Dear Bear Creek Families,

As we wrap up the first five weeks of school, I want to take a moment to reflect on the wonderful experiences our students have already had this year. It’s hard to believe how quickly time has flown!

Engaging Learning Experiences

Our dedicated teachers have been hard at work creating engaging lessons that spark curiosity and foster a love of learning. In grades 3, 4, and 5, students have already begun to delve into exciting topics through the Eureka math curriculum, CKLA reading curriculum, and Mystery Science; developing critical thinking skills while enjoying hands-on activities.

Building Community

We have also focused on building a strong classroom community. Teachers have facilitated various team-building exercises that encourage collaboration and friendship among students. It has been heartwarming to see new connections being formed as students work together to achieve common goals. Our students have already earned 3 school-level rewards for their positive behavior(s)!

Support Systems

Our commitment to supporting every child is stronger than ever. This year, we are implementing a Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework, which ensures that all students receive the assistance they need to succeed academically and socially. I am excited to share that we held our first MTSS meeting for 5th grade, and it was a productive session that will set the stage for ongoing support throughout the year.

Looking Ahead

As we move into the next month, I encourage families to stay engaged with their children’s learning. Regularly checking in on homework, classwork, and projects as well. Discussing school activities at home can make a significant difference in your child's success!

Thank you for your continued support and partnership as we work together to make this school year a memorable one for all our Bear Creek students!

Warm regards,

Dr. Jeremy Stetler
Principal, Bear Creek School

In the effort to continuously improve our safety processes, we are making an adjustment to our existing dismissal procedures at Bear Creek. We will be removing the parking spots at the row closest to Sheaffer Rd. to allow for us to create 2 lanes for student car-rider dismissal. We are hopeful that having that entire back lane available will allow for us to keep cars off of Sheaffer (or in the worse-case scenario, wrapped around the cul-de-sac). We will be splitting cars into "Lane 1, and Lane 2" which will be clearly designated by signage and assisted by one of our staff members. We are asking that you keep no more than 3 feet between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you to allow us to fit as many vehicles as possible into our dismissal lanes. Please see the infographic below which depicts our new approach. Thank you for your flexibility and understanding as we continue to evolve our processes!

As we get into the swing of the year, we wanted to communicate to our parents and families about bringing in snacks for student birthdays and holidays. The policy that guides these practices can be found, below! We recommend that you please communicate with your student's teacher if you are planning to send any "treat" or "snack" to school. Also, due to student allergies, we would strongly prefer pre-packaged items with nutrition labels for any classroom treats. Thank you for your assistance!

Board Policy 246 (Wellness)

" Non-Sold Competitive Foods -

Non-sold competitive foods available to students, which may include but are not limited to foods and beverages offered as rewards and incentives, at classroom parties and celebrations, or as shared classroom snacks, shall meet or exceed the standards established by the district.

If the offered competitive foods do not meet or exceed the Smart Snacks in School nutrition standards, the following standards shall apply:

Rewards and Incentives: Foods and beverages shall not be used as a reward for classroom or school activities unless the reward is an activity that promotes a positive nutrition message (e.g., guest chef, field trip to a farm or farmers market, etc.).

Classroom Parties and Celebrations: Classroom parties/celebrations with food/beverages shall be limited to no more than one (1) per month in each classroom.

Shared Classroom Snacks: The district shall provide a list of suggested nonfood ideas and healthy food and beverage alternatives to parents/guardians and staff, which may be posted via the district website, student handbooks, newsletters, posted notices and/or other efficient communication methods.

Tardy Policy: Students must be in the building by 8:50 AM. Late arrivals will need to be escorted to the office by an adult and will be marked "tardy."

CHIP Insurance Information: For families interested in CHIP Insurance, please visit here.

Construction Update: Construction on the new homes by Bear Creek has begun.This will impact our dismissal procedures. Parents will need to line up on Sheaffer Road if our parking lot is full, and please do not block the bus loop.

Bear Creek Bulletin: Next publication date 10/11/24!

September 27th - No School for Students

October 2nd - Picture Day, School Custodian, Maintenance, and Grounds Recognition Day, BC Buddy Bench Dedication (5:00-5:30 PM)

October 3rd - PJ Day

October 5th - Bear Creek Carnival (1:00-6:00PM)

October 8th - 3rd Grade Hearing Screenings, Fire Prevention Week (First Responder Visit 1-3PM)

October 11th - Grade-Level Color Day (3rd=Red, 4th=Blue, 5th=Green)

October 12th -14th - Digital Citizenship Week

October 14th - No School (Indigenous Peoples' Day)

October 16th - 5th Grade Agricultural Education Day

October 17th - Agricultural Education Day Rain Date, State-Mandated Safety Drill

October 18th - Wear Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness

October 23rd - StuntMasters BMX Student Assembly

October 24th - Early Dismissal for Students

October 25th - No School for Students, Professional Development, Bear Creek Night @ The EAHS Football Game

October 28th - Bear Creek Book-Fair Week

October 31st - Orange and Black or Costume Day

*District-issued Chromebooks are a school device, we ask that parents/guardians assist us with ensuring appropriate use at home.

*Please work with your student to ensure that your student(s) is bringing a charged device to school each day.

*The district will work with students and families when accidental damage or normal wear-and-tear occurs with a student's school-issued device.

*The building administrative team (and technology department) reserves the right to submit a bill for any damage deemed "malicious."

E-Town Back to School Center

Student/Parent Handbook

Bear Creek Academics

Staff Directory

School News/Bear Creek Bulletins

PTO

Student Supports

Dear Bear Creek Families and Community,

We hope this message finds you well! Our Bear Creek PTO has a 2nd annual Carnival Fundraiser quickly approaching, and we’re so excited to bring this fun event to our school community. However, we still need more helping hands to make it a success.

We understand that everyone has busy schedules, but we're asking each volunteer to commit to just one 2-hour shift. This small contribution of time will make a big difference in ensuring the event runs smoothly and is enjoyable for all. Kids/Students are able to volunteer to help at stations as well!

If you haven’t already signed up, now is the perfect time! Whether it’s helping with games, food stations, or set-up/clean-up, every role is important.

You can sign up for a shift using https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0E4BAAAE23A1FD0-50503244-carnival#/

or simply send an email to Bearcreekschoolpto@gmail.com and let us know your availability.

Thank you so much for your continued support, and we can’t wait to see you at the carnival!

Buddy Bench Celebration!

October 2nd, 2024 from 5pm-6pm

Thanks to the hard work of many families and the Etown community in the spring we were able to partner alongside Common sense to both sponsor 2 buddy benches for our Bear Creek Elementary School. We couldn’t have done this without the help of our amazing families and community who turned in recyclables that were donated towards this project! Please consider joining us for a little celebration on the side playground at Bear Creek Elementary School on Wednesday, October 2nd from 5pm to 6pm! We hope to see you there!

Book Fair is coming!

Students will visit the Book Fair during their scheduled Library class on October 29th through November 5th. Each student will be able to select a free book (up to $14) courtesy of the Bear Creek PTO!

Please consider to sign up to volunteer here:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4FA4A72EA3FA7-50696728-bear

(https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4FA4A72EA3FA7-50696728-bear)

Here is our book fair home page. eWallets will open on Monday, October 7th.

https://www.scholastic.com/bf/bearcreekelementary (https://www.scholastic.com/bf/bearcreekelementary)

Teacher and Staff Appreciation Sign Up

The PTO has an opportunity below for anyone who would like to donate items to our teacher and staff lounge. These are suggested items that we think they would enjoy during their time in the mornings and during breaks. We appreciate and are grateful for any donations. We thought this is a way for some families that might want to support the teachers and staff and are not always able to help in other ways.

Thank you!!

https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/60B0E4BAAAE23A1FD0-51010899-teacher

At the Elizabethtown Area School District, we are committed to offering a rich selection of high-quality books that inspire, challenge, and engage all of our students. Our library collections are carefully curated and rated to meet the diverse needs of learners across all grade levels, including young adult and advanced readers. Some of these books may include more mature content, particularly for students in grades 6-12 who have access to the full range of library materials.

We understand that parents and guardians know their children best, and we respect that some families may prefer to limit their student’s access to certain books. If you feel your child is not yet ready for specific titles, we encourage you to review our rating system and determine which classifications are most appropriate for them.

To support you in this decision, we offer a library opt-out process. Completing the opt-out form will flag your student’s library account, and access to the designated materials will be restricted accordingly.

If you would like to take advantage of this option, please fill out the opt-out form, which is available at Library Resources - Opt-Out Form.

We ask that if you do elect to opt your student out of our library services, please have that conversation with your student so that they do not try to check out library materials from our IMC. Thank you for your continued partnership in your child’s education.

Bear Creek School

Principal: Dr. Jeremy Stetler

Asst. Principal: Mrs. Kate Dobyns

Asst. Principal: Mr. Mike Pericci

Main Office: Mrs. Tara Oltmans and Miss Ryleigh Geib

Website: https://bearcreek.etownschools.org/

Location: 1459 Sheaffer Road, Elizabethtown, PA 17022

Phone: 717-367-0210