Birchwood Intermediate School

"Quality Education in a Caring, Disciplined Environment"

September Newsletter

Principal’s Message

I would like to extend a warm Welcome Back to all students returning to Birchwood. A special welcome goes out to students new to the school and to all Grade 7’s who are just beginning their first year at Birchwood. The new school year is here and the entire Birchwood staff is looking forward to sharing their passion for teaching and learning with you and your child. It takes a partnership between home and school to see that your child has a successful year. Birchwood continues to strive towards excellence in academic and social development. Help us achieve our goal for your children. Together We Can Make A Difference! Once again, Welcome Back and all the Best! Ron Carragher, Principal

Dates to Remember

September 21, Meet the Staff Night, 7:00pm, Cafeteria
September 23, Terry Fox Run
September 27, Student Photos, Re-takes October 25
October 10, Thanksgiving, No School
October 20 and 21, PEITF Annual Convention, No School

Welcome New Staff

We would like to welcome our new staff members to Birchwood Intermediate: Debbie Miles, Lori MacPherson, Brian Langille, Ron Vaive and Pat Doherty.

Meet the Staff Night

Wednesday, September 21st  at 7:00 pm., is Meet The Staff Night!  All parents/guardians are welcome to come and meet your child’s teacher in the Cafeteria. See you there! . The following is a list of the Homeroom Teachers for 2011-2012 school year: Grade 7 Rod MacKillop, Wendy Poirier, Ryan Lowther; Grade 8 Kelly O’Brien, Joanne MacAdam, Todd James, Marc Duguay; and Grade 9 Mariska terMeer, Frances Ann Squire, Gary Devine, Sue Betts, Tamara Gavard. Please visit the "Birchwood Staff" page.

Thank You!

To our custodians Bill Gallant, Bernadette MacLean, Angela Monaghan , Jennifer Cormier and Rita MacDonald for all their hard work during the summer.

Public Health Nurse

We would like to welcome Ms. Linda Mahood, Public Health Nurse, to Birchwood Intermediate.

General Information

Your child will receive the following forms to be signed and returned to their homeroom teacher by Wednesday, September 15th. These include the following: 1) Student Information/Consent Form, 2) Low Risk Activity Form, 3) Lunch Form (Grade 7), 4) Internet User Agreement (Grade 7 and new students to Birchwood), 5) Grade 9 Immunization Form, 6) Media Coverage Form. Again, if you have not already signed and returned these forms or have misplaced them, please contact the office as soon as possible so we may have current information in our system.

Student Absence

Parents are requested to call the school before 8:30 am if your child is ill. Please make sure your child brings a note to his/her homeroom teacher to explain his/her absence or call the office at 368-6870.

Late Policy

We are implementing a new “late” policy. Students who arrive late in the morning or afternoon, on a regular basis, without parental consent will be required to stay after school to recover class time.

Birchwood Daily Schedule

Please visit the "Daily Schedule" page to the schedule for our 6-period day. Students will have received a copy of his or her specific class schedule.

Student Fees

Each year students are required to pay a student fee. This fee covers student locks, lockers, winter carnival, special events, motivational speakers and other activities activities that occur during the school year. Student Fees rates are as follows: $20.00 per student, $30.00 per family attending Birchwood.

Terry Fox Run/Fall Social

Birchwood School is organizing a “Welcome Back BBQ” for students, parents, and staff on Thursday, September 23rd. This will take place in the courtyard at the back of the school after our annual Terry Fox Walk/Run. It will be a great afternoon for the Birchwood community….so come join us for some exercise, for and fun! The walk/run will begin at 1:00pm and the BBQ at 2:00pm. Any parents wishing to help out please contact the office at 368-6870. Hope to see you there!!!

Parking/Bussing

Students must have a parent permission note to travel on any bus (if they are not a bus student), or if they are traveling on a different bus (if they are a bus student).

Kit Bags

Just a reminder for students that kit bags are not allowed to be carried around from class to class. When you enter the school in the morning and after lunch, your kitbag is to go directly into your locker.

Coaches Corner

  • Girls Soccer Tryouts: Sept. 8th, 9th and 12th. 3pm - 430. All girls in 7,8 and 9 are welcome and encouraged to tryout.
  • Boys Soccer Tryouts: Sept. 12th, 13th and 14th. 3pm - 430. All boys in 7,8 and 9 are welcome and encouraged to tryout.
  • Cross Country Tryouts: will begin on Wednesday, Sept. 14th. @3pm. All boys and girls in 7,8 and 9 are welcome and encouraged to tryout.
  • Intramurals: There are intramurals at lunch time everyday. All boys and girls in 7,8 and 9 are welcome and encouraged to participate during noon hour.
  • Score keepers: We are looking for students who may be interested in working the score clocks and doing score sheets for after school sports teams. Please see Mr. MacCallum if you are interested.
  • Cobra Fit Pit: Birchwood is looking for any weights or fitness equipment for the cobra fit pit that you would like to donate.

Birchwood Breakfast Program

A notice to Birchwood students and parents/guardians that our Breakfast Program will be running one again this year. Students are welcome to come to the cafeteria each morning at 8:00 am (no earlier please) for a bagel, some fruit, and a juice or chocolate milk to start the school day ready to learn! We are still accepting food and monetary donations from local businesses and community members and we appreciate any and every support! For more information please contact Michelle MacDonald at the school.

Notice/Reminders

  • Birchwood is a peanut free and scent free school. Energy drinks and pop are not allowed on school grounds. Please encourage your child to make healthy food and drink choices!
  • At the end of our school day we would like to remind parents that our buses are on a time frame and must be departing the property at a particular time to connect to other buses. We ask parents not to park in the back parking lot which the buses use at the end of the day and not block the side parking lot entrance. Thank you

Library News

All staff and students are invited to visit the library at lunch and after school. There is something for everyone: books (of course), magazines, teachers resources, games, computers, even just a quiet space. Staff and students can sign-out 3 books at a time, for a 2 week period. Each book will have a due date slip tucked into it as a reminder. Please, help students remember when they need to return their books by marking their due dates on the calendar. The library is available as a relaxation area during lunch break and will be open to students after school on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 3:30 until 4. This time is primarily for students who have homework to do, so it is called Home Work Club. Students can work in a quiet environment, stocked with the resources they need to get their work don (including construction paper, scissors, printer, computers, etc). The librarian, or another teacher, will always be in the library to assist students. I hope to see lots of students making use of it. Again, this year, I will be asking students to sign up for library monitor position. These students help keep the library organized and also assist others with finding what they need in the library. They are an indispensable group of students and I always appreciate the effort they put forth. Announcements will be made, early in September, for the experienced library monitors to meet with me to make some changes to our current model. Looking forward to another great year in the library!

Community Events

PEI Speed Skate is holding registration for the upcoming season on Saturday, September 10th from 9:30 – 11:30 at the Charlottetown Civic Centre. Speed Skating (Competitive, Developmental and Recreational) and Learn to Skate Programs run from October to March. For more information or late registration inquiries visit www.speedskatepei.com  or info@speedskatepei.ca.

Girl Guides of Canada would like to extend an invitation to your daughter to register for Sparks, Brownies, Guides and pathfinders and experience everything that Guiding has to offer. Registration evenings will be held on the following dates at these locations: Stratford Town Hall Tuesday 13th Sept. 6:30pm – 8pm,  Cornwall United Church Thursday 15th Sept. 6:30 – 8pm,  Sherwood Hall Thursday 15th Sept. 6:30 – 8pm,  Springpark Church Thursday 15th Sept. 6:30 – 8pm.

Montague Christmas Craft Fair! Get your table rental application for the Montague Christmas Craft Fair being held on Dec 2nd and 3rd hosted by the Montague Skating Club at the Wellness Centre in Montague. To get an application or for further information contact Laurie Godfrey at 583-2811.

 


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