BFPP NEWS

Dear BFPP Families,

Let's get right to the registration information!!

Spring Registration

• Day 1 – 1 class - June 6th at 8:00am the window opens, this will hopefully enable everyone to get their first-choice class
• Day 2 – 2 more (3 total) - June 7th families will be able to add two more classes

Fall Registration

• Day 1 – 3 total - September 4th at 8:00am the window will open again, classes will be at full capacity, families can add, drop and make changes
• Day 2 – open - September 5th families will be able to add classes that have openings beyond the 3, recommend 2-3 for Kindergarten, 3-4 for 1st to 3rd graders, 4-5 for 4th and 8th graders, and on campus 2-3 days, waitlists will start on this day in the Communicator Room

Other notable considerations:

• Out of grade placement considerations happen after the registration windows are closed.
• We are setting the capacity to 70% capacity for this first round of registration. In September we will then increase all of the classes to their full capacity. This will allow for us to see what classes are popular, make adjustments where needed, and leave space for all families in the second round of registration, including new families.
• Other Enrichments- We will continue to add workshops, book clubs, general clubs, events, field trips, Come and Connect and other all-around great activities!

Warmly,

Dr K

Registration begins June 6th at 8am and continues June 7th.

Class descriptions are available in AL*e.

AL*e Parent Login

AL*e Parent Login Instructions

Need a refresher on how to register for enrichment classes? Watch this screencast and follow along with Teacher Meredith's step-by-step instructions: How to Use AL*e to Register for Classes

We are changing registration for the 6-8 Theatre Arts class to an application of interest in lieu of the regular registration through BFPP. We are making this change as this class requires a high commitment level from students and families. We invite all 6th-8th grade students who are interested to apply.

Applications of interest for 6-8th Grade Theater Arts Class are due by Monday, June 3rd at 4:00pm. There is a folder in Peggy’s office if you need a paper copy of the application, or you may send a digital copy to both Carol and Marci. Families will hear back from BFPP by Wednesday, June 5th before the registration window opens for BFPP to help families with planning.

Please read the attached document below carefully and have your middle school student answer the four questions. Instructions are in the document.

*This application is ONLY for the 6-8th Theater Arts Class. Families will use AL*e to directly register for all other classes (including other theater classes) during the registration period.*

We are working on expanding our definition of Enrichment. Here is a glimpse at what we are working on (just imagine how it will grow over the summer.) Please take a look and consider, what could you add or would you like to see? Families are encouraged to organize and lead other Enrichments. Whether a club or workshop we all have something to share. Some examples from this year include Differently Wired (on-going book club and support group), Gaming for Home Learning, Geocaching Club, Math Club, Future City, and the list goes on!

This workshop series is designed to give home schooling adults the place, process, pedagogy and community for continued learning together. Two-hour workshops currently in the making include:

• Framing Your Practice: The Scope & Sequence of Homeschooling on a 10 Month Schedule
• Guiding the Writing Process Through the Grades: A Homeschooling Guide to Building Writing Stamina and Skill
• Driving Inquiry and Integrated Investigations to Teach Science, Social Studies & Literature
• Reading Deeply and Widely at All Ages: Teaching Comprehension Without a Curriculum
• The Purpose of Stamina and Stretch
• A Crash Course in Homeschooling Pedagogy
• Book Club: The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

The workshop series can be taken in its entirety or broken into priorities. Workshops will be held 10am-12pm, the third Thursday of the month with Erin.

As part of our onboarding process, the primary educator(s) for each family is required to participate in a 4-week professional development series called Home Learning 101. The intention of this series is to:

• Provide the tools necessary to effectively launch your home learning experience;
• Establish the first steps and systems (rhythms and routines) to start this journey in ways that meet the needs of each learner and family;
• Create equitable frameworks of care and support that will guide your participation in our program and engage as a member of our community.

This four-session workshop series has been created to welcome all new students into the culture and community of our partnership program. Each workshop will have a variety of learning routines that seek to invite newcomers into socialized learning experiences in ways that are inclusive, adaptive and delivered with the culture of care-taking and curiosity that is at the heart of what we do here. This is the student-learning portion of our parent-education model: Home Learning 101.

In development…

Learn together about resources that support learning in Bellingham Public Schools and our local community! Join in a monthly conversation with a representative from a local learning resource/organization to learn more about how this might help your teaching and learning through The Bellingham Family Partnership Program. We’ll talk with experts from the BPS’s Family Resource Center, BPS's CTE program, Whatcom Community College's Running Start Program, the Bellingham Public Library, the Speech Language Clinic at WWU, and the like!

A Shared-Reading Book Club for kids exploring the history of race and racism throughout the United States of America by reading Stamped (for Kids) by Jason Reynolds, Ibram X. Kendi, and Dr, Sonja Cherry-Paul. Students will participate in a shared-reading book club, some portions read in book club, some portions of the book read at home alone independently or with their at-home learning partner. Students will practice communication and critical thinking skills through participation in discussion about passages, ideas, quotes, and art related to Stamped (for Kids). We will define related terms and construct an anti-racist timeline as we read. We will collaboratively build a bibliography and library of related books for our BFPP library with the support of our families and teachers so our whole community can benefit from our thinking and learning.

This once-quarterly workshop for adults will help you grow your toolbox for facilitating inquiry-based learning in your homeschool practice. One sample unit of inquiry-based learning will be presented at each workshop, and concrete strategies and ideas will be shared. Collaboration and discussion will be encouraged: 11/18, 2/3, 4/14, 5/19

This class will pair with the 4-5 Experience class to extend learning though additional field trips, but is open to all BFPP families. Field trips will rotate between teacher-led and family-led and will use Bellingham as a playground for adventures. Students will practice learning together in a collaborative community outside the walls of the classroom. An adult is expected to attend with their student(s).

Let's bring our whole community together on the last Monday of each month from 12-1pm to share a meal and sing together. Please bring a potluck dish for lunch and then stay for a song circle. We hope this will strengthen our connections with one another and become a fun new BFPP tradition to look forward to each month: 9/30, 10/28, 11/25, 1/27, 2/24, 3/31, 4/28, 6/2

Learning together workshops on a variety of Literacy topics such as:

Early Literacy

Boosting Comprehension

Working on Fluency

Reading and the Brain

The Daily 5 for Literacy at Any Developmental Stage

Monthly Cribbage Club that will culminate in a community cribbage tournament in the spring

Storytime for all ages with community resources for food donations such as the Bagelry for bagels, etc.

Learning together workshops on building practices and play with numbers and numeracy. Family and child are encouraged to join in and discover a variety of ways to have fun with math. We'll discuss The Daily 3 of Numeracy, play some games, and practice various strategies.

Discussing books and sharing our experiences with literature is an important practice for literacy development. This Learning Together Workshop will be a participant practice that will help develop the skills to lead your own book club or lead them for students. This workshop will include reading a book, gathering for weekly facilitated discussions, and collecting the resources to continue.

Dinosaur/Rock Hound Club

STEM Club

Mon. June 3rd 4pm: 6th-8th Theater Arts Applications Due

Wed. June 5th 12-1pm: Potluck & Sing

Thurs. June 6th and Fri. June 7th: Registration for fall Enrichment Classes

Thurs. June 6th 10-11:30am: Tidepools at Larrabee State Park

Thurs. June 6th: 8th Grade Celebration

Fri. June 7th 10-2pm: 5th Grade Track Meet at Civic Field

Tues. June 11th: Last Day of Enrichment Classes

Tues. June 11th 11-12pm: Pod Workshop

Wed. June 12th 12-1:30pm: Craft Fair & Carnival

Thurs. June 13th: MOD Pizza Fundraiser

Tues. June 18th: Last Day, Happy Summer!

It’s that time of year to be thinking about turning in your laptop!

When your student is done with their district-issued laptop, please return it to Sheri at the front desk. There will also be device turn-in opportunities on June 3 and 5 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. in the Multipurpose Room. The district needs them back so they can reimage them over the summer. Please contact Sheri or Peggy with questions. Thanks!

A Workshop for Planning Home Learning Experiences with the Support of Other Families

Tuesday, June 11th 11-12pm in the Performer/Creator Room (Top Floor)

This is a shout out to all families (adults) who are curious about networking with other home learning families to share resources, collaborate on units/projects and/or create learning pods and co-ops for the upcoming academic year. The intention of this workshop is to give space and a bit of starting support to families who want to meet and learn more about how this could work in our community. Please join us if you’re curious about collaborative education models and/or if you have participated in learning pods in the past and have insights to share. Facilitated by Erin & Kate and accompanying families.

Please RSVP Erin at erin.mccarthy@bellinghamschools.org by June 9th. Thank you!

Sign up here for the outdoor Craft Fair and Carnival, coming Wednesday, June 12th from 12-1:30pm on the BFPP playfield. Sell your handmade wares and homemade treats, invite people to try their luck at your carnival game, or both. All are welcome to attend- invite your friends, family, and neighbors!

Close out the school year with yummy pizza and make a little dough for BFPP. MOD Pizza is donating 25% of all eligible sales on Thursday, June 13th to our school! Pick up a flyer at school or the craft fair and bring it to MOD, or use the online code MODGIVES25 so your order counts toward our fundraiser.

All K-8 "online workbooks" close on 6/3/2024. This means Imagine Edgenuity coursework will not be accessible after 6/3/2024. 6/2/2024 is the last day to work in online Imagine Edgenuity workbooks. Please reach out to your Learning Plan Partner or brooke.wertz@bellinghamschools.org with any questions.

Teacher Meredith is on the hunt for a great group campsite for a potential BFPP family camping trip in late May/early June 2025. If you have any suggestions, please let her know!

The Washington State Fair in Puyallup is extending an invitation to students to visit the fair from Aug. 30- Sept.22, 2024. Each year they make complimentary tickets available to each student and school employee to be used any day of the fair. Please let your learning partner know if you would like to receive a ticket for your student/s, and how many you need by June 3rd.

I wanted to take a moment to extend my heartfelt gratitude to each and every one of you for contributing to the tremendous success of the Science Fair.

Your presence at the event, whether as attendees, students showcasing their projects, or parents providing invaluable support, made all the difference. The enthusiasm and dedication displayed by everyone involved truly made the fair a memorable and rewarding experience.

We were able to create an environment where curiosity thrived, ideas flourished, and knowledge was shared. While celebrating the achievements of those who could join us, we also recognize and missed those who, due to illness or time constraints, were unable to participate fully. Their passion for science remains an integral part of our community!

Moving forward, I hope everyone will continue to explore the wonders of science. Whether through summer projects, further experimentation, or simply nurturing curiosity, may the journey in science be fulfilling and inspiring! ~Juliana

Kick off the summer with the annual Whatcom Youth Pride Parade and Festival 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, June 1. Join us for this celebration where LGBTQIA+ youth march in a short parade route and the community comes together to stand on the sidelines to cheer them on. The parade starts and ends at Bellingham High School with a festival that includes entertainment for youth and families, food trucks, tabling from community organizations, a maker space and a youth art market.

Event info can be found here: https://www.whatcomyouthpride.com/eventinfo

Bellingham Schools and Bellingham Parks and Rec are teaming up to offer several youth sport summer camps. To register, visit www.cob.org/ezreg .

The Bellingham Coding and Robotics Club is again offering van pick up at BFPP for homeschoolers on Thursday afternoons this fall. We'll pick up students at noon and transport them to our Club House where they can eat their lunches and have some STEM fun before our 2pm Coding and Robotics Class (for 5 year olds to 13 year olds).

Parent pick up is at 3:15pm at our Coding Club's new location at 3230 Meridian St. The cost is $100 per month for a full Club Membership (that HALF OFF price and includes weekly class, Club Nights and Saturday drop ins) and $25 per month for transportation and care. All this STEM fun starts on September 8th - sign up now to hold your spot!

Learn more here and email with any questions: admin@codingandroboticsclub.com

Missoula Children's Theater is coming to the Mount Baker Theater this summer! For all the details and registration info, click here.

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