Bethel Springs Elementary School

The Bethel Springs HSA welcomes you to this final stretch before winter break and wishes everyone a wonderful and safe holiday season!

DINING FOR DOLLARS AT SWEET FROG: Visit Sweet Frog in Glen Mills before or after the 4th/5th Grade Chorus Concert between 11am and 9pm on Thursday, December 19th, and mention Bethel Springs while checking out to help the HSA earn 20% of the day’s profits! (Because you know your 4th/5th grader is going to ask to go out for ice cream anyway, so might as well make it count for the school too ;))

LOOKING AHEAD TO CRADLES TO CRAYONS: Long distance heads up that Helping Hands will be collecting kids’ clothing for their annual Cradles to Crayons Drive at the end of January/beginning of February. So as you make space for holiday gifts or just do an annual purge over the break, please consider setting aside gently worn kids’ clothing for this collection. Thank you!

VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT:

Nature Trail: Thank you to the Kunze Family for taking such great care of the Nature Trail this past week! (And don’t forget that there are still some Keeper of the Trail volunteer slots available in January/February; check out the Sign-Up Genius HERE to see what’s available and to sign up.)

UPCOMING DATES:

Thursday, December 19

Dining for Dollars at Sweet Frog (11am-9pm)

4th and 5th Grade Chorus Concert (GVHS, 7:00pm)

Friday, December 20

Polar Express for Grade 1

Holiday Parties for Grade 1 (1pm)

Holiday Parties for Grades 2-5 (2pm)

Monday, December 23

Winter Break Begins

Thursday, January 2

Winter Break Ends

For the most up to date information, check out the BSES HSA Website!

Follow us on social media:

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/bseshsa/

Instagram - @bethel_springs_hsa

Twitter - @bseshsa1

Students are encouraged to wear their pajamas on Friday, December 20th, the last day of school before winter vacation.

Our music department is proud to present our winter concert series. All concerts will be held at Garnet Valley High School and will begin at 7:00 PM.

December 19th: Grade 4 and 5 Chorus Concert

January 8th: Grade 4 Band Concert

January 9th: Grade 4 Orchestra Concert

Trailblazers Club is happy to announce two opportunities to get out and enjoy nature! The first is the Christmas Bird Count, a single event geared toward families. The second is Birding Club, an after school club for students.

Trailblazers Christmas Bird Count for Kids
Sat, January 4, 2020, 9am – 12pm
Join Trailblazers as Bethel Springs Elementary School participates in the National Audubon Society’s Christmas Bird Count for Kids. The Christmas Bird Count is the longest running wildlife survey in the world! In this survey, ordinary citizens collect scientific data by observing both the types and numbers of birds found in an area. We will begin our day with a presentation highlighting birds of the Nature Trail. Next, we will venture onto the trail in search of birds while practicing field techniques such as binocular use and data collection. The morning will conclude with refreshments as we submit our count data to the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology’s online bird population database, eBird.org. Once we compile our data, every participant will have their own checklist to commemorate this awesome day of birding! The session will run from 9am-12pm and will meet in the LGI. Bring your own binoculars. If needed, BSES has pairs to lend. Please dress in appropriate footwear and winter clothing in preparation for hiking. This session is for 1st through 8th grade students.
Leaders: Mr. BQ
Location: BSES Collaboration & Innovation Lab
Event Fee: $20.00 Per Family

Below is the link to information and registration form for the Christmas Bird Count:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1BqvDsWvzieF96ghoj3s5n9S2smEYEbst

After the Christmas Bird Count, you can swing over to Garnet Valley High School to recycle your holiday tree:

Holiday Tree Recycling Sponsored by GVHS Environmental Club
Sat, January 4, 2020, 12pm – 2pm at Garnet Valley High School
Give your tree a second life as wood chips for our district's nature trails! Recycle your tree on Saturday, January 4th, 2020 at Garnet Valley High School from 12pm to 3pm. Tree recycling is free, but donations are appreciated to support the GVHS Environmental Club!

Trailblazers BSES Birding Club
Tuesdays until 4:30pm
Join Trailblazers for an exciting after-school environmental education experience! We will spend our sessions on the BSES Nature Trail studying the birds found in our local ecosystem. We will collect scientific data using the website eBird to study populations and migration patterns of species on the BSES Nature Trail. Students should be prepared to venture on our wonderful nature trail on a weekly basis as we watch the trail change throughout the fall season! Please note this club is only available for students in grades 2 through 5.
Leaders: Mr. BQ
Location: BSES Room 220
Meets on the following Tuesdays: 1/14, 1/21, 1/28, 2/4, 2/11, 2/18, 2/25
Club Tuition: $125.00

Below is the link to information and registration form for the Birding Club:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1BwahqEzW_D7NWM2O0BVY6G0vxex11H3i

Additional Opportunities to Learn about Nature from Mr. BQ:

Below are a variety of Mr. Quindlen's speaking engagements at local bird clubs happening this winter and spring. These programs are targeted toward adults, but all of these meetings and programs are open to the general public for free:

Wonderful Winter Waterfowl Workshop of Exton Park

HomeNet Automotive Offices, 224 Valley Creek Blvd #400, Exton, PA 19341

Tuesday, January 21st, 2019 - Doors at 5:30pm, workshop from 6:00pm-7:00pm

"Y Birding: A Retrospective" at the Birding Club of Delaware County

Marple Library, 2599 Sproul Rd, Broomall, PA 19008

Wednesday, February 12th, 2019 at 7:30pm

"Birding with BQ in Arizona" at the West Chester Bird Club

Friends Meeting House, 415 North High Street, West Chester, PA

Monday, March 16th, 2019 at 7:30pm

"Birding with BQ in Arizona" at Wyncote Audubon Society

Plymouth Meeting Friends Meeting House, 2150 Butler Pike, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462

Friday, May 15th, 2019 at 7:30pm

The BSES Helping Hands Club recently visited the Ronald McDonald House at Nemours Hospital for Children. The group collected aluminum can tabs, which RMH recycles to help support its work, and they made place matts for the dining room. Students were treated to a tour of the facility. This was a great experience for our students and an important one to teach them about the value and rewards of serving others. Thank you to Mrs. Cashell and Ms. Konkle for leading this project!

https://www.smore.com/cemd6

The cold temperatures are here for a while to come! Please make sure that children dress warmly--winter coats, gloves, hats, scarves. When weather permits, we like to make sure that students can get outside for recess. Please know that students who are not dressed for the weather will not be permitted to go outside for recess. A half hour is a long time to be outside in the cold when not warmly dressed! Thank you for your help!

Click link below for December Fitness Challenge document:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1tIHyTcUjFT695vVF0kDelZ-A8n-03k9v/view?usp=sharing

The Parent Portal on our district website provides important information to help parents.navigate the GV school experience. Below is the link to the parent portal:

https://www.garnetvalleytechnology.com/parent-portal

The Bethel Springs calendar of events can be accessed on our school website. Click the link below to view:

https://bses.garnetvalleyschools.com/calendar

Welcome to the Garnet Valley School District Blog! Here we will feature news, alerts, and events from our district and its community.

Click the link below:

https://www.garnetvalleyschools.com/blog/One.aspx?portalId=23561362

For your convenient reference, the weekly announcements will be archived on the school website. Simply go the Bethel Springs page on the district website (garnetvalleyschools.com) and go to "Our School" and to the "Announcements" drop-down. Click on the particular weekly announcements you wish to view. Thanks!

"Learning and fun all in one."