Birch School
Principal's Page
Dear Birch Families,
The Birch School community is a warm, welcoming home filled with enthusiasm, rigor, and learning for all. With initiatives to promote challenge and positive character, we will expect our students to push themselves to their limits and beyond. Birch spirit and excitement is of utmost importance throughout our school environment. Through home-school collaboration, our students will certainly soar!
The children who attend Birch School are bright and compassionate, each one holding the potential to achieve greatness. The possibilities are endless when you combine our students’ potential with the involved parent community that surrounds Birch School. Together, with the talented Birch staff of dedicated and knowledgeable professionals, we aim to prepare our children for their future successes.
We continuously discuss the importance of creating a positive experience for ALL Birch students. The Birch community is committed to developing a sense of inclusion and belonging throughout the building. The Dignity for All Students Act supports and guides our focus to develop school-wide positive support approaches, including Bucket Filling. Over the past years our staff has been exploring the concept of dignity through a committee including all constituent groups. Author Donna Hicks defines dignity as “the belief that all humans have equal worth and value. It cannot be earned or lost. It is a non-negotiable right.” The Birch community will continue to focus monthly on practicing the 10 Elements of Dignity. We thank our families and teachers for working together to prepare Birch students to be bucket fillers, honor the dignity of others, and in turn, continue to grow into kind and respectful citizens of the world.
Our school continues to focus on “Building a Foundation for Our Futures” through improving academic skills for all of our students. In doing so, we look forward to enhancing our current curricular programs by challenging students to delve deeper into topics and text across curricular areas. Our students in all grades will grow and develop through our balanced literacy approach and the Go Math program. We will continue to enrich our students through programs including, but not limited to, Foreign Language for Elementary School (FLES), APEX and Science Enrichment. Our RTI (Response to Intervention) model will continue to serve our students by creating and implementing individualized interventions based on student data and monitoring student progress. Our fifth and sixth graders will again participate in a partial departmentalization model in preparation for middle school. Social and emotional learning practices will continue to be a focus in our classrooms through the Second Step program, morning meetings and optimistic closures, and school-wide programs.
As we work together to support your child's educational journey, I want to emphasize the importance of maintaining ongoing and productive communication with your child's teachers. Open dialogue between home and school is vital for creating a positive learning environment and ensuring your child's success. By staying engaged and sharing insights or concerns in a constructive manner, we can collaboratively address any challenges and celebrate achievements. Your involvement is invaluable, and I encourage you to reach out regularly to foster a strong partnership with our dedicated educators. Thank you for your continued support and commitment to your child's education.
You are invited to support the students of Birch School by becoming involved and active in the Birch PTA and Merrick SEPTA. These organizations provide wonderful opportunities for our children and tremendous support to our school. The Birch PTA assists with community building through activities such as the Back-to-School Fall Festival, Founders’ Day, PARP and the PTA End of Year Dinner. The PTA also provides classroom and academic support through the organization of class parents, as well as PTA funded and planned field trips and cultural arts programs. Merrick SEPTA offers workshops and programs to support all types of learners. Much gratitude also goes to the PTA for providing Birch students with the opportunity to purchase lunch daily.
Our assistant principal, Anthony Fauci, and I are excited to continue the wonderful traditions of excellence that have been firmly established at Birch School. The school year is full of great opportunities for learning and growing throughout the Birch community. We look forward to sharing these educational experiences with you and your children.
Sincerely,
Kerri Galante
Principal
Birch School