2022-23 Respect, Responsibility, and Regard

10.26.22

Dates for the Calendar

- Friday, October 28th: Last day for Arlington EATS donations

- Wednesday, November 2nd: Great Pumpkin Rescue dropoff

- Thursday, November 3rd: PTO Community Meeting, 7:00 pm via Zoom . Our
speaker will be Dr. Sam Hoyo, APS Science Director!

- Friday, November 4th from 9:00am-5:00pm and Saturday, November 5th

from 8:00am-1:00pm: Arlington Orthodontics Candy Buy Back Program
(see the Community News section for more information

- Friday, November 4th - Original Works Deadline

- Tuesday, November 8th - Schools Closed - APS Staff Professional

Development Day

- Friday, November 11th - Schools Closed - Veterans Day

- Bishop Play Performance, Beauty and the Beast - March 24, 25, 26
Hello Bishop Families ~ I hope this Update finds you well!

PTO Community Meeting Zoom Info for Thursday, November 3rd

Join Zoom Meeting:
Meeting ID: 853 7027 9386
Passcode: 813697

Walk-A-Thon Appreciation
We are thrilled to report another amazingly successful and fun community fundraiser! The
weather was (yet again!) perfect, and the kids had a great time out in the sunshine. Thank
you to everyone who helped to make the Walk-A-Thon a success, with special thanks to the
event leads, Elisa Komoni and Jennifer Le Blond, for all of their hard work organizing this big
event.
 Fall Clean-Up Day Appreciation
Did you notice that the Bishop grounds are looking a little bit spiffier these days? A big
thanks to Alex Rehm and Amanda Maltais for organizing our annual fall clean-up event and
to everyone who came out to pull weeds, rake, and pick up trash around our school. It looks
amazing!

Health Office Update from Nurse Martin

Hello Bishop Families,
I am excited to share that we will be having a COVID-19 booster clinic at the Bishop School
on 11/21 from 3-7pm for students, staff, and families. Please click HERE for more information
and to sign-up.

We are seeing increased numbers of illnesses (Flu, viral illnesses, and COVID) developing
over the past couple of weeks and appreciate that our families are being mindful of our
illness protocols. The best ways for us all to stay healthy are to stay up to date with
COVID-19 and Flu vaccines; stay home when sick; wear a mask if mildly symptomatic; and
hand washing.
If you have any questions regarding what to do when your child is not feeling well please
review this information or feel free to contact me.

Arlington Public Schools - Community Forum Dates -

Would Love to See You There!
 Bishop’s Lost and Found Items
Next week (10/24-10/28) lost and found items will be in our main entrance of Bishop school.
Feel free to look for any items throughout the week. At the end of the week, we will donate
whatever is left to a local charity.

The Bishop main website is a great place to find resources and answers to
frequently asked questions. You can also find information about our staff and curriculum.

BISHOP PTO NEWS AND UPDATES

Arlington EATS
As you do your grocery shopping (and Halloween candy shopping!) Please consider picking
up an extra item or two for our local food pantry. Arlington EATS relies upon community
donations for 30% of their market supply. Please place donations in the marked bins in the
front entrance to Bishop School by Friday, October 28.

At this time, it is most helpful if you stick to requests from the following list:

● Cereal (especially Cheerios!)

● Shelf stable soup
● Almond butter
● Snacks (regular sizes, please)
● Soy Sauce
● Shelf Stable Soy Milk or Almond Milk
● Dish soap and laundry detergent
● Personal care items such as shampoo, soap, toothpaste, toothbrush
● Incontinence products & diapers (larger sizes are more in demand

Please do not donate: soda, sports drinks, medications, jumbo or single serving sizes.
If you have any questions or would like to get involved with supporting Arlington
EATS, please contact Sarah Popper at sarahepopper@yahoo.com.

Great Pumpkin Rescue (Pumpkin Recycling/Composting)

Wednesday, November 2nd - Drop-Off

Did you know pumpkins can't go in yard waste because they're considered food
waste? They are heavy and water-filled and we don’t want them going in the trash to
be incinerated (yes this is actually what happens!!) and contribute to greenhouse gas
emissions. The Bishop Green Team is asking you to please bring your pumpkins,
ghords, and jack o’lanterns to drop off on Wednesday, November 2nd so they can be
 composted with the help of Black Earth Compost!

Pumpkin recycling drop off guidelines:

● Families should bring their pumpkins to drop-off or any time until 2:30PM on
Wednesday, 11/2 (via car, wagon, stroller, etc).
● Pumpkins and gourds of any size will be accepted.
● Remove candles/tea lights/stickers/bejeweling/costumes.
● Pumpkins with paint or bling will NOT be accepted - if you can, please cut
those pieces off, Black Earth Compost will accept the rest.

If you're interested in becoming involved in the Green Team as a parent volunteer or your
child Is interested in joining a meeting, please reach out to Tai Sokoloff
(tai.sokoloff@gmail.com).

Original Works Fundraiser

At a loss for a Christmas present for Aunt Petunia this year? Want a keepsake to show how
artistically-gifted your child was on one of their future milestone birthdays? Need a mug to
make you smile every time you and your co-workers look at it? This is for you!

The Bishop PTO is excited to announce that Bishop has teamed up with Original Works to
offer an exciting art-based program at our school. Through this program, you can purchase a
variety of products featuring your child’s very own artwork, while also supporting the Bishop
school community.

Look out for the artwork packages that will be sent home shortly via backpack mail (the
return deadline is 11/04/2022). Take a peek at samples on Pinterest! Samples products
that you can purchase will also be on display at the Walkathon on Friday, October 21st.
Support your PTO, and capture a piece of your child’s creativity!

Arlington Orthodontics Candy Buy Back

Arlington Orthodontics is once again offering its popular Cash for Candy program! Bring us
your leftover Halloween candy and we will pay YOU $2/lb. ($10 max). We will also give a
matching donation to the Bishop PTO!
When? Friday, November 4th from 9am-5pm and Saturday, November 5th from 8am-1pm
Where? 800 Mass Ave Arlington, MA
All candy collected will be shipped to our troops serving overseas!
 The Bishop Play is Returning with Beauty And The Beast Junior!

We are thrilled to announce that the Bishop Play is making its return. We are welcoming
back the talented children’s theatre director Sarah Morrison Zeitman to direct this year’s
production of Disney’s Beauty And The Beast Junior!

The play is a huge undertaking and requires a lot of coordination between our directorial
staff, the parent community and PTO, Bishop staff and administration and Bright Start. This
year, we are focused on rebuilding our capacity to produce a play that is safe and rewarding
for everyone involved. The play will be open to Bishop students in grades 3, 4 and 5.

Details on ways to participate and costs are below. If you have any questions, please email
thebishopplay@gmail.com.

We hope in future years to regrow the play to include the entire student community. In the
meantime, thank you for your support as we bring this great tradition back to Bishop!

Registration will start on November 7. Details below…

Ways to Participate:
● Students in grades 4-5 can register to:
○ Audition for a leading/larger role
○ Participate in a supporting role (no audition required)
○ Participate in Tech Crew

● Students in grades 3 can register to participate in an ensemble role

Cost:
● $75 for grade 4-5 cast members
● $60 for grade 3 ensemble
● $30 for grade 4-5 Tech Crew
● Scholarships are available for any families in need; please contact Mr. McAneny

Key Dates:
● Registration: November 7-10 (link to be provided separately)
● Mandatory Parent Volunteer Meeting: Wednesday, Nov 30, 7 PM
● Auditions Grades 4-5: Wednesday, Nov 30 (2:45-4:45 PM)
● Call Backs Grades 4-5: Friday, Dec. 2 (2:45-4:45 PM)
● Rehearsals: Wednesdays or Fridays, 2:45-4:45 PM
○ Note: you will select a preferred day to rehearse during registration
○ Grades 4-5 will start rehearsing in December
 ○ Grade 3 will start rehearsing in January
○ Tech Crew will begin participating after February break
● Dress Rehearsal: Saturday, March 18, 12-5 PM (each cast for approx. 2 hours)
● Performance Weekend March 24, 25, 26
Questions? Please email thebishopplay@gmail.com

Donations for the SNACK PROGRAM at Bishop Elementary School

Please continue to support the Snack Program by purchasing pre-approved snacks through
our Amazon Snack Wishlist. You can also find the Amazon Snack Wish List link on the PTO
website. Thank you for all of the generous donations!

AmazonSmile for Bishop!

Did you know you can sign up for AmazonSmile in just three steps? AmazonSmile will
donate 0.5% of all eligible purchases to Bishop (search for John A. Bishop PTO) at no cost to
you!

In a time when we are ordering more online and donations are more important than ever,
this is an easy way to support the Bishop. Also, anyone can add Bishop as a charity for
AmazonSmile, so please forward this information to family and friends who want to help
support our awesome community!

Sign up for Amazon Smile in these three easy steps:

1. Join Amazon Smile (If you’re not already an AmazonSmile member, sign up on your
web browser. Simply select John A. Bishop to start generating donations, at no cost
to you.)
2. Get the app (Download or update the latest version of the Amazon Shopping app
on your phone.)
3. Turn on AmazonSmile (Open the app and find ‘Settings’ in the main menu. Tap on
‘AmazonSmile’ and follow the on-screen instructions to turn on AmazonSmile on
your phone.)

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 Valerie Geary (Communications Coordinator, Bishop PTO) at
valerie.t.geary@gmail.com.

MGH Research Study Opportunity for Children Ages 8-11 Years Old
The Cognitive Neuroscience Group at the MGH Institute of Health Professions in Boston is
recruiting children between the ages of 8 and 11 years to participate in research studies
funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institute of Health (NIH).

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the learning patterns of children with typical and
atypical language development. The study will involve 3 visits to the lab at the MGH Institute
of Health Professions. During the visits, children complete a battery of cognitive and
language-based assessments, play several games on the computer and complete several
language/memory tasks. The lab visit includes safe and noninvasive EEG recording. A visit
will last about 3 hours. We are looking for children who were late to develop language, and
who still receive services for language or learning difficulties. More information can be found
at: Rally | Learning Differences in Children (massgeneralbrigham.org)

Payment is $50 for each in-person visit to the lab ($150 total). We provide free all-day
parking at the Navy Yard. We will mail you the scores of your child on the cognitive and
language tests/subtests. Please email us at cnglead@mghihp.edu or call us at (617)
643-4821 if you are interested or if you have any questions.

McLean Hospital Research Opportunity

The PediMIND lab is currently looking for children and adolescents to participate in our
research studies. Our lab’s goal is to try to understand what is going on in the brains of
children and adolescents who struggle with mental health concerns. We investigate how
that brain activity intersects with what youth do and feel in daily life. We hope that by
gaining more information, we can help parents, teachers, and mental health providers
understand what’s going on for these youth and make sure that they and their families are
getting the support they need and that practitioners have as much information as possible
to help guide treatment.

We are looking for participants ages 8-17 who either do not have braces or will soon be
getting them off (because all studies involve an MRI brain scan). A mental health history is
not required to participate in our studies. Families who participate in our studies are
compensated for their time (amount varies based on study), and all receive the summary of
their diagnostic interview that may help guide clinical care and/or individual support. The
kids also get to keep structural images of their brains.
More information on our current studies can be found here. If any parents are interested in
speaking with someone about the specific studies, they can contact research assistant
Courtney Kaplan at cakaplan@mclean.harvard.edu.

Stay Up to Date

Bishop PTO Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BishopPTO/

Please note that all-school announcements will be posted only to the main PTO
Facebook page. Make sure you have joined both the main page and your child’s
individual class page(s) to receive all information, school-wide and for your child’s
specific grade. You can find your child’s individual class page under the group name
“Bishop Elementary - Class of X” with “X” being the year of graduation from Bishop.

Websites:
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