Bobcat Blast

Dear Bethany Families,

Just one more day until our biggest event of the year. Get ready for take-off.....

🚀 J-O-G-A-T-H-O-N 🚀

I need to give a big shout out to the Committee Chair, Melissa Lasiw, and all of the volunteers who have worked for months planning and preparing this event; from decorations, flyers, prizes, t-shirts, raffles, and the countless other ways people have made this happen. A thank you in advance for everyone who has signed up to set up, clean up, tally, and more. We couldn't do it without all of you! I'm looking forward to Friday. It's one of my favorite days of the whole year!

P.S. Sending love and prayers to our families who have been impacted by the war in Gaza, to our families who have recently experienced loss, to those who are going through chemotherapy, and to everyone who is suffering or grieving right now. Our hearts are with you. I hope your family's connection to Bethany provides glimmers of joy and optimism throughout the week. At the very least, I hope school provides a safe harbor for your children and a respite for you to heal and rest. 💗

With love,

Ms. Rosenquist

September

• 27 - Jog-A-Thon

October

• 9 - Walk & Bike To School
• 9 - PTO Meeting, 7:00 pm
• 11 - No School: Staff Development
• 15 - Picture Day
• 24 - World Dwarfism Awareness, Wear Green
• 24 - Haunted Hallway, 5:30pm
• 25 - No School: Grading Day

Click on the Link Below for the full school year calendar

It looks like great weather and it’s going to be a great day to get outside, have fun, and fundraise for our school!

Things to know for tomorrow:

• T-shirts will be distributed to your children’s classrooms and they can wear them during their race time
• Each class will run or walk for 20 minutes outside (dress in layers!)
• Please make sure your child wears comfortable shoes and brings a water bottle

• We will have a check-in table outside for all visitors and volunteers. Everyone must check in.
  
• Volunteers: We have our approved volunteer list and to interact with your child you will have needed to pass a background check and be in the Raptor system.
• Visitors / Spectators: Parents are welcome to come watch. If you have not done the background check, you will need to stay in the spectator area. You will be able to cheer but will not be able to directly high-five or interact with the students on the track.

There’s still time to register for Pledgestar and raffle prizes!

You can register here: www.pledgestar.com/bspto.

All pledges will be due by October 7th.

See you on the track for a race that will be out of this world!

Run times are Listed Below. Please come a little early so you can check in.

We want to thank the group of moms who have been working very hard on these amazing props for the Jog-A-Thon tomorrow. The students are going to absolutely love them. Can you see Boomer in the spaceship?

The Staff would like to say a Big Thank You to Jami Hayes for organizing the Stock the Staff Room and All of the families who helped provide snacks, drinks and support during the Stock The Staff Room this week.

We are so grateful to have the support of our wonderful families and community.

The Haunted Hallway and Fall Carnival is coming up next month! The Haunted Hallway is a fundraiser that supports the 5th grade party at the end of the year. This event is planned and run by parent volunteers and the 5th graders. Help us make this year’s Haunted Hallway a fun-filled family event by letting us know how you can volunteer and by sharing your ideas in this Google form.

It has been a busy five weeks at the Bethany Library Media Center. Kindergarteners have familiarized themselves with the library, and transitioning from listening to a story read online to checking out books to Storytime. First and second graders are checking out chapter books and even new selections in Graphic Novels.

We have kicked off the 2024-25 Oregon Battle of the books (OBOB) competition at Bethany to grades 3,4 and 5 . I am reading four of the OBOB books to grades 3-5. There is a great interest in the competition this year, especially because our students want to keep our State Champions trophy at Bethany! Students are discussing team formation and strategies to read and note taking during recess and coming to me with questions about the books as well as resources.

I have updated all available resources at this time to the OBOB Information tab on our Bethany Elementary website. I will add more resources, practice questions, author name pronunciation guides etc. in the next couple months . Parents can help teams by facilitating OBOB discussion meetings at home, quizzing their student on small details from the books, guide them to take notes on the details of the books, registering to participate/ observe practice battles at various Washington County libraries during winter break etc.

I will have a presentation about the competition for all 3rd,4th and 5th grade students next week. Before the winter break, all students registering as teams will get an opportunity to observe a mock battle between two 5th grade teams.

Registration for this year's teams will be done through a Google form available below, and on the OBOB Information tab on our school website. Registration runs October 1-31, 2024. Each member of the team should register individually.

The competition at Bethany will start after Winter break. I will communicate the schedule to parents of registered students(from the Google form) in January. We will aim to determine the school's winner by the end of February. The winning team from Bethany will compete at one of the Regional Tournament that happens March 1 through March 22, 2025.

OBOB State Tournament: April 12, 2025, at

Chemeketa Community College,
Salem, OR

For 2024-25 OBOB book list, more information about OBOB, and other resources click below:

International Walk + Roll to School Day is coming up on October 9th! ​Parents, this is a great chance to get your child excited about active ​transportation. Getting exercise in the fresh air is the best way to get ​mentally and physically prepared for a day in the classroom. Mark your ​calendar and plan your route!

Click below for a video created by BSD.

In Magnolia Wu Unfolds It All, Chanel Miller tells a fun, funny, and poignant story of friendship and community starring Magnolia Wu, a ten-year-old sock detective bent on returning all the lonely only socks left behind in her parents’ NYC laundromat.

We will be hosting an assembly for Bethany's 2nd - 5th graders on Friday, November 1.

Preorder your signed copy of this instant bestseller. Books are being purchased through local independent bookstore Green Bean Books and will be distributed after the assembly.

Ordering Instructions.: To order your copy, please complete the form below, and then follow the directions for placing your order through BSD's online payment system (the same site you used for school supplies). Please make sure you follow the link in order to complete payment.

The deadline for ordering is October 16th. Thank you for supporting our young readers!

A Message from a Representative of the Beaverton Education Association:

"On Monday, September 30th, teachers around the district, state, and country will be staging "walk ins" to work. You will see Bethany teachers on 174th before students arrive, rallying in support of full school funding, and also in support of a resolution to Beaverton's current contract negotiations. Teachers will then walk in to start their day with students!"

Here are the minutes from the September PTO Meeting.

September 11th PTO Meeting

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Attention Families!!

Are you looking for a FREE after school activity for your child to participate in? There are still a few clubs that have room to sign-up. Check out these great PTO sponsored clubs! Please submit a form for each child that would like to participate. Submitting a form is not a guarantee that your child will be able to participate. Please be on the lookout for confirmation emails to confirm your child’s spot.

Dates: This class meets twice a week for 3 weeks. 6 sessions: Sept 30th through Oct 16, Mondays and Wednesdays. 2:35-3:35 pm.

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The Bethany athletic game club is for Grades 3-5. Each session will provide challenging games and activities to increase an athletes confidence. Participants need to bring proper shoes and a water bottle each day. Dates: This class meets twice a week for 3 weeks. 6 sessions: Oct 21- Nov 6th, Mondays and Wednesdays. 2:35-3:35 pm.

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We are excited to reestablish the Bethany Bobcat Choir! I’ve found singing in a choir to be one of the most fulfilling and enriching activities I ever did. I’ve made a lot of friends through choir, and I hope to provide an amazing experience to Bethany 4th and 5th graders. Starting on October 16th the choir will begin rehearsing from 2:30 to 3:30 on Wednesdays after school. The choir will culminate in performances for the community and for our school. We may even be able to perform at the Washington Square Mall! The wheels are churning. If you’re interested, please put Choir as your number one club of choice. There will be a second term of choir later this year if you're not able to attend the first session. Please send a parent square message to Michael Smith, the music teacher, with any questions about choir.

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

Please click on the banners below for more information on Play Fit Fun and TGA Multi-Sport Classes.

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In October or November, all 3rd grade students in Beaverton will be administered the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) Screener. This 30-minute test measures students’ learned reasoning abilities through verbal/picture analogies, number analogies and figure matrices. Families whose student scores in the 90th percentile or above on the CogAT screener will be notified and invited to give permission for their students to take the remainder of the test. There will be post-screener testing and full CogAT testing happening in elementary schools up until winter break. For more information about testing, please contact your school’s TAG facilitator. If you would like to read more about the CogAT for students older than 2nd grade, click here.

If your student is on vacation or ill during the 3rd grade screener, we will not be able to accommodate a testing session in advance. When you return, check in with the building TAG Facilitators to see if there is an easy way to add your student to a future testing session.

If your 4th or 5th grade student did not attend a Beaverton school in 3rd grade, or missed the screener for whatever reason, you can tell your student’s classroom teacher that you would like your child to be tested. Students cannot be tested with the CogAT in consecutive years. For example, a 4th grader cannot take the CogAT if they took the screener in 3rd grade.

Parents of 5th grade students, whose students did not take the CogAT as 4th graders, who would like to request their children take the CogAT again can fill out this google form. Parents need to sign up on the google form at least 5 days before the testing is scheduled to happen at their specific school.

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

Free Meals for All

Starting this school year, all BSD students will be eligible to receive one free breakfast and one free lunch at school daily.

Families do not have to apply, and there are no income requirements. This change is due, in part, to more generous eligibility requirements at the federal level and more funding through the state’s Student Success Act. Research indicates that universal free meals improve student health and attendance in addition to reducing bullying and behavioral issues.

Student meals include an entree, sides and a milk. Students must take the entire meal to be eligible for the no-cost option; students who only opt for milk do not qualify for free milk. This is a federal requirement meant to encourage students to eat a well-balanced, school-made meal.

The district will continue to charge for à la carte items such as milk, second entrees and snack items.

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/