News from the (Eagles) Nest

• 9/15 - International Dot Day - Wear Polka Dots!

• 9/22 Girls on the Run begins!

• 9/27 - Read-a-Thon begins

• 9/28-10/2 BES Fairy Tale Week

• 10/1 Fairy Tale Family Math Night from 5-7 pm

• 10/4 Read-a-Thon ends

• 10/15 No school - Parent-Teacher conferences

• 10/16 No school - Student/Teacher Holiday

• 10/19-10/23 Book Fair Week

• 10/22 Read for a Treat Night from 5-7 pm

Reminders:

• Complete applications for free and reduced lunch! This also helps our school receive funding!

• 4th and 5th graders can pay iPad insurance using the Give Backs site/app

• Follow us on social media for updates on school events!

Dear Parent/Guardian:

Children need healthy meals to learn. Goochland County Public Schools offers healthy meals every school day. A student lunch costs $3.95 and breakfast costs $1.95. Your child(ren) may qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Please fill out an application to see if you qualify.

Each week we will link the breakfast and lunch menus at the bottom of this message.

You can add money to your child's lunch account using this link. You can always find this link at the bottom of the weekly newsletter!

September 28–October 2 is “Once Upon a Time…Attendance Mattered!” Fairy Tale and Attendance Spirit Week! Every day at school adds to your child’s story, so we hope all of our Eagles will be here, on time, and ready to learn. Throughout the week, students can participate in themed dress-up days, a Read-A-Thon with great prizes (more information to come soon), special guest readers, and visits from some of our favorite Reading Therapy Dogs. Don’t forget to join us for Family Math Night on Thursday, October 1, from 5–7 p.m. See the flyer below for all the storybook fun!

Family members and community volunteers are invited to visit a classroom and share a favorite story with our students. Please check the Guest Reader SignUpGenius for available dates and times. We would love to have you join us and help bring the joy of reading to our Eagles!

Our Read-A-Thon will take place from September 27–October 4! Our goal is for every student to independently read—or listen to someone read—for at least 100 minutes during the week. Students are welcome to challenge themselves and read even more!

Families with an email address entered in PowerSchool will receive an email from 99Pledges with information about participating, collecting pledges, and logging reading minutes. With a suggested pledge of 10 cents per minute, a student who reaches the 100-minute goal can raise $10 for our school!

The funds raised in our Read-a-thon will be used to bring an author/illustrator to our school!

We also have some exciting prizes:

🧱The top reader in each grade level will get to pick a LEGO kit!

⭐ The student who reads the most minutes in each class will receive a Chick-fil-A gift card.

📚 The top fundraiser will get to be Librarian for the Day!

🛝 The class that logs the most reading minutes as a class average will earn an extra recess.

💰 The class that raises the most money will also earn an extra recess (if it is a different class).

🎁 Every student who participates will receive a coupon to check out an additional library book!

Winners will be announced on Monday, October 5. Let’s read, raise funds, and have a wonderful week celebrating books!

Thank you to our first Teacher Workroom Restock Sponsor for the year, Youngblood, Tyler & Associates P.C.

Make sure you order your grade level shirts by September 6th to ensure it arrives before any special events for field trips. Use this link to order, or return the order form.

Want to know more about what the BPG does? See below!

The Goochland County Christmas Mother provides resources to enable qualified Goochland County Residents to receive food, clothing, toys and other essential items during the holiday season. We assist families with children, seniors age 60+, and those with a documented disability.

Applications are now open for the upcoming holiday season. IN PERSON applications taken at Goochland Middle School cafeteria

3250 River Road West, Goochland, VA 23063

Saturday, October 17, 2026 from 9am-11am and Saturday, October 24, 2026 from 9am-11am

For more information please visit:

https://www.goochlandchristmasmother.org/home

Lace up your sneakers and open your hearts!

Join Goochland Pet Lovers at Hidden Rock Park for the First-Ever Adoption Day 5K, hosted in proud partnership with Goochland Pet Lovers! Whether you are a seasoned runner, a casual walker, or just looking for a fun day out with family and friends, this inaugural event combines fitness, community, and a wonderful cause.

Run, jog, or walk the scenic course through Hidden Rock Park to support local shelter pets, and then stick around for the ultimate post-race celebration!

Event Details:
Date: Saturday, October 10, 2026
Time: 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Location: Hidden Rock Park (1920 Hidden Rock Lane, Goochland, VA 23063)
Admission: $5 entry fee
Registration required on County Website

Event Highlights
The 5K Run/Walk: Kick off the morning with an energizing 5K through the beautiful trails of Hidden Rock Park.
The Adoption Event: Meet adorable, adoptable pets looking for their forever homes!
Food & Treats: Refuel after the finish line with delicious local food truck and refreshments.

Click on the link to find more information!

My name is Jessica Harris, and I am the director of Empowered Players, a youth 501(c)3 in Fluvanna dedicated to uplifting students through the power of the arts. We've been providing free theatre classes to students in the community since 2016, and we're located in Fork Union, about 15 minutes from Byrd.

I'm writing as we recently announced our fall 2026 classes, and I wanted to share this with you in case your students would be interested. Notably, we will be doing a production of The Lion King JR. (for grades K-8) and Winnie the Pooh KIDS (K-4), and would love to accommodate as many students as possible. I've attached flyers for distribution; if you are able to share this with your students we would greatly appreciate it! Participation is entirely free, and students can sign up here.

We will continue to collect and recycle soft plastics through the NexTrex program! Students can place items in the large boxes by the front door.

Thank you for your support!

We would like to remind our community to be vigilant for "phishing" emails that are disguised as GCPS staff members. You should not receive any email message from a GCPS account that requests any personal information or login credentials for personal accounts. If you ever receive an email that appears suspicious, please do not forward the message but call me so that we can make our IT department aware."

In the meantime, please visit this resource for some tips on handing phishing and digital scams: https://www.cisa.gov/secure-our-world/recognize-and-report-phishing

Checkout the flyer below and also found on this link for our monthly Family Literacy News.

Please see the Volunteering page on the GCPS website to view the Volunteer Recruitment Form!

We encourage all interested volunteers to fill out the form to help us match your skills and interests with the perfect opportunities within our schools. Your time and expertise are invaluable to the success of our students, and we are grateful for your support!

If you would like to know more about he process for purchasing titles for our library, then please read more about our district procedures outlined here.

You can also opt into our program to receive updates about your student's book checkouts. Please view the information on this page for more information.

Please notify the office about transportation changes via email at beseagles@glnd.k12.va.us. If you have daily transportation needs, please make sure you provide changes at the beginning of each week for the entire week. Please make sure you have all transportation changes in prior to 1:00 PM, this allows staff time to communicate all necessary changes and avoids confusion when a call is not received. We appreciate your support.

Parents who wish to chaperone a field trip or volunteer regularly in our school must submit to a background check every 2 years using the BIB portal. The process is completely electronic.

• PowerSchool parent portal
• Add money to student lunch accounts
• Breakfast/lunch menus
• Pay school fees
• School calendars
• GCPS virtual family assistance center
• GCPS Parent-Student Handbook
• Byrd Parent Group Facebook
• Byrd Parent Forum Facebook
• Meet the Byrd Elementary Faculty and Staff

Principal: Andrew Meiller

Office Hours: 7:30am - 4:00pm

Arrival: 7:45am - 7:55am

Instructional Hours: 7:55am - 2:15pm

Dismissal: 2:15pm (car riders) - 2:30pm (buses)

Website: https://bes.goochlandschools.org/
Location: 2704 Hadensville-Fife Road, Goochland, VA, USA
Phone: 804-556-5380
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ByrdEagles/
Twitter: @EaglesBes

Instagram: @byrdeagles