Topic Summary

• Friday, May 13th & Saturday, May 14th
  ACSI Track Meet
• Saturday, May 14th
  High School Prom
• Monday, May 16th - Friday, May 20th
  MAP Testing
• Monday, May 16th
  Chick-fil-A Fundraiser (5:00-8:00 PM)

• Friday, May 20th
  Middle School Movie Night
• Monday, May 30th — NO SCHOOL
  Memorial Day
• June 2nd, 3rd, & 4th
  Seussical! Tickets at bca.fyi/tickets 
• June 10th — LAST DAY OF SCHOOL
  All School Chapel @ 10:15AM
  Dismissal @ 11:30AM

MAP TESTING NEXT WEEK

BCA’s Spring MAP testing starts on Monday, May 16th and runs through Friday, May 20th. It’s always an exciting time for the BCA Faculty to see how the students have grown and how much they have learned since our last MAP testing in January. Since MAP Growth tests provide immediate and accurate information about your student’s learning, it’s easy for teachers to identify students with similar scores that are generally ready for instruction in similar skills and topics and then plan instruction accordingly. Our goal is to have MAP reports sent out within the first two weeks of June. Here’s the schedule (tests begin in Homeroom at 8:30 AM and usually finish around 9:45 AM).
 

MAP Technology Requirements

• Elementary school students will be using school-issued devices (iPad or Chromebook).
• Upper school students will be taking the MAP test on their devices. Students must bring a compatible device with them that is charged and ready to go. Click here to check for minimum system requirements.
• These devices automatically keep students from navigating away from the testing site. https://test.mapnwea.org/#/

• Students should remain quiet during the entire test session.
• Elementary students should bring headphones each day.
• Students should not leave the classroom during testing.
• If a student finishes early, they should quietly work on class assignments or read.
• Teachers will proctor the exam, but they are not allowed to offer assistance or clarification on the tests.
• Once the bell rings for the second period, students who need more time will head immediately to the library.  

NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY BOOK DRIVE

NHS is happy to announce that BCA is hosting a book drive for our brothers and sisters in Kenya! Bring in any genre books for any age range (as long as they are appropriate) and drop them off at the bin located near Mrs. Sutton’s office (through May 27th). After the books have all been collected, they will be sent to church libraries in Kenya. 

BCA TRACK TEAM ROAD TRIP 5/13 & 5/14

BCA’s Track & Field team will wrap up their season with the biggest road trip of the year! The Bengals hit the road and compete in the ACSI Track Meet in Bangor, Pennsylvania on May 13-14.

PROM 2022 ENCHANTED FOREST 5/14

High School students are invited to the Enchanted Forest at the Clarion Hotel Ballroom in Seekonk on Saturday, May 14th from 7-10 PM. Tomorrow (Friday, May 13th) is your last day to register for the event. Tickets are $70 per person — see Mrs. Sutton to fill out your Prom form.

3 vs. 3 BASKETBALL CHALLENGE CONTINUES FRIDAY 5-13

BCA’s 3 v 3 league continues this Friday in Cedar Hall!  The league will run for three more weeks, and the championship tournament will take place on Tuesday, June 7th.  The top six teams will get into the playoffs with the first and second seeds getting a first-round bye.

You can check out the schedule at https://playpass.com/go/RvxNR9M?v=schedule.

If there is a week that you are down a player, you will have to forfeit the game or play with only two players.  Be ready on time to play.

COVID-19 Updates
There have been four new cases of COVID-19 at BCA in the past week. Students in every division (elementary, middle and high school) are encouraged to do an at-home test if they have a symptom before coming to school.  Please make sure your high school students who have a symptom have tested negative before attending Prom! 
 
All counties in RI (including Bristol County, which BCA is in) are now at medium transmission levels as case counts throughout the state continue to increase. Please be reminded that Covid is both preventable and treatable to prevent severe illness and hospitalization. 
 
Reminder that most of the state-run testing sites have now closed (including the Barrington Shopping Center). The EP Senior Center test site, which is ~10 min from BCA) is still operational by appointment only for those with symptoms or exposure. However, we are now relying on parents to do at-home tests on students with symptoms. Please let me know if you would like a test kit for your household! The kits contain two tests and they are meant to do serially (24-48 hours apart) for best accuracy. We are starting to see students who tested positive during the Delta spike, test positive again with this wave. 
 
Here are current protocols.  I'll keep sending them so you don't have to search for them on past Communicators. 
 
Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Info
Below are some important excerpts from an article by Effective School Solutions on suicide awareness and prevention that parents should be aware of:
 
Here's a startling fact: suicide rates are consistently highest in April, May and June, including among school-aged children. 

By spring, students have a good idea about how their school year will end up grade-wise, seniors are hearing about college acceptances and rejections, and activities like proms, performances, and team sports can bring both joy and agonizing disappointment. It is important to attend to the surge in students’ mental health needs all year-round of course, but special vigilance is called for during the last few months of the school year.
 
How to Help First and Foremost: 
...Parents (and) adults must be direct in asking children about whether they are having thoughts of suicide, and that the words “suicide” or “killing yourself” must be used, not euphemisms like “hurting” or “harming.” These are not the same thing. If adults repeatedly raise the hard topics — isolation, depression, fear, anxiety, hopelessness, suicide — children and teens, despite their protestations, will be relieved and know they have allies.
 
Kids'linkRI is also a great resource for parents with children in emotional crisis. 1-855-KID-LINK
 
Screenings
Students in grades K-3 were screened for hearing yesterday. If you did not receive an email from me, it means that your child was not referred for any hearing issues. 

MS students will be screened for scoliosis beginning next week. For more information about this, please refer to my email that was sent out on 5/5.