BAMS NEWS
April 29, 2022
A MESSAGE FROM PRINCIPAL LYMAN
Dear BAMS Families,
We are so happy to have kids back in our hallways after a well deserved April break! We're on the final stretch and it's hard to believe the end of the year is almost upon us.
Tic Tok and Instagram are incredibly popular with the kids. As cool as these media platforms can be for entertainment and communication, they can also be incredibly hurtful. Kids are frequently given free access to the internet on their phones with limited direction and supervision from adults. We do talk with kids quite a lot about these topics, but adult supervision is critical at their age. My advice as parents is for you to establish that nothing they post is private from you. I tell kids not to post anything they wouldn't want important adult figures in their lives to see such as their parents, grandparents, teachers etc. I have found this resource to be helpful for parents: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/
Planning ahead: Our 8th grade move-up ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday, June 15th at 6:00 PM. We will be planning to hold the ceremony outside, but will need to move the ceremony to Tuesday the 14th or Thursday the 16th, if the weather is a major issue.
The last school day for the 8th grade will be on move-up day, June 15th and it is a full school day with a normal dismissal at 3:30 pm. As soon as they move-up, we do not have them back in the building. The last day for 7th grade is Friday, June 17th. That is traditionally a 1/2 day with a 12:30 dismissal.
For the first time since 2019, we are doing some field trips! All four teams will be planning end of year trips and celebrations. This year, we are committing extra funds for kids to celebrate the way they should to end the year! In exchange, please help us out by getting permission forms back to us when they are due.
Thank you for being actively involved in your child's education!
Sincerely,
Keith Lyman- Principal
SBAC Testing
As you know, we begin SBAC testing next week. We will run sessions in the mornings from Monday through Thursday and celebrate Diversity Day on Friday. 8th grade will take the science assessment on Tuesday, May10th.
Diversity Week
We are excited to have Taina Asili perform a concert for us next Friday, May 4th. We will also watch a movie called "From Seed to Seed". The theme this year is climate justice. The following week, all of our students will be displaying projects on climate change and we will be doing gallery walks for students to see the work of their peers.
Summer BEAMS Camp for incoming 7th and 8th grade students
Please click here for the flyer and registration
Parent Night Coming!
Click Here for more information
BAMS Selects Choral Program Highlights
Selects, BAMS' auditioned singing group recently sang at the Bradley House and Holton Home, senior care residences. The following students were involved:
Mayaan Coleman, Lizzy Elkins, Levi Healey, Jaya Lalanne, Mary McLaughlin, Miles Rae, and MJ Shooer-Sampson, Sophia Clough, Mariam Diallo, and Genny Schneski. Great job!
State MathCounts Competition
Congratulations to June Anders for qualifying to compete in this year's Vermont Mathcounts Competition!
Variety Show and Student Leadership
The enthusiam and spririt of student leadership has been a highlight of the year. Advisers Stephanie Pike, Chris Brewer, and the students have created many fun events this year. They recently created a door decorating contest and we are having a variety show at the end of May.
Click on any of the photos below to see some of the awesome door displays!
Recognition for Ali West!
At a recent SU board meeting, Ali West was honored as the 2022 Recipient of Vermont School Nutrition Associations School Nutrition Outstanding Achievement Award! Ali is our food service director and has been a tireless advocate for improved nutrition and food quality in schools for many years.
When Ali joined BAMS/BUHS this year, we had a long talk about ending the stigma that cafeteria food has for public schools. Ali has done amazing things to help remove that perception. Her menus are creative, use local ingredients and are usually made from scratch. Each day also includes a vegetarian and vegan option. Recently, she has taken on the challenge of creating recipes that are consistent with the dietary needs of our new Afghan students and she translates our menu into Dari.
As you also may know, Ali was instrumental in ensuring that all students were fed breakfast and lunch while we were remote during the pandemic. Her commitment to making sure all students ate last year was inspiring. In both staff and adult categories we've seen increases of 20% or more in our food service participation.
Please join me in congratulating Ali West on this honor!
Recommended Books on Climate Change
I found this great resource put together by Dr. Kim Marshall.
In this School Library Journal feature, Baltimore librarian Liz Bosarge recommends books for tweens and teens on global ecology:
Middle school:
- The Beekeepers: How Humans Changed the World of Bumble Bees by Dana Church, grade 6-10
- All the Feelings Under the Sun: How to Deal with Climate Change by Leslie Davenport, grade 6-9
- Be the Change: Rob Greenfield’s Call to Kids Making a Difference in a Messed-Up World, by Rob Greenfield, grade 4-7
- Hothouse Earth: The Climate Crisis and the Importance of Carbon Neutrality by Stephanie McPherson, grade 8-10
- Imaginary Borders by Xiuhtezcatl Martinez, grade 7-9
- Planet Ocean: Why We All Need a Healthy Ocean by Patricia Newman, grade 5-8
- Girl Warriors: How 25 Young Activists Are Saving the Earth by Rachel Sarah, gr. 7-9
- Seen: Rachel Carson by Birdie Willis, illustrated by Rii Abrego, grade 6-8
- Earth Squad: 50 People Who Are Saving the Planet by Alexandra Zissu, grade 4-7
Our School's Website
Our website offers a lot of information about the school. Right on the main page, you can find links to updates sports information, announcements, and links to the team's homework websites. I encourage you to check it out on a regular basis. http://bams.wsesdvt.org/