Pioneer Post
BJHS Newsletter for October 15-21, 2018
UPCOMING EVENTS
October 16 & 17 - Club Live Youth Development Summit - Richardson Springs
October 16 - Girls' Basketball vs Paradise - Gym - (7th @ 5:30pm/8th @ 6:30pm)
October 17 - Magazine Sale turn in date #3 - MPR - 7:30am-9am
Chess Club Tournament - Franklin Elementary School, Yuba City - 3:30pm
Cross Country Team Race - One Mile - 3:45pm
October 18 - PE Makeups - Gym - 2:50pm
Bidwell Wrestling Informational Meeting - Library - 6:30p
October 22 – October 26 – Red Ribbon Week
October 22 – School Site Council meeting - Large Conf. Room - 2:55pm
October 26 – Gold Nugget Store - Outside Room 406A - Both lunches
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Dear Bidwell Families,
Do your students talk about “going to Late Start” on Wednesday mornings? While clearly 80% of you either drop your students off at school, have them ride the school bus, or outright forbid them to visit our business neighbors in the North Valley Plaza, I do get regular complaints about the 100-200 of our students who hang out there on Wednesday mornings between 8:15 and 8:45. As I’ve said many times since I’ve been your principal, the Plaza is a zoo on Wednesday mornings. Kids are everywhere: Dutch Bros, Donut Nook, Dollar Store, even Trader Joe’s. There is no supervision there. Kids spill out into the busy Cohasset Avenue traffic and dart between cars. Employees and patrons describe kids wreaking havoc in stores, banging on glass, cursing at adults, blocking entry ways, throwing food...the works. Last week, several citizens posted pictures on FaceBook of (presumably) Bidwell students loitering in the Plaza along with narratives that give us a collective black eye in our community. If you allow your student to go to “Late Start”, please reconsider. If you must allow them to go, please tell them to buy their junk food respectfully and head directly to campus.
While I’d love to believe that my words alone will shrink the crowds down to a few stragglers, I know better. To that end, I would like to invite parents to check out the Late Start scene for themselves by signing up to be a visible presence in the Plaza on Wednesday mornings. Please check out the link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0e44a4a929a7fa7-late
Even if you can only sign up for one Wednesday this year, I think it will be eye-opening for you. I’m not asking you to nag kids or tell them what to do. Just walk around and observe them. Say hello. Chat with the ones you may know. Tell them you’re a Bidwell parent if any of them ask who you are. Wear black and gold or Bidwell swag to make it obvious. Observe any kids breaking the law? By all means politely advise them to reconsider their choices or just take a quick picture of the offending students and send it to my cell. If I have a face, I can hold a student accountable. If kids know they aren’t anonymous, their behavior tends to improve dramatically. That’s the main reason why a 2-hour dance with 500 students is no problem but Late Start with 100 students is a disaster. Let’s work together to keep our kids safe on Wednesday mornings and to help our kids bring out the best in each other while they’re out in our community. That’s The Bidwell Way.
Respectfully,
David McKay
Principal
Bidwell Junior High School
Chico Unified School District
(530) 521-9228
CURRENT FALL FUNDRAISER RESULTS ARE IN!
WINNER, WINNER!
GUMBALL MECHANICS
STEM students made their own gumball machines for Mrs. Duchon! They were given a “budget” as well as specifics about their machine’s function (i.e. how many gumballs it had to hold and how many it could let out at a time), but were given total freedom with the design. They came up with some pretty stellar ideas. Way to go, Pioneers!
THANK YOU!
ATTENTION!
MAGAZINE DRIVE HELP NEEDED
BLAST BRINGS HOME THE TROPHY
BLAST football was successful against Chico Junior in their last game of the season, bringing home the trophy once more! Next up in the BLAST junior high competition season is dodgeball. We know our Pioneers will make us proud!
BIDWELL WRESTLING MEETING
APPROPRIATE LANGUAGE REMINDER
8TH GRADE BABY PHOTO YEARBOOK FAREWELLS
It’s time to think about what picture you would like to submit to have included in the 8th Grade Baby Photo Yearbook Farewells!
For just $15.00, we’ll include a baby picture of your student, along with a few lines of farewell in this year’s yearbook. You can submit the form along with the baby picture and your $15.00 to the student payment window by Friday, January 25th. (Make checks payable to BJHS). ~OR~ Payments are also being accepted online through the web store (https://BidwellJuniorStudentStore.myschoolcentral.com). If you pay online make sure to e-mail the picture and form tommcentee-choo@chicousd.org, or turn it in to the office before the deadline.
CJSF PANDA EXPRESS FUNDRAISER
STUDENT NOTICE
ELKS WRITING CONTEST
Chico Elks Lodge #423 invites your students to participate in the National Elks Americanism Essay Contest. This year's theme is "What Makes You Proud to Be an American."
BOX TOP REMINDER
JOIN REMIND
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BIDWELL JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Email: bjhsconnect@chicousd.org
Website: http://bjhs.chicousd.org/
Location: 2376 North Avenue, Chico, CA 95926, United States
Phone: (530) 891-3080
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BidwellASB/?fref=ts
Twitter: @BidwellASB