Bailey Bear News
January/February 2019
The new playground is officially OPEN! Thank you to our PTA and all the support and money they give to us as a school! Also, we want to thank each of our families for helping our school make this playground a reality!
We have one little snag on the playground and that is the spiral slide. It has to be repositioned in order to have the correct amount of space to meet guidelines. This should be happening soon!
Please tell your friends and neighbors who will have an entering kindergarten student for next year! The flyer is below!
BSE is proud to announce that Swetha Somasundaram won the State Fire Safety poster contest for the 3rd-grade division. The fire prevention theme was "Look, Listen and Learn. Be Aware. Fire can Happen Anywhere." Congratulations Swetha!
Congratulations to Michelle Miller who was selected as Collierville Schools TN Teacher of the year for grades Prek-4th. We are very proud of Michelle and thank her for all the hard work she does at our school to help our students! Michelle will now compete in the regional competition! Good Luck to Michelle as she competes for the state title.
Congratulations to our Rotary Teachers of the Month!
Leah Cook - January, Katherine Perry - February, Amanda Apperson - March, Jodie Lavoie - April and Michelle Miller - May
Daddy/Daughter Dance and Urban Air were both successful and fun nights for our students! Thank you to our awesome PTA under the leadership of Shannon Pittman for organizing and making this night fun for our students!
TNReady Testing coming up in April! Many parents ask about what they can do to help their child be successful and to do their best on this type of testing. Below are a few articles that might help!
Meet the new Commissioner of Education Penny Schwinn
A rising star in education reform circles will lead the Tennessee Department of Education, Gov.-elect Bill Lee announced Thursday. Penny Schwinn, 36, an official with the Texas Education Agency, will join Lee as his education commissioner, arguably one of the governor-elect's most significant Cabinet picks. She will be tasked with crafting Lee's K-12 education initiatives, which could include a school voucher proposal, and ironing out issues with the statewide TNReady standardized test.
Penny Schwinn, the Texas Education Agency chief deputy commissioner of academics, will become Tennessee's new education commissioner under incoming Gov. Bill Lee. Lee said he looked around the country and the state for a candidate who could “advance the cause of education improvement in Tennessee.” “We believe, and I am certain, that we found the person that understands that every child in Tennessee deserves a quality education,” he said.
A career educator who comes from a family of teachers, Schwinn has experience in Delaware leading testing efforts and founded a California charter school.
Joining Tennessee from Texas
A top administrator in Texas, she comes to Tennessee having weathered a conflict-of-interest controversy that resulted in that state revising its contracting rules. Schwinn said she grew up with her mom, a 37-year-educator, bringing her to class. She said it instilled a passion for education and ensuring all children have the best opportunities to learn. "What I have accomplished and what I still hope to accomplish in education is the reason I work 100-hour weeks," she said. "It is the reason I believe this is a lifetime commitment." In an interview, she said she wants to ensure educators and parents feel heard.
She leaves the Texas Education Agency after pursuing a series of reforms that included transforming the state's assessment program after a year of issues, according to the announcement. She said she will lean on that experience to improve TNReady testing, which has been under fire after several years of problems. Schwinn also expanded pathways for improving students’ career readiness upon graduation, the Lee transition statement said.
Schwinn's appointment was hailed as an "outstanding choice" by Texas' education chief.
"Penny’s leadership as TEA’s chief deputy commissioner of academics has led to considerable improvements in the way we deliver education to Texas’ 5.4 million school children," Texas Commissioner of Education Mike Morath said. "I wish her all the best as she embarks on this new journey to improve the lives and educational outcomes for students in Tennessee."
Attention 5th Grade Parents! WCMS is hosting a parent informational meeting for parents of incoming 6th graders. This meeting will be held in the West Auditorium on Monday Feb. 25th at 6pm. Please see the attached flyer.
Calendar of Events at BSE
February 18th: Holiday for all students
February 28th: Our 5th graders visit WCMS 9:30 - 11:00 to see what 6th grade will be like!
March 1st: 5th Grade Biotech Day and Battle of the Books
March 5th: PTA Night 6:00 and Pop Up Book Shop at BSE
March 11th - 15th - Spring Break
March 21st: BSE is the featured school at the Board Meeting at CHS Community Room 6:00.
March 28th: 5th grade Downtown Field Tri & Bingo Night with Mrs. Jones!
April 1st - 5th: Teacher Appreciation Week
April 4th: Kindergarten Kickoff 5:30 - 6:30 pm
April 9th: Barnes and Noble Book Fair 5:00- 7:00