Bobcat Blast

Dear Bethany Families,

Welcome back to a short week of school after a LONG break. Students and staff jumped right back into the routine, and it was fun to continue on with Kindness Week. ❤️

Here are a few upcoming things I want you to know about:

• Tomorrow, Friday, Feb 21st we will be having our Lockdown Drill at 9 am. (No one will be permitted in or out of the building for about 5 minutes during the drill). Teachers will prepare students before the drill begins and review the protocols.

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Next week, our 4th and 5th grade students will be learning how to play Pickleball during their PE class (on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday). We will be joined by a former professional player from Jumbo's Pickleball to provide the coaching and instruction. Any pickleballers out there? 🙂

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Lastly, we recognize that Ramadan will begin at the end of February. If your child will be fasting and/or will need any accommodations during the month, please let your child's teacher know and we will make arrangements.

Sincerely,

Ms. Rosenquist

February

• 21 - Lock Down Drill
• 26 - Five Oaks 5th Grade Parent Night
• 27 - Author Book Order Deadline
• 28 - 5th Grade Fly-up to Five Oaks

March

• 3 - Read-a-Thon Kick Off
• 5 - PTO Meeting, 7:00 pm
• 10 - 21 Read-A-Thon
• 13 - Author Aron Nels Steinke Visit
• 24 - 28 Spring Break, No School

Click on the Link Below for the full school year calendar

Grades 2-5

Aron Nels Steinke, the author and illustrator of Mr. Wolf's Class graphic novel series will be coming to Bethany on March 13th.

You can pre-order a signed copy of his new graphic novel, Speechless! by clicking on the Book Order Form link below. It will take you to a flyer with instructions on how to order the book and also a link to pay for the book. Cost is $14.99.

Order Deadline is February 27th

We're looking for engaged and collaborative individuals to join the BSPTO Board. We're expecting open positions across many skillsets and would love for the diversity of our school to reflect the diversity of the BSPTO board.

Please nominate anyone you think would make a great addition to the BSPTO board. A nomination does not require an individual to accept a position, but gives us the opportunity to discuss potential openings with qualified prospects. Self-nominations are welcome as well!

We're looking

Link to nomination form: https://bit.ly/3DZD39Z

Students voted and a winner will be revealed TOMORROW! I will send out a special Parent Square Post with the big reveal drawing in the morning! Stay tuned...

We want to thank the families who were able to join us at the PTO meeting. Here are the minutes for those who were unable to attend.

2/5/25 Meeting Minutes

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Come Join Us on Saturday, 3/15/2025. 8:45am

West Bethany Creek

NW Vetter Drive and NW 165th Ave

Bethany

*small trees that are more suitable for younger kids!

For questions please contact green team at parentgreenteamlead@bspto.org

Please sign up on the link below:

Way, way back in the year 2004, my friends and I discovered the Sesame Street parody, "Avenue Q." Given that we were all edgy teenage drama nerds, one would assume that we first heard about this musical through theater-related channels. But no, we discovered it through the internet. Specifically, via its most popular song, "The Internet is for [Word I Cannot Add to a District Email, but You Can Probably Guess What it Is]."

The internet has changed a lot since 2004. Certainly, it's now used for more than what Trekkie Monster claimed. But it is still a place full of elementary-inappropriate wolves hidden in cute, brightly colored, muppet-faced, occasionally-musical sheep's clothing.

Here at Bethany, we have noticed an uptick in paraphernalia from a variety of not-so-wholesome franchises. Poppy Playtime is back in the public eye, thanks to hype about its fourth chapter. Previously, we've asked friends not to bring their Huggy Wuggies and Kissy Missies to school, but now we're seeing CatNap and Nightmare Critters plush toys. Similarly, the release of its second season has brought Squid Games back to students' attention. I have seen some art.

Most notable, however, has been the uptick in interest in works from the indie animation studio, Glitch. Glitch puts out series like Murder Drones and The Amazing Digital Circus, both of which are free to view on YouTube. Recently, the studio announced a new 2D project with The Owl House creator, Dana Terrace. As of this moment, there is only a trailer available for Knights of Guinevere, but both that trailer and the creators have explicitly stated that this show is not intended for children, despite its Disney-esque, fairytale appearance. This juxtaposition of style and content is an issue we've encountered before, most notably with the multi-award winning, Amazon-sponsored animated musical Hazbin Hotel— and it is an issue that will likely be exacerbated by the addition of Hazbin Hotel and Helluva Boss merchandise now being available in brick-and-mortar stores like Hot Topic.

What media a child is or is not allowed to consume is, of course, a decision to be made by each individual family. That said, in an all-ages setting like school, it is important to keep things appropriate for everyone, kinder through fifth grade. Please talk with your child(ren) about the content they are viewing online, and ensure that they are not bringing age-inappropriate toys (or really, any toys!) to school.

Thank you for your help in this matter! Stay safe out there. 🙂

Best,

Melissa Regan

Technology Instructional Assistant / STEAM

As we enter the rainy season, our playground often becomes muddy. While we can ask students to avoid the grass, it only takes one misstep for them to end up covered in mud.

We've already had to reach out to several families to bring in fresh clothes. We're suggesting that all parents pack an extra set of clothes in their child's backpack to save everyone a trip. You might think it’s not needed, but trust us, it happens across all grades.

During the year we will have different outside organizations offer classes after school at Bethany. We will put a link to their fliers in the Bobcat Blast. You can also find them on the Bethany website. (Click on the Bethany Drop-Down). After School Classes

We want to thank all of our parents who have signed up in the new volunteer system. If you still need to sign-up please use the link below.

Volunteer Information and Application

You will not find a school supply list for Bethany. Rather than every family having to do their own shopping, we collect money for supplies. We began this a few years ago and it has worked well. This year we are asking for a donation of $35.00 per student.

These donations are flexible, and confidential--only the office knows who donates and how much.

We understand that some families are not able to afford the cost of supplies. All children will receive the same supplies, regardless if they are able to contribute towards the cost. Some families may be in the position to make an extra donation towards helping others. If you would like to help by giving extra money, please click on the "Donations" tab that appears on your child's grade level page.

Instructions for Online Payment System

Bethany Elementary

Email: BTHY-Communications@beaverton.k12.or.us

• School Office Hours: 7:15am - 3:30pm

School Hours: 7:45am - 2:20pm

Phone: 503-356-2030

Attendance Line: Call the school number and push 1 when prompted for Attendance
Website: https://bethany.beaverton.k12.or.us/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bethanyBSD

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bethanyelementarybsd/