Respect, Responsibility, and Regard

Dates for the Calendar

Bishop Hybrid Model Curriculum Night - Wednesday, 11/4

Grades K, 1, 2 6:00pm-6:45pm

Grades 3, 4, 5 7:00-7:45pm

• Original Works Art Due - Friday, 10/30

• Virtual Walkathon - Friday, 10/30 - Friday, 11/6
• No School (Election Day/Professional Development) - Tuesday, 11/3
• No School Veterans Day - Wednesday 11/11
• The Great Pumpkin Rescue and Arlington EATS Food Donation - Wednesday
11/4

• Remote Only Days - Monday 11/23 and Tuesday 11/24

• Remote Day with early dismissal at 11:30 AM - Wednesday, 11/25

• Thanksgiving Holiday - Thursday, 11/26 & Friday, 11/27

*Please note that the November 4 PTO community meeting will be rescheduled to
Wednesday, December 2 due to a conflict with Bishop Curriculum Night for Hybrid
families.

Daylight Savings Time This Weekend - REMEMBER TO FALL BACK AN HOUR!

Bishop’s Hybrid Model Curriculum Night

Wednesday, November 4th

Kindergarten, 1st, & 2nd Grades 6:00pm - 6:45pm

3rd, 4th, & 5th Grades 7:00pm - 7:45pm

On the evening of November 4th, families will join their child’s teacher’s Zoom link to
learn about this school year, curriculum, classroom-specific topics, and have time to
ask questions. Classroom presentations will be recorded in case families are unable to
attend the session.

Look for a Zoom link from teachers next week!

Bishop Curriculum Night Program Overview Slide Deck to be Sent Out to Families on
Tuesday, November 3rd

I will be sending out a complete District Curriculum Overview Slide Deck, next
Tuesday, for your reference to view before you meet with your classroom teacher on
the 4th. This is a comprehensive presentation that outlines each discipline and
department, to include Bishop specific programming.

Nurse’s Notes

Hello Bishop Families,

I hope that you are all doing well! Thank you so much for your generosity and support
of Arlington EATS and our snack program at the Bishop. We have been very lucky so
far at Bishop in that we have not had any cases of COVID-19 here, but we are starting
to see an increase in illness at school.

I would like to take this opportunity to remind you that it is SO important that you
NOT send your child to school if they are feeling unwell- when in doubt, STAY HOME!

If your child has ANY of these, please keep them at home.

● Fever (above 100°F) or feeling feverish

● New cough or cough different from usual cough
● Shortness of breath/difficulty breathing
● New loss of smell/taste
● Sore throat
● Muscle/body aches (not related to exercise)
● Nausea, vomiting or diarrhea
● Headache (AND other symptom(s))
● Unusual tiredness (AND other symptom(s))
● New nasal congestion or new runny nose (not due to allergies AND with other
symptoms)

● Have you been with someone who is COVID-19 positive?

● Have you been asked to self-isolate or quarantine by a medical professional or a
local Public
Health official?

● Have you been out of state in the past 14 days?

Arlington Board of Health is holding Flu Clinics for children over the next couple of
weeks- the schedule is HERE. Please email me after your child has been vaccinated.

It is very important to update each of your student’s POWER SCHOOL Emergency

Contact information. If you have not already done so, please take a few minutes to
complete this. Also, if you have a FOURTH GRADE STUDENT, please upload a copy of
their most recent physical exam.

Halloween - I hope that you have a fun and safe Halloween! There are many ways to
safely celebrate Halloween, please be mindful that the choices that you make will
impact our community. The Arlington Board of Health offers guidance on the relative
risk of different activities and the CDC also has some great ideas for having a safe
Halloween.

With Kind Regards,

Katie Martin MSN, RN

[email protected]

781-316-3797

A Special Project for the Whole School - BISHOP VOTES 2020

A Ballot Question on Indigenous People’s Day

Dear Bishop Families,

Last year, our school was awarded a grant from the AEF to support our efforts to
respect and represent the history and perspective of Native Americans, and to avoid
the unintentional promotion of Native American stereotypes. We purchased books for
classrooms, and for the library, that we could use throughout the year, but especially
in the fall, around the Columbus Day and Thanksgiving holidays.

Now we are going to combine this project with a different Bishop tradition - Bishop
Votes. Since 2008, (with support from another AEF grant) we have marked each
Presidential Election with a Mock Election at Bishop. This year we will vote instead on
a Ballot Question - “Should the name of the Columbus Day holiday be changed to
Indigenous People’s Day at Bishop School?”

A number of classes have been discussing the story of Columbus and his voyages. In
Library time we are looking at the history of Columbus, and of the holiday itself,
which started 400 years after Columbus arrived on the island of Guanahani. We are
reading books by native authors and illustrators. We will also be reading books about
voting and elections. Since we do not see all classes for Library right now, we are
posting materials about the issue on our Library Website, as we would like all students
to have the opportunity to participate in this special event.

We encourage you to share the materials with your children and allow them to
consider the question.

The vote will be electronic, using a Ballot posted on the Library website and in their
Google Classrooms. It will use a spyponders login (please use the “login with google”
option if asked for this) to ensure that each student can only vote once. It will NOT
record the username associated with any vote.

We really appreciate your cooperation in making this as inclusive a project as possible.

Our Ballot Election Day will be Monday, November 2nd, but we are posting the
materials and the ballot now, to allow plenty of time for as much participation as
possible. We are usually able to include a day for voter registration, different voting
precincts within the school, and use paper ballots to illustrate the adult voting
experience. We did consider a paper ballot - to replicate a mail-in option - this time,
but decided that the most inclusive option would be an electronic ballot. If you are
planning to complete your own ballot at home, perhaps you can engage your children
to participate in our vote at the same time.

We are grateful to the AEF for support of this programming,

Hoping that you are all keeping safe and well

Alison Vaishnaw and Justine Bloch

BISHOP PTO NEWS

Original Works

DEADLINE October 30

All students should have received their Original Works packet with directions and
paper. Please follow the directions and remember NO trademarked materials and NO
glitter. Any art containing either of these will be returned unscanned. When your art is
finished, put it back in the plastic bag and return it, either to your teacher (for hybrid
classes), or to the collection container in the foyer of the school (for remote classes).
Once the art has been returned to Original Works and scanned, you'll receive an email
with directions on how to order. Look for that email in mid-November.

There’s no limit to how many pieces of art your student can create, so feel free to
make different art for different products, if you’d like. If you need extra paper, there
is a limited amount inside the collection box. Please take only what you need. If you
did not receive a packet, or have questions, please email Original Works coordinator
Lindsay Sweeney at [email protected].

Virtual Walkathon

Friday, 10/30 through Friday, 11/6

Run at your own time and pace!

Get your walking shoes on! This year, our 10th annual Walkathon will be held virtually
from October 30th through November 6th. All students K-5 can participate in this fun
and easy fundraising event for the PTO. The students walk/run miles at their own time
and pace during the week, with the option of earning pledges per mile or a fixed
donation amount. Last year the Walkathon raised about $13K! This year, more than
ever, we need and appreciate your help.

For the past four years, we have used an online fundraising tool called Pledgestar.
With Pledgestar, students can solicit donations from family members and friends both
near and far! Please click here for a registration link and details, or visit
the Walkathon page on the Bishop PTO website for more information.

For questions, please contact Katie Stencik at [email protected] and/or Elisa

Komoni at [email protected].
Bishop Green Team and Arlington EATS are Teaming Up

Wednesday, November 4th from 1:30pm to 2:30pm

The Great Pumpkin Rescue is happening this year. In addition, we will be collecting
food donations for Arlington EATS. Bring your pumpkins, along with your unexpired,
non perishable food donations to Bishop on Wednesday, November 4th, between 1:30
- 2:30 PM

Pumpkin recycling and food donation drop off guidelines:

• Families should bring their pumpkins and food donations to Bishop between
1:30 - 2:30 PM on Wednesday, November 4th.
• Please wear face coverings and maintain 6 feet social distancing during the
drop off.
• Drivers should open their trunks so volunteers can remove pumpkins and food
donations.
• Pumpkins and gourds of any size will be accepted.
• Remove candles/tea lights.
• Pumpkins with paint or bling will NOT be accepted -if you can cut those pieces
off, Black Earth Compost will accept the rest.

Why are we doing this?

Pumpkins cannot go in yard waste as they are considered food waste. They are heavy
and water-filled and we do not want them going in the trash to be incinerated and
contribute to greenhouse gas emissions. Composting pumpkins allows them to be
naturally processed for helping gardens, trees, and new food to grow. Learn more in
this article on pumpkin waste.

Arlington EATS' mission is to eliminate food insecurity by providing nutritious and

culturally appropriate food in a respectful and compassionate manner to any
Arlington resident in need. Thank you to everyone who quickly and generously filled
the request of the EATS' SNACK program at Bishop. Unfortunately, hunger is part of
life in Arlington beyond snacks for school and child food insecurity is projected to
jump 93% due to Covid in Eastern MA. Arlington EATS estimates there are 4,350 food
insecure neighbors here in Arlington.

Please help your neighbors if you are able by bringing unexpired, non perishable food
donations to the school on Wednesday, 11/4. Other ways to help include bringing
food items on any day to the bins in the Bishop lobby, volunteering to fill the shelves
at the EATS MARKET, donating directly to the Market on Tuesdays from 1-4 PM, or
making a monetary donation directly to the Market here.
Contact Arlington EATS Market Coordinators, Sarah Popper at
[email protected] or Julie Kahn at [email protected] with questions, or to
volunteer to help!

Arlington Orthodontics Candy Buy Back Program - Reimagined

Due to health and safety concerns, Arlington Orthodontics will not be collecting candy
for troops this year. Instead, they will be collecting letters of appreciation. More
details to come once they are given to us. Stay tuned!

Annual Fund

Thank you to all of the families who have already made their Annual Fund donation!
Our goal as the PTO Board is to enrich our children’s educational experience and build
community spirit at Bishop School in all 19 of our remote and hybrid classes. This
year, we are asking families to consider donating $135/child to the PTO Annual Fund
so we can continue supporting our teachers, classrooms, and students to the best of
our ability during these trying times. We realize there are many challenges facing
Bishop families, including economic hardship due to the pandemic, and humbly ask
you to consider your own economic situation when making your donation.

Donations to the Bishop PTO Annual Fund can be made by any of the following ways:

• PayPal via the PTO Website - http://www.bishopschoolpto.com (please scroll

down and click on the PayPal link in the “Quick Links” section)
• Check payable to “John A. Bishop PTO” (this can be dropped at the Bishop
main office). Please also print and complete this online form and include it with
your check

Thank you for your consideration and support of our fantastic Bishop community! If
possible, we would greatly appreciate that you make your donation by November 15,
2020 for spring planning purposes.

PS - Did you know you can select John A. Bishop PTO for your company’s corporate
match program? Please direct any corporate match questions to David Brecht, PTO
Co-Treasurer, at [email protected].

Please note: the Bishop PTO is a volunteer non-profit and all funds raised go towards
supporting our children and teachers with the exception of a nominal cost for
overhead expenses.
Bishop School Directory - REGISTRATION NOW OPEN

We’re making the switch to a digital directory. It’s an easier, more secure method to
access the Bishop PTO Directory whether you’re at home, or on the go!

Sign up today by visiting:

https://tools.ptoffice.com/reg/Bishop-Bears

pwd: 20Bishop21

YOU choose what information to share. YOU can print or download the directory.

Please reach out to Jessica Tsymbal at [email protected] with questions.

Community News:

Interested in getting information to the Bishop community? Information that you’d

like to share with the Bishop community can be included in the weekly Principal’s
Update. Please email the relevant information to Amanda Maltais (Communications
Coordinator, Bishop PTO) at [email protected].

FLU CLINICS

The Arlington Board of Health will be offering Flu Clinics for children aged 6 months-
18 years starting next week.

• Thompson Elementary School Wednesday, October 28, 2020 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM

• Stratton Elementary School November 4, 2020 2:00 PM – 6:00 PM
• Ottoson Middle School Saturday, November 7, 2020 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
• Arlington High School Tuesday, November 10, 2020 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

• You must schedule an appointment for a flu shot, walk-in appointments will
not be available.
• Intranasal flu vaccine will NOT be given at BOH Flu Clinics.
• Please click HERE to view the full schedule and make reservations.
• Please complete and bring this form with you to your appointment.
For more information regarding the flu clinic, please visit www.arlingtonma.gov/flu or
call the Health Department at 781-316-317

Varallo Orthodontics Partners in Education Program

Over the past several years, budget cuts have affected our local schools. To offset
some of those cuts, Varallo Orthodontics has started the Partners in Education
Program, or P.I.E. For every patient in grades K-8 who starts orthodontic treatment
with their office, they will donate $25 to the patient's school PTO. This program runs
until 12/31/20. To schedule a free consultation or find out more, visit them
at varalloortho.com.

Stay Up to Date

Bishop PTO Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BishopPTO/

Websites:

Bishop School (general info, links to the school

system): http://www.arlington.k12.ma.us/bishop/

Bishop School (news and events): https://bishopschool.net/

Bishop PTO: http://www.bishopschoolpto.com/

DIG website: https://bishopdig.weebly.com/. To join our mailing list, please email

[email protected]