Baconton Blazer News                                  May 5, 2003

Busy is the word for May.  So many events are happening at BCCS, and as we get ready to wind down for the summer, maybe this will help you stay informed about your child’s life at school.

We are busy, but it is all in an effort to make our students the best they can be.  Please call me or your child’s homeroom teacher if you need help with your volunteer hours.  A new schedule for lawn care is now posted on the volunteer board.  We want to keep our campus looking neat over the summer. We will also need lots of help on the last day of school to empty our classrooms for the carpets to be cleaned over the weekend.

We are getting requests daily for student applications for next year.  If you have friends or family members who are interested, please have them call the school and we will be glad to talk with them and schedule a time for a visit in our school.

Now is the time to share your ideas for next year.  We are working hard now to get things in place for the 2003-04 school year.  Your input is always welcome.

Thank you for all the time and energy you give to this school.  We really are blessed with terrific parents and students.

Lynn

Baconton Blazer News                                                           April 10, 2003

Hello Parents!

 Be sure to include the Spring Fling in your plans for May 17th.  This should be a fun time of fellowship and getting to know one another better.

Please invite your friends and family to see our school and meet our students.

The state required test, The Georgia Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) will be administered to our students next week.  Due to some last minute changes in the Department of Education, our students in fourth, sixth, and eighth grades will be our only grades tested.  There have been many changes on the state level in the testing procedures for this school year.  The DOE has also cancelled the National Norms Test for the state for this year.  Next year, our school will be giving the Iowa Test of Basic Skills to our students in the fall and spring.  This is the newly adopted National Norms Test for the state of Georgia.  However, our Charter requires that we continue to give the Stanford Achievement Test as our measure of success.  This test will be given in late May of this school year.  Testing is tedious and stressful for the students and the teachers, but it allows us to make better decisions for your children in the areas of curriculum and instruction.  We will keep you posted of other changes and updates. 

If you see a grandparent from BCCS, give them a big hug and a huge thank you for all of their hard work.  A recent addition to our school is the awning from the sidewalk to the lunchroom.  This addition is a gift from our grandparents.  They are a tremendous source of support for our school.

Thank you for your participation in the surveys.  Again, great suggestions, exciting ideas and constructive criticism were offered.  We use these to make ourselves better, but you the parents will always be the best resource we have.  Your opinions matter.  Your participation is welcome and needed.   Full time jobs, stressful family situations, and life in general keep all of us so busy. This school will continue to be our source of pride as long as we all continue our commitment to be active participants.  Look for the survey results posted on the web. Thank you for all you do.

As we begin to plan for next year, I welcome your input and suggestions.  If you see a problem, please bring it to me and together we can work to make things better.  I know that we all strive to protect the warm friendly atmosphere we have here, but sometimes it takes saying the hard things in a kind way to make a positive difference.

Lots of great press has been offered to BCCS in the last few weeks.  The Camilla Enterprise and the Albany Herald have written about the success of our current second grade’s test results on the CRCT.  For those of you who have not heard the great news, last year’s first grade test results landed them in the number one ranking in Georgia in all three test criteria. Hard work, dedication, and commitment to a strong curriculum and work ethic paid off in high dividends.  This class represents the first group to begin here as kindergarteners and work through this program. Huge congratulations go out to our students and their teachers, Mrs. Missy Briggs, Mrs. Ashley (Everson) Bynum, and Ms. Krista Eubanks.

Shirt orders for next year will be going home very soon.  We hope to have the orders placed and the shirts returned before the end of the year.  Be on the lookout for order forms.

PTO will meet next Thursday night at 7:00.  Please join us and help us plan for next year.

Thanks again for all you do,

Lynn Pinson

Blazer News…………………………………..February 19, 2003

Every where you look at BCCS there is activity going on!!!!  We are so excited about the progress on the land for our sports program, and we are eagerly awaiting the beginning of our new buildings.  I hope you are getting your tools and carpentry skills in order because we will be having an old fashioned barn raising at BCCS very soon.

Registration is in progress now for all of our in-house students and their siblings.  Please let the office know immediately if you did not receive your registration packet which included the new forms for next year’s enrollment and BBQ tickets.  We need the registration papers returned now so that we can determine the available spaces for next year.  If we do not hear from you by Friday, February 21, we will give you a courtesy phone call as a reminder.  If we do not receive your paperwork before Wednesday, February 26, your family’s student spaces will be included in the available student spaces for Open Registration.  You will have to reapply with these families and be placed in the lottery drawing which takes place on Saturday, March 1^st.  Please take advantage of the early enrollment privilege that your family receives as a currently enrolled family.

If you haven’t felt the “Heat of the Blaze” well, you just haven’t been around campus to see the tremendous job our BCCS Cheerleaders are doing to build our school pride.  I am so very proud of each and every one of them.  The level of commitment and dedication to excellence has been something to see.  From the sponsors to the cheerleaders, the Blazer Spirit is shining.  Competition is expensive, and this team has worked so hard to raise every dime necessary so that each member can attend their first competition this weekend in Kissimmee, Florida.  Thank you for every quarter you sent for the bake sales and spirit tattoos.  Thank you for every dollar you sent for Jean’s Day.  I know that many families sent extra each week as a donation, and your generosity has not gone unnoticed. We will all be entertained with a sneak preview of their competition routines on Thursday at 2:45 out on the front lawn.  Join us if you can.  Good Luck Blazers!  

Please help us keep our neat appearance by checking daily that your child is dressing according to the BCCS dress code.  We still have pullover outerwear that is not in keeping with the dress code.  The only acceptable pullovers are navy blue or green sweatshirts. No other pullover outerwear is acceptable.  Jackets that can be easily removed upon entry to the classroom are encouraged.  Layering under the uniform shirt is permissible.  Please do your part to help us keep the neat and successful appearance that our dress code creates.

Lots of events are in the works.  I hope this list will help you stay informed.

Thanks for all you do,

Lynn

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Coming up at BCCS:

Feb.18              *Registration for new students begins. (Ends Sat. March 1^st.)

Feb.19              *Chorus sings at the nursing home in Camilla

                        *Cheerleader clinic for elementary

Feb.20              *Pep Rally-2:45 pm “Pie in the Face” raffle tickets will be sold along with spirit tattoos.                                                                       

*PTO-7:00 pm  Miss Angie’s Pre-K will lead the pledge and sing.  The Blazer Cloggers will perform.  A short enrollment update with next year’s projections will be given.

                        *BCCS Governing Board Strategic Planning Meeting-7:00 pm.

Feb.21              *Cheerleaders leave for competition at 11:30 am.

Feb.22              *Work Day for Parents

Feb. 26             *Deadline for in-house registration

March 1            *Work Day for parents

*End of Open Registration.  If necessary, a lottery will be held at 1:00 pm to for available spaces.

March 8            *BBQ

March 13          *Parents(12:00) and teachers(1:00) meet with the survey team from Georgia State University.  Let me know if you would like to participate. 

March 19          *Third graders take a trip to Atlanta.

March 25          *Third Grade Writing Assessment

March 31          *First Day of Spring Break      

Baconton Blazer News….           January 8, 2003

 Please read the following and contact your US Representative as well as
both of our US Senators.  The charter facilities incentive grants in
particular could help us get per pupil facilities funding for charter
school students in Georgia.  If the parents, staff, and communities
that
support your school all fax, call, and/or e-mail their members of
Congress, it could make a difference.

Phil Andrews

 

HOW TO COMMUNICATE THE MESSAGE:  Because of the urgency of action on
this
issue and slowness of mail in getting to members of Congress, it's best
to
do you communicating BY PHONE, FAX AND/OR E-MAIL.  All members of
Congress
can be reached quickly through the Capitol Switchboard - which is
202-224-3121.   To e-mail House members, go to:
<http://www.house.gov/writerep/>   To get e-mail addresses and phone
numbers
for Senators, go to:
<http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm>

WHAT TO SAY:  The simple message -- to leave by phone -- is to urge
your
Members to support the House position on charter school facilities
financing
in the Conference Committee that's writing the FY 2003 omnibus
appropriations bill.  If you're able to talk to an education or
appropriations staffer -- or in an e-mail or fax -- it would also be
good to
explain briefly why facilities financing is so important to your school
or
to the growth of charter schools in your state.  The more personal you
can
make this as a home state issue for your Members, the better.

FOR MORE DETAILS AND ARGUMENTS ON THIS ISSUE:  Go to:
<http://www.charterfriends.org/federal-legislation-sept02.html>

If you have questions - or to report the results of communications you
have
with your members of Congress, call 651-6544-61154 or e-mail
jon@charterfriends.org <mailto:jon@charterfriends.org>
 

Baconton Blazer News….  

2003 has arrived with the beginning of a new nine week period at BCCS.  I want to say a heartfelt thank you to all of our volunteers who came over the holidays and cleaned our buildings and our campus.  It really looked great for our first day back. 

 Much was accomplished over the holidays.  A tremendous gift was given to us by Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital.  Phoebe Putney purchased Albany Middle School, which still housed all of the school lockers.  These have now been donated to BCCS, which will be a financial savings of thousands of dollars to our school.             “All” we had to do was remove them. A great team of volunteers spent Saturday and Sunday removing the lockers and hauling them to storage.  Thank you so much to David Forrester, Mark, Tony and Ryan Holland, Tom Pinson, Josh Griffin, John Pinson, Doyle and Shari Cranford, Kenny Fox and his nephew, Lee and Lynn Hall, Stacy Kelley, Tim and Brock Pinson, Joe and Gena Faircloth, Joey Holland, and especially to Mike McCarty, whose muscles made hauling those lockers down many flights of stairs possible.  If you would like to join this crew on Saturday, Jan. 11 to help complete the job, they’ll be meeting up at BCCS at 10:00 am and heading to the old Albany Middle School across from Phoebe.

We are so grateful for all of the gifts that continue to come our way.  Our school is open today only because of the generosity of others.  The gift that made it all possible came from Mrs. Elizabeth Ford Leary from Sylvester.  She purchased this building, and then very generously donated it to us.  Sadly, Mrs. Leary died on Sunday, January 5^th.   We will be making plans in the near future to honor her memory.

 I want to share with you the final report on our student’s generous giving.  For the Children’s Miracle Network, we raised as a school close to $1500.  Justin Butler was a school winner, and received a new bicycle as a reward for his hard work. This gift was compliments of the Dairy Queen in Camilla.  In the school competition, BCCS donated the most money and will receive a Family Night Fund Raiser at the D.Q. in Camilla.  Mr. Dave Phelps will donate a portion of his receipts for the night to our school.  Another great gift that our students gave was to the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots.  We presented them with a check for $1000!!!!!  Miss Everson’s second grade traveled to Albany where they went live on the air with the B100 radio crew.  It was an exciting day for our school.  Thank you for your hard work and generosity.

 I’d like to take this time to remind everyone of a few Handbook issues that we are dealing with on a daily basis.  All students have been made very aware of the dress code for outerwear.  The only pullovers that are allowed to be worn over the uniform shirts are navy blue or green sweatshirts, with or without the BCCS logo.  No other logos or screen prints are allowed.  All jackets are removed upon entry to the classroom.  The arrival of cold weather has always meant the end of our neat, uniform appearance.  We are strictly enforcing the dress code this year, and will be writing Discipline Reports for those who choose not to comply.  The grace period is now over.

 I am also concerned by the parents who are continuing to use the back entrance of the school for drop off and pick up.  I am also concerned by the comments that our students have repeated from you, as parents, when we when we have spoken to them about this.  It is for the safety of your children and will be strictly enforced.  Please call me if you have any comments about this matter. 

 Please read your Handbook.  There are many policies and procedures that your family will held accountable to, and you need to know what it says.  We are under a microscope here at BCCS, not only locally but statewide.  We want to hold true to the strict codes our founders set in place that we feel will continue to set us apart.  Let us know if you need a new Handbook and we will see that you get one.  Very soon we hope to have it posted on our web site.

 Our long sleeve shirts are in and the invoices to the supplier must be paid.  We need for you to come in now and pick up your shirts and pay your balance.  We will be sending   individual copies of your orders and invoices for payment.  Please help us complete this order by paying promptly.  

 The last day to collect Campbell soup labels will be January 17^th.  The winning class will get to choose a pizza party or and ice cream party.

Some important dates to share with you are listed below.  Many of you may enjoy staying in the know through our web site which is www.bccsblazers.org.  We will be posting newsletters, school documents, and helpful links that should help us all stay informed.

 January 9, 7:00                      BCCS Governing Board Meeting

 January 13                             Report Cards go home

 January 14, 7:00                    Grandparents Meeting

 January 16, 7:00                    PTO

 January 20                             School Holiday (Martin Luther King,Jr.  Day)

 January 21                             5^th grade writing assessment

January 24                             3^rd grade Kolomoki Mounds

 January 26-Feb. 2                  Y-Club Week

Go to this site and select the "2001 - 2002 Annual Charter School Report" presented by the Georgia DOE.

http://www.doe.k12.ga.us/charterschools/about.html

Go to our RESOURCE Link for the new report on Charter Schools developed with federal support by the America's Charter School Finance Corporation.   Much of the writing for this product was done by Ember Reichgott Junge, a former Democratic State Senator from Minnesota and author of the nation's first charter school law.  Extensive input to its content was also provided by CFNN, CER, ELC and the National Council of LaRaza -- which also did the Spanish translation.

The AGREEMENT,  between the Baconton Community Charter School and the Mitchell County School District can be found on the OUR CHARTER link from our HOME page.

Our 2002 Survey is complete and the results are fantastic! Let's use our website to help improve communication.

 

An informational letter will be mailed Monday, July 8th, to all BCCS Families.  This letter will update you on events and guide you concerning school uniform orders, etc.

 

NEW TWIST IN CHARTER SCHOOLS

 

Baconton Community Charter School Establishes Internet Presence

See the press release for more details.

Pageant Announcement

See the BCCS Event #1 for more details.

 

Press Releases

These are the press releases we've issued over the last year. You may want to search for topics by keyword.

Recent Media Coverage of Baconton Community Charter School