
March 22, 2024

Friday, March 22, 2024
I wonder if anyone has found irony in the fact that my update from February 16 speaks to “Spring Fever,” as we now approach Spring Break with snow falling?! I begin with this anecdote because I want to share part of a message I that I offered my staff earlier this week, in hopes of encouraging them to support students’ physical activity and engagement throughout the learning day. See below:
- In the book Spark! by John Ratey, the subtitle says it all: "The revolutionary science of exercise and the brain." Think about us as adults who sleep less, exercise less and feel worse than ever. And yet, when we do have the chance to get up, get moving and get outside, suddenly we feel better! Now apply that to kids—can anyone really argue against the idea that students benefit from increased physical activity? As we say in our house, it's science! For those of you who have been here long enough, Spencerport once brought in a renowned neuropsychologist, Dr. Paul Nussbaum to a Conference Day and I can still hear him say: "If you want students to do well academically, have them on treadmills while they learn."
- Here's my ask: make it happen. Prioritize movement. Get outside. More than once. Early in the day. Take attendance then take a walk around the building!
And now—it's your turn, families! With break coming up, I hope that I can encourage you to see this is an opportunity to prioritize movement and activities for your children that don’t include a screen. The benefits of physical activity include fine and gross motor skill development, engagement in unscripted social situations and opportunities to think creatively in support of developing and honing problem-solving skills. As the weather gets warmer, I encourage all of our students to get outside and play, both while at school and while at home and I hope that you do the same, and if you’re indoors, consider playing old-school board games that support turn-taking, developing strategies, and being gracious in winning and losing!
While I look forward to seeing everyone next week, I wish everyone an amazing and elongated spring break the week after!
Yearbook Ordering
On your marks, get set…order! Our publishing company, Entourage Yearbooks, in association with our photography partners at Clix have made this as simple as possible: click on the link below, then click “buy books” and that’s it! You do not need to register and can simply checkout as a guest! All yearbooks must be ordered and paid for online through this link (only $18 per book!), so please understand that we will not be selling “extras” at the end of the school year. The deadline to order is Thursday, May 9, which will allow for the books to be printed, shipped to Bernabi and ready to distribute before the end of the year! Happy yearbook shopping! The link is here:
Main Entrance Change at Bernabi Next Week!
In addition to serving as a final reminder that our current main entrance is closing next week, I need to share with you that our transition date has shifted up by two days. After school on Tuesday, March 26, our current main entrance will officially close which means that starting on Wednesday, March 27, our new single points of entry will be up and running. Details are below:
- 7:45 am – 8:45 am: Any/all visitors to Bernabi during this time will be directed to our temporary main entrance/greeter’s desk, which will be located at the west vestibule (northwest corner of the building). Functionally, this should not change too much as we are merely changing the location of our entrance and greeter by a few hundred feet.
- 8:45 am – 8:55 am: For parents who are dropping their children off at school, this process, its timing and its procedures will remain the same. As I’ve shared throughout the year, this drop-off station is open and supported with staff daily from 8:45 – 8:55 am only. Our school day begins with morning announcements each day at 8:55 am, which means that we must close and lock this door at that time. If you arrive later than 8:55 am, I need to ask that you physically escort your child into the building using the new main entrance to sign him/her in as “tardy.”
- 8:55 am – 3:15 pm: As is the case earlier in the morning, any/all visitors to Bernabi during this time will be directed to our temporary main entrance/greeter’s desk, which will be located at the west vestibule (northwest corner of the building).
- 3:15 pm – 3:45 pm: In support of parents who pick up their children for dismissal, our temporary main entrance/greeter’s desk noted above will be closed and shifted to our cafeteria, which has an entry/exit door located on its east side (just to the left of the windows). Those picking up their children will need to enter the cafeteria from this single entry point, sign their student out with our greeter, and then wait within the cafeteria for dismissal.
Please remember that our timeline for completing this aspect of the Capital Improvement Project will run from April break through the end of summer 2024. Please also remember that upon the end of the school year, other aspects of this summer’s Capital Improvement will begin, including repairing many of the roads on campus, including those in front of Bernabi. Directions on how to navigate our campus for July and August will make their way out to the community in the months ahead!
PBJ Drive!
It’s that time of year again to introduce our annual PBJ Drive, which will kick off next month and run the week of April 22 - 26. If you didn’t know this, donations from our community, coupled with just one other localized effort have resulted in over 9,000 jars of PBJ for our community food banks over the last 5 years alone! So, the next time you’re out grocery shopping, consider buying any/all of the following items, and be sure to send them into school with your kiddo(s) in April! All donated items will be brought to the Lockport PBJ group—check out the story here and a big thank you goes out to Paulina, Clare and James (and their big sister Nora)—some amazing Bernabi students who brought this idea to us a few years back and continue to advocate for support! Good Neighbors: Peanut Butter and Jelly Drive spreads love across WNY | wgrz.com
- Peanut butter
- Jelly
- Nutella
- Fluff
A Note from the Bernabi Parents Association
Bernabi Community, we need your help! We are looking for volunteers to coordinate the Sports Night event scheduled for Friday, May 10th. This event does not necessarily have to be sports related. We are open to new ideas for this family event. We have heard suggestions such as Movie Night and Circus Night. If you are interested in coordinating this event, please email Bernabiparents@gmail.com.
Roller Skating is coming to Bernabi, Friday April 19th! RSVP forms will be going home next week, so be sure to check your child’s home folders!
Spring Book Fair will be May 1st and 2nd … Information regarding when your child(ren)’s class will attend the fair will be sent home in mid-April.
Bernabi Family Day at the Red Wings! Saturday, May 4th at 1:05 pm. Please join us for an afternoon of baseball and you’ll hear our 5th grade band play the National Anthem.
https://www.ticketreturn.com/prod2new/GroupPortalPEC.asp?HoldID=26624&SponsorID=16958&EventID=338535
April BPA Meeting - Our next meeting has been changed to April 24th, at 6:00 pm.