BAMS NEWSLETTER

A Message from Principal Keith Lyman

Dear BAMS Families,

Welcome back and Happy New Year! We kicked off January energized and connected as we returned from winter break with an all-school assembly focused on our second core value: Community. A special thank you goes to Team Taurus for leading the presentation and reminding us that community is built through respect, inclusion, and shared responsibility. It was a wonderful way to begin the new year together.

January also marks an exciting time for our winter activities. Basketball and Nordic skiing seasons are underway, with students representing our school with enthusiasm, teamwork, and sportsmanship at games and meets. We wish all of our athletes the best of luck as their seasons continue.

Our robust after-school enrichment program, BEAMS, kicks off Session 3 this week. Session 3 is packed full of clubs, from cooking and crafting to game strategy and DIY self-care. There is still time to sign up. BEAMS is free to BAMS students and offers four sessions throughout the school year. The clubs are from 4-5:15 pm, and students are offered an afterschool snack.

Looking ahead, the second semester begins on January 26th, offering a fresh start and new goals for our students.

Please note a few important calendar reminders this month:

No school on Monday, January 19th in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day
No school on Friday, January 23rd due to a Teacher In-Service Day

Thank you for your continued partnership and support. As we move through January, we remain committed to fostering a strong sense of community where every student feels valued and supported. We look forward to a great start to the second semester.

Best,

Keith Lyman, Principal

News from Team Draco

Before the winter break Draco got together to celebrate the end of 2025 with some friendly “Reindeer Games” including an Antler Ring Toss, a Santa Hat Cup Stacking Challenge and a Jingle Bell Race. Several Draco students had stayed after school to bake very green “Grinch Cakes” and other festive treats to share with the team.

Students are busy in core classes, wrapping up the end of Quarter 2. In science class, students are working on identifying substances based on their physical and chemical properties. They are exploring how these properties can change when matter is combined with other matter.

In math class before break, we finished our third unit, Linear Relationships. The fourth unit, Linear Equations and Linear Systems, continues to help students build their understanding of linear functions. As a general reminder, students are expected to write down the topics and responsibilities for each of their core classes in their planners daily. This tool is intended to help them keep track of assignments and due dates. The students usually have math homework at least four days each week.

News from Team Canis

Canis Major students created atom models in Science with the best Science teacher in the State of Vermont. In the pictures above, canis students proudly display their atom models. Social Studies classes are spending time in the ancient world and looking at the impact of the Phoenicians on the cultures throughout the Mediterranean. We are comparing the innovations of the ancient world with innovations impacting our world today. Math classes are moving through the curriculum and Rational Number arithmetic. In English, the class is dissecting the book 'Patient Zero', solving the mysteries of deadly epidemics throughout history.

"Soil as a living system" Presentation by Didi Pershouse- Tuesday, January 13th

https://ediblebrattleboro.org/events/

This coming Tuesday Didi Pershouse will be speaking about "Soil as a living system" as the first speaker of our winter library speaker series "Food Ecosystems and Community, Lessons from Nature" which is co-sponsored by Edible Brattleboro and Brooks Memorial Library. The series is part of the Whetstone Food Forest project which includes our two school mini forest satellite sites at BAMS and Green Street.

Wishing each of you a wonderful day!

BAMS Core Values and Vision

At BAMS:

Safety: We make safe choices.

Community: We respect each other; we work together.

Learning: We are curious, seek new knowledge, and learn from our mistakes.

Our Vision Statement:

We support a safe, welcoming, and inclusive environment
We work collaboratively and support all learners in an inclusive and diverse community
We believe in the capacity of everyone to learn, and create structures that support social, emotional, and academic growth
We help students discover their strengths and the confidence to excel in their academic and personal pursuits