Paw Prints September 2014
2014-2015 PTO Officers Georgia Pearson President Marivee Jerome Vice President Mandy Black 2 Vice President nd
Sharon Pierson Treasurer Leslie Black Secretary Michael O’Brien Historian Michelle Grant Parliamentarian Anna Hart Fundraising Chair Karyn McRee Head Room Mom Ann Welborn K-2nd Teacher Rep Tricia Shanlever 3rd-5th Teacher Rep Open Position Assistant Treasurer
Click here to view the online Bluff Park Elementary Calendar
Its always funny to me to see the back to school sales after Labor Day. We have already been in school for a month, & it has been a fantastic month! Thank you for having your children ready & excited to return to school. The first day was one of the best that I can remember. Teachers have worked hard over the summer learning how to use the new technology that is in their classrooms. This new equipment will help us to better differentiate the curriculum for students. The Chrome Books for 3rd, 4th, & 5th grade students should be here by the first of November. The Chrome Books will have to have a case to be able to be taken home. I would encourage you to buy a good one that will provide the best protection possible. These are the devices that your child will be using until they are a high school senior. There are new faces at Bluff Park & some that have changed grades. Our new teachers this year are Mrs. Shipp (kindergarten), Ms. Eagerton & Mrs. Voljoen (1st grade), & Mrs. Guy (3rd grade). Teachers that have changed grades are Mrs. Stone (4th grade) & Mrs. Pope & Mrs. Elmore (5th grade). I know that you will make all these teachers feel welcomed. Thank you for following the new procedures for morning carpool. It is a much safer place for students now & is actually moving faster. I just want to remind you that there is no drop-off in the Artist on the Bluff parking lot. This is very dangerous for your child, & the police will be enforcing the traffic regulations. We want you to be actively involved in your child’s education. One of our goals is to keep you up-to-date on what is happening at school. Every Friday an email is sent to you with information about the school. If you are not getting these, please let your child’s teacher know. You can also find us on Facebook & Twitter by searching Bluff Park Elementary. We have high expectations for your children. Please help them to do their best. Talk with them about what they are learning. Check assignment books & folders. If something needs to be signed, please sign it & make sure they put it back in the folder to come to school. Please feel free to come eat lunch with your child anytime. Just let your child’s teacher know your lunch choice so you can be included in the lunch count. Finally, before bedtime read with your child. It can be them reading to you or you reading to them or each of you reading your own book. Just READ. Remember, your child needs laptop time. Not with a computer but in your lap as a family. Dr. David Fancher, Principal
IMPORTANT DATES September 4 September 6 September 10 October 2
Vision & Hearing Screening Fall Clean Up Midterm Progress Reports Bluff Park Outdoor Social
During School 8AM 5:30-7PM
PTO GIFT WRAP
Money due Wednesday, September 10 Help us make this the best year yet! Interested in being part of Bluff Park Team Green? It’s free! Team Green is for all Bluff Park students with an interest in our environment. Team Green has already met with Alabama P.A.L.S. (People Against a Littered State). Now Team Green and Mrs. Argo are collaborating to create an environmental art sculpture using recycled materials. The sculpture will be showcased at the Moss Rock Art Festival. If you have yellow margarine containers, bring those to Mrs. McGowan’s room. New & Returning Team Members: Please fill out the brief form to let us know of your interest! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1n7hfWGv8xMi
Kindness Matters at Bluff Park Elementary! Tell us how you’re serving our community by clicking on the picture. It will take you to a few questions so you can share how you’re helping others. Students will be recognized each 9 weeks. Please see Mrs. Simpson with any questions.
Bluff Park Day What an exciting and fun day! Please join us in thanking and supporting these businesses that support us! Tip Top Grill $350 Bluff Park Diner $150 Casey Davis Dentistry $100 & free teeth whitening for that day’s clients Bluff Park Hardware Awesome gardening basket Also, a very special thanks to Carlo Joseph for his generous donation: Carlo’s grandson started kindergarten this year and is his family’s third generation to attend Bluff Park Elementary! Thanks to everyone who came out and made the day great!
Click the images to learn more about these local businesses!
The running program in physical education has begun, & we are so excited! The KICKOFF Run was August 29th with all classes participating during PE time. We have a lot of exciting things planned for this year, & we can’t wait to see your child participating!
Upcoming Dates September 4 September 9 December 12 March 20 February 21
First Afternoon Run (2:45-3:15PM) First Morning Run (7:20-7:40AM) Jingle Bell Run-1 mile fun run for students at BPES during school day Shamrock Shuffle-1 mile fun run for students at BPES during school day Kids Mercedes Marathon-Saturday morning in downtown Birmingham
Panther Runners Club Information
We will begin PR Club after Labor Day for students in 2nd-5th grades. Running days will be Tuesday mornings (7:20-7:40) & Thursday afternoons (2:45-3:15). A student MUST have signed permission form to attend before or after school for run times. Please click on the correct link below for your child’s grade level & carefully read the information & complete the Google form. A form must be completed for each child participating.
Links for Permission Form
(MUST be completed for your child to participate) 5th grade http://bit.ly/1kWtBb8 4th grade http://bit.ly/1rnfmPs 3rd grade http://bit.ly/1trU7bZ 2nd grade http://bit.ly/1qrKdnH K-1st PR Club will begin in October 7th & permission forms will be sent out closer to that time. K-1st students who have registered for Kids Mercedes Marathon can attend PR Club. More information on Kids Mercedes Marathon will be sent in September but save the date: February 21st, 2015!!!! Bluff Park has had a great turnout for this event for the past several years, and we’d love to see that continue! Click the picture to learn more marathon, how it all started, and what it supports.
Hi Everyone, This has been the busiest beginning of school ever in the entire world! We have accomplished so much as a school & community in so little time. We kicked things off in Bluff Park style by having our second annual Class List Day Cool Down, where the PTO handed out icy pops for all the pool- & park-worn families, eager to see which awesome teacher they would have this year. After that we all got to meet our fabulous teachers & start school on August 7th. Four days later, you all came out to listen & discuss the Hoover Schools rezoning proposal with Mr. Andy Craig. This was an event that took some careful planning & hours of preparation. I would like to personally thank all those who help make it happen. We had Parents, Teachers & Staff all working together to plan out & prepare for every detail of the evening. I also want to thank all the parents who came out to make their voices heard & to listen to Mr. Craig’s presentation. I am also very grateful for Mr. Craig’s willingness to address our Bluff Park Parents, Teachers & Staff. As if all this activity right at the beginning of school wasn’t enough, we dove right into the first ever Bluff Park Day, which was outrageously successful! This also took untold hours of preparation in an extremely short period of time, & I want to specifically thank the Hertz family, the Gosset Family & Jessica Daviston for putting together this special evening. Tip Top Grill was the host for the evening, & we could not have had a more welcoming venue! Thank you, John Morris, for letting the entire neighborhood descend upon your business! I hope it becomes an annual event! Not only did Tip Top Grill host Bluff Park Day, but they, along with Bluff Park Diner, donated 10% of their daily profit to the school. Casey Davis Dentistry also donated $100 to the school & Bluff Park Hardware put together a fantastic gardening basket for us. These donations together totaled $600 to Bluff Park Elementary School. Please remember to support these businesses that have supported our wonderful school. There is a lot to look forward to & so many ways to show your support for our school in the coming days & months. We currently have our wrapping paper sale going on and it looks like we have really gotten off to a great start. Please remember that the money raised from this fundraiser will go directly to your school’s teachers in the form of teacher continuing education & classroom supplies. Show how much you love them, folks! Another way to show your Panther Pride is to come out this weekend & participate in the Annual Fall Outdoor Cleanup. We will be planting flowers, pressure washing, pulling weeds, painting & generally sprucing the place up. We’ll be working Saturday from 8AM to Noon. So, come on out & laugh, sweat & play with your family & neighbors! Lastly, please mark your calendar for the Second Annual Outdoor Classroom Social & Open House. The event will be Thursday, October 2nd. Open house will be from 4:30-5:30PM & the Outdoor Social will be from 5:30-7PM. It was such a wonderful event last year, /7 I hope everyone will join us again. Georgia Pearson PTO President