BFPP NEWS

Dear BFPP Families,

It might be getting chillier outside, but we have both warm bodies and hearts at BFPP! Thanks to our functioning boiler it is lovely to walk into a warm building. I appreciate all of the patience demonstrated last year in living with the temporary solution....but really grateful to have heat.

The other warmth at BFPP is all the heart forward care and community that is demonstrated each day. You can feel it in the halls, through conversations and friendly interactions. I am truly grateful that we can embrace each other in a diverse community with various beliefs, values, philosophies and lived practices. We can achieve this because there is a focus on shared respect and common hopes. Keep living in love BFPP! That is how to bring both light and warmth to the world.

With a glowing heart,

Kate

Greetings BFPP Families,

Can you believe that it is already December? It feels as though the year is flying by! These next couple weeks are filled with exciting community events and Winter Break will be here before we know it. Although this time of year is filled with many joys it can also be a time of financial strain. Whether it is increased heating costs or holiday bills stacking up – sometimes additional support can be critical. Listed below are some community resources. Please reach out to myself or our family resource representative, Emily, if you have any questions or need additional support!

Family Resource Center

Representative/Liaison: Emily Humphrey-Krigbaum

Email: Emily.Humphrey-Krigbaum@BellinghamSchools.org

Phone: 360-393-8738

Resources

• Holiday Meal Support - Whatcom Asset Building Coalition
• Holiday Gifts – Bellingham Community Toy Store through Whatcom County Love Inc. (reach out to myself or Emily)
• Yes Cards – Limited gift card assistance funded by Bellingham Public Schools Foundation (reach out to myself or Emily)
• Winter Clothing - Blue Skies For Children - About US
• Energy Assistance - Energy/Utility Assistance – Opportunity Council
• Activities - Holiday Happenings in Whatcom County (some free & some with fees)

Wishing you and your family all the best!

Warmly, Counselor Jess

jessica.sheasley@bellinghamschools.org

360-676-6424 x 4966

12/1-1/31: Sock Drive

Mon. 12/9, 12:30-2:30pm: Card Making Party! All are welcome, come make cards.

Wed. 12/11, 12:30-2pm: Guided Drawing Class Begins

Thurs. 12/12, 12-1pm: Potluck and Sing, 1:30-3pm: Craft Fair

Tues. 12/17, 12:30-2pm: Sturdy Parenting Group

Wed. 12/18, 11am & 6pm: The Odyssey Drama Production

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

Please remember to leave some parking spots near the entrance of BFPP for our community members with mobility challenges. If you can park a bit further down the block that would be a huge help. Thank you!

Need a break from meal prep? Want to save a little money on grocery shopping? Remember you can always take home food from community meals! Feel free to take a whole delivery tupperware (please return it), bring your own tupperware, or use the tinfoil in the kitchen to pack some up. Community meals are every Wednesday at 12 noon and leftovers are kept in the Family Lounge fridge/freezer.

The Leadership in Action class has another exciting project they would like to share with you. As you will see in the pictures, we had a community member with MS come to our classroom. His name is Namaan. He won volunteer of the year award from the Bellingham School District. He volunteers in 15 of Bellingham’s schools! He is a very positive human wanting to do good in the world. He asked our leadership class if we would help with a project he is wanting to do. It is collecting socks for the Family Resource Center for families in need. The Family Resource Center is run by the school district . As you might have already seen, there are strings of socks above decorated boxes to contribute to. Kate will also be bringing her dresser to collect draws of socks.

Namaan will have a table that folks can contribute socks at the craft fair on December 12th. Please consider donating. Students will be taking turns hanging out at the table with him.

So far we're up to 15 donated gift cards!

Help us reach our goal of twenty $20 gift cards by winter break!

How You Can Help:

• Donate Gift Cards: Fred Meyer gift cards in $20 increments are best! Gift cards to Safeway, Walmart, Winco, and gift cards to gas stations (in $20 increments) are also helpful.
• Donate Cash: Let us buy the gift card for you! No amount is too small. Venmo option available - @Heidi_Zollner
• Buy Raffle Tickets: Come to the BFPP Craft Fair on 12/12 and purchase raffle tickets - all proceeds will go to purchase gift cards.
• Drop off your donation with Peggy, Counselor Jess, or BFPP parent Heidi Zollner.

Check the Lost & Found collection outside the Global Citizen room! It's overflowing with sweatshirts, coats, water bottles, and treasures of all sorts. Unclaimed items will be donated over winter break.

The Guided Drawing class taught by Teacher Jim returns on Wednesday December 11th 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.

BFPP's Children's Winter Craft Fair is next week, after the Potluck & Sing!

Thursday, December 12th from 1:30-3pm in the gym

Last call for vendors! Sign up to be a vendor here!

This event features a raffle of craft items with proceeds going to gift cards for BFPP families in need. *STILL NEEDED: A volunteer to oversee the raffle table - sell tickets and organize the raffle items into bundles. Please email Heidi if you can do this.*

Everyone is welcome to come and shop, so spread the word to your family, friends, and neighbors!

We’ll again delve into the research of Dr. Becky Kennedy, clinical psychologist and author of Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want To Be. Join us! And come with a sense of camaraderie and a willingness to explore and connect. Come with some thoughts about this Dr. Becky nugget: The role of a sturdy parent is to: “acknowledge, validate, permit.”

Please RSVP to Erin at erin.mccarthy@bellinghamschools.org by 12/16. And for those of you who haven’t yet listened to Dr. Becky on the Huberman Lab, you can find it here.

These performances are free. Donations to the theater program are requested and appreciated!

Important information about iReady:

• iReady will help determine areas of strength and growth in reading and math
• iReady should be used 3x a year (fall, winter, spring) to chart your child’s growth
• iReady is an adaptive, online assessment that corresponds with My Path online supplemental skill-building curriculum
• iReady is done at home with your technical guidance, but not your help
• Let your child know that this is one tool, one snapshot of their learning, one moment in time. An assessment is never the sum of their intelligence.
• The assessment will be open for those who register January 14th-24th
• Learn more about i-Ready by watching the following videos:

• I-Ready Diagnostic for Families
• I-Ready Family Center

You must register your child to take the WINTER iReady assessment. REGISTER YOUR CHILD. 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.

Hi Families of 7th -9th graders,

Check this out….

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.

Wanna know more?

• 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

Then…..

• 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.
• Attend the weeklong camp March 2nd-March 7th.
• Artsy cohort members attend camp together which looks like this…
• Organically prepared breakfast with friends each morning.
• Participation in a core art workshop 2x every day (morning and afternoon) – Offerings are different each year. Last year offerings included Comics and World Building, Caribbean Steel Pan Band, Music and Roots (songwriting and performance); Contemporary Dance; and Spoken Word Poetry.
• All workshops are taught by working artists - experts in their field.
• Long breaks in the middle of the day for age-appropriate time to mix and mingle or recharge. Organized activities like capture the flag are also offered.
• Dinner as a whole artsy cohort community followed by evening presentations from artists sharing their professional work.
• Chaperones are provided for dorm room living, typically two students per room.
• On Friday students put on a showcase to illustrate all their new learning.

Still Wondering? Reach out with questions.

Warmly, Rachel Throolin rthroolin@gmail.com

Interested in Study Abroad at BFPP? See what we're thinking and help plan best next steps.

Join weekly Thought Partner Meetings! Families with current 5th - high school students, 5th-high school students, and staff are invited. Please email your questions and ideas to Brooke.

Weekly Beginning 11/19: Tuesdays 5:30-6:00 on Zoom: https://bellinghamschools.zoom.us/my/brookewertz

Weekly Beginning 11/26: Tuesdays 12:00-12:30 in the BFPP Library

Click here to take our 2nd Study Abroad Survey.

Click here to view results from the first study abroad survey.

It’s that time of year to think about snow and our procedures and impact of weather-related school cancellations. Depending on conditions, BFPP could close for the day or open two hours late.

If schools are open two hours late, all classes, meetings, and events at BFPP before 11am are canceled. Classes that begin at 11am and later will occur at their normal times.

Even when school is open for the day, families make their own decisions about travelling to campus during adverse weather.

Please familiarize yourself with our weather procedures at bellinghamschools.org/weather.

NEXT WEEK December 8-14 is "Shop for Schools" week at Launching Success Learning Store. Mention BFPP in person or in the notes on an online purchase. At the end of the week, Launching Success gives 10% of the pre-tax total back to the school.

Pre-K Dance and Theatre
(Ages 2.5-4)
Description: Join us for a fun filled hour of creative movement, storytelling and imagination led theatre games. Caregivers are encouraged to stay and participate in class when prompted!
Weekly classes: Tuesdays from 10:00-11:00 AM
January 14-February 25

Mini Pixie Art
(Ages 5-6)
Description: Jump into this daytime art class at BAAY! Students will engage with different mediums and techniques through a plethora of fun projects.
Weekly classes: Thursdays from 1:00-2:00 PM
January 16- April 3

Mega Pixie Art
(Ages 7-8)
Description: Jump into this daytime art class at BAAY! During the visual arts lessons, students will engage with different mediums and techniques through a plethora of fun projects.
Weekly classes: Thursdays from 2:15-3:15 PM
January 16-April 3

Improv Class
Grades 6-8
Description: Explore improvisational comedy through a series of games and scene work. Students will develop a toolkit to collaborate as a group and create hilarious theatre on the spot! Through improv, we’ll learn skills like communication, problem-solving, and emotional intelligence.
Weekly classes: Tuesdays from 12:30-2:00 PM
January 14-April 1

Registration for all classes can be accessed on our website: www.BAAY.org

Newsletter contributions always welcome! Please send items of interest to our school community to Heidi Zollner.

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