March Newsletter 2025

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Email: bms@sbps.net
Website: www.sbps.net/bms
Location: 27 East 23rd Street, Scottsbluff, NE, USA
Phone: 308-635-6270
X: @BMSCATS

Dear BMS Families,

The upcoming end of this year's third quarter is on March 13, 2025, and is approaching rapidly. We are so proud of the accomplishments our students have made both inside and outside the classroom. Looking ahead to the final quarter of the year, we have many athletic competitions and activities planned. As always, we can expect exceptional performances from our band, choir, and orchestra students as well as classroom projects.

Professional Development Day

Please note there is a Professional Development/Work Day for staff on March 14th. There is no school for students.

PBS Assembly

The third quarter PBS Assembly will be held in the BMS gym on Wednesday, March 12th at 2:15pm. Please watch for more information from your student's teachers.

After School Tutoring

Please encourage your student(s) to take advantage of after school tutoring Monday through Thursday; all students can attend our after-school tutoring sessions from 3:05 pm to 4:05 pm. This is a great opportunity for students to improve their content knowledge by retaking assessments, completing missing assignments, or receiving extra instruction.

Report Cards

Third quarter report cards will be available through Infinite Campus and will not be mailed home. If you need assistance accessing your student's report card, the tutorial video is linked below.

Parent Teacher Conferences

Parent Teacher Conferences will be held on on March 19th from 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm and March 20th from 8:00 am - 8:00 pm. There is no school for students on March 20th and 21st. In the Technology TIPS portion of the newsletter, there is information about PTC Wizard and the timeline for signing up for conferences. If you need assistance, you may contact Mrs. Shaddick. Thank you in advance for your attendance. Your involvement and partnership is greatly appreciated.

Emergency Contact Information

If your emergency contact information has changed, please contact the office and we will gladly update your information. You may reach us at 308-635-6270. We look forward to an amazing fourth quarter with you and our students. Please reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Jana Mason

Principal

The spring sports season is rapidly approaching and preparations for soccer and track are well underway. The Spring Sports meeting will be held on Monday, March 10, 2025 in the gym at 6:00 pm. Students who are interested in participating in soccer or track must sign up through Arbiter Sports and have a current physical form on file at school. Please watch for more information.

Baby Pictures

It's time to submit your baby picture for the 8th grade end-of-the-year presentation. If you would like your picture included, please have your families email it to Mrs. Shaddick or bring a hard copy to school to scan. See Mrs. Shaddick if you have any questions. Pictures were due by February 28th.

End of Year Awards Ceremony

The 8th grade awards ceremony will be held on Wednesday, May 21st at 2:00 pm in the gym at Bluffs Middle School. We look forward to celebrating and spotlighting our students' amazing accomplishments. More information will follow as the date draws nearer.

BMS 8th Grade Dance

The 8th grade dance will be held on Wednesday, May 21st from 6:00 - 7:30 pm in the cafeteria at Bluffs Middle School. Please see the criteria for attendance listed below. This information can also be found the BMS Parent-Student Handbook.

Criteria to Attend BMS 8th Grade Dance

● Only current 8th Grade Bluffs Middle School students may attend. Former students, alumni, relatives, and friends

may not attend.

● Students attending must be in good academic standing and not failing more than one class.

● Students attending may not have more than five behavior referrals for the school year.

● Students attending must not have had ISS or OSS during the 4th quarter.

Student Conduct at the BMS 8th Grade Dance

In addition to all rules of student conduct in the Student Handbook, students attending dances shall adhere to the following rules of conduct:

● Student conduct and behavior must be appropriate for the school environment.

● Students must arrive at the dance no later than 15 minutes after the designated start time.

● Students must stay at the dance until the official end time unless they are picked up at the door by his/her parent or guardian.

● Students must follow the dress code.

● Students must attend a full day of school on the day of the dance.

● Students who have inappropriate behavior will be removed from the dance, and parents will be notified to pick their student up early.

Bluffs Middle School will offer a strength and condition program for students in grades sixth through eighth grade. Students who are interested in participating in this program must sign up through Arbiter Sports and have a current physical form on file at school. Mrs. Lindsay Parks and Mr. Jeremiah Luber will be the adults sponsoring our strength and conditioning program at Bluffs Middle School. Please watch for more information with the start and end dates

All students will take the spring NSCAS statewide assessments starting the end of March and continuing through the first week of May. Students in sixth, seventh, and eighth grades will be assessed in math and reading. Additionally, eighth graders will also take the science state assessment

While our state assessment is just one source of data in evaluating grade-level proficiency, however, we urge you to motivate your student to give their best effort during each assessment. Student outcomes are very important, and prioritizing academic growth is our main focus. Please remind your student to bring their Chromebooks to school with a full charge.

Please watch for grade level information as testing dates draw near. Please visit the Nebraska Department of Education website for more information. https://www.education.ne.gov/assessment/

Bluffs Middle School Students will attend the Matinee performance on April 9th. More information will follow.

Tickets go on sale March 1 for the SHS performance of "Anastasia: You can purchase tickets here: http://www.ronne.com/index.html

March 6 Choir Concert @ 6:00 pm

March 9 Daylight Savings Time Begins

March 10 Spring Sports Meeting 6:00 pm @ BMS

March 12 PBS Assembly @ 2:15 pm in the gym

March 13 End of 3rd Quarter

March 14 No School for Students Professional Development Day/Work Day

March 18 BMS/SHS Orchestra Concert @ 6:00 pm

March 19 Parent Teacher Conferences 4:00 pm - 8:00 pm

March 20 No School for students Parent Teacher Conferences 8:00 am - 8:00 pm

March 21 No School for staff and students

BMS Families will use PTC Wizard to schedule Spring Parent-Teacher Conferences. Families will use their Infinite Campus Parent Portal username and password to log into PTC Wizard. If you are unable to remember your Infinite Campus password, passwords can be changed by clicking the “Forgot Password?” option on the Infinite Campus sign- in page accessed through the link below. Families without an Infinite Campus Parent Portal, will need to contact Erin Shaddick at 635-6286 to schedule conferences beginning Monday, March 10.

Infinite Campus Parent Portal Login Page

Nebraska SMART is a free virtual tutoring program for students in grades K-12. Teacher education candidates from Chadron State, Peru State, and Wayne State Colleges remotely tutor students in Educational Service Units 1, 4, and 13 through an online tutoring platform. This program is made possible by a Nebraska Department of Education grant awarded to the Nebraska State College System to launch a rural tutoring program.

Nebraska SMART’s official launch date to tutor students in grades K-12 is February 5, 2024. Tutoring hours are 3:30-6:30 PM, Monday through Friday.

The Nebraska SMART Video can be viewed for more information.

Parents who wish to gain access to tutoring must register their child(ren) by visiting www.nscs.edu/NebraskaSMART.

Parents must first create an account and register their child(ren). Once parents have created their account and added their child(ren), the student (or parent on their behalf) can schedule a tutoring appointment. Students can also join on-demand tutoring to be connected with the next available Tutor.

The Parent Guide provides steps for parents to register their child(ren), schedule a session, request on-demand tutoring, and more.

Students should provide homework for which they wish to receive help or topics that they would like to cover. When connected to a Tutor, students (or parents on their behalf) can share files with their Tutor. It is recommended that students (or parents on their behalf) have saved their homework to their computer prior to connecting to a Tutor.

The Nebraska SMART tutoring platform can be accessed via a laptop, desktop, or Chromebook. Please note that smartphones and some tablets are not currently supported by this platform. See below for Nebraska SMART’s technology requirements.

What is Self-Compassion?

Self-compassion is the practice of showing kindness to yourself. Many who are compassionate find it simple to show kindness to others. However, it can be more difficult to show that same compassion to ourselves. Having compassion for yourself is to be understanding of and kind towards yourself through mistakes and imperfections.

Nobody is perfect, nor are we designed to be. We are each unique and growing. Part of self-compassion is giving ourselves permission to authentically be who we are. It is understanding you are a work in progress, and that is okay.

Practicing Self-Compassion

Imagine a close friend makes a mistake. As their friend, we would likely tell them mistakes happen, provide our help and support, and encourage they correct the situation or try again. We believe, despite a mistake, our friend is good and well-meaning. Right? So, how can we provide ourselves the same compassion we give to others when we make a mistake or fall short of a goal we hoped to accomplish?

One important skill of self-compassion is accepting ourselves for who we are. We are often flooded with ideas and expectations of who we “should” be. Accepting who we are is knowing everyone is different. Another skill of practicing self-compassion is taking care of ourselves. Just as we think about what is best for those we love, it is important to consider what is best for ourselves and fulfill those needs in healthy ways as we grow through life. An additional helpful skill in practicing self-compassion is having awareness of our thoughts and feelings. When we make a mistake or do not achieve a desired goal, it can be easy to judge ourselves and be critical. We can get stuck believing “I’m a failure” or “this only happens to me.” Everyone experiences bad days, makes mistakes, or makes a choice they wish they had not. Try to take a step back from the thoughts and feelings and give yourself some compassion in those moments. Often, our mistakes are an opportunity for growth. Practicing self-compassion in those tough moments allows us to stay optimistic and motivates a growth mindset! #keepgrowing

“Unlike self-criticism, which asks if you’re good enough, self-compassion asks, what’s good for you?” – Kristin Neff

Heath Office Staff are finishing up student school health screenings. Health screenings are performed per Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services schedule. Nebraska guidelines require all PK-4th grades, 7th grade, 10th grade students, or any student that moved into the district from out of state to participate. The purpose of screening is to identify those students needing further evaluation or assistance in the areas screened. Parents/guardians will be notified through Remind or a letter if the student is found to need further evaluation. The cost of such evaluation is the parent/guardian's responsibility.

• When to Stay Home

• Temperature guidelines:

• Stay home with a temperature of 100 degrees or high

• Stay home until your temperature is below 100 degrees WITHOUT any fever reducing medication

• Vomiting/Diarrhea

• Stay home if you have had more than one episode of vomiting or diarrhea in the past 24 hours

• Can your child participate in class?

• If your child seems too sluggish or too tired to participate in class, then consider staying home to rest and get healthy

• If your child's symptoms are disrupting their learning or the learning environment, then consider staying home to rest and get healthy

• Is your child contagious?

• Illness like strep throat or pink eye require treatment before your child can return to school
  

The Spring Sports meeting will be held at Bluffs Middle School on Monday, March 10, 2025, at 6:00 pm. Please enter through the west activity doors. The meeting will be held in the gym. Please make sure your student is signed up for their spring activity through Arbiter Sports. You can access the link here.https://bms.sbps.net/b_m_s_activities We look forward to watching our students compete in track and field and on the soccer field. Good luck to all of our student athletes this spring.

Summer School will be offered for all current 6th, 7th, and 8th graders. Summer School will run from May 27 - June 19, with a make-up day of June 20. Students will attend 8:30 am - 11:30 am. Current 8th graders will attend Summer School at Scottsbluff High School. Applications and more information will be provided during Parent Teacher Conferences.

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