Happy Monday Team Bear Creek,

We are rocking and rolling through April. Can you believe that May is truly right around the corner?

As always we are here for you. We are making plans to end the school year on the same positive wave that we have been riding all year long and we are very excited for the 2021 - 2022 school year.

AJ and David

If your child is ill with symptoms consistent (cough, sore throat, stomach issues, headaches, fatigue, congestion, etc ...) with Covid-19 contact Mr. Crissey and your child's teacher and then the following protocols must be followed:

Students May Return After

10 days have passed since symptoms started, and improvement in overall symptoms, and 24 hours have passed without fever and use of fever-reducing medication.

OR

Provide doctor’s note to campus health room staff stating that symptoms are not COVID-19-related and student can return to school.

OR

Provide a negative COVID-19 test.

As an FYI the same holds true for staff members.

Remember that doors open @ 7:30am for walkers, bike riders, and car riders.

How you can help:

1 – The “GREEN CHECK” is absolutely essential – we will pull you forward if you do not have one so we can keep the line moving. Just show it when we approach and then we can take temperatures and get going with our days.

2 – Have your kiddo ready to go, I know some are not morning kids but it really has a pretty big ripple effect if we have to manage several exchanges. Because only one lane is used, everything is delayed by the amount of time it takes to make each drop-off. We will not use two lanes in the morning because there are too many moving parts and I will not sacrifice your child’s safety at any cost. DO NOT GET OUT OF THE CAR.

3 – Your car heater raises your child’s temp and in some cases to a point where we have to administer an oral temperature check or ask you to do a drive around the block.

4 – You may only drop off using our parent lane – We will not allow any drop-offs anywhere else on property – the reason is that it will turn into a free for all which is not acceptable or safe.

Being mindful of these things as they will expedite the process significantly while we remain safe.

Parents and Families—Pledging for this year's Bear Creek Dance Fit is live! Our two-week program kicked off last week on April 14th. Families can help us by gathering pledges for the main event on April 23rd. This year our goal is to raise $35,000 for Teacher and Student Support, and we need your help! We’ve asked the experts at Booster to power our fundraiser to make it easier, more profitable, and more fun.

Not only are we raising funds for Bear Creek Elementary, but our students are also learning how to live with character through Booster's new character theme: Sports City Now - a fitness theme about activating character and an active lifestyle! You can check out all of this year's character videos at FUNRUN.COM.

Here is how you can help our school:

• Log onto FUNRUN.COM

• Share! Go to social media to help spread the word by creating a Student Star Video! You can upload your student’s picture and share it through facebook, email, or text. It is a fun and easy way to ask for a donation from friends, family, or even local businesses.

• Give online to support our school if you are able to.

• Check to see if your company offers corporate matching gifts with the easy-to-use widget on FUNRUN.COM!

To be clear the school does not make money from this venture but I have to say how EXCITED I am to offer Camp Invention to you. I hosted this camp for many years in Florida and I have to say it was one of the most engaging camps I have ever seen. Our dates are June 14 through June 18 and the teachers will all be Bear Creek teachers. Take a look at the flyers and let me know if you have questions.

At Bear Creek Elementary we are proud of all of our families and this is our theme for AISD's annual Pride Week. Below is a day by day list of our dress up themes, words of the day, and associated books. You will also be able to see AISD Board Policy as well so you have context.

We will not deviate from this list in any sense or form formally or informally. To be clear our common language will focus on our families and our daily words.

We are promoting our core values of connection, integrity, resiliency, courage, and empathy.

We invite you to send in a photo (or an image of a slide with multiple photos) of your family to david.crissey@austinisd.org this week so we can compile a movie that highlights all of our families.

We will also provide a link (next Monday in The Cub Hub) to an opportunity board that has a variety of read alouds for you as a parent to access (if you would like to) that explores a variety of family structures. This opportunity board is not being shared or highlighted to our students. This is simply a resource for parents if you would like to explore different family structures.

These activities were vetted through our staff and then publicly at our last Bear Creek Elementary Campus Advisory Council. We spent a great deal of time discussing our role as a school and our place in your child’s life. We believe that all of our activities and programming should be developmentally and socially appropriate keeping in mind our role and yours.

From AISD Central Office

Why Pride Week? Refer to the District Website or our LOCAL BOARD POLICY (below.)

The District has established as a core value respect for every individual and as a goal fostering and modeling this core value. The District believes that a valuable element of education is development of respect for all individuals, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, immigration status, or any other basis prohibited by law. The District is committed to providing all students a positive learning environment that enhances personal safety and promotes respect, dignity, and equality. High standards are expected for both academic achievement and for behavior. Principals are expected to implement schoolwide, classroom, and individual systems to teach and support positive student behaviors and to respond to and make every reasonable effort to prevent all forms of bullying, harassment, and violence among students.

In an effort to provide the best possible educational programming for all of our students and alleviate the constraints of concurrent teaching we are altering the special area schedules for our remote learners starting this Wednesday.

Special areas ​have collaborated to ensure that our remote students get connection and high levels of engagement during their zooms. Therefore, there ​may be be some changes coming to WHAT DAY your student has music, art, and PE, but the time they have specials will remain the same. ​Remote students will receive communication about their specfic changes from their classroom teachers. Changes will begin on Wednesday, April 21st. es from their classroom teachers.

Due to the unique demands placed on schools and teachers during the COVID-19 crisis for students attending both in-person and remotely, the Human Sexuality and Responsibility (HSR) unit will not be taught to students enrolled in grades K-8th grade during the spring semester of the 2020-21 school year.

Information has also been be published on the AISD Newsletter and HSR website.

Parents will have access to resources on topics connected to the website.

After consulting with our operations team I wanted to provide an update about playground access for the public. AISD grounds are open for the public however for modernized projects such as Bear Creek the exterior of the campus is and will remain secure. When I am up here on the weekends I see families connecting in our common areas and I hope that continues but until I hear from operations the goal is to maintain a secure campus for the safety of our children.

This has been addressed before but we know that things get lost over time. We do not accept deliveries for students for special occasions (e.g. birthdays, special events.) this is partly COVID-19 related and also we are following suit with many campuses regarding the elimination of birthday treats and bags.

Did you know that Test Anxiety is a real thing? It's true! It peaks in grades 2-4 but can continue for years to come.

It affects 35% of all students in some way.

That is over 10 million of our students in North America!

So we can be sure that some of our students at Bear Creek will face some of the same anxiety and fears. Students with test anxiety can actually score up to half a grade lower than their peers due to their anxiety. Test anxiety can also lead to poor morale, decreased comprehension, low confidence, and avoidance of school work.

YIKES!!

So what do we do?

👉Give students a different point of view about what they are feeling. Heartbeat racing? That is their brain getting excited and mentally prepared for the task ahead!

👉Kids will need more physical activity but also good food and SLEEP!

👉Use phrases like "these tests don't measure who you are as a person." and encourage all the things that make them who they are.

👉Be open and available to talk and listen. Encourage student to talk with their teacher or counselor, as well, if the fear is strong.

Here are some great books on anxiety. Check them out!

Test anxiety can be frustrating and stressful, but it doesn't have to win! Please feel free to reach out if I can help in any way!

Want to serve on the PTA?

We are already beginning plans for the next school year and would love to have your involvement. We have openings on the PTA Board as well as various committees including Fundraising, Programs & Events and Teacher Appreciation. Let us know if you are interested in being part of the Bear Creek PTA in the 2021-22 school year. Email us at bearcreekatxpta@gmail.com

Help us Appreciate our Teachers!

Teacher Appreciation Week is just around the corner and PTA wants to show our awesome teachers some LOVE! We want to stock the lounges around campus with snacks and goodies and we need your help. Sign up below to drop off items by May 1.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/409084EA4A82AAAF58-stock