Bulldog Bulletin

Dear Murphy Families,

Welcome Back, Bulldogs! We missed you! (video linked) With a new school year comes daily opportunities to find joy in our choices and the people we surround ourselves with. We are excited to have our Bulldogs back in the building and strengthen our skills to become independent, organized, solution-focused, and kind learners. This is a great time to establish routines at home that prepare our students for successful school days. We continue to practice school-wide and classroom procedures and routines because we know that children are most successful when there is predictability and consistency in their day. Some examples of routines at home that help start the school year in a positive way are listed below.

• Unpacking backpacks and Take Home Folders each day
• Packing backpacks before going to bed and setting by the door
• Reading and practicing math facts as a daily practice of skills
• Establishing a regular bed time
• Arriving at school on time
• Encouraging organizational skills at home

Thank you for helping your Bulldog find joy on their learning journey!

Sincerely,

Mr. Fricke and Mrs. Ward

Welcome to Early Childhood Special Education!

Dear Parents and Families,

Welcome to a new school year! We are so excited to get to know your child and your family. The beginning of the school year is an important time for our students as they learn new routines, become familiar with their classroom, and build relationships with teachers and classmates.

The first four weeks of school will focus heavily on helping students feel safe, comfortable, and successful at school. We will take our time introducing routines and expectations while recognizing that every child adjusts at their own pace.

What to Expect During the First Four Weeks

During the first month, we will be working on:

• Learning classroom routines and schedules.
• Practicing how to enter the classroom and get ready for the day.
• Learning where personal belongings belong.
• Practicing following simple directions and classroom expectations.
• Learning how to transition from one activity to another.
• Practicing communication skills, including asking for help, making choices, and expressing needs.
• Building relationships with teachers, staff, and classmates.
• Learning how to participate in group activities.
• Practicing appropriate ways to play and interact with peers.
• Increasing independence with classroom activities and daily routines.
• Becoming comfortable with school spaces and new experiences.

Please know that progress may look different for every child. Some students may adjust quickly, while others may need additional time, repetition, visual supports, movement breaks, or extra reassurance. Our goal is to create a predictable and supportive environment where every child can learn and grow. As part of our school routine, students will also begin attending Physical Education (PE) and Library. These activities provide opportunities for students to practice:

• Walking safely with the class.
• Transitioning to different areas of the school.
• Following directions from different adults.
• Participating in new activities.
• Practicing social skills with peers.
• Becoming familiar with school-wide routines.

Communication between home and school is an important part of your child's success. Please join our Remind app so that we can communicate important classroom information, reminders, updates, and celebrations with you. Please make sure you are connected to our class on Remind and check messages regularly. Remind will be one of our primary ways of communicating with families. If you have questions, concerns, or information that may help us better support your child, please reach out. You know your child best, and we value your partnership!

A Few Helpful Reminders

Please help your child have a successful start to the school year by:

• Sending your child to school with any needed personal items.
• Labeling personal belongings when possible.
• Sharing important changes or information that may affect your child's day.
• Encouraging your child to practice simple routines and independence at home.
• Checking Remind regularly for classroom communication.
• Being patient as your child learns new expectations and routines.

Warmly, Miss Marla and Miss Kristi

Early Childhood Special Education Specialists

Rita Murphy Elementary

We are learning school procedures and expectations. We will be learning the letter names and sounds, and practicing correct letter formation. We are starting Heggerty, a program that focuses on phonemic awareness. The following concepts will be introduced and explicitly taught.

• Listening for rhymes in words
• Isolating first and last sounds in a word
• Blending sounds to make a word
• Separating words into sounds

In math, we are building routines and exploring with math manipulatives. We will heavily focus on counting to 20.

UFLI Phonics: This month, we will be focusing on short vowels. Please encourage your child to practice identifying and using these sounds in their reading and writing.

Wit and Wisdom: Our study will delve into 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 including common and proper nouns, adjectives, and ending punctuation. Students will also be honing their skills in writing narratives.

Math: In math, we will be counting and writing numbers to 20, as well, as practicing basic math facts involving addition and subtraction.

SEL: In our social emotional curriculum (Second Step), students will be learning to listen and focusing attention.

We are excited to report that our students have been making great strides in understanding expectations and procedures.

Thank you for your ongoing support in helping create a positive learning environment for our students. We value the strong partnership we share with you and look forward to continuing our collaboration for the benefit of our children.

We are off to an exciting year of learning and fun! Below is a summary of some of the things we will be diving into this month.

Math: We are practicing fact fluency in addition & subtraction, and developing our number sense by working with place value through 100.

Wit & Wisdom Reading & Writing: Our first learning module is named “A Season of Change”. We will be reading a variety of texts, learning new vocabulary, and writing around the question: “How does change impact people and nature?”.

UFLI Phonics: We are decoding and encoding closed and open syllable words and those with endings -es, -ed, -ing, and reading to develop fluency.

Social Studies: We are learning about national holidays, such as Labor Day, and the reason it is celebrated.

Science: We are making observations of plants and animals to compare the diversity of different habitats in our Mystery Science unit: Animal Adventures.

Second Steps: Our social/emotional topics include: being respectful, focusing attention and listening, using self-talk, and being assertive.

Third grade is practicing our school-wide and classroom routines and expectations.

Math: Learning the meaning of multiplication and building our multiplication foundation.

Science: Exploring clouds, weather, and climate.

Reading: Beginning our first module that is about the sea while learning about topic sentences, central messages, and paragraph structure.

Field Trip: We will visit Life on the Farm in early September. The exact date is still being finalized. More information will be shared soon!

Fourth grade is off to a great start! We have been reviewing procedures and diving right into our reading and math curriculum.

In reading, we are beginning our first unit, "A Great Heart," where we will be discovering the difference between a figurative great heart and a literal great heart. This unit will be throughout September and conclude in October.

In math, we are starting our first unit which reviews multiplication and division through 10x10 and 100/10. The students are really remembering their multiplication facts and we will solidify their division facts too.

In social studies, fourth graders are gaining knowledge in the Indigenous tribes of North Dakota and will be experiencing a few cultural events. On September 4th, we have a fieldtrip to BHS to find out what a pow wow is and see some of the cultural dances of our North Dakota Indigenous tribes. On September 11th, we will have a fieldtrip to United Tribes Technical College to experience what a pow wow is and explore activities related to the Indigenous tribes of North Dakota.

We will be starting our 95 Word Study that reviews the different types of syllables and vowel teams.

In Second Step, we will be reviewing respect, active listening and responsibility as well as reviewing sportsmanship and ways to show empathy for others. We are off on our 4th grade learning adventure!

In September, we are still working on learning expectations and getting used to our class rotations.

In Reading/Writing, we will dig deeper into module 1 -Cultures in Conflict. Students will work on listening comprehension, summarizing, making inferences, theme, text structure, paragraph writing, and lots of new vocabulary words. The writing in this module will be explanatory writing. We will continue to build our routine and get to know each other more while improving writing skills.

In Math, we will be focusing on “sharpening-up” our multiplication and division facts #1-12. Students will review factors and multiples, which is a 5th Grade Standard and is also needed for middle school. Math notebooks have been created and students are doing a great job keeping them organized!

In Social Studies, we have started our first unit, "Beginning of America". We will be spending some time on practicing some note-taking strategies such as "two-column" notes and identifying importance to help create efficiency during note taking to use throughout the year to help students identify a strong practice for note-taking. Along with starting our unit in social studies, we are also starting our 50 States and Capitals. Students will be practicing these states and capitals in school as well as at home! We have started the year strong and are looking forward to the great learning that will be continuing!

Welcome back to a new school year! We have had some big changes in the library over the summer. After Mrs. Sather’s retirement, we are excited to welcome a new—but familiar—face, Mrs. Klabunde, as our new library assistant! Mrs. Klabunde has been a building sub for the past three years and has regularly subbed at Rita Murphy since 2019. She and her husband have four children who all attended Murphy. She is excited to work with students in a new way and help support their interests and imaginations through reading.

During Library Checkout in September, students will learn and review library procedures. They will learn how the library is organized and how to take good care of the books they check out. In Library Media Skills(LMS), Mrs. Olson will go over the Responsible Use Policy with students. These are the rules and expectations that help us use our Chromebooks safely and responsibly for learning. Students will also learn more about some of the tools used in the library, including how spine labels help us organize and find books. We are excited for another great year of reading, learning, and exploring!

This month in music, grades 1-5 are all focusing on reviewing skills from last year and refreshing our music knowledge from having summer break. We will be starting some new skills, but the month of September is focused on review. Kindergarteners are focused on learning expectations and routines in the music room, along with exploring musical opposites, fast/slow, loud/quiet, start/stop. We will also be developing our singing voices, listening skills, and responding to music skills. **Music Program dates will be in the newsletter next month. We are just finalizing the dates.**

We have had a great start to the year in Physical Education! We have been working very hard at learning how to move safely, follow the Murphy B's, and play respectfully with our classmates in P.E.

All classes will continue to work on their special awareness and locomotor movements. K-2nd grade will also focus on underhand tossing and speed and direction changes. 3rd-5th grade will also focus on increasing their fitness and their overhead throwing.

Please help your child to remember to wear proper footwear on the days they have Physical Education class. This is essential to keep all students safe. Securely tied sneakers or shoes with good support keep feet from twisting or sliding inside the shoe when running or jumping. Loose shoes like crocs, sandals, or slip-ons can fly off during fast movements, causing the wearer or nearby classmates to trip. Athletic shoes give the stability needed to run fast, change directions quickly, or kick a ball with control.

In September, we will be focusing on building important skills, including active listening, staying focused and attentive, setting goals, and being a kind and supportive friend.

If your child qualifies for Title I reading services this fall, a parent notification letter will be sent home in his/her "Rita Murphy Elementary Take-Home Folder.” Qualifying students will have the opportunity to work directly with a dedicated Title I Reading Specialist to build strong foundational skills and boost reading confidence. Please keep an eye out for this document! We continually monitor student progress throughout the year to ensure everyone gets the right level of support.

Because of this ongoing assessment, additional students may qualify and be invited to join the Title I reading program later in the school year. Additionally, watch for upcoming announcements regarding the date and time of our annual Fall Title I Information Meeting. We look forward to partnering with you to make this a successful school year!

As a school, we believe in building positive relationships and consistency with school-wide and classroom procedures and expectations daily. When students understand what is expected, and have many opportunities to practice those procedures, a feeling of trust and safety develops. Procedures support structure and routine, and the emphasis that is placed on expectations, may provide critical life lessons to help students become adaptable to different types of environments and situations. Students deserve consistency, development of positive study habits, trusting relationships, and successful school days. All students should feel loved, valued, and appreciated. We want their hearts to believe, “I belong here!”

The Barking Lot opens Sept. 8th for our Bulldogs to begin "shopping" with their earned Bark Outs and Pawsitive Paws. Our school store has a fresh new look with many fun items to meet the needs of our students. Cornerstone Bank heard about the "why" behind our store and our amazing Bulldogs and wanted to participate, too. They donated many items off of the "wish list" the week before school started. The support from our school staff, PTO, Bulldog families, Student Council, Bulldog Boosters, and organizations have been amazing!

The excitement and enthusiasm from our Bulldogs when earning Bark Outs is contagious! We are positively acknowledging our learners as they choose to follow the Murphy B's throughout their school days. If you'd like to purchase items to help keep the store stay stocked, an Amazon Wish List is linked below. It changes as we learn more about what our students strive to earn and show interest in.

Thank you for all the support!

Amazon Wish List

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

Popcorn Days:

Just a friendly reminder that popcorn money is due Friday, September 18th. About once a month, students have the opportunity to enjoy popcorn delivered by our Student Council. To participate, students are asked to bring in $2 to help cover the cost of the popcorn.

Thank you for supporting our Murphy Student Council and helping make these fun experiences possible for our students!

Murphy Student Council News

We are excited for another great year of Murphy Student Council and all the fun activities they bring to our school!

5th Grade Student Council:
Fifth grade students who are interested in running for and potentially serving on the Murphy Student Council will receive information during the month of September. Interested students will bring home a permission slip with additional information. Please be on the lookout for this information to come home mid-September. We look forward to seeing our 5th graders get involved and have the opportunity to represent their classmates and our Murphy community!

Please RSVP by Friday, Sept. 11th if your family plans on attending. Thank you!

We look forward to seeing our Bulldog families!

Email: Murphy Secretary

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