BFPP NEWS

Friday, December 20th, 2024

Principal's Corner

Dear BFPP Families,

I am looking forward to spending some time with family and friends over this winter break. There will be celebrations, times for creativity and recreation, and with a new year coming the opportunity to reflect. One reflection will include the belief in our strength together and the love that I feel for my family away from home. You are MY BFPP!

I sincerely hope that we all have time this winter break for family, fun, festivities, and also some time to relax and reflect.

Warmly, Principal Kate

Kate

Upcoming Events at BFPP

12/1-1/31: Sock Drive

12/23-1/3: Winter Break, No School

Mon. Jan 6th: Classes Resume

Wed. Jan 8th: iReady Sign Up Deadline

1/14-1/24: iReady Winter Assessment Window

Wed. 1/15 1-2pm: Winter Extravaganza

Fri. 1/17: Last Day of 1st Semester Enrichment Classes

1/20-1/22: No School

Thurs. 1/23-Fri. 1/31: Learning Plan Meetings ~ No Classes

Mon. 2/3: 2nd Semester Enrichment Classes Begin

BFPP Apparel Orders

Order your BFPP T-shirts and zip-up hoodies!

Ordering info here: https://forms.office.com/r/aLq1cbxP5q

T-shirts are Bella+Canvas 3001. Size Chart

Zip hoodies are Bella+Canvas 3739. Size Chart

Questions? Ask Meredith!

Sock Drive

The sock drive is off to a great start! The Leadership in Action class is collecting new socks for the school district's Family Resource Center until January 31st. Look for the donation bin and dresser on the main floor. A big thank you to all who've donated!

Guided Drawing Class

The Guided Drawing class taught by Teacher Jim has returned on Wednesdays from 12:30-2:00pm. Come join the class as we begin to explore drawing in a fun and enjoyable atmosphere. No drawing experience needed! This is NOT a free drawing class. Each lesson is strategically planned around once specific topic. Class is geared towards students in grades 6th-8th. This class will continue until the end of second semester.

Parents, please contact your LPP for registration purposes.

Thank you, Teacher Jim.

LEGO League Competition

Congratulations to River Stier, Farron Deacon, Callum Chamberlain, and Aiden Pountney for representing BFPP at the First Lego League Challenge in Oak Harbor on December 8th.

The theme this year was Submerged. "In the SUBMERGED℠ challenge, FIRST LEGO League teams use creative thinking and LEGO® technology to explore the layers of the ocean and bring their learnings and ideas to the surface as they “sea” into the future."

BFPP First Lego League students spent the semester building the mission models, designing, building and programing EV3 and Spike Prime robots to attempt the robot challenges. They went on a field trip to the Marine Life Center where they had the opportunity to learn from experts in the field of underwater exploration. In addition, students came up with multiple ideas for their t-shirt design and voted on their top choice which was difficult because there were so many great ideas. Unfortunately, the entire class was unable to attend the competition on the 8th, but they all had a huge impact on the entire project.

The team present their Innovation Project and Robot design to a panel of judges. Some feedback and comments from the judges were, "Wonderful enthusiasm and passion! Great excitement for your project vision. I love that you love to code! Connect with more FLL teams for code and sensor learning."

The BFPP Leviathans were awarded the Breakthrough Award, a special award highlighting a team that made significant progress in confidence and capability in both the Robot Game and the Innovation Project and are a shining example of the Core Values. FLL Core Values are teamwork, inclusion, impact, fun, discovery and innovation. Students showed these Core Values through gracious professionalism and cooperation.

I want to send a huge thank you to parents for spending the entire day supporting your Innovative Leviathans. Nice work everyone!

-Marci

Gift Card Drive~ THANK YOU

A huge THANK YOU to all who helped us EXCEED our goal of 20 gift cards.

Thank you to those who contributed to and bought craft fair raffle tickets (over $140), to BFPP staff who donated the proceeds of their craft fair table (over $80), and to the many individuals who donated gift cards and money (over $300) for supporting this drive and the BFPP families who will put these cards to good use.

5th Grade Experiences

Calling all 5th graders! The last year of elementary school brings with it a number of special events- Mountain School, 5th Grade Track Meet, puberty presentations, and more!

Please fill out this form to indicate your interest in participating in some or all of these opportunities.

iReady Winter Assessment Window ~ Register by 1/8

Last call to register your child to take the WINTER iReady assessment.

REGISTER YOUR CHILD HERE.

Registration is open NOW through WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8TH at 12:00pm.

Once registered, you will have the window of January 14th to January 24th to complete the assessment at home by using the iReady link. Please connect with your Learning Partner and/or email Erin with questions.

Donations for Secondhand Sale

Inventor Fair Sign-Ups

Explorations Art Camp

I am gathering a cohort of students who want to attend a creative and highly engaging weeklong overnight immersive arts camp on March 2nd – March 7th. This opportunity is called Explorations Arts Camp for students in Washington State in grades 7-9. Explorations is held at Fort Worden State Park in Port Townsend, Washington. We will form a BFPP artists cohort, led by teacher Jackie, which will meet during the four weeks prior to camp, so we can build a cohesive artsy cohort community.

Check out the website: https://centrum.org/program/explorations-youth-program/
Register. Cost is $700.00 per kiddo – which includes lodging, all meals and multiple workshops. Some need dependent financial assistance is available, at registration indicate you are a scholarship applicant.
Indicate interest on the Google form: https://forms.gle/uHaxkJEHE3G7suDo7

Please reach out with questions.

Warmly, Rachel Throolin rthroolin@gmail.com

Free Mystery Science Access

Looking for an engaging science supplement? Mystery Science is offering free access for the rest of the school year. Click here to sign up for a teacher account!

Free Math Supplement

All Washington schools and districts have free access to the Math Nation platform and resources this year. Math Nation is a data-proven, research-backed tool designed to support students, educators, and families in middle and high school math. The platform includes K-12 Washington mathematics-aligned supplementary lessons, an interactive WCAG-compliant digital student workbook, multilingual instructional videos, 24/7 online tutoring, and comprehensive teacher and family support resources.

More Information:

YMCA Trailblazers

Fairhaven Program

New Alternative for High School in Bellingham

Are you looking for an alternative high school option after BFPP? The Fairhaven Program offers two years of instruction in Ancient Greek, local native history, mathematics, literature, art, and more. Without screens! Join us at our upcoming open house to tour our space, ask questions, and register for the fall. Prospective students are encouraged to attend.

When: January 6th, 3-6 pm
Where: 1106 Harris Ave, Suite 307 (in downtown Fairhaven)

RSVP Here!

Host Families Needed

Would your family be willing to host an international exchange student for a few months?

Hi folks, Rotary Club of Bellingham, Rotary Club of Bellingham Bay, and the Ferndale Rotary Club need host families for this academic year for our international exchange program! We sponsor local students to go on international exchange and receive international students in return.

RYE is entirely run by volunteers, so we do not offer payment for hosting. As a host family you are responsible for providing room and board, but apart from that the students pay for themselves, and there is a large group of RYE volunteers who can help out if you need a hand with things like transportation.

I can tell you that we’re looking for homes for three students:

Ferndale: A boy from Spain (16 y.o.) who is in his Junior year at Ferndale HS.
Squalicum: A boy from Japan (17 y.o.) who is in his Junior year at Squalicum HS.
Sehome: A girl from France (16 y.o.) who is in her Junior year at Sehome HS. (Host needed just for 6 weeks in the spring)

More information can be found on our website at the following two spots:

Please feel free to contact us with any additional questions. We look forward to hearing from you!

Scott William Herman: (+1-360-599-7262)

Rotary Club of Bellingham - Youth Exchange Officer

Heritage in Motion

Local Indigenous artists at Heritage in Motion at Allied Arts

The Bellingham community is invited to Heritage in Motion, January 3 to February 1, 2025 at the Allied Arts Gallery located at 1213 Cornwall. An opening reception takes place 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, January 3 during January’s Downtown Artwalk. This is a free event.

Experience the pulse of Pacific Northwest Indigenous culture through this exhibition of local artists who weave traditional influences with contemporary vision.