Birch Lane Elementary -

Good Afternoon Birch Lane Families, As the weather has gotten nicer, we have seen an increase in the number of students who ride their bikes to school each day. With this increase in bikers, we have also observed a number of potentially dangerous situations take place that we would like to bring to your attention. Many students cross over our bus driveway, riding west on Beacon Drive towards Birch Lane. This is extremely dangerous with the number of parked cars and buses driving through that area. We ask that you please talk to your child about avoiding this area and discuss alternate routes that can be taken. Many students are riding without helmets. Please remember that it is our expectation for all students who are riding their bikes to wear a helmet. In New York State, bicyclist's 14 years old and younger are required to wear a helmet when riding a bike. Our bus drivers and crossing guards have also shared concerns about groups of students riding through the neighborhoods unsafely. As you know, the health and safety of our students is our top priority. If you have a child who rides to school, we ask that you take a few moments to review bicycle safety with your child. Please visit the link below for additional bicycle safety tips. https://www.dot.ny.gov/display/programs/bicycle/safety_laws/safety-tips Best Regards, Stephen Aspetti and Joyce Larkin

Good Afternoon Birch Lane Families, Please see the following information from our nurse's office regarding medication pick-up and request forms for administering medication in school. Any questions, please reach out to the health office. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NoVNt4oe0iTJiV5wp_4Utiz8nWwm-OMP/view?usp=drive_link https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xrYKxTtzI3lu3DJ6a5w6Jwric00j-4L8/view?usp=drive_link Best Regards, Stephen Aspetti and Joyce Larkin

Dear Fourth Grade Parents, Every year, a committee is selected by building administration to plan and coordinate all of the end-of-year activities for the moving up class. This committee is composed of two chairpeople and members. Planning for the Class of 2026 will need to begin shortly and will then carry over into the 2025 - 2026 school year. If you have any interest in serving as a committee chair or member, please access the following link to complete the volunteer form; https://forms.gle/Ff1EaCQijacy1GhP7. Submissions must be in by June 25th. Committee chairpeople and committee members will be selected and notified by me. Best Regards, Stephen Aspetti and Joyce Larkin

Good Afternoon Birch Lane Families, We are so excited for the Summer Kickoff Carnival this afternoon. Just a few reminders before the bash begins... All guests must enter at the gate on Whitewood Drive starting at 4:00 If you didn’t get tickets and would like to attend, we will have the link to purchase available at the gate. Bikes are not permitted at this event There will be trash receptacles around the field. We kindly ask that all guests make an effort to help keep our field clean We thank you in advance for your support and look forward to seeing you all this afternoon. Best Regards, Stephen Aspetti and Joyce Larkin

Dear MSD Parents/Guardians, We hope this message finds you well. We are writing to inform you of an important update regarding how we communicate with you about unverified student absences. In our ongoing efforts to improve communication and ensure easy access to notifications, we are transitioning from phone message alerts to text messages and emails for unverified absences. What This Means for You: • If your child is marked absent and the absence has not been verified, you will receive a text message and email instead of a phone call. • This new system will allow for quicker, more convenient communication and help ensure that you are promptly informed. As a reminder, all parents are asked to complete the Student Absence Notification Form located on the Parent Portal to inform the school of a verified absence. Thank you for your continued support with our communications. Sincerely, The Massapequa School District

Good Morning Birch Lane Families, The PTA committee link sent out last week was not working properly. Please use the following link to complete the form if you are interested in joining a committee for next year. https://forms.gle/9DxvZcYKdN5fEvbL6 Best Regards, Stephen Aspetti and Joyce Larkin

Good Morning Birch Lane Families, Previous experience has taught us that many children move from our school during the summer months. Having this information early on helps us in planning for the following school year. Please take a moment to click on the link below and complete the information on this form for your youngest/only child. https://forms.gle/UBQv3u8vT1keAFaJ9 Best Regards, Stephen Aspetti and Joyce Larkin

Good Morning Birch Lane Families, Please see the attached letter regarding early dismissal days. A hard copy will be coming home in backpacks this afternoon. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1TcgYKmb85GYKw33my461OSM_ACsOpmt5/view?usp=drive_link Best, Stephen Aspetti and Joyce Larkin

Good Afternoon Fifth Grade Families, We have just a few more events before we send our fifth graders off to Berner. Please look over the dates and details below. Feel free to reach out with any questions. Yearbook Breakfast: Tuesday, June 17. We will use the same order that was placed for the Crestwood Breakfast. Students are asked to wear their fifth grade shirts. Berner Orientation and Moving Up Rehearsal at MHS: Friday, June 20th. Buses will take students to and from both. Again, students are asked to wear their class shirts. Yearbook Signing: Monday, June 23rd. Students will have time to walk around the building and have their teachers sign their yearbooks. Moving Up Ceremony: Tuesday, June 24th. Click on the link for all details. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VrsIZdT2fsICnBnte0vClgEdvy1Kauo03_nuuFMDIr4/edit?usp=sharing 5th Grade clap out: Friday, June 27th. All parents/guardians who are interested may join in on the Nassau Street sidewalk. Students will begin walking around 10:10 a.m.

Good Afternoon, Please see the correct links for the PTA class parent and committee interest sign up forms... https://forms.gle/eHqbUrDSYCnf1qDh8 Class Parent Sign Up https://forms.gle/zPeheFgtcXPL5bG96 Committee Interest Sign Up

Dear Birch Lane Families, We are already beginning to plan for next year! Please see the following information and sign ups for class parents and committees for 2025-2026. We will hold a brief information zoom meeting on Wednesday June 25th at 7:30pm if you have questions or want to learn more about volunteer opportunities! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1IjFvJEPzY8ykb3CAGgZjwMdrlaLZyNGpi3FkPO-g_TI/edit?usp=drive_link https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1p_bVXHpPCNbsTRjHF6E_BPbRlM86QejD5O9jDW_tyI0/edit?usp=drive_link https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PU-kYHM4tD6GmVt3bb5_-SLjsDQpxoW52tV2ct0OZjc/edit?usp=drive_link https://docs.google.com/document/d/128NBeAYEciAc3Dm8ZqEAcjOQJEopEq48_I4srfdotXc/edit?usp=drive_link -Birch Lane PTA

Dear Parents/Guardians, We are happy to announce that we will be holding our traditional Flag Day ceremony at Birch Lane tomorrow morning. As in years past, the Massapequa Elks will be joining us for this moving and patriotic celebration . Our celebration will be held for students in grades 3 through 5 and take place outside (weather permitting) in front of our main entrance. The program will include a presentation of the history of the American Flag from members of our student government and the Elks along with the playing of patriotic music performed by our advanced band, orchestra, and chorus. The celebration will begin promptly at 9:45 a.m. and parents/guardians are welcome to join us. In the event of inclement weather, we will hold a smaller ceremony inside for students only. Unfortunately, if the ceremony needs to be moved inside, parents/guardians will not be able to join us. We hope to see you tomorrow morning! Best Regards, Stephen Aspetti and Joyce Larkin

Hello Families, If you ordered a school supply kit for next school year, pickups will be on Tuesday, June 17th from 4 - 7 pm in the GP room. If you have any questions, please contact Colleen Wildes or Maria Joyce at birchlanesupplykits@gmail.com. Thank you! School Supply Kit Committee

Good Afternoon Fifth Grade Families, Just a few notes for tomorrow's trip... All students are asked to wear their class shirts All students should wear sneakers. Kanes are not allowed. Arrival is at 8:10 tomorrow morning Students must be dropped off by a parent/guardian. They are not permitted to ride their bikes to school due to the change in arrival cell phones are not permitted on the trip Best Regards, Stephen Aspetti and Joyce Larkin

Good Afternoon Birch Lane Families, Please see the attached flyer for the PTA's Summer Kickoff Carnival. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1P4zwRVZGtlrflgJ2z6I9hSU6RYnOKvDS/view?usp=drive_link Best Regards, Stephen Aspetti and Joyce Larkin

Good Morning Fifth Grade Families, Our celebratory trip to Crestwood Day Camp is scheduled for tomorrow! Please note that students are to report to Birch Lane at 8:10 tomorrow morning for a quick bagel breakfast. Arrival will be through the main entrance (GP Room doors). All details for the trip are included in the attached letter. Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1kKSw8Z5b0AuouUCx7ptDDrKLiHdP6O4KaVdd5xcDlpM/edit?usp=sharing We are looking forward to a fabulous day! Stephen Aspetti and Joyce Larkin

Good Afternoon Fifth Grade Families, Just a friendly reminder to complete the Crestwood Breakfast form by the end of the day today. https://forms.gle/ULAPKPXwkpMzbCedA Best Regards, Stephen Aspetti and Joyce Larkin

Good Afternoon Fifth Grade Families, Our celebratory trip to Crestwood is next week. Please see the attached letter for all details. The breakfast form for the morning of the trip must be completed by tomorrow afternoon. Link to complete the form is included in the letter. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1JDH-4DySAUV_JfQO1wwNaAfaAsKAeZ1h/view?usp=drive_link Best Regards, Stephen Aspetti

Good Morning Kindergarten Parents, Our Kindergarten Recital will be taking place on Friday, June 20th. The celebration will begin at 9:45 in our General Purpose Room. Due to space restrictions, two guests are permitted for each student. Kindly click on the link below to complete our guest form. https://forms.gle/i8NkXugv5zUctkBt8 Best Regards, Stephen Aspetti and Joyce Larkin

Good Morning Birch Lane Families, We apologize for the late notice, but if possible, we are requesting for students to avoid riding bikes to school today. Most of our field is being utilized for Field Day activities and there won't be much room to park bikes on our grounds. Of course, if this is their only option today, we will find a place for their bikes. Best Regards, Stephen Aspetti and Joyce Larkin