Bulldog Bulletin

Dear Murphy Families,

Welcome back to a brand-new school year! We are excited to welcome our Bulldogs and families as we begin another year of learning, laughter, and growing together. Our theme this year is Joy—finding joy in learning something new, being a kind friend, celebrating each child's unique gifts, and making every day a place where everyone feels loved, safe, and encouraged. We can't wait to partner with you to create a year filled with smiles, wonderful memories, and joyful moments that help every child shine.

Let's choose JOY!

Everyday. Every choice. Every Bulldog.

Sincerely,

Mr. Fricke and Mrs. Ward

The Barking Lot

What a wonderful and successful first year with The Barking Lot! We hope to keep the excitement and motivation going for this upcoming school year. To keep items stocked and add in new items monthly, your assistance is needed and greatly appreciated. Students and teachers completed a survey together as a way to receive feedback on what items were enjoyed the most and what our Bulldogs would like to see more of as options for "shopping" with their Bark Outs and Pawsitive Paws. An updated list is linked below based on the survey results and data collected throughout the school year based on student comments. Flavored water and snacks are very popular items, too, as students enjoy those for their after school treat. Your generousity is greatly appreciated!!

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for helping bring the smiles and cheers as our learners decide what to "purchase". Thank you for supporting the store and helping our Bulldogs feel motivated and excited to give their personal best more often! Thank you to our Bulldog families, our PTO, our Student Council, our Bulldog Boosters, Camp Edventure's Lemonade Stand proceeds, and our Murphy team and their families for purchasing/donating items this first year. NextHome Legendary Properities heard about our store and chose to purchase items and help paint for their annual "Luke Day". Along with NextHome volunteers, amazing Murphy team members helped our store look and "feel" more like a store this summer. The space has been painted, decorated with paw prints, and is ready to open for another new school year.

Luke Day 2026

Every year, NextHome offices across the country celebrate Luke Day by stepping away from real estate for a day of service in the communities we call home.

The Barking Lot Wish List (We are hoping to stock the store through Christmas!)

Kindergarten

• 1 Regular Sized Backpack

• 1 Corded (over the ear) Headphones

• 6 pack Elmer’s Glue Sticks

• 2 packs of 10 Broad Tip Classic Color Crayola Markers

• 2 boxes of 24 Crayola Crayons

• 1 Blunt Tip Scissors

• 2 Plastic Pocket Folders

• 1 PRIMARY Composition Notebook

• 2 boxes of Tissues

• 1 Disinfecting Wipes

• 1 Spill Proof Water Bottle

• 4 Fine Tip (skinny) Black Expo Markers

• 2 Black Fine Point Sharpies

• 1 Plastic Full Size Pencil box (with no lock, 8½ x 5½ x 2½)

1st Grade

• 1 Backpack

• 1 large box of facial tissue

• 2 boxes of crayons

• 1 Fiskar metal scissors

• 12 glue sticks

• 24 yellow #2 pencils SHARPENED

• 2 large pink erasers

• 12 black fine tip dry erase markers

• 2 boxes of Markers (8-10 count pack)

• 1 set of watercolor paints

• 1 red vinyl pocket folder

• 2 black sharpies – fine tip

• 1 pair of headphones (NO Bluetooth)

2nd Grade

• 1 backpack

• 1 pencil box or supply pouch

• 1 large boxes facial tissue

• 1 box of crayons

• 24 wooden #2 pencils -SHARPENED

• 2 large pink erasers

• 1 scissors

• 1 Elmer’s white liquid school glue

• 8 Elmer’s glue sticks

• 1 packs washable markers- broad line (10-12 count)

• 2 black Sharpie permanent marker- fine point

• 2 highlighters

• 1 pack of sticky notes

• 20 black dry erase markers-fine tip

• 1 red 3 subject notebooks-wide ruled

• 1 purple spiral bound notebook- wide ruled

• 1 blue spiral bound notebook- wide ruled

• 3 vinyl 2 pocket folders- (blue, red, purple)

• 1 pair of headphones (NO Bluetooth)

3rd Grade

• 24 wooden #2 pencils -SHARPENED

• 3 pocket folders (blue, red, purple)

• 2 spiral notebooks (blue and purple)

• 1 2-inch binder (red)

• 1 pack of wide ruled loose-leaf paper

• 4 highlighters (multiple colors)

• 2 black fine-point sharpies (NOT ultra-fine)

• 12 count-colored pencils

• 1 box 24 pack crayola crayons

• 1 box 10 pack crayola markers

• 1 pair of corded headphones

• 1 pointed scissors

• 4 glue sticks

• 2 rectangular boxes of tissues

• 2 packs of disinfecting wipes

• 4 pack of black fine point dry erase markers

• 1 multipack of sticky/post-it notes

• 1 22x28 white poster board (for project)

4th Grade

• 1 red 1-subject spiral notebooks

• 1 blue 1-subject spiral notebook

• 1 purple 1-subject spiral notebook

• 3 folders with pockets (1 blue, 1 red, 1 purple)

• 1 Pencil pouch

• 1 pencil boxes

• 1 backpack

• 2 box of tissues

• 3 pack pink erasers

• 4 glue sticks

• 1 multi-color pack of highlighters

• 2 fine tip sharpies

• 24 box of Crayola crayons

• 12 Crayola Markers

• 12 Crayola Colored pencils

• 24 Pencils #2 Sharpened

• 4 black Expo markers

• 7 inch pointed tip scissors

• 1 corded headphones

• 1 mutli-colored pack of sticky notes

• 1 pack of 4x6 index cards

5th Grade

• 1 1-inch binder

• 1 blue 3-subject spiral notebook

• 1 purple 3-subject spiral notebook

• 3 vinyl pocket folders (red, blue, and purple)

• 1 pencil pouch

• 2 glue sticks

• 1 scissor

• 2 fine-black sharpie

• 2 ultra-fine black sharpie

• 1 multi-pack of colored highlighters

• 1 corded headphones

• 1 pack of 24 Crayola crayons

• 1 pack of 10 Crayola markers

• 1 pack of 12 Crayola colored pencils

• 24 sharpened #2 pencils

• 2 large pink erasers

• 1 mutli-colored pack of sticky notes

• 3 fine-tip dry erase markers

• 2 boxes of Kleenex

• 1 container of disinfectant wipes

Please review the Murphy Parent Handbook with your Bulldog. Thank you for your collaboration with supporting our school-wide expectations and procedures!

Returning families or new to Murphy families that have a need for Free and Reduced school meals can go online and complete the 2026-2027 application.

Applications need to be completed each year.

BPS website bismarckschools.org

School meals

Free and reduced

Complete a meal application

Accessing the Parent Portal

Visit the Infinite Campus Parent Portal:

https://bismarcknd.infinitecampus.org/campus/portal/parents/bismarck.jsp

You may also download the Campus Parent app from the Apple App Store or Google Play. When prompted, select:

• State: North Dakota
• District: Bismarck 1

Returning BPS PowerSchool Users

If you previously had a BPS PowerSchool parent account:

1. Enter the personal email address associated with your PowerSchool account.
2. Click forgot password to generate a password reset email
3. If you do not receive a password reset email, then proceed to steps below for new users.

New Users

If you are new to BPS:

1. Select New User on the Infinite Campus login page.
2. Enter the activation code provided to you.
1. Activation codes are being sent separately by email. All families should have received a code to their email address. Please check your spam or junk folder if you do not see the message in your inbox.

Need Assistance?

If you have difficulty accessing or creating your Infinite Campus account, please call 701-323-4000 for assistance.

Murphy Families,

I would like to bring your attention to an important district initiative currently underway at Bismarck Public Schools.

Over the past several months, the district has been engaged in a comprehensive Long-Range Facilities Planning process focused on identifying needs across all schools. This work looks at both deferred maintenance, which are the essential repairs and system replacements that naturally accumulate as buildings age, as well as programmatic needs that support how students learn and how schools’ function today.

This planning effort is designed to ensure BPS facilities remain safe, functional, and equipped to serve students well into the future. Community input is a critical part of the process. This past fall, BPS held several community forums to discuss the needs at our different sites and gather community feedback.

Rita Murphy Elementary: Building History and Identified Needs

Rita Murphy Elementary School opened in September of 1969. Since that time, the district has built three additions to the school. In 2007, the last of the three construction projects was concluded, which added eight regular classrooms, several specialist areas, a library/media center, a music room, and a cafeteria/multipurpose room. Like many buildings of its time, Murphy continues to serve students well; however, after five decades of use, several systems and spaces are reaching the end of their expected lifespan.

As part of the facilities planning process, the district has identified several deferred maintenance needs for Murphy. One example of a deferred maintenance need at Murphy includes upgrading portions of the building’s ventilation system, which dates back to 1968 and is nearing the end of its useful life. While the system continues to operate, it is increasingly challenging to maintain and no longer reflects current standards for efficiency and performance. Updating this system along with an energy management system upgrade is essential to ensure consistent air quality, energy efficiency, and dependable building operations. Other examples of Murphy deferred maintenance building needs would include a boiler replacement, hot water pump replacement, and an elevator update.

Together, our school’s entire total deferred maintenance building needs are currently estimated at $2,400,640.

Learn More About Facility Needs Across the District

The district has developed school-by-school summaries, along with the full Long-Range Facilities Plan, to provide transparency and context around this work. Families are encouraged to explore these materials to better understand both Murphy’s needs and the broader picture across BPS: www.bismarckschools.org/facilities

Thank you for taking the time to stay informed and engaged in the future of our schools!

Matt Fricke, Principal

Aug. 4th: Board meeting

Sept. 8th: 5:30pm and ALL are welcome (more information coming soon)

Email: Murphy Secretary

Website: https://www.bismarckschools.org/murphy
Location: 611 N 31st Street, Bismarck, ND 58501
Facebook: Murphy PTO Facebook