BAMS NEWS

 

January 2019

A MESSAGE FROM PRINCIPAL LYMAN

Dear BAMS Families,

2019 is here and I would like to wish you a Happy New Year and I hope you had a nice holiday season. I am hopeful your child/children are refreshed and ready to be back in school. I was pleased to see most students wearing jackets, gloves, and hats today but there are families in need of warm clothing this time of year. If you or a family you know is in need of coats, gloves or hats, please contact the school's office, a counselor or a trusted staff member and we will try to help. 

As we approached the break, there were a variety of efforts by BAMS students and staff to support local fundraising efforts to help families in need. Our student leadership was able to fund holiday gifts for an entire family who was in need. Our students brought in many food and supply items to support Project Feed the Thousands. We hosted a holiday gift shop that was for students to find gifts for others. There were hundreds of quality donations to the gift shop. Team Draco spent time before the break doing good deeds in the community and visited the animal shelter, Pine Heights and cooked for the food pantry. We finished the last day before the break with a school-wide volleyball tournament and Pep Rally.

We have new software this year to notify families of important events such as weather-related school delays and cancellations and other important announcements. The messages I send go out in emails and/or phone messages. If I choose to broadcast an announcement, I do hope you take a moment to listen or read the announcement. We do try to only send high priority news through that system. In addition, cancellations and delays are generally posted on our Facebook page and also on the local radio stations. If you are not receiving the calls and/or emails, please call the school at 451-3500 and ask to update your contact information.

We are in the final stages of preparing the school's operating budget for the next fiscal year. Budget development has been challenging for Vermont schools over the past decade due to decreasing student enrollments, increased operating costs, and a variety of other factors. BAMS and BUHS have been fortunate over the past few years to have relatively stable student enrollment figures and a community that has supported our budgets. Act 46, a law that goes into effect on July 1, has created news headlines across the state and will continue to do so for the immediate future. It remains unclear to me when our budget will be brought to a public vote. If you have followed the news regarding Act 46, it continues to be challenged in lawsuits. For additional information, you are encouraged to attend any future BUHS#6 school board meetings or to watch recordings of the meetings on BCTV's website: https://www.brattleborotv.org/  

All my best to a happy and healthy 2019!

TEAM DRACO NEWS

Draco just completed a celebration of their team holiday - Geesegiving.  For two days in December, students completed tasks that would benefit the larger BAMS community.  Geesegiving is a made up holiday that Draco has celebrated for close to fifteen years. It is meant to engage our students in community support activities and promote kindness.  Several students baked lasagnas and made stews that were donated to Brigid’s Kitchen and Groundworks. Other students made cards for and performed carols for residents at Pine Heights. The last group of students researched the impact of plastics on the environment and then created a proposal for purchasing a water fountain that will filter water and fill water  bottles. We also finished with a team gathering where food prepared by the students was a main feature.

TEAM LEO NEWS

Science

Students are continuing their investigations into how different materials can insulate and “store”thermal energy. We will investigate how different solids, liquids and gases can store thermal energy, which will lead to a deeper understanding of how the greenhouse effect works. From her we will begin investigating evidence for how the greenhouse effect is causing changes in our global climate.

English:

This year, our focus is on telling our stories, and listening to others while they do the same. We are in the midst of telling our own stories in our autobiographies and life maps, where students get to explore their pasts, presents, and future aspirations for their personalized learning plans. Students will have time to deep dive on two important memories in their lives during the unit on The Giver, set to start this month. We are also diving into our grammar units, starting with parts of speech!

Social Studies:

We finished our unit on child slavery in the chocolate industry before break. Students wrote letters to chocolate companies to advocate for change. We are going to study how the government and economy interact this month. In the new semester, we will start our study of the Ancient World. We will focus on the changes in human society after the invention of agriculture and the rise of civilizations.

Math:

We finished our Accentuate the Negative Unit. Students were then tasked with learning material as part of a group. Students were expected to work with a small group, become an expert on one operation with rational numbers, and return to their group to instruct the remaining members of their groups on their part. Students had two weeks of study and practice, with a set of mini-quizzes at the end. We are now into our Stretching and Shrinking unit, which deals with similar figures and scaling figures up and down.  

TEAM TAURUS NEWS

Science:

In science we have been looking closely at the DNA molecule and its function. We created a model of DNA and students heard about the Human Genome Project that mapped the DNA in a human. The Project has led to many discoveries in the medical field to help cure diseases. After vacation we will continue work on how traits are inherited, and probability of offspring having specific features. 

ELA Information:

Students completed a fairy tale unit where they used critical thinking skills to break down the stories. They completed a summary one-pager before the break. Students are going to take the information and skills they learned before the break and apply them to writing a contrast essay over different versions of Cinderella.

Math:

In December we are practicing applying the Pythagorean Theorem to a variety of real-world applications and finding missing measurements.  Additionally, we are deepening our understanding of numbers by converting fractions to both terminating and repeating decimals.  We have also discovered a different type of number by finding measurements involving squares and square roots.  These numbers have interesting properties and are known as irrational numbers.  Next, we will be exploring exponential relationships in our next unit called Growing, Growing, Growing.  

Social Studies:

The students are starting a major research paper that will take them to the end of January.  They will choose a topic related to American History that they are interested in, create a thesis, research the topic and then write a five paragraph paper in support of their thesis.  Students should have their topic identified by 1/4, at least 40 notes with sources organized on a topic by 1/14, rough draft due 1/18, and final copies due 1/24.

You could help support your child by asking them about their thesis and what facts they are finding to support their thesis.

This will be my last month as the Taurus Social Studies teacher.  My last day will be Friday 1/25. Ms. K-L be coming into class daily the last week that I am here to reacquaint herself with the students, and she will be beginning a new unit with them on 1/29.  I have really enjoyed being a part of Team Taurus this past year.

Thanks for your support,

Mr. Powers

TEAM CANIS NEWS 

Canis advisories got into the holiday spirit before vacation with some beautifully decorated holiday doors, reflecting the agreements of the BAMS social contract.  This was a great team building exercise, giving advisories time to work together and create something cooperatively.

We enjoyed a great day skating as a team on our field trip to the rink.  Students enjoyed their time with their friends and teachers and got away from the classroom for a day to just have fun and play.

Science:

Students in science have been examining cells using microscopes to better understand how the parts of a cell function as a whole. We are now learning how cells work together to form tissues, organs and systems. Using models to explain our thinking is one of the skill focuses for this unit. Students will be creating models to explain how the body is a system of interacting subsystems composed of groups of cells. As part of this unit, we will also review designing fair experiments as we test the variables that affect the cellular respiration of yeast.

Social Studies:

We recently finished studying the causes of the American Revolution, specifically focusing on how the French and Indian War drove Great Britain into debt and Great Britain’s attempts to recoup the money spent on the war. We are going to start research papers. Students will be able to choose any topic in American History.

English:

In ELA, students recently wrote a personal narrative where they had to write about a moment in their lives that taught them a lesson. The students’ essays were powerful and well-written. To view them, you can ask your student to show it to you through their Google Classroom. For the month of January, we will be focusing on reading a writing poetry!

Math:

In math, students have been working to understand how exponential growth patterns work by finding growth factors.  Simple situations such as an amount doubling or tripling over and over are used to help build a foundation, then more real life situations will be introduced that have fractional growth factors, such as interest rates.  We will find growth rates as percentages and convert to growth factors, and vice versa. Students will review linear relationships as well in order to recognize how much faster growth occurs when it is exponential. These same ideas and concepts will then be applied with exponential decay, such as depreciation of assets

Vaping, Nicotine Products and “Schooling on Juuling”

Vaping, Nicotine Products and “Schooling on Juuling”: For both kids and adults, understanding the risks of nicotine vape products, like "Juuls," isn't always easy. Even right where we live, the statistics can be daunting: The 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey showed that 13% of Brattleboro Union High School (BUHS) students used electronic vaping products over the past 30 days, with 28% of them using those products for more than ten days of the month. And 40 percent of BUHS students reported using electronic vaping products at least once. To learn more about these products and how to guard against the risks, go to: www.cdc.gov/tobacco/. Meanwhile, if you're a parent or caregiver who wants to educate your kid, but also want to quit smoking, vaping or using nicotine products yourself in the New Year, our statewide program, 802Quits, will provide you with four key ways to do it: 1) by phone 2) in person with a Vermont Quit Partner 3) online or 4) your way, with lots of helpful tools and tips. Visit http://802quits.org  to learn more and get started -- make 2019 one for the books!   

Ever Wonder What the Greatest Gift You Could Give to Your Child Would Be? 

Read the article here submitted by Janis Nadler, LICSW, School based clinician 

VEGGIE VANGO SPRING SCHEDULE

The Spring 2019 schedule for the Veggie VanGo is here

ATTENDANCE REMINDERS

Many thanks to the parents and guardians who call the school to report an absence or tardy.  When a student is marked absent and we have no word from home, our concern is for your child's safety;  we want to be sure they are safe and accounted for.  There are three ways to contact BAMS to report attendance; the BAMS main number is 802-451-3500, my direct line is 802-451-3533 and my email is dpetrovsky@wsesu.org.  You can leave a message at any time to report an absence or tardy.  

Here are a few tips for success

*Good attendance starts the night before.  Children need about 9 to 11 hours of sleep according to the National Sleep Foundation.  When the lights go out, so should cell phones, video games and computers.

*Establish positive evening routines that allow time for your child to complete homework.  Being prepared can help lessen any anxieties when it comes to attending school the next day.

*Don't promote or tolerate your child being absent from school.  Talk to your child about the importance of attending school every day.

*If your child is missing 2 or 3 days of school per month, he or she is already on the wrong track.  This will end up totaling more than one month of lost school by the end of the year.  Don't forget: sending your child to school is required by law.

BAMS WEBSITE AND FACEBOOK PAGE

Please friend us on Facebook or check out our website to keep up with the latest news at BAMS.  Any changes to events scheduled at BAMS, sporting events, extra curricular activities or last minute changes of any kind will be posted on our Facebook page and the BAMS website.  You can find us on Facebook here and our BAMS website here. 

IMPORTANT DATES

To view the BAMS calendar, click here.

Friday, January 11- 7:30-8:25 am,  BAMS Jazz Band Rehearsal

Saturday, January 12- Vermont All State Music Festival, Hartford High School (snow date January 19)

Friday, January 18- 7:30-8:25 am,  BAMS Jazz Band Rehearsal

Monday, January 21- No School, Martin Luther King, Jr Day

Monday, January 21- 10-11 am, Vermont Foodbank Drop @ The BUHS Student Parking Lot

Monday, January 21- 7-8 pm, BUHS #6 Board Meeting, Cusick Conference Room

Friday, January 25- 7:30-8:25 am,  BAMS Jazz Band Rehearsal

Friday, January 25- 8-9:00 am, BAMS Community Connections Coffee Morning- BAMS Lobby

Friday, January 25- Quarter II Ends

Monday, January 28- No School- Teacher In-Service Day

Tuesday, January 29- No School- Teacher In-Service Day 

Friday, February 1- 7:30-8:25 am,  BAMS Jazz Band Rehearsal

Monday, February 4- 7-8 pm, BUHS #6 Board Meeting, Cusick Conference Room

Monday, February 4- 10-11 am, Vermont Foodbank Drop @ The BUHS Student Parking Lot 

Friday, February 8, 7:30-8:25 am, BAMS Jazz Band Rehearsal

Friday, February 8, 7-9 pm, BAMS Dance, Hosted by Team Draco, BAMS MPR

Friday, February 8, 7-9 pm, BAMS Community Connections- Parent Social, BAMS Cafeteria

Monday, February 11, 6:30-8 pm, Vernon Parent Night, Vernon School Library (snow date 2/13/18) 

Friday, February 15, 7:30-8:25 am, BAMS Jazz Band Rehearsal 

Monday, February 18-22, Winter Recess, No School

Monday, February 18, 7-8 pm, BUHS #6 Board Meeting, Cusick Conference Room

Tuesday, February 19, 10-11 am, Vermont Foodbank Drop @ The BUHS Student Parking Lot (This is TUESDAY due to Presidents' Day)

Friday, March 1, 7:30-8:25 am,  BAMS Jazz Band Rehearsal

Friday, March 1- BEAMS Session III Ends

Monday, March 4, 10-11 am, Vermont Foodbank Drop @ The BUHS Student Parking  

Monday, March 4, 7-8 pm, BUHS #6 Board Meeting, Cusick Conference Room

Tuesday, March 5- No School, Town Meeting Day