BIG CREEK FAMILY NEWSLETTER

Hello Big Creek Families!

This newsletter continues to include information on arrival and dismissal for car riders. Please take a moment to review that section so that we are all keeping this process running smoothly and safely.

Our Big Creek PTA has so many great events planned for this year! They need your help to make sure these events run smoothly. Please see the PTA section of this newsletter for the Volunteer sheet that you can print and turn in to the main office if you would like to help out. PTA is also on the lookout for a Cricut machine to help with the bulletin boards and various activities at their events. If you are looking to donate one or know of someone who is willing to donate a new/gently used newer version of one, please let me know and I will be sure to pass the information on to our PTA Board.

Ms. Kubec

Please review the Dress & Grooming section of our handbook outlined below. We have some students who are not wearing appropriate clothing to school. Our biggest issue is bare bellies and some inappropriate wording on shirts. Please make sure your child is coming to school dressed appropriately.

The Board of Education recognizes that each student’s mode of dress and grooming is a manifestation of personal style and individual preference. The Board will not interfere with the right of students and their parents to make decisions regarding their appearance, except when their choices interfere with the educational program of the schools. The Board authorizes the Superintendent to establish a reasonable dress code in order to promote a safe and healthy school setting and enhance the educational environment. The dress code shall be incorporated into the Student Code of Conduct.

Accordingly, the Superintendent shall establish such grooming guidelines as are necessary to promote discipline, maintain order, secure the safety of students, and provide a healthy environment conducive to academic purposes.

Such guidelines shall prohibit student dress or grooming practices which:

A. Present a hazard to the health or safety of the student himself/herself or to others in the school

B. Materially interfere with school work, create disorder, or disrupt the educational program

C. Cause excessive wear or damage to school property

D. Prevent students from achieving their educational objectives because of blocked vision or restricted movement.

The Superintendent shall develop administrative guidelines to implement this policy which designates the principal as the arbiter of student dress and grooming in his/her building.

PARENT GUIDELINES FOR STUDENT DRESS

1. All clothing should be neat, clean, and safe.

2. Shorts are permitted on warm days only.

3. Coats are encouraged on cooler days and should be worn by students during outdoor recess.

4. The following clothing is not allowed:

● That which exposes too much or is too tight, including but not limited to tank tops, spaghetti strap tops, halter tops, cut-off T-shirts, bare midriffs, short shorts, and spandex (biking) pants or shorts.

● That which contains messages that are obscene, profane, drug-related, gang-related, or inflammatory or depicts weapons or violence.

● Sagging pants.

5. Parents are encouraged to send a change of clothes to be kept at school for their child.

Disclaimer: Any new “fads” in clothing, or anything not specifically covered in the above guidelines, determined to be inappropriate dress or disruptive to the learning environment, shall be dealt with at the discretion of the Berea City School District Elementary Schools’ Administration.

Any student not adhering to the above will be referred to the office where parent contact will occur

We have many new staff members at Big Creek this year and

some previous staff members who are in new positions.

Welcome to the following new staff members:

Becky Jordan - School Psych.

Hunter Pictrzycki - School Psych. Intern

Taylor Norton - Academic Tutor

Kim Shroka - Intervention Specialist

Jacob Yurik - Speech

Ashleigh Hamar - Mindfully Therapist

Amber Fisher - School Family Support Specialist

Barb Eubank - LPN

Dusty Carbajal - RN

John Schultz - 2nd Shift Custodian

Sara Mason - Instructional Assistant

Santana Kennedy - Monitor

Nicole Figueroa - Preschool Teacher

Congratulations to these staff members in new positions:

Krista Pritko - Administrative Assistant

Janice Carino - Office Assistant

Mikayla Brown - 1st Grade Teacher

Lisa Karnow - 2nd Grade Teacher

Lisa Peabody - 4th Grade Teacher

We will begin to spotlight these new staff/new position staff members with

their bios in this and future newsletters.

My name is Rebecca Jordan, but I prefer to be called Becky. I am beginning my 18th year as a school psychologist, and my 4th year in BCSD. I've lived in the area all my life, and I am currently building a home next to my parents in Hinckley. I have a 19 year old cat, Timmy, who is completely spoiled. I am looking forward to getting to know all of you in the Big Creek community!

My name is Hunter Pietrzycki and I am the School Psychology Intern this year! I am currently in my 3rd and final year of my graduate school program at Cleveland State University. I am very excited to have my intern experience in the Berea City School District. While my home school will be Big Creek Elementary I will also have the ability to work at both the middle and high school as well! I'm excited to work alongside Dr. Becky Jordan and the rest of the Big Creek Staff this year. Go Titans!

CAR ARRIVAL AND DISMISSAL

Welcome back to 23-24. Just a couple important reminders. Please remember to pay attention and move your car forward. Additionally, thank you for your patience during inclement weather. If we can all stay focused behind the wheel and NOT distracted by phones, etc... WE can keep the car line moving forward and our children safe! Thanks for your help!

CAR Arrival REMINDERS:

• Children exit the car on the passenger side.

• ALL students, Kindergarten - fourth grade students exit and enter the car on their own with help from the staff in order to keep the line moving forward.

• Move forward in the line.

• When the CHAIN GATE is closed, drop students off at the MAIN entrance. Pull up to the curb. You do NOT need to escort the students arriving by car after 9:10am (or IF the service drive gates have been closed) will be required to come in through the front door with a parent. This will allow for safe arrival into the school building.

CAR Dismissal REMINDERS:

• Do not block the buses from entering the school driveway.

• PLEASE DO NOT BLOCK the entrance drive. Wait at the stop sign. This is a safety hazard. At ALL times BUSES, CARS and SAFETY vehicles must be able to enter the school.

• Once the car line is full, ALL cars enter from the north side of the Parkway. Any car on the BRIDGE will be asked to turn left to get in the northbound Big Creek Parkway car line.

• DISPLAY your number to the outside.

• PULL forward 3 feet to keep the line moving forward.

• At the BLUE Recycle Bin, cars take turns as the line moves forward. Numbers need to be hung in the rear mirror so that staff can see the car rider numbers.

You can order online HERE.

The online store will remain open for 48 hours after picture day.

See the flyers below for more information (please note we didn't email a form home - we sent the flyers home)

Stay in the Game!

September is National Attendance Awareness Month!

Celebrate with Big Creek Elementary and the Cleveland Browns as we Stay in the Game!

This week our students had a Celebration of At-Ten-Dance by dancing for a

few moments at 10:00 AM!

Next week we will all have the opportunity to sign our school Stay in the Game

Attendance Pledge!

#StayInTheGame

Hello Big Creek Parents. My name is Jalal Ighneim (Mr. I) and I am your child's PE teacher this year. This is a reminder that if your child is not wearing tennis shoes they will not be permitted to participate in class. Sandals, slides, crocks, dress shoes, and boots are not allowed. Tennis shoes allow them the best chance to be successful and more importantly to be safe in class. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

jighneim@bereaschools.org

PS

Unfortunately, I have one more item that needs attention. If your child is wearing ANY type of shirt and their belly or back is exposed they will also have to sit out. We do many types of stretches (back bends certain yoga poses, toe touches, etc..) where attire that exposes their belly or back just isn't appropriate for a class setting.

If you have medication to drop off to our school clinic, please complete the form below.

Prescription and Nonprescription Medication/Treatment Authorization Form

Please feel free to stop in to see our nurse, Barb Eubank, to drop off any medications.

If you have any questions, please call our main office at 216-898-8303 and ask to speak with Nurse Barb or Nurse Dusty.

September 12th

• Picture Day

September 14th

• PTA Family Paint Night

September 15th

• PTA Membership Drive Foam Party 5:30-7:30 (sensory friendly time is from 5:30-6:00)

September 19th

• District's Annual Community Safety Update - BMHS Atlas Room 6:30PM

September 21st

• Akron Zoo School Assembly

September 22nd

• Titan Tailgate BMHS Parking Lot - see flyer below

October 5th

• PTA Meeting 7PM Big Creek Library

Oct. 12th

• Staff InService Day - No School

Oct. 13th

• NEOEA Day - No School

Oct. 16th

• Staff Work Day - No School

Oct. 17th

• Parent Teacher Conference Night 4:00-7:45
• PTA Scholastic Book Fair 4:00-7:45

Oct. 19th

• PTA Donuts with Grown Ups (Last Names A-L) 8:00AM
• Parent Teacher Conference Night 4:00-7:45
• PTA Scholastic Book Fair 4:00-7:45

Oct. 20th

• PTA Donuts with Grown Ups (Last Names M-Z) 8:00AM

Oct. 23rd-27th

• Big Creek Fall Spirit Week (details to come soon)

Oct. 26th

• Picture Retake Day

Oct. 27th

• PTA Treat Street 5:30-8:00 PM (5:30-6:30 Sensory Friendly time)

Nov. 2nd

• PTA Meeting Big Creek Library 7PM

-Kick off Day - All families should have received their selling packets on 8/28/2023

-Turn in Day - 9/11/2023

-Pick up - 09/30/2023 at 10am in the Big Creek Parking lot

Parents can follow the instructions that came home in the blue folder or go to

www.fundraiseit.org

click the green "Online Shopping" button

Enter the the students information - Group Name = Big Creek Elementary

"Fundraising allows the PTA to help support efforts to make many educational and fun activities possible. Big Creek PTA provides assemblies, programs, field trip bussing expenses, staff appreciation, and family engagement events like BINGO Night and The Big Creek Fall Ball. The more money we raise simply means we can do that much more for our children!"

Any questions contact: Krista Pritko (kristanauth@gmail.com)

* By the end of the week of September 18th, all students in grades K-4 will have had an introductory lesson with me. The topic of the lessons is What Does The School Counselor Do? Students will get an age appropriate explanation of what social emotional learning (SEL) is. They will also learn how to complete a self-referral if they think they need to talk to me and how to sign up for monthly lunch bunches.

* 3rd and 4th grade families: Keep an eye on this space for information about the Peace Path and how your 3rd or 4th grader can become a member of the Peace Path Patrol this school year.

For all things related to Transportation, please use this LINK

Parent Teacher Conferences for the fall are scheduled for the evenings of Oct. 17th and 19th.

While that seems like a while away, we encourage you to sign up for a time now.

Use this LINK to sign up!

Everyone loves a good dessert, but it is always better with sprinkles on top. The sprinkles go above and beyond to make the dessert stand out.

Is there a staff member at Big Creek who has gone above and beyond in some way? If so, you can help us to recognize that staff member with a You're the Sprinkles on Top Award!

All you need to do is fill out this FORM explaining why the staff member is "the sprinkles on top" and Ms. Kubec will recognize and reward that staff member.

"Sprinkles on Top" Award winners will be featured in future newsletters.

To join click HERE

Be sure to check out the Big Creek PTA page

on our school's website to stay updated

on all PTA news and events. Use this LINK!

Check out the Big Creek PTA Facebook Page HERE!

If you would like to volunteer, please print the flyer below, fill it out and send it to the Main Office.

If you are interested in our preschool program,

please use this LINK to find all the information you need.

Berea City Schools partners with Right At School to provide before and after school enrichment for grades K-5 at our 3 elementary buildings. Right At School provides safe, engaging and meaningful in-school and extracurricular programs to enrich the lives of students, give parents peace of mind and enable schools to focus on their academic mission. The fee-based services offer a curriculum that features hands-on learning, multi-sensory activities, child-driven projects, daily fitness, team building, and leadership development. There are a variety of options offered to accommodate family needs.

For more information or to enroll, please visit the Berea City School District Right At School information website https://www.rightatschool.com/districts/berea-oh/

The district has fortunately been approached by numerous groups and individuals that would like to financially contribute towards students' negative account balances. The district has created a Lunch Heroes Program that will allow anyone to make a donation towards negative breakfast and lunch balances. These funds will be applied at the end of the school year, dispersed evenly to each school, unless a school is specified on the donation form.

Donations can remain anonymous. To donate, complete this form and either mail or drop it off to:

Berea City School District
Attn. Treasurer's Department
390 Fair Street
Berea, OH 44017

Below is our Titans' Pride Matrix of Expectations. We would like families to remind students of the expected behaviors in each of the areas listed in the matrix. Below the matrix is our Titans' Pledge. We always want our students to be respectful, responsible and safe.

Coming soon!