please contact the BES school nurses.

All Kindergarten students, and students who are new to the elementary school, must have the Pennsylvania Required Dental Exam Form and the Pennsylvania Required Physical Exam Form completed by your child’s physician/dentist. If you have any questions regarding this requirement, please contact the BES school nurses.

Please send your child to school with a refillable water bottle every day!

The weather outside is getting colder! Please send your child with a coat or heavy jacket, scarf and gloves for outdoor recess. Also consider weather-appropriate change of clothing in your child’s bookbag!

Our Health Room needs boy’s underwear sizes 4 through 8 and boys pants sizes large/extra large or 12-16. If you can donate underwear or pants, it would be greatly appreciated! We are also collecting gently used coats for boys and girls.

Important reminders for cold and flu season…

1. Cover your cough!

2. Wash your hands before and after eating; after blowing your nose; and after using the bathroom. If you do not have soap and water available, use hand sanitizer.

3. Students cannot have cough drops or mints in school due to choking hazard. Students are allowed to gargle in salt water for a sore throat.

4. Please read our guidelines on keeping your child home when they are ill.

Wishing everyone a happy and healthy winter break!

BES Nurses

\Victoria Monts, Certified School Nurse

Valerie Bennett, Staff Nurse

610-473-5170

610-369-7687

Dear BES Parents and Guardians,

We are looking to fill some additional support roles at our school. If you are looking for a position that has the same hours as your children, this is a great opportunity for you.

If you are interested in working within the school setting, please call our CCRES representative, Ashley Burke at 484-593-5040. More information and an application can also be found at https://apply.workable.com/ccres/j/41ADE4D96D/

This will help us connect you with job opportunities at BES or other buildings within the school district. We hope you can join us for the 2024-2025 school year.

Volunteers are VERY important for all our PTO events and activities to run smoothly. We are in need of volunteers this year more than ever. We have many exciting opportunities to help out! If the event is outside of school hours, you will not need clearances. If it is during the school day, then you will. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us!

**Please be aware, this year if we do not have sufficient volunteers to run the event, the event will be cancelled. This is needed due to the lack of help in previous years, and the events not running as expected.**

BASD hosts an online Community Bulletin Board. The electronic bulletin board features district and community activities, events, clubs, resources, and more. The board is updated regularly and is an excellent source of information regarding things happening throughout our community and beyond. Be sure to check it out regularly!

Canva is also used in the creation of this newsletter.

Any additional applicable copyright information for items used throughout the newsletter will be provided on a use-by-use basis.

Boyertown Elementary
641 East Second Street
Boyertown, PA 19512
(610) 369-7462