Weekly Parent Snapshot

A brief update for BIA families on important and upcoming events published every Sunday! Not receiving the snapshot and other communications or have a super scholar story to share? Contact communications@biaschool.org

This year the BIA theme is "Setting Sail Towards Success!" Get ready to depart on the USS BIA for a year of great teaching and learning!

Friday, October 4 is Student Led Conference Day at BIA! Teachers will facilitate a conference where students lead their parents through a conference on their learning. Look for a Sign Up Genius from your student's homeroom teacher this week to sign up for a conference. While in person conferences are preferred, remote conferencing through Google Meets is available, as well as translation services. Please indicate preferences when you sign up for a conference.

There will be no instruction - in person or remote on October 4.

Please reach out to your student's classroom/homeroom teacher regarding questions.

Immunization records for Kindergarten and 7th grade students need to be updated and provided to the school before September 1st. Students in these grades (K and 7th) that do not have current immunization by September 1, they are subject to not being able to return to school until all records are up to date.

Questions? Please reach out to Ms. Anne Etheredge, School Nurse, aetheredge@biaschool.org.

Boosterthon

BIA Boosterthon, BIA's biggest fundraiser of the year, is scheduled for Sept. 16 -25, culminating with the Fun Run on Wed., Sept. 25. This year our goal is to raise $35,000 to support exceptional learning at BIA with the purchase of a passenger van to facilitate athletic and other research opportunities.

We are pleased to announce this year's Boosterthon Sponsors:

Sun Fun Pools (A BIA family owned business)

B&W Burgers in Norcross

Total Tree (A BIA family owned business)

Office Depot

Show your BEAR Pride - 2024 BIA Boosterthon shirts are available for $5 through My Payments Plus or the main office. Wear them for the Fun Run, but also on Fridays!

Boosterthon Registration is now OPEN! Register at Boosterthon.com today!

Cheerleading

Cheerleading tryouts for anyone interested in grades 5-8, September 16, 17, and 18th. Participants must be in attendance all tryout days and parents must attend the sports informational on Monday, September 16th at 5pm. Tryouts will be held each day from 3:30- 5:30pm and future cheerleaders need to come in athletic wear, and sneakers. Please ensure that your scholar has a valid (within the last year) physical completed. Questions? Reach out to Ms. Hicks, shicks@biaschool.org.

Fall Sports

A Parent Informational Meeting for students interested in participating in BIA Athletics will be held on Monday, September 16, 5:00pm

Good evening! Please take the opportunity to look through our FY25 BIA Club Catalog as we have some amazing opportunities for your scholar to engage with! External clubs still are accepting students, including EIM Dance for 3 - 5 grade students. Please see the FY25 BIA Club Catalog to find additional information regarding how to sign up with our external vendors!

Questions, please feel free to email Eddie Lovett, Club Coordinator, at elovett@biaschool.org

All clubs will begin meeting the first week in September unless otherwise stated.

#BearStrong

Greetings BIA Families,

We had a successful Curriculum Night and Family Engagement Night at BIA! Here’s a quick overview to help you with next steps:

1. Family Engagement Presentation: Review the proposed Title I Family Engagement for the 2024-2025 school year. This presentation will give you insight into the goals and strategies planned for enhancing student achievement and family involvement.

2. Stakeholder Survey: After viewing the presentation, take a few moments to fill out the survey within the presentation. Your feedback will be valuable in shaping the School Parent Compact, which outlines how parents, teachers, and students will work together to support student success.

3. Collaborative Engagement: Let’s keep up the momentum and work together to make BIA the top choice for education in Georgia. Engaging with students, parents, and faculty is key to our collective success.

Mark your calendars for our 1st Family Engagement Event - Game Night on Tuesday, Sept. 24, 5-7!

Here's to a fantastic school year ahead!

Sincerely,

Samuel Stephens

Assessment and Title I Coordinator

Go Guardian

We are pleased to inform you that we have enabled GoGuardian Parent, an app that allows parents and guardians to monitor their children's browsing activity and exercise control over school-issued devices during out-of-school hours.

In the spirit of transparency and our shared commitment to student safety, we want to notify you about this new app for parents and guardians.

By providing parents with additional insight, we aim to foster greater accountability among students and support the development of responsible browsing habits both at school and at home. GoGuardian Parent will help achieve this by:

• Offering a bird's-eye view of students' browsing habits.
• Providing parental controls during out-of-school hours.
• Facilitating a collaborative role between parents and school educators, focused on the student's best academic interests.
• Encouraging parents to engage with their children's online activity.
• Creating a pathway for open and honest conversations around topics related to a child's browsing behavior.

What are we giving guardians access to?

• A top 5 summary of student browsing, including apps, extensions, documents, and websites visited.
• Teacher interventions, showing how often screens were locked, sites were blocked, and browser tabs were managed by teachers on students' classroom devices.
• A 30-day view of websites, videos, documents, apps, and extensions.
• The ability to block websites on school-issued devices during out-of-school hours.
• The ability to pause internet access on school-issued devices during out-of-school hours, either on-demand or at a scheduled time.

If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me at shinds@biaschool.org.

K -

• Monday, September 9, 9-9:30 - Kindergarten Sets Sail: PBL Entry Event
• i-Ready math and reading benchmarking
• October 11 - Field Research Event to Southern Belle Farms

1st Grade -

2nd Grade -

3rd Grade -

4th Grade -

5th Grade - Field Research Event on Sept 27 to the GA Aquarium

US -

• Tuesday, September 10, 8-11:15 - 8th Grade HS Showcase
• Friday, September 13, Fresh Air Friday, (Please click here if you haven't selected your mastery club preference)

Extracurricular Opportunity

Puerto Rico in 2025

Make sure to enroll to reserve your spot. Enroll and see our trip website at https://www.efexploreamerica.com/tour-website/2708286MS.

If you have questions, please let me know, chat with EF online at https://www.efexploreamerica.com/contact-us , or call EF Traveler Support at 1-888-333-9756 or contact Ms. Hicks, shicks@biaschool.org, trip sponsor.

Spain in 2026

An informational meeting will take place in the Innovation Station on September 24th from 4-5 prior to the Family Game Night (5pm - 7pm in the cafeteria). This event is solely for scholars currently enrolled in grades 4 and above. Questions? Reach out Ms. Hicks, shicks@biaschool.org.

BIA Caring Bears

Last week we announced our BIA Caring Bear Scholar Monthly Challenge! As a reminder, this month's attribute is RESPECT. BIA Caring Bear Scholar Monthly Challenge is meant to encourage all BIA scholars to develop character traits that will serve to guide the development of not only outstanding scholars, but spectacular human beings. All members of the BIA community should seek to exhibit these character traits in developing an exceptional community that will support the mission and vision of BIA.

Each month homeroom teachers will nominate an outstanding scholar from their class who best exhibits the charter of month. We look forward to bolstering our scholars and community through this new initiative. For full details, click on this link.

Assessment

GMAS (Georgia Milestones Assessment)

While publication of EOG and EOC GMAS scores are embargoed by the state until they are certified, initial score information regarding passing rates is expected to be available by mid-May. GMAS preliminary results were sent home with report cards. Please note NO math results have been released. GMAS results for all returning students will be distributed in the fall.

Forgotten Items

As a reminder, the front office staff will no longer be accepting forgotten items to be delivered to students.

Instead, we’ve set up a cart in the lobby for these items. This cart will remain in the lobby at all times. Parents and visitors can leave forgotten items on the cart. It is important that these items are clearly labeled with the student's name (first and last) and HR. Please notify the student's HR teacher that an item has been dropped off through Class Dojo. (It’s super important to let the HR teacher that something has been dropped off.) Students will be able to check the cart as they transition to and from lunch.

Infinite Campus Portal

Connect with student attendance and grades through Infinite Campus.

Charter One Foods is BIA's onsite food provider.

• Breakfast - 7:15 - 7:30
• Lunch - 10:25 - 1:30
• Menus
• Preorder all meals through the EZ School App
• Contact - Ms. Lauren Watkins at Charter One Foods,l.watkins@charter1foods.com, for assistance with balances or on boarding with the app.

School Hours

• 7:45am - 3:00pm
• Early Checkout ENDS at 2pm
• Absences - please notify us at attendance@biaschool.org and provide an excuse upon the student's return to school.

• Enter and exit the building ONLY through the lobby. (Students, staff, parents, volunteers.)
• Visitors (including parents) are required to check in at one of our lobby kiosks with a government issued ID before entering the secured area of the building at all times.

• Enter Autry St entrance closest to W. Peachtree St.
• Exit onto Hunter St. exit.
• Dismissal - ANNOUNCE WITH PIKMY KID WHEN YOU ARRIVE ON CAMPUS!

Buses and Vans

There is a designated area for buses and vans. This area is only for buses and vans to use at arrival and dismissal. Individual student drop off and pick off is not allowed in the area.

Parking

When needing to park for school events or business, please park in the lot directly in front of the lobby. The upper lot is for staff. The far lot is used for carpool

Walkers

Students designated as "walkers" must walk. Walkers are dismissed prior to the start of carpool at 3pm. Walkers must be met be an authorized adult at the front lobby doors promptly at 3pm. Walkers NOT arrive on campus in a vehicle at any time -- when a vehicle is on campus - defaults to car rider.

We have developed and implemented our transportation to ensure a safe and efficient process for all. IT IS ESSENTIAL THAT ALL BIA COMMUNITY MEMBERS FOLLOW OUR ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL PROCEDURES!

• Bottoms - Khaki or Navy
• Tops - White, Navy, Kelly Green, or Aqua Green
• Sweaters - Navy, green, white, or aqua
• Outerwear - Your choice, NOT worn inside the building
• Socks, tights, leggings - White, navy, or tan - without logos or patterns.
• Footwear - Non-slip with a heal enclosure
• Fridays - BIA spirit wear with jeans or uniform bottom. (NOT FREE DRESS DAY - Athletic bottoms are not appropriate.).

Please remember the finger tip rule!
(Bottoms should be no shorter than your fingertips when left hanging by your sides.)

Exciting Opportunities for BIA Charter School Parents!

Attention BIA Parents! The Parent Council is gearing up for an amazing school year, and we need your help to make it a success! Parent involvement is vital to our children's success, and we have some fantastic volunteering opportunities available.

Whether you can contribute a little time or a lot, every bit helps our community grow stronger and brighter. Click the link below to explore all the ways you can get involved and make a difference in our school.

Volunteer Opportunities

And don’t forget to get your tickets to the ALL school Sneaker Ball! This is a fantastic event to welcome our kiddos back to school in style. It’s going to be a great time with lots of fun, dancing, and community spirit. You won’t want to miss it!

Room Parents

We are still in need of a Room Parent to assist our teachers this year! This role is vital in supporting the classroom by helping with events, coordinating activities, and sharing important updates with other parents. If you’re interested in volunteering and making a positive impact on our students’ experience, please sign up as soon as possible. Your help would be greatly appreciated!

https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/60B044FABAD2EAAFB6-50395710-biaroom

Don't forget to check the website calendar and Dojo events for the most up to date happenings at BIA!

Upcoming Events

(Check This Week at BIA, the BIA Website, and Class Dojo for the most current list of events.)

BIA Lottery for 2024-2025 remains open as our waitlist

Sunday, September 8

Monday, September 9

9:00 - 9:30 - Kindergarten Sets Sail: PBL Entry Event

3:30 - 4:30 - Clubs

• B.E.A.R. Club
• Daisy Girl Scouts
• Mass Media

Tuesday, September 10

8:00 -11:15 - 8th Grade HS Showcase

3:30 - 4:30 - Clubs

• Chess
• Coding
• EIM Dance - Ballet
• EIM Dance - Jazz
• Phoenix Wellness Arts (K-4)
• Reading
• Y.C.C. (Your Comedy Club)

3:30 - 5:00 - Clubs

• Kreative Village

Wednesday, September 11

3:30 - 4:30 - Clubs

• Art
• Be Your Self
• Brilliant Bilingual (K-4)

3:30 - 5:00 - Clubs

• Kreative Village

Thursday, September 12

1:45 - Norcross PD visits K

3:30 - 4:30 - Clubs

• Brilliant Bilingual (5-8)

5pm - 8pm - BIA Spirit Night - Marlow's Tavern

7:00pm - BIA Board Meeting

Friday, September 13

Jeans and BIA Spiritwear

3:30 - 4:40 - Clubs

• Bivins Dance
• House of Dance (K-4) and (5-8)
• Phoenix Wellness Arts (5-8)

Saturday, September 14

Upcoming Events

Monday, September 16

Boosterthon Kickoff

Parent Athletic Meeting 5pm

Big Bear Cheerleading Tryouts, 3:30 - 5:30

Tuesday, September 24

Spain 2026 Meeting, 4pm - 5pm

Family Game Night on September 24, 5pm - 7pm

Wednesday, October 2

5pm - 8pm - BIA Spirit Night - Lazy Dog

Mark your calendars with important dates for the entire school year….

2024-2025 BIA Academic Calendar

• Attendance: Email attendance@biaschool.org

• Calendar: BIA Main Calendar

• Communications: BIA Bear News

• Dismissal Changes: Confirm with the main office, 770-538-1550, prior to 2pm.

• Early Check Out: Please complete the process to 2pm.

• Events: This week at BIA

• Fees: MyPayments Plus

• Grades: Infinite Campus - Infinite Campus Parent Login

• Handbook: FY25 BIA Parent and Student Handbook

• Meals - Charter One Foods - Order on the EZ Lunch App

• Parent Council: BIA Parent Council

• Parent Right to Know
  

• Spirit Wear: BIA Sideline Store

• Staff: BIA Staff

• Supplies: School Supply List

• Technology: Policy , Agreement

• Transportation
  

• Uniforms: BIA Uniforms

• Volunteer - Parent Connections

Mission

The mission of BIA is to provide students with an education that maximizes the realization of their individual talents and prepares them for success in a technology and information driven 21st Century Economy.

Vision

Our vision statement: Our goal at BIA is to be the State Charter School of choice in Georgia.

Tenets

Coding, Personalized Learning, PBL (Project Based Learning)