Bauer Bits
October 28, 2022
From the Principal's Desk
Recently, I was reminded of the story of American marksman Matt Emmons. In 2004, during the summer Olympics in Athens, Mr. Emmons was competing in Men’s 50m rifle three-position finals. By the time he had made it to the finals his score had made him a shoe-in for gold. After he leveled his rifle, he pulled the trigger to take his final shot and was confused because the scoreboard still read ‘0’ after what he was certain was another bullseye. The judges finally realized that instead of aiming at his target, he fired across the lane at another competitor's target by mistake. The error took him from first place to last.
It’s impossible to hear a story like this without feeling great pity for the competitor. After all, high-level competition is cutthroat and the Olympics only comes around once every 4 years! Imagine the deep sorrow in this competitor's heart realizing that after all of his training, all his investments, that this shot, while precise, was entirely off course.
One lesson that I think we need to pull from this story is that we should be thoughtful in life about what our direction and mission are! We can be good at X, but if X isn’t true to ourselves, or good then we run the risk of building a life that is shallow or misguided. For example, consider someone with amazing talents but if all they do is use those talents to pursue material wealth, they may have regrets down the road at a lack of meaningful impact in the world or relationships.
The weekend forecast calls for great fall weather here in West Michigan. There may even be an interesting football game on Saturday evening. This weekend would also be a great time to take a moment to pause and to give consideration to our direction so that we don’t spend our lives aiming at the wrong target.
Mark Your Calendar
- Monday, October 31st - Halloween Party (1st-5th Grade)
- Thursday, November 3rd - Skating Party
- Tuesday, November 8th - Pizza Night and BPC Meeting
- Friday, November 11th - Early Release (12:15)
- Monday, November 14th - Friday, November 18th - Book Fair
- Monday, November 14th - Parent/Teacher Conferences
- Wednesday, November 16th - Parent/Teacher Conferences
- Friday, November 18th - Camo Day and Popcorn Friday
PK/K Parade
Halloween Party (1st - 5th Grade)
Our Halloween parties are coming up on Monday, October 31st for 1st-5th grade classes.
Parties:
- Your child's teacher will communicate to you their specific times for their parties.
- Only parents signed up to volunteer for the party may attend.
- Younger siblings will not be allowed to attend classroom parties so that the focus of the party is on your kiddos and for safety and liability!
Volunteers will be checked in at the office and background checks verified before entering the building.
Costumes:
School appropriate costumes only.
Please no weapons, blood, gore, or scary costumes.
Teachers will communicate if students will wear their costumes all day or change.
SKATING PARTY
Mark your calendars for a Bauer Skating Party at Tarry Hall Roller Rink in Grandville on Thursday, November 3, 6:00-8:00pm. Cost is $6 for admission and $2 for skate rental or $3 for rollerblade rental.
Music Notes
PE Cares
This year’s PE CARES food drive will begin November 1st, and will run until November 17th.
This year we will be partnering again with Hand 2 Hand with all of our donated items. Hand 2 Hand is currently in need of certain items for their pantry. Below is a list of their needed items. If you bring in any of these items, they will count as 2pts for each one. All other food items are worth 1 point each. Please do not separate items that come in a pack (example: box of granola bars). We can’t accept open material, items that are missing their packaging labels, glass items, or items that have expired. Please check the expiration date before you donate.
2 Point List
Canned Chicken
Peanut Butter jars-Small Size Only
Canned Tuna
Canned Fruits
Boxes of Granola Bars
Canned Pasta (Spaghetti O’s, Ravioli, or Beefaroni)
Boxes of Spaghetti Noodles
Canned Pasta Sauce (no glass)
Bags of Instant Potatoes
Cans of Chicken Noodle Soup
Canned Beans or Canned Corn
Boxes of Individual Snacks (fruit snacks, cookies, crackers, chips)
Boxes of Microwave Popcorn
Pudding Cups, Jello-Cups, Applesauce Cups/Pouches
Bauer Parent Club
BPC MEETING:
Our next Bauer Parent Club meeting will be Tuesday, November 8 at 7:30 in the Bauer Media Center (Library). We would love to have as many parents there as possible - your contributions make a difference! We will hear updates from staff, review our budget and discuss upcoming events.
BOOK FAIR VOLUNTEERS
We have a few volunteer slots open for Fall Book Fair coming up the week of November 14th. Helping students shop for books is fun and ringing up purchases is easy! Sign up here. Reach out to Stephanie Martin (slmartin722@gmail.com) with any questions.
ONGOING VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:
We’re always looking for more help with special events at school! Volunteering with Bauer Parent Club event is a great way to get involved at school! If you’re interested in learning more, please fill out this form.
5th Grade SEL Highlight
This month in 5th grade, students completed their RULER unit on the Mood Meter. Students combined their math skills with some of their social-emotional learning and tracked how their emotions changed throughout the day. Students graphed these check-ins at the end of the week to identify which quadrant of the Mood Meter they typically "live in" while at school. Next, the 5th graders began learning their first blue feeling word, pessimistic. In this unit, students creatively explored the difference between pessimistic and optimistic by analyzing and sorting song lyrics. This unit is challenging students to consider if they typically have a "glass half full" or a "glass half empty" attitude and also teaches them strategies for reducing feelings of pessimism. Way to go 5th graders!
Bauer Elementary
Email: ehuizen@hpseagles.net
Website: https://www.hudsonvillepublicschools.org
Location: 8136 48th Avenue, Hudsonville, MI, USA
Phone: 616-669-6824
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BauerElementary
Twitter: @BauerElementary