School Closure

All Birmingham Public Schools will be closed beginning Friday, March 13 and will remain closed.
With confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Michigan, residents are being urged by the Governor’s office to take all necessary precautions to prepare and keep themselves and their families safe. The State is making preparations to limit the spread and impact of COVID-19. 

Important updates from BPS can be found at this link, COVID-19 Updates.

Learn more about online learning opportunities at https://www.birmingham.k12.mi.us/Page/10806

DC Trip Update:

You should have recently received an email from our principal stating that all trips scheduled this year have been canceled.

I have been working feverishly to avoid the inevitable, but it doesn’t make sense to prolong it anymore. I'm so very disappointed about this. My only solace is that closure, even if it’s not the closure we wanted, will relieve at least a little of the uncertainty that we are all experiencing during these unprecedented times.

If you purchased the insurance you will get 100% back minus the cost of the insurance.

If you did not purchase the insurance you will get 75% back minus the deposit – Worldstrides has worked with me on this. Their traditional policy, as stated in the travel contract, is that any money paid is nonrefundable if insurance has not been purchased.

OR

You can choose to leave a 100% credit on your account and transfer that money to a future WorldStrides trip. Credits are transferable to any family member of the registrant, or to a  student/parent in the same school as the registrant. Credits must be applied no later than 12/31/22 and have no cash value.

You must call WorldStrides Customer Service at 800-468-5899  Give them trip id 173358. They will answer any questions you have and help you update your account.

This is one of the most difficult emails I have had to write as a teacher. I would much prefer being overwhelmed with 8th-grade roommate drama, wading through DC bureaucracy and chasing you all down with dozens of emails to get information to get background checks that are necessary for Whitehouse and FBI tours.  

I want to thank all of you- parents, students and Derby staff- for the enthusiasm, cooperation and understanding you have shown as we experienced the ebbs and flows of this trip’s evolution together.  Please take care of yourselves and your families

Kindest regards

Chris

Dear Dragon Families,
 
Bravo to our students who continue to do a great job working on the BPS Google Classrooms.  Our teachers will continue to upload assignments/enrichment activities this week. (Look for a special message from us at the end of the week!)  
 
This week is "Virtual Spirit Week!". See below for all of the details (and attached) and join in the fun from home! We may not be able to see each other every day, but we can still show our Derby pride and share a smile. We hope you all are doing well and staying healthy!
 
Go Dragons!
Marla Otterbacher
Principal

WE’VE GOT SPIRIT YES WE DO - WE’VE GOT SPIRIT HOW ABOUT YOU?
 
o    Derby will be hosting Spirit Week next week Monday, March 30th through Friday, April 2nd.  We want YOU to participate!
o    It is simple…follow the Spirit Day plan as stated in the attached flyer and have someone take a photograph of you each day you participate.
o    Email your photographs to mmcgrath@birmingham.k12.mi.us for a chance to see YOUR picture appear in the Derby Yearbook AND for your photograph to appear in an upcoming video that Mr. Hickmott is putting together.
 
Who will display the most spirit…the choice is yours…we cannot wait to see your pictures!!!

Athletic Registration

BPS is happy to announce that PowerSchool Registration, powered by InfoSnap, is also being implemented for Athletic Registration. You may find the link, by clicking here:

https://secure.infosnap.com/family/gosnap.aspx?action=21885&culture=en

As a reminder, this is an online student registration/data validation system, which allows the district to verify all student demographics, emergency and medical information, prior to the start of the athletic season. It is critical to ensure we have the most up-to-date contact and medical information for all students. The system is a secure and green process supporting our focus on safety and security. Electronic registration platforms of all kinds engage parents to ensure that information is entered properly, significantly reducing errors. The system will also allow families to electronically sign the annual permission forms. Reminder: You must still submit a physical to Mrs. Guise in the main office prior to participating. All physicals must be dated after April 15, 2019. Your student can drop it off, or you can email it (hguise@birmingham.k12.mi.us) or fax it at (248-203-4948).