Tuesday, January 21, 2014

No news about inclement weather delays yet...

Trailblazers, 
As of 6:30 when I write this blog post there has not been a decision regarding late arrival or school closing on Wednesday, January 22nd. If a decision is made after 7:00 I will update our school website page and send out a Tweet. This blog feeds at 7:00 so I won't send out another posting on the blog. 

Keep warm, be safe and tune into local media for changes regarding school opening, delay times or possible closing. 

My Banks Best, Mrs. Graf 

Monday, January 13, 2014

BRES Book Fair Information

Trailblazers,
Here is an post from our Media Center Coordinator Ms. McCool. She is working diligently to collaborate with our PTA to organize the 2014 All for Books coin drive. Please take a moment to read below for details. Mrs. Graf

Banks Road Families & Friends,

As I prepare for this year's book fair, I have been working with our amazing PTA to organize a grade-level coin drive competition to raise money for our All for Books campaign. We want to make sure that every student, even those who can't afford it, are able to purchase a new book from the Scholastic Book Fair!

The coin drive will be taking place during the week of January 27th (until the 31st). Each day we will collect a different type of coin!
Monday: Pennies
Tuesday: Nickels
Wednesday: Dimes
Thursday: Quarters
Friday: ANY Coins!

This year's book fair theme is "Reading Fiesta" and the winning grade level will earn a piñata party (with each class on that grade level receiving their own piñata).

Let me know if you have any questions & please spread the news,

Megan McCool
School Library Media Coordinator
Banks Road Elementary School
mmccool@wcpss.net
919-890-7323

New student and kindergarten enrollment begins Jan. 13, 2014

Trailblazers,
Today we enrolled 30 new families. :) Please pass the word around that it's enrollment time for all rising kindergarten students. Also if you live in a neighborhood and new folks move in please let them know about enrollment and our year round calendar. We want every child registered and we want to welcome them to Trailblazer Territory! Have questions? Please call me at 919-890-7333 or email me at cgraf1@wcpss.net.

My Banks Best, Mrs. Graf

From the WCPSS website:

On Monday, January 13, elementary schools will welcome parents of rising kindergartners to come out and register for the 2014-15 school year. Many schools will also hold open houses, tours and information sessions for families to learn more about their schools.
Parents should check their base schools for a schedule of events. To find the base school for their address, parents may use the address lookup.

To be eligible for kindergarten, students must be five years old on or before Aug. 31, 2014. Parents will need identification and other forms to complete the registration process. For complete registration information and a list of what to bring, parents should check our webpage on how to enroll.

5th Grade Parents: Middle School Tours Begin...

Trailblazers,
It's school assignment time! Tours are underway here at BRES for prospective parents and new students seeking enrollment. It's also time for middle school tours! I will be posting information as it comes in regarding various middle school tour dates and times. Please contact Mr. Day, our school counselor with any questions you may have regarding the middle school transition.

Always Trailblazer Proud, Mrs. Graf

Dillard Drive Middle School will be giving tours for families who are trying decide on magnet options or whether they want to attend Dillard as their base.

The tours scheduled for: January 16th Thursday- 9:00am-10:00am or 1:30pm-2:00pm
January 24th Friday- 9:00am-10:00am or 1:30pm-2:00pm
February 7th Friday- 9:00am-10:00am or 1:30pm-2:00pm

Parents must call to reserve seating, (919) 233-4228, there is a limit of 10 families for each time slot.

La inscripción para kindergarten y los estudiantes nuevos comienza el 13 de enero 2014



El lunes, 13 de enero las escuelas primarias darán la bienvenida a los padres de los niños entrando al kindergarten para ir y registrarse para el año escolar 2014-15. Muchas escuelas también tendrán jornadas de puertas abiertas, visitas guiadas y sesiones informativas para que las familias aprendan más sobre sus escuelas.

Padres deben verificar con sus escuelas base para un calendario de eventos. Para encontrar la escuela base de su dirección, los padres pueden utilizar la búsqueda de direcciones.

Para ser elegible para el kindergarten, los estudiantes deben cumplir cinco años de edad en o antes del 31 de agosto 2014. Los padres necesitarán identificación y otros formularios para completar el proceso de inscripción. Para obtener información completa sobre la inscripción y una lista de lo que debe traer, los padres deben revisar nuestra página web sobre cómo inscribirse.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 10th, 2014 at 1:31 pm and is filed under En Espanol.

Monday, January 6, 2014

School Messenger January 6, 2014

Good evening Trailblazers,

Happy Monday to you!

First things first, I want to be sure everyone is aware that there is a 2 hour delay tomorrow, January 7, 2014 due to the threat of inclement weather. BRES will welcome students in at 10:45 a.m. The tardy bell will ring at 11:15 a.m. Breakfast will not be served tomorrow, so please eat a good breakfast at home. Banks Boomer’s practice for tomorrow morning has been cancelled. There is no practice tomorrow for the Boomers. Information pertaining to inclement weather has been posted on the BRES website under the parent page.

This week:
1/7: Mural Club meets at 4:15 p.m.
1/9: Parents Are Connected (PAC) Night from 6-7:30 p.m. Please join us on Thursday, January 9th from 6:00-7:15 PM for an exciting evening on “Educating, Empowering, Engaging” your children with reading! Grade level pairs will be presenting strategies, tools, and take-aways that you can use to support your children with literacy at home. In addition, there will be an LEP Parent Academy focused on how to support your child with homework and reading in Spanish! Children will get to attend a popcorn and dance party while their parents are learning!! Interpreters will be on hand to support communication for our Spanish speaking families.

Looking ahead to next week:
1/14: Boomer Practice 8:00 a.m. & Mural Club 4:15 p.m.
1/15: Read to Achieve Parent Information Session 6:00 p.m. Tracks 1 & 3 This meeting is for all parents of 3rd grade students on Tracks 1 & 3. Parents you will receive information about the R2A requirements and how your child and family may be impacted.

1/16: General PTA Meeting and 1st Annual Chili Cook-off 6:00 p.m.
Here we go! Mark your calendars for the BRES 1st Annual Chili Cook-Off sponsored by our PTA. Do you have a great chili recipe that you want to enter in the cook off? Visit the PTA website to complete the registration form. Registration is just $10. The Grand Prize includes a 2014 Cook-off "Golden Spoon," your name on the plaque to be displayed at the front of the school, and $100.00 restaurant gift card. 2nd and 3rd place will also receive restaurant gift cards. Where? In the Multipurpose Room/Cafeteria When? January 16th coinciding with the General PTA meeting at 6:00 p.m. Entry Due Date? January 10, 2014 Any BRES family or staff member can enter! This is sure to be one of the "hottest" events of the year. Whether you want to cook and complete or just want to eat, it is sure to be a lot of fun! $1 per bowl (or a hotdog for those who prefer) after the judging. Chips and drinks available, fun activities and more!!!

Previously I have shared information on our new statewide reading assessment program mClass. The mClass diagnostic system is being used by all teachers here at BRES, district and throughout the state of North Carolina. Timely and accurate reporting of student progress is important to us. In addition to report cards and parent conferences you will receive a parent home connection letter. This letter will contain valuable information about your child's reading progress. Please be on the "lookout" for these letters to come home in your child's folder in the near future. Please do not hesitate to call the school should you have any questions. Dates for letters to go home: Track 1: January 17, Tracks 2 and 3: January 24, and Track 4: February 14.

January 21-28 the Banks Road Art Room will host artist Bryant Holsenbeck for this year's Artist in Residency program. Together, Ms. Holsenbeck and the students will create random weave forms that will become a beautiful new art instillation for our school. A few volunteers would be very helpful, especially during the morning sessions with the younger students. The morning volunteer hours are from 9:15-12:00 and the afternoon hours are from 1:00-3:45. If you would like to work for the whole day, feel free to sign up for both the morning and afternoon sessions.

To volunteer:
1. Use the following link to find our sign-up genius and sign-up for your desired time slot. http://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E094BAAA82FA75-weaving
2. Make sure you have registered to be a volunteer in Wake County and have been approved. This can be done on Mondays in the computer lab at Banks Road. To learn more about Bryant Holesnback click here: http://www.bryantholsenbeck.com

Did you know we are TWEETING? It's true. :) Check out our updated website with the Bus Twitter account and my Twitter account. I am posting pictures of the learning and teaching process in action as I walk through classrooms, sending out information about events, sharing articles or research about education in general and even updating you with special moments here at BRES. You don't want to miss out on Ms. Livengood's bus posts either! She is posting when buses depart campus so you will know if a bus has been delayed or when to be at the bus stop to meet your child. Follow us at CarmenMonteroGraf@BanksRoadES and @BanksRoadBuses!

That's it Trailblazers. All of this information will be posted on the BRES school website and the Principal's Desk blog. Please call the school should you have any questions.
Always Trailblazer Proud, Mrs. Graf

Inclement Weather information

Trailblazer Parents,

Here is a repost of information I sent out earlier pertaining to inclement weather. This information is posted to our Parents page on the BRES website as well. Questions? Feel free to call or email! Mrs. Graf

...from December 2013 blog

The winter months bring unpredictable weather patterns to NC. Please see below for information on how to access the latest school closing, delay or early release communication methods. Please let me know if you have any questions. Thank you, Mrs. Graf

In the event that schools are closed or delayed due to inclement weather, please monitor the Wake County Public School System’s own electronic media and local television, radio, and print news media for the latest information.

In the event a decision is made to dismiss early after students are already in school, parents will also be notified via the district-wide Emergency School Messenger telephone system. BRES will not send out an individual call via the School Messenger system in order to not overload the system and interfere with the system-wide WCPSS notification call.

Parents should use these resources to stay abreast of school closings, delays, and early dismissals:

Wake County Public School System Electronic Media

How to find it:
WCPSS Twitter www.twitter.com Follow @WCPSS
WCPSS Facebook www.facebook.com/WCPSS
WCPSS website www.wcpss.net
Emergency Notification Email Sign up at http://www.wcpss.net/signup/newsletters/signup/
Local News Media How to find it
WRAL, Channel 5 www.wral.com

WTVD http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/index
NBC 17 www.wncn.com
News 14 Carolina (TWC News) http://centralnc.twcnews.com/
News and Observer www.newsobserver.com
Area Radio Stations WRAL 101.5 www.wralfm.com
G-105 www.G105.com
AM 680 www.wptf.com
Foxy107.1 www.foxync.com
K97.5 http://hiphopnc.com/
WQDR www.947qdr.com
WUNC 91.5 www.wunc.org
LaLey 101.1 www.laleync.com