2021-22 Respect, Responsibility, and Regard

4.14.22

Dates for the Calendar

Friday, April 15th - NO SCHOOL (Good Friday)
Monday, April 18th - Patriots Day Holiday - Boston Marathon Monday!! Schools Closed
Tuesday-Friday, April 19th-22nd - Spring Recess - Schools Closed
Thursday and Friday, April 28th/29th - 4th Grade MCAS (Mathematics)
Sunday, May 1st - Annual Greg E. Wright Clean-Up Day
Wednesday, May 4th - Science Night
Wednesday, May 11th - Community PTO Meeting
Saturday, May 14th - Bishop Bear Fair and Used Goods Sale (rain date Sunday, May 15th)

Hello Bishop Families!

I hope this Update before April Break finds you well. It is my hope that you and your family
will find yourselves with a day, a few days, or even the whole week off!

To our families observing Easter and/or Passover, I wish you the very best High Holiday(s)

Patriots Day is this coming Monday! To those who are running in this year’s Boston
Marathon; SUCCESS!!

Student Placement for the 2022-23 School Year

When we return to school on Monday, April 25th, end of year preparations will be initiated,
along with planning for the next school year. As we begin to plan for the 2022-23 school
year, our student placement process will commence.
A component to our student placement process is to reach out to you for any input that you
may want to convey regarding your child’s learning style. Please access this LINK for
Bishop’s Student Placement Policy. It is important that you are in line with the deadline of
Friday, April 29th, to submit your input, if you so choose to send it along.
 Grades 3, 4, and 5 MCAS administration has begun and will run through
May. Families with students in the identified grades can access this year’s MCAS
schedule HERE

Lost and Found Items

We have accumulated a number of coats and winter items along with sweatshirts and other
clothes in our lost and found. Please come to the entryway of Bishop to see if your student
has misplaced anything. All lost and found items will be donated May 6th.

This announcement comes from Rachel Oliveri, the Arlington School Sustainability
Coordinator:
Arlington's EcoWeek,
Students from Spring Forward will run 2 interactive climate workshops on Sunday May 1st
for students in grades 3 - 8.
Spring Forward : Youth-led climate education and empowerment
Sunday, May 1st @ Thompson Elementary School
High-school students leading FREE interactive workshops
Climate Change & You for 3rd-5th grade youth (1-2pm)
Climate Justice Activism for 6th-8th grade youth (2-3pm)
REGISTER HERE.

BISHOP PTO NEWS AND UPDATES

Staff Appreciation Week

Staff Appreciation Week wraps up today! Each year the PTO celebrates the work of all the
Bishop teachers and staff during Appreciation Week. The PTO planned a week of delicious
food and a daily raffle. Thank you to all the students who filled out the yellow postcards for
our amazing teachers and staff. If you need more or didn’t get a chance to send your thanks
yet, there are extras in the main office.

Get Involved with the Bishop PTO!

The PTO is beginning to plan for the AY2022-2023 school year and will need to replace
outgoing board members in the positions listed below. All positions serve a two-year term.
In addition to the duties described, all officers are required to attend monthly board
meetings and every other month PTO Community meetings held during the school year.
 Fundraising Coordinator. The Fundraising Coordinator oversees and schedules PTO
fundraising events with the Co-Presidents, generates ideas for future events, and
manages ongoing fundraising initiatives.
Communications Coordinator. The Communications Coordinator is the public
relations coordinator for the PTO, focused on getting out the news of the PTO's work;
will create updates for the Principal’s Newsletter; and handle all correspondence.

Please contact BishopPTO@gmail.com if you are interested in any of the above listed
positions. We are happy to answer any questions that you may have.

Green Team Meet Up

Wednesday, April 27, 2022, 7:30am-8:10am
With spring finally here, the Green Team is meeting on Wednesday, April 27 to discuss the
importance of pollinators and to make seed balls. Participants will be able to take their
seed balls home and put them in their garden. If you would like to join, please email Tai
Sokoloff (tai.sokoloff@gmail.com) in advance to make sure we have enough supplies for
everyone. For students K-2, please have a parent/adult accompany your kiddo(s) at the
meeting if they have never attended a Green Team meeting before.
Please meet by the picnic tables next to the main entrance of the school at 7:30am on
4/27.

Greg Wright Spring Clean Up Day

Sunday, May 1st from 9AM to 12PM
Please join us for our annual Greg Wright Spring Clean Up Day to keep Bishop looking
beautiful! Sign up here, or just show up on the 1st! While signing up helps us plan, it’s not
necessary. If you have gloves or tools, please bring those with you. We will provide extra
for those who do not. Mr. Wright was a much-loved fixture at Bishop who passed away in
2017. He was a jovial spirit who cared for the building and grounds as he would his own
home.
Plans for the day include:
• Grounds clean up and trash pick up
• Cleaning all beds and edging as much as possible
• Pollinator garden weeding
Please email Amanda Maltais aemaltais@gmail.com or Alex Rehm
Alex.Rehm@gmail.com with any questions.

Bishop Science Night

Wednesday May 4th, 2022, 5:30-7:30 pm
Science Night is BACK!
Join us for an evening of science including live demonstrations, poster presentations by our
Junior Scientists and the famous egg-drop competition!
Please visit the Bishop Science website for more information and opportunities to help!
Poster boards for students are available in the Main Office.

Please direct any questions to Anna Pisania (apisania@gmail.com)

**Please note that the PTO Community Meeting previously scheduled for that night, will be
moved to the following week.

PTO Community Meeting

Wednesday, May 11th, 7:00 pm via Zoom
Mark your calendars! We hope you can join us Wednesday, May 11th, at 7pm for the PTO
Community Meeting. We look forward to welcoming and hearing from Richelle Smith, the
new Director of METCO in Arlington. She will tell us more about the METCO program and
her work as the new director.

All are welcome to attend our PTO Community meetings.! They are a great way to meet
other parents, stay up to date, and voice your ideas, concerns, or feedback. Look for more
information in the coming weeks including the Zoom link.

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

Run for Education in Arlington — AEF’s 1st Annual 5K

Be a part of history — register for the first annual AEF 5K Run to celebrate education in
Arlington and raise funds for the Arlington Education Foundation.

WHEN: Sunday, May 15, 2022, 8:00am

WHERE: Starting behind Ed Burns Arena, making a loop, including parts of the Minuteman
Bike Trail
WHO: Virtual and in-person runners of all ages

Early bird discount available through April 15th! Register today!

Robbins Farm Park Spring Cleanup 4/23

Come and meet the Robbins Farm Community at our spring cleanup! Join us to rake,
remove invasive species, and spruce up the park on Saturday, Apr 23 from 9 am to 12 pm.
SIGN UP HERE

Please bring work gloves and (if you can) a rake, shovel, pruning shears (label them, please)
OR we will sanitize any shared equipment we provide

If you are NOT fully vaccinated, please wear a mask at all times during cleanup.
AHS Students who volunteer are eligible for community service hours.

Shattuck Heights Hardware Sidewalk Sale

Shattuck Heights Hardware is having the first of several Sidewalk Sales on April 23rd from
8am-5pm to coincide with the Grand Opening of the store. They plan to have food catered
by D'Agostino's. All proceeds will be donated to youth focused organizations.

Greetings from the Cyrus Dallin Art Museum!

We are kicking off the April school vacation week with a Kids Sculpture Workshop on
Monday, April 18th at 12:30 p.m.

It is a really fun event; the children will participate in an age-appropriate tour of the galleries
followed by a hand-building workshop where they will learn Dallin’s method for making
armatures to create their own clay sculptures. Recommended for ages 6-12. Please visit
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/kids-sculpture-workshop-tickets-315500008017 to sign up.

A storytelling program for children at the Old Schwamb Mill

The Old Schwamb Mill is pleased to present a storytelling program for children and their
families featuring educator Peggy Fenner’s latest book, Frijole the Sleepy Sloth Wakes Up to
be held on Saturday, April 23, 2022 from 1:30 to 3 pm. This event invites children to arrive
with their favorite stuffed animal to create an afternoon of sharing, storytelling singing, an art
project and refreshments.

The program will be held at the Old Schwamb Mill, 17 Mill Lane in Arlington, Massachusetts
on Saturday, April 23 from 1:30 to 3 pm and is geared toward children ages 4 to 8. Admission
is $10 per family. For more information, call the Mill at 781-643-0554 or visit
www.oldschwambmill.org.

Arlington EcoWeek Activities - Save the Dates!

Spring Forward: Youth-led climate education and empowerment!
Sunday, May 1st @ Thompson Elementary School
High-school students leading FREE interactive workshops
Climate Change & You for 3rd-5th grade youth (1-2pm)
Climate Justice Activism for 6th-8th grade youth (2-3pm)
REGISTER HERE.

Invasive Plant Removal: Hands-On Activity for the Whole Family!

Saturday, May 7th (locations and more info here)
No experience necessary, come and learn!

Plastic Bag Store: Festive Film Screening Celebrating Public Art & Plastic Activism
Tuesday, May 10th @ Regent Theatre and streaming at home

A whimsical puppet show (now a lyrical film) that reveals another aspect of throw-away plastic: it
lasts forever. Follows a plastic bottle into a dystopian future “after the robot wars”, where it is
carefully uncovered and exhibited as a trace of a vanished civilization. Followed by a virtual Q&
A with Robin Frohardt and Michelle Lougee on art, activism, and plastic. Tickets will be
available soon at ArtsArtlington.org/plastic

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