Birchwood Banner

There are lots of exciting changes happening here at BIrchwood!

• Construction is close to being finished, however during the first couple weeks of school, we may still have a few contractors completing some of the finish work.
• We have a new & improved parent pick-up process with car tags that should make your wait time much shorter! Read further for more details.
• We now have a breakfast option for students!
• PLC "late start Monday" updates
• Pick-up/drop off Maps

We do not currently have an AA. Our previous amazing AA, Ms. Julie was offered a job at the district office which was certainly a step-up for her in many ways. Our previous rockstar secretary, Ms. Rachel finished her teaching degree and took a teaching job at Clark Middle School! Both of these ladies are missed at BWABC.

For now, I am doing the AA job as well as my job. Ms. Smiley is our new school secretary and is still very new to her job. She is doing fantastic. I am asking for lots of grace for both Heather and I as we navigate learning loads of new things while starting this school year.

I am so excited to have students in the building and cannot wait to see our amazing Birchwood kids!

If you have any questions or concerns for the upcoming 24/25 school year, you may email hershman_tammy@asdk12.org, or call the front office 907-742-3450.

~Principal Hershman

• August 14, Back to School, 5-6pm, outside-meet your child's teacher/s
• August 15, First day for grades 1-5
• August 22, First day for PreK & Kindergartners, Cheers & Tears in the library 8:00-8:30am. Come have a pastry and coffee and celebrate and/or shed a tear with us!
• August 29, Open House 5:30-7pm
• September 2, No School for Labor Day
• September 5, PTA meeting @6pm in the school library
• September 19, BAC meeting @6pm in the library
• September 26, school Picture day
• September 27, Popcorn Friday

Parent connection is your go-to for things like finding your student's bus number, route and times.

This is where you will find a link to pay for lunch/breakfast.

If you need help with your parent connection pin, please call the front office and we can assist with your login information.

Click here to access parent connection

If you haven't completed the PTA survey, please take a moment to complete it. PTA is working hard to come up with after school support for those who have needs.

Click here for survey

• This process will begin on day 2 of school for 1st-5th grades (kinder parents, we should have this down by kinders first day & your tag will go home with your student during kinder roll-in, unless you have older students here)
• Each family will have a number assigned to their family (if more than 1 household, let us know and we will make a second tag with the same number)
• Every family will receive a car tag even if your child will ride a bus, in the event that you pick-up your child
• On the first day of school, your student will bring home a bright yellow car tag with your designated family number on it that you can 1) hang on your mirror, or 2) put it visibly in the dash of your vehicle
• We have one duty person at pick-up who will read the numbers via radio to classroom teachers who will then send all students associated with that number to the car pick-up line
• make sure that students only enter/exit the vehicle from the sidewalk door of the car as there may be other vehicles passing SLOWLY to your left if they have their riders and need to exit
• If your student is riding with another family and it is temporary then you will call the office and let us know
• If your student is permanently riding with another family after school, we will give the family 2 separate car tags and we will call both at parent pick-up
• If someone comes to pick up a child and does not have their car tag, then they must come to the front office to check student/s out
• If you park in the parking area, we respectfully ask that you walk your child through the cross walk and have your car tag in hand to show to the duty person calling car tag numbers
• This is for additional safety and efficiency of student pick-up!

*Please remember this is new to all of us so let's be sure to give each other lots of grace!

Students may not be dropped off prior to 7:30AM for breakfast. Only breakfast students who are eating school served breakfast may enter the building at 7:30AM. Regular drop-off time is 7:50AM and no earlier than 7:40AM because there will be no adults outside to supervise prior to 7:40AM.

What is PLC and why late start Mondays?

Professional Learning Communities are collaborative structures within our school that foster a culture of continuous improvement, support student achievement, and enhance the professional growth of our educators. PLCs are an integral part of our commitment to providing the best possible education for your child.

Key Components of Our PLCs:

• Collaborative Teams: Our teachers, administration, and staff are organized into collaborative teams, where they work together to analyze student data, share best practices, and develop strategies to improve learning outcomes.

• Data-Driven Decision Making: PLCs utilize student data and assessments to identify areas of strength and areas that require improvement. This data-driven approach allows us to tailor instruction to meet the diverse needs of our students effectively.

• Shared Goals: Each PLC sets specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals to track their progress.

• Professional Development: Our educators engage in ongoing professional development, facilitated both internally and externally, to be informed of research-based best practices in education for our students.

• Reflective Practices: PLC members engage in regular reflection and discussion to assess the effectiveness of their instructional practices and make necessary adjustments.

Nurses Corner

Does your child need medication during school hours?

Please ensure that we have the necessary forms to help keep your child healthy and ready to learn. Thank you, Nurse Paula

Allergy Anaphylaxis

Asthma

Seizure Care Plan

Long Term Medication

Over the Counter (OTC) Medication Form

Please review the information from Health Services on when to Keep Your Child Home

Thank you,

Nurse Paula

Jamette O'Bryan-4th grade classroom teacher

Koya Oxentanken-Lowe-Life Skills Paraprofessional

Teresa Darby-Life Skills Paraprofessional

Jessica Byrum-Resource Paraprofessional

Juanita Fierro-Hughes-Kindergarten paraprofessional

Returning staff with new assignments

Heather Smiley-Secretary

Chesnea Wetzel-PreK paraprofessional

Other changes:

Elementary Education went through a major restructure last Spring. They have all new Sr. Directors who will have boots on the ground rather than be stationary at the district office. In their restructuring, they assigned all "North" (Eagle River) elementary schools to the same director which has been absolutely amazing so far. In my absence, for things such as trainings, medical appts, or vacations (hahaha, who takes those!) I will still have Mr. Olson as our teacher-in-charge as well as Mrs. Turner!

The North region Sr. Director of elementary is Patrick Freeman.

I am including his bio here so you can know who he is when you see him around the building or around Eagle River!