Byam Newsletter

September 17, 2021

Message from Principal Fredette and AP Dolan

First Early Release Day

On Wednesday, September 22, the Chelmsford Public Schools will have our first early release day of the year. Byam's dismissal time on these days is 11:45 am. We will open the side gate at approximately 11:35 to start staging cars. Lunches are not served on these day and we ask that you please inform us if your student will be going home in a different manner than their typical Wednesday.

Safety Drills

This week we practiced two of our safety drills at Byam. On Tuesday we ran a hold in place drill. A hold in place is utilized if we need to keep the hallways clear. Teaching and learning can still go on in the classroom we just have doors closed and students stay in their rooms until the hold in place is lifted. We might use this drill in the case of someone needing medical attention and we need to keep that area clear. We also had our first fire drill on Thursday with the Chelmsford Fire Department. The fire alarm was used and we had an extremely quick and orderly drill. We are really proud of how well our students executed these two drills.

BSA Update

BSA Update September 17, 2021:

Thank you, to everyone that attended and made the Back to School Social a wonderful event. There were lots of smiling faces around the playground and the treats were delicious! The BSA is working hard behind the scenes to make more fun events like this happen for the Byam Community.

Save the Date because the Boo Bash is back!

The BSA is excited to announce the Boo Bash will take place at Byam on October, 16th from 4-7PM! We are so excited! Event coordinators are looking for community members with specialized vehicles (dump trucks, excavators, old-fashioned cars, etc.) that would be willing to participate. Email Amy Domow at aktdomow@gmail.com if you are interested. Be on the lookout for more details about trunk-or-treat sign-ups, donations (cakes, candy, and non-edible treats), as well as volunteer opportunities. Looking forward to a spooky celebration!

School Photo Fundraiser!

School photos are coming in October! Did you know that school photos are a PTO fundraiser for the whole district? Each school’s PTO receives proceeds from the company that help bring out enrichments to the schools! Members of the BSA were on the search committee last year as we looked to renew/evaluate vendors. We worked to being a new vendor to the district this year! We are excited to work with geskus! Order forms will be going home soon and you will have the option to order online. Please see the image below to learn more about geskus.

BSA Meeting:

Thank you to all the parents who attended our first BSA meeting of the year. It was great seeing new faces! There are lots of ways to get involved besides attending the meetings. Consider signing up to collect tickets or helping at a concession stand for a future event. Our next BSA meeting is on October 13th at 7:00pm in the Byam library and streamed virtually for those who cannot attend in person.

Stay Connected to the BSA:

bsa.chelmsford@gmail.com

www.fb.com/byamschoolchelmsford

Driving on Byam Campus

We want to remind families that when driving on school grounds to please use extreme caution. There are many students getting in and out of cars, buses and across crosswalks. We also have limited space and need to stage cars tightly. Thank you as always for keeping our Byam campus safe and adhering to the 15 mph speed limit.

Benchmark Assessments

At the beginning of every school year we conduct a host of benchmark assessments so that we have a starting point to gauge growth throughout the year. Our kindergarten and first graders participate in DIBELS (Dynamic Indicator of Basic Early Literacy Skills) over this week and next with members of our reading staff and classroom teachers. All students receive benchmark testing in iReady in both reading and mathematics. This online program assesses students as well as provides instruction geared to their level of performance. Our district also utilized the Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark System for guided reading levels as well as mathematics interviews for our kindergartners. Collecting this data on our students allows us to address our students learning needs.

Byam Library Volunteers

I'm delighted to be able to welcome volunteers to the Byam Library this year! Family volunteers allow me to spend more class time teaching about the library and helping students find the best books for themselves. If you are interested in helping check in and check out books, please complete the google form link below, and I will be in touch with you. Grandparents and other adults are welcome. All volunteers must complete a CORI form to help in school. A CORI form can be completed by coming to the Byam office with your driver's license.

https://tinyurl.com/ex7vcvhf

Betsey Driscoll

Byam Librarian

Planning Ahead for Holiday Assistance

Soon we will begin posting resources as we receive them for families seeking assistance with the holidays. When we do have resource applications to share, please be aware of any application deadlines as often times they approach quickly, well in advance before the holidays, in order to meet the requests.