BEATRICE MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
December, 2021 - January, 2022
PRINCIPAL POINTS BY......ANDREW HAAKE
As we enter Cold, Flu, and COVID season we will begin to see our absences increase. For that reason, I have put together a 5 minute video to teach you how to access your child's classwork on Google Classroom.
I hope you all have a great Holiday season! - Mr. Haake
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL'S CORNER.....CRAIG STENGEL
When our students came back from Thanksgiving break all middle school students received a new Chromebook. Our students are very excited to have received the new device to use at school. Mrs. Dittbrenner and our staff did a phenomenal job to switch these devices seamlessly for our students. The Chromebooks were funded through a grant written by ESU 5. As we continue to use Chromebooks, digital citizenship will be a main focus for our students while also encouraging responsible behavior to keep our new devices nice. As we move forward into 2nd semester we are excited for our students to be using these new devices within our classrooms. Have a great end of the year.
Best Regards Mr. Stengel
SCHOOL CLOSING INFORMATION
School officials will send out a text, email, and a phone call to alert all families of a late start, early out, or school closing due to inclement weather. Be sure your school has a current phone number for all parties wishing to receive this information. You may call the Middle School office at 402-223-1545 to update your information.
FROM THE OFFICE....
- Lost & Found....is overflowing! Please have your child check to see if anything is theirs. All unclaimed items will be discarded on Thursday, December 16th.
- Report Cards....2nd Qtr. report cards will be mailed the first week of January, 2022.
COUNSELOR'S QUIPS!............ANGIE VOGEL, COUNSELOR, JILL RICE, COUNSELOR
SHOW YOUR CHILD HOW TO ENJOY TIME ALONE
Remind your child that he can be happy in his own company. Encourage him to engage in pursuits such as:
- Reading. Your child is always less likely to feel lonely when he's immersed in a good book, or any other material he enjoys reading.
- Arts and crafts. Adolescents are often wonderfully creative and can produce beautiful work when given the time.
- Exercise. Suggest your child go for a walk each day. He can listen to music or an audiobook, or just be alone with his thoughts.
- Cooking. Growing kids are usually drawn to the kitchen. Cooking is a rewarding experience that involves all five senses; and as a bonus, your child can eat what he creates!
- Daydreaming. Let your child know its OK to spend some time doing absolutory nothing.
NOTES FROM THE NURSE......JENNIFER ZIMMERMAN
FLU SHOT CLINIC
BMS had a very successful flu/COVID vaccine clinic on October 22nd. Thanks to BCHHC Immunization Clinic staff and nurses, 52 students and 19 staff were immunized against influenza and 4 student’s were vaccinated with their 1st shot against COVID. Thank you to the parents who gave permission for their student to be immunized at school.
If your child missed our Flu/COVID vaccine clinic this year, BCHHC immunization clinic will continue to give flu/COVID vaccines at their clinic. Please call 402-223-2366 to make an appointment for you or your child.
ASTHMA/ALERGY ACTION PLAN
Any student diagnosed with Asthma or Anaphylaxis due to allergy (includes food allergy, bee sting allergy etc...) needs to have an updated Asthma/Allergy action plan on file in the nurse’s office every year. If you have not had your doctor fill one out yet for your student for this school year, please get this done ASAP. If we do not have one on file we will use the Rule 59 protocol for any life-threatening “breathing” emergency. Click here for more information regarding Rule 59.
**If your child requires an Epi-Pen for any allergy, please make sure we have one for him/her prescribed by their physician in the nurse's office. Also, if your child requires a rescue inhaler for asthma, please make sure we have an inhaler for him/her in the nurse’s office. A medication consent form will need to be filled out when sending an inhaler with your child. If you would like your child to carry the inhaler with them, simply mark the box in the medication consent form. This is especially important when your child is in PE class.**
MEDIA CENTER NEWS......KAREN DITTBRENNER
10 BENEFITS OF READING (AND WHY CHILDREN AND ADULTS SHOULD READ OFTEN)
1. Kids who read often and widely get better at it
This is pretty much just common sense. After all, practice makes perfect in almost everything we humans do and reading is no different from anything else.
2. Reading exercises our brains
Reading is a much more complex task for the human brain than, say, watching TV is. Reading strengthens brain connections and actually builds new connections.
3. Reading improves concentration
Again, this is a bit of a no-brainer. Children have to sit still and quietly so they can focus on the story when they’re reading. If they read regularly, they develop the ability to do this for longer periods.
4. Reading teaches children about the world around them
Through reading, children learn about people, places and events outside their own experience. They are exposed to ways of life, ideas and beliefs about the world which may be different from those which surround them. This learning is important for its own sake; however, it also builds a store of background knowledge which helps younger children learn to read confidently and well.
5. Reading improves a child’s vocabulary and leads to more highly-developed language skills
This is because children learn new words as they read but also because they unconsciously absorb information as they read about things like how to structure sentences and how to use words and language effectively.
6. Reading develops a child’s imagination
This is because when we read our brains translate the descriptions we read of people, places and things into pictures. When we’re engaged in a story, we’re also imagining how the characters are feeling. We use our own experiences to imagine how we would feel in the same situation.
7. Reading helps kids develop empathy
This is something I’ve only recently realized but it makes sense. As my fifteen-year-old son said to me when we were discussing it: ‘Of course it does because you’re identifying with the character in the story so you’re feeling what he’s feeling.’
8. Children who read do better at school
And they don’t just do better at subjects like Reading, English and History. They do better at all subjects and they do better all the way through school.
9. Reading is a great form of entertainment
A paperback book or an e-reader like the Amazon Kindle doesn’t take up much space so you can take it anywhere and you’ll never be lonely or bored if you have a book in your bag. You can read while waiting in a queue, while waiting for a friend who’s running late, or during a
flight delay at an airport.
10. Reading relaxes the body and calms the mind
This is an important point because these days we seem to have forgotten how to relax and especially how to be silent. The constant movement, flashing lights and noise which bombard our senses when we’re watching TV, looking at a computer, or playing an electronic game are actually quite stressful for our brains. When we read, we read in silence and the black print on a white page is much less stressful for our eyes and brains. Taken from: https://www.best-books-for-kids.com/benefits-of-reading.html
Remember, books make great presents!! Choosing a book you think looks interesting might not be the book your child would choose but if they give it a chance it might just open their minds to a whole new kind of book.
*** STUDENTS OF CHARACTER! ***
Please consider becoming a TeamMates mentor! We need you!
You will find an informational flier from TeamMates Mentoring of Beatrice HERE. If you are interested in becoming a TeamMates mentor, simply fill out this application, attend a training session with a chapter coordinator, and you will be matched with your youth!
Christmas Wish List Service Project
** VETERANS DAY **
Staff Sergeant Devin Lovgren was introduced as guest speaker. He had served 15 years in the Army and is from Fairbury, Nebraska. Sergeant Lovgren has been awarded numerous awards and comes from a National Guard household as his wife serves as a combat medic and they both serve their community as volunteer firefighters. He gave a GREAT message to the student body about what it means to be a Veteran and that everyone should take time to personally help and honor a Veteran this year.
The emcees (Cecily Wiedel, Esme Kassmeier, Harrison Vetrovsky, and Emily Ideus) then recognized staff members who students see every day in our building that are Veterans; Ms. Carlin served in the Army, Mr. Francis served in the Air Force, Mr. Cook served in the Army, and Mr. Kassmeier served in the Army.
The program concluded with emcees explaining the Fallen Soldiers Table which was set up in the gym. BMS students also wrote notes to Veterans that were collected throughout the day and distributed to Veterans to read.
It was a great program and the Student House leaders did a fantastic job of organizing! Thanks to everyone who attended and the efforts of everyone involved to make it a very honorable program. Special thanks to the Mentor teachers and students in their mentors whose behavior and respect was absolutely perfect throughout the program. You represented Beatrice Middle School well!
PARENT PORTAL
Would you like to stay on top of your child's grades? Would you like to see if they did well on their last test? Would you like to make sure they are getting to class on time? Would you like to have heads up on when they need lunch money and be able to put lunch money on their account online? A Campus Portal account can help you with all of those things. To get set up with an account, email either Annette Barnard at abarnard@bpsnebr.org or Karen Dittbrenner at kdittbrenner@bpsnebr.org. We will help you get started on the road to staying in the loop with all of the above mentioned things.
PIE EATING CONTEST AT BMS!
The winners in each category were:
6th grade
William Buchanan from Amistad
7th grade
Jonah Erikson from Nishtaavaan
8th grade
Alysa Petet from Nishtaavaan
Staff
Mr. Meyer from Valente
CONGRATULATIONS, MRS. TRUSTY!
Mrs. Trusty was awarded the 2021 Clabaugh Family Outstanding Educator Award. "She wants her students to dream big," said her nominator, "Learning is a priority for this outstanding educator as is being present in her student's lives."
We were able to surprise her classroom with teachers, administrators, the Foundation, and the Clabaugh family to congratulate Mrs. Trusty and thank her for her dedication to her classroom and students!
** 7TH GRADE VOCAB PARADE WINNERS **
BEST SHIRT - Ryelynn Coy
BEST MATH - Leena Tunink.
BEST SOCIAL STUDIES - Lily Billesbach
BEST COSTUME OVERALL - Esme Kassmeier
FUNNIEST - Rylie Kreft.
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Beatrice Middle School
215 North 5th Street, Beatrice NE 68310
402-223-1545
BMS Messenger Editor: Laurie Bloomquist