BECEP Buzz November 2024

BECEP Mission:

BECEP partners with families and community to promote the overall development of children to reach their full learning potential.

BECEP Vision:

We encourage our school family to become lifelong learners by providing opportunities in parent and child education within a safe, healthy, enriching environment that promotes a positive self-concept. Meeting the developmental needs of our children is accomplished through various pathways to ensure individual success. We advocate for our parents and children at school, home, and in the community.

Remember to call the school when your child will be absent for any reason. The office number is 323-4400. If your child rides the bus, you also need to call transportation at 323-4500.

BECEP Policy Council Meeting

• Tuesday November 19th from 5:30 pm-7:00 pm BECEP @ Richholt

Parent/Teacher Conferences

• Monday November 4th 4:00p.m.-7:45pm
• Tuesday November 5th 4:00p.m.-7:45pm

No School

• Friday November 8th; Parent/Teacher Conferences Comp Day
• Monday November 11th; Veteran's Day
• Thursday November 28th and Friday November 29th; Thanksgiving Break

BPS does NOT allow pets on school property unless prior approval and immunization checks have been completed with the BECEP school nurse. Please be mindful that we have many students that may have allergies to your pets. Every child's safety is of utmost importance here at BECEP. Please reach out if you have any questions. Call the main office and you will be connected to the right personnel. 323-4400.

REMINDER: With the winter weather upon us, please make sure to send along a pair of tennis shoes/sneakers when boots are also needing to be worn. Snow boots CANNOT be worn in our new gym.

You and anyone you have authorized BECEP to release your child to must always have identification (ID) available to present to BECEP staff. A paper copy or a photo of the ID card is acceptable.

BECEP staff must ensure the identity of anyone we are releasing a child to and this is done by checking ID. The practice is the same regardless of whether we’re releasing from one of our buildings (Richholt, Grimsrud, Murphy, or Myhre) or a child is dropped off by the bus. To be able to pick up a child from our programs or receive them off of the bus, the person authorized MUST be at least 18 years old.

If BECEP staff are unable to verify the identity of the person picking up your child, we cannot release them. If they are at one of our buildings, your child will be kept safe with staff until an authorized person we can identify comes to pick them up. If we are unable to release a child from the bus, the child will be brought to our Richholt building and will only be released to an authorized person, whose identity we can verify. Please make sure you keep your child’s Child Authorization Form current and up to date. This can be done in person, via your child’s teacher or family advocate. Thank you so much for your help in keeping your child safe while they are with us!

To return to school after illness your child must:

✓ Be without vomiting or diarrhea for 24 hours

✓ Be without an uncontrolled or persistent cough

✓ Have an oral temperature less than 101 degrees for 24 hours without the use of medication

✓ Feel well enough to take part in the usual school day

We must recognize the importance of play, authentic learning, hands-on manipulation, and active engagement! This series will walk us through Hughes 16 types of play and how we can be more intentional about building connections and bonds through play.

As the weather changes, we want to make sure all our BECEP families stay safe. Whether your child rides the bus, or you bring them to school, please make sure they have hats, gloves, coats, and when necessary, snow pants and boots. Classrooms go out for recess despite snow on the ground or cold temperatures. BPS policy states that if the temperature is below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, children must wear a coat. Recess will not occur if the temperature drops below -15 degrees Fahrenheit with wind chill, but please still send all their winter gear for the trip to and from school.

Cold weather and wind in North Dakota can be dangerous even for just a few minutes! It is a good idea to always keep extra warm clothes and blankets in your vehicle.

It is also important to label ALL the tags in their winter clothes with their initials because it is very easy to get things mixed up with that much extra gear hanging on the hooks. We don’t want to mistakenly send your child’s winter gear home with someone else. If you are having trouble accessing appropriate winter clothes, please reach out to your family advocate.

Each month, BECEP @ Richholt staff give out Kindness Cards to our students who display Safe, Kind, and Helpful behaviors. Each classroom has identified a number of overall cards needed to have a celebration. These celebrations may look like a dance party, a pajama day, extra play time, etc. For the month of October, 385 Kindness Cards were handed out. TWELVE classroom parties were had for those that met their classroom goal. Way to go BECEP Bees!

We are so proud of our students for being SAFE, KIND, and HELPFUL!

Would you like a FREE, in-home developmental screening for your infant or toddler? If so, simply call 701-328-8985 to request Right Track for your child. Right Track is a statewide program that is unique to ND. Right Track Specialists complete developmental screenings, go over the results, answer questions, and provide ideas to promote development and referrals to other community programs, all from the comfort of your own home! Right Track is FREE for all children under the age of 3 and is one of our BECEP programs.

Did you know that BECEP’s Early Head Start Program for families who are expecting a baby or have a child ages birth-3 provides programming all year round? Early Head Start is a homebased program that provides weekly home visits by a teacher and two-Family social gatherings (play dates) each month. Early Head Start serves eligible families in Burleigh, Kidder and Emmons Counties. For additional information scan the QR code.

BECEP Head Start has a Face Book page. Just scan this QR code and like our page. On this page we will share information, promote events with community partners, and offer a space for positive interaction.

The CCP is a resource that is updated annually by students from the University of Mary’s Social Work Program. It is designed to be a collection of contact information and resources for those who are transitioning out of a correctional setting but is also useful for many populations in Bismarck-Mandan. Please click on the link to view this resource.

October 27th was World Occupational Therapy Day