Beck Weekly Update Special Edition
Parent Info for Friday, April 5, 2024
Beck Centennial Elementary
Beck Attendance Line: 586-797-3999
Email: officebeck@uticak12.org
Website: beck.uticak12.org
Location: 54600 Hayes Road, Macomb, MI, USA
Phone: 586-797-3900
Facebook: facebook.com/BeckElementarySchool
Twitter: @beckelementary
Rare Solar Eclipse - Beck Vikings are Getting Ready!
Next Monday, April 8, 2024 will be a historic day for our students as many will experience their first ever solar eclipse! In our geographic area, the sun will begin to be partially blocked at about 2:00 p.m. and reach 95% of totality at maximum darkness at approximately 3:15 p.m., lasting as long as four minutes.
Our school is excited to celebrate this rare opportunity to view a near-total eclipse with our community. Teachers will be distributing solar eclipse viewing glasses to every student on Monday and special solar eclipse learning activities may be explored by our students in anticipation of the afternoon’s main event.
The safety of our students and staff will remain our top priority throughout this experience. The UCS science department has gathered age-appropriate resources for our teachers to utilize when instructing our students about the solar eclipse and how to properly use the solar eclipse viewing glasses. Students will also receive a safety information handout with their glasses. Recess will not take place in the afternoon and gym classes will remain inside.
Our dismissal and bus schedule will be followed as normal, however we do want to point out that varied levels of darkness caused by the solar eclipse may last until as late as 4:30 p.m. Because of this, we plan to have our building’s exterior lights on during dismissal.
We invite you to speak with your child about this upcoming event and share in the excitement. It should also be emphasized with your child, as we will do in school, the importance of not looking directly at the sun WITHOUT wearing their solar eclipse viewing glasses. Some things that may be noticed during the eclipse include:
· Darkened sky
· Shadows appearing differently
· Stars and planets could be seen during the day
· Outdoor animals and pets may act differently, as they think it is suddenly night
See below for additional video resources for your family to make the most of this rare learning opportunity and celestial display!