Bridger Bulletin

We are excited to share about our ISD Foundation Week here in the Independence School District to support ISD students. This will be a one week campaign in support of the ISD Foundation with all of the money staying right here in the ISD! As you know, the Foundation works to strengthen our schools and community by expanding educational opportunities, promoting volunteerism, enhancing learning environments, and providing need-based funding and services for our students and families.

ISD Foundation Week will be next week, September 9-13. We have a district designated spirit day each day of the week. A 25 cent donation per day, per person is encouraged for spirit week. If every staff member and student in the district gave 25 cents each day during spirit week, we could raise more than $20,000! These donations will be collected within each Homeroom class.

ISD Foundation Spirit Days:

Monday: Pajama Day

Tuesday: Team Tuesday (Royals, Chiefs, Sporting KC, Truman Patriots, Chrisman Bears, etc.) Wednesday: Workout Wednesday (Workout clothing)

Thursday: Throwback Thursday (Dress as your favorite decade)

Friday: School Spirit Day (Show your school spirit or TEAM colors)

Fall Picture Day will be held on Friday, September 6th. Picture ordering information will be provided to your student but can also be accessed on the Life Touch website. To order online, please go to: www.mylifetouch.com and enter code: EVTRXNQ6C

These photos will be used in the 2019-2020 Bridger school yearbook.

Student Expectation for Binder Use

• All students are expected to carry their binders throughout the school day

(A student binder should be a 3" 3-ring binder that is a standard/traditional binder with

clear sleeves on the exterior. Students will not be permitted to use zippered

binders.)

• The following contents should remain in a student's binder

• Pencil Pouch

• Agenda

• Dividers for each subject

• Pertinent notes from classes

• Homework folder

• Binders should be kept clean and organized

• Students should take their binder home each night and return it to school each day

Student Expectation for Agenda Use

• Students should record pertinent class information

• Homework recorded within agenda

• Students will use agenda for hall passes

• Agenda includes information regarding: Student handbook, Student performance data, Student attendance, Buffalo Badges and Parent PowerSchool Information

How Parents Can Support Students

• Support student in keeping binder clean and organized

• Check homework folder, agenda and class notes each night for information regarding classwork

• Ensure binder is brought home and sent back to school each day

Congratulations to the following students for being selected as cast members for our school play, "10 Ways To Survive A Zombie Apocalypse." Come out to see their performances on October 10th and 11th.

Narrator #1: Izzabella Lindsey

Narrator #2: Breenalyn VanArtsdalen

Nana: Chloe Haines

Girl/Zombie: Liberty Myers

Zombie #1 Tanner Perry Zombie #6 Brody Adkins

Zombie #2 Alexis Roesch Zombie #7 Grace Stone

Zombie #3 Cheyenne Myers Zombie #8 Kelsee Jordan

Zombie #4 Sophia Riggs Zombie #9 Lucy Bigham

Zombie #5 Ellian Bowman Zombie #10 Meadow Gessley

Susan: Breia Lowry

Christy: Mylie Warren

Sam: Isabel Lawrence

Jimmy: Jeremy Crick

Susan: Kaylee Chafin

Christy: Paige Cook

Sam: Jaslyn Medina

Jimmy: Joseph Weakley

Susan: Teresa Rellihan

Christy: Rileigh Rogers

Sam: Katie Julianna

Jimmy: Quentin Williams

The Independence School District is committed to providing the best educational environment for all students. The ISD wants to be proactive in supporting all students academically and emotionally. We are offering depression awareness and suicide prevention training as part of the Signs of Suicide (SOS) Prevention Program for all middle and high school students. The SOS Program is a school-based curriculum and screening program that increases knowledge about suicide and depression and the training encourages students to seek help if they are concerned about themselves or a friend.

Our goals in participating in this program are:

• To help our students understand that depression is a treatable illness
• To explain that suicide is a preventable tragedy that often occurs as a result of untreated depression
• To provide students training in how to identify serious depression and potential suicide risk in themselves or a friend
• To impress upon youth that they can help themselves or a friend by taking the simple step of talking to a trusted adult about their concerns
• To teach students who they can turn to at school for help

Our teachers have been trained in the SOS Program and will lead a lesson on Thursday, September 12th. The lesson involves showing students video clips about how to talk with their peers and adults about their feelings. We will have extra counselors and school psychologists at school that day to help students who need to talk or who complete a survey that indicates the need for an adult to touch base. Our counselors will contact you if they speak with your child.

If you do NOT wish for your child to participate in the SOS Program in school, parents are required to complete an opt-out form. This form had previously been provided in direct email notification and is also available in the Bridger office. Forms need to be returned to school by Wednesday, September 11th. If we do not hear from you, your child will participate in this program. We value the importance of personal connections and relationships to support each and every student. Thank you for partnering with us to ensure all students feel safe, supported and ready to learn.

We are excited to kick-off our PTSA fundraiser on Monday, September 9th! All students will arrive home with an informational packet regarding our PTSA fundraising campaign!

With your help, we will raise $8,000 to support PTSA activities. To reach our goal, we are asking each family to participate in support of our Bridger PTSA. We are asking for students to support this fundraiser by selling at least 10 items to hit our goal! These funds benefit each and every student and this funding does not come from other sources. Your participation is critical. Thank you for your help & support!

How to Participate:

Sell or purchase 10 or more items.

Complete order form & collect money as you sell.

Register at www.ShopFund.com for online orders,

Send emails and share via social media.

Make Checks Payable To: Bridger Middle School

We are excited to have the opportunity to partner with Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and the University of Missouri-Kansas City's School of Dentistry to provide our Buffaloes with free dental screenings. Screenings will take place at Bridger on Friday, September 20th. This service is free of charge for each of our students, but parental consent must be provided. Students should arrive home with the consent form. For your convenience, an electronic version of the form is also provided below. Consent forms are requested to be returned by Wednesday, September 18th.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7t-E6K9jgl9RUp2Q2dWVVVVOHF6X0xZUjgtMDJ2N2htM1A4/view?usp=sharing

Power School parent login information has been sent home with students. You can login to establish an account that will allow you to view your student's grades, assignments, attendance, and more! Please reference your student's agenda for additional information regarding Power School!

During the first three weeks of our school year, our staff has supported students in navigating their schedules, opening their lockers, and orienting to the building. Beginning the week of September 9th, staff will start recording students' tardies to class. These efforts support instruction within each of the classrooms and limit the number of disruptions occurring within each class period.

Although information will be shared directly with our students, we wanted to inform parents of these procedures so that you may also encourage your child's timely arrival to class.

Every third tardy a student accumulates during an academic quarter will result in the student contacting his/her parent. In addition to parent notification, a student may lose the opportunity to participate in a school incentive and/or may receive a disciplinary response for failing to correct this behavior. As always, our staff works to support our students through all aspects of their day including their prompt arrival to classes.

Each school year, Bridger offers intramural clubs for students to participate in free of charge! Clubs take place following the completion of the school day and are held until 3:30pm. All students are welcome to participate in clubs, but parents are responsible for providing student transportation. Students must be picked up at the front entrance of the school promptly at 3:30pm. Students also need to have a completed Consent and Release Of Liability For Student Club Participation form for each club prior to participation.

The first two clubs of the year are Running and Soccer Clubs! Additional information can be located below.

Running Club:

Running Club will meet on Mondays from 2:30-3:30pm in the gymnasium. Running Club will conclude on October 7th.

Soccer Club:

Soccer Club will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30-3:30pm in the gymnasium. Soccer Club will conclude on October 10th.

Consent and Release of Liability For Student Club Participation Form

*Please note clubs are voluntary and students are not expected to attend every day a club is held. Also, follow our Club Sponsor to keep updated on information and pictures on Twitter @irons-dylan.

We have new spirit wear currently on sale! Each t-shirt is super soft, already printed, and is available for purchase. T-shirts are $15 each! and can be purchased through the main office. Cash only purchases please. Pick one up before they are gone! Images included below!

In an effort to support our families, please review the important Car Rider information below.

• If your student is a car rider, please have your student remain in your vehicle until the doors have opened at 7am. Students should not be dropped off prior to 7am.

• Car Riders should use our car rider line for drop-off. Please review the attached map and follow the green arrows. Please use the area marked in Blue as your drop-off and pick-up locations.

• For the safety of our students, we ask that parents do not park and drop off students from parking spots. We want to avoid potential safety concerns of students passing across moving cars.

• Please do not enter areas marked with the, “Do Not Enter,” symbol. These areas are reserved for our ISD buses.

• Car riders must be picked up by 2:30pm on a daily basis.

• Make sure your student arrives to school with his/her schedule. All students should arrive to Bridger by 7:15am.

PTSA at Bridger is here to support the staff, share information with parents, and have fun activities for our students.

Support The Bridger PTSA Through Your Membership

Support your Bridger PTSA! Memberships are $7 per individual and $15 for a business membership. Membership forms can be located at:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BFh7M6d0l0Auhh9jsmfSWSc-R6NGhJ9V/view?usp=sharing

• School hours for Bridger Middle School are 7:15 AM – 2:25 PM.
  
• Students may not be dropped off before 7 AM (doors do not open until 7 AM).
  
• Office hours are from 7:00 AM – 3:15 PM
  
• Latitude (after school program) runs from 2:25 PM – 6:00 PM.
  
• Car riders MUST be picked up in the front of the building by 2:30 PM.
  

Sept. 6: Fall Pictures

Sept. 9: PTSA Fundraiser Kick-Off

Sept. 9-13: ISD Foundation Week

Sept. 12: Signs of Suicide Training

Sept. 20: Dental Screenings

Sept. 23: PTSA Fundraiser Ends

Sept. 27: No School-ISD Professional Development Day

Oct. 4: Major Saver Kick-Off

Oct. 5: ISD Homecoming Parade on the Independence Square

Oct. 8: Picture Re-Takes

Oct. 10-11: Bridger School Play

Oct. 11: End of 1st Quarter

Oct. 14-15: Parent-Teacher Conferences

Oct. 18: No School

Nov. 5: No School-ISD Professional Development Day

Please use the link provided below to access the 2019-2020 ISD School Calendar.

https://www.isdschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Student-Calendar-19-20.pdf

Home of the Bridger Buffaloes

Website: http://sites.isdschools.org/bridger
Location: 18200 Missouri 78, Independence, MO, United States
Phone: (816) 521.5375
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bridger-Middle-School-1462961360694860/
Twitter: @BridgerMiddle6