The Bogert Bulletin

Happy Thanksgiving! We are embarking upon the time of year when most people make it a point to show gratitude and thanks. I would like to offer my thanks to all of you for being so supportive of our school. Your support comes in many forms, and you probably don't even give it a second thought.... from high attendance at Back-to-School Night and Parent-Teacher Conferences, to never running short of field trip chaperones, to thoughtful Principal Advisory Committee discussions, to making sure your children are fully ready for school, the staff and I couldn't be more thankful. We appreciate your commitment to education and your partnership in creating the best possible school.

The first marking period will come to a close on December 6, and report cards will be available via Genesis on Monday, December 9. Even though we are not far removed from conferences, it's important that you take some time to review the report card with your child(ren). Having the conversation about progress, expectations, and goals will go a long way in helping ensure future success; celebrate positives and provide support for areas that need growth. You will receive an email on Monday when the report cards have been released.

We are so fortunate for so many things at Bogert School, and this is as good a time as any to pause, and give thanks. I wish everyone a very safe and happy holiday season.

Sincerely,

Mr. Kaplan

Principal

First marking period report cards will be released to parents, via Genesis, on Monday, December 9, at 2:30. While you likely have a general sense of your child's progress to date due to recent parent-teacher conferences, the report cards will give you a much more detailed look into skills in all subjects. I encourage you to also take a close look at the "Habits and Dispositions of Learning" section. This section of the report card addresses behavioral skills that the district has deemed most important to the learning process. As always, please contact your child's teacher with questions about anything listed on the report card; the teachers are here to help.

Mark your calendars! We are once again looking forward to our Holiday Shoppe for Reynolds and Bogert. It will be held the week of December 9th. Please be on the lookout for your child’s class shopping date and time. The Holiday Shoppe couldn’t happen without parent volunteers! The announcement for volunteer sign ups will be sent out shortly and the class schedule is below.

We are excited to announce that Bogert will again be participating in the Scripps National Spelling Bee. All students will participate in their Classroom Spelling Bees on Monday, January 27, 2025. Unfortunately, there will be no make-ups due to absences.

Below you will find the links to grade-level study guides for your child. Classroom Bees will focus on the grade-level lists, but typically advance to words above grade level. If your child wants a challenge, they can study the complete Spelling Bee Study List. More helpful resources and information can be found at https://spellingbee.com/

We are hoping to encourage children to learn how to break down words, decipher meanings of related words, develop a more extensive vocabulary, and become better readers and writers overall. With better reading comprehension, comes greater literacy, and greater enjoyment of reading, literature, and language, all from understanding words. This additional enrichment opportunity will take practice and regular studying. We also hope students will find it rewarding and fun as they gain a competitive spirit and a greater knowledge of word origins and an enhanced vocabulary.

Important Dates

• Classroom Spelling Bees: 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.

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

• 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 first Continental Math League meet - Nero P (5-Walker) and Michael A. (5-D'Anna) and Ninaad G. (3-Vega)! They will be receiving medals for accomplishing this achievement!

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

• Third grade: Monday: December 9, January 6 and February 10
• Fourth and Fifth grade: Wednesday: December 11, January 8 and February 12

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

One of our favorite activities this time of year is displaying families' holiday cards in the Main Office. Please feel free to send your family's card to Bogert, either through the mail or with your child, so we can include your cards with our office decorations!

December is here and with it will come an increasing number of cold days. Therefore, it’s imperative that your child comes to school prepared to be outside during recess and morning line-up. Please understand that students will be outside for recess as often as possible and they need to come to school dressed for the day’s weather conditions. And..... just in case that winter coat comes to school and doesn't make it home, please label everything! Believe it or not, when we retrieve lost items, we do check to see if they are labeled and when they are we return to them to their rightful owner!

Multilingual learners who participate in the ESL program have been working hard expanding their vocabulary with content specific words across different subjects including math, science, and social studies. Students have been practicing oral language through activities that engage them in group discussions and partner talk. Additionally, listening comprehension skills are also supported through group activities and peer partnering. Reading and writing activities target decoding and fluency skills, as well as structures of phrases, sentences and paragraphs.

Students’ learning is scaffolded to provide just the right amount of support in whatever stage of language acquisition they are in. In late winter, students in the ESL program will complete the annual ACCESS for ELLs 2.0 assessment. This state required assessment is used to gauge students' proficiency in the English language at that moment in time. Score reports are expected to be received by the district in late June. Parents will be sent a copy of the student score report at that time.

If you have any related questions, please reach out to ESL teacher, Mrs. Jackie Valdes, at jvaldes@ursrschoolsk8.com