BES Family Newsletter

The excitement of the first few days of school filled our hallways this week. It is always wonderful to welcome students and families back into the building after planning for the start of the year all summer. One student told me today that they felt like we have been in school for "one thousand, trillion years!" Despite how tired students and teachers are from our first three days, we are looking forward to a wonderful year!

As we start a new school year, I encourage all parents to review our Family Handbook. There have been some changes and updates since last year. I have highlighted some of them below.

We will send out a newsletter every few weeks to keep parents informed about school events, student celebrations, and important information.

In Partnership,

Edith Fogarty, Principal

Every year, OESU administrators select an elementary teacher and a secondary teacher for the UVM Teacher of the Year recognition. This year, I had the pleasure of announcing that BES Math Interventionist Chris Rogers was selected by her colleagues for this award. We are incredibly lucky to benefit from her passion for teaching and love of mathematics. Ms. Rogers will be honored with other teachers from around Vermont at a ceremony later this year. Please feel free to reach out to congratulate her if you have the chance.

You may have noticed a few new staff members in the halls. We are very pleased to welcome Lindsay Geary as our new Speech and Language Pathologist. She comes to us from BMU.

Stephanie Diamond is returning to BES as a Special Educator. Last year she worked at Newbury Elementary School supporting their autism classroom.

Simeon Cook is the Building Operation Supervisor for both Newbury Elementary and Bradford Elementary. He is supporting our maintenance and facilities crew and helping the elementary schools take a collective look at our facilities.

Finally, I am thrilled to welcome Carrie Emerson to our kitchen team. She is joining our crew as the head cook. She brings years of foodservice and catering experience, as well as a love of working with students.

Ramona Gallant is filling in teaching 4th grade math and science while Mrs. Teullane is out on maternity leave. Ms. Gallant has worked in OESU for many years as a special educator and has worked as a long term sub in several schools prior to this year.

Please make sure to communicate with the front office about any upcoming appointments and after school plans. The best way to contact the office is through the besoffice@oesu.org email address. You may also call the office at 802-222-4077. If you do not contact the school when your child is absent, the school will begin calling parents around 8am. You must contact the office by 2pm about any after school plans so that staff has the opportunity to get information to classroom teachers. It may not be possible to accommodate last minute changes.

“When am I ever going to use this in real life?” — It’s a question I hear ALL the time from my 6th grade math students!

I’m looking for people who use math regularly in their careers and would be willing to spend just 5–10 minutes with my class sharing what they do and, most importantly, how they use math in their everyday work.

Maybe you’re an engineer, contractor, chef, carpenter, business owner, nurse, architect, farmer, designer, scientist, mechanic, accountant—or maybe you have a career that uses math in a way students would never expect!

This is a great opportunity to help students make a connection between the math they are learning in the classroom and the world beyond school.

Interested in sharing your career with my 6th graders?
Please contact Amy Hayward at amy.hayward@oesu.org.

Every morning, students at BES have the opportunity to have breakfast free of charge. Over the past several years, we have noticed that many students choose between breakfast or recess when they arrive at school. We never want students to have to choose whether or not they can have breakfast, especially for those who need a few minutes to get their energy out at recess.

Miss Courtney and her kitchen team have started putting together a breakfast cart that will deliver breakfast to any students who did not have the chance to eat in the cafeteria. The cart will stop outside of classroom doors, and students may select their breakfast items to bring back to their classroom. Any food that students do not eat for breakfast can be eaten for snack or brought home. Please make sure to check your child's backpack periodically for any items that may need to be removed.

Students may be receiving homework sooner than in previous years. Our goal is to help students and families establish healthy routines right from the beginning of school instead of waiting until the middle of October. Teachers will teach homework routines and expectations during class. We encourage families to identify a time in the evening and a location in your home so that students can focus on their homework. Homework includes some practice of math and literacy skills, along with nightly reading. For more information about homework expectations, please see our Family Handbook.

Our school administrators across OESU have decided to no longer excuse absences for family vacations. Being in school every day helps students learn, take part in class activities, and stay connected with their teachers and classmates. Lessons and group work are hard to make up after a student is gone. The is especially true when students are receiving intervention services. In addition, when a student is absent for 10% or more of the school year, Student Services cannot consider a student for a specific learning disability, because the team will not be able to determine if the cause of the learning challenges is due to missed instruction or a learning disability. We know that family trips can be important, but we ask families to plan vacations during school breaks when possible. Thank you for helping us make regular attendance a priority.

Please find more information in the BES Handbook

Please drive with care as you travel along Fairground Road and on school grounds. Fairground Road has a speed limit of 25 MPH and frequently has individuals crossing the road around drop off and pick up time. One of our neighbors also has school-aged children near the Fairground entrance to the back circle. Drivers need to stop completely at the stop sign and double-check that no one is crossing the road as they enter and exit the back parking lot on the main road.

The front parking lot is busiest on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings when preschool parents drop off their children. We also have students who serve our school community by raising and lowering the flag each day. Please be mindful that they may be walking in the parking lot as well. Any time that you do park the front parking lot, please avoid parking in the Staff parking spots along the left-hand side of the building. These are reserved for staff who may be coming and going throughout the day or may be transporting students.

Please remember that Vermont law requires drivers to stop when approaching a school bus with its red lights flashing and stop arm extended, even (or especially) in the school parking lot. Drivers must remain stopped until the lights stop flashing and the bus begins moving again, helping ensure that children can safely board and exit the bus. You may not, at any time, pass a bus in our parking lot with their lights on!. Passing a stopped school bus can result in a significant fine and points on your driver’s license.

Thank you for helping to keep our community safe!

We are looking for parents and community volunteers to serve on our Low St. John Forest Committee. This committee will help to plan to use and maintenance of the Forest. If interested, please contact the school or email Principal Fogarty at edith.fogarty@oesu.org.

The Bradford PTO is always looking for new members and supporters. While we recognize that no everyone is able to attend meetings, we are always looking for parents and community members who may be able to help with donations or supporting events. Last year we held a Bingo night, supported RockFest, sponsored Tattoo a Teacher, and organized Teacher Appreciation Week events. This year we provided dessert for Back to School Night and are organizing a classroom supply drive. If you are interested in learning more, please sign up here and follow us on Facebook.

Thank you to our volunteer gardeners who worked to thin our plants and remove weeds prior to the start of school. Jess, Megan & Yvette made sure that the front of our school looked beautiful to welcome families and students. We are grateful for their work again this year!

Sept 4: Early Release @ 11:45

Sept 7: NO SCHOOL - Labor Day

Sept 9: OUUSD Board Mtg @ 5:30 - Oxbow High School

Sept 14: Picture Day

Sept 17: Grades 3-5 to Tunbridge Fair

Sept 29: All School Tucker Mountain Hike

Sept 30: Early release @ 11:45am