Bridger Creative Science News

Happy Friday, BCSS,

As we get closer to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, I’ve been thinking about how his vision of justice, equity, and love still inspires us to this day. Dr. King showed us how courage and compassion can make a difference, and he challenged us all to dream big about creating a better world.

At Bridger, we’ve been spending time reflecting on his legacy. During our recent community gatherings, we focused on this month’s social-emotional skill: adaptability. We talked about how being open-minded and brave can help us face change and grow. Our 4th graders in Ms. Hafsa’s class really brought this to life by sharing notes and letters they wrote to Dr. King about continuing his work.

I’m also excited to invite you to our upcoming BIPOC Family Night on Tuesday, January 30th, from 6:30 to 8:00 PM. This is a special evening to celebrate and uplift our BIPOC community, strengthen connections, and honor the amazing diversity that makes Bridger such a great place. I hope you can join us!

I’d like to leave you with a beautiful poem by Lia Simek, a 4th grader in Ms. Hafsa’s class. Lia’s words are a powerful reminder of the strength and hope in Dr. King’s dream:

Change
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
By Lia Simek

A bullet shot to the heart means only the end of a life
It will never mean the end of a wish, a dream

“I had a dream,” Dr. Martin Luther King once said

To live is a hope and a dream is a hope that will one day come true.

Let’s keep holding onto hope, honoring the dreams of those who came before us, and working together to make those dreams a reality.

In community,
Tarehna Wicker
Principal
Bridger Creative Science School

January 20th No School MLK Day

January 24th End of 2nd Quarter

January 27th No School Grading Day

January 28th No School Teacher Professional Development

Winter SUN February 3 - March 21

The Post Office is Coming Soon!

It's that time of year again! The second annual Bridger Creative Science Post Office (15th year in this building!) will be open for business starting Monday, February 3rd and run through Friday, February 14th.

Here’s how it works:

1. Buy a student-designed postcard (10¢), envelope (3¢) or Valentine (10¢) and a BCSS stamp

(2 ¢ and required for delivery 😉).

1. After you have written your letter, address it to anyone at our school (write the person’s name and classroom number). You can also send mail to kids and adults at other PPS schools (name, school, grade level required).

2. Then put it in the BCSS mailbox any time during the day. We make deliveries daily in the afternoon. (Valentine’s Day Deliveries Guaranteed!)

Important postal information:

• You can send letters to anyone within Portland Public Schools! (Write the person’s first and last name,

grade level and the school name on the letter if sending to another PPS school.)

• You can purchase your class Valentines at the post office.

• You can send ALL of your Valentines through the post office.

• We GUARANTEE VALENTINE’S DAY DELIVERIES

• Adults are encouraged to write to their children and send Valentines, cards, and postcards.

• You and your family can send PACKAGES through the post office too!

All funds support Justina of Zambia through Children International. Thanks to our community support, Justina is now attending school and receiving school supplies and clothes. She and her family also receive medical care and support with basic living needs, such as mosquito nets and pots for boiling water.

In addition to our indoor school post office, the outdoor post office is open at the beginning of the school day and after school to allow families to participate (located at the backdoor of Room 10 close to the Library Doors Entrance).

Postal Hours for Outdoor Post Office:

8:30-9:30 am

3:15 to 3:45ish pm.

Thank you for joining in the fun!

2nd Grade Team

aschmidt@pps.net

Hi Families!

SUN winter enrollment forms are out! If you need extra copies we have them in the main office. Winter SUN will begin Monday Feb. 3- Mar. 21.

Spring term will begin the second week back from spring break. Since there will be a quick turn around I will be working on Spring interest forms soon and will be out before the end of winter term.

Reminder if your student attended last term and already filled out an enrollment form there is no need to fill them out again. We only need one a year. Interest form choices do need to be back.

All enrollment forms need wet signatures!

Chess class is a year long class. Class is full at the moment. If we have a student drop out we will go down the waiting list of interest forms.

Studio art class for 3-5th grade is still open. The classes are Monday and Wednesdays. Talk to your students about joining. FUN class with different art projects students get to take home.

If you have questions please contact me at marisol@latnet.org.

The Montavilla Neighborhood Association in conjunction with the other District 3 neighborhoods is helping make people aware of a survey Southeast Uplift Neighborhood Coalition is conducting. They want to help define the community priorities and share the results with the newly elected District 3 members of City Council. We are trying to reach out to as many people in the community as possible.

The survey is open to anyone who lives and/or works in any of the 19 neighborhoods of District 3 and will end Jan. 31st.

I attached a PDF flyer with the survey information and link that can be emailed to your members. I could not find an email address for your PTA organization. If you could send it to me I will also contact them. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Click here to take Survey

Thank you,

Colleen Howard

Montavilla Neighborhood Association

Hello,

I am a nurse at the Oregon Burn Center. I am excited to share we are hosting a regional safety fair to kick off National Burn Awareness Week. We invite you to join us at the Portland Expo Center on February 2nd, 2025 for this family friendly, free event! We are partnering with regional agencies to educate the community on in home safety. With visits from special characters, face painting and emergency vehicles on site, we are sure to have entertainment for the kids. It takes multiple agencies to care for burn patients in our region and we are hosting a chili cookoff to bring our partners together for some healthy rivalry. Being the only burn center between Seattle and Sacramento, we serve our state and beyond! This annual event will be a great way to celebrate the teamwork we use to care for anyone experiencing burn injury and bring burn awareness to the public. Any proceeds raised will go to the Oregon Burn Center Foundation for future outreach and prevention efforts.

If you have any questions about this event, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We hope to see you there!

Erin Duggan, BSN, RN

Oregon Burn Center

eduggan@lhs.org

Hi!

Ridwell has extended an invitation for us to bring up to 50 BCSS community members (staff students parents etc) to tour the Ridwell factory if we can sign up another 10 families by Feb 28th. I think a school trip would be awesome especially to get the kids excited about lifelong reduce, reuse, recycle!

Can you please help spread the word?

Thanks!

Anne

Here is the new info just for us!
URL: https://get.ridwell.com/bcss

SUN Update

Hi parents, Students had lots of fun this fall term in SUN! This is the last week of the term.

Winter term will start February 3 and end March 21 (before spring break). Enrollment and interest forms will be going out to students when we are back from winter break (mid January). Please keep a look out. If your student has attended any after school activities this term they will not need to fill out an enrollment form, only an interest form for classes. If students are new to after school activities they will need to fill out an enrollment form. Students only need to complete one a year. If your student has been in ANY after school activities so far and you don’t remember doing one or have not completed one. Please stop by the office to complete a copy. They are mandatory for any student staying after school. We want to keep students safe and this is the way we can know who is in the building after hours.

If you have questions or would like to double check if we have your students form, email me at marisol@latnet.org.

Thank you!

Utility Bill Support

Pay less for your energy With PGE’s Income-Qualified Bill Discount program, your monthly discount could be between 15% to 60% on your energy use depending on your annual household income and household size. This discount is in addition to any assistance you’re receiving from PGE or other agencies. And if you’ve received energy assistance in the past, you’ll likely qualify. Visit portlandgeneral.com/pgediscount or call 503-228-6322.

Are you looking for a way to help students in our community? SMART Reading is looking for Volunteer Readers to read with kindergarten through third grade students at Bridger Creative Science School. This volunteer position is a great way to get involved and help kids get excited about reading! If you or someone you know is interested in volunteering, please visit https://smartreading.org/volunteer/ or call 971-634-1628.