Bethel Springs Elementary School

Dear Bethel Springs School Community,

As I prepare to retire, I want to thank all of you and let you know how grateful I am to have spent the past 18 years in this school community. I have many joyful memories from my 36 years as an educator, but none so precious to me as those from my years at Bethel Springs! It is a rare privilege for a Principal to be able to open a school, choose every staff member, and to work together with staff, students, and families to shape a culture.

The staff at Bethel Springs are my family. They are caring, capable, and dedicated professionals. They are amazing people who have taught me more than I could ever teach them. We have shared our professional and personal lives and have always been there to support one another. I can't imagine sharing this most important work with anyone else. I love them all dearly.

I have been fortunate to work with the best parents anywhere! BSES parents embody a perfect blend of characteristics!. They are smart, educated, generous, supportive, and trusting, They have high expectations as all parents should. They ask good questions and speak their minds in ways that are respectful and move their children and educators toward greater excellence. They are positive and appreciative of our efforts and achievements. My deepest joy is getting to work with families over a period of many years, some as many as 16 years! I'm even going to miss the grandmoms and grandpops with whom I have become friendly from many years of our Grandfriends' Days! It is a blessing to feel so comfortable with and connected to the families of your students!

Finally, and most importantly, BSES students have been my greatest gift! Because of them I have been able to go to work every day and know that good things were going to happen in my day! There have been certain situations or tasks that have been challenging and there has never been a shortage of work to be done, but not a single day has gone by without students bringing some, and often many, bright spots to my day! Seeing their warm smiles as they get off the buses, receiving a lovingly drawn piece of art work, witnessing their excitement as they learn something new--I experienced these happy moments and many more each and every day! BSES students were the inspiration that kept me loving my work. Thanks to them--no two days were the same and life at Bethel Springs always held a promise of something wonderful!

I leave still loving the work and still loving all of the people with whom I share it--that is no small blessing! I am so incredibly comforted by the fact that Mrs. Allen will be leading Bethel Springs! She will continue all that is good about our school and will add her own gifts to take it to new and better places. Please be sure of the special place in my heart that Bethel Springs will always hold. It is a part of me and it will go with me wherever I go.

With love and gratitude,

Mr. Piasecki

Since our school opened it has been our tradition to gather all students and staff in the gym on the last day of school to watch a video containing highlights of the school year. Although we are missing that joyful gathering, we are grateful to Holly Salloga and Stephanie DerOhanessian for creating a video for everyone to enjoy! Please make sure the kids see it! They will be thrilled to see their friends and relive some happy moments from the year! Thank you!

Given the school closure we have experienced, summer reading will be more important than ever! After three months of online learning, getting your child to simply read each day will seem like a walk in the park!

Summer Reading Information for Parents:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/19WF87dvWkP-C6WgGsCxYOvszstP3pGUl0FTcUfQ60HY/edit?usp=sharing

If your child turns in the "50 Days of Summer Reading" form, he/she will be entered into the drawing for the prize basket filled with things kids are sure to love! Additional prizes will be offered at each grade level.

50 Days of Summer Reading Challenge form:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nvQE8HsHY28YrUsP1X5RLIZPkkqdOwHOTXAVtJ81zeI/edit?usp=sharing

Happy reading!

On June 8th and 9th BSES families will have times by grade to line up in our usual pick-up/drop-off line alongside the gym to receive any items (including instruments) that students had left at school. At the same time, we will collect iPads as well as any textbooks, school library books, and classroom library books that students have at home. Our 5th graders will also drop off their time capsule items (see Time Capsule information below).

IMPORTANT: We need your help!

1) Please place a visible sign on the passenger side of the dashboard stating the student's last name and the homeroom teacher's name.

2) Prior to arriving at BSES please place your child's district-issued iPad, any borrowed books/textbooks/items from classrooms or the school library in a brown bag marked with your child's name and his/her homeroom teacher's name. 5th grade parents, please remember to place Time Capsule items in bag as well. Fold over top of bag and tape or staple shut. Place the bag in your trunk. When you pull up, pop your trunk and a BSES staff member will retrieve any returned items and place your child's belongings in your trunk.

3) If you have more than one BSES child and you cannot come through the line at each one's designated time, please let staff members know when you pull up that you need items for all BSES children in your family. Please know, however, that only teachers from a given grade level will be present to say good-bye to students at that grade level's designated time. IF AT ALL POSSIBLE, PLEASE COME THROUGH THE LINE AT THE TIMES SCHEDULED FOR FOR EACH OF YOUR BSES CHILDREN-- THEIR TEACHERS MISS THEM AND WANT TO SEE THEM!

After dropping off and retrieving items, parents will make a right and slowly drive along the front of the school where teachers from a given grade level will be posted (at a safe distance from cars and from each other) to say good-bye 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! After passing by all teachers, parents will then turn left to exit the property.

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.)

All school iPads that students have been using at home should be returned on June 8th and 9th at each grade level's scheduled time. The information below refers to iPads that students will receive later this summer and will use throughout the 2020-21 school year. Students will be able to use these iPads at school and at home. Additional details below:

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.

• For students entering grades 1-5 as of September 2020, please click HERE. (incoming Kindergarten students will be done in August)
• For our current 5th grade students who will be entering GVMS in the fall, please click HERE for GVMS' Chromebook Program.

We will not be running a school supply sale this year. In order to give parents plenty of time to shop for school supplies and catch bargains over the summer, we are making supply lists available now. All items should be able to be found in stores like Walmart or Target, or through Amazon.

Click the link below for lists:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s3RK5F2iOds3LvynN6FlAEObPWOLh6QFlzxQlXb6R6g/edit?usp=sharing

Thank you!

Dr. Bertrando sent this e-mail on Friday, 6/5. In case you missed it--

Dear Parents,

As we close out the academic year, I wanted to send a quick message to ask for your assistance by taking our Parent Survey–Preparing for the 2020-21 Academic Year by CLICKING HERE.

After receiving guidance from the Pennsylvania Department of Education, we anticipate that schools will be open in the fall. However, as we review, analyze, and begin to implement the multitude of social distancing and health guidelines provided by the Department along with cooperating guidance from the CDC and Department of Health, we realize that face-to-face instruction can only occur with the cooperation of our school community. Along with planning to open in a face-to-face environment, we are continuing to refine our virtual delivery methods in the event a second wave of the pandemic occurs and either closes schools or forces us to use a hybrid model whereby we “platoon” groups of students into school for live instruction.

So that we have as much information as possible for our planning sessions, we have created a survey that asks about parents' relative comfort with utilizing our transportation, sending their students to school in a face-to-face environment, as well as questions that will provide longitudinal data about our progress with virtual learning. Please know that the information that you’ve provided over the last few months has been invaluable and we’ve tried to incorporate into our planning it as much as possible.

A General Overview of PDE Guidance

As I mentioned previously the Pennsylvania Department of Education issued guidance to school districts on Wednesday. Although this guidance will evolve in the weeks and months ahead, I wanted to provide a general overview to the school community.

The Department issued a phased reopening plan. In the Red Phase we would continue with the virtual learning model that we have been using since March 13th. In the Yellow Phase, which Delaware County moved into today, schools are permitted to reopen for in-person instruction after July 1 provided that we adhere to PDE guidance which includes the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines. Finally, the Green Phase eases most restrictions, but still encourages social distancing and limitations on large social gatherings (250 people maximum). It’s important to note that the phasing system is a dynamic process, and we may transition to different "colors" as public health indicators improve or worsen.

Preparing to Open

In order to open schools for face-to-face instruction, the District is in the process of working on the mandatory Health and Safety Plan, which must be approved by the School Board and posted on our website. The plan is extraordinarily complex, and school districts are working collaboratively to accommodate its guidelines, recommendations, and mandates. So that the school community has context for what is involved in complying with the plan, I wanted to provide a few of the many items for which we are planning. They are as follows: processes for monitoring students and staff for symptoms and history of exposure; guidelines for hygiene practices for students and staff; guidelines on the use of face coverings (masks or face shields) by all staff and for older students, as appropriate; procedures for cleaning, sanitizing, disinfecting, and ventilating learning spaces, surfaces, and any other areas used by students; protocols for social distancing in classroom/learning spaces; procedures for restricting the use of cafeterias and other congregate settings; protocols for sporting activities for sports, recess, and physical education classes; methods of limiting the number of individuals in classrooms and other learning spaces, and interactions between groups of students; and protocols for adjusting transportation schedules and practices to create social distance between students.

Again, these are just a few of the areas in which we will develop plans and procedures. As I mentioned in my last email, we have been and will continue to work in teams so that our Health Plan not only complies with the mandated regulations, but most importantly allows our school community to feel safe at school. As always, we will continue to communicate with you throughout the process.

Have a great weekend,

Dr. Marc Bertrando, Superintendent

Below is a link to a list of BSES teachers who are interested in working as tutors this summer. Tutoring arrangements are private between the parent and the tutor.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/17FysQ7IyjXCv1_oj0RoKpq9jN4vb2KNy/view?usp=sharing

For your convenient reference, the weekly announcements will be archived on the school website. Simply go the Bethel Springs page on the district website (garnetvalleyschools.com) and go to "Our School" and to the "Announcements" drop-down. Click on the particular weekly announcements you wish to view. Thanks!

"Learning and fun all in one."

From Keira Dively