Bonny Slope Elementary

1/14 OBOB Round Robin Battles Begin

1/14-1/6 OBOB Round Robin Battles

1/17 NO SCHOOL- Staff Development/Workday

1/20 NO SCHOOL- Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

1/21-1/23 OBOB Round Robin Battles

1/22 GEO Club - Africa Part 1

1/24 January Birthday Lunch

1/24 End of Semester

1/27 NO SCHOOL-Grading Day

1/29 BSCO Winter Community Meeting 7-9 (zoom)

1/31 Kids Heart Challenge Assembly

Winter After School Classes are Enrolling Now!

After School Activities

Dear Families,

I hope everyone’s new year is off to a great start! We have gotten right back into the swing of things here at school and it has been wonderful seeing students return after the break. The best part of my job is being able to spend time with our students.

Today I was able to visit with some fifth graders during lunch. At each table I visited, I was invited into lively, interesting, and thought provoking conversations. At one table, a student spontaneously shared how much fun he was having in math, learning about coordinate grids in a fun way where “surprise designs were revealed” as they found the coordinate points and connected them to make lines. Others shared about the fun they had on trips during the break. At another table, I learned about concerns that a student shared about the fires in Los Angeles, and as lunch was wrapping up, I was approached by students that were collecting signatures for a petition about lunch. I am so grateful to have these opportunities to connect with students and experience this community!

As we head into the new year, one of the things I would like to do is check in with all of you to see what we can do to improve the communication in our newsletter. I’m wondering if this is a good way to share important information about events and procedures, and requests for engagement or support. Please submit the survey below to let us know how much of the newsletter you are reading, what you find most useful, and what you would like us to include in the future. While we are collecting this feedback, it seemed like a good time to also get some information about whether we should offer more principal chats in the future.

Thank you for your help, and Happy New Year!

All the best,

Betty

Please use the button below to submit feedback.

Dear Families,

Kids Heart Challenge will be coming to our school in January, and we are proud to support the American Heart Association through this service-learning program. Students will learn how to have happy and healthy hearts and brains, while learning to help others with special hearts. Plus, your family can learn the lifesaving skill of Hands-Only CPR through Finn’s Mission! Sign Up Early www.heart.org/schools or by downloading the FREE AHA Schools App for Apple or Android.

Students who sign up early will be recognized at our assembly on 1/31/2025!

Meet heart survivor Finn and hear how completing Finn’s Mission gives hope to everyone, everywhere. Let’s save lives together! Thank you for being a Heart Hero!

Please drive carefully in our parking lot during arrival and dismissal, especially when approaching crosswalks. We know these are busy times of day and that navigating the parking lot can require a great deal of patience. We appreciate your help in maintaining the safety of our students and staff.

Please only use the designated parking spaces if you have a handicap parking permit displayed on your vehicle. Oregon Revised Statue (ORS) requires states that a disabled parking permit must clearly displayed to include the parking permit number and expiration date for law enforcement.

This month our Kindness In the Classroom concept is inclusiveness. Inclusiveness is including others, inviting them in, and welcoming them with open arms. Ultimately, we hope to connect the concepts in this unit back to respect and caring, which were the first two units in our Kindness In the Classroom curriculum.

Here’s a peek into what each grade level is doing in this unit. In kindergarten the focus is on exploring inclusiveness through the lens of kindness by treating others fairly and including them. This unit also incorporates the idea of being special, unique, and one of a kind and why we can be proud of our differences. In first grade students are learning about what makes each of us special in our own unique way, using kindness to include others every day, and practicing cooperation as a method of including others. In second grade students have been discussing what makes two things the same and what makes them different. Their work has also been on understanding the difference between include and exclude, exploring how fairness contributes to inclusiveness and evaluating the connection between kindness and inclusiveness. Our third graders have been highlighting similarities among classmates regardless of preconceived notions of differences. In addition their conversations and work have been about exploring the difference between fair and equal. In fourth grade students are learning what it means to be inclusive of others but also what it means to work to include themselves, especially in situations where it feels like they are being left out. This unit also covers the concepts of friendship, teamwork, and fairness, and gives students another opportunity to exercise their empathy skills in determining how to make situations fair and equal for everyone. Finally, our fifth graders have been evaluating different situations for how fair and equitable they are, two concepts that are important to understand and look for in everyday life. Having a fair and equitable world will be the work of all of us. Learning more about the concept of inclusiveness has been relevant and important for us all. ♥️

Our winter assessments are about to take place, teachers will be analyzing the new data and report cards will be shared very soon. It is a little nuts how much teachers like it when that data rolls in. I know, for myself and the intervention team, there are a lot of high fives after we geek out on the numbers, because those students make incredible gains! Parents are watching their child grow and blossom into a wonderful new big kid and blown away by the new skills! Celebrations will be in order!!! After the joy and jubilation of student growth, we dig in and figure out what needs to happen next.

What’s next… that is where our educator brains go because the targets keep moving. Our teachers will be looking at standards and spreadsheets all the while thinking about the sweet student and their amazing self.

Families wonder, “What do we do next?”. “Keep up the good work”, seems like a simple, common phrase, but it is incredibly important to keep the momentum going.

Continue daily reading habits:

• Take a book wherever you go!

• Listen to audible stories in the car.

• READ TO THE CHILDREN, no matter how old they are!

• Have the children read aloud to you.

• Make the library a frequent habit.

• Let the children choose books that are interesting and include books they can read on their own.

• Read “widely and wildly” - lots of genre variety!

• Make a new book something special to look forward to.

• Talk to your friends about books you are reading (let the kids listen to your excitement and opinions).

• Show the children that reading is important by making your reading habits visible - talk about your books to your kids.

• Make an effort to show your families that reading is important and fun!

No matter if reading seems to come naturally or if your child struggles, reading is an adaptation that needs constant practice to be automatic and fluent. You may find yourself a bit rusty after not having read a novel or complicated instructions manuals, that is because we need continual practice to keep the neural pathway connections and network primed. As an adult, with so much experience reading, dusting off the old brain isn't as difficult when we take a break and start up again, because you have practiced enough to make those connections permanent. Children are forming their neural connections. Taking a break will weaken the connections. We often hear about “summer slide”, that slide can happen any time of year, whenever we stop practicing. The brain only responds to repetition and consistent practice. No matter how difficult the task is at first, if consistent practice takes place that will lead to permanent connections. After a lot of repetition (some more than others), suddenly, all that time working turns into time enjoying. Unfortunately, there is no other way to become a fluent reader. We have to put in the time and effort.

Soooo, “Keep up the good work!”. No matter what the assessment data and report card shows, there is always more growth to be made and that only happens with consistent practice.

By Jennifer Oordt

Reading Specialist

Academic Coach

The 2024-2025 Yearbook is officially on sale now, for the price of $17! The book will feature portraits from picture day and photos from all of the exciting activities throughout the school year, not to mention the book cover has been chosen by our own students this year! You can easily reserve your copy online or by paying with check or cash with the order form available in the main office. Please visit our Yearbook website for more order details and to submit photos of your students’ favorite moments throughout the year!

For any questions please email us directly at yearbook@bonnyslopebsco.org.

Welcome to the jungle, Bonny Slope! Get ready for THE event of 2025 on April 26th: Bonny Slope’s annual Auction and Gala.

The Auction & Gala is a formal event that will include a sit down dinner, drinks, a silent and live auction, opportunity to purchase unforgettable future community and family party events, raffle prizes, dancing, and of course fun! This is a party with a purpose with all proceeds benefiting the school. All Bonny Slope Elementary families and friends are encouraged to attend. Tickets will be sold starting in February. Plan your outfit, book those babysitters, and get ready to have a roarin’ good time and go wild fundraising for the Bobcats!

Questions? Check out the FAQ, or reach out to the Auction Committee @ auction@bonnyslopebsco.org.

https://www.instagram.com/bonnyslopebsd/

11775 NW McDaniel Rd.

Portland, OR 97229

BSLP-Attendance@beaverton.k12.or.us