Panther Pride Bulletin
Battle Creek Middle School
Our Mission, Vision, Beliefs
At Battle Creek Middle School, all members of the learning community (students, parents, families, colleagues, and partners) are valued and respected. All members learn through culturally responsive teaching and learning. All members meet and embrace high academic and social expectations and beliefs that learning is collaborative and life-long. All members interrupt instances of inequalities and injustice.
Battle Creek Quick Updates
Greetings Battle Creek Families,
Seems like school had just started, but we are already half way through Quarter 1. Our Fall parent/teacher conference is on Wednesday, October 9, 2024 from 4:00-7:00 pm. Do you know why our conferences are on Wednesdays? It is because we have a high need for interpreters at Battle Creek and the other days of the week conflicts with other SPPS school conferences. By having our conferences on Wednesdays, it is not as busy and we can have plenty of interpreters for our families. This time have many interpreters available, including Hmong, Karen, Karenni, Spanish and Swahili. If you need an interpreter, let us know when you come in so we can pair you with an interpreter right away.
We know your time is valuable and we want you to have a meaningful conversation with all your student’s teachers. When you arrive for the conference, check in at the front entrance for information and a map of the school. If you need your child’s class schedule, you may pick it up from the counselor’s table. There will be a yellow appointment sheet on each of the teacher's door. Sign up for your 10 minute appointment. Teachers will see families according to the appointment sheet. You can sign up with all the teachers you wish to see. This avoids physically waiting in line to see each teacher. While you wait, visit the resource tables in the commons area or the food trucks outside for a quick bite. Bring cash or card and go support those vendors. We have D’s Kitchen, Just in Time Concessions, Sweet Fruci’s, and Xai the Corn Guy.
Picture day is also on Wednesday during the day. You can send cash or check with your child, or order online with the QR code posted below. If you order online, you do not need to send anything else with your child to school.
Flipside starts on Monday, October 7. If you still want to sign your student up for an after-school enrichment class, check Mr. Jake’s link below. It is free for all SPPS students. Busing is available for students who normally ride the bus to and from school.
Fall sports are well underway, but if you're interested in signing up for Winter Sport, it opens up soon. Use the Sports QR code below to sign up. Winter session 1 is Wrestling and Girls Basketball. Winter session 2 is Boys Basketball. If you have questions, send an email to Ms. Darr at hannah.darr@spps.org.
Follow us on social media for the most current information.
Century College TRIO Educational Talent Search (ETS)–Free College Access Program
Hello parents and students!
We are TRIO ETS, a free program designed to support potential first-generation college students and students with low-income. However, we may except others outside those requirements on a needs basis.
You may be thinking, college in middle school? And I get it. It is early, but not too early to properly develop good school habits, get them some exposure to college campuses, and figure out their interests. During their middle school years, we’ll give them opportunities to visit college campuses, take part in educational workshops, free access to tutor.com, and provide one-on-one advising. And we have snacks. Can’t forget about the snacks. When the student moves onto high school, we stay connected with them there as well, all the way up to graduation and getting into a college.
If any of this sounds beneficial to you or someone you know, we are actively accepting applications right now for all grades (6th-8th). Apply online below and we will reach out to your school email about your application! Otherwise, feel free to drop by in the library on Tuesdays and Fridays during the school day. I also encourage to apply with friends because friends make things better!
Click Here to Apply: TRIO ETS Online Application
Besides that, here are the following field trips and workshops we have planned for the Fall.
- Field Trips
- o College Campus Visit to UW-Stout and UW-River Falls
- o More to be determined!
- Workshops (Date and Time TBD; during the school day)
- o 6th Grade: Welcome to TRIO | Study Habits
- o 7th Grade: Exploring Assessments | Skills
- o 8th Grade: Career Communication | Transition to High School
Flipside registration is now open!
Flipside is a free afterschool program at BCMS featuring a variety of clubs and activities for students. Activities this year include Cooking Club, Anime, Study Skills, Street Art, D&D and many more! Busing and snacks are also included! The program runs from 3-5 PM, Monday through Thursday, starting October 7th. Don’t miss out—sign up here: https://forms.gle/MDmCJZqZeBdN8HdB6
Flipside & University of Minnesota are partnering to improve student mental health and wellbeing afterschool!
In addition to the usual Flipside activities and classes, this Fall Semester at Battle Creek Middle School, Flipside will include:
- Mood-boosting exercise with all students
- College student mentors in each Flipside class to assist and help out
- A new “DiscoverU at Flipside” class option to help students find activities they like and boost their mood
- Encouragement from college students on Schoology to remind students to attend programming and check-in about their week
- Newsletter to parents to share what is happening in Flipside
To find out if this new version of Flipside is improving student mental health and wellbeing, we are giving students the opportunity to participate in a research study. Students do not have to participate in the research study to participate in Flipside.
The research will occur from October 2024 to May 2025. All study activities will happen during Flipside. Students who participate will get a Target gift card immediately after they complete each of these study activities:
- Surveys before and after each semester of Flipside (3 total surveys, $10 per survey)
- Wear an activity tracker watch during four days of program ($5 each time)
- A focus group at the end of each semester to give feedback ($15 per focus group)
Completing all study activities over the year would be $80 in Target Gift Cards.
Parents must provide their permission for students to participate in the study.
Here is the link to the permission form: https://redcap.ahc.umn.edu/redcap/surveys/?s=EWFHXTD74JPTTDFD
Questions? Reach out to Jake or Katie:
Jake Lingert, Battle Creek Flipside Coordinator, jake.lingert@spps.org
Katie Hendel, University of Minnesota Study Lead, khendel@umn.edu
8th grade trip to Washington DC, April 2025
Calling all families of 8th grade Panthers! Would you like your child to experience the trip of a lifetime? Are they interested in seeing new things? Send them on the Washington, D.C. Trip this April with Mr. Raboin and Ms. Kildahl! If you missed our informational meeting, you can see the slides we presented here. We talked about the itinerary, the logistics, and the fundraising aspects of our trip. Feel free to check out our trip website, where you can enroll your child in the trip. Reach out to Mr. Raboin (nicholas.raboin@spps.org) and Ms. Kildahl (allison.kildahl@spps.org) if you have any further questions.
Weekend Food Bag
Interested in getting a free bag of food every Friday through the Every Meal program? If so, sign up today. You can enroll or opt out at anytime. No private information will be collected. No qualification required. Anyone can sign up.
You may sign up for a bag here: https://forms.gle/QDbas64P3kuoo3K2A
If you signed up your student to get a bag, please talk to them so they know it will be placed in their locker every Friday. Check their website for more information: https://www.everymeal.org/
If you have any questions, please contact Ms. See at see.vang@spps.org for more information or to enroll.
Winter sports starts in November, scan the QR code below to sign up for Wrestling, Girls and Boys Basketball
If you would like to sign your student up for AVID, please contact Frances Jarmick at francis.jarmick@spps.org or (651) 744-2267.
Parent's Right to Know
PARENT’S RIGHT TO KNOW TEACHER AND PARAPROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS
Under the Every Student Succeeds Act, parents have the right to request information regarding the professional qualifications of their student’s classroom teachers and paraprofessionals. Parents who would like to receive this information should write to the Human Resource Department, Attn: ESSA Teacher Qualifications, Saint Paul Public Schools, 360 Colborne Street, Saint Paul, MN 55102-3299. You have the right to ask for the following information about each of your child’s classroom teacher(s).
- Information about whether the teacher has met state qualification and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject areas in which the teacher provides instruction;
- Information about whether the teacher is teaching under emergency or other provisional status through which state qualification or licensing criteria have been waived;
- Information about whether the teacher is teaching (subjects or content) in which proper certification is held by the teacher.
- Information about whether the child is provided services by paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications.
To ensure safety for all of our students, please BRING YOUR ID when picking up your student from school.
Get in touch with us!
Email: oulia.yang@spps.org
Website: spps.org/BCMS
Location: 2121 North Park Drive, Saint Paul, MN, USA
Phone: 651-293-8960
Facebook: facebook.com/bcmspanthers