Important Information from The BSES Home and School Association
GET YOUR YEARBOOKS HERE! Since we are still full speed ahead on creating a memorable yearbook to celebrate the 2019-2020 school year, now’s the time to get your order in! Because of the current situation, we have moved to online ordering only through the Barksdale website. Follow these steps to order a yearbook for your student by Friday, May 15th:
Navigate to barksdalephoto.com
In the “What are you looking for?” dropdown menu, select “Order Your Yearbook.”
Enter the Bethel Springs Order Access Code 01766YB (Note-you may need to scroll down to see this field).
Enter the requested information and pay $20 with a credit card or via PayPal.
Please note that the homeroom number is not needed so feel free to skip entering it (I did - that’s definitely not something my brain is retaining right now ;))
We are currently working with Barksdale to determine when the yearbooks will be delivered and are hopeful that they may be able to deliver them in time for parents to pick them up on Monday, June 8th or Tuesday, June 9th during the scheduled Student Building Cleanout. If that is not possible, stay tuned as the HSA works out a Plan B :)
If you have any issues or questions, please reach out to bsesyearbook@gmail.com.
TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK: Although we will not be able to celebrate the fantastic teachers and staff at Bethel Springs during Teacher Appreciation Week as we usually do, the HSA is planning several “events” to show our appreciation from afar:
Monday, May 4th/Tuesday, May 5th: Teachers will receive electronic Amazon Gift Cards from the HSA as a small token of our appreciation.
Thursday, May 7th: Teachers will receive a link to a video composed of the Distance Learning pictures parents have submitted.
Monday, May 4th to Friday, May 8th: WE NEED YOUR HELP! We would love it if students could directly send their teachers (homeroom, specialists, and special teachers) messages of thanks via Seesaw. These could be notes, videos, pictures, or whatever they prefer. Let’s flood Seesaw with thanks on Friday!
IMPORTANT INFO FOR 5TH GRADE PARENTS: Although things have come to an anticlimactic ending this year, the HSA feels that it’s important to continue the tradition known as the Time Capsule. The “Class of 2027 Time Capsule” will contain memorabilia from your children’s elementary school experience such as the 5th grade video, the yearbook, the “Life as a 5th Grader” survey and a letter written from you to your child. The time capsule will be opened at the Post Prom senior year and the letters you have written, along with the survey, will be given out to your children.
For more information, please click HERE for the letter describing the time capsule specifics and the “Life as a 5th Grader” survey. Please note that we are asking parents to return the letter and survey in the same envelope labeled with the student’s first and last names on Tuesday, June 9th during the scheduled Student Building Cleanout. If you have any questions, please contact Andrea Smith.
END OF THE YEAR GIFTS: Be on the lookout for more information coming soon about how we are going to try to streamline contributions for End of the Year Gifts for teachers!
For the most up to date information, check out the BSES HSA Website!
Follow us on social media:
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/bseshsa/
Instagram - @bethel_springs_hsa
Twitter - @bseshsa1
Dear 5th Grade Families,
Save the date! We would like to invite all 5th grade families to attend the 5th Grade Promotion Assembly via webinar on Thurssday, June 4, 2020, at 1:30 p.m. as we recognize students for their accomplishments and wish them well as they officially become the class of 2027.
A link to access the assembly will be shared through Alma a day prior to the event. All certificates will be emailed home after the assembly.
We look forward to sharing this event with our students, families, and staff!
iPads
Elementary iPad Program for 2020-2021 School Year
All K-5 students will receive an iPad this summer to use at school and at home. In order for your child to receive his/her iPad, a parent/guardian must sign off on Garnet Valley’s Acceptable Use Policy, iPad Care, and decide if they would like to purchase insurance for the device. All parents must complete this process for their child to receive an iPad.
There is NO charge for this iPad. However, if parents would like to purchase insurance for accidental damages, they can now do so. So that we can offer families the lowest possible rate, Garnet Valley has partnered with Edvative, an educational non-profit, to assist with this program.
This program is optional and offered to Garnet Valley families who want the peace of mind of having their child’s iPad insured for accidental damages for the 2020-2021 school year.
Dear BSES Students,
On walks in my neighborhood, I have noticed and enjoyed lots of sidewalk and driveway art. Making sidewalk chalk art is a great way for kids to pass the time while keeping a healthy distance from others.I asked BSES students to send pictures of their sidewalk chalk creations that I could include in the weekly announcements. Below are a few of the pictures I received! I will share more next week!
You still have time to share pictures of your creations! Feel free to get in the photo if it is okay with your parents. Email to Mr. Piasecki a photo of your sidewalk or driveway art(piasecs@garnetvalley.org). Write in the subject line "Sidewalk/Driveway Art." Please send to Mr. Piasecki by Friday, May 8th. I'll be happy to share your pictures in our Monday announcements.
Thanks!
Mr. Piasecki
Pick up your stuff/Drop off our stuff/Say Good-bye to your teachers!
To help the process, we ask that parents place a visible sign on the passenger side of the dashboard stating the student's last name.
At each grade level's designated time the teachers from that grade level will be there to say good-bye (from a safe distance ) to students. Students and family members MUST stay in cars. In our minds and hearts we will be hugging you, but we will remain at a safe distance. Yes, this means getting in the line more than once if you have children in more than one grade. Our teachers could not bear to end our school year without the opportunity to say good-bye to their students. We are sure that students feel similarly about their teachers. If s family can only go through the line once, we will, of course, give and accept belongings for all children in the family at that time. Parents should simply indicate this when it is their turn in the line.
Below are the dates and times:
Monday, June 8th
Grade 1 8:30 to 10:30
Grade 2 11:00 to 1:00
Grade 3 1:30 to 3:30
Tuesday, June 9th
Grade 4 8:30 to 10:30
Grade 5 11:00 to 1:00
Make-up 1:30 to 3:30 (For families who could not make it at any of the other times. Teachers will not be present.)
Latest Communication from Dr. Bertrando--Friday, May 1st
Dear School Community,
We’ve made it another week, and hopefully, your family is getting along and your internet is strong (that’s the new Bertrando family mantra!?!?). In the district, we have our eyes on today, our minds on tomorrow, and our imaginations on the future. For “today,” we are engaged in providing job embedded professional learning to our teachers that takes into account the feedback we continue to receive from our surveys. As for “tomorrow” we are continuously improving our continuity of education implementation while refining our plans to bring teachers and students into the buildings to clean out lockers and classrooms. These plans will be shared with parents in the very near future. Finally, the “future” is blurry right now, but we are imagining next year by thinking about how to make teaching and learning as “agile” as possible. Contemplating providing education in face-to-face, blended, and online environments within the context of social distancing and other restrictions, our team continues to proactively prepare for every potentiality.
This week’s update topics include: (a) Teacher and Support Staff Appreciation; (b) Parent Survey; (c) GV-CTC/Garnet Valley Strong/Food Relief/Mini-Thon; (d) End-of-Year Instructional Calendar:
Teacher and Support Staff Appreciation
Next week is teacher appreciation week and I ask that our parents and students take a minute to recognize their teachers by sending them a quick note of thanks next week. Our teachers have been thrust into a difficult situation, and I can tell you that to a person, they have not only accepted the challenge, but they also have shown a level of commitment and dedication to their students that has been inspiring. Learning new technologies, rethinking lessons, and developing ideas for creating connections, teachers have been working non-stop to provide learning for their students. I often count my blessings for getting to work in such a great school district, and aside from the wonderful children that you provide us, the quality of our teachers is the single most important factor in making our system great. THANK YOU TEACHERS!
Parent Survey
Thank you to the 816 parents who took our latest survey. The information that we glean from these surveys is driving our continuous improvement process, and we are extremely appreciative of your conscientious feedback. We also love the fact that the 816 respondents were again spread evenly amongst the grade levels. Since this was our second parent survey we can now start to look at the data “longitudinally”. In short, the data shows that we still have room to improve, and we will continue to do so.
- In terms of workload, the responses showed that parents who selected “just right,” “too much,” or “too little” (480 of 559 respondents) were as follows: Just right=55% (1st survey - 65%); Too much=33% (1st survey - 24%); and Too little=12% (1st survey - 11%).
- As for the pacing of students’ work, the responses showed that parents who selected “manageable pace,” “too quickly,” “too slowly,” or “I don't’ have enough information to respond” were as follows: Manageable pace=76% (1st survey - 77%); Too slowly=4% (1st survey - 5%); Too quickly=15% (1st survey - 14%); I don’t have enough information=5% (same as 1st survey)
Based on the responses along with the open ended comments, the overall strengths of our continuity of education program is the organization of assignments, clarity of directions for assignments, and technology support.
As for areas of need, we still need to work on the amount of interaction with teachers. We added a question to the survey about interactions based on input we were receiving so that we could get baseline data. Parents rated the amount of interaction with teachers as follows: poor: 54/563 = 10% below average; 103/563 = 18% average; 199/563 = 35%; above average: 120/563 = 21%; excellent: 82/563 = 15%; and no rating: 5/56. Engagement continues as a major area of focus, and we hope to see improvement. Parents also continue to struggle with navigating Seesaw/Schoology, and we will use the feedback to tailor professional learning to our teachers that focuses on ways to clarify directions and the number of “clicks” parents have to employ to navigate assignments.
GV-CTC/Garnet Valley Strong/Food Relief/Mini-Thon
The GV-CTC continues to receive donations. If you would like to participate, we ask that you use the GVCTC Venmo account: @GVCTC. If you are asked, the 4 digit code is 3706. Jennifer Tront, GV-CTC Treasurer, owns the account, so you will see her name appear. If you know anyone in our community who needs assistance, please have them complete this updated link (Food Services Assistance) and we’ll reach out as soon as possible.
There’s still time to buy your Garnet Valley Strong wristband. Use this order form link (click here), and remember if you choose to give an optional donation, 100% of every dollar received is divided between GV-CTC and the AI DuPont emergency families fund (to help families in the hospital pay for adult meals without having to risk unnecessary exposure during the COVID19 crisis by leaving isolation units).
If your family is in need of food assistance, please complete this form - Grab and Go Food Distribution Form. Garnet Valley School District is providing Grab and Go meals to families in need for their children 18 years of age and under. Meals will be available for pick up from 11AM to noon on Mondays and Wednesdays at Garnet Valley Middle School’s rear entrance. You will need to pre-register using the link above by Monday morning at 7AM to receive food for the week. If you have any questions, please feel free to email Kristin Smeins - smeinsk@garnetvalley.org.
Thank you to everyone who has supported Mini-THON so far. Please click on their names to view messages from two of our seniors, Ryan Walukonis and Neeli Thakkar, and click here to support Mini-THON in our mission to conquer pediatric cancer. Thank you for your support!
Progress Reports
Weekly Attendance Forms
A student in grades K-5 will be considered present when a completed parental verification of attendance is received. The form will be emailed on a weekly basis to parents. The verification form includes a space for you to indicate a reason for missed days of “school.
The next form will be emailed to you on Monday, May 11th to confirm attendance for the week of May 4th to May 8th. Thank you for your assistance!
Technology Assistance for Students and Parents
Q. If I have a technical problem or question, who should I contact?
For all technical problems or questions, click (HERE) to fill out the tech support form. A member of our tech team will contact you after you submit the form.
