Bluffsview Connections
March 25, 2023
Spring Showers Bring Energetic Bears!
Bluffsview Families,
It was a BUSY week of fun! Rain and some cold days have been making it a little hard to get outside as much as we want and need to. That makes for some very energetic bears! We have one more week and then a week off for spring break.
After spring break, we will have Ohio State Testing (OST) in April for 3rd to 5th grades. At the end of April we will have MAP testing. These tests are important as they help us ensure students are progressing and also help us see what students are ready to learn next. At the same time, we know that assessments can bring stress for students. We are very mindful of this as we help them prepare and then take the tests. Our motto is always, "Do your best, forget the rest!" Please discuss this with your child and let us know if testing is causing them extreme anxiety. One change Worthington made this year to ensure we are not over-assessing students is to not have students take a MAP test in subjects that they are taking an OST. If you would like more information on which tests your child takes please click here and then enter your child's current grade level and scroll down to "spring". Teachers will communicate more specifics about testing in their newsletters. Thank you for your support and help making sure kids feel comfortable and confident about showing what they know!
Honored to be a Bear,
Julie L. Payne
Spring Break- No school Monday, April 3rd to Friday, April 8th!
Ohio State Tests are RIGHT After Spring Break
Parents, Students have been working hard to prepare for the Ohio State Tests they will take when we return from spring break. They have been working on extended responses, typing, reviewing math , reading for evidence and much more. Below is the schedule for testing. It is very important that students are rested and ready to do their best on these days. Also, please talk with your child about how they will NOT have access to their personal devices during the tests. This includes cell phones and smart watches.
3rd to 5th grade Testing Schedule
April 11- 3rd and 5th grade Language Arts- Part 1
April 12- 3rd and 5th grade Language Arts- Part 2
April 13- 4th grade Language Arts- Part 1
April 14- 4th grade Language Arts- Part 2
April 17- 3rd and 5th grades Math- Part 1
April 18- 3rd and 5th grade Math- Part 2
April 19- 4th grade Math - Part 1
April 20- 4th grade Math- Part 2
April 24- 5th grade Science- Part 1
April 25- 5th grade Science- Part 2
Scenes from the Week!
Smiles all around!
5th grade Debate Prep and Speeches!
Happy to be in the SUN!
Learning about Kindness from Student Council and Putting it Into Practice!
WKHS Students came to talk to 4th and 5th grades about KINDNESS in actions and words!
K-2 Author/Illustrator Visit
Optional Bluffsview Parent Input Form
Bluffsview welcomes your input as a parent. Your insight about your child as a learner is valuable. If you would like to provide us with information about your child regarding classroom placement for next year, please use this form to do so. Please do not request a specific classroom teacher for next year. We take the task of forming classes very seriously. We work hard to match children with teachers and classmates that will create an optimal learning environment for all. Thank you for trusting us to take care of your child through this process. If you have multiple children at Bluffsview, you will need to complete the form for each child. All responses will be confidential. Thanks for your time! Please respond by March 31st if you would like to provide us information regarding your learner.
Upcoming Dates for Your Calendar
Spring Dates for your Calendar
- April 3rd-8th Spring Break
- April 17th- 7pm PTA Meeting
- May 1st- 3rd grade "Sing and Dance the Night Away" Concert
- May TBD- Spring Family Fun Night stay tuned for more details
- May 15th- 7pm PTA Meeting
- May 22nd- Field Day!
- May 24th- Last Day of School
Spring SALES and Fundraisers!!!
Bluffsview SPIRIT Wear!!!
Have you checked out our Bluffsview Spiritwear Store?! With 100's of items (from t-shirts, to polos, to shorts, to bags) there is something for everyone in your family! Customize your item with one of 18 designs and show off that Bear Pride! Order at www.BluffsviewSpiritwear.com
Get free shipping on all orders 3/3 - 3/20!
Panorama Survey: How does your child feel at school?
Dear Bluffsview Families,
We thank you and your family for being our valued partners as we work together to educate the children in our district. As you may already be aware, building our well-being and social-emotional learning skills is an important goal for our school this year and every year. Over the next few weeks, students will participate in several exercises to better understand these concepts and to reflect on how they perceive these skills in themselves.
As we have done for the last several years, we will be asking for your child to reflect on his/her own mindsets and approaches to learning via an online survey. The survey shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes to complete and will be administered during a two-week window from March 20-31.
We are partnering with Panorama Education, a third-party vendor, to support us in administering these surveys. The survey content will ask students in grades 3-12 to self-reflect on School Safety, Teacher-Student Relationships, Sense of Belonging, Rigorous Expectations, and Self-Efficacy. Additionally, our students in grades 6-12 will also be asked to self-reflect on two additional topics; Diversity and Inclusion and Cultural Awareness.
Student voice matters to us and their responses will provide invaluable insights into their experiences and how we can improve and adapt our instruction to meet their needs. If a student doesn’t feel like they have enough information to answer a question, they will be able to skip the item altogether.
If you have any questions about the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) survey, please don’t hesitate to contact us in the office at 614-450-5100.
Respectfully,
Julie Payne
Lost and Found!!!
Please stop in and check the lost and found or remind your child to check it, especially if they are missing something. We have MANY great items that would love to be reconnected with their owner. ALL items will be donated at the end of March.
Important News from Past Newsletters
Staffing Update for 2023-24 School Year
Spring is just around the corner and with the blooming of flowers and the extra sunshine comes the time for us to start planning and organizing for next year. While we continue to work hard and make the most of this year, we also begin looking to next year to ensure we are ready to roll. One of the big parts of this is staffing, so I just wanted to give you a quick update.
First, our beloved "teacher whisperer" as I fondly refer to her, Nancy Wharton, will be retiring after an amazing career at Bluffsview. I had the invaluable opportunity to work with Nancy for eight years when I taught at Bluffsview. There is not a more knowledgeable, caring or compassionate human. She is a gift to all of us at Bluffsview and has touched SO many lives. We are excited for this next chapter for Nancy and know she will continue to visit in the years to come.
Erin McElroy will return to 4th grade to teach social studies and language arts. She will carry on Nancy's legacy and add her own flair and spin.
Carley Gazette, our half-day kindergarten teacher, has taken a 1st grade position at Colonial hills. We will miss her and hope that her new spot is a great fit! We will be hiring for our half-day kindergarten position.
Next, Katherine Jay has been with us for one year as we had four sections in 5th grade this year. Katherine has loved teaching 5th grade language arts and will continue to teach this, but will move to Evening Street Elementary. She will be missed and we wish her all the luck!
Lastly, Sharon Sciulli will move back up to 5th grade to teach math. Sharon taught 5th and 6th grade math for 20+ years prior to teaching 1st grade for the past 10+ years. She knows intermediate students and is excited to take on this new challenge at Bluffsview. We will hire a 1st grade teacher to join Ms. Immel and Ms. Hardin's team.
There are exciting things on the horizon at Bluffsview as we look toward the spring and the future!
MCCONNELL ARTS CENTER YOUTH OPPORTUNITIES
Spring Youth Classes
The MAC is committed to building pathways to the arts for students of all ages! The MAC’s classes are led by local artists who help the center offer high-quality arts education. The artist educators help offer multi-week courses and special workshops for beginners through advanced levels for youth and adults. New instructors have provided a greater variety of class offerings, including mixed media, watercolor, fashion, and dance. Summer camps provide youth with creative explorations of the arts. The full list of our current offerings can be found here https://www.mcconnellarts.org/category/all-classes/youth-classes/
Summer Camps
The McConnell Arts Center is accepting registrations for elementary age summer camps. For more information regarding offerings and registration, check out the flyer below.
Apple Watches and Cell Phones
Please partner with us in ensuring that distractions during school time are limited by reminding your child that ALL electronic devices, including Apple Watches, should be off during the day. Students are welcome to use them on their way to or from school, but should have them off or in "school mode" while at school. We appreciate you help with this as they can interfere with learning.
Special Education Key Communicator
Suzann VanNasdale is the Special Education Key Communicator representing Bluffsview. Worthington’s Special Education Key Communicator Committee strives to build positive, productive, and collaborative relationships and partnerships amongst the educators and community of families whose children receive special education and related services. We will engage in two-way communication, with the goal being to provide a circle of influence where we can share out and learn from and with each other. Committee meetings are held every other month – January, March, and May, 2023. If you have any questions about the IEP/504 process, need information about accessing special education services, support through the process, or discuss issues you have encountered, please contact Suzann at 812-219-0017 or suzannvannasdale@gmail.com.