Boyertown Elementary

There are many exciting events coming up at Boyertown Elementary School. We are looking forward to them!

September 10: Band "Meet the Instrument Night" at 6:30 at Middle School West (Information below)

September 12: Back to School LUAU (Information sent home with students and below)

September 13: Picture Day! Additional information will be sent home soon!

Orchestra and chorus sign ups deadline. (Information below)

September 16: DOT DAY! Decorate a dot and celebrate by wearing polka dots!

Please do not park out front in the main entrance parking lot, where the buses pull in. We have had cars driving around our buses while our students were loading, and cars pulling out in between the buses while they are trying to leave. Also, please do not pull up in the bus loop and line up behind the buses. This is a NO CAR ZONE during student arrival and dismissals.

For ABSENCES that are for reasons other than illness as a vacation, a day trip, or a family visit, an EDUCATIONAL TRIP FORM must be completed and submitted to the school prior to the absence. Please do not use the online absence slip to report this type of absence. The form can be found here: BES EDUCATIONAL TRIP FORM.

**PHONE CALLS ARE NOT ACCEPTED FOR ABSENCES. PLEASE PROVIDE BOTH FIRST AND LAST NAMES OF STUDENTS WHEN SUBMITTING AN ABSENCE.**

For a LATE ARRIVAL, please email your student’s teacher and email the attendance mailbox directly at attendanceBES@boyertownasd.org.

For an EARLY PICK-UP, please either send in a note to the teacher(s) or email attendance at attendanceBES@boyertownasd.org. Please include the following: student’s name, teacher’s name, time of the pick-up, and name of the adult picking the student up (*they must show ID at the door).

For a FULL-DAY ABSENCE, please use the online slip (BES ONLINE ABSENCE SLIP ) or send in a note to the school that your child will be absent (please state the reason why).

UNLAWFUL ABSENCES: *If the school does not receive an email (or a written note) concerning an absence within three (3) school days of that absence, it will be coded as unlawful, and the Unlawful Absences letter will be sent to the parents/guardians. It will also be added to the student's file. *NOTE: We cannot remove an Unlawful absence after the three (3) school days have passed.

Each student may have a total of ten (10) excused absences per school year. Every absence after those ten absences will all require a Doctor’s Note.

There are new policies and procedures for clearances this year. Clearances must be uploaded into the new Raptor system in order to be in the school district's volunteer system. Volunteers who previously submitted clearances were grandfathered in until November 17, 2023. Once submitted, clearances will be take 10 days to be verified. Paper copies of clearances will no longer be accepted. Clearances are mandatory to volunteer in Boyertown Area School District. Please view the links below for more information and access to the Raptor site.

BASD Volunteer Process: NEW: BASD Volunteer Process | Smore Newsletters for Business

BASD Website/HR Department: Human Resources / Volunteer Information - Using Raptor (boyertownasd.org)

If you need to reach the Transportation Department, please email transportation@boyertownasd.org for assistance. If you need assistance determining the location of a bus, reporting a bus problem, etc., please dial 610-369-7684. If you need help with a deviation to daycare within your school's sending area, with non-public school transportation, etc., please call 610-473-3473.

For safety purposes and efficient dismissals, we ask all parents utilizing the car rider line, to please always remain in their vehicles. Getting out of your vehicle and/or pulling outside the cones is not allowed and may pose a safety hazard if not adhered to.

Please be aware of any parent(s), child/children or staff member(s) who may be walking throughout our parking areas and crosswalks. In addition, please continue to be mindful of our surrounding families who live in the area and the children who are walking to and from school. There are NO U-TURNS ALLOWED on Second Street.

If your child/children will need assistance during dismissal for any reason, please do not use the car rider line. Instead, please park in the side lot or in the back lot and walk to the school's front entrance to sign out your child/children for parent pick-up. Use crosswalks where applicable.

If using the parent pick-up at the end of the school day, please make sure to park in the school’s side parking lot, park in a parking spot, and walk around to the main entrance.

Please make sure to have your ID out and ready, sign out your student(s) in the sign-out binder, which will be located at (or just inside) the front door. The students’ names will then be announced over the loudspeaker and will be instructed to report to the main entrance, once all the bus numbers have been announced. Please do not call the office at dismissal time to have your student(s) report to parent pick-up.

⛔✋Please do not park out front in the main entrance parking lot, where the buses pull in. We have had cars driving around our buses while our students were loading, and cars pulling out in between the buses while they are trying to leave. Also, please do not pull up in the bus loop and line up behind the buses.✋⛔

IF YOU NEED TO PICK UP YOUR CHILD(REN) EARLY (before dismissal time) please SEND IN A NOTE to school or please EMAIL the teacher(s). Please include the student(s) full name, teacher/grade, the time of pick-up, the reason, and the name of the adult doing the pick-up (please make sure that they bring along their ID for verification purposes. This is for your child’s safety.

If your child’s transportation home (at regular dismissal time) is different than their usual mode of transportation, please send a note (or email) to their teacher so that they can make sure the student is reporting to the correct area at dismissal time. Thank you!

Dear Parents of Multilingual Learners,

It's time to schedule a meeting with your child's ESL teacher. This is an excellent opportunity to discuss your child's English Language Development and address any questions you may have about their school experience. This is a great way to stay informed and engaged in your child's education.

Please use the link to select a time that works best for you: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0B44AEAB23AAF94-51126482-meet

I look forward to connecting with you and working together to support your child's success.

Best regards,

Mrs. Patti Baumgard

ESL Coordinator

Dear 3rd and 4th grade Parents,

Is your child interested in learning the VIOLIN, VIOLA, CELLO, or BASS? We just finished giving string demonstrations and can't wait to get started teaching our beginner musicians! All 3rd graders plus interested 4th grade students received an informational packet, but please reach out if you have any questions! The Elementary Orchestra Program is open to students in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade in the Boyertown Area School District.

Sign up here by Friday, September 13th: https://tinyurl.com/BASDStringSignUp

Sincerely,

Mrs. Anita Boyer (GES & WES) aboyer@boyertownasd.org

Mr. Jared Vamvakias (BES, CES, & NHUF) jvamvakias@boyertownasd.org

Mrs. Kathy Mumie (EES) kmumie@boyertownasd.org

Attention 4th and 5th grade parents! Elementary Band sign ups are happening soon! This week, the elementary band directors, Mrs. Mumie and Mr. Langdon, visited each elementary building to share information about joining the band. During their presentation, all of the band instruments were demonstrated, and all students were invited to “Meet the Instrument Night.”

On Tuesday at 6:30 PM in the Middle School West Cafeteria, we are proud to present “Meet the Instrument Night” in partnership with Zeswitz Music. This event is designed to give students the chance to try out different instruments on sterilized mouthpieces and learn more about the band program. Representatives from Zeswitz Music will share information about their rental programs and the Boyertown Music League will have a treat for students as well! If you are interested in hearing more about the band program, please go to this link: bit.ly/BASDElemBandInfo and you will see the exciting things your child can do in the band program and information about our preferred vendor, Zeswitz Music. We hope to see you there!!

Hello BES!

I am excited to start Chorus in the coming weeks. The forms to apply for chorus and vocal ensemble are below!

If your child is interested in joining chorus or vocal ensemble, please fill out the appropriate form below.

If your student has been in chorus or vocal ensemble previously, but does not wish to join, please indicate so on the form.

If your student would like to join Vocal Ensemble, please fill out the appropriate form as well (students in Vocal Ensemble are also required to be in Chorus). Auditions for students interested joining Vocal Ensemble will be held starting next week! There is a 50 student cap, so it is selective due to limited numbers!

As far as rehearsals go, 4th grade chorus will meet on Day 3s from 10:20-10:50, 5th grade chorus will meet on Day 2s from 12:20-12:50, and Vocal Ensemble will meet on Day 4s from 12:20-12:50.

The concert dates are December 9th for the Winter Concert, and May 12th for the Spring Concert, both at 7pm (Middle School West).

T-shirts will be provided with no charge IF a student is NEW to chorus. If they have been a part of chorus previously, they should use the same shirts unless they need a new size (In which case, they will need to pay for them).

Forms to apply for chorus will be closed after Wednesday, September 13th so please have all forms submitted by then! Our first rehearsals will begin the week of September 15th.

4th Grade Choral Form

https://forms.gle/8wjGP6xRXhnK1tDN7

5th Grade Choral Form

https://forms.gle/rCE8wKn9dLc31Ves5

Dear BES,

After 11 happy years as your BES music teacher, I wanted to let all of you know that I transferred this school year to be the new Boyertown Middle School East Choral Director. I am very excited to work with the 6th, 7th, and 8th grade choirs and direct the musicals, but I will miss all of you very much! Please keep singing and stay involved in music! Hopefully I’ll see many of you again in middle school when our choirs combine for special concerts, and at various performances as you continue your BASD education. My email address will remain the same: kleibensperger@boyertownasd.org; I’ll keep my virtual music room link posted in case students are looking for it. Thank you so much for all your enthusiasm and support over the years. I will miss you! Best wishes and please keep in touch!

Take care and best wishes,

Mrs. Kelly Leibensperger | Choral Director

Boyertown Middle School East

2020 Big Road | Boyertown, PA 19525

Phone: (610) 473-3980 ext. 3961 |

Hello BES!

I am so excited to meet all of you very soon! My name is Mrs. Vallette and this is my third year teaching. My previous two years were spent as an elementary music and

choral teacher at Collegium Charter School.

I am a graduate of Wheaton College in Illinois. I was involved in Symphony Orchestra, Symphonic Band, and Concert Choir in my time there. My husband and I are currently living in Pottsgrove, while we work on settling into our new home!

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me via my email: avallette@boyertownasd.org. You can also call my extension x5165 if you prefer to call. I am so excited to start the year with you all and see what adventures this school year will bring!

We are excited to celebrate DOT DAY again this year. It is a day connected to Peter Reynolds’ book, The Dot.

We are celebrating it on SEPTEMBER 16th this year. We will send home this flyer next week. Your child is encouraged to wear dots or their favorite color. (A copy of this is attached.) Students are also asked to create a dot for us to create a display that we will hang in the hallway. These dots will not be returned.

Title I Programs in the Boyertown Area School District:

Boyertown, Colebrookdale, Earl and Washington are the identified Title I elementary schools in our district. Middle School West is also identified as a Title I school. These schools receive Title I funding based on the percentage of low-income eligible students.

Title I is a federally funded program purposed with ensuring all children have a fair and equal opportunity to learn and grow. Boyertown has transitioned to a Schoolwide Title I program. A Schoolwide program is designed to serve all students in a Title I building and improve all structures to help support student learning. Our Schoolwide plan was developed with the help of parents, community members, teachers, and administrators. Our plan is evaluated annually to determine the impact that these supports have on student achievement.

As a Schoolwide Title I building, the staff is reviewing all students' data to determine needs. Students are identified for intervention if in need of academic support, primarily in the area of reading. All students receiving additional support must qualify through our district assessments. Support is provided to the students individually or in small groups both in class and as a pullout program. Schools set a goal for academic progress that will be measured through mid-year and end-of-the-year assessments. The Reading Specialists, Intervention teachers, paraprofessionals, and classroom teachers partner together to support students.

Our district works diligently to use the Title I funds as required and to provide these additional services to enhance the educational program of our Title I students. If you have any questions about the Title I program, please reach out to your building's reading specialist or call the Title I office at (610) 369-7414.

Title I Programs Website Link

Each month our Reading Specialists, Mrs. Graff and Mrs. McCaw, will share some resources to support your student’s learning at home. Please enjoy the September editions of the Daily Planner and Newsletter.

BASD has the ability to utilize one snow day and 5 flexible instruction days throughout the school year in the event that inclement weather or other emergency school closing. Your child’s teacher will review these directions with your child early next week. In the event of an unexpected school closing, the district message will define what type of day is being used. Digital and paper/pencil options will be provided. If a student cannot access the Internet or paper copies of the learning activities, he/she will have three (3) school days to complete the assignments. Any student who fails to complete their FID assignment within three school days will be marked as absent.

Volunteers are VERY important for all our PTO events and activities to run smoothly. We are in need of volunteers this year more than ever. We have many exciting opportunities to help out! If the event is outside of school hours, you will not need clearances. If it is during the school day, then you will. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us!

**Please be aware, this year if we do not have sufficient volunteers to run the event, the event will be cancelled. This is needed due to the lack of help in previous years, and the events not running as expected.**

BASD hosts an online Community Bulletin Board. The electronic bulletin board features district and community activities, events, clubs, resources, and more. The board is updated regularly and is an excellent source of information regarding things happening throughout our community and beyond. Be sure to check it out regularly!

Canva is also used in the creation of this newsletter.

Any additional applicable copyright information for items used throughout the newsletter will be provided on a use-by-use basis.

Boyertown Elementary
641 East Second Street
Boyertown, PA 19512
(610) 369-7462