 School Principal:
Debra Berndt PTO Co-Presidents:
Deb Foley
Dave Apkarian
Birchwood Bulletin: Birchwood events and programs are announced in the weekly Birchwood Bulletin, which is sent by email on Thursdays. If you are not getting the email bulletin, or need to change your email address, fill out this form. Calendars: you can also check out events and
meetings on the Birchwood
PTO Events Calendar. Additional school-based, non-PTO events are posted here and on
the Birchwood Elementary School Programs page. The Niskayuna School District
is no longer printing its calendar for budget reasons, but it can be viewed or
printed here.
 In a hurry, and only need to know one little thing--like, how to pay for school lunch? When Monster Mash is? How to get your directory? Use the "Search this site" box (above right) to find info FAST!Join us for a Birchwood Nature Club Biology
professor and Birchwood parent, the amazing Stephanie Vernooy, will
lead students in discovering what kind of creatures might be living in
our Nature Park stream! Many insects (mayflies, stoneflies, caddisflies,
midges...) are aquatic in their larval form. We'll use nets to scoop
out samples from the stream, and see if we can identify the insects that
we find. Perhaps we'll also see worms, snails, or salamanders! If you
have rain boots, bring them to school - you can wade into the stream and
help stir up the water to make sure that we find anything that's
hiding!  At the May Birchwood PTO meeting, those in attendance approved the purchase of several items for the school. Thanks to the fundraising efforts of Birchwood parents and friends, the school will be receiving a new sound system for the stage/cafetorium to replace unreliable or broken equipment. This purchase includes wired microphones (for hanging above the stage and handheld use), wireless microphones (both handheld and clip-on), speakers/amps, soundboard, and MP3 plug-in. Thanks go out to Brian Meservey and Mr. Garrison who installed the new equipment in time for our Drama & Poetry Week! Other items approved at the meeting were new wipe boards for kindergarten students and a new world map for the hallway. Thanks again to all those who have supported our fundraising efforts throughout the year, making these purchases and other enrichment and academic opportunities throughout the school year possible!  The Birchwood community celebrated the approaching end of the school year on Friday, June 6, 2014 with bounce houses, ice cream, baked goods, face painting, and lots of outside fun.... all FREE! Huge thanks to Pam Ober & JoMarie Ethier for organizing it all, as well as the many parents and staff who worked to make it possible. Also, kudos to the 4th and 5th grade families who provided baked goods this year!
  From May 19-30, Birchwood families brought in donations for Schoharie County families still recovering from a devastating hurricane 2 years ago. An entire carful of necessities was provided by our community (see it here on the Birchwood Pride Facebook page!). If anyone still has any socks, underwear, or sneakers, those are still needed--please leave them at the office. Thank you for your open and generous hearts!  (click the pic to see this month's school lunch menu!)
PTO Announces New PAALS Initiative  The
PTO needs the time and talents of Birchwood parents to help expand on
the initial groundwork and fully develop and launch these programs. We
hope you'll help us make PAALS a success for our students and school community! Interested? Volunteer here.  Box Top Fun!
The
last Box Top Drawing will be held on Friday, June 13. Thank you to all
of the families who collected Box Tops for Birchwood all year long! It's
a great fund raiser! |  **FIELD DAY RESCHEDULED FOR MONDAY 6/16!** PTO Volunteer Position Signups OPEN for 2014-15!  Want to help with a PTO event or
committee? See what's available and sign up online right here! Volunteering is a great way to meet other parents and learn more about Birchwood. We recruit volunteers on a rolling basis and during an annual spring "Volunteer Drive" to be PTO committee chairs and members, and/or "just-once" event helpers. (print form coming soon). You can also email us to volunteer, or find out more about a position. The current committee chairs will be happy to answer any questions about what's involved. IMPORTANT NOTE TO LAST YEAR'S VOLUNTEERS: If you plan to continue in a role you held last year, that's great! Please sign up here to confirm that you're definitely still interested, and to help us keep the volunteer signup organized (it's a lot of people to keep track of). District-wide Rollout of PTO e-Directory!  The district Registrar does not share your data with the PTO for directory purposes. You will NOT be included in the 2014-15 PTO directory if you do not enter your own information online. If you have already signed-up for a PTO e-Directory account, we thank you! If not, you can sign up right here. If you have questions, contact Shilpa Garde. We also invite you to read the e-Directory FAQ here. If you have questions about your family's contact data on file with the school district, please call District Registrar Joan Vertigan at (518) 377-4666.   It's been a dramatic week for students, teachers, staff, and parents at
Birchwood Elementary. Students took to the stage three days out of seven to perform for classmates and families. On Weds. 5/28/14, Mrs.
Querbes and Mrs. VanAlstyne's 2nd Grade classes, as well
Congratulations to our talented students and a heartfelt thanks to the
teachers, staff, and parents who made these memorable experiences
possible! as members of
Mrs. Frament and Mrs. Denman's classes performed the musical "Goin'
Buggy," delighting a student audience during the day and families at
night. The very next evening on Thurs. 5/29/14, students, parents and staff read works of original and
published poetry in front of a full house at Birchwood's 4th Annual
Poetry Open Mic Night. The busy week concluded on Tues. 6/3/14 with the 4th/5th Grade Drama Club's fun-filled rendition of Tom Sawyer.  This week's Volunteer Reception was amazing! And what a nice tribute to all of Birchwood's dedicated volunteers! Thanks to all the staff who put together this thoughtful event.    
Birchwood's Second Annual Relay for Life! UPDATE (6/12/14): the
Birchwood PAALS Team has grown to 19 people, and the team and the
Birchwood community have achieved 45% of their $2000 fundraising goal!
Go Birchwood!
The Relay for Life Program involves several fundraising activities to benefit the American Cancer Society. It's a great way to honor cancer survivors, support your community, and fund research for a cure.
From 5/12-6/15, students can record their daily physical activity on a Relay Recess sheet (and also contribute change to the Relay Recess School Coin Drive container in the school office). Kids who turn in a completed sheet will earn a Relay Recess Certificate! Families who are interested in joining this year's Birchwood PAALS Relay for Life Team to collect donations, walk in the Relay For Life event June 20-21st, or both, can register at the team page here. See this flyer for more information and registration rules. You can also go here
to donate to the team, purchase and dedicate a luminaria bag, or just see who's joined the team! The District has created a Summer Enrichment Program 
On
Tuesday, May 20th, 2014, the district's recommended school budget of
$77.3 million was approved by the Niskayuna community in a 68% majority
vote. Two new members were also elected to the Board of Education,
Birchwood parent and 2013-14 PTO Co-President David Apkarian and Rosemarie Perez Jacquith. We look
forward to working with both David and Rosemarie throughout their terms
and thank them for their service to the community! More details on the voting and election outcomes is available here. Budget Development information from this year's decision-making process is available here, while BOE general information can be found here. Also, background on the search for a new superintendent and an introduction to Interim Superintendent John Yagielski are available here. The Birchwood School Pledge I pledge today to do my best, In reading, math and all the rest. I come prepared with all I need, And make good choices to succeed. |
Welcome to Birchwood Elementary PTO! |
