Bennett Bear Business Newsletter

On Tuesday, your child will bring home an important district generated letter to help us prepare for the 2020-2021 school year. We appreciate your time and help in completing the letter to let us know your plans for the upcoming school year:

* My child will be returning to Bennett for the 2020-2021 school year.

* My child will be attending another McKinney ISD campus. School ______________

* My child will be transferring to another district. School District ______________ City ____________

* I have an incoming kindergartener for the 2020-2021 school year.

Thank you in advance for completing and returning the form in a timely manner to help us make staffing decisions. Please let us know if you have any questions regarding the district generated letter. If you need assistance, contact our Bennett Registrar, Susan Jakobsen, at sjakobsen@mckinneyisd.net or 469-302-5498.

Proud to be a BEAR,

Amy

I went into each 5th grade classroom Monday morning and guided the students through a first draft of their 6th grade course requests. Teachers will send these drafts home with students as soon as the official middle school course request cards arrive. Dowell’s will arrive this week, and I’m expecting Evans’ next week.

Students attending Dowell next year need to turn their official course request card to their teacher by next Friday, February 7th. Students attending any other middle school will turn their completed cards in by February 14th, because they will receive them later.

You can find a copy of the course request draft here and other middle school registration information: https://mrsthompsonliveskind.weebly.com/middle-school-registration.html I’ll keep this page updated with new information as I receive it, including the updated Middle School Planning Guide, which will have detailed course descriptions of each class.

Warm regards,

Christie N. Thompson
School Counselor

504 Campus Coordinator

469.302.5437

All students should attend school 90% of school days to receive credit for their class. The Bennett Attendance Committee will address extenuating circumstances in accordance with MISD and TEA guidelines TEC 21.035(b). Research shows excessive absences and missed class time affects student learning and interrupts student achievement. It is best to schedule doctor appointments after school hours, or if unavoidable, after 9:15am, and family trips during Thanksgiving Break, Winter Break, and Spring Break.

When your child is absent from school, a written form of documentation is required.

Approved/Acceptable forms of documentation for an absence include:

• Parent Note stating reason for the absence (handwritten or an email to the Ms. Jakobsen)

• Doctor Note, from their office, stating the absence is excused

• Counselor or Therapist Note

Absence notes must be provided to the school registrar, Susan Jacobsen, within 3 days of the student returning to school.

MISD allows 8 parent notes per year. Once 8 parent notes have been accepted by the school, a physician's note is required for each absence thereafter, for the absence to be excused.

Parents will receive a letter from the district after 3, 7, and 10 unexcused absences. Upon the 10th unexcused absence, the school is required, by law, to file truancy. We do all we can to avoid this, thus Attendance Plans may be developed to support our families and your child’s attendance.

Tardiness

Our building opens each day at 7:15am for our Bears! A Bennett staff member is in the cafeteria each morning to welcome students with breakfast or students wait in the cafeteria until 7:30am. At 7:30am, the Bennett staff member helps 3rd-5th grade students transition to wait in the gym and our kindergarten- 2nd grade students transition to wait outside their grade level hallways until the first bell rings at 7:50am.

Students begin entering their classrooms when the first bell rings at 7:50am to allow time to unpack their bags and prepare for their day. Live Morning Announcements begin at 8:00am and our Bears begin their instructional day. Students not in the building by 8:00am are considered tardy and are required to check in with the front office for a tardy slip before going to class.

If your child arrives after 9:15am, they will be counted absent. Those students who arrive after 8:00am due to a medical appointment are not counted absent or tardy, if a note is provided.

Please contact Kassie Halpin at khalpin@mckinneyisd.net or Susan Jakobsen at sjakobsen@mckinneyisd.net if you have further questions.

We wanted to give a huge THANK YOU to all of the students who participated in this year’s Science Fair. WAY TO GO!!!!

It was evident the amount of work that went into each and every project. There was a lot of excitement around the science fair projects as classes were given the opportunity to view the projects either during class, during lunch, or both. There were a number of students who stated that they wished they had participated, and so we anticipate that next year there will be even more!

The judges spent hours reading through each project and the overall winners were announced during our morning announcements. In case you did not hear the good news, here are the results:

1-3 Grade

1st Place Winner: Getting Clear About Water, Gabby

2nd Place Winner: What is the Strongest Magnet, Daniel

4-5 Grade

1st Place Winner: Growth is the Key to Success, Courtney

2nd Place Winner: Jumping Around, Lucy

The projects are now allowed to be taken home.

Thank you again for a successful Science Fair!

Beth Higgins

Deb Snyder

January 28th - Michelle Schindler, 3rd Grade Teacher

January 30th - Mollie Recker, 2nd Grade Teacher

January 31st - Dana Crider, STC Teacher

February 16th - Amy Covey, 1st Grade Teacher

February 19th - Jill Sullivan, Kindergarten Teacher

February 23rd - Tracy Fanning's 1st Grade Teacher

Monday, January 27th:

All students bring home "Letter of Intent for 2020-2021"

Tuesday, January 28th:

Winter Bear Cubs in Training in Learning Commons - 2:15PM-2:45PM

Food preorders due for PTO sponsored Bingo Night

Wednesday, January 29th:

Choir Practice at 7:15AM

Hip Hop Speaker, CJ Luckey, will be presenting to our BEARS at 1:45PM - thank you PTO!

Thursday, January 30th:

100th Day of School - dress up in your best 100 year old attire

Friday, January 31st:

Bear Feet Running Club - 7:30AM

Multicultural Children's Book Day

Friday Live at 2:15PM

Kids Heart Challenge Ends - Jump Rope for Heart in PE

February 3rd-7th:

Middle School Registration Information goes home

February 3rd-7th:

School Counselor Appreciation Week

Monday, February 3rd:

PTO Watch DOGS begin

Creed Lunch at 12:30PM

Tuesday, February 4th:

Club Pictures

Wednesday, February 5th:

Choir Practice at 7:15AM

World Read Aloud Day

PTO General Meeting & Bear Lunch - 11:30AM-12:30PM

Progress Reports go home

Friday, February 7th:

Bear Feet Running Club - 7:30AM

K-2 Dental Presentation with Dr. Buchanan - 2:00PM in Cafe

PTO Sponsored Parent Night Out at Warrior Martial Arts (K-2 5:00-6:45) and (3-5 7:00-9:00)

Monday, February 10 - Friday, February 14th:

STUCO SPCA Supply Drive

Tuesday, February 11th:

Spring/Class Picture Day

Wednesday, February 12th:

3rd Grade Living History Museum

Friday, February 14th:

MAP Closes

Class Valentine's Day Parties - 2:00PM-2:45PM

Monday, February 17th:

Staff Development Waiver Day - No School for Students

Wednesday, February 19th:

Choir Practice at 7:15AM

3rd Grade Field Trip Money Due

Thursday, February 20th:

5th Grade Middle School Parent Meeting at Middle Schools - 7:15PM

Friday, February 21st:

3-5 Dental Presentation with Dr. Jenkins at 2:00PM - in Cafe

Monday, February 24th:

TELPAS Opens

Thursday, February 27th:

Special Olympics Basketball - 10:00AM-2:00PM

Friday, February 28th:

Friday Live - 2:15PM