BFPP NEWS

Dear BFPP Families,

I hope you had a restful and family filled winter break. We are ready to go in the new year with lots of great community and learning events at BFPP. Please take a few minutes to review the "Upcoming Events" and information below. We know the more we are together the stronger our community is!

Teachers are working on the 2nd semester enrichment class schedule. I anticipate there will be several more options and exciting additions. Some classes will remain the same, as year long, some will re-open for new participants, some will end and new ones will be added. We ask that you are good stewards of your enrichment class participation, which means considering how many you sign up for carefully, stewardship looks like taking what you need but allowing for others as well. I often say it is like going to Mallards, you have to pick a few flavors, try something new, don't over do it and enjoy what you end up with. More information will be coming your way about registration and the schedule.

At the end of this month is the opportunity for some mid-year conversations. We hold Learning Together Meetings with every family either in person or via Zoom. At those meetings we do some reflection and goal setting for the remainder of the year. It's a good time to focus in on what you want to accomplish with the 5 months left. You'll be hearing more from your LPP soon.

Looking forward to making this a great year!

Warmly, Principal Kate

Wednesday, 1/11 iReady Assessment Sign Up Deadline*

Thursday, 1/12 1:30-2:30 Arts and Crafts Club*

Monday, 1/16 No School - MLK Jr Day

Tues.1/17- Fri.1/20 10am-2pm daily MLK Jr. Read-In*

Tues.1/17- Fri. 2/3 iReady Assessment Window*

Tuesday, 1/24 1-2:30pm Middle School Book Sale & Curriculum Share*

Wednesday, 1/25-1/26 2nd Semester Registration, opens at 8:00am on the 25th, closes at 5pm the 26th

Thursday, 1/26 10am Tea With Kate*

Friday, 1/27 Last Day of First Semester Classes

Mon.1/30- Fri. 2/3 No Classes Held - Mid-Year Conversations and LPP Meetings

Thursday, 2/2 Staff Appreciation Breakfast*

Monday, 2/6 Second Semester Classes Begin

*find more info on these events below

Dear BFPP Families,

This Fall, we sent out information about changes to the Bellingham School District assessments. That information relayed to families that the iReady Math and Reading assessment has been adopted by our school district as our Elementary growth and diagnostic tool. It is almost time for the Winter 2023 assessment window to open for Kindergarten- 5th grade students across the Bellingham School District.

Please read this information carefully and view the links in order to make an informed decision about whether or not you want your child to participate.

If you decide that you want your Kindergarten-5th grade child to participate in the iReady Winter Assessment window, they must be registered using the link below.

Important information:

• iReady will help determine areas of strength and growth in Literacy and Numeracy
• iReady should be used 3x a year (or 2x for Kindergarteners) to show your child’s growth
• iReady is an adaptive, online assessment that corresponds with MyPath online curriculum
• iReady is done at home with your technical guidance, but not your help
• Registration for this assessment is now until January 11th at 3:00pm
• The assessment will be available from January 17th to February 3rd
• Learn more about i-Ready by watching the following videos:
• I-Ready Diagnostic for Families
• I-Ready Personalized Instruction Family Guidance

Again, you must register each child to take the assessment. Registration is open now through January 11th at 3:00pm. Without registering each child, you will not have access to the assessment or the MyPath online curriculum.

REGISTER EACH CHILD HERE.

Once registered, you will receive further information and you have from January 17th to February 3rd to complete the assessment at home by using the iReady link.

Please note that your child must have a school district laptop for the assessment. If you need a laptop, please contact Peggy Gallegos.

Please email Carrie Vining and Kate Baehr with questions.

Friday Consultations with Erin McCarthy, BFPP Instructional Coach & Former Home School Parent

Are you feeling overwhelmed or frustrated with some aspects of your home learning practices? Are you or your learner feeling stuck in the “resistance” phase of this journey? Perhaps you’re tentatively seeking another perspective to support your work and trouble-shoot some ideas? Well… sign up for a Friday Recalibration Consultation with Erin and let’s start knocking some ideas around!!

These Friday consultations are times allotted for our family community to work with another thought partner to help connect on all the decisions families make in creating and sustaining a strong home learning experience. Consultations can include deep conversations about curriculum planning, learning routines and activities, communication practices, incentive models, developmental milestones and whatever else you’d like some support with. Think of me as your on-demand nerdy learning scientist! Here to help support your thinking and navigate the options.

Need some collaboration and possibly a recalibration? Email Erin McCarthy to arrange for a lunch time connection (12pm Zoom or in-person). 12pm meetings available every other Friday. 1/20, 2/3, 2/17, 3/3, 3/17…

Dear LEO Families,

Congratulations on great engagement and many successes in online learning this semester!

The semester is changing. Now what?

All Semester 1 online courses will be closed and inaccessible after 1/20/22.

Enrollment for Semester 2 courses is completed through your Learning Plan Partner at BFPP.

Online courses available for semester 2 include English Language Arts, Math, Social Studies, and Science per grade level. 7th graders are able to choose between WA State History or Sem 2 7th Grade Social Studies. As usual, work with your learner and BFPP Learning Plan Partner to design the portfolio of online learning courses that works best for your learner.

Semester 2 courses will be open and available for students on 1/31/22 if enrolled prior to 1/31/22.

Students are able to enroll in online coursework at anytime throughout the year. Please allow a week between enrollment and access to coursework.

Brooke Wertz

K-8 Online Learning Lead Teacher

Middle schoolers - want to practice your typing and race your friends? Join BFPP student Taylor Mack on Tuesdays for Nitro Type Club.

Hey artful and crafty friends! Arts & Crafts club will meet on the following dates in the Multipurpose room.

All are welcome!! Contact Siv Spain with any questions.

• Thursday, January 12th 1:30-2:30
• Thursday, February 9th, 1:30-2:30
• Thursday, March 16th, 1:30-2:30
• Thursday, April 13th, 1:30-2:30

Calling All Families Who Want to Spread the Word About Great Learning Materials!

Do you have some curriculum or learning ideas/activities/projects that you have experience with that you’d love to share with other families to support their home learning? Each year, our learning community holds a curriculum fair that showcases the learning resources and materials that families are using with success in their home learning practices. This means families teach families and families teach staff! This is an effort to showcase the wide variety of learning materials that are available to all of us. Grab a table, make some copies and share and connect. Together we promise to support families and inspire learning because TOGETHER WE ACHIEVE MORE!

This year our Family Curriculum Share will be in conjunction with the MS Leadership Book Sale in one fantastic event! Please come and support the community!

If you’d like to share some learning materials at this event and/or have questions, please connect with Erin at erin.mccarthy@bellinghamschools.org.

Join Principal Kate on Thursday, January 26th at 10am in the reception/entry area for a cup of tea and conversation. This is a BYOM – bring your own mug - event!

Tea With Kate is changing to a new day and time in February!

2nd Tuesday of the month at 1pm

• 2/14
• 3/14
• 4/18
• 5/9

Thursday, February 2nd

Let's celebrate and appreciate our BFPP staff members by serving up a breakfast extravaganza. There aren't any classes during this week, so teachers will be hard at work meeting with families, updating learning plans, and prepping for second semester.

If you'd like to contribute, please check out our sign up list here! You can contact Heidi with questions. Thank you!

Five BFPP middle schools students competed in the First Lego League competition in Everett on December 10th, 2022.

The Rogue Robots (Jack Graham, Evan Stipek, Evan Delahanty, Andrew Stauffer and Amelia Semykozov), worked together to present their innovation project, three rounds of the robot game and showed their core values and gracious professionalism in their team judging session. They connected with other teams, shared ideas and really connected as a team throughout the day. The judges complimented them on their engaging presentation, their redesign of their robot for accessibility, for including everyone in the presentation and for playing to each other’s unique interests.

They also loved seeing Bingo the dog added to the robot for character. Students had the opportunity to hear from guest speaker Captain Kgomotso Phatsima as she told her powerful story of how she came to start Dare to Dream. They also finished the day with a dance party to celebrate the completion of the event. Overall it was an incredible experience for students to share.

As a math club resource, BFPP gets access to brilliant.org, a unique site for math and science instruction! Contact math club leader Rachel if you're interested.

Also check out the free International Math Contest for grades 3-10, sponsored by the Russian School of Math. If you like interesting math problems, this 30-minute, online, free opportunity is for you!

Math club is held Thursdays in the Cabin. 3rd-5th graders meet 9:15-10am, middle schoolers meet 1-2:15pm. Contact Rachel if you are interested in joining in the fun!

Small Steps by Louis Sachar

Review by BFPP student Marley Lotts

Small Steps is a sequel to Louis Sachar’s popular novel, Holes. It is about the life of Armpit and X-ray, two African American teens living in Austin. Armpit thinks that his life is back to normal after Camp Green Lake, but X-ray has an idea for them to get rich. Armpit is skeptical; he doesn’t want to get arrested again. At the same time, Armpit is enjoying a relaxing friendship with Ginny, a young girl with Cerebral Palsy, until one day when it all changes. From there it is a roller-coaster of events. Will Armpit's life be the same again? I recommend this book for ages 10 and up.

*Does your student have a poem, short story, piece of artwork, or other creation to share with our school community? Send it in - we'd love to include it in a future newsletter or special edition!

The Bellingham Parks and Rec Winter Playbook is jam-packed with opportunities to try new things and connect with others. A Yeti scavenger hunt, skate camp, free teen finance program, community work parties, esports tournament, and cooking classes are just a handful of the many programs offered.

Got the itch for a New Year's Resolution? Check out the 1000 Hours Outside challenge.

The goal is easy to articulate - spend 1000 hours outside this year - and much more challenging to complete - that's over two and a half hours a day!

Taking on this challenge, BFPP brothers Iroh and Elias tracked over 880 hours outside last year!!

Even if we don't aim for or reach 1000 hours, there's plenty of benefit in upping the time we spend in nature. You can find downloadable tracking sheets and inspiration at the 1000 Hours Outside website.

WWU Counseling Training Clinic is offering free counseling appointments starting in January. In-person appointments are available for all ages and telehealth appointments are available for ages 13 and older. Please call 360-650-3184 to sign up.

Have an event, talent, idea, or interest to share with the BFPP community at large? Please consider sharing via the newsletter! Email Heidi with your contributions. Thank you!

Next newsletter: Friday, January 20th, 2023

Contributions deadline - Wednesday, January 18th

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Website: https://fpp.bellinghamschools.org
Location: 1409 18th Street, Bellingham, WA, USA
Phone: (360) 676-6424