BFPP NEWS

Dear Bellingham Family Partnership Families,

One of the many things I love about BFPP is how families are involved in all levels of the program. In this newsletter you'll find surveys asking for your input/feedback. We truly appreciate hearing from you as it helps us make adjustments and meet your needs. There will be more opportunities to gather your input through Thought Partner Meetings (we'll send invites for those), other surveys, and making a comeback, "Tea with Kate". Join me for informal conversations once a month, more information is below.

Another way families are involved is by sharing their gifts. Families have all kinds of experience and expertise. Whether it is sharing about your culture, putting up bulletin boards, making newsletters or organizing events, there are many of ways to support our program....plus this also builds a sense of belonging! Look for our volunteer board for some ways to help and if there is something missing that you would like to support let us know.

Another example, we are building more ways to support our new families. On Mondays we are offering tours and it would be great to have a few families willing to take new or potential families around the building and share their stories. It is wonderful to have family voices sharing their experience and mentoring new families. If you are interested in helping contact me and will get you looped in. Tours are scheduled on Mondays from 11-12pm.

Warmly,

Principal Kate

Wednesday 10/26 10:00-12:30pm Fall Festival

Thursday 10/27 10am Tea With Kate

Thursday 10/27 3-5pm SMATE workshop at WWU

Friday 10/28 12-1pm LTW: Homeschooling 101 with Teacher Erin

Thursday 11/3 10:30-11:30am LTW: Literacy Comprehension with Teacher Carrie

Friday 11/4 Purple Friday - No School

iReady Survey

Did your 1st- 5th grader take the iReady diagnostic that was offered October 10-21st? We would like to hear from you on your experience. Please share your thoughts and ideas about the experience using this Microsoft Forms document. Please submit your feedback by October 31st at 3:00pm. Thank you!

LEO Survey

We want to hear from you! If your child(ren) have participated in our BFPP Learning Experience Online, please complete this 2 minute survey:

LEO Family Survey (Learning Experience Online) Fall 2022

This will help us to serve you and your students. Thanks!

WHEN: Wednesday October 26 from 10:00am to 12:30pm

WHERE: gym, basement multipurpose room, cabin portable

10:00-11:00: Games, snacks, crafts, photo booth, face painting . . .

11:00-11:20: Special performance by the Theatre Arts class in the Gym (may be a bit scary for our youngest, alternate activities available in the multipurpose room during the show)

11:20-12:00: Games, snacks, crafts, photo booth, face painting . . .

12:00: Costume parade through the school. We'll start in the gym. Wear (or bring) your holiday costume to the festival so you can show it off in style!

12:10-12:30: Dance party in the gym

12:30: Pack-up and clean-up. Volunteers are appreciated if you'd like to lend a helpful hand.

We so look forward to seeing you there!

--The Fall Festival Planning Committee and the Theatre Arts class.

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

Thursdays at 10am

Oct. 27th

Nov. 17th

Dec. 15th

Jan. 26th

Thursday, October 27th, 3-5pm

Hi families! Have you been wondering how to incorporate more hands on and engaging activities regarding science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) into your home-learning experiences?

Parents and kids are invited to join us in person on Thursday, October 27th from 3-5pm at SMATE (Science, Math and Technology Education) on WWU's campus, where professors from each discipline will work in small groups to introduce you to new ideas, what’s available on SMATE’s shelves for check-out and answer all your questions.

FREE PARKING - Directions for the pay station (it’s about in the middle of the lot that is behind SMATE, which is lot 9G).

To operate the pay station in lot 9G:

Step 1: Press any key to “wake up” the pay station from power save mode.

Step 2: Enter license plate #

Step 3: If you don’t see your event choose option #5 more selections.

Step 4: Select Event Coupon Hourly

Step 5: Enter number of hours.

Step 6: Confirmation, enter ok.

Step 7: Enter coupon code 62594738 and ok.

Step 8: Screen will show $0.00 amount due and receipt will print. (You do not need the receipt on your dash as it is all done by license plate readers. It is important that you enter the correct license plate in the pay station.)

There are directions and a map on our SMATE website:

https://smate.wwu.edu/directions

If you have questions, please send them to Teacher Jackie.

Home Learning 101 ~ Routines, Rhythms & Relationships

Friday, Oct. 28th 12-1pm, on Zoom

This Learning Together Workshop is facilitated by BFPP Instructional Coach and former homeschool parent, Erin McCarthy. In it we will focus on the philosophical shift and home management techniques that support families in their roles as primary educators. The intended audience for this workshop is adults who are new/newish to home schooling (this includes online learning) and who have chosen this option for a variety of reasons, but mostly because they feel in their hearts, heads and bellies that this is how their child should learn best right now. Basically, we’ll be taking the energy of “Yayyy, I’m homeschooling!!” and addressing the “Well, now what?!”

Please join us! RSVP to Erin by 9am on 10/28 for the Zoom link.

This workshop will be repeated again each month: 10/28, 11/18, and 12/9

These ongoing Learning Together Workshops are facilitated by Brooke Wertz for new and continuing online learning students and families.

1st Monday of each month 11:00-11:30am on Zoom at

https://bellinghamschools.zoom.us/my/brookewertz

3rd Monday of each month 5:00-5:30pm on Zoom at

https://bellinghamschools.zoom.us/my/brookewertz

Hello BFPP Families,

Let's come together to chat about different Literacy topics! I've compiled a list of topics I'm frequently asked about. I am offering the following Thursday morning conversations (also known as Learning Together Workshops) to bring us together to talk and share thoughts, insights, resources, discoveries. These conversations are "stand alone" meaning that you can sign up for one, two, or as many as you want to. They don't go together in a series. My hope is that not only will you want to come learn with and from me, but also share your ideas and resources… learning TOGETHER!

-Carrie

***Babes in arms welcome. No child care is provided. Please find a North Star for your older kiddos before attending.***

November:

11/3/22 10:30-11:30 Comprehension Let's explore ways to discuss stories with our kids in a way that checks and extends their comprehension (appropriate for 1st -8th grade readers)

Sign Up HERE for Comprehension

11/10/22 10:30-11:30 Fluency Now that they know how to read, how should it sound? Let's talk about Fluency strategies! (appropriate for 2nd- 8th grade readers)

Sign Up HERE for Fluency

11/17/22 10:30-11:30 Early Literacy Foundational Skills: (Rhyme, Initial/End Sounds, Segment, Blend) (appropriate for PreK-2nd grade pre-readers to early readers) Let's explore how to lay a good foundation for reading, before they are reading.

Sign Up HERE for Early Literacy Foundational Skills

December:

12/1/22 10:30-11:30 Daily 5 (Read to Self, Read to Others, Listen to Reading, Word Work, Writing) What does this mean for different developmental levels? (appropriate for all readers)

(Sign Up coming soon!)

12/8/22 10:30-11:30 Vocabulary, Sight Words, and Spelling Ideas (appropriate for K-4th readers) What's the difference between these? How should we approach these at home?

(Sign Up coming soon!)

The Literacy Lab has moved to a new location - in the Performer/Creator Room! I have been using the Literacy Lab to provide Literacy Consultation and Coaching to our families and am available to meet with you.

Here are some of the things I’m offering:

• different types of literacy screenings
• help find your child’s reading level
• share ideas for working with a struggling reader
• share ideas for motivating readers
• host literacy workshops (see above list of upcoming workshops)
• work 1:1 with you on ideas for home literacy learning
• work 1:1 with you and your child in the Lab for Literacy Coaching on a regular basis

If you’d like to meet with me, please send me an email introducing yourself and briefly letting me know what you’re needs are (don’t forget to include your LPP). I’ll send you my Sign Up Genius to make an appointment.

–Carrie Vining (carrie.vining@bellinghamschools.org)

We Want to Support You and Your Business!

Hello Bellingham Family Partnership Families! I hope you’re having a great start to the fall season. My name is Jenny Candivi, and our family has attended BFPP off and on for the past five years. Our son is Oliver Candivi. After selling our Restaurant, Il Granaio, in Skagit County during Covid, our family opened Stella Sopra Italian food truck here in Bellingham.

Teacher Erica and I were talking one morning and we came up with the idea of putting together a list of BFPP business owners as a way to get to know and to support each other!

If you own a business and would like to be included in a BFPP community business owners directory, fill out the Google form below no later than October 28th.

I’ll start putting together a list, then share it with our school. I’m excited to learn more about all of you, and excited to start supporting your business!

Many thanks,

Jenny

Here is the form: https://forms.gle/mhvWpSxRE3EWAkrS7

We have sensory tools for you to check out! Sensory tools can help calm the nervous system during overstimulating situations. There are also tools available to help learners focus and to improve opportunities for learning.

Watch the videos in the QR codes found in the Student Tools Catalog below to see our own students using the tools!

If you think your learner might benefit from one of the tools, reach out to your learning plan partner or talk to Peggy at the front desk.

Questions? Comments? Reach out to Erica Wolverton

November is just around the corner, which means it's time to prepare for .... NaNoWriMo.

What is NaNoWriMo?

National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) is a fun, empowering approach to creative writing. The challenge: draft an entire novel in just one month. Why do it? For 30 wild, exciting, surprising days, you get to lock away your inner editor, let your imagination take over, and just create!

NaNoWriMo's Young Writers Program (YWP) takes that joyful, focused approach to creative writing and makes it accessible to young writers, educators, and families. How does it work?

Participants aged 17-and-under can sign up for accounts at ywp.nanowrimo.org.

To work on a novel, you can join an official event (like NaNoWriMo in November), set a word-count goal, and try to reach it by the end of the month. The YWP allows participants to set individualized goals. 1,000 words? 10,000? 100,000??? It's up to you!

Learn more about how it works for young writers.

Information about community supports can be found on the Family Support Services page of the district website.

Salvation Army is taking sign-ups for their Christmas program now- They start early, and stop taking applications on October 28th.

988 has been designated as the new three-digit dialing code that will route callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, and is now active across the United States.

Simply calling or texting 988 or chatting 988Lifeline.org will connect you to compassionate care and support for mental health-related distress.

Have an item, 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, November 4th.

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