Byam Newsletter

• November 11- No School - Veterans Day
• November 12- BSA Meeting (Virtual)
• November 19 - Early Release Day for Parent/Teacher Conferences

School will not be in session on Tuesday, November 11 in observance of Veterans Day.

We are excited to announce Byam School will be holding our first food drive of the year, to benefit the Chelmsford Food Pantry. Running Monday November 10th through Thursday November 20th. The letter is below, and is also attached. The live link to the Chelmsford Pantry item needs is in the letter that is attached. You can either send in donation items with your student(s), or drop off donations to our container outside our main entrance.

We are at the beginning of family-teacher conference season. These conferences are an important piece in ongoing home-school communication and family involvement. The Harvard Family Research Project from the Harvard School of Education highlights three themes when approaching family-teacher conferences. Conferences should be a two-way conversation where both sides share information about the student. These conferences place an emphasis on learning. Finally conferences will most likely contain opportunities and challenges. They will include positive feedback and also areas for improvement. Home to school communication is a predictor for positive outcomes for students and schools and we at Byam look at our conference times with you as a way to strengthen our partnership.

One of our major functions as a school is to support our students' social and emotional development. One way that we achieve this is provide tier 2 opportunities in our PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports) system. These opportunities give students extra practice and support in developing Social Emotional Learning (SEL) skills. We are in the process of finalizing these opportunities for selected students.

PRIDE ambassador applications have been sent home with fourth graders. We asked students to return applications to homeroom teachers by Wednesday November 19th. The first PRIDE Ambassador meeting is Wednesday December 10th.

P - Perseverance

R - Respectfulness

I - Integrity

D - Dedication

E - Empathy

Help spread the word to our community members, we are currently accepting applications for a paraeducator, ABA paraeducator, and recess aide position.

Please find a schedule of various food pantry locations in the document below.

The holidays are right around the corner! Resources for holiday support are now available. Any families who can benefit from additional support should reach out to Lyndsey O’Neil, School Counselor, via email at oneill@chelmsford.k12.ma.us. A few local Chelmsford community programs generously provide help for the holidays and Lyndsey O’Neil can help coordinate this with any family in need.

Forms for Beacon Santa (Due 10/31) and the Santa Fund (11/8) are attached below and paper copies are available in the main office at Byam. Mr. Fredette or Mrs. Dolan can sign any forms that require a staff member signature. Please note the individual deadlines for form submissions as they are approaching soon. The Salvation Army form will open starting October 1st. Please note the QR code will not work before October 1st and they will only be taking the first 600 families.

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month

Knowing the signs of type I diabetes can save a child’s life! If your child exhibits these symptoms, reach out to their pediatrician for advice.

• Frequent urination

• Increased thirst

• Bed-wetting in children who previously didn't wet the bed during the night

• Extreme hunger

• Unintended weight loss

• Irritability and other mood changes

• Fatigue and weakness

• Blurred vision

People who have type 1 diabetes can’t use glucose (the body’s main type of sugar) for energy. That’s because their body stopped making the hormone insulin. Normally, after we eat, the amount of glucose in the blood (blood sugar) goes up. When it does, the pancreas sends insulin into the blood. Insulin works like a key that opens the doors of the body’s cells to let the glucose in, giving the cells the energy they need.

In type 1 diabetes, the pancreas doesn’t make insulin. Without insulin, glucose can't get into the cells. It stays in the blood, which leads to high blood sugar. Having too much sugar in the blood isn’t healthy and can cause health problems.

You also can learn more about type 1 diabetes online:

• The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF)

• CDC: Type 1 Diabetes

• BeyondType1

Sources: https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/type1.html

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/type-1-diabetes/symptoms-causes/syc-20353011

November is Indigenous People’s Heritage Month! We have lots of excellent books in our library celebrating the heritage of Native people, and I have begun sharing several with your children during library class.

Over the next two weeks, we are privileged to welcome Byam mom and Delaware/Lenape storyteller Erin Jordan. She will be visiting every class, dressed in full regalia and sharing traditional stories with our students. This is the third year Ms. Jordan has come, and we say “Wanishi” to her. Or, as our kindergarten students have learned to say in the language of the Cherokee: “Otsaliheliga” (pronounced oh-jah-LEE-hay-lee-gah) We are grateful!

Betsey C. Driscoll

Byam School Librarian

SAVE THE DATES:

11/05-11/21 Spiritwear Sale

11/07 UML Hockey Byam Night

11/07 Byam’s Got Talent sign ups open

11/12 BSA Virtual meeting

11/30 Cookie Dough sale ENDS

03/28 Byam’s Got Talent

All Byam Elementary School students, family, & friends! We invite you to join us for this special offer brought to you by the BSA as the River Hawks do battle with their Hockey East rivals, the New Hampshire Wildcats!

Come show support as a portion of each ticket sold will be donated back to the BYAM School to fund future events and end of year festivities!

Listed ticket price includes all additional fees, and all tickets will be delivered via email.

🗓️TONIGHT Friday, November 7th @ 7:15 PM

📍Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell

🏒UNH Wildcats @ UML River Hawks

LINK for tickets: https://www.gofevo.com/event/BYAM1107

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 at ByamsGotTalent@gmail.com.

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

The BSA has partnered with Rebecca's Nut-Free Premium Cookie Dough, a local small business out of Ipswich, for a new and exciting fundraiser! Throughout the month of November, students will have the opportunity to open their own "Cookie Store" online to sell cookies to family and friends.

All products from Rebecca's Nut-Free Premium Cookie Dough are completely nut-free. There are many gluten-free and top 9-allergen-free options available as well. You'll even find fun decorating kits for the upcoming holidays, which are perfect for families to enjoy together.

Attached is a flyer to scan if you'd like to start fundraising right away on November 1st. Next week, students will also be receiving an order form with pictures of products and details on how to create their "Cookie Store". All orders must be done online, but the flyer is a great way to show friends and families the delicious cookies and what Rebecca's Nut-Free has to offer.

If you have any questions, please contact the BSA at bsa.chelmsford@gmail.com. We're looking forward to a fun and yummy fundraiser!

SPIRITWEAR SALE NOW OPEN

Order your BYAM SPIRIT WEAR! Orders will arrive before winter break!

NEW THIS YEAR ARE GRADUATING CLASS SPECIFIC SHIRTS!!!

STORE CLOSES FRIDAY NOVEMBER 21 NOON so get your orders in before then!

Orders can be sent home with students or picked up from 3 Rack Rd upon arrival. If you choose pickup, please watch for an email from the school indicating pickup times.

link: https://bsa.ptboard.com/formvw?store=6190&form=4

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

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

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 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...

Zoom • Email • Website • Facebook • Minutes • Donate • Volunteering​

Below you will find the Chelmsford Community Education fall course book where there are activities for young children and teens of many ages.

Office: Secretary Quinn quinncm@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Clerk/Attendance: murphys@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Principal Fredette fredettej@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Assistant Principal Dolan dolane@chelmsford.k12.ma.us

Website: https://byam.chelmsfordschools.org/about/
Location: 25 Maple Road, Chelmsford, MA, USA
Phone: 978-251-5144