Parent Newsletter 5/1/26

Posted Date: 05/01/26 (05:00 PM)

Happy Friday!

FAST Testing for grades 3-5 begins this week with 5th Grade Reading on Monday and 3rd Grade Reading on Tuesday. Parents, please make sure your students get a good night sleep and breakfast so they are ready to show off their learning for this year. Our students and teacher have worked so hard - now it is time to shine!

Teacher Appreciation Week is next week! Please take a look at the flyer from PTA about how you can celebrate our awesome teachers next week.

Attendance and Tardies - it is about that time of year when we see an uptick in absences and tardies. If your child is absent due to illness or a doctor's appointment, you can submit a note online or to your child's teacher to excuse that absence.

Parents please remember that our gates close at 8:35AM for arrival. All students arriving after that time must be escorted by a parent to the front office for sign in. Our staff is unable to keep gates open for students arriving late. We appreciate your support.

In addition, more and more students are arriving late to school and going home early. Our teachers instruct on a schedule from the beginning of the day to the end. Students arriving late to school and/or going home early consistently are missing vital instructional minutes, often in the same subject which can create an academic gap in learning. We appreciate that this could require a change in family schedules and routines and we appreciate your partnership. Thank you for supporting your child's education at BLES!

Yearbooks on SALE NOW

Don't forget to order a yearbook! You can go to www.ybpay.com and enter code: 7445326 or search for Bear Lake Elementary. Below is also a QR code you can scan to buy the yearbook. We can't wait to capture all of this year's memories in our yearbook. If you have any questions regarding the yearbook, please reach out to Ms. Methven (methveln@myscps.us).

FAST/STAR Testing Reminders and Information

We are approaching our end of year assessments.

K-2 will be taking STAR Early Literacy/Reading and Math beginning on April 21. Your child's teacher will provide exact dates as we move closer to the testing time.

Grades 3-5 will begin taking their FAST PM3 Assessments on May 4th.

Please see the information linked below about the test and testing policies/procedures from SCPS and the Florida Department of Education.

K-2 STAR Parent Letter

3-5 FAST Parent Letter

Parent Guide - Understanding FRS Reports (English)

Parent Guide - Understanding FRS Reports (Spanish)

Apply For Meal Benefits Today!

As the year progresses and you identify needs for your family, we want to take the time to remind everyone about the Free and Reduced Lunch Application. Last year 63% of our families qualified on this quick application to reduce lunch costs to their students which is a huge benefit. Families often think this doesn't apply to them, however some large families with income nearing $100,000 have qualified. If you have needed FEMA support due to the hurricanes you may easily qualify as well. It is a great way to lower the lunch costs for your family. When schools reach over 64% of qualified applications it can also provide extra grant funding to the school to support student instruction.

Our District is committed to providing each student with the tools they need to succeed, including nutritious meals they can enjoy. All students are eligible to apply for meal benefits and we encourage SCPS families needing financial support to submit an application for the 2025-2026 school year.

In addition to qualifying for free and reduced-priced meals, completing the meal benefits application may qualify your family for discounted internet services, after-school programs, and additional resources for your school.

Apply today at:

https://www.diningservices.scps.us/apply-for-benefits

Post it Note graphic with Important Dates Text

Upcoming Events

May 4: FAST Testing Begins 3-5

May 4-8: Teacher Appreciation Week

May 22, 26, 27: Early Dismissal for Students (1:05PM)

Bus Routes and Information

Bus routes for students eligible for school bus transportation will be posted to the My Ride K-12 App soon. Please go to https://myridek12.tylerapp.com/ or download the App from the Google or Apple App Stores. This will allow you to view your child's bus stop and receive important updates from our transportation department.

If you have a question about your child's bus transportation, please call the front office and we will assist you.

School Bus Image with bus transportation information text

Arrival Reminders

Morning Drop Off begins at 8:05AM - there is no student supervision before this time.

For their safety, please wait until 8:05AM to drop students off.

Parents, please be alert on the car line in order to help keep our students and staff safe.

Follow staff directions and stay off your cell phones.

Please do not park in the parking spots and walk through the car line to drop off or pick up your child.

There is no parking in the primary line handicapped parking spaces unless you are a PreK ESE parent or have been directed to do so by a staff member.

And finally, please work with your children on how to buckle/unbuckle themselves so they can get out the car without assistance and get themselves in and safe for the car ride home.