September 2026 Newsletter

We had a great first full week of school!

It's been great seeing the building come alive again! Our students are settling into their routines, reconnecting with friends and getting know new friends and their teachers!

Thank you so much for your patience and partnership as we get this year up and running. The beginning of the year always comes with a lot of moving pieces and we truley appreciate your support as we settle into the year.

We are looking forward to meeting many of you at the Meet the Teacher Night on Thursday, September 24th. This is a great opportunity to meet your child's teacher, visit the classroom and learn about the year ahead. Please refer to the flyer that was sent home and in this newsletter for the grade level and special area times! We can't wait to see you there!

As we head into the rest of September, we are excited for all that is ahead. Thank you for being such an important part of our South Avenue Community.

All the events listed above are already on the South Avenue Calendar. If you would like to add the calendar please see the information below! We add as much information to the calendar so we can keep everyone up to date and informed on all the fun happenings at South!

The South Avenue Calendar for the 2026 - 2027 school year can be added to your calendar by clicking here.

Here are some important upcoming events:

September 24: Meet the Teacher Night

September 25: BHS Homecoming

September 27: Spirit of Beacon Day Parade

October 6: Picture Day

October 7: Therapy Dog Visit

October 12: No School

October 14: Swimming - Grades 2 & 5

October 14: PTA Meeting (6PM, South Avenue)

October 15: Swimming - Grades 1 & 4

October 16: Trunk or Treat

October 17: Girls in Sports Day (Grades 3-5) @ BHS

October 22: Fire Prevention Assembly

October 23: Swimming - Grade 3

October 30: Halloween Parade

Day 6 of 182: South Avenue made their mark on Dot Day! September 15th is Dot Day, and our students celebrated in Art Class by reading The Dot and learning that everyone has the power to make their own mark!

Then it was time to get creative! Students stamped dots all over their papers, creating colorful designs that they’ll use for future projects. We can’t wait to see where their creativity takes them!

🔵🟢

#pantherpride #182daysofsouthave #southavepanthers #wearesouthave

Please use this form to sign up for our Fall Clubs offered at South Avenue! We are excited to offer a range of clubs for your child to participate in! Please take a moment to review the club options available. We've also included a link so you can see the specific dates the clubs are offered. Please select the club which best supports your child's' need and we will communicate to you if your child will be attending the club for the Fall sessions or if they are currently on a waitlist. Clubs are extremely popular at South Avenue so please only sign up for the clubs your child can commit to, thank you so much!

Most after school clubs will run from 3:30 to 4:15, fill out only the clubs your child would like to participate in. If a club runs longer the time is noted on the flyer. No morning clubs will be offered this year, sorry for any inconvenience! There is an option to pick a second and third choice for some, if applicable.

Clubs will be added to the South Ave Calendar. The dates will also be listed on the South Avenue Website. Club advisors will reach out to you with dates of their clubs as well!

Dear Kindergarten Families,

Our BEACON kindergarten students are all invited to participate in a special celebration during the Beacon Bulldogs Homecoming Football Game on Friday, September 25, 2026!

The game begins at 6:30 PM, and the halftime celebration is expected to take place between 7:00 and 7:15 PM. During halftime, our kindergarteners are invited to:

Run on the BHS turf field
Meet our mascot Buffy the Bulldog at the 50 yard line

Take a group photo with the Class of 2039 Banner and the Beacon Spirit Stick!

This exciting moment will symbolize the Class of 2039 officially becoming Beacon Bulldogs!

During the game, an announcement will provide families with a designated meeting location where participating children can be dropped off with an event chaperone and/or elementary school principal. A designated pick-up location will also be announced. Parents and guardians must remain at the game while their child participates and are not allowed to accompany them on the field.

The Varsity Football Field is located behind Beacon High School at 101 Matteawan Road. All participating kindergarteners should wear Beacon Bulldogs gear or Beacon HS colors - navy and/or gold!

We hope your family will join us for this memorable celebration. We can’t wait to welcome the Class of 2039 to the Homecoming Game and officially recognize them as Beacon Bulldogs!

Go Bulldogs!

Sincerely,

Michael Carofano, Athletic Director

The Parent Portal is a great way to receive electronic school communication and access important student information. You should already have access to the Parent Portal if your account has been previously created.

If you have an older student in the district and already have a Parent Portal account, you do not need to create a new account. Instead, you can follow the steps for adding a student to your existing Parent Portal account.

Please remember that report cards are only available through the Parent Portal.

If you are having trouble accessing your account or logging into PowerSchool, please contact the Beacon Help Desk at ParentSupport@beaconk12.org.

Next week, our school will focus on the character strength of Open-Mindedness. This means being willing to consider new ideas and try new things. It involves looking at situations from all sides and not jumping to conclusions.

Open-mindedness is about seeking out and fairly weighing evidence, even if it goes against our own opinions or goals. Open-minded people listen to different viewpoints, including those that are less popular. They are often good listeners and provide balanced advice, which makes them great friends and confidants. This strength helps individuals form meaningful and lasting relationships.

To practice and encourage the character strength of open-mindedness at home, please visit The Positivity Project’s mobile-friendly P2 for Families (available in English and Spanish), where you will watch a video together and discuss a quote and three questions. Below are links to this week’s P2 for Families lessons. Click on the grade level that best meets your child’s needs.

Pre-K–K

Thank you for your support!

We know so much information is going home throughout the school year and we know it can be a lot to keep track of!

To make communication more effective and easier to access, we will outline the community newsletters more clearly. We will have a live, running document with each newsletter and all the information included in the newsletter. Easier access and all in one place!

Our goal is to keep you informed and connected with us without trying to find which newsletter might have had the information - thank you!

Jeana Alfano and her cat Jolene live in Cold Spring. Together, they enjoy watching TV shows, laughing with friends, and reading. Jeana is a local musician and plays in a cover band called Lucky House! One of her favorite songs to perform is You Know I'm No Good by Amy Winehouse. Jeana enjoys dancing, spending time outside, and eating dumplings. Teaching special education music at a residential school in Yorktown is how Jeana ignited her passion for education. That experience taught her the value of accessibility, acceptance, and equity in the classroom. Fueled by Dunkin iced coffee, Jeana is excited for this next chapter as a member of the South Ave community!

It’s time to sign up for or renew your membership to the South Avenue PTA! We invited all parents, guardians, teachers, staff and community members to sign up for annual membership. Membership dues are a suggested donation of $10.

Dear Beacon Community:

We are forming a Technology Advisory Committee comprised of parents, teachers, administrators, and students that will meet throughout the 26-27 school year. The committee will advise the BCSD Board of Education and me on potential changes to policies and guidelines, specifically regarding educational technology.

• We will review potential improvements to our existing Artificial Intelligence Policy.
• We will review current technology use, stakeholder survey data, and best practices in other school districts.
• We will work to develop consensus on recommendations to the Board of Education for next steps.

You can read my update to the community, which includes information on our screen audit from last spring and other changes we have made with student Chromebooks from June 2026 here: https://www.beaconk12.org/departments/technology/updates

The committee will meet in person on:

Tuesday, October 27 at 4:30

Tuesday, December 1 at 6:00

Tuesday, January 12 at 4:30

Tuesday, March 2 at 4:30

Tuesday, May 11 at 6:00

Meetings may be added and/or sub-committees formed once we have the first meeting.

If you are interested in applying to be on the committee, please fill out this short form by Monday, September 28: https://forms.gle/zWcauXKww7L1y3TN7

I will make final decisions on committee membership by mid October. I will primarily look for parents and teachers who can represent all stages of our PK-12 district.