NOTE: this was sent 11/13/2020
To translate into another language, open Google Translate, copy and paste this message there and select your language of choice. Para español, abra Google Translate, seleccione español, haga una copia de este correo electrónico y péguelo en Google Translate. Gracias
Hello Birney families and friends,
It’s been a very busy week for Birney! I imagine you have all been a bit distracted by everything going on too. I can’t believe I haven’t written a news blurb for over a week. Apologies!
Kindergarten has a Distribution Day tomorrow from 1:00-2:00 – PTA will have a table with merchandise, so if you are interested in Birney spirit wear, stop by. Did you know that we have already gotten 86 new memberships for PTA? That is amazing, but we are always hoping for more. Miss Bee is also going to be giving out Fall Fundraiser stuff tomorrow, so make sure you stop by.
Then, at 2:30, we have FAMILY FRIDAY from 2:30-3:30 for our International Mother Tongue dance and language celebration. Here is the Zoom link (Meeting ID: 397 155 8502, Password: bees) and the password is ‘bees’ like always. Looking forward to having you join us for updates from me, PTA and FOAB, and then seeing our Birney students celebrate their mother tongue and then … dancing! Coach Lord has been teaching dance moves to all the kids and then Mr. Evans has a couple of dances we will teach you to do at home – it’s an hour you can step away from work, get down with your kid(s) and just have fun!
Then, on Saturday, November 14, from 9-11, at Twiggs on Park Blvd., Ms. Mindy will be staging her monthly Twiggs farm stand. Stop by to pick up some Birney-grown stuff and support our Specials program.
Next week and the 2 weeks after Thanksgiving we will have Parent-Teacher Conferences: We have extended our conference window to be 3 weeks, so we will hold conferences from 11/16-11/20 and then after Thanksgiving for two weeks from 11/30-12/11. We feel that opening the window for 3 weeks instead of one will have less of an impact on the teachers as they prepare for student needs in online learning. We know that during online learning you probably have had extensive exposure to your teachers and to your students’ work in so many ways. Your child’s teacher will let you know if they need to have a conference with you. If you do not have a conference but you have questions about the report card, be sure to email your teacher and they will determine if a conference is necessary.
Friday 11/20 at 6:30, we will feature Birney’s beloved Bedtime Stories, virtually, with readers from the school and the community. This was a very popular event last spring, and we are excited to celebrate the end of the fall term and beginning of the Thanksgiving break with a focus on relaxed bedtime reading.,
Holiday Shopping Ideas are looming – we will let you know when the Scholastic Virtual Book Fair will be so you can select some great reading material for gifts for kids and support the school. In addition, we often suggest to parents that they can give their student(s) a special book for a great report card – what better way to reward work well done!
Yearbooks from last year are here! Please email Pat Spaulding at [email protected] to arrange for a time to pick your yearbook up.
3rd Graders! Want to reserve a library book just for you? Ms. LeeAnn is so pleased with the library book distribution on Wednesdays she is adding 3rd grade on November 18! Wednesday! Library checkout for 4th and 5th graders – go online and reserve a book to pick up on Wednesday! You can reserve all the way up to 11 a.m. Wednesday morning! Here’s how you do that!
- If your device is misbehaving, make a point to bring it to school, turn it on, off and on again to update it. That may fix things.
- Remember if you can’t make it to pick up your new supplies, they are stored in the office, so pick them up as soon as you can.
Reminder: Every student should have a signed “Universal Form” on file with his/her school for the 2020-21 academic year. If you have not turned in yours, here is a fillable PDF form: English / Spanish Please print and sign the form and then either mail it back to your school or drop off the printed copy. We have received about 20% so far – please help us by doing your part!
Need a device? Check a new device out at Birney daily from 12:00-2:00 during lunch service of Grab n Go meals, just stop by the office. If your device is not working, first call the Online Learning Support hotline at (619) 732-1400 and walk through with a technician what is wrong. If they cannot fix over the phone, they will tell you where you can exchange. If you need support with your internet strength, check out the Family Technology Support website at www.bit.ly/sdusditsupport for all things you need help with in the technology realm.
Need to talk to me? I am always available by email! I will not have office hours this Friday.
Question/Concern? Simply reply to this email! Ms. Amanda