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Brave Review
March 11th, 2024
Spring Break Edition
Celebrations and Coming Dates
One of our areas of focus this school year has been building community and connections with students and their families. Adults in our building have looked for positive reasons to call home and report on your student for going above and beyond when it comes to the way they conduct themselves with peers, how they live out the BRAVES pledge each day, the work ethic they demonstrate when tackling tough academic work, and the grit they show when they face barriers. This picture of fourth grader Kam is a prime example of a positive call home...Kam has worked his tail off to pass every test for the recorder assessments, earning his black belt and demonstrating mastery of the Indiana standards relating to performing a piece of music with appropriate finger placement, breathing, rhythm, and tempo.
Our third graders completed state assessments for IREAD-3 on Tuesday, March 5th, and scores will be in this week! As soon as we have access and permission to share, we will notify families of their child's score. We know many of you are excited to see how your child assessed, and we are excited to show off what our third graders can do!
The Kids Heart Challenge wraps up this week. About 20% of our students registered to participate, and they're working to raise $8500. We wrap up the fundraiser with a school-wide Kids Heart Challenge assembly on Friday, with lots of jump roping, basketball, music, and dancing before we head out for spring break! We are at 46% of our goal, and you can donate at heart.org/school by searching for our school!
As the weather gets warmer and the days get longer, we know your lives get busier, too, so take a look at some upcoming spring events that you might need to get on the calendar.
- Friday, Mar 15th: Student Council Hat Day - $1
- Friday, Mar 15th: Kids Heart Challenge Celebration
- Monday, Mar 18th - 29th: Spring Break
- Thursday & Friday, Apr 4th and 5th - Kindergarten Screening Days
- Monday, Apr 8th: No school due to eclipse
- Friday, Apr 12th - PTO Popcorn & Pickle Day
- Friday, Apr 12th - Spring Pictures
- Monday, Apr 15th - ILEARN begins (grades 3 - 8)
- Friday, Apr 26th - PTO Hat Day - $1
- Thursday, May 9th - Camp Kindergarten 6 PM
- Thursday, May 16th - Spring Musical (Grades 4 - 6 only)
- Wednesday, May 29th - Awards Day
- Thursday, May 30th - Field Day
Enjoy some ideas for a stay-at-home spring break in this issue, and be safe as you spend a little extra time with your students these next two weeks.
Samantha Hurst
Principal
Teaching Grit at Home
Our first instinct when we as adults see a child struggling with anything is to step in and fix it, whether it's a zipper that won't zip or friends who suddenly aren't very friendly. But are we creating adult-dependent children and depriving them of a chance to learn for themselves?
Students who show long-term success in academics and life in general exhibit a combination of grit, self-control, reliance, and ambition. These are ALL better predictors of a child's likelihood of reaching their full potential than intelligence or grades. Gritty kids push through when they face challenges, and when we intentionally provide children with challenges to work through and overcome, the adversity and even failure they experience are crucial to a child's development.
Here are some easy ways to develop grit in your child.
1. Get kids out of their comfort zone. Try an activity that requires discipline and practice. The actual activity isn't important - it's the learning experience and effort that come with it that are important.
2. Let your kid get frustrated. We all hate to see kids struggle, but taking risks and struggling is how children develop resilience. If you jump in to save them or allow them to quit at the first sign of discomfort, they don't develop the confidence and self-efficacy to be successful with new experiences.
3. Model a growth mindset. Be mindful of your own thinking and the messages you send your children through words and actions. Talk positively about making mistakes, and praise children for determination, hard work, and persistence, not perfection or innate intelligence.
4. Be a gritty parent. Your parental voice will become the voice in your child's head as they gain independence. The best way for a child to learn grit is by watching the adults around them. Take risks, fail, and bounce back. Model resilience, and be sure criticism is constructive with a plan to move forward.
Learn more at Very Well Family or Nurture and Thrive
Staying home? Explore Southern Indiana!
If you're staying in southern Indiana for spring break, try these sites for ideas to keep you and the little ones enjoying time away from school together.
STEM
We hosted 10 guest readers for Read Across America Week, and each of them had a career that either was related to a STEM field or was a pathway to a STEM career. We heard from vet techs, nurses, engineers, marketing directors, health/fitness industry reps, and bonified scientists who actually work in labs!
Each of our readers had indicated on the October Parent STEM Survey that they would like to volunteer at school. If you would like to read with a class (we provide the STEM books for you to read), please send an email with your availability, and we'll connect you to a classroom!
Miss Cindy reads to kindergarteners
Jonah Hall reads to second graders
Samantha Martin reads to kindergarteners
State Testing Snacks for ILEARN Grades 3 - 6
State testing starts about two weeks after spring break for ALL students in grades 3 - 6. We try to provide a healthy snack for all students in between testing sessions. It's a welcome break for their brains and bodies when they're showing off what they know!
If you'd like to send snacks for students, we've created an Amazon list that ships directly to the school. When students have breaks in their schedule, their teachers take them to the snack area to hang with friends while they eat before re-entering the testing room. Thank you for considering sending items for our students!
Blessings in a Backpack is Back!
Visit https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2APSBS6JUW4E1?ref_=wl_share to view the Blessings in a Backpack wish list and send items directly to BES.
Indiana Employability Skills - Conduct Grades
Breakfast and Lunch
Our cafeteria manager's name is Mrs. Barb Johnson; you can reach her with any questions regarding your child's cafeteria account or the menu at bjohnson@bhsc.school or extension 5819. Lunch menus are updated monthly at BHSC Food Services Menus. Menus are posted!
Prices for full-pay meals are listed below but are subject to change.
Elementary breakfast - $2.10
Elementary lunch - $3.10
**If you do NOT want your child to have the ability to purchase extras, please email Cafeteria Manager Barb Johnson at bjohnson@bhsc.school to have her put a flag on your child's account.
Pick Up Patrol
For transportation changes and absences, we'll be using Pick Up Patrol again this school year. We think you'll find it incredibly easy to use, and it will ensure transportation changes are received and communicated to all necessary staff. It will also allow you to report absences without having to call the attendance line! More info will be coming in an email before school begins.