Pioneer Post
BJHS Incoming 6th Grade Newsletter for Summer 2017
UPCOMING BIDWELL EVENTS
August 18 - 6th Grade Orientation - Gym - 8:00am
August 21 - FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL - MINIMUM DAY
August 24 - Picture Day
September 1 - CJSF Meeting - Library - 7:30am
September 7 - Back to School Night - 6:30pm
September 4 - Labor Day - NO SCHOOL
Septmeber 29 - Picture Retake Day
PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE
Greetings, Incoming Pioneer Families!
As we wrap up the 2016-17 school year, the Pioneer Team is already laying the groundwork for your students' successful transition to junior high. Building off of our Gold Ribbon School award from the California Department of Education, 2017-18 promises to see an increased school-wide focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) integration as well as an even more proactive system of student support services. The jump to junior high is a big step for many families, but let me assure you that your students couldn't be in better hands than they are with our team.
The Bidwell staff is focused on ensuring that all students have the opportunity to strive for excellence in every class. Here are some ideas to consider discussing as a family that will help your students be successful in the 6th grade at Bidwell:
In many ways, junior high is a significant step in students developing a healthy sense of independence. This transition can be tricky to manage as a parent. When do you step back and allow a student the space to "fail" and learn from natural consequences? How vigilant should you be about your student's grades and social media activity without being a "helicopter parent"? There are no "one-size-fits-all" answers to these questions, but I want to urge you to communicate proactively with teachers, counselors, and administrators about your student's social and academic progress. "Veteran" junior high parents offer the following advice: "Check your student's grades weekly on Aeries, ask them about their day, and monitor social media/Internet activity like a hawk...just do it from a distance that also allows them to develop a healthy sense of independence." If you have a question about a school rule or consequence, please ask us. We only have rules and consequences in place that have proven effective over time of keeping kids in a safe, orderly learning environment while helping them to develop that healthy sense of independence I mentioned earlier.
On an academic note, some students can lose as much as two months of learning over the summer break. You can help your student offset the loss of skills and knowledge gained over the course of this school year by working in i-Ready for no more than 45 minutes a week in reading and math. That's right, more than 45 minutes in a subject has actually been shown to have a negative impact on student learning: 45 minutes is the sweet spot. Students can access i-Ready from home by logging in with their Google username and password at www.clever.com/in/chicousd
As Bidwell celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2017-18, I couldn't be more excited to be joining the Pioneer Team to provide an outstanding junior high experience for you and your students.
Respectfully yours,
David McKay
Principal
Early Back for incoming 6th Graders! Is August 7-11 @ Bidwell Junior High room 402 from 8-12:30 please contact Stephanie Johnson via email at sjohnson@chicousd.org if you have questions.
BIDWELL W.E.B. PROGRAM
Hello future 6th grade students and families! Bidwell’s W.E.B. (Where Everybody Belongs) program would like to invite you to our 6th Grade Orientation Day. This student only event will be an awesome way to connect to your new school, meet new friends, and feel a whole lot more comfortable about the big transition to the middle school setting. 6th Grade Orientation Day will take place at the end of summer, so please mark the date of Friday, August 18th on your calendar. A formal invitation will be mailed out soon providing times and further detail. Please feel free to contact Bidwell with any questions you may have. Can’t wait to see you all there!
SIGN UP FOR REMIND!
Sign up for important Bidwell updates! Simply text @ldebock to 81010 and follow the prompts! You can also sign up for email updates by sending an email to ldebock@mail.remind.com.
BIDWELL DRAMA TAKES CENTER STAGE!
Check out the exciting, new Drama Program at Bidwell. If you enjoy being on stage, playing games, improve, and writing your own scripts then this is the class for you! This is a semester class, but each semester has a different focus and can be taken as a year course.
SIGN UP FOR THE AERIES PARENT PORTAL!
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HAVE A CHANGE OF ADDRESS?
BIDWELL T-SHIRTS FOR SALE!
Bidwell Junior T-shirts for sale
$10.00 each!
Sizes S M L XL
Please contact Martha Newton at 891-3080 ext.135 or mnewton@chicousd.org
FIND US ON THE WEB!
WIRELESS UPDATE
Exciting new changes coming to Chico Unified School District’s Wireless network!
Beginning June 15th, the CUSD’s Information Services department will be making major improvements to the district’s wireless network. The end result will be a wireless network that not only serves the needs of CUSD students and staff, but also the general public.
Bidwell Junior High School
Email: lgizzi@chicousd.org
Website: http://bjhs.chicousd.org/
Location: 2376 North Avenue, Chico, CA 95926, United States
Phone: (530) 891-3080
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BidwellASB/?fref=ts
Twitter: @BidwellASB