BEAR MAIL

Hello Everyone,

Hope to see families at the Ice Cream Social tonight. It is such a great way to get reacquainted with friends and meet a few new ones. Our 5th graders are raising money for Science Camp. So come and have a scoop! 😃

Traffic has been a bit of a challenge lately. We have people driving in unsafe locations and attempting to go the wrong way on the road which makes it dangerous for kids crossing the street. Please take a moment and read the traffic guidelines below. I know everyone is in a hurry, but we want to keep all our BCE Bears safe.

The Water District will be putting in new lines along Laurel and then move to Harmon towards Oak St. This will be a long term project. They will not be working at drop off or pick up. Please be patient with eveyone so we all get the benefits of new water lines.

Have a great weekend,

Gerri Fippin
Principal, BCE

Our school will be implementing a new rewards system for our students to promote good attendance! It is designed to motivate kids to be present everyday, be on time and ready to learn.

Using "brag tags" from the School Life company, every student will receive a starter chain necklace and for every month they have perfect attendance, they will earn a new tag to add to their necklace. For the month of August, students will receive a perfect attendance tag, or if they were absent, they will receive a paw pride tag with our school colors. Kids who are absent can reset each month and hopefully become motivated to earn and collect the monthly tag, while ultimately improve their attendance.

If a student receives perfect attendance in any given month, they will also be automatically entered to win a small prize in a monthly raffle.

If a student has perfect attendance for the entire school year, they will receive a more significant reward at the last awards assembly of the year and be known as an Attendance Champion!

Necklaces will be distributed to students during the first week of September. Students will receive their new tags during the first week of each month, if eligible.

It is recommended that every student write their name with a Sharpie on the back of their first tag (since they will all be the same, depending on which type they receive). Students can keep their necklaces at home if preferred, to avoid getting lost, taken or broken.

There is also a brand new Perfect Attendance display board in the office. Students who are working towards perfect attendance for the entire school year will have their names on the board each month. Stop by in September to check it out! Every month will have a new and fun theme.

Please motivate your child to be present and earn a tag every month!

BEAR PAW STORE!

BCE Staff hands out Bear Paws to students when they practice the BCE Way - being kind, safe, responsible and respectful. They get to shop using their Bear Paws at the Bear Paw Store several times during the school year. Our first Bear Paw Store is on September 11th. If you'd like to help, you can take a look at our Amazon Wish List. Thank you for helping us celebrate and encourage students for doing their part to make BCE a safe and fun place to learn! A big thank you to our Parents Club for volunteering to run the Bear Paw Store - this event doesn't happen without you!

Electronic Devices Policy at BCE

Please help us keep the focus on learning in our classrooms by reminding students to keep phones and SmartWatches powered off and in their backpacks during the school day. It's challenging for them to manage and becomes a distraction for students and staff. Thanks for your help! Here's the link to the policy in our Family Handbook located on BCE's website.

JUNIOR COACHES

4th and 5th graders who are interested in being Junior Coaches (recess helpers) turned in applications this week. Next week they'll receive training from Mrs. Long and Mrs Anderson. The following week you'll see our 26-27 Junior Coaches (wearing yellow vests) helping out at Lunch Recess. They do a great job of organizing games, helping students solve problems, and helping BCE Bears make safe choices. Way to go, Junior Coaches!

Exciting things are happening in the Counseling Room (AKA Zen Den, Room 8) this year, and it was been great to give our BCE Bears more choices during recess times!

Mondays: 5th Morning Recess Zen Den, Cardboard Construction Club for Grades 4-5 (starting 8/31)

Tuesdays: 4th Grade Morning Recess Zen Den, Lunch Bunch for Grades 1-5

Thursdays: 4th Grade Morning Recess Zen Den, Multicultural Club for Grades 4-5 during lunch recess.

Fridays: 5th Morning Recess Zen Den and Crochet Club for Grades 3-5 during lunch recess

We’re looking for parent/family volunteers to help with the yearbook this year! Whether you have lots of time or can lend a hand here and there, we’d love to have you join us. Volunteers can help with photos, organizing, collecting memories, and creating a yearbook that captures the highlights of the school year.

Interested? Sign up here: https://bit.ly/BCEY2627

Thank you for helping us make this year’s yearbook special!

Drop Off and Pick Up

We have had several issues the past couple of weeks at both drop off and pick up. Please know that all of us out at the cross walk are only trying to keep our students and families safe. I wanted to remind everyone to please first be Kind and Patient. Here are a few reminders about pick up and drop off

• You can drop off on either side of Laurel Street.
• You can NOT drop off coming up on Lomond street.
• You can only leave your car in designated parking spots on Laurel street.
• Make sure you are not parking in front of our neighbors drive ways
• On Lomond Street, you need to park in the right direction. Buses are not able to get through when cars are away from the side and parked in the wrong direction.
• When walking down Lomond Street please use the sidewalk. We have had a few close calls with kids and parents walking in the center of the street.

Thank you everyone for helping ensure safety of all of our students. Below is the parking map again for reference.

We will continue to provide free breakfast and lunch to all students this year. We do ask that you complete the application on the district webpage. It is very important that ALL families complete this form, as it helps us with funding in several different areas.

If your child will be riding the bus this year and will need a bus pass, please make sure you purchase your bus pass online here. Once you log in to LinqConnect you will see "School Store" on the bottom right hand corn. Click that to buy your pass. Any questions contact the transportation department at 831-336-2223

Please also complete the following form for all students riding the bus.