Beverly Cleary Connection

It's hard to believe we are starting back up again next Tuesday! I hope you all had a wonderful summer and some much needed family time. My husband and I drove down to Phoenix, seeing friends in Oakland and Monterey along the way. It was fun to catch up with friends in different places. Last weekend, we hosted the Community Cares event on Saturday! A big shout out to the many families and students who came and worked to bring the grounds back to life- I know I was very sore the next day! Last Sunday evening, PTA hosted a Kindergarten playdate, and it was so fun to interact with new families and students- I can't wait for our youngest learners to join us this year!

This week, I had the pleasure of hosting a breakfast for 20 students who signed up during the Foundation's fundraiser in June! It for sure was a highlight of my week- getting to serve them all of my favorite breakfast dishes from my childhood. I was surprised how many had never had deviled eggs! One of the cool things about our students, though, is they are always open to trying new things!

A second highlight was teachers returning to campus on Wednesday! We kicked off their return with a virtual event from the new superintendent, Dr. Kimberlee Armstrong, followed by revisiting our mission and how that comes to life in the things we hear and see in classrooms. We rounded off the morning by looking at data from last year with a focus on continued growth through collective efficacy! We are all so very excited to start the year and be in a learning space with students, the very reason we exist!

As the year ramps up, please take a moment to read some reminders and logistics. Next week, grades 1-6 will return on August 27th. This is a way to provide 6th graders with an opportunity to jumpstart before 7th and 8th graders return (in alignment with the middle schools in the district). PTA will be sponsoring coffee on the blacktop after drop off for families who would like to connect. August 28th is when 7th and 8th grade students return, and our lovely PTA is hosting a special coffee on the blacktop that day as well. Finally, Aug. 30th is the first (half) day with ALL of our incoming kindergarteners, so PTA will host a third coffee on the blacktop event that day! If you are interested in seeing other events for the year, feel free to click here. We will be sure to keep this up-to-date for families in addition to our website.

One of the bigger changes this year is the start and end time. If you're anything like me, you've been provided the times in several different formats but still can't seem to remember it. The first bell will ring for ALL students at 8:40 AM this year. K-5 will line up on the blacktop as they did last year, and 6-8 will enter through the front doors as they did last year. Students will be marked tardy at 8:45 AM. Again, this is in an effort to align K-8 across the district (our closest neighbor being Laurelhurst) as well as meet instructional minutes. Dismissal will feel different for students this year as our elementary students will dismiss at 3:15 PM and middle school students at 3:30 PM. Students who need to wait for a middle school sibling will do so in the conference room.

Finally, we heard your feedback on lots of newsletters and an interest to streamline communication, we are combining forces with PTA. Each week, they will be included with a link to their newsletter and website instead of receiving two different emails from us weekly.

I hope you are all enjoying this cooler weather (I'm personally pumped for it to feel like Fall), and I cannot wait to see you all next week!

What is Avid? AVID stands for Advancement Via Individual Determination

"AVID's Mission is to close the achievement gap by preparing all students for college readiness and success in a global society."

Who: during the 24/25 school year, all middle school students at BCS will be enrolled in an introduction to AVID enrichment class for one quarter. In this class they will be introduced to tools and strategies to strengthen:

• Writing

• Inquiry

• Collaboration

• Organization

• Reading

Want more AVID? If students love what they are learning and want more, they can apply to be in the AVID elective next school year.

What’s next? Beyond BCS, the AVID track extends into many of PPS’s high schools including Grant, and offers students support all the way through their senior year when they will be applying to colleges, internships, and/or preparing for future careers.

Volunteer Opportunity! There will be opportunities for adults from the community to come into AVID classrooms and share parts of their story that lead them to their college or career, and what they are doing now.

There may also be opportunities to volunteer helping students in the AVID classroom.

*If you are interested please email Ingrid Dahl.

Questions? If you have any questions, please contact either

Becky Presley - Principal

bpresley@pps.net

-or-

Ingrid Dahl - AVID Elective Teacher and Coordinator

idahl@pps.net

To find more information and see how AVID impacts the lives of students visit: avid.org

All students in PPS will be able to enjoy breakfast and lunch at no charge for this school year! One breakfast and one lunch will be provided to all enrolled students each day and families do not need to apply for meal benefits.

In addition, milk can no longer be purchased separately - students bringing lunch from home and wanting milk will need to come through the service line and choose two other components (such as a fruit and a vegetable) to complete their meal. Additional information including menus and allergen information can be found on the Nutrition Services website: https://www.pps.net/Domain/59.

We love to celebrate our kids at Beverly Cleary, but we due to equity issues and allergies, we don't celebrate birthdays with treats. Rest assured, your student will be celebrated on their special day!

Fall after-school class listings and registration are here:

• https://beverlyclearyschoolpta.membershiptoolkit.com/enrichments
• Classes include arts, foreign languages, music, chess, engineering, movement and more. These classes are a way to build community, expand kids' interests and assist parents after school. They are not endorsed or sponsored by BCS or the PTA.
• Partial scholarships are available to make these programs accessible to all families. Just tell the after-school provider or a school counselor if you need one.
• Get more information and sign up here!

Kindergarten Playdates 2024

• Dates/Times: July 11 & August 17th at 5:30pm
• Location: Grant Park Playground
• Let's get together over the summer to get to know your new kindergarten classmates and fellow parents and guardians! Siblings are welcome to attend.

Kindergarten Picnic 2024

• Date/Time: August 29th at 5:30 to 7pm
• Location: Playground Area behind BCS Fernwood
• Please join us for the Kindergarten Welcome Picnic. We will provide hotdogs, buns, condiments and drinks. Families are encouraged to bring side dishes, desserts, chips and blankets to sit on. Come, enjoy a picnic dinner and get to know the other incoming BCS kindergarten families.

We are looking forward to seeing you there!

Please join your BCS PTA for a little sugar and caffeine immediately after drop off on the first day of school right on the blacktop behind the school.

As a reminder, first days are staggered this year, so we will be set up for parents on the following days:

• Tuesday 8/27: Grades 1-6
  
• Wednesday 8/28: Grades 7-8
  
• Friday 8/30: Kinder (we know the big day is after Labor Day but you deserve it after making it through ramp up week!)

We’re here to answer any questions, talk about ways to get involved, or simply celebrate the start of a great year.