Welcome back and Happy New Year! We hope you all had a wonderful winter break! December was full of so much fun and learning; pictures with Mr. & Mrs. Claus and Buddy the Elf, sing-a-long assemblies, a winter themed Bickel Bucks attendance store, catching our sneaky elf roaming the Bickel halls, class parties and classroom Christmas trips around the world. What a fantastic end to 2024 - we can't wait to see all of the amazing things our students do in 2025!

This month's PTO staff spotlight includes Ms. McNeil, Ms. Johns and Coach Grimm. Ms. McNeil and Ms. Johns are our 3rd grade teachers and Coach Grimm is our PE teacher. We are so thankful to have these three amazing staff members at Bickel!

Jan. 10 Bickel Spirit Day - Wear a Bickel shirt and show your school spirit!

Jan. 30 Winter Concert for K, 2nd and 4th grades at the O'Leary Middle School Auditorium

Feb. 1-28 Penny Wars (please see flyer below)

Every month we have a Spirit Day to celebrate our school pride! Students and staff are encouraged to wear Bickel shirts on that day. The class with the most participation gets a prize and a visit from our Bickel Bobcat. Our next Spirit Day is on Friday, January 10th. Be sure to wear your spirit shirts that day! The classroom that had the most school spirit in December was Mrs. Ruiz's class. Way to go!!

Get the TFSD App - If you haven’t yet, download the TFSD app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app is free and mobile-friendly, offering lunch menus, calendars, staff directories, news, and a live feed. Download now and share with others.

As we begin the new school year, we want to remind you about an important policy change regarding the use of personal electronic communication devices. To ensure a focused and productive learning environment, the use of cell phones, smartwatches, and similar devices will be prohibited during the school day. This is not a drastic change, but we encourage you to familiarize yourself with the new rules to best support your child as they fully engage in their education.

Smart watches and cell phones must be in student backpacks and silenced during the school day.

We had our first Bickel Bucks attendance store on Friday, September 27th. Students were able to purchase stickers, keychains, mochi squishies, friendship bracelets and popsicles! As a reminder, all students need to do to earn Bickel Bucks each week is come to school! Research shows that when students are consistently tardy or miss even a few days of school each month, they are at far greater risk of academic struggle. A reminder of our Bickel Bucks program is outlined below:

• Weekly student attendance goal of 95%.
• Each week, students who meet the 95% goal will be given 5 virtual Bickel Bucks that will be added to their Bickel Pay accounts. Mrs. Murray will keep track of the Bickel Pay accounts.
• At the end of each month, students will be able to use their Bickel Bucks after lunch at the attendance store which will be located on the stage.
• Attendance store items may include: popsicles, stickers, squishy toys, books, bookmarks, friendship bracelets, etc.
• Of course, we do not want students to come to school sick, so please keep children home if they have a contagious illness or are running a fever. Students will have plenty of chances to earn Bickel Bucks. Thank you!

If you are interested in staying up to date on Bickel news throughout the month, please visit our Facebook page or website for further information!