Bogert Bulletin

As we approach the final days of 2024, we would like to thank everyone who has contributed to Bogert in some way. We are so fortunate to have outstanding staff, dedicated parents, and thoughtful community groups who all share a common goal: the success of our students. With everyone's collaborative efforts, we find ourselves immersed in a very special school community.

In the year ahead, we remain committed to providing a safe and inspiring environment where every child has the opportunity to learn and grow. We are excited to continue working closely with you to support your child's educational journey.

May 2025 bring good health and happiness to you and your family. We thank you again for your unwavering support.

Sincerely,

Mr. Kaplan and Mrs. Malloy

This year, to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, each homeroom researched a Hispanic country and created an informational travel brochure. These brochures, displayed outside their classrooms, showcased the richness and diversity of Hispanic cultures. This collaborative project was a meaningful way for students to deepen their appreciation and knowledge of Hispanic culture while working together as a school community.

Third Grade
Third graders are building on their community unit by creating their own books about a fictional community. Their books include descriptions of community helpers, maps, and illustrations that visually represent their community. They are also exploring cultural celebrations from Colombia, Venezuela, Mexico, and Spain, broadening their understanding of unique traditions and festivities from around the globe!

Fourth Grade
Fourth graders did an excellent job writing recipes in Spanish as part of their La Comida (Food) unit. To extend their learning, they have the opportunity to participate in an optional enrichment activity: creating a cooking video based on their recipe. In the video, students should introduce the ingredients and demonstrate the steps, narrating in Spanish. They are encouraged to get creative while keeping the focus on their language skills. Videos are due by February 7th, and students can use their written recipe for guidance. Please email me your child’s video when it is complete and reach out if you have any questions. I look forward to seeing their creations!

Fifth Grade
Fifth graders will be taking their language skills to new heights by participating in a pen pal exchange with bilingual students in Morristown. They will write letters in Spanish while their pen pals reply in English, providing both groups with authentic opportunities to practice their target languages. Fifth graders are also diving into a fascinating case study on Spanish idioms. They’re learning how idiomatic expressions don’t always translate literally, uncovering the unique phrases that make each language special. This case study is a fun and challenging way to build their proficiency and sound more like a native speaker!

I am so proud of their hard work and am excited to see what else they will accomplish this year in la clase de español!

Atentamente,

Ms. Massaro

Classroom Spelling Bees will take place on Monday, January 27, 2025. One student from each class will advance to school spelling bee. **Unfortunately, there are no make-ups. If your child is absent the day of their scheduled class spelling bee, s/he cannot participate. Please see Mrs. Caravela's website or the December Bogert Bulletin for study guides. While we strongly encourage all students to try their best and participate in this nationally known activity, children who are not comfortable may privately speak with their homeroom teacher and just observe their classroom event..

Important Dates:

The Bogert School Spelling Bee: Tuesday, February 4, 2025 1:30 p.m. (Classroom champions will participate and parents will be invited.)

The Regional Spelling Bee: Tuesday, March 11, 2025 at 6:00 pm at Bergen Community College (The Bogert School champion will attend.)

Congratulations to the following students who earned a perfect score on the 2nd Continental Math League meet - Inika A. (4-Falato), Sam M. (5-Walker) and Noah D. (5-Balsamo)!

Please note the dates of the remaining Continental Math League meets:

• Third grade: Monday: January 6 and February 10

• Fourth and Fifth grade: Wednesday: January 8 and February 12

  
  

Remember Continental Math League meets from 2:30-3:00 and students are dismissed from the main Bogert entrance.

The Student Council is PAWSITIVE that a sweet treat is what everyone needs to help celebrate all of the wonderful pillars of character students have been showing!

On Tuesday, January 7th, the Student Council is hosting a donut sale! Donuts will have blue frosting with white sprinkles. If you would like to order a donut, please fill out this Google form, print your order receipt, and return it to your classroom teacher by January 2nd at 12pm. All donuts will cost $3. Please bring exact change, in the form of dollar bills. No late orders will be accepted. 100% of proceeds go towards supporting student activities at Bogert.

January 2: Donut Money Due

January 7: Tuesday Bluesday and Donuts Distributed

January 24: Pajama Day

Put your spare change toward a great cause! All proceeds from our coin challenge fundraiser will go to support Cami Cares, an organization created by a former Bogert student!

• Each coin is a positive for your grade and should be placed in your bucket. For example, 1 penny equals one point, and one quarter counts as 25 points.
• If you donate paper bills, they count as negative points and should be added to OTHER grades' buckets. For example, dropping a $1 bill in another grade's bucket means it is worth -100 points!
• Posters will be around the school to help to explain the rules while the challenge is running.
• The jars for each grade will be located in the Front Office.

Cami Cares' mission is to provide pediatric cancer patients with Cami bags to give them comfort and knowledge that others care about them. 100% of proceeds from the Kind Coin Challenge will go towards the contents of the comfort bags. In December, all Bogert students participated in a letter writing campaign to add to the bags.

Discovery Day is a 33 year-old annual school-wide day to celebrate new student discoveries. This year it will take place on Friday, April 4, 2025. Bogert students will be encouraged to research the work of a specific inventor or use their imagination to brainstorm and think of a new invention that would make life easier, safer, or more fun. Inventions must be something that you can make or build, they don’t have to be big or grand. HELPFUL TIP: You can think of something that has already been invented and think about how to improve it or make it different. We are excited to see your student's innovation!

More information will be shared closer to the date! We are also calling for any inventors out there to share their innovations with the students of Bogert School! Do you have a friend or family member that has invented something? We would love to hear from you. Please reach out to Mrs. Caravela at acaravela@usrschoolsk8.com to help make this day special.

With the holidays upon us, many students will be receiving new phones, watches, etc. as gifts. As a reminder, Bogert's protocol with these devices is to securely store them in a lockbox during school hours. If your child is excited to bring his/her new phone to school, please remind them that the devices must be stored and secured by the teacher during school hours.

We are very happy to report that this protocol has reduced our phone-related issues to zero last year and so far this year! Thank you very much for your working with us to keep the students fully focused on learning while in class.

Thanks to the generosity and planning of the PTO, Bogert's third graders will have the opportunity to participate in our first Theatre Week production! Students will put on the production of "The Golden Goose," with rehearsals scheduled for the week of January 6 and a performance on the evening of January 10. For more information, please refer to the December 12 email sent from Bogertemail.