Dear Parents,

Well, that was quite a bit of excitement yesterday afternoon with all of the fire trucks heading over to Grant High School.  What I found out was that a hydraulic component on one of the machines a contractor was using caught on fire.  Since they were not sure the extent of the fire, they called in a two alarm, hence the 8-9 fire vehicles.  Luckily no one was injured and none of the physical structure of the school was harmed.

This week I have kind of a mish mash of topics and I tried to label them for easier reading.

Team Response Drill

Yesterday Fernwood and Hollyrood had a Team Response Drill (RCP had a real event earlier this month).  This type of drill is utilized if we need to isolate a portion of the building  because there is some kind of an event that we want to avoid having students see or we just need to contain the students on one location for a period of time.  For example, if someone were having a seizure in the hallway.  The response for the classroom teachers is to close their doors and keep teaching.  Students are not allowed to leave their classrooms until the event is over.  Our students and teachers did a great job and I appreciate the patience of the parents who arrived to pick up or drop off their children during this time.

Rose City Park Principal Announcement

The district announced this week that the principal for Rose City Park for next school year will be Jeremy Cohen.  Jeremy is currently the principal at Roseway Heights K-8.  He has extensive educational experience and he is very excited to be working at RCP next year.  He and I have already scheduled some strategy sessions to help make the transition easier for our students and I will let you know dates, times and activities as soon as we get them firmed up.

Student Drop Off and Pick Up

It has come to my attention that some parents are utilizing the bus zone on Hancock for pick up and drop off.  I need to remind everyone that it is difficult enough for our buses to maneuver these narrow streets without having to dodge around passenger cars..  I am especially concerned  some of the students are getting out on the driver’s side of the vehicle.  I realize that the parking lots are limited but I need folks to be more mindful of the amount of traffic that is being created on Hancock and help us to cut down on the safety risks that are occurring.  Thank you!

Parent Information Emails

There is some concern that emails coming from our parent organizations may not be landing in your inboxes.  Please make sure that you check your Junk and Spam folders for emails from our PTA, Foundation and Scrip folks and change your Contacts setting so they land in your inbox.  Thank you!

Student Backpacks

We have had a couple of incidents lately regarding student backpacks.  One happened at QFC where a student left his backpack at the front of the store unattended and someone walked off with it, and the other happened right in our own building where the student left their backpack in the hallway unattended and someone rifled through it.  I think the key word is unattended.  Please remind your child that no matter where you are, you should never just leave your belongings sitting around where someone could take it or get in to it.  I wish we lived in Mayberry, but we don’t, and some students have learned that the hard way.

Upcoming Dates

Kindergarten Coffee Talk            February 2            8:55ish                     Hollyrood Library

Kindergarten Connect                 February 15          6:30-7:30                 Hollyrood  (for incoming kinders)

8th Grade Parent Coffee Talk      February 16          9:00-10:00               Fernwood Cafeteria

5th Middle School Info Night      February 22          6:30-7:30                 Fernwood Cafeteria

That is all for this week.  Have a great weekend!

John Ferraro

Beverly Cleary Middle School ONLINE Elective Forecasting Directions 2018-19

Please complete by: April 12th

BEFORE YOU START you will need three things:

1. A current and valid email address that can be accessed by a computer.
2. Parent Approval of your elective choices. Your parents are required to sign your form upon completion of your forecasting survey, before you return it to the main office.
3. Internet access - The survey can be completed online, with computers or mobile devices, but parents, or students, will need email access to print the attached form that will be generated and sent to you via email.

Please review and consider your elective choices before you start the survey. PLEASE CHOOSE YOUR ELECTIVES CAREFULLY, as we will not be making schedule changes in the Fall.

(It is suggested that students complete their forecasting survey at home, with parent support. If this is not possible, students may have access to school computers before and after school, or during lunchtime, to take the survey and/or print their forms.)

• Sign in to the survey using your Apps for PPS account.
• Complete and Submit the survey.

Note that some questions will require an answer. This is to assist in processing and decision making. Please answer accurately.

• After completing the survey, an email will be sent to your submitted parent email address, with an attached PDF document containing your forecasting information.                                                                      

6th Grade Elective Registration:

*Current 5th graders choose from Elective: Course Description

*Current 5th graders choose 6th Grade Forecasting 2018-19

**Please keep in mind that the 6th graders will be going through a “Wheel” sequence of electives where they will have one quarter of PE, one quarter of art, one quarter of health and one quarter of Executive Functioning Skills.  Therefore, you will not see those options offered in their choices.

7th Grade Elective Registration:

*Current 6th graders choose from Elective: Course Description

*Current 6th graders choose 7th Grade Forecasting 2018-19

8th Grade Elective Registration

*Current 7th graders choose from Elective:  Course Descriptions

*Current 7th graders choose 8th grade forecasting 2018-19

***If you are having trouble with accessing your emailed forecasting form, the forecasting survey, or need any other support in completing this process, please contact the Beverly Cleary Fernwood office. We will work to assist you in submitting your information accurately.

Thank you for your participation and support!