Paw Prints

"Paw Prints" has been created to provide families and staff with information regarding upcoming events, happenings, and programs at Barlow Mountain Elementary School. Please take time each week to review the important information included in our newsletter.

Dear BMES Community,

We enjoyed getting to see so many parents on Wednesday at Open House, and we look forward to welcoming you more! Our BMES Instructional Leadership Team is planning events throughout the school year that keep families in-the-know. Next week on October 2nd, we will host the first session of our Parent Learning Series, "Let's Play School" with a focus on math. We want to make these sessions relevant and convenient for you, so please take a moment to answer the very short survey below.

Many of the topics covered at our Open House are included in our K-5 Handbook. You can find a link to the handbook below, as well as reminders about two important topics that have come up this year, including our attendance and personal devices at school. As always please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any further questions about these topics.

We hope you enjoy a wonderful first week of fall!

Warm regards,

Becky & Caitlin

The State Board of Education has defined two levels of criteria for an absence to be considered an excused absence.

“Level 1” includes the first nine absences and these days are considered excused absences for any reason that the student’s parent or guardian approves. The parent or guardian must submit either written or oral documentation within ten school days of the student’s return to school.

Excused “Level 2” absences are the days beginning at the tenth absence and meet one or more of the State’s acceptable reasons. For more information regarding the acceptable reasons, please visit the Connecticut State Department of Education Guidelines for Absences.

If your child reaches the thresholds below, you will receive a notification. The notifications will lag the actual absences. For example, your child may reach their 6th absence on a Wednesday and you may not be notified until the following Monday.

Typical attendance notification thresholds.

• At 6 absences a notification is emailed.

• At 9 absences a notification is emailed.

• At 9 absences and 6 unexcused, a notification is emailed.

• At 9 excused absences and 10 unexcused absences, a truancy notification is emailed.

Students with cell phones at the elementary level are not permitted to use them during the school day. If a parent makes the decision to permit their child to have a cell phone, smartwatch, or similar device at school, it is expected that the cell phone or smartwatch be turned off and in the child’s backpack at

all times. This includes the duration of the bus ride.

Please note, we treat smartwatches (e.g. the Apple Watch, the Gizmo Watch, the Android Smart Watch) or other similar devices that provide a student with the ability to text, take photos, or make calls in the same way we treat a cell phone and they are subject to the same practice.

If a staff member sees a student with any of the above mentioned devices, the student will be asked to remove the device and store it in their backpack and their teacher will likely contact you about the concern.

Parents of students in Grades 4-5 who took the Smarter Balanced Assessment last year should expect to receive hard copies of the results in their mailboxes early this week. You can read more information from Cory Gillette's communication here. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions once you receive the results.

We're excited to share a new addition to our playground! You may have noticed a colorful banner hanging near the play area. This is a core communication board, a visual tool designed to support students with communication difficulties. Mrs. Doherty, one of our Speech & Language Pathologists and Mrs. Rock, our RISE Teacher, have created this board to help aid communication and peer interactions during our playground time. By using symbols and pictures, students can express their wants, needs, and ideas more effectively. We believe this will foster greater understanding and inclusivity among our students. We encourage you to discuss this new tool with your child and help them become familiar with the symbols. We believe that by working together, we can create a more supportive and inclusive playground environment for all.

• Monday, September 23rd (A Day)
  
• Tuesday, September 24th (B Day)
• Wednesday, September 25th (C Day)
• Thursday, September 26th (D Day)
  
• Friday, September 27th (E Day)

• Wednesday, October 2nd
  9:45-10:30am "Let's Play School!" Math - BMES Cafeteria
• Thursday, October 3rd
  NO SCHOOL in observance of Rosh Hashanah

• Friday, October 11th
  Early Dismissal at 12:15pm - Teacher/Staff PD

• Monday, October 14th
  NO SCHOOL in observance of Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples' Day

• October 22nd
  10:30am - RPS Special Services Parent Guidance Series (see information below)

Fifth Graders enjoyed collaborating on this problem during an anchor task at the start of their math class. Can you solve it?

Fifth Graders enjoy working together in and out of the classroom. Here they are capturing the flag in P.E.!

Second Graders in Mrs. Nicolo's class created their class charter, then worked together to make a creative display for their classroom. Well done!

We can't get enough of our new playground! Last week some of our 2nd Graders even got to play in their pajamas when Mrs. Fontaine's class had pajama day!

Kindergarteners in Mrs. Isola's class were seen reaching for the stars, locating their goals displayed on the bulletin board outside of Mrs. McGuirk's music class.

Ghoul-friends, it’s time to rise from the crypt and get ready for a fang-tastic time! Thanks to your amazing fundraising efforts last year and those of you who have already joined the PTA, we are able to make this a free event this year, including providing all of the candy for the kids!

Want to Help? This spooktacular event is hosted by the BMES PTA, but we need some wicked volunteers to make the magic happen! If you’re up for lending a hand (or claw), click below to sign up!

Decorate Your Car! What’s a Trunk or Treat without boo-tiful car decorations? If you’re ready to brew up a spooky scene with your trunk, let us know by clicking below!

Just Want to Attend? Creeping in for some fun? Register below so our coordinators can plan for all the little goblins and ghouls!

We can’t wait to see all you monsters there!

Instagram @bmes_bobcats

Email: rlaus@ridgefieldps.net
Website: https://bmes.ridgefield.org/
Location: 115 Barlow Mountain Road, Ridgefield, CT, USA
Phone: 203-894-5800