Byam Family Newsletter

December 15-19th Byam Winter Spirit Week
December 15-16th Second Grade Discovery Museum Enrichment
December 17-18th First Grade Discovery Museum Enrichment
December 18th Fourth Grade State House Visit

Winter Theme Week Calendar below:

Monday - Festive Hat or Hair Day

Tuesday - Festive Flannel or Wear Red or/and Green Day

Wednesday - Festive Sweater and Sock Day

Thursday - Winter Wonderland Fancy Wear or Blue/White Day

Friday - Cosy Pajama Day!

Our fourth-grade Student Council met this week to collaborate on new ideas for strengthening our school community. Students reflected on the core values of Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Dedication, and Empathy. They are excited to use these values to guide upcoming projects that support a positive and welcoming school environment.

Last year Byam held its first "Celebrating Us" multicultural festival. It was a huge success and we are looking forward to hosting our second event. We're hoping to have families join us once again for this great community event on Thursday, March 19. If you are interested in participating, please taking a brief moment to fill out the interest survey.

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Health Screenings:

Byam will be conducting Health Screenings for grades K-4 on January 14th, 15th, and 16th.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health Regulation requires students be screened at Chelmsford Public Schools at certain intervals. In elementary school, your child will be screened for:

Hearing: Grades *K, 1, 2, 3
Near/Distance Vision with stereopsis testing: Grades *K, 1, 2, 3
Distance Visual acuity: Grade 4
Height/Weight: Grades 1, 4

*Kindergarten: Upon entering kindergarten ,or within 30 days of the start of school, the guardian shall present to school the Health Care Provider documentation from within the previous 12 months that the child has passed a vision screening. If your kindergarten child is missing a hearing or vision screening, it will be done at school.

Please make sure your student brings or wears their prescribed eyeglasses at school for the vision screening. Alternatively, if your child is currently under the care of an optometrist and you would like to opt out of the vision screening, please email me at pappoe@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

You can opt your child out of any (or all) of these screenings. If you choose to have your child opt out of any of these screenings, please email me to exclude your student from participating. Please email me opt out requests by Monday January 5th at pappoe@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Cold and flu season is upon us, and this is a great time to remind students how to help prevent the spread of germs. Please remind your child to:

Cover their mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing, and promptly throw the tissue in the trash.
Use the inside of their elbow if a tissue isn’t available.
Wash hands frequently with soap and water. (Soap and water is always best, but if not available, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer is a good alternative.)

IMPORTANT: If your child is sick, please keep them home until they have been fever-free (fever >100°F) for 24 hours without the use of Tylenol or Motrin (DISTRICT POLICY). A healthy child is a better learner, and keeping sick children home helps prevent the spread of illness to other students and staff.

Encourage plenty of rest, drinking fluids, humidified air, and comfort measures such as warm salt-water gargles for sore throats and saline nasal spray for dry noses (to help prevent nosebleeds).

Common Flu Symptoms

Fever (over 100°F)
Headache
Body aches
Chills
Extreme tiredness
Stuffy, runny nose
Cough
Chest discomfort
Children may also experience stomach ache, nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea

Contact your doctor if your child has chest pain, trouble breathing, a fast heart rate, decreased urination, confusion, inability to drink or keep down liquids, or any symptoms that seem unusual or severe.

If you have any questions about whether your child is well enough to attend school please do not hesitate to contact me.

Head Lice:

The following information is helpful to keep in mind about head lice:

Head lice can happen to anyone. It is not a sign of poor hygiene habits or of being dirty. Even though they do not jump or fly, lice can spread from one student to another by sharing combs, brushes, clothing, and hats.

Please do your part to prevent the spread of this communicable condition by checking your child(ren) on a regular basis. Lice infestation is much easier to treat if caught early. If you should discover a case of head lice, please notify the health office, as well as the parents of your child’s close contacts. This is the best way to protect your family and community.

https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/conditions/from-insects-animals/Pages/signs-of-lice.aspx

Here’s to a healthy and safe winter season!

Nurse Pappo

Parker Middle School Building Project Button (Click)

December Lunch Menu

SAVE THE DATES:

NOW-01/23 Byam’s Got Talent sign ups open

03/28 Byam’s Got Talent

BYAM’S GOT TALENT SIGN UPS ARE NOW OPEN

Calling all Byam Legends!

The BSA presents the annual Byam's Got Talent Show on Saturday, March 28th, 2026!

All students are welcome to perform at the talent show - no stage experience needed! 4th Grade students can also sign-up as an Emcee (host) for the show.

Sign-ups for students to participate in the show will be open from Friday, November 7th to January 23rd, 2026.

If your child is interested in participating in the show, please complete the registration Google form Byam's Got Talent Sign-Up Form

If you have any questions before signing your student up for the show, please email us atByamsGotTalent@gmail.com.

We are excited to see the amazing talent Byam has to show!

BSA MEETINGS THIS SCHOOL YEAR

There is no meeting in December! We will see you in the new year!

WANT TO BE IN THE LOOP? WANT TO KNOW MORE ? JOIN OUR VIP LIST!

JOIN THE BSA "VIP" LIST

The BSA struggles with trying to keep you informed without flooding your inbox. We understand some don't have the bandwidth to know more, while others are looking to get more involved...but don't know where to start. If you are one of those people looking to know more please take a moment to fill out this form. This does not lock you into anything but helps us filter our "extra" communication more directly to people looking to be more involved with the BSA!

FOLLOW THE BSA ON INSTAGRAM

No-cost Registration for Byam Events:

*Financial concerns should never stand in the way of families participating in school events. If you are interested in any Byam activities please contact Lyndsey O’Neil, our school counselor, to register at no cost: oneill@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Want to get involved?

Here are some openings the BSA is currently seeking help on, reach out the bsa.chelmsford@gmail.com if you are interested in any of these positions!

We welcome more building substitutes!

We have a number of Byam School community members we are an integral part of our Byam School workday community as Byam substitutes. We are always looking for more substitutes to add to this great group! If you would like to learn more information about the flexibility of substituting at Byam School, email or call Carolyn Quinn at quinncm@chelmsford.k12.ma.us or phone 978-251-5144.

Stay Connected to the Byam School Association, Click on the Live links below for more...

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