Banks Middle School

Happy Friday BMS Community!

We've had an awesome few weeks at BMS! Big shout out to concert choir students and Ms. Johnson, who sang valegram tunes to teachers today, and to our leadership program for setting up their valegram delivery last Friday, everyone is feeling the positivity!

Another thing to be aware of is that we have forecasting for next year coming up soon. For current 6th. and 7th graders, we will be sending forecasting planning sheets home with students the week of March 2nd, then they will enter their choices into StudentVue the week of the 10th. I will send an email directly to all current 8th grade parents about high school forecasting soon. In the meantime, students who will be at BMS next year, parents can check out next year's curriculum guide here. We have a few different elective options than we had this year, so check it out!

Also, a quick reminder of two events next week:

Monday 2/23: If you want your student to participate in the free dental clinic (screening, fluoride, sealants available) this coming Monday, you can either return the paper permission slip we sent home, or fill out this online one.

Tuesday evening 2/24: we are hosting outdoor school family information night from 6:30-7:30 in the cafeteria.

Read on to learn more about the following topics:

• Got tissues? We need some!
• On time morning arrival
• Does your student need a coat or shoes? Coats for kids program
• Outdoor School Family Information night next Tuesday 2/24 @6:30
• PTO Fundraiser on 3/7 - come paint with us!
• BYSA Soccer Spring Break Camp
• Free Dental Clinic on 2/23
• Construction on Campus

Best wishes,

Caitlin Everett

Banks Middle School Principal

Feb. 23: Free Dental Clinic @BMS - (see below for details, here is the online permission slip)

Feb. 24: Outdoor School Family Information Night, 6:30-7:30 pm in the BMS Cafeteria

March 7: PTO Fundraiser - @ 1pm - painting class and refreshments!

March 16: BMS PTO meeting in the library @ 5-6 pm

March 23-27: Spring Break

We are running low on tissues. If you have extra boxes, please send them with your student to school next week. Winter colds have run through our supplies. Thank you!

Do you know any Banks families that are considering enrolling their student in a Banks school next year? If so, please pass on that we are now registering new students for 26/27 School Year! Here is the Banks SD Online Registration Website, where they can get registered. Strong and steady enrollment makes for strong districts with stable funding, thank you for spreading the word!

Save the date! We will be holding a family information night for Outdoor School on February 24th from 6:30-7:30 pm. Our 6th graders will be going to Outdoor School April 14-17 this year at Camp Cedar Ridge in Vernonia. This is the same site we went to last year and requested again because of the awesome experience and programming they provided to our students. There is much more information to come, and we will hold a family night in the winter to share details and answer parent questions. For now, if you want to learn more you can check out this FAQ for parents.

With construction underway at BHS, our parking lot is busier than usual. Please plan to build in a little extra time during drop-off and pick-up, and thank you in advance for your patience. We also ask everyone to be mindful of sharing the space safely with construction crews who are working on site. We appreciate your cooperation as we work through these improvements together.

We are hosting another free dental clinic at BMS on 2/23. You will see the paper permission form for this coming home with your student's report card. At this clinic, students can receive dental screenings, sealants, and fluoride treatments. All parents need to do to access this free service, offered by the Virginia Garcia Dental Clinic, is to fill out the below online form, or print and bring into the office the below consent forms.

English Online Consent Form

https://form.jotform.com/SchoolSealants/Dental

Spanish Online Consent Form

https://form.jotform.com/SchoolSealants/DentalSpanish

Homework Club is offered Mondays and Tuesdays after school in Ms. Reckers' room. Here students can have a dedicated quiet area to work on homework with the support of a teacher.

Additionally, Chess Club meets after school on Wednesday's in the library. This is a fun way to learn a new game and meet new people!

Yearbooks are on sale now! They are $25 and you can order here.

Yearbook Photo Share: Families can submit any photo to be in the yearbook. We rely on photos from the community because our staff cant be everywhere. Weekend sports, band/choir concerts, students with pets.... we would love to use your photos! https://photos.jostens.com/TMZT36

BMS Student Leadership is continuing their BottleDrop fundraiser this year as a BottleDrop Give organization and participating using “blue bags”.

Once you fill the bag, you can:

1) Have your student pick up a blue bag with QR code sticker from Ms. King

2) Return it to Mrs. King full of cans/bottles and she will take it to a BottleDrop

3) You can also return it to a BottleDrop location and make sure they scan the BMS Leadership QR code.

If you shop at Fred Meyer you are now able to support our PTO by enrolling in the Community Rewards program with Fred Meyer. Once enrolled, they will contribute $ to the PTO for all eligible purchases.

Signing up is easy. Visit https://www.fredmeyer.com. Once logged into your Fred Meyer account, you can search for Banks Middle School PTO either by name or "VI069" and then click "Enroll". New users will need to create an account, which requires some basic information, a valid email address and a rewards card.