Birch Meadow Newsflash

*This past Friday, our assistant principal, Lisa Azzarito, took over as DJ for our all-school dance party—after my reign at the turntables ended last year. She brought the house down, blasting her epic "mixtape" over the intercom, igniting a school-wide dance frenzy at 10:15 AM. Students and staff couldn’t resist the epic mix, and I’ll admit—even I dusted off a few classic moves, including the sprinkler and the bus driver!

*Last week, we were thrilled to partner with our PTO to provide our dedicated educators with outstanding professional development opportunities during our in-service day. Faculty explored three key areas:

• Collaborative Problem Solving with Students
• Teaching Executive Functioning Skills
• Supporting Students with Anxiety

Teachers everywhere—especially at Birch Meadow—are continually adapting to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student population with varying learning styles and skill development. We’re incredibly grateful to our PTO for recognizing this need and committing to funding meaningful professional growth opportunities for our staff. Their support makes a real difference in our classrooms!

Breakfast Reminder - Just a reminder that the link for breakfast ordering is the same every week.

Breakfast Links:

KINDERGARTEN BREAKFAST

FIRST GRADE BREAKFAST

-Dr. B

WEEK 2 STATS

- 262 students (out of 359) are logging their reading!

- More than 101,000 Minutes Read!

Please join Dr. Burnham, other members of the Birch staff, and School Resource Officer Matthew Vatcher and his sidekick Rusty the Golden Retriever as they read their favorite children's books to us!

Reading night #2: Tuesday, March 18th on ZOOM - https://us06web.zoom.us/j/4915113640

6:00-6:30 PM for students in kindergarten - 2nd grade

6:30-7:00 PM for students in 3rd - 5th grade

We look forward to seeing you and don't forget to log your minutes!

Did you miss out on the Red Sox tickets? Weren't sure what your Memorial Day weekend plans were and didn't want to commit? Well - we asked the Red Sox if we could re-open our ticket sales and they said YES!!! Come join us on Sunday, May 25th at 1:35pm for the Sox vs. Orioles game. At almost 100 people from the Birch Meadow Community, it's going to be a great day!

TICKET SALES WILL REMAIN OPEN UNTIL APRIL 14TH

Spring is HERE and if you're planning to get out and clean up your yard, why not purchase a gift certificate to Calareso's to help support Birch Meadow? Their spring selection includes annuals and perennials: pansies, tulips, daffodils, etc! 🌷

Certificates $100 and under will go home in your child’s backpack, over $100 will be in the school office to be picked up at your convenience. A portion of the proceeds goes right back to Birch Meadow to support our Enrichment goals!

March 1 - March 31st - Read A Thon Spring Fundraiser!

March 17 - 21st - SPIRIT WEEK! See photo above for the theme days

March 17 - April 4th - Calareso's Spring Gift Certificate Sale!

March 18th - Reading with Rusty over Zoom 6 & 6:30pm

March 19th - SEPAC Budget Review & Business Mtg

March 21st - Board Game & Movie Day

March 21st - World Down Syndrome Day - Rock Your Socks!

March 26th - RPS Presents: Social/Emotional Learning Workshop

March 28th - All School Assembly & Principal/Assistant Principal Pie In The Face

Date TBA - Spring Shuffle (to replace the Turkey Trot/Winter Walk)

April 2-3 - Grades 3&4 ELA MCAS

April 7-8 - Grade 5 ELA MCAS

May 5 - 6 - Grade 5 Math MCAS

May 7 - 8 - Grades 3&4 Math MCAS

May 14 - 15 - Grade 5 SCI MCAS

May 25th - Red Sox Game - buy tickets until April 14th

Friends of Reading METCO and RPS is hosting a screening and community discussion. Join us for a screening and community discussion of Code-Switching, a powerful documentary exploring the experiences of students in the METCO program as they navigate racial and cultural identity in their pursuit of education.

Register Here

Date: Thursday, April 10
Time: 6:15 PM – 8:00 PM
Location: Reading Memorial High School Library

Wed, March 19th, 7pm (Online)

Philip Littlehale, Interim Director of Finance and Operations, will be presenting the Special Education Budget at the next SEPAC business meeting.

• Changes between the 2024/25 and 2025/26 Special Education Budget

• Special Education Budget funding priorities for the next school year

• Opportunity for parents to ask questions

If you attend only one SEPAC business meeting this year, this would be the one!

Additionally, Student Services will be available to answer your questions regarding the changes in Special Education or other special education related questions you may have.

Registration will be required to receive the zoom link for the business meeting and to submit questions anonymously to both Student Services and Phil Littlehale in advance.

Register for the Reading SEPAC Business meeting and Special Education Budget Review.

Wed, March 26th, 7pm (Online)

Social-emotional learning is the process of developing the self awareness, self control, and interpersonal skills that are vital for school, work, and life success.

Registration Link: https://fcsn.org/event/reading-social-emotional-learning/

• Drop off your donations of clothing and textiles to the two large bins to the far right of the main entrance on Arthur B. Lord Drive. Birch Meadow earns funds through Helpsy, a for-profit company that offers local non-profits like our PTO this easy, no-cost fundraising program!
• We have a Birch Meadow storefront and will post items and fundraisers throughout the year. We also welcome direct donations and company match: https://birch-meadow-elementary-school-pto.square.site/

Please "like" Birch Meadow Elementary PTO" Facebook page and follow our Instagram: @birch_meadow_pto