Bulldog Bulletin

Great October Murphy Families!

At Murphy, we remind students of the great importance of the Murphy B’s of Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Safe, and Be Kind. As November 3rd approaches, we want to make sure our Murphy families have in mind the voting B’s of Be Informed, Be Engaged and Be a Voter!

On November 3, Bismarck voters will have the opportunity to vote on Bismarck Public Schools’ $116.5 million bond referendum, which includes facility improvements across the district and at Murphy.

For Murphy Elementary, approximately $3.3 million of proposed improvements would address our aging building systems, safety, and accessibility. Murphy opened in 1969, and the proposed work includes a secure office renovation, an elevator to improve accessibility, ventilation system replacement, boiler and energy-management upgrades, and hot-water pump replacement.

We encourage all Murphy families and community members to learn about the proposal, ask questions, and become informed voters before Election Day. Regardless of how you choose to vote, participating in the election is an important way to have your voice heard in decisions that affect our schools and community.

You can learn more about the bond proposal, including projects and tax impact at:

BPS 2026 Bond Information.

If you have any questions on the bond and the proposed projects for Murphy, please contact us at the Murphy school office at 323-4190.

Sincerely,

Mr. Fricke and Mrs. Ward

October in Our Classroom!

October is going to be a fun-filled month of learning, exploring, and celebrating the season! We will be learning through hands-on activities, stories, songs, crafts, and play while continuing to build important preschool skills.

Fire Safety

We will learn about fire safety and what to do in an emergency including:

• Learning about firefighters and their important job
• Practicing how to respond to a fire alarm
• Learning about “stop, drop, and roll”
• Talking about safe and unsafe choices
• Learning about emergency helpers and how they keep us safe

Apples

Apples will give us lots of opportunities to learn while having fun! We will explore:

• Colors: red, green, and yellow
• Shapes: circle
• Counting and number concepts
• Sorting and comparing apples
• Learning about the parts of an apple
• Tasting and exploring apples using our senses

Fall

As the weather changes, we will explore all things Fall! We will talk about:

• Leaves and how they change
• Fall colors such as: red, orange, yellow, and brown
• Weather and seasonal changes
• Pumpkins, apples, and other signs of Fall
• Sorting, counting, matching, and identifying colors and shapes

We will have some spooky-but-fun learning as we explore Halloween! We will work on:

• Halloween vocabulary
• Colors such as: orange, black, purple, and green
• Shapes and patterns
• Counting and sorting
• Songs, stories, crafts, and sensory activities

UFLI: We will be finishing learning all of the letters in the alphabet and then will begin our UFLI curriculum. This curriculum provides systematic, explicit phonics instruction, including lessons in phonemic awareness, letter-sound relationships, decoding and encoding, word reading, spelling, and fluency. We are excited to begin building these important foundational reading skills!

Handwriting: We have been working very hard on learning all of the handwriting strokes we use to write letters and numbers, such as big line, little line, big curve, and little curve. We are now learning how to use these strokes to write uppercase and lowercase letters and numbers.

Wit & Wisdom: In our language arts curriculum, we are continuing to work on Module 1: The Five Senses. We will be reading fiction and nonfiction texts to build our knowledge about how our senses help us learn about the world around us. We will also be analyzing the paintings Le Gourmet by Pablo Picasso and Flower Day by Diego Rivera. Here is a list of books you could read with your child at home: Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats, Geraldine, the Music Mouse by Leo Lionni, and Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.

Math: We are finishing Unit 2: Counting and Measurement. The skills being taught include counting forward, number identification, number writing, recognizing arrangements such as ten frames, counting how many, comparing numbers, and collecting data. We have played games such as Build It and Roll and Record to practice these skills in fun and engaging ways. We will also begin Unit 3: 2D Geometry. In this unit, students will learn to name and identify two-dimensional shapes and explore their attributes.

SEL: Second Step is a program that teaches students important social-emotional skills such as skills for learning, empathy, emotion management, and problem solving. We started these lessons in September and will continue to learn about and review these skills throughout October. In Lesson 1, Learning to Listen, students learn our listening rules: Eyes Watching, Ears Listening, Voice Quiet, and Body Still. In Lesson 2, Focusing Attention, children learn strategies to ignore distractions while focusing on learning. In Lesson 3, Following Directions, children use their listening and attention skills to practice following directions. In Lesson 4, Self-Talk, students learn how self-talk can help them stay on task, listen, and follow directions. In Lesson 5, Being Assertive, students learn how being assertive can help them appropriately ask for help when they need it.

UFLI Phonics: This month, we will be focusing on digraphs (ck, ch, th, sh, wh, ph, ng, nk), Please encourage your child to practice identifying and using these sounds in their reading and writing.

Wit and Wisdom: We will continue our study in Literature and Information texts. Students will be learning to ask and answer questions about key details and identify story elements. Additionally, we will cover grammar concepts that include inflected endings of -ing, declarative sentences, adjectives, multiple meaning words, and a deep focus on vocabulary. Students will continue their skills in writing narratives.

Handwriting: There is a ND state standard that states students must be able to write uppercase and lowercase letters accurately and automatically. Therefore, we will continue our explicit instruction and guided practice in letter formation and automaticity.

Math: In math, our focus will be on geometry (the study of 2-D shapes and 3-D shapes). With additional practice in addition and subtraction facts and strategies to solving story problems.

Science: Students will begin a unit on Night and Day patterns.

SEL: In our social emotional curriculum (Second Step), students will be learning to be assertive, use self talk for learning, and identifying feelings.

October 30: Halloween Party (letter will be coming home soon)

Here are a few update on what we are learning during the month of October in 2nd grade! In math, we will be focusing on fractions and shapes. The majority of our phonic instruction will focus on long vowel teams. We will continue with our essential question "How does change impact people and nature?" in reading. We have 3 more books we will be studying before we complete our first module. In social studies, we will focus on civics, and we will talk about water in science. We are also looking forward to a small Halloween celebration at the end of the month!

We will be wrapping up our work with multiplication and division word problems but continuing our practice with fact fluency. We encourage families to have their third grader practice their multiplication and division facts at home each night. We will also be moving on to our data and graphing unit in math. We started our socials studies maps project where we team up with Mrs. Olson. In reading, we are continuing with our sea module as well as completing a Halloween themed narrative writing. We have wrapped up our weather unit in science.

Happy Fall Y'all!! Fourth Grade is working hard to follow our school-wide expectations and hold ourselves accountable. In 95 Phonics, we will continue working on the single-syllable words and the different types of syllables. In Math, we will wrap up our graphing unit and begin our unit on multiplication and division. We will work on 1-by-2-digit and 1-by-3-digit multiplication, and 1-by-2-digit division. Wit and Wisdom brings us into our poetry unit while still learning about having a great heart, literally and figuratively. We will be diving into science and learning about the different systems in our bodies and plant and animal adaptations. We will be having the puberty talk in mid-October; please look for more information on that. Parent-teacher conferences are quickly approaching - we look forward to meeting with you all and sharing your students.

In Reading/Writing we will continue module 1-Cultures in Conflict. They will continue to work on listening comprehension, summarizing, making inferences, theme, text structure, and paragraph writing. They will keep working to improve their explanatory/summary writing skills.

In Math, our 5th Graders have just finished up our study of factors and multiples. They rocked it! Our next concept will be volume. Students will learn how to draw 3-Dimensional objects, along with finding the amount of volume these objects contain.

In Social Studies, students are continuing their exploration on the beginning of America. In Science we will be starting our unit on Earthly Changes and the seasons. In 95% Phonics we are continuing our learning on the six syllable types throughout our daily work!

Our October Book Fair will be open during the evenings of Parent-Teacher Conferences on October 19th and 20th! We hope you’ll stop by to explore the books with your child and find something new to enjoy together. Watch for a flyer coming home with more details and a preview of the book selection.

October is also National Book Month, and we have plenty of reading fun planned. Students will enjoy books about fall, Halloween, and all things autumn. We’ll also celebrate with Library Game Days, when students can spend time in the library enjoying LEGOs, puzzles, building blocks, and activity sheets.

In Library Media Skills, students are learning how to find books that interest them. In grades K–2, we’re exploring library tools such as spine labels and learning how the library is organized. In grades 3–5, students are practicing how to search the online library catalog, explore eBooks, and place holds on books from other school libraries.

Music Program Dates! Add them to your calendar!!!!

Monday, April 5th

2nd Grade- 5:30 pm

4th Grade-7:00 pm

Monday, April 12th

3rd Grade- 5:30 pm

5th Grade- 7:00 pm

Tuesday, April 13th

1st Grade- 5:45 pm

Monday, May 3rd

Kindergarten

5:30-Bettger

6:00-Wagner

6:45-Fitterer

What are we doing in music?

*Kindergarten

This month we are continuing our learning of our singing voices and how to follow the directions of different lines to know how to make our voices go up and down. We are also continuing our development of keeping a steady beat. We are continuing our learning about musical opposites. We have learned about Fast and Slow, but will be working on Loud and Quiet this month.

*1st Grade, 2nd Grade, and 3rd Grade

This month we are continuing our development of beat and rhythm and how they happen at the same time. We are going to be learning about a new rhythm in each grade level this month as well!

*4th Grade

We have been working hard on learning the notes of the treble clef music staff! This month we get to start our new adventure of learning the recorder! We are very excited to start learning how to be an instrumental musician and to learn what it means and feels like to work as an instrumental ensemble. But don't worry, the recorder will NOT be coming home! We keep them at school so they learn all the good habits of taking care of instruments.

*5th Grade

This month we are going to be starting a new instrument adventure, ukuleles! The 5th graders have seemed very interested in learning the ukulele, so we are going to start giving it a try this month.

October will bring Soccer and Football skills into our lessons. Halloween is also a fun time and we will see some fun thematic games at the end of the month.

In October, we will be learning about bullying, including how to identify different types of bullying and how to tell the difference between bullying and everyday peer conflict. Students will also learn appropriate and effective strategies for responding to bullying and supporting others. During Red Ribbon Week, we will focus on making safe, healthy, and responsible choices. Students will learn about positive and negative peer pressure and practice strategies for responding to negative peer pressure in healthy and confident ways.

Beginning on Monday, October 5th, our 5th grade students will have the opportunity to purchase a la carte items during their lunch period! This program gives 5th grade students a small-scale preview of the secondary school system while offering families a chance to discuss responsible spending habits. Students may purchase a la carte items only if sufficient funds are available in their meal account. All items meet USDA Smart Snack nutritional guidelines.

As a parent or guardian, you can:

• Set daily spending limits
• Opt your child out of a la carte purchases

Both options are available through Linq Connect. If you choose to opt out, please speak with your child so they understand this decision. Till operators are not responsible for removing items from students at the register.

🍎 A La Carte Menu & Prices

Item Price

String/Cube Cheese $0.50

Yogurt $0.75

Apple Crisps $0.50

Scooby Snacks $0.75

Goldfish Crackers $0.75

Blueberry Muffin $1.50

We hope this opportunity supports both 5th grade students and families as they begin preparing for the transition to middle school.

Our Bulldogs are “shopping” away! As students earn Bark Outs and Pawsitive Paws for showing the Murphy B’s at a high level—Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Safe, and Be Kind—they get to make choices and shop for fun rewards in our school store!

The excitement and enthusiasm from our Bulldogs when they earn a Bark Out or Pawsitive Paw is contagious! We love positively acknowledging our learners as they make great choices and demonstrate the Murphy B’s throughout their school day.

Joe Vetter Construction donated funds to help our store stay stocked for a few more months. We are incredibly grateful for the support of our school staff, PTO, Bulldog families, Student Council, Bulldog Boosters, and local businesses. With almost 340 "shoppers" every 2-3 weeks, the generosity of others keeps our store going strong!

Thank you for believing in our Bulldogs, supporting our school, and helping us celebrate the positive choices our students make every day!

Our Bulldogs are “shopping” away! As students earn Bark Outs and Pawsitive Paws for showing the Murphy B’s at a high level—Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Safe, and Be Kind—they get to make choices and shop for fun rewards in our school store!

The excitement and enthusiasm from our Bulldogs when they earn a Bark Out or Pawsitive Paw is contagious! We love positively acknowledging our learners as they make great choices and demonstrate the Murphy B’s throughout their school day.

Joe Vetter Construction donated funds to help our store stay stocked for a few more months. We are incredibly grateful for the support of our school staff, PTO, Bulldog families, Student Council, Bulldog Boosters, and local businesses. With almost 340 "shoppers" every 2-3 weeks, the generosity of others keeps our store going strong!

Thank you for believing in our Bulldogs, supporting our school, and helping us celebrate the positive choices our students make every day!

At Murphy School, student safety is our top priority! Each day, we emphasize the importance of being SAFE with our students, and we ask that parents and guardians also prioritize safety during drop-off and pick-up times. These periods are particularly busy, and your adherence to our procedures is crucial for keeping all students safe. Please review the following guidelines with your child(ren):

• Park in Designated Areas: Always park your vehicle when dropping off or picking up your child. Do not stop in the middle of the street.

• Use Crosswalks: Ensure your child uses the crosswalks when crossing the street. Children should not cross in the middle of the street unless accompanied by an adult.

• Avoid Bus Zones: Do not park in the bus drop-off or pick-up areas. Buses use East Avenue A on the south side of the building and in front of the school. These areas are marked with yellow curbs and bus-only parking signs.

• Stay Clear of Buses: Do not walk or cross the street between school buses during pick-up times.

• No Parent Parking in Front of School: Parent parking is not allowed in front of the building before or after school during drop-off and pick-up times. This area is reserved for service vehicles only.

• Handicap Parking: Only vehicles with the appropriate permit may park in the Handicap Parking Only spaces in front of the school.

• No U-Turns: It is illegal to make a U-turn in front of Murphy School on North 31st Street or south of the school on East Avenue. Violators will receive a city parking ticket.

Thank you for your cooperation in following these procedures and for helping us keep all BULLDOGS SAFE!

Sincerely,
Murphy School Staff

Rita Murphy wrote a grant for an "Artist in Residency" this summer and are excited to announce we have received this opportunity for our Bulldogs. Nicole Gagner, a local artist, will begin art instruction the week of Oct. 12th. Each classroom in grades K-5 will enjoy this experience. Second grade will be the core group with each 2nd grade classroom receiving 5 art lessons. Bulldog art will be showcased on Tuesday, Nov. 17th in combination of our Title 1 Informational Meeting/PTO Meeting. Food and childcare will be provided, as well. Look for more information to come your way soon!

Dear Families,

We want to take a moment to recognize every student who tried out and interviewed for Student Council. We are incredibly proud of each and every one of you! Putting yourself out there, speaking in front of your peers, and participating in an interview takes courage. Mrs. Super and Mrs. Hanzal were truly impressed by the enthusiasm, effort, and character shown by every candidate. You made this year’s decision especially difficult!

We are excited to welcome our new Student Council members and look forward to a fantastic year together. We know they will bring great ideas, leadership, kindness, and school spirit to our school community. And to every student who tried out: Be proud of yourselves! You took a chance, gave your best, and represented our school with courage. Whether you were selected this year or not, your willingness to participate and step outside your comfort zone is something to celebrate. We are proud of you!

Thank you to all of our families for encouraging and supporting your students as they take on new challenges and opportunities to grow as leaders.

Bulldog Boosters are BACK… and we’re ready to LEVEL UP! We can’t believe it’s year 4 already! Our Bulldog Boosters are learning that leadership isn’t about having a title—it’s about having an impact. Students are learning to use their voices, take initiative, serve others, solve problems, and live out our Murphy B’s.

The goal is STUDENT LED! Our job as adults is to be the coaches on the sidelines—not the players on the field. We want our Bulldogs doing the thinking, planning, creating, serving, and leading!

The first group of Bulldog Boosters will begin their servant work this month by volunteering at Papa's Pumpkin Patch and The Dakota Zoo. Our 4th and 5th graders will be deciding on upcoming projects that support our community organizations and school, as well. We look forward to collaborating with our Student Council again for different projects, too.

Students in 4th and 5th grade have opportunities throughout the school year to join if meeting the club's expectations. Growing leaders that find joy in serving others is what we're all about!

The Bulldog Brew Crew is getting ready to serve Murphy staff again on October 2nd. This year, we are excited to introduce the addition of Bulldog Brew Peer Mentors!

Bulldog Brew is our student-operated coffee and snack cart. Each Friday morning, 3rd- 5th grade special education students prepare staff orders and deliver them throughout the building. Students practice a variety of real-world skills, including teamwork, communication, reading orders and recipes, counting money, social skills, problem-solving, and independence.

This year, we are inviting a small group of students to serve as Peer Mentors. Peer Mentors will work alongside our Bulldog Brew Crew and serve as positive role models, teammates, and leaders. Mentors may assist with preparing drinks and snacks, organizing orders, delivering items to staff, greeting teachers, collecting payment, and other aspects of the Bulldog Brew process. The goal is for mentors and Bulldog Brew Crew members to work together as a team while learning from one another. Mentors will not be expected to do the work for another student. Instead, they will encourage independence, model appropriate workplace and social skills, and provide support when needed.

We believe this will be a wonderful opportunity for students to develop leadership, responsibility, communication, teamwork, and relationship-building skills while contributing to our school community.

September 2026 PTO Board Meeting Minutes

Members Present: Julie Ward, Lori Arneson, Chelsie Scherr, Sarah Cook, Rachel Schaffner, Samantha Bold, Chelsey Tysver, Ivy Twigg, Courtney Munsch, Amy Hanzal, Taylor Abler, Danielle Abler, Devin and Alicia Huizenga, Jessica Fry, Jesse Towne, Jared Hagel, Delory Misech, Zach Hultsruud, Tanya Hideyos,

President’s Report: We exist to serve the needs of Rita Murphy School, Next whole meeting is Nov. 17th– Title I and PTO Chapter Meeting, Jan. 17, March 9 and April 27 are whole group meeting.

Treasurer’s Report: Checking-$27,729.43, money market: $12,379.53 for a total of $40, 108.96. Brandon shared a budget for the 2026-27 school year. We get a 3 year no interest loan for the playground through BPS. $28,000 would be our installment for this year. This budget does not include the grant. The budget includes expenses from the past and we did reduce some of those last year in order to save for the playground. If we cut back on expenses in the next few years, that is why we are doing this for the playground. Motion to approve Rachel Schaffner and seconded by Jared Hagel– the motion passed.

Secretary’s Report: Brandon - motion and Nevin seconded

Principals’ Report: We are off to a great start- in all of the bathrooms, there is a sign that says, "Something great is going to happen today. I wonder what it will be." Consistency in procedures, 338 students and 33 BECEP students, with a few more to come as evaluations are completed for them, conversations with being kind and persevering during testing– “I can do hard things” – self-affirming, The Barking Lot opened up last week,-- thank you for all of the support, businesses have supported it as well– acknowledging all of the positives that we are seeing in our bulldogs– 5th grade will be doing their speeches to interview for Student Council, Bulldog Boosters–gr. 4-5 and those are opening up soon

Old Business:

• Playground– Bid process will begin in October. Brandon will represent PTO with Mr. Fricke in the process of this, no more committee for this process. Construction of the new playground will be in summer 2027

• Fundraiser– everything at print now– sell, sell sell, packets of 10 tickets, $10 each ticket

• Event Committee – Ivy found sponsors for the teacher appreciation week, teacher meals during conferences

• 5th Grade Graduation Gifts– taken care of for this year already

• Student/Staff Tshirts – this year we have not proceeded with this because of the playground fundraiser, long term, we would like to bring this back

• Barking Lot: every month, PTO has funded items for the store, if you have gently used stuffies etc., they can be donated

New Business:

• Online store/swap shop https://www.shopfirstdibs.com/bulldogs added $4 to items to get more towards the fundraiser – last year we raised $250 from this – have the store open for 2 weeks and then have available by November. Taylor Abler made a motion to approve and Danielle Abler seconded the motion. The motion passed.

• Staff/Teacher Requests: No staff or teacher requests

• Committees

• Fundraising– posters created for outside the office (Let’s sell tickets) and 5 posters created for doors around the building (Help Us Build Our New Playground). Chelsie created a letter explaining the fundraiser and there is a sign-up sheet for parents to sign-up to help man the table. Sept. 22-Nov.6

• Events: Rachel reported that they will have Sign-up Genius for soup/salad meal during parent/teacher conferences and contact businesses for donations to help supply that night as well

• Bylaw 11 Section 1 – if whomever is in a board position, after 2 years a board member wants to run again, they are welcome to do so – we will look into the formality of changing the bylaws and what we need to do.

Upcoming Events: P/T Conference Meal – Mon. Oct. 19th

Holiday Drive Thru

P/T Conferences and Staff Appreciation in February 2027 and May 2027.

Other: Letter for possible sponsors for the playground– maybe put on the website

In November we will be collaborating with the Title I committee, a meal would be served

We received an artist in residency grant– that art will be showcased during the November PTO Meeting

Oct. 13 – Fundraiser Committee meeting at 5:30 p.m. at Rita Murphy

Nov. 17th– Title 1 and PTO Full Meeting at 5:30 p.m. in the Library

Nevin made a motion to adjourn and Taylor Abler seconded the motion and the motion passed.

BPS and Rita Murphy Community,

The Teacher Spotlight Award is back! Active Life Chiropractic has partnered with BPS and multiple local businesses to recognize educators across the Bismarck-Mandan area.

If you know a teacher who deserves to be recognized, you can nominate them here ! Parents, coworkers, and students are encouraged to submit nominations! Several teachers will receive surprise recognition visits this year that include very generous award packages averaging between $2,000 to $3,000 in goods that encourage self-care.

A huge thank you to Active Life and everyone who participates in this awesome program!

Email: Murphy Secretary

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