Byam Newsletter

November 4th is National Candy Day!

Message from Principal Fredette and AP Dolan

No School on Tuesday and Friday

Next week there will be no school on Tuesday and Friday. Tuesday is election day and a full day professional development opportunity where our staff will be focused on DEI work (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) which will be highlighted by Dr. Adolph Brown III. Dr. Brown is visiting Chelmsford again to follow up on his keynote speech for staff on opening day. Friday is Veterans Day and we will be honoring all that have defended our country. Thank you for your service.

ALICE

Next week we will be conducting our first ALICE drill of the school year. ALICE stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate. This is a research based, options-based protocol that is non-sequential to respond to a dangerous individual at school.

To prepare for this drill we will be presenting each grade level with a social story to explain the drill on Wednesday and then follow up with an ALICE video created by the district in collaboration with the Chelmsford Police Department. We've used this process to introduce ALICE to our students since our initial implementation and have been pleased how our students and staff respond when conducting the drill. We have collaborated with the Chelmsford Police and Fire Departments on this drill to ensure that it is a developmentally appropriate experience.

After we conduct the drill, we will send a communication to inform you when it has occurred. Should you have any questions about ALICE or about this drill, either leading up to the drill or after you have been able to debrief with your child, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

Byam Highlight at School Committee

Each year, every school and department presents to the Chelmsford School Committee to highlight the great work that happens. On Tuesday night, it was Byam's turn. We shared "A Day in the Life at Byam" with the school committee members. You can see the video below, which was an impromptu day of walking around and capturing the wonderful teaching and learning.

Spooky Story Contest Winner's

Byam had two winners in the Spooky Story Contest: Nina Bennett won 1st place for 2nd Grade and Lucy Petro-Roy won 3rd place for 3d Grade. Over 250 entries were submitted town-wide, including more than 40 from Byam School. Congratulations!!

Betsey C. Driscoll

Byam School Librarian

Byam Indoor Recess Recycling Project!

With colder weather quickly upon us, and more days of indoor recess for students, we would like to connect wish lists from teachers with donations from families that have outgrown using any of the below items. Students or families may bring any donated items below to our Byam office during the school day, and we will match up donated items to classrooms in need of these additional indoor recess activities. Thank you!

Mixture pieces of Legos (can be brought in gallon ziploc, shoe box, etc.)
Magna-Tiles
Jenga
Connect 4
Portable Corn Hole
Chess
Marble Run
Building Blocks
Any building toys
Play Doh and/or Play Doh Tools
Card Games such as Uno, Old Maid, Crazy Eight
Board games such as Trouble, Candy Land, Shutes and Ladders
Games such as Head Banz, Charades,
Figure Toys

Reminder Message from Nurse Regan

Staying Healthy at School

Cold and flu season is upon us, and it's a good time to remind you of our school health policies and how to fight the spread of germs. Please remind your child to:

cover their mouth and nose with a tissue when they cough or sneeze, then promptly throw the tissue in the trash
if no tissue is available, cough or sneeze into the crook of the arm (inside elbow)
wash hands frequently with soap and water...soap and water is always best but if not available, use an alcohol-based hand cleaner
wear a mask if having symptoms

If your child is sick, keep them home until there is no fever (fever >100.0 F) and without the use of Tylenol/Motrin for 24 hours prior to return. Also keep your child home if they are having vomiting or diarrhea (may return 24hr after the last episode) and they feel well enough to be in school.

For colds and flu, encourage lots of rest, drink lots of fluid, humidify the air, gargle with warm salt water for sore throat, and try a saline nasal spray for dry nose (to prevent nosebleeds).

Because cold, flu and Covid-19 symptoms are very similar, please make sure your child has a negative (home) Covid antigen test prior to return to school, or a doctor’s note. Free Covid-19 test kits are available at the Chelmsford Public Library and the Chelmsford Board of Health (located in the Town Office building) while supplies last.

If your child is diagnosed with flu, please contact me to let me know what type (A, B, etc),

if Tamiflu was prescribed, whether your child had received the flu shot this season, and inform me of their planned return to school.

If your child tests positive for Covid-19, please begin isolation at home, follow the school Covid-19 health policy and contact me to review their return to school date.

CPS Covid-19 Health and Safety Protocol: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1C4T8zAWpE5uXf_OLkpG85L8GyiZ-a15lQKpabcbtZdY/edit

If your child has not yet been vaccinated for flu or Covid-19, I do encourage you to consider vaccination and take advantage of the free immunizations currently available in the community, including town vaccine clinics and local drugstores.

Here's to a healthy and safe school year!
Nurse Regan

Reminder Byam Cares

At Byam we constantly strive to provide a supportive and caring community and environment. In order to assist our families in need we have established our “Byam Cares Program”. This program will give interested Byam families, community members and staff an avenue to donate gift cards that will be distributed to Byam families throughout the year. This type of donation has traditionally been done around the holidays but we would like to maintain the program throughout the year as hardships often arise. The principal, guidance counselor and nurse will work with families in need to determine recipients of the gift cards. Some suggested gift cards include Market Basket, Stop & Shop, Hannafords, Walmart, Target and Kohls. If you would like to make a donation please submit it to the guidance office.

Families in need of assistance for the holidays should reach out to Lyndsey O'Neil, School Counselor, via email at o neill@chelmsford.k12.ma.us.

November Lunch Menu

*** Please Note: IN THE DAILY SCHOOL LUNCH CALENDAR, THE LAST MAIN LUNCH OPTION OF GF/GLUTEN FREE IS ONLY FOR STUDENTS WITH A GLUTEN ALLERGY. WE WILL BE GOING OVER THIS WITH STUDENTS IN SCHOOL AS WELL, THANK YOU.

BSA - HERE IS ALL THE FUN HAPPENINGS WITH YOUR BSA!

Email • Website • Facebook • Meeting Minutes • Donate • Volunteer Newsletter

Setup AmazonSmile for your holiday shopping!

Did you know Amazon Smile will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to the BSA?! To use on the Amazon app: Find ’Settings’ in the main menu (☰). Scroll wayyyy down and tap on ‘AmazonSmile’, and follow the on-screen instructions to turn on AmazonSmile for the Byam School Association! (Notifications for the Amazon app must be enabled, but they can be on silent.) 🎁

The Fall Scholastic Book fair is coming to Byam!

SAVE THE DATE!

November 17th - 6:00-7:30 (during the Collectors Fair!)

November 18th - 3:45-5:30

Can’t make it to either day? No problem! Shop Byam's Fall Bookfair online (link coming soon)! Online book fair access will be available 11/17-11/23. Please watch for the volunteer sign-up link, also coming soon! Flyers coming home with students next week!

BYAM COLLECTORS FAIR! NOVEMBER 17th

We're excited for Collectors Fair to take place again this school year! For those new to Byam, this is an annual event for students to proudly display their collections to family members and classmates. There is always a wide variety of items collected by our Byam students. Students from all grade levels are welcome to participate!. The Collector’s Fair is also the night of our Fall Scholastic Book Fair.

COLLECTORS FAIR SIGNUP: https://forms.gle/6y91yt9k9d9rv4aa9

● Students set-up collections: 6:00-6:30pm (Cafeteria)

● Viewing Time: 6:30-7:30pm

● Breakdown: 7:30-7:45pm

Need some ideas on collections?

Minecraft figurines, Pokemon cards, Legos, Stuffed Animals, Shells, Art Work, Match Box Cars, Bouncy Balls, Dolls, Baseball Cards, Team T-shirts, Marbles, Coins, Yo-Yos, Hats, Books, Webkinz, Minecraft, LOL Surprise!, Skylanders, Rescue Heroes, Rocks, Postcards from different places, Badges of places you have visited, Pens, Key Chains, Beanie Babies, etc. Collections can be anything, with the exception of: live animals, glass objects, and weapons.