Mountaineer Monthly
December 2021
The Month Ahead
December 3 - Picture Retake Day
December 8 - Art Club - 5th Grade
December 14 - BES PTO Meeting in the Library @ 6:30pm
December 15 - Art Club - 4th Grade
December 21 - Board of Education Meeting @ 7:15 pm, BMHS Library
December 23 - BES Pajama Day
December 24 - January 2 - Holiday Break
January 3 - School Reopens
BES Student Ambassadors
Counseling Corner
Happy December everyone! We hope you all had a great Thanksgiving holiday!
In the counseling department we are still working on our Second Step classroom lessons and have begun discussing how to manage our emotions and feelings in healthy ways and problem solve effectively, especially during times of socialization.
Unfortunately, COVID 19 has yet to leave, causing some of our students to have to quarantine. A few of our students have been unfortunate enough to have to quarantine multiple times due to exposure. These students are missing out on these chances for socialization and practicing these emotion regulation and problem solving skills. Not only that, but teachers are beginning to let us know that their students are reaching out, letting them know that they are missing being able to interact with their friends and classmates, which is making remote learning difficult.
Quarantining can be very isolating for our students which can lead to our students feeling depressed, anxious, and possibly lead to them having lower self esteem over time. Dealing with these feelings can also affect their ability to learn. It can also be very difficult for our students to have to adapt from in person learning to remote learning without any warning.
The counseling department would like to help students dealing with the isolation of quarantine by providing chances for these students to take part in social groups via zoom. Our hope is to have quarantined students, with priority going to those with multiple quarantines so far, join in during lunch groups or other times worked out with teachers where the student can openly socialize with other students still able to attend school and/or students who are also quarantining at the same time.
If your student is quarantining (or has quarantined multiple times) and you feel they would benefit from socialization time via zoom with other students (facilitated by a member of the staff) please reach out to either of the School Counselors via email or phone. We look forward to hearing from you and being able to provide this support for our students!
Ryan Steller - rsteller@berlincentral.org ext 3116
James Taylor-Shaw - jtaylorshaw@berlincentral.org ext 3120
Science Scene with Mrs. Walsh
The 4th grade science students have investigated how our eyes interact with light and the impact on our vision. Currently, we're working on exploring the processes of volcanic eruptions and also exploring the processes of weathering and erosion.
The 5th grade science students have investigated food chains, food webs and the importance of producers, consumers and decomposers. Currently, we're working on discovering the importance of water as a natural resource. We have investigated the distribution of water on Earth; and will continue to explore how water cycles through Earth's systems and how it affects human societies.
News from Helping Hands
Thank you so much for all the donations of coats, snow pants, boots, mittens and hats. They are greatly appreciated and are being given out. As you pull out the winter gear and you find that things do not fit your children, please consider passing them along to another child at our school. We will have our winter gear collection box out for another month.
Thank you Taconic and HMA Paving and Contracting for providing over 40 meals to local families this Thanksgiving. We appreciate all of the support our community gives us. Thank you to Grafton, Berlin and Stephentown Food pantries as well for being an amazing partner in keeping our families healthy and providing Thanksgiving meals. If you are in need of local Food Pantry information please contact Mrs. Baker.
Mrs. Baker will be contacting those who are involved in the Holiday Bear program in mid December. Pickups will be scheduled during the week of December 20th. Thank you to all of those who make our Holiday Bear Program such a wonderful success. Thank you to all the teachers, school staff, parents and outside organizations that support our Holiday Bear Program. Check back in January to see all of those who donated to our program.
Please consider donating to our local STEWARTS Holiday Match Program. Helping Hands has received donations several times from this program and it is greatly appreciated.
As always, we are here to lend a Helping Hand, please reach out if you need anything.