~ with Ms. Jones, School Counselor & Mrs. Misek, School Social Worker

Welcome to our monthly family connection where you will find information from the counselor, updates on our schoolwide programs, and community resources that are available.

💬Counselor's Corner

Welcome back! We have had a great start to the school year! I have really been enjoying getting to know all our new students and reconnecting with returning students! For those who might not know, I go into each classroom every week to work on social, emotional, and academic skills. Please take the time to ask your child about what they are learning with the counselor! Here's a hint 😉

💡What We’re Learning

· K: Listening

· 1: Listening

· 2: Cooperation

· 3: Cooperation

· 4: Cooperation

· 5: Cooperation

🏠Try It at Home: Family Challenge

~Listening: Ask your child, “What does a good listener look like?” Then put down your phones,

ignore distractions and practice together! Ask them to show you Whole Body Listening!

~Cooperation: Ask your child, “What is one way you can be a good teammate at

school this week?

🌱Counselor Tip for Families:

Instead of immediately solving a problem for your child, try asking, “What do you think

you could try?” This helps children develop problem-solving skills and independence.

As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me at any time! By phone- 323-4160 or by email- brenda_jones@bismarckschools.org

😊 Ms. Jones

Schoolwide Update:

We are trying something new this year called the Buddy Program. This program matches two of our grade levels as “Buddy Classrooms” and then breaks those grade levels into smaller buddy groups of 2-3 students. The grade level buddies are Kindergarten with 3rd grade, 1st grade with 4th grade, and 2nd grade with 5th grade. Each of these grade level groups has been assigned to one trimester of planning activities for the meetings and running the whole school trimester assembly.

We recently held “Buddy Day” where all our students were matched with a buddy or two from the other grade level. These buddy groups will remain the same throughout the year and will meet every other week to play games and work on projects together such as a “Buddy Book” that will be sent home at the end of the school year. We can’t wait to see our students develop trust and friendships with their buddies.

We will continue to provide opportunities for meaningful work for 3rd-5th graders in a variety of settings. This program is called “HAWKS Helpers”, and job applications were available the week of August 31st. They are to be completed and returned by September 8th. A short practice interview will then be held sometime during the week of September 14th, and jobs will begin the week of September 22nd.

Another opportunity for our 3rd-5th graders to apply for a HAWKS Helper job will be offered after Christmas break.

Resource of the Month:

If you haven’t yet and would like to see if you qualify, please fill out the Free and Reduced Meal Application here. These need to be completed annually but do have a 30-day grace period at the beginning of each school year.

The BPS meal payment platform is a system called LINQ Connect. This system provides parents with more control over school lunch accounts while offering many convenient new features. Activity and library fees will continue to be processed with My Payments Plus. All families with students who eat school lunches must create an account for LINQ Connect.

Registering is simple, just follow these steps:

REGISTER at linqconnect.com by clicking on the register button near the upper right-hand corner. Next, input your name, email address, and password. Choose your language and time zone and check the I agree to the Terms of Use box. Finally, click submit.
VERIFY YOUR ACCOUNT by opening your email and clicking on the verification link sent to you from LINQ Connect. After doing so, please click the Back to LINQ Connect button in the email.
SIGN IN. You should be automatically signed in, but if not please click the login button in the upper right-hand corner.

To add students:

After logging into LINQ Connect, click the plus sign in the upper right-hand corner.
An “Add” menu will appear. Here, you will choose type, which will be student for student accounts. Next, type in “Bismarck Public Schools” for the district area.
Now you will be able to input your child’s first name, last name, and birthdate in order to add a student. Please note that the name must match what is in PowerSchool.

Adding Auto Pay

On your account homepage, click the Add Money to Account button.
You now have options to transfer balances or add auto pay.
Click Add Auto Pay and fill out your payment account information. The frequency option allows you to choose when payments will occur.

Download the new LINQ Connect app or visit LINQConnect.com to manage all your payments in one convenient location. Within the LINQ Connect portal, you can set up one-time or recurring payments for your students’ meals, view previous transactions, set spending limits, transfer funds between students, set low-balance notifications, and more. It’s an easy way to manage meal payments without the hassle of sending cash.

Parent Info

All visitors must check in at the school office upon arrival. Parent(s) or guardian(s) may visit their child’s classes on school days, subject to the approval of school administration and guidelines in school district administrative rule.

We welcome school visitors while balancing the need to protect privacy rights of students and the need to be sensitive to the disruption to learning that can be caused by visitors frequently observing classrooms and placing demands on teacher time.

Handbook- Elementary Handbook

Cell Phone Usage- Cell Phone

Bus info/sign-up- Bus Registration

New Glow and Go Safety Vest Program

The BPS Foundation is proud to partner with Capital Real Estate Partners, Bravera Bank, and The Title Team for our new Glow & Go Safety Vest Program!

Through their generous support, 1,200 safety vests are being provided to BPS elementary students who walk or bike to and from school.

Students who are already identified as walkers or bikers will receive a vest through their school. Families that would like to receive a vest should contact their school secretary.

A huge thank you to Jeff White - Capital Real Estate Partners, BraveraBank, and The Title Team (Bismarck) for sponsoring this program and supporting our BPS students!

https://bpsfoundation.com/2026/08/28/glow-and-go/