Inside this issue:

PTO, Car- Free Commute

3-6

Bear Creek Learning Garden

7

Color Run 8, 9

Classroom Clips 10-12

BC Monthly Calendar 13

BVSD 14-19

Bear Tracks Bear Creek Elementary

2500 Table Mesa Drive

Boulder, CO 80305

Kent Cruger, Principal

May 19, 2017

BC At-A-Glance 2

GOODBYE AND GOOD LUCK

TO THE BEAR CREEK CLASS OF 2017

The Bear Creek family wishes you all the best as you make the move to

middle school next year. Come back and visit us when you can!!!

Happy Summer Break! ~ Kent Cruger

Ethan Altomare Lucas Flensburg Larsson Luka Kosovic Audrey Philpott

Annika Aumentado Charlie Fontana Katia Kriakova Katja Rodd

Dagny Bachman Olaya Garcia-Grau Karl Kubala Natalie Rudman

Zander Barba Avanti Gautam Jake Kubitschek Erin Salo

Nella Bieger Yosha Gautam Vincenzo Lauritzen Peter Savage

Nate Bleekman Emi Gerwing Caspar Lenz Anderson Haven Selby

Noah Bodner Robert Handorean Jessica Levy Reid Sprague

Angie Bohn Mariah Handwork Alan Leyk Johan Stork

Luca Bohn Cassidy Harnett Kira LiVecchi Lily Thompson

Carlota Bottome Atiya Hasan Olivia Loeffler Remy Tolar

Cecilia Bottome Colin Haselfeld Nadia Mateyko Annelise Trampedach

Calvin Brain Abby Henderson Skye McLean Mia Twigger

Lucy Chada Kramarich Mia Hoskins Wren Meehan Ben Viverito

Bella Chang Jessie Hsu Jillian Montelongo Luke Walter

Owen Cook Luca Inchingolo-Manz Erin Moulds Cara Wang

Elsa Corn Ryan Ito-Allen Lou Munger Addison Washburn

June Darin Elianna Jewett Annie Nelson Brooke Wellington

Braedyn Davis David Jiang Matthew Nolan Kennedy Werkmeister

Addison Dec Frances Johnson Gracie Paul Savannah Wiener

Amelia DeLorenzo Moto Kanda Celeste Pavillard-Pitts Avery Zapin

Maya Elron Avery Kang Chris Payne Jenny Zhang

Alex FitzGerrell Kaden Kelly Riley Payton

BEAR CREEK CALENDAR

Monday, May 22

Mrs. Cantrick’s Celebration @ 3:00

Drumming Performance @ 4:00 (outside)

Tuesday, May 23

Kindergarten Graduation, Picnic & Party

Wednesday, May 24

Awards Assembly @ 9:00

Thursday, May 25

Awards Assembly @ 9:00

Elementary Lunch Menu Week of 5/22-5/26

Monday, May 22

Pepperoni Pizza, Cheese Pizza

Pulled Pork Sandwich

Tuesday, May 23

All-Beef Hot Dog

Veggie Enchiladas

Wednesday, May 24

Beef Nachos

Been Nachos

Thursday, May 25

Chef’s Choice

Friday, May 26

Chef’s Choice

AND AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES To find before or afternoon school activities please check the entry foyer, Life Long Learning, and the Bear Creek Website.

Kindergarten Enrichment Registration

The window is now open! Kindergarten Enrichment is a BVSD

tuition based, child care program that compliments the Kinder-

garten program and provides a full school day experience for

your child. Registration is open until March 13th. At that time

we will run a lottery for available seats at schools where it is

needed. After March 13th we will continue to accept registra-

tions for the remaining available seats and wait lists. Tuition

assistance is available through CCAP. For more information or

to register, please visit our website bvsd.org/ke or

call 720.561.5970.

Please return any BC badges that

may be hiding in drawers or cars.

Health Room Medication

Those families who have medication in

the Health Room, please stop by and

pick it up. All medication left in the

Health Room will be disposed of.

LOST and FOUND

The end of the year is quickly approaching and with the change of seasons it is a good reminder to check for lost winter clothing. The lost and found is located at the end of the hallway by the gym between the inside and outside doors. Currently we have clothing overflowing the bins. Labeling your child’s clothing is one way to make sure it gets back to the child when found on the playground or when the clothing bin is cleaned out.

The last week of school clothing will be ar-ranged in the foyer.

May 31 is the deadline to pick up any articles of clothing!

After which it will be bagged and donated to a charity.

Friday, May 26th LAST DAY OF SCHOOL

5th Grade Graduation

1:00 pm

Let us keep Bear Creek connected over the summer!

Keep your eyes on the Bear Creek Facebook page over the summer. To keep us connected, some parents are organizing Bear Creek Picnic Dinners to happen in the neighborhood parks. There may even be a MOVIE NIGHT involved. Please calendar these tentative dates: June 15, July 20, and August 16.

Consider reserving Boulder's Neighborhood Block Party Trailer and organizing a party on your block or in a park. The trailer is FREE to use and contains tables, chairs, coolers, games and road block-ades (to use if you host your party on a street). You define your "neighborhood" - it just needs to be everyone in some defined geographic area. Here is the info on how to reserve the trailer:https://bouldercolorado.gov/…/neighborhood-block-party-trai…. These dates were still open as of May 15: May 28, June 3, 4, 11, 18, 25, July 15, 16, 23, August 6, Sept. 2, 3, Oct. 8, 14. Don't forget to post your party to the Bear Creek Facebook Page so that Bear Creek families falling within your "neighborhood" will be sure to learn about it.

Have a great summer!”

Fifth grade students in Mrs. Ewing's class presented Francisco with gift cards

and other treats from the P.T.O. and thank you cards that they and students in

Mrs. Platt's third grade class created in appreciation of our wonderful

custodians, Francisco Uribe and Juan Contreras.

Thank you to all

the volunteers that

made these events

happen:

Carnival

Lipsync

Teacher Appreciation Snacks

Back to School Night

International Walk/Bike Days

Book Fairs

Teacher Conference Dinners

Hearing / Vision Screening

Picture Day

Earth Day

Earth Fair

Paint Kindergarten Shed

Color Run

Fun & Fitness Day

We couldn’t have done this without you!

PTOPULSE

New PTO Board 2017-2018 At our last meeting the PTO voted in a new Board for the next school year: Chair – Karin Larsson Fundraising – Michi Sakurai Treasurer – Annie Haselfeld Secretary – Katie Birkholz Hospitality –Brigetta Stephenson DPC Representative – Lisa Schneider Volunteer Coordinator – Nina Rodd Members at Large – Mindy Munger, Michelle Wellington, Jessica Knape, Narisa Wild, Dave Penzkover, Linna Shih, Carla Elliot and Susanne Kianicka THANK YOU PARENTS! On behalf of the PTO, thank you so much for your involvement this year – from volunteering in the classroom, donating money to our annual Tools for Learning Campaign, using your Grocery Gift cards, bringing in meals or snacks to the teachers, and chaperoning field trips! Bear Creek would not be the same without all of your generosity! THANK YOU! A Special THANKS to the following volunteers: Jeff Finkelstein – for taking fabulous photos of our kids during the entire school year and sharing those precious images with us Treloar Tredennick – for organizing so many wonderful treats for the teachers David Lehigh Allen, Andy Jacobson, Ning Mosberger-Tang, Brent Halsey, Susan

Churchill and Regner Trampedach – for organizing the ever-popular car-free commute program Regner Trampedach – for organizing Earth Day celebration Michelle Wellington – for taking charge of the spectacular Carnival and thanks to the amazing group of parents and 5th graders who volunteered their time Mary Tompkins – for organizing the King Soopers Rewards cards Jennifer Gilligan - for organizing the Lucky’s Market Rewards cards Brigetta Stephenson and the Garden Committee – for bringing students outdoors to the amazing Learning Garden. Holly Sprague, Darren Kelly and Robyn Savage – for bringing us another fantastic Lip Sync show The Yearbook Committee – for producing a wonderful yearbook Kristin Delorenzo, Treloar Tredennick , Amy Viverito, Camila Weise and Sonya Gary – for their time and energy on the PTO Board HAVE A WONDERFUL SUMMER!

Karin Larsson, PTO Chair

karin.f.larsson@gmail.com

THIS WEEK’S

TOP STORIES

The committee members and all the classes have been busily planting their crops:

Kindergarten - Salsa Garden

First Grade - wild flowers and perennials around the fence of the garden

Second grade - carrots, silverbeet, snap peas and onions

Third - potatoes, tomatoes and herbs

Forth - Three Sisters, corn, beans and squash

Fifth - melons, pie and jack-o-lantern pumpkins

Please sign up for a week of garden duty this summer via https://helpatschool.org/schools/1/events

We need volunteers to make sure the irrigation system is working properly, harvest and cut back veggies and herbs and pull weeds in the beds and garden. Thanks in advance for your participation!

HAVE A JOYOUS, ADVENTURESOME, AND SAFE HOIDAY!

If you have questions, comments, or would like to hear about what we do, please contact brigetta.stephenson@gmail.com.

Thank You

Mr. Soole!!!

Learn About Boulder’s Wildlife!

4th Graders from Bear Creek will have their art

exhibited at the “Walk in the Wild” International

Migratory Bird Day @ Walden Ponds Wildlife

Habitat, 75th & Jay Road, on

Saturday, May 20 from 9:00am - 1:30 pm.

Remember to clip those Box Tops over the

Summer and return them in August!. They

really add up! Have a great break!

Successful District

Shadowbox Art Show

Nadia Mateyko, Skye McLean, and Ms. Wright at the

District Shadowbox Art Show.

Library News - After Spring Fair

Congratulations to all who made our spring Usborne book fair such a success! We earned approximately $3,000 in Usborne credit and $500 in cash earmarked for an author visit next February. The book fair can be a crazy time, but it is such an important fundraiser for our library and classrooms. If you would like to pur-chase additional Usborne books, you can access the website at http://u3799.myubam.com/. Thank you for your support. A special thank you goes out to the vol-unteers who helped set up and work the registers: Denise Walker, Narisa Wild, Gwen Grasse, Ruth Smith, Camila Weise, and Michelle Wellington. We absolutely could not hold a fair without your help!! Also a huge thanks goes out to the faithful library volunteers who shelve hundreds of books each week and keep the library neat, tidy and running smoothly: Denise Walker, Lisa Chase, Andrea Berry and Erin Marsh.

We need all books back on the shelf before the end of the school year for an accurate inventory. If your child still has a book checked out (you should be receiving an overdue notice in their take home folder), please help him/her find and return or pay for any missing books. Thanks for your help in maintaining our library collection. Encourage your kids to keep reading over the summer. Boulder Public Library has a “Build a Better World” themed program this summer for kids K-12. See the following link for information. https://boulderlibrary.org/summer-reading/

Kids who need some recommendations for good books to read this summer can access the following sites : What I Should Read Next and Your Next Read and Novelist through Boulder Public Library’s site.

Over the summer students can access Wixie, an online drawing and publishing program, by going to Wixie.com and selecting Log in with Google. Their email is their same username with @bvsd.org at the end. (e.g. lwbrockway01@bvsd.org) Their password is the same as their computer password. Students can also access Tumblebooks, a database of over 1,100 children’s e-book titles as well. (tumblebooklibrary.com username: bearcreek, pass-word: books.) Have a happy summer, and curl up with a good book as often as you can!!!

In accordance with the BVSD policy on distribution/posting of non-curricular material-Bear Tracks will print curricular items about our school. Many outside opportunities available, (i.e. Science Matters, second language programs, parenting workshops, community sports, non-profit organizations, etc.) may be posted on the hall bulletin board with prior approval of the Principal, but may not be included in Bear Tracks. Be sure to check the Parent’s Board in the school for information regarding outside opportunities. All articles can be submitted to Carolyn Walker at carolyn.walker@bvsd.org.

Additional information about Bear Creek can be found on the website at http://www.bvsd.org/schools/bearcreek/ .

Submission Deadline Publication Date

August 23 August 25

September 13 September 15

October 10 October 12

Top Ten Summer Healthy Tips For Kids

by Shae Gawlak (Fit to be Kids)

1. Never skip breakfast – breakfast is the most important meal of the entire day. Make sure to eat nutritious foods that support

your physical activity for the day as well as for bone, muscle, & brain growth; like a bowl of oatmeal, with fresh fruit &

almonds, along with some scrambled eggs and a cold glass of milk.

2. Eat plenty of fresh fruits & vegetables daily – make sure ½ of your plate is filled with fruits and veggies with each important

meal (breakfast, lunch, dinner).

3. Always stay hydrated – replace sugary sports drinks & sodas with water; add slices of fresh fruit like strawberries, lemons,

limes or watermelons to your water for a delicious flavor. Staying hydrated prevents heat related illness: symptoms are

headache, cold sweats, exhaustion, nausea and/or vomiting, and diarrhea.

4. Wear sunscreen – apply sunscreen about every 2-3 hours and more often when in or around water.

5. Wear sunglasses – wearing sunglasses blocks up to 99% of UV rays, which can easily damage the eye because of sunburn.

6. Get plenty of rest – during the hot summer heat, making sure you get plenty of rest is important to prevent heat exhaustion

while playing outside, take frequent shaded breaks. Getting 8-10 hours of sleep every night is important for recuperation and

growth.

7. Good oral hygiene – make sure to brush your teeth every morning and every night before bedtime. Seeing a dentist every 6

months is imperative in order to prevent major dental issues – poor dental hygiene causes other health problems, mainly with

digestion.

8. Stay Active! – find activities you enjoy; like riding your bike, swimming, playing sports with your friends; a minimum of 60

minutes of daily physical activity is recommended for all children.

9. Wear safety gear – when riding your bike, skateboarding, roller skating or blading always make sure to wear a helmet, elbow

& shin guards and appropriate close toed shoes.

10. R.I.C.E. – if you experience an injury from being physically active make sure you get enough REST, apply ICE and

COMPRESSION to the injured site, and keep the injured area ELEVATED.

May 2017

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 3

Student Council

3:05-3:45

4 5 6

7

8

Color Run

9

District Shadow Box Show 4:30

PTO Meeting @ 1:30

10 11 12

CU Commence-ment

Student Council Spirit Day

13

14 15

Garden Committee

@ 8:45

16

FUN &

FITNESS

17

Fun & Fitness Raindate

6:30 Band Concert

@ SoHills

Orchestra Concert @

Platt

18

6th Grade Tran-sition Night @ SoHills

19 20

21 22

Mrs. Cantrick’s Celebration @ 3:00

Drumming Performance @ 4:00 (outside)

23

Kindergarten Graduation, Picnic & Party

24

9:00 Awards Assembly

25

9:00 Awards Assembly

26

Last Day of School

1:00 5th Grade

Graduation

27

28 29 30

Teacher Appreciation Week

Spring Book Fair

BVSD is working to improve air quality in our schools

Last year, BVSD began a long term initiative to collect indoor air quality data across the district to identify where we can make changes to improve it. Recognizing the proven role of good indoor air quality for student performance and health, BVSD hopes this work will have significant benefits for students and staff. There are a couple of ways parents are asked get involved and help with this effort:

Provide information about reasons for absenteeism

In addition to collecting data from school sites, we want to understand how air quality may be affecting student health and absenteeism. Beginning this school year, when parents call in to report a health-related absence from school, they will be asked to identify the nature of the illness. Learn more.

Join the District-wide Air Quality Team The district is creating an Indoor Air Quality Team to work with us on this initiative. The team will include BVSD princi-pals, teachers, parents and community members. Once convened, the team will determine meeting times and sched-ule. Applications are due September 9. Follow these links for more information and the application.

For more information about the air quality initiative, go to: bvsd.org/airquality.

Student accident insurance 2016-2017

Low-cost student accident insurance is again being offered by Markel this year. They have changed their enrollment method from

paper to electronic and will not be providing print outs to schools to distribute to students. Attached is a PDF of their enrollment

information. This information is also available on the district website at

http://www.bvsd.org/employees/AthleticsActivities/Athletic%20Insurance%20Information/Forms/AllItems.aspx.

Healthy Kids Initiative

Another possible option for parents whose students need health insurance is the Boulder County Healthy Kids Initiative which

helps families enroll in Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) and Medicaid. CHP+ and Medicaid are free and low-cost health insurance

plans that provide dental, medical, prescription, mental health, and vision benefits. There are no monthly premiums, and co-pays

range from $0 - $15 depending on family income. CHP+ has higher income eligibility limits than many public assistance programs,

so many working families can qualify. Assets are not considered when determining eligibility for these programs. Some families

who have not previously qualified may be able to qualify now due to new income guidelines.

Eligibility specialists are available to serve families at all BVSD schools. Call 720-515-1454 today to talk with a specialist or to make

an appointment!

More information is available on the district website at http://www.bvsd.org/healthykids. A link to this page is on the front page of

the district site: Go to www.bvsd.org and click the Healthy Kids Initiative logo at the bottom of the page.

NONDISCRIMINATION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

In compliance with Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973,

the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, Colorado law and Board of Education Policy AC (Nondiscrimination/Equal Opportunity), Boulder Valley School District does not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, religion, ancestry, need for special education services, age, marital status, genetic

information, or physical characteristics in admissions, access to, treatment, or employment in educational programs or activities which it operates. Complaint procedures have been established for students, parents, employees and members of the public. The following person has been identified as the compliance officer

for the district:

Superintendent, Boulder Valley School District6500 Arapahoe Rd.

Boulder, CO 80301 720.561.5114 Superintendent@bvsd.org