Bear Tracks
October 31, 2025
Dear Gardner Bullis Community,
Happy Friday! We have had another wonderful week at Gardner Bullis! Our students continue to be engaged in inquiry and hands-on learning across grade levels- from the Museum of Flora in 1st Grade, to learning about rural, suburban, and urban communities in 2nd grade, to investigating what plants need to survive and thrive in 5th grade, to human body systems in 6th grade, and much more!
At Friday assembly this morning, we reminded students that this weekend is daylight savings. Remember to set your clocks back one hour! Also, next week is multicultural week! Check out the events tab in Classroom Parent and sign up if you can! Remember, the week wraps up with a delicious food festival in the multi on Friday evening. I hope to see you there! We also reminded students that Monday, November 3rd, is picture make-up day. See the office blurb below for more information.
I wish your families a restful weekend and a safe Halloween, if you go out tonight! We know students will be excited about their candy collection- please be mindful about the amount of candy they bring to school. A few pieces as part of a balanced lunch is appropriate, but please do not allow your student to bring significant amounts to school. Trading and sharing candy at school is not allowed. Thank you!
Yard Duties: We are starting to see a decline in yard duty volunteers, especially with our upper grades! If you have extra time in your day and would like to join us for lunch (12:00-12:45), you are welcome, you are appreciated, and you are needed! (Plus, you get to wear the stylish orange vests and fanny packs.)
LASD Student Art Showcase: We are excited to announce our first annual LASD Student Art Showcase. This is an opportunity for any student from TK-8th grade to express themselves artistically with our community. Students are encouraged to submit a piece of artwork in the medium and theme of their choice following the guidelines in the advertisement above. Submissions will be accepted between 10/6 and 11/12, and the LASD Student Art Showcase will be on display at Almond Elementary on November 19th from 5:00-7:00 pm. This event will be a celebration of student art and local artists, as well as an opportunity to enjoy an evening together as an LASD community.
Registration opens October 6th. Please use this google doc to register. Registration closes on November 12th. Questions? kdickerson@lasdschools.org
AMC 8: The AMC 8 is a 25-question, 40-minute, multiple-choice examination in middle school mathematics designed to promote the development of problem-solving skills. The AMC 8 provides an opportunity for middle school students to develop positive attitudes towards analytical thinking and mathematics that can assist in future careers. Students apply classroom skills to unique problem-solving challenges in a low-stress and friendly environment.
The material covered on the AMC 8 includes topics from a typical middle school mathematics curriculum. Possible topics include but are not limited to counting and probability, estimation, proportional reasoning, elementary geometry including the Pythagorean Theorem, spatial visualization, everyday applications, and reading and interpreting graphs and tables. In addition, some of the later questions may involve linear or quadratic functions and equations, coordinate geometry, and other topics traditionally covered in a beginning algebra course.
The AMC8 will be held in the STEAM Lab before school (students should arrive by 7:30 am) on Tuesday, January 27th. Registration is open now!
Register HERE.
Learning Challenges events for Fall 2025
For local coverage of issues related to learning challenges and special education, please check out the Learning Challenges Committee https://sites.google.com/view/learning-challenges-committee
Missed past Parent Education events?
We have a YouTube channel with many of our past events including the recent talk on Assistive Technology, info summer camps and recreational activities, Anxiety and Depression in Children with Learning Challenges, SMART Goals and IEP Troubleshooting, and more. Channel is here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuy7IcVz-4LTDxv2Jaq13nw