Bear Tracks
October 21, 2016
A Note From the Principal:
Dear Bear Tavern Staff,
How many of you know James Donato? He is our district plumber and you'd definitely recognize him if you saw him. He was instrumental in the replacement of so many sinks and water fountains at BT right before school started. He worked really hard and came through like a champ.
The reason that I bring it up is that four days ago all of the principals in the district received an email from the head of facilities, just explaining that we have run into a stretch of bad luck and that there were a lot of toilets, etc. breaking and the volume of work orders for plumbing is just unusually high right now. The email was asking for patience and explaining the situation. Luckily, we were relatively unaffected at BT.
Keep in mind, we have one plumber in the district.
I saw James in the parking lot on my way out of the board office today. So I stopped for a second to say ‘hi’ and ask how he was holding up. He started by saying, “It could always be worse,” with a smile. On top of all of the existing work, he had been notified moments before that the hot water heaters at one building had just crashed and he needed to brainstorms solutions immediately.
In our short conversation, I was blown away by his positivity and calmness. It motivated me and made me reflect about myself and reminded me how much of an effect we can have on all of the people around us, sometimes not even by what we do, but simply how we react and go about our day. The spark of positivity and optimism that I got from James was carried through my afternoon.
The moral of the story is two-fold: First, let’s each try to be a spark for someone else. Think of how you handle situations (good and bad) and notice how the people around you respond when you show extra positivity and patience. And, next time you see James, give him a high five!
Happy Friday! Have a great weekend.
Sincerely,
Chris
Key Information:
Halloween Letter - (Sent home 10/20 - fyi) - Click for letter
Doors - Please work to not prop exterior doors open. Wednesday, the police did a random check around the district and found two of our exterior doors propped open. Please be mindful; do not prop doors and closed doors that are propped and unattended. PLEASE ALSO CLOSE THE CHAIN LINK FENCE BY THE BLACKTOP. Do not go out without your key. This is CRITICAL.
Extra Faculty Meeting - The schedule will be out by mid-day Friday. Last chance to submit - SURVEY
Fish Tank Backgrounds - I'm going to cut bulletin board paper to the dimensions of the fish tanks. Classes or groups will be able to take them from the office, have students draw and/or list facts, ideas, etc. and resubmit. I'll be laminating them and rotating them as the backgrounds of the fish tanks. Please ask in the office if you are interested.
* If you have any questions or ideas about the tanks, just ask! Here is our blog. It will be updated regularly with facts, ideas, pictures and videos... http://btaquaticadventure.blogspot.com/
Veteran's Day & Operation Gratitude - Veteran's Day will be celebrated on Wed Nov 9th. Information will be sent to staff and families to invite Veterans as special guests, but we'll also have a "Veteran's Information sheet" to honor Veterans who are no longer with us or who can't make it to BT on the 9th. Stay tuned, but please think about it in advance if you are interested in contributing some patriotic decorations. Also, I'd like to have one student from each grade level read an essay/letter again. We have been invited to participate in Operation Gratitude (letter writing) this year. It would make sense to streamline so that those submissions could be what is read. We would just have to bump up the 'due date.' Stay tuned for more information, but in the meantime CLICK HERE for the Operation Gratitude guidelines and information. Google Form, Honoring Sheet Color, Honoring sheet B&W
Story Book Pumpkins - We'll be accepting Story Book Pumpkins next week, too! Don't hesitate to have some fun and make one this weekend and please talk it up to you students!
#BT Rocks - Lora will be in the building today at lunch time if you want to say hi or ask any questions about her experiences. Here is the SURVEY about #BTRocks.
Twitter - Don't forget when Tweeting about the special things going on in your class and around the school to include #BearTavernPride so that people can search the hashtag to see everything going on. I have a challenge for next week - When you find something that someone else is doing that is interesting or just awesome, snap a picture and tweet it! If you want to bring it to the next level, include their twitter handle in the post - i.e."@MrsNiefersClass is doing an awesome Morning Meeting activity (explain activity a bit). #BearTavernPride"
Upcoming Dates:
AFTERNOON ENRICHMENT/ACTIVITIES:
Monday- Bee Bots, Fyre Coding, Magic Glass, Martial Arts
Tuesday- Art Enrichment, Girls on the Run, Let me Run, Makey Makey Arcade, YMCA Hip Hop Dance, After School Title 1 Math Tutoring
Wednesday- Basketball Basics, Art Enrichment, Minecraft, After School Title 1 Writing Tutoring
Thursday-Girls on the Run, Let Me Run, Soccer Shots, TGA Tennis, Yoga
Friday- None
10/21 - Pre K Collab Day, Overman/Loughlin Washington Crossing Park, 2nd Grade Pumkin Patch
10/21 - Oktoberfest - PTO 6 pm
10/24 - Extra Faculty Mtg.
10/25 - TIP Parent Mtg 7 pm Media Center
10/26 - Pre K Duncan Field Trip
10/27 - 2nd grade trip Planetarium, GoMATH Parent Meeting (7 pm)
10/28 - Superintendent Visit
10/31 - Halloween Parade 9 am - followed by classroom parties
11/1 - 11/4 - I'll be touching base w/ grade levels to send home Piggy Banks for Pennies for Hope (through Christine's Hope). Details to follow soon.
11/3 - Principal's Cabinet Mtg. 8 am.