Bitterroot Bulletin
November 2023
Greetings Bitterroot families,
Our mission statement expresses that "Bitterroot Elementary values relationships that encourage students to be respectful, motivated, and responsible learners." Next Thursday (11/16) marks the end of our first trimester and report cards will be sent home the end of the month (11/29). As I reflect on the past twelve weeks together, I am thankful for each day I have been able to learn with your student.
The end of our reporting terms can be stressful for students as it marks their progress towards learning benchmarks. Please help us encourage your student's growth mindset as we develop life long learners who are able to see these marks not as fixed levels of proficiency, but as stepping stones for progress towards a goal for growth. We are all capable of learning at high levels.
Please remember to check our website bit.ly/bitterrootelementary and the PowerSchool bulletin for updates and announcements. There is no school and the office will be closed Wed-Friday November 22, 23, & 24.
Have a great November!
~ Wendy Tyree, Bitterroot Elementary Principal
Martinson's Chocolate Sales now through Nov 15th!
Flyers went home last week. If you need another one or more information, contact the office or your teacher. If you don't have a student to buy from stop in the Bitterroot office. We will gladly take your order! Sales run through Nov 15th. Orders will be turned in to teachers on the 16th. Chocolates will be in on Dec 8th.
Prize/rewards for our Bobcat Candy Sellers
Individual
From Martinson's
Any person selling $150 or more - Cream of the Caramel Candy Bar
Top seller - 1 Box of chocolates $15 value
Bitterroot top selling Classroom in each K-2, 3-5
Pizza Party!
Runner Up in each K-2, 3-5
Root Beer Float Party!
Top 5 sellers for the whole school will get a blizzard of their choice to enjoy with their lunch on a mutually selected day.
Thank you for Supporting the Book Fair
Thank you so much everyone for your support of our Bitterroot Book Fair!! The fair grossed $6,144 the highest since Mrs. Anderson has been at Bitterroot!!
This means that Bitterroot received:
$1200 cash- this will purchase World Book subscription, Break out Edu subscription, and books for library
$584 in Scholastic dollars- used to purchase Scholastic books and Makerspace supplies and $350 in Bookfair books for library
Counselor's Corner
Stand Against Bullying
Billings Public Schools is committed to making our schools a safe and caring place for everyone. We treat each other with respect and refuse to tolerate bullying in any of our schools. Bullying is any conduct that “causes a student physical or mental harm, damages a student's property or places a student in reasonable fear of harm to the student or the student's property; is sufficiently severe, pervasive or persistent as to interfere with or limit a student's ability to participate in or benefit from access to educational opportunity or benefit; and/or substantially disrupts the orderly operation of the school” (District Policy 3210).
As a school community, staff, parents and students share a mutual responsibility in taking a stand against bullying. Each year, an anti-bullying contract is required in addition to classroom instruction by the school counselor to help students identify different types of bullying as well as how to report concerns. Students and parents are encouraged to share concerns with their child’s teacher, counselor or principal in order to assure safety and address concerns in a timely manner.
Furthering their commitment to student safety, School District 2 has made available a Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying (HIB) reporting form in the event that concerns persist. This form is available on the district website as well as at each school.
Please visit with your student(s) about their rights and responsibilities. Working together, we can ensure that school is a safe place for everyone!
Debra Neese
(406) 281-6989
K-5 Vision Screening Follow Up
Compliments of the Heights Lions Club, we offered vision screening for all Bitterroot students on October 17 with a Plusoptix screening device. Students who were absent that day will be screened with the letter chart in the upcoming weeks. If a vision concern was found during the screening process, you will receive notification in the mail. If you have any questions or concerns please contact the School Nurse.
Rachel Coombs
406-281-5189
PTA Updates
Thank you for supporting our PTA at the Community Impact Night at Pizza Ranch last month. Between the tips, bake sale and meals, you helped us raise over $500!
11/17 5:30-7:00 PM: Chili and Book Bingo: Bitterroot Gym
Join us for a fun evening of book bingo and Wendy's chili. All students must be accompanied by an adult. Donations for the Cat/Griz food drive would be greatly appreciated. Cash donations welcome.
Save the Dates:
12/8 Movie Night in the Gym - Details coming soon
12/14 at 4 pm PTA Meeting in the Bitterroot Gym
Board Member Changes
During our November PTA meeting a few board changes were voted in. Your PTA board members are:
Bryanna Zopfi - President
Brooke Steinberger - Vice President
Michele Kelsey - Treasurer
Jeanne O’Donnell - Secretary
Want to Join PTA?
Scan the QR code or click here to be directed to registration form.
Questions? Contact us at bitterrootptamt@gmail.com
Follow us on Facebook: Bitterroot Elementary PTA
Communication: Addition of Parent Square
The district now has shared a K-12 communication platform: Parent Square. To learn more about the platform, please visit the district website.
At Bitterroot, we will continue using the communication systems we already had in place: Remind (please sign up using the codes 944483 OR 4hc6cc), Facebook, and Seesaw (K-3) and Google Classroom (4-5). Enrollment codes will be provided by classroom teachers later this year.
Our website will be where we archive documents, resources, and share our Bitterroot and Family Calendar. You can find the following resources on the website
- Student/Parent Handbook
- Bitterroot Staff Directory
- PowerSchool for Parents
- MealTime and Lunch Menu
- School Calendar
- Bitterroot Standard
Access to our PowerSchool Portal.
Powerschool is our district wide record keeping system. To access PowerSchool, download the App or visit our website and click on the button for PowerSchool for Parents. Here you will find:- daily bulletin with announcements
- attendance record
- lunch account balance
- shortcuts to frequently used forms
- annual district polices and permissions sign off form
- annual updates to contacts and demographics forms
Sodexo Updates
Please remember to check your student's account balance by visiting https://www.mymealtime.com/.
Sodexo School Nutrition Services, who administers the National School Lunch and Breakfast programs at School District 2, is seeking your valuable opinion. We are conducting a survey to continue to make improvements to the quality and effectiveness of our program. Please follow the link HERE, to complete the survey. The survey will be open between October 30th to November 14th, 2023. Survey responses are completely anonymous and the data used will not be shared outside of our organization. For questions concerning the survey, please contact the Nutrition Services Office. Please take a minute to provide your feedback about school meals. We want to hear from you. Your participation in this survey is important to us!
Sincerely,
Sodexo School Nutrition Services
Click on the menu image for larger/PDF view
November Safety Focus: Lockdown Lesson
This month we will be teaching the lockdown lesson with students. This will be a lesson not a drill. For a letter explaining the lesson and a copy of the script that will be used please click on this link to be directed to a PDF. If you have questions or concerns, please contact Mrs. Tyree. **OUR LOCKDOWN LESSON SCHEDULED FOR 11.20 has been postponed**