BFPP NEWS

Hello BFPP Families,

What an amazing summer this has been in Bellingham! I hope you have had a wonderful summer full of fun, family and fantastic adventures. We are now ready to jump into the next great adventure, the 2023-24 academic year. We are busy making preparations for you and your family here at BFPP; the excitement and anticipation is palpable. This is sure to be an extraordinary year! Please read all of the information below about our Welcome Back Celebration, Come and Connect, enrichment classes and other important bits. We got this BFPP!

Warmly,

Kate

Thurs. Aug. 31st, 12:00-2:30pm: Welcome Back Celebration

Fri. Sept 1st - Fri. Sept. 8th: Learning Plan Meetings

Mon. Sept. 4th: Labor Day- School Closed

Tues. Sept 5th - Thurs. Sept. 7th 1-2pm: Mural Painting

Tues. Sept. 5th 10-12pm: Come and Connect (6th-8th)

Wed. Sept. 6th 10-12pm: Come and Connect (3rd-5th)

Wed. Sept. 6th 12:30-2pm: Home Learning 101 Cohort A

Thurs. Sept. 7th 10-11:15am: Come and Connect (1st & 2nd)

Wed. Sept. 6th & Thurs. Sept. 7th: Registration for Enrichment Classes

Mon. Sept. 11th: Enrichment Classes Begin!

If you are a family new to BFPP, you should have attended a tour with Kate (call Caroll if you haven’t yet at 360-676-6424 to schedule) and received an invitation to “Home Learning 101” from Erin McCarthy. These are important steps in establishing your practice as the primary educator and learning about the BFPP community. You will also receive a welcome and introductory note from your Learning Plan Partner soon.

Home Learning 101: A workshop series for sharing the routines, tools and learning frameworks that will get new families started on their home learning journey.

When: 4-week cohorts begin on 9/6 at 12:30pm and 9/20 at 2pm (more cohorts offered on rotation through the months)

RSVP: Erin McCarthy at erin.mccarthy@bellinghamschools.org

All returning families should be hearing from your Learning Plan Partner by the afternoon of Wednesday, August 30th - be looking for an email. This email will include an invitation to pick a time to meet and partner in developing your child’s learning plan for the year. This may be accompanied with a Sign Up Genius.

At the initial meeting you will be establishing your learning goals and intentions for the year. You may also identify curriculum materials at this time. Learning Plan Partner meetings will start on 9/1 and continue through 9/8. Please be on the lookout for this email and be sure to promptly respond by September 1st.

Join us Thursday, August 31st beginning at noon for our Welcome Back Celebration!

12:00-2:30pm Blanket Brigade Picnic: Bring your lunch and blanket and join us on the BFPP playground to connect with old friends and meet new faces.

• 12:30 Welcome to BFPP (on the playground w/ Kate)
• 12:35 Quick Community Icebreakers (playground and field w/ Erica & Erin)
• 12:45-2:30pm Self-guided School Tours, and Community Resource Fair (in the gym)

12:45-2:30pm Community Resource Fair: Join us in the gym to visit with over 15 different community groups and BFPP clubs, including:

• Rising Moon Meadows
• Natural Learning Center
• Mathnasium
• Earthways Nature Education
• Bellingham Coding and Robotics Club
• Pace Atelier
• Bellingham Makerspace
• BFPP Math Clubs
• BFPP Future City Clubs ..... and more!

Let’s get this school year started!

Are you ready to…..

• Have fun?
• Make new friends and/or hang out with returning friends?
• Connect to campus and teachers and your community?
• Make art and laugh with others?

We are too!

Join us September 5th, 6th OR 7th for a fun day of Connection, Games, Art, and Exploration with your community grade band peers and families. Students will play structured games to help us get to know one another and we will explore campus, art supplies, music, and the joy of being together again. Families will also play games and connect but we will also get to ask questions about the year, learn about resources, and clubs, etc. This is an opportunity for new and returning families. Everyone is welcome to this day of fun and connection.

Are you in? We hope so.

Please sign up here for a day that matches your student's grade band. Students and families will both be participating in this day. Students will be engaged and supervised from 10-12 while families will be meeting from 11-12 only. Students can be dropped off from 10-11 or families can stay on campus. If your student is registered, you will be registered for the family time as well. This is a connection event for the whole family.

Please register for the day that matches your student's grade band. You can register here: https://forms.office.com/r/brpvVySaYw

We decided it was time to put our BFPP shine on this beautiful old building.

If you’d like to stay for a longer Come and Connect day, please consider signing up here to volunteer help us paint our brand-new community school mural. Ashleigh Goulet and family have been working hard to design and create a mural for our school that matches the joy and learning that takes place here. We are asking for your contribution if you’d like to add to the mural.

Painting time is from 1-2pm on each Come and Connect Day. (9/5, 9/6 & 9/7)

Everyone is welcome but registration is required for Come and Connect AND the mural, so we can ensure enough supervision.

Please register here for Come and Connect: https://forms.office.com/r/brpvVySaYw

Please sign up here for Mural Painting: https://forms.office.com/r/Dk3RECuFvL

If you have multiple students, please fill out a form for each of them.

Other questions? Contact counselor Erica Wolverton

We can’t wait to see you again.

We are excited to be offering enrichment classes again this year. There are always some updates and adjustments to the enrichment schedule due to staffing shifts, spring registration, and other changes. We will be running a registration window on September 6th and 7th (more specific information will follow). This will also allow new families to sign up for enrichment classes.

*Enrichment classes will begin the week of September 11th.*

It is important for all regular BFPP visitors (that means family members) to fill out and be cleared as a school district volunteer. This process helps ensure safety for all of us. The volunteer online application can be found here: Volunteer Program – Bellingham Public Schools (bellinghamschools.org). Stop by and visit Jennifer Gaer at the Community Resource Fair for further information.

New to BFPP?

Check out the BFPP Welcome Guide.

Have Questions?

Your Learning Plan Partner (LPP) is a great first point of contact.

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Facebook Groups

Looking to connect with other families at our partnership program or in our larger homeschooling community? Check out these Facebook groups. They're a great way to hear about homeschooling opportunities in our community, get advice from other families, and find quick answers to those burning school questions!

Bellingham Family Partnership Program Parents Facebook Group

Homeschoolers of Whatcom County Facebook Group

Hi! My name is Heidi Zollner and I'm a BFPP mom to Luke, Anna, and Nate.

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Please help me meet this goal by taking this QUICK SURVEY about how you use the newsletter! I'd love to make BFPP newsletter communication more efficient and relevant for us all. Thank you!

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