Banks Middle School

Dear Families,

We've made it to the end of Quarter 1! Thank you for your work to support students getting caught up before the end of this quarter. As a reminder, quarter 1 grades are not final grades, which doesn't happen until the semester, so students still have time to bring grades up if they need to. Grades will be posted and progress reports printed next week. We will be passing those out at conferences on November 5 and 6 for families who attend, and for those that don't we will mail them home the following Monday. Included in the packet will also be your student's iReady math and reading fall assessment results, as well as last spring's state test results. Please review this data with your child to identify strengths and growth areas. If you have any questions or concerns about your student's academic progress, please do not hesitate to reach out (including next week at conferences!).

Speaking of conferences, we are doing things a little different this year in hopes of reaching more families!

On Wednesday November 5th it will look like past years, all teachers will be in the gym in an arena style format, and you can wait at their tables to talk to them. Please limit conversations to about 5 minutes if there is a line behind you to keep things flowing. On Thursday the 6th, we will again have in-person arena conferences, but only from 4:30-6:30 pm. After that, we will close down the in-person conferences and pivot to calling families. If you are not able to attend in person, we will do our best to call as many families as possible, so please have your phone handy on Thursday from 7:00-8:00 pm if that applies to you.

Keep reading for additional information on:

• Conferences schedule for next week
• PTO Line Dancing fundraiser on November 14th!
• Big thank you to our Community and sponsors for Boo Bag success last week!
• Students honoring our Veterans and Active Military Service Members
• School Climate Survey and Opt out information
• NAMI parent education event - Book signing for "You are Not Alone - for parents and caregivers"

Thank you all for your ongoing support of BMS!

Best wishes,

Caitlin Everett

Banks Middle School Principal

Oct. 31: No School (Grading Day)

Nov. 5 & 6: Evening Conferences

Nov. 7, 10, and 11: No School

Nov 12-Nov 21: Banks Giving Canned Food Drive

Nov 24-28: No School, fall break

Dec. 19: Spirit Assembly

The Banks Middle School PTO is hosting a fun-filled community line dancing event on Thursday, November 14th!
Don’t know how to line dance? No problem- there will be lessons throughout the night!
You may have seen a few invites floating around Facebook — we’re spreading the word far and wide because we want YOU to join the fun!
Proceeds will help support our amazing students and staff at Banks Middle School! $10 cash at the door. Bring your friends, dust off those boots, and get ready for a great night of dancing, laughter, and community spirit!

Our first “Boo Campaign” went off without a hitch! We hope your students enjoyed it as much as we did!

A heartfelt thank you to the businesses and individuals for your donations! As well the families and friends who made our goal possible!

We, the Banks Middle School PTO, set a HUGE goal of getting every kid a Boo Bag in our first ever “Boo Campaign” Fundraiser Event. It would not have been possible without the help of these amazing businesses and super supportive individuals that majorly stepped up for us! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

We are doing several things this coming Veterans day to honor our vets and active service members! Huge shout out to Ms. Carson and the 6th grade team for organizing an opportunity for four different veterans to speak about their experiences with our homeroom classes.

Additionally, Ms. King's Leadership, Yearbook, and FACS classes will be making paracord bracelets and collecting unused Halloween Candy for the "Treats for Troops program, see the flyer below on how to support this project!

This November, our students will take the **CharacterStrong Student Survey** to help us better understand the overall climate and culture at BMS. The survey gives students a voice in shaping a positive school environment where everyone feels connected and supported.

Participation is voluntary. If you would prefer that your student not take the survey, please email the school office to opt out.

Washington County Youth Services have set up an event for parents featuring Dr. Christine Crawford, author of "You Are Not Alone - For Parents & Caregivers" for a book signing and reception November 15th at the Shute Park Library. This is a ticketed event open to public with the first 25 registered attendees receiving a free autographed copy of Dr. Crawford's book.

Save the date! 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.

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.