Bryan Middle School
2016-2017 Bear Bytes March/April/May Newsletter
Mission Statement and School Motto
Our motto at Bryan Middle School is BEAR P.R.I.D.E. Peers Respecting Individuality, Diversity, and Excellence.
Principal's Message
We completed an outstanding school year full of learning, activities, and celebrations. We would like to thank everyone for their support throughout the year. We could not have accomplished so much without the support of our parents, students, and staff.
Our students completed a rigorous state testing schedule during the months of April and May and we look forward to seeing progress and improvement our students have made over the course of the school year. We had a very nice NeSA celebration that raffled off a variety of gift cards, including an IPOD touch that went to one 7th grade student and one 8th grade student. Our students showed great effort throughout the testing sessions.
This is the time of year that we recognize the accomplishments of our students. We had tremendous support for our Golden Paw Awards which recognizes students who have maintained a 3.0 GPA throughout the school year. This was just one of the ways our school recognizes the hard work our students are putting into their schoolwork. Each of our grade level teams recognize students as well and we had a successful A-B party which included a bounce house and cotton candy machine.
Congratulations to our boys' soccer team for winning the city championship this season. They went undefeated and defeated Norris Middle School in the championship. This is the second city championship our student athletes have won this school year. If you remember, we also won 3 out of 4 city championships in boys and girls cross country! It's been a very successful athletic year for the Bears!
We had incredible vocal and instrumental concerts on May 15th and 16th. Our instrumental and vocal students have never sounded better! Thank you for continuing to support our vocal and instrumental students and best of luck to our 8th grade students who will be continuing that path throughout high school.
Exciting times are ahead for Bryan Middle School. We are in the process of planning for a nearly $14 million dollar renovation of our school. This renovation will update our school for the future. This renovation will begin in November-December of 2017 and we expect completion by August of 2019. We will keep everyone updated on the progress through our website and social media apps.
We are looking forward to our Summer Scholars program that allows our future 7th and 8th grade students an opportunity to continue learning through the month of June. This program runs June 5 to June 30th from 7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Our building hours throughout the summer are 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. If you have any questions about the upcoming 2017-2018 school year, please give us a call. Important information is provided about the student transportation changes going into effect next school year. Please review this information and let us know how we can assist.
To encourage summer reading, all of our students had the opportunity to select summer reading novels through Scholastic. Each student selected two books of their choice to take home over the summer. We are happy to be able to do this for our students!
We would like to wish our 8th grade students much success as they transition to high school. They have demonstrated BEAR P.R.I.D.E. throughout middle school and we thank them for all of their involvement in our school. They will be missed and we know great things are ahead of them!
We encourage you to check into our website periodically at http://bryanmiddle.ops.org/ and follow us on Twitter @OPS_BryanMiddle. We will update information throughout the summer about important dates to remember as we plan for an outstanding 2017-2018 school year.
Have a safe and relaxing summer!
Sincerely,
Darren Rasmussen
Principal
Summer Reading Books
Summer Reading Books
Summer Reading Books
Transportation Eligibility 2017-18
The Board of Education has adopted a new Student Assignment Plan for elementary and middle school students called the Partner Plan (grades K-8). The Partner Plan guides school choice and student transportation eligibility. The Partner Plan will be implemented in August for the 2017-18 school year.
The Partner Plan creates eight (8) elementary partner zones and four (4) middle school partner zones within the district. Your residential address and corresponding neighborhood school determine your partner zone. A student’s residence and distance to school determines transportation eligibility. If you anticipate a change in school or address, please contact your child’s school immediately as this could impact your transportation eligibility. After June 15th transportation eligibility will also be subject to the walk distance to established bus stops and student capacity on buses.
TRANSPORTATION ELIGIBILITY
Students are eligible for transportation IF they attend their neighborhood school and reside more than 1.0 mile from their elementary school or more than 1.5 miles from their middle school.
· Students are eligible for transportation IF they attend one of their Partner Zone schools, reside more than 1.0 mile from the elementary school or 1.5 miles from the middle school.
· Students are NOT eligible for transportation IF they attend any school outside of their Partner Zone.
· After June 15th, Students are eligible if they reside in the Partner Zone, live more than 1.0 from the elementary school or 1.5 miles from the middle school, AND are less than 2 blocks from the elementary bus stop or 4 blocks from the middle school bus stop.
Visit: sap.ops.org for more information or contact
the Student Placement Office at 531-299-0302
Elegibilidad del Transporte 2017-18
La Junta Directiva de Educación ha adoptado un nuevo plan de asignación estudiantil para las escuelas primarias y secundarias llamado el Plan de Colaboración (grados K-8). El plan de colaboración determina la opción de escuela y la elegibilidad del transporte. El plan de colaboración será implementado en agosto para el año escolar 2017-18.
El Plan de Colaboración crea ocho (8) zonas de colaboración de escuelas primarias y cuatro (4) zonas de colaboración de escuelas secundarias dentro del distrito. Su dirección de residencia y la escuela correspondiente al vecindario determina su zona de colaboración. La dirección y la distancia a la escuela determinaran la elegibilidad del transporte. Si usted está anticipando un cambio de dirección, por favor comuníquese con la escuela de su hijo inmediatamente ya que esto puede afectar su Zona de Colaboración y la elegibilidad del transporte.
ELEGIBILIDAD DEL TRANSPORTE
Los estudiantes son elegibles para el transporte SI ellos asisten a la escuela de su vecindario y vive a más de 1.0 milla de la escuela primaria o más de 1.5 millas de la escuela secundaria.
· Los estudiantes son elegibles para el transporte SI ellos asisten una de las escuelas de la zona de colaboración y vive a más de 1.0 milla de la escuela primaria o 1.5 millas de la escuela secundaria.
· Los estudiantes NO son elegibles para el transporte SI ellos asisten cualquier escuela fuera de la zona de colaboración.
· Después del 15 de junio los estudiantes son elegibles si viven en la zona de colaboración, viven a más de 1 milla de la escuela primaria o 1.5 millas de la escuela secundaria, Y están a menos de 2 cuadras de la parada para los de primaria o a 4 cuadras de la parada para los de secundaria.
Visite: sap.ops.org para más información o comuníquese a la oficina de asignación estudiantil al 531-299-0302
Counseling Department - Summer Orientation
Dates for Summer Orientation are (families can attend either):
Monday, August 7th from 4-8 pm OR Tuesday, August 8th from 10-2 pm
Parents and students who attend Summer Orientation will be able to visit stations to turn in their beginning of the year paperwork, pick up the student's schedule, and open their locker. Students can also take their yearbook picture and see all the sports and clubs they can participate in next year. It is a great chance to come up to see the school and to get ready for a fantastic 2017-2018 school year!
Library - Mrs. Raszler
Congratulations to the staff and students of Bryan Middle School for earning Common Sense Media certification for the 2016-2017 school year! Students learned about online safety and citing sources in a number of classes this year!
Make Summer Reading a Goal:
Research clearly states that students regress each summer in achievement and create a wider gap each year. By the time a student reaches middle school years, the reading achievement loss can add up to two or more years. Reading just five to six books over the summer is sufficient to prevent the decline in reading achievement! This summer, encourage your students to build the reading habit by visiting our library and selecting from one of these great books!
Great news! Any Bryan Middle student can access eBooks and audiobooks all summer long on a personal eReader, computer, or smart phone! All you need is an internet connection and your login info!
Library Card Number = Student Number
PIN = your birthdate (MMDDYY)
To access the digital library, go to:
http://ops.lib.overdrive.com or visit Mrs. Raszler's Library page at http://libguides.ops.org/c.php?g=70047&p=454299 for more info!
School Health
Let’s Get Physical!
It’s time for Omaha Public Schools physical examinations to be done for next school year. The magical dates for these are:
- After March 1st: 7th Grade, Pre-K, Kindergarten Physicals
- After May 1st: 8th Grade, High School Sports Physicals
The School Base Health Centers have appointments for these required physicals. Physical exams are faxed to your child’s primary care provider and provided to the attending school. Beat the rush! Call for your child’s appointment today.
Let’s Get Physical!
Bryan High SBHC - 402-991-3904
Spring Lake SBHC - 402-932-7014
Liberty SBHC - 402-505-8180
Indian Hills SBHC - 402-933-4968
!HAY QUE RECIBIR EL FISICO!
Es tiempo para los exámenes físicos del próximo año escolar en Las Escuelas Públicas de Omaha. Las fechas para los físicos son:
- Después de 1 de marzo grado 7, Pre-Kínder y Kínder
- Después de 1 de mayo grado 8 y físicos para deportes de La Preparatoria
Las clínicas de Las Escuelas tienen citas disponibles para estos físicos que piden. Los físicos son enviados por fax a la oficina del doctor de su hijo y también a la escuela de su hijo. ¡Evite las líneas largas!
HABLE Y HAGA UNA CITA PARA SU HIJO HOY
¡HAY QUE RECIBIR EL FISICO!
Clínica de la Preparatoria Bryan - 402-991-3904
Clínica de la Escuela Primaria Spring Lake - 402-932-7014
Clínica de la Escuela Primaria Liberty - 402-505-8180
Clínica de la Escuela Indian Hill - 402-933-4968
Gifted and Talented Education
The SMP team won first place at their competition on March 20. The award came with a trophy and $1500 for our school. Their project was to design a hanging device to hold a toy for dog kennels at the Nebraska Humane Society. This device will help to keep the dogs active and entertained even when humans cannot be present. The program directors at the Humane Society have approved the device and will be looking for Eagle Scout candidates to make duplicates for use in multiple kennels.
The Academic Pentathlon team competed in the online Regional test and in the OPS Super Quiz. Jaden Jones, Noe Iniguez and Manuel Rodriguez-Corral won medals in their divisions.
The 7th grade Scholars rounded out their year with a tour of Omaha. They spent the day exploring various locations in North Omaha, downtown and South Omaha. Along the way they heard stories from our city’s interesting history. The group returned with a new understanding of the people and events that make Omaha what it is today.
Bryan Middle Activities and Athletics
Boys and Girls Soccer & Track
Congratulations to all the student-athletes involved in track or soccer this season. Hopefully you had the opportunity to catch these speedy kids this year. Bears were fast and on the move!
Both our boys and girls soccer teams performed well this season. Our boys team went 8-0 and won the 2016-2017 Middle School Boys Soccer Championship Tournament, congratulations! Our girls finished 9th place with 4 wins and 4 losses overall - way to go! It was a great season.
Track student-athletes will compete on Friday, May 12th in their City Championship at Bryan High School to conclude their seasons. Good luck!
If you didn’t get a chance to see our school’s Talent Show or one of our Spring Concerts, you really missed an outstanding production by our music department and their students. Way to go!
Please check our school website for more information regarding schedules, cancellations, updates at http://www.ops.org/middle/bryan/athletics Be looking for our new athletics website for 2016-2017 #omahabryanbears.
Physicals at Bryan High School
While school is in session, please take advantage of any of the OPS School Based Health Centers (SBHC): to obtain a Sports Physical for next year! Physicals dated after May 1st, 2016 will be valid for athletic participation in 2016-2017. Physicals are required to participate in any secondary school sport.
Sports at Bryan High School
There are many summer sports camps for all sports going on this summer at the high school for interested students. If you should have any questions please contact Robert Locken Jr. (402.557.3111), Bryan High Athletic Director for any further information or myself.
Take Care,
Mr. Taylor
402.557.4107
Assistant Principal
Activity & Athletic Director
School Recognitions
April Leaders of the Month
May Leaders of the Month
Golden Paw Awards
Team 7A Panda Bears
Mrs. Golka (Math): In Mrs. Golka's math class, we are finishing up our units on Expressions and Equations. We have been evaluating expressions and solving one step equations using variables. This has been an amazing year and I can't wait to see how they do next year in Pre-Algebra!
Mr. Rutherford (Social Studies): Mr. Rutherford's Social Studies classes finished the year working on the Required Semester Project that focused on a less developed country. Students were to decide, based on data and research, whether to advise citizens to stay or leave the country. Presentations were made to the class showing their findings and recommendation.
Ms. Gallagher (P.E.): In Ms. Gallagher's P.E. class we are finishing up the year by enjoying the weather and doing activities outside. This has been a great semester of kids!
Ms. Brummer (Computer Applications): In Ms. Brummer's Computer Apps 1 class, we have accomplished many skills on Office 365 and finishing up the year on Digital Citizenship. In Computer Apps 2 class, we have accomplished many skills in Excel and are finishing up the year on Entrepreneurship Projects. It has been a GREAT year!
Mr. Coil (Human Growth): In Mr. Coil's Human Growth class we have been learning about the reproductive process. We will finish the year learning about healthy dating relationships.
Mr. Johnson (Science): In Mr. Johnson's Science class we are working on our "Earth and Space Final" Common Assessment. This will finish our final unit for the year. All of the Science Students will have fun competing in "Junk Wars" on the 24th and 25th of this month. This activity will sharpen their science and teamwork skill as they work with their teammates to build a structure using minimal resources. It's been a great year!
Team 7B Sun Bears
Ms. Donaldson (Language Arts): During fourth quarter, we are finishing up the book The Circuit, while we continue to use our summarizing skills. The Circuit follows a family of undocumented migrant farm workers in California as they experience joys and hardships. We will be ending the year with a “triathlon final assessment” that covers The Circuit, and includes questions on story elements, characterization, point of view, and citing text evidence to prove a point. Big changes will be happening next year in 7th grade language arts! Happy Summer Break!
Ms. Dhoritey (Math): Fourth quarter has flown by! In math this quarter we have been working on equations and inequalities. We will finish the year with area and perimeter of polygons.
Mrs. Friedrichsen (Reading): Mrs. Friedrichsen's 21st Century Literacy class is well into reading the Hunger Games. Students are at the point in the book where Katniss and Peeta are competing in the arena for the Hunger Games title. To aid in understanding the novel, students are competing in teams as well; attacking other teams with points earned by class work, group effort, and participation in class discussions! May the odds be ever in their favor!
Ms. Nelson (Science): We have been learning all about space in this final quarter. We started with how the earth, sun, and moon interact, and now we are learning about the eight planets of our solar system. We will end our year with a project where students create their own planet, frog dissection, and a building competition with other science classes! It has been a great year in science!
Ms. Fox (Social Studies): During the beginning of 4th quarter students worked in the library on a summative project about an African or Southwest Asian country of their choice. We are now focusing on learning about the past and present leaders and governments of Russia. 7B looks forward to ending the 2016-2017 year on a high note!
Ms. Graham (Special Education): We continued working in small groups, and working hard to finish the year successfully. Students are learning about the importance of advocating for themselves, and letting the teacher know when they do not understand.
Team 7C Koala Bears
Mrs. Clark (Science): In Science, we are studying the solar system and how the planets move. Our final project is to create our own planet and decide if it can support humans. Thanks for all of your support for the students in science this year!
Mr. Fleming (Language Arts): In Language Arts, we are ending the year with a novel unit. Students chose between S.E. Hinton’s The Outsiders and Francisco Jimenez’s The Circuit. Students read their novel, and then completed a variety of projects to demonstrate their understanding of the story. It’s been a great year, and I’m really proud of our 7C students and the progress they have made.
Ms. Pedersen (Social Studies): 4th quarter Social Studies brings a study of Russia, the Cold War, and Communism! We have worked hard on our final RSP project, and now we are ready to roll right into summer break.
Mr. Petersen (Physical Education): We finished fitness testing and will be doing our top ten championships this week. Lockers are being cleaned out and combos are being switched last week of school. We are finishing putting together the new weight machines. We have finally been able to get outside for some soccer games to end the year.
Ms. Triplett (Math): Koalas Math 7 is finishing up the year with our unit on Geometric Concepts and Measurement. We have just one more summative assessment for the year! It has been a great year with student working hard and learning about math concepts that will last them a lifetime.
Ms. Brower (Art 7): 7th grade art classes have been busy painting this quarter. They learned about abstract art for their watercolor painting. Seventh grade art students also painted fabric designs that represented their culture or personality. These were cut up into a patchwork quilt design.
Mrs. Rosario (21st Century Reading): What a great year! We are finishing our novel, The Boy Who Dared, and the students have really worked hard researching, creating Holocaust PowerPoints, presenting orally to the class, and persuading us with their propaganda posters. I wish them the best in their High School adventure and know they have many skills to help them succeed. Have a great summer!
Ms. Tate (Special Education): Hello! My name is Ms. Monique Tate and this is my second year here at Bryan Middle School. It has been great getting to know and work with all of my students. Currently, in Language Arts, we are finishing up our whole novel unit. Students had the choice to read "The Circuit" or "The Outsiders." In Math, we are wrapping up our geometry unit. My students have worked really hard this year and I am excited for their futures!
Team 8A Nanooks
Mr. Gall (Social Studies): In 8A Social Studies, we have explored and investigated all the way to the early 1900's this school year. As a 9th grader, your child will continue with U.S. History and the 1900's. Some key topics will be the Roaring 20's, Great Depression, World War 1 and 2, and the Vietnam War.
Mr. Exner (P.E.): In PE we would like to encourage all students to make sure to get a physical so they can participate in activities next school year.
Mr. Stessman (Language Arts): Students in Language Arts and Honors Language Arts are finishing out the year by working on a research project related to the Holocaust. They are exploring the Holocaust by applying the tenants of fascism (absolute government rule) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was created in 1948 as a response to the Holocaust, in order to insure individual rights.
Team 8B Polar Bears - Be Exceptional
Mr. Gass (Math): In 8B Polar Bear Pre-Algebra, we just finished our unit on proportional reasoning. We completed an art project to explain scale factors. We are going to finish the year with a unit on volume and surface area of 3-Dimensional figures. The students are learning a lot and they are looking forward to finishing the school year strong. Have a great Summer Break!
Mr. Rothe (Social Studies): What an amazing school year we have had. I am so proud of our students, and hope they finish the year on a positive note. During the 4th quarter in Social Studies, we have accomplished a lot as we began discussing ‘sectionalism’ and the differences between the North and the South. Then we looked at the causes of the Civil War including secession, states’ rights and slavery. The students created a PowerPoint presentation over the Civil War, including interesting facts, major battles and characteristics of both the Union and Confederacy. We will conclude the year looking at Lincoln’s assassination, and Reconstruction under Johnson, Grant and Hayes. The students will finish with two summative assignments, the Curriculum Based Assessment #4 (district wide) and then a final poster project. It has been wonderful working with your child this year and I wish them the best of luck in high school! Thanks so much.
Mrs. Silliman (Language Arts): Students are enjoying reading Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie in language arts class. They have two more assessments and a creative project before the end of the school year. I am looking forward to seeing their 6-word memoirs the last week of school!
Ms. Boyle (Science): 8B Science is finishing up studying waves. We are then going to complete a unit on Flight. The classes will be designing helicopters and airplanes. Each of their designs will be unique and tested for longest time in flight. Be sure to ask your student how their designs turned out!
Team 8C Grizzly Bears
Mrs. Stowe (Social Studies): In Mrs. Stowe's Social Studies class we are learning about industrialization and urbanization. This was an exciting time in American History that includes the immigration wave through Ellis Island, the invention of common items such as the light bulb, and reform movements that made our country what it is today! We will be doing a project at the end of the unit that will be our final summative grade. There will also be a celebration the last week of school if your student discusses it with you. Thanks for a great year!
Mrs. Holguin (Math): The year is wrapping up. I have had the pleasure of teaching some incredible students. Our last unit was area and perimeter. We explored this familiar topic by walking up to Bryan High School to learn about chicken coops before designing one of our one. We also designed a dream house floorplan. Students seemed to really enjoy learning through projects and exploration versus the traditional structure of our classroom. Finish strong students! I am keeping Infinite Campus up to date with grades. Contact me with any questions.
Mr. Grinvalds (Language Arts): We are finishing up a poetry project in which students are writing a poem or choosing a poem to rewrite in their own words and then presenting them to the class. The last two weeks classes will be working on their Big 6 project on a risk-taker.
Mrs. Mihai (Science): I cannot believe that this school year is almost done. Wow! Time flies real fast when you are learning. We will be ending the year with a High Altitude Balloon Launch, building and launching rockets and drawing up plans for a redesign of a product that already exists, as well as describing how that redesign will use Newton's Laws of Motion. Finally, the students will participate in our annual Science Junk Wars competition where the students are given random "junk", supplies, and a engineering challenge that they must build with the supplies given. I really enjoyed my time spent with the students this year in science. I wish them success next year in high school. Have a great summer.
Mr. Semar (Band and Strings): Band and Orchestra have had a great spring semester with performances at Chandler View and Ashland Park Robbins, truly remarkable work at adjudication, and stellar spring concerts. I'm proud of the work our students did this year and wish the 8th grade class the best as they start their new journeys in High School band and orchestra.
Mr. Wiederholt (Tech and Living 7): 7th Grade Tech and Living students are finishing up their module rotations. They will be learning how to use SketchUp to make an iPod. SketchUp is a 3D Modeling program that is easy to use and is free for the students to download at home. The rest of the month will be spent using a new 3D Home and Landscaping program to design their Dream home.
Mrs. Ruis (Careers): We have spent all semester exploring different career fields and matching students skill, talents and interests to careers that would most interest them in the future. The last few weeks we have been looking at high school course guides to find classes that will assist the students in developing the College and Career Readiness Skills they all need to be successful in the future.
Mrs. Harris (French and Spanish): The Spanish, French, and FLEX classes are wrapping up the school year by working on final projects in the computer lab. They are creating Power Points or Sways that review all the concepts they learned in class this school year. The students are doing a fantastic job and I can't believe the year is almost done! I want to thank all of my students for their hard work in class this year! Best of luck next year in high school in your continued study of French and Spanish!
You can check out the youtube video of our High Altitude Balloon Launch from May 11.
Looking Ahead
Summer Scholars Program: June 5-June 30 7:30-11:30 a.m.
Summer Orientation 2017-2018: August 7th 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and August 8th 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.First Day of School 2017-2018: August 17th for 7th grade only. All students first day is August 18th.
About Us
Email: Darren.Rasmussen@ops.org
Website: http://bryanmiddle.ops.org/
Location: 8210 South 42nd Street, Bellevue, NE, United States
Phone: (402) 557-4100