Bailey Bear News
December 2019/January 2020
What's in your cup?
You are holding a cup of coffee when someone comes along and bumps into you or shakes your arm, making you spill your coffee everywhere.
Why did you spill the coffee?
"Because someone bumped into me!!!"
Wrong answer.
You spilled the coffee because there was coffee in your cup. Had there been tea in the cup, you would have spilled tea.
**Whatever is inside the cup is what will spill out.**
Therefore, when life comes along and shakes you (which WILL happen), whatever is inside you will come out. It's easy to fake it until you get rattled.
*So we have to ask ourselves...."what's in my cup?"**
When life gets tough, what spills over?
Joy, gratefulness, peace, and humility?
Anger, bitterness, harsh words and reactions?
Life provides the cup, YOU choose how to fill it.
Today let's work towards filling our cups with gratitude, forgiveness, joy, words of affirmation; and kindness, gentleness, and love for others.
Principal Blog
"Behavior is communication, so investigate: What are they trying to communicate with this behavior? What do they need that they are not getting?
Every day in the classroom it can be a struggle to help some of our neediest kids and the behaviors that they exhibit during the day. Some of our students need lots of help and many times we miss the mark by just looking at the behavior and getting upset with the behavior instead of settling down and looking at the real reason for the behavior. Many times we (teachers) are the only ones listening and looking to make sure that our students are okay, which is a heavy burden at times, but think of how you are changing one life at a time by just reacting differently than what is expected!
Please read the article that is below. I think you will find some nuggets that you can use in the classroom!"
I have some news for all of my BSE Family! As many of you know I have been principal of BSE for 10 years and although I have enjoyed my time at BSE it is time for me to retire and start a new journey. Please read my retirement letter below. You will also receive this letter by email. I plan on enjoying the next semester and making the most of the time I have left at at BSE! It is a bittersweet time for me but I know it is the best decision for my family and for myself.
Retirement Letter
December 2, 2019
BSE Family and Collierville Schools,
This letter is to inform you of my upcoming retirement at the end of this school year. The letter below is just to share a little information about my journey and to take a moment to thank a few people!
I started my teaching career in Houston, Texas in 1983 teaching middle school math and science. I moved back to Memphis and taught at Ross Elementary and Southwind Elementary before staying home with my children. In 1995, due to life changes, I needed to go back to work and I ended up at Chimneyrock Elementary. Little did I know, this very special school would prepare me to lead a school of my own one day. A feisty lady named Sherry Roper took the principalship a year or two after I was on staff and she steered me into thinking about moving toward leadership. During my time at Chimneyrock, I completed my first master's degree and took on many leadership positions. I was given many opportunities to learn how to lead a school, how to nurture a climate and culture that helps students thrive but also one that meets the needs of teachers and makes them feel they are part of a family. Sherry took on the principal job at BSE in 2005 and I joined her as a third-grade teacher. All along she was grooming me to be an administrator. During my first year at Bailey Station, I finished my administration master's degree and the next year became one of the assistant principals.
I loved being an assistant principal because I had the opportunity to do great things with teachers and students, but the “buck” did not stop with me, so I had lots of fun and very little worry! Mrs. Roper decided it was time to retire in 2010 and take care of her family. She encouraged me to apply for the position at Bailey because she knew I could do the job and would continue the tradition of what made our school so great. I was humbled and scared of taking on such a huge responsibility. It pushed me out of my comfort zone and made me dig deep inside myself to take on this huge job. I was hired in 2010 to lead this awesome school while working side by side with two of the best assistant principals, Deanna Jones and Miranda Manley, who have helped me to be successful. What a journey it has been! There have been ups and downs in running a school, but there is no other job that will allow you to impact the future for thousands of kids and to be hugged every day and looked up to as a hero through the eyes of a child! There is no better job unless it is to be a teacher! This is my fourteenth year as an administrator and my tenth year as a principal. I have given over 30 years of my life to this noble profession.
It is now time for me to pass the baton to someone who is ready to continue the excellence of this great school. It is bittersweet leaving this job, but it is also exciting to take the next steps in my journey. To all the people who have impacted this introverted and extremely shy girl and helped transform her into a person that is not afraid to make hard decisions, not afraid to speak to large groups, not afraid to not be liked, and not afraid to do what is best for children…. I just want to say thank you!
My retirement starts on June 30, 2020! The Collierville School District will start the process of finding my replacement starting in January so that a new principal can be named before the end of the school year. This will give me time to introduce the new principal to this great school and share our traditions of excellence that will hopefully carry on long after I am gone.
I would be remiss if I did not say thank you to all the wonderful teachers, staff, and parents that I have had the pleasure of working with during my time as a principal and as a teacher. They have helped me in countless ways to be a better principal and have kept me grounded on what is most important! Thank you to my husband, Kevin Tesreau, for all the years he has had to deal with all my stories, my bad days and my good ones, while all along lifting me up and saying in my ear “you can do it”! Also, a big thank you to my mother, Brenda Coppedge for showing me what hard work looks like and instilling in me a compassion for others and a drive to do my best in all things.
I will enjoy the rest of this school year and look forward to this year being my best one ever! Thank you for your support over the years and for trusting me with your children every day!
Sincerely,
Cindy Tesreau
7 Things Children Wish Their Teachers and Parents Knew. I read this article awhile back and sent the information you are reading below to my teachers. I think it is informative to read and think about!
The following blog was written by Eileen Carr who is a 4th-grade teacher in Honolulu.
I’ve spent the past year teaching my students to initiate conversations with one another and with buddies they made across the Pacific through video chats. When I talked with them about the experience, a theme emerged: They said they wished that adults knew more about their lives and experiences. Here’s some of what I heard from them:
1. Kids want you to know how hard they're trying.
“Practice makes perfect.”
“If you put your mind to it, you can fill in the blank.” (Insert: play the piano, do well in school, understand math, speak up in class, manage your emotions, etc.)
These are some of the things children hear from adults. My students told me that they really are trying, but some things are genuinely difficult. For example, Mo has been learning to read, write, speak, and comprehend English for the past three years. He told me, “English is hard! When I speak, it’s hard.” Aicha added, “I wish my mom would understand that even though I pay attention during math, it doesn’t always mean I understand when I get home.”
Ty reminded me how easy it is to forget the challenges that come with not having mastered a skill, a topic, or a language. “They expect that I can control my anger, but sometimes I can’t,” he said. Kids are humans, and humans are works in progress. Sometimes—no, most of the time—we need to summon the benefit of the doubt and support one another’s best efforts.
2. Kids want grownups to be happy.
Children notice your mood. They pick up on facial expressions, gestures, states of mind. According to Ty, "Grownups are so grumpy all the time!” From the looks on our faces, how could he think otherwise? Ella told me, “When our parents get really stressed, I want them to know that we really love them and care about them.” They see us, they read us, and they want the best for us. You don’t always have to be happy, but you should know that you’re more of an open book to the kids in your life than you might realize.
3. Kids want to be believed.
Something spills, somebody’s crying, something breaks: A kid must have done it. Why weren’t they being more careful? Where was the oldest child? It’s easy to jump to “blame the kid,” but as Dustin said, “They think they know what happens, and we get in trouble for it.” It’s important for us to take that deep breath, ask what happened, and truly listen to children’s accounts. Zen put it poignantly: “I wish they could trust us more. If we say we didn’t do something, I wish they would trust us.”
4. Kids want grownups to be more honest.
Kids aren’t the only ones with an ardent desire to be believed, whether they’re telling the truth or not. If you’re going to be late, or you’re not going to make it at all, tell the truth. A child could spend the next hour craning her neck, looking for you, waiting to see your face through the crowd. Sometimes the honest conversation is harder and more prolonged, but children deeply appreciate it when you acknowledge the truth. They want to know what’s going on in their lives.
5. Kids want electronics just as much as grownups do.
As grownups, we just need to acknowledge that sometimes we are hypocrites. Unfortunately, our kids know this. They notice every swipe and screen binge. When adults overdose on screen time, we reckon privately with ourselves. But when we do so with kids around, we need to think about the message we’re sending. If medium doses are okay and even necessary for us grownups, then maybe we need to make similar allowances for kids. Braden pleaded, “We have to play electronics. It doesn’t have to be for a long time.”
6. Kids want a break from over-scheduling.
Self-care isn’t just for grownups. Kids get drained, too, but they’re not often in control of their own schedules. There are weekday activities. Trevor explained, “I have something else to do every day! Homework, Math Olympiad, swimming, tutoring, karate, Japanese school ... ” Then there’s the homework, every day, and sometimes even on weekends. Finally, the chores! Ramona lamented, “They think you have all this time to do all these things they want you to do, even when you don’t have time.” Grownups need downtime to recharge, “me time” when they’re the only ones calling the shots, blissfully unscheduled chunks of time to be filled with anything or nothing. Kids do, too.
7. Kids want grownups to love them just as they are.
Social media can make the most well-adjusted adult feel insecure: You need to work out more, be more beautiful, wear better clothes, eat healthier foods, take wilder vacations, buy a bigger house. Those voices aren’t just getting to us grownups—they’re also getting to the kids. And they’re coming from us.
Emma said, “Sometimes they compare me to someone else.” Nicky added: “Sometimes, adults just expect too much from us. For instance, I’m not a genius but my mom expects me to be.” We may think that we’re expressing support and encouragement, but our children are hearing disappointment and regret. Jack struggled to find the words, then blurted, “They want me to be the best me I can be, so let me be me!”
Offering children a safe space to bond with peers across the world revealed so much to me about how similar they are, whether they’re in Honolulu or San Francisco. In a classroom, students vastly outnumber grownups, which can pose management challenges for teachers. But they have so much to say, and they want us to listen. It’s worth the trouble to help kids find their voices, share their messages, and experience the joy of being heard.
* Names have been changed to protect students’ privacy.
Eileen Carr is a 4th-grade teacher in Honolulu. She’s spent 20 years teaching 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades, as well as English and French as Foreign Languages in the U.S., Lebanon, Taiwan, and Martinique.
There is one more great resource that I found recently that is written for teachers and counselors but I feel that parents can also find some great ideas to use at home!
Pilar Galvis won principal of the day at the BSE Bear Fair!
I had a great time eating lunch with all the students who donated over $130.00 to the PTA Bailey Bear Boogie! They were a joy to be around and I loved their excitement! Thank you for your donations and allowing me to have fun with my students!
Lunch with the Principal
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Veteran's Day program
Thank you to our 3rd grade for the beautiful performance and Mrs. Hill for putting all of this together! A big thank you goes to Mr. Henson for helping with the music, Mr. Nugent and Mr. Hailey for setting up the stage and helping with the sound system and Mrs. Moore for making sure the powerpoints and videos were taken care of!
Great articles/blogs that I have read and shared with teachers that I feel you might be interested in as well!
I wish you the best as we move into the Holiday Season! My hope is that you will have time and energy to make special moments with your kids that they will remember for a lifetime! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Cindy Tesreau
Our school calendar can be found on our school website page and is also sent home at the beginning of the month! **Changes may occur so make sure to check with the school calendar for any updated changes!**
December 6th: We will be participating in the Collierville Christmas Parade come by and see us!
December 10th: PTA Meeting at 6:00 and Celebrations Around the World at 5:00 in the gym
December 16th: Bear and Cub Chorus Winter Concert 9:30 and 2:30
December 19th: Holiday Parties - Times are above from our BSE PTA News!
December 20th: Last Day for first semester - students are dismissed at 12:15
December 23rd - January 6th: Winter Break
January 7th: First day back for 2nd semester
January 10th: Kyle Kihni Don't Drive Drowsy campaign - wear PJ's on this day and donate to this cause.
January 16th: PTA Bingo Night 6:00 BSE Cafe - canceled for January, will be in March
January 20th: School Holiday Martin Luther King Day
January 21st - 24th: SPED Awareness Week
Tuesday wear Athletic Attire for Physical Disabilities
Wednesday wear Camo for learning or invisible disabilities
Thursday wear Medical Attire for medical disabilities
Friday wear a Hat for mental health awareness
Jan 20th: Club Pictures
Feb 6th: PTA Daddy/Daughter Dance and Mom/Son Get Air 6:00 -7:30
Feb 14th: Parent Conferences 1:00 - 4:00 this will be a 1/2 day for students who will leave at 12:15
Feb 17th: School Holiday - President's Day
Feb. 25th - Fifth Graders will visit West Collierville Middle School at 9:15 for a tour (there will be more information coming out closer to time for parent meeting, etc.)