2021-22 Respect, Responsibility, and Regard

1.20.22

Dates for the Calendar

Tuesday, January 25th - Early Release at 11:30am for Conferences (REMOTE)
Grab and Go lunches offered on both days
Saturday, February 5th - Bishop Hot Chocolate Meetup
Monday, February 14th-Friday, March 4th - Read-A-Thon
Monday-Friday, February 21st-25th - Winter Break - All APS Schools Closed

Hello Bishop Families ~

I hope this Update finds you and your family well!

Please take note of the early release date for Tuesday, the 25th and time
(11:30am) for Family/Teacher Conferences - Please plan accordingly

Family/Teacher Conferences
Tuesday, January 25th - Early Release at 11:30am for Conferences

Pooled Testing Schedule for the Week of 1.24.22

Grades K, 2, and 4 - Monday, the 24rd
Grades 1, 3, and 5 - Tuesday, the 25th

Student Smart Watches and Phones at Bishop

Bishop classroom teachers and staff have observed many students who have smart watches
and phones - I understand that families take comfort in being in contact with their child
during the day, however, this is becoming an issue.
Bishop’s policy is that smart watches and phones are not allowed during the hours of
8:10am-2:30pm. If your child possesses a smart device, the expectation is that said devices
are to be turned off and secured in their backpack during the school day. Thank you for
reinforcing this policy when you talk with your child about this.
 Library News: Mock Caldecott Competition 2022:

Through January, we are reviewing 10 beautiful new picture books, after which students will
vote to choose the book that they judge most worthy to win the 2022 Caldecott medal, for
outstanding illustration and design. If students have missed any Library classes over the
last few weeks, please have them check out the Mock Caldecott page on our Bishop
Library website, where they can find short videos showcasing the illustrations from each of
the books they missed.

Our students do a great job, thoughtfully considering the artwork and design of the books,
and are often in agreement with the real Caldecott judging panel. Last year the top three
choices in our Bishop Mock Caldecott competition were: 1st place Hike by Pete Oswald; 2nd
place The Next President written by Kate Messner and illustrated by Adam Rex; and 3rd
place We are Water Protectors written by Carole Lindstrom and illustrated by Michaela
Goade. Bishop students showed their good judgment since We are Water Protectors won
the real Caldecott medal (This video shows the 10 picture books that we shared last year.)
In 2019 Bishop students selected the same book, "Hello Lighthouse", for the gold medal as
did the judges, and in 2020, our second choice, "Bear Came Along", was a silver medal
winner.
We look forward to sharing this year's results.
Alison Vaishnaw and Justine Bloch

BISHOP PTO NEWS AND UPDATES

Arlington EATS
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. Arlington EATS estimates there are 4,350 food insecure neighbors here in Arlington. If
you are able, please help your neighbors by filling the shelves at the EATS MARKET. You can
bring donations to the collection bins in the Bishop front entrance or by donating directly to
the Market on Tuesday 1-4 PM. Kindly bring in regular size (no jumbo or single serving)
cereal, soup, almond butter, snacks or other items (listed here) through the end of January.
You can also make a monetary donation directly to the Market here.
Thank you for supporting this wonderful community resource!

Bishop Hot Chocolate Meetup

The PTO is hosting a winter meetup on Saturday, February 5th from 1 pm - 3 pm. Dress
warmly and come to the school playground to enjoy an afternoon of fun with your fellow
Bishop Bears. Hot chocolate will be provided by the PTO.

Read-A-Thon is Back!
We are excited to announce the return of the Read-A-Thon fundraiser! The Read-A-Thon is
an event that brings students together with family and friends to encourage reading and to
build literacy skills. Last year, our students logged over 122,000 minutes and raised more
than $14,000! The main focus of the Read-A-Thon is for everyone to know our community is
committed to improving reading skills. To that end, the Read-A-Thon promises to be a fun,
exciting journey for all participants as they begin a personal Reading Adventure that
challenges each reader to complete reading sessions over our 3-week event. Stay tuned for
more information coming soon!

Your PTO Dollars at Work

On Tuesday, January 18th, the PTO provided a D'Agostino's lunch for Bishop staff to enjoy as
they conducted parent teacher conferences. There will be another lunch for staff for next
Tuesday’s conferences as well. Thank you to Lindsay Sweeney, PTO Room Parent
Coordinator, for organizing the lunches.

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
aemaltais@gmail.com

Varallo Orthodontics Partners in Education Program

At Varallo Orthodontics, we love giving back to our community in any way we can! 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 us, we will donate $25 to the patient’s
school PTO. To schedule a free consultation or find out more, visit us 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
bishopdig@gmail.com