the bunker hill barker* · 2017. 1. 30. · bunker hill barker january students of the month bhe...
TRANSCRIPT
Bunker Hill Barker
January 2017
The Bunker Hill Barker* *also on the school website (www.Bunkerhillelem.org)
Dear BHE Families,
I hope your students are enjoying the school year so far. For this month, I would like to follow up on some of the recent staff changes and the exciting direction (i.e., inquiry based learning) that BHE is continuing to move in.
Mrs. Finch (3rd Grade) and her family have moved to Utah. Her last day at BHE was January 5th. I would like to personally thank Mrs. Finch for her dedication to BHE and all of the students here. She had been with us since BHE opened and was always a friendly face. We will miss her and wish her the best in her new position as an elementary school teacher in Utah. Interviews were held, and I am happy to announce that Mrs. Christine Contessa has accepted the full time 3rd grade position.
We are so excited to have Mrs. Contessa as a part of the BHE team! Mrs. Contessa is a friendly and familiar face to BHE. She is a BHE parent and has been a BHE substitute teacher, serving as a long-term substitute for several teachers during the past two years. As a result, she is very familiar with our school, curriculum, procedures, students, and families. Additionally, Mrs. Contessa taught for 12 years in Philadelphia and Wilmington schools prior to working in the Appoquinimink School District.
This change created another opening because Mrs. Contessa was substituting long-term for Mrs. Lambert in 2nd grade. So, interviews for this long term substitute position were held and we had some highly qualified candidates apply. The new long term 2nd grade substitute for Mrs. Lambert will be Ms. Michelle Gazzerro. Ms. Gazzerro demonstrates a positive attitude and has experience as a substitute teacher, coach, paraprofessional, as well as three years of teaching experience. We are very excited to have her as part of the BHE team for the next few months! Mrs. Contessa is working with Ms. Gazzerro to make the transition as smooth as possible—the plan is to have Ms. Gazzerro fully transitioned by January 23rd.
Mrs. Stevenson, our school nurse, finished her last day at BHE on 12/22. She did a wonderful job, and we wish her luck in her new position as a Pediatric RN. A substitute nurse has been filling in and interviews for the opening were held. We will have a new full time nurse very soon.
Mrs. Wicks will be retiring on March 1st. Her last day at BHE will be February 28th. I can't begin to tell you how much Mrs. Wicks will be missed. She has served students in education for 27 years and brought
Dr. Edmond Gurdo, Act ing Pr incipal ([email protected] )
Laurie J. Wicks, Build ing Administrator (Laur [email protected] )
Important Dates 2/3 – Teacher of the Year
Nominations Due (by 4PM) 2/8 – PTA Meeting (6PM @ BHE
Library); Candygram Orders Due
2/16 – End of 2nd Marking Period 2/17 – No School (Professional
Development) 2/20 – No School (President’s Day) 2/24 – Spirit Day: Dress as Your
Favorite Book Character!
BHE December Students of the Month
Aemiliano Santiago, 1st Grade Aemiliano received a Purple
Positive Referral for going above and beyond 1st grade expectations! He is asking questions and tries his
best! We are proud of you Aemiliano!
Breanna Cuero, 4th Grade Breanna received a Purple Positive Referral for being awesome. She is
helpful, kind, and considerate. She has a positive attitude and
academic stamina!
Congratulations, Breanna!
Principal’s Letter by Edmond Gurdo
continued on page 2
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December’s Purple Positive
Referrals
Grade 1 Bryce Alleman Mark Cullen Shane Henry Azai Osborn Lilianna Pirri
Aemiliano Santiago Madison Wasburn
Grade 2 Lauren Arabis Landon Ashby
Annabelle Brown Andrew Feustel
Amiya Hines Zahi Hussaini Ajani Jacobs
Grace Maichle Lincoln Neubauer Brayden Robinson Jadon Santiago Justin Skinner
Meredith Thompson
Grade 3 Valeria Craig
Brandi Edmonds Mason Silva
Grade 4 Breanna Caero Chase Money
Brooklyn Smith Cade Wallace
Elaina Washburn Miranda Wyszynski
Grade 5 Aden Ashby Riane Bailey
Peyton Boileau Ellie Francois Abbi Maxwell Adam Ohline Kayla Tran
Safety Patroller of the Month December
Kaleia Meyer
Principal’s Letter continued
a wealth of knowledge, experience, and leadership to BHE that will always stay with us. Mrs. Wicks was here when BHE opened in 2009 as its Assistant Principal, and was promoted a few years later to principal. I am so grateful I was able to be mentored and learn from one of the best.
With that being said, as of January 3rd, I was named BHE's Acting Principal. Mrs. Wicks and I will continue to work side by side and we have a comprehensive transition plan. On February 6th, Jamie Bailey, Administrative Intern, will be sliding over from Cedar Lane Elementary to finish the last year of her internship here at BHE. You can read more about Jamie on page 7.
Since the 2013/14 school year when I became assistant principal, Mrs. Wicks and I have worked together on developing our shared vision of bringing an inquiry based instructional approach to BHE. After years of careful planning, visits to successful inquiry schools, and countless meetings, BHE began implementing our first phase of inquiry based instruction at the beginning of this school year. I am fully committed to inquiry based instruction and am here to ensure that our growth along this path continues.
Inquiry based instruction is grounded in research and experience that shows when students have ownership and a meaningful vested interest in learning, they perform significantly better than students in more traditional environments. In this approach, teachers take a carefully planned path to encourage student ownership and collaboration, while still covering all of the required standards. Ultimately, this leads to a more comprehensive understanding, application, and retention of information in both standardized testing and real world scenarios.
BHE teachers and staff have been involved in continuous professional development on inquiry based learning since the summer of 2016. Teachers receive personalized weekly coaching sessions and BHE has an inquiry consulting company that has been assisting us in the transformation to an inquiry school. Our core values of Taking Risks, Asking Questions, Collaborating and Sharing Ideas that were developed by our staff earlier this year truly speak to the premise behind inquiry learning where students are developing their own questions and ways to answer those questions.
Although still early in the process, we are already seeing the benefits of inquiry. Students are becoming better collaborators, critical thinkers, and communicators: Skills that are critical to their future success. They are stepping outside of their comfort zone and showing more engagement too. The plan is to become a fully immersed inquiry school over the course of 5 years.
I can assure you that things will stay pretty consistent and the high quality education your child receives will continue. In the spring, the district will post the principal position, which I have every intention of applying for. I consider BHE to be my second home. I have been here since the doors opened in 2009 and the students, families, and staff are near and dear to my heart. I am so grateful and excited for this opportunity to serve BHE in this new capacity. Thank you for your continued support and I greatly look
forward to the rest of the school year.
Bunker Hill Barker
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Announcements
• If you haven’t nominated an outstanding BHE teacher for Teacher of the Year, it’s not too late! Forms are accessible on-line, just go to the following link: https://goo.gl/forms/0OgSfMeZfW9jB2s03 Nominations are due by 4:00PM, Friday, February 3rd, 2017.
• Did you know January 9-13th was BHE’s 8th Annual Geography Awareness Week? There were daily trivia questions and grade level winners were randomly selected from correct responses. Fourth and fifth graders participated in the National Geography Bee (for results, see page 6). And, Friday, 1/13 was “Wear Day” where students who wore clothes that depicted/named places farthest from BHE won grade level contests.
• Candygram order forms will be distributed February 1st and are due back February 8th. Please see “PTA News” (page 4) for more details.
• BHE Students, it’s time to READ! The “Minute to Win It” Winter Games will be held in February and the students with the most earned AR points (from 1/17 to 2/14) will participate in fun contests against teachers and principals during an in-school assembly! Additionally, 3 students from each grade will be randomly selected to participate, provided they have earned a minimum number of AR points (one point for each grade).
• The next BHE Spirit Day will be held on Friday, February 24th. It’s dress up as your favorite book character day!
• Order forms went home with all students for books by Jerry Pallotta. He will be the keynote speaker at Real Men Read on March 2nd and will visit BHE on March 3rd!
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Jump Rope For Heart by Jonathan Fitch
Students at Bunker Hill are jumping at the chance to fight heart disease and stroke, our nation’s No. 1 and No. 4 killers. Throughout the month of February, we will be hosting our 8th annual Jump Rope for Heart event to raise money for the American Heart Association, which funds lifesaving heart and stroke research and community and educational programs for our youth.
Jump Rope For Heart teaches students how physical fitness benefits the heart and shows them that volunteering can be a fun and positive experience for the whole community. The need to educate children about the importance of physical activity couldn’t be timelier. According to recent studies, about one-third of children ages 2 to 19 are overweight and obese.
“By including physical activity into their daily routines, kids can significantly reduce the onset and burden of heart disease”, said American Heart Association. “By raising money through Jump Rope For Heart, we are preventing heart disease and obesity for the next generation of Americans. Kids are literally jumping into a heart healthier life while becoming passionate about raising money for other kids with sick hearts.”
For over 36 years, millions of students have jumped rope and learned about heart health and how nutrition and physical activity can help prevent heart disease and stroke. Jump Rope For Heart is co-sponsored by the American Heart Association and SHAPE America – Society of Health and Physical Educators.
Please help our students help others by making a donation. They will be raising money during the entire Month of February. This year we have set a goal of $5,000 as a school. Last year we raised $6,802.07. If you would like to help us meet our goal visit us online at heart.org/jump or help your student raise money for Jump Rope for Heart. You can also join us on February 23rd between 4 – 8PM
at Sky Zone in Newark, DE. A portion of the proceeds from that event will be split between Jump Rope for Heart and our Field Day event on June 8th. Sky Zone is also giving a free 30 Minute Jump Time to any students who raised $35 or more for Jump Rope for Heart. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Mr. Fitch at [email protected].
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•
Thanks to everyone who purchased logo wear and/or “Smencils”! We profited $144 from logo wear sales. The Smencil sale was very popular--we had over 500 requests, so we ordered an additional quantity of “Smencils” to fill all of the orders. We will discuss the profit number at the February meeting.
Our next fundraiser, “Candygrams” is getting underway. This is a Valentine’s candy purchase and delivery—for $1 students can send a box of candy message hearts to another student or staff member. Order forms will be distributed Feb. 1st and are due back Feb. 8th. Delivery will be on Feb. 13th & 14th.
We hope you can make it to our next meeting on Wednesday, February 8th at 6PM in the BHE Library. There will be a special presentation from the immersion program to introduce Mandarin Chinese!
PTA News
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PTA Board Members
President O’Shell Cooper
Co-Vice President Megan Ferguson
Co-Vice President Kelly Wright
Treasurer Kim Cox
Secretary Michelle Nanga
Membership Chair Cheryl Yard
Teacher Liasons William Barton
Beverly Barton [email protected]
BoxTop$ Update by Kai DuBose
Total Number of BoxTop$ Collected by Classroom (through 1/22/17)
1st Grade 2nd Grade 3rd Grade 4th Grade 5th Grade
Abshire: 704 Aleman/Massott: 262 Collazo/Schwalbe: 334 Barton: 380 Barton: 608
Gordon: 903 Baker: 470 Finch/Costello: 960 Corcoran/Kanefsky: 1196 Bates: 415
Kirchenbauer/ Buzzuro: 564 Ray: 650 Eby: 246 Hults: 254
Coppinger: 136 Cushing: 100 Roesch: 389 Leonard: 415 Walton/Benton: 467
Willits: 395 Doble: 340 Weatherford: 656 Walker: 432
Lambert: 652
My Plate at Home Help your child to explore how to make healthy food choices. Take the
opportunity to talk with your child about nutrition, try new foods together, and
get your child involved in making healthier meals and snacks. Make it fun! See
how many your family can check off. This week, my family will:
( ) Eat a dark-green, red, or orange vegetable at dinner. ( ) Switch to a whole-grain cereal at breakfast.
( ) Drink fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk at meals. ( ) Eat beans or peas at dinner at least once. ( ) Drink water instead of soda or other sweet drinks. ( ) Enjoy fruit for dessert.
Bulldog Café News by Marybeth Raynor
Congratulations to the January classroom pretzel contest winner: Mrs. Abshire with 704 BoxTop$! Our redemption check arrived this month for $2059.60! Please keep on clipping!
Bunker Hill Barker
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JA BizTown by Beverly Barton
December Spirit Days Photos
The fifth grade went on their annual field trip to JA BizTown in December. Students prepared for the trip by learning about economics. They were able to practice skills like working together, and make decisions throughout the day based on their income and spending opportunities. The following are quotes from students about their experience.
-“I enjoyed JA Biztown because it is a real small town and you got paid. You could deposit your money into the bank. You could go to stores and buy things.” Landon Jones
-“My favorite part about JA was the fact that we got to simulate a work environment. We got paid and got to take breaks. Best of all, we go to do our job and help each other out. Being a bank teller, I got to deposit people’s money into their bank account.” Brodie Neubauer
-“JA was a great experience for me because I have always wondered what it was like to be an adult. After I went I changed my mind. I don’t want to be an adult yet, I can wait. JA was fun for me because I got to experience being an adult. I learned that it is not fun!” Austin Colazzo
-“What I liked about JA was that we learned about how to keep money and not spend it all. Now we will know how to use a checking account and a debit/credit card in the future.” Jaxon Purse
-“My favorite thing I learned is how to open a savings account. I appreciate my mom and dad more because they do a lot of work.” Nathaniel Simms
-“My favorite thing about JA was that JA prepared us for when we will become adults in the future.” Aden Ashby
-“At JA we worked very hard. For a minute I felt like an adult. They work very hard.” Riane Bailey
-“JA BizTown was really fun. For the whole time we were there we were more like adults than kids. I enjoyed being a bank teller at WSFS Bank. I got to help people deposit money into their accounts. My favorite part of JA was getting to feel how adults feel.” Ellie Francois
-“What I loved about JA is that I got to learn how much my mom and dad work. I understand now why they are cautious with money. It helped me realize that my parents work hard so now I will work hard. I spend more time with my family than in my room. I hope I can go to JA again and others will get to go, too.” Naa Sowah
-“The things that we did while we were at JA were fun. The music was cool to listen to and I liked working and pretending that we were adults.”
Brianna Colley
The entrance to Biztown (Wilmington, DE).
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Jasen Rocheleau (2017 Geography Bee Runner Up), Mrs. Wicks, and Ellie Francois
(2017 Geography Bee Champion).
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In Reading, students are learning about fictional stories. They are learning how to determine the main idea and supporting details. They will also identify the story’s plot and character’s traits through their actions, words and/or feelings. In this unit, students explore how to figure out the author’s message in a story. They are also identifying the beginning, middle and end of each story along with sequencing events.
In Math, students are using their surveying skills to compile information for our Data Analysis Unit. They are creating different types of graphs to record and interpret survey results.
In Social Studies, students really enjoyed learning about Colonial Times. They compared their life with Colonial children of long ago. We also took a field trip to the Hagley Museum where students participated in Colonial Times activities.
In Science, we began our new Unit: Solids and Liquids. Students will identify the properties of solids and liquids. Each lesson provides opportunities for students to investigate and apply their observations and to communicate their observations and questions. In Mrs. Willits’ class, students are learning about sound and light which are
goals of the Next Generation Science Standards.
Here’s a look
at what some BHE
grades are
learning about this
month!
First Grade
Fourth Grade Each year thousands of schools in the United States participate in the National Geographic Bee using materials prepared by the National Geographic Society. The contest is designed to motivate students to learn about the world and how it works. Students in grades four through eight are eligible for this competition. The contest is designed to encourage teachers to include geography in their classrooms, spark student interest in the subject, and increase public awareness about geography. Students from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and the Department of Defense Dependents Schools are participating in the 2017 National Geographic Bee.
BHE’s 4th and 5th graders participated in this challenging competition during January. Each classroom completed a general geography test and seven rounds of questions covering states, oceans, continents and general geographical knowledge. The following students did an amazing job with this competition:
Grade/Teacher Classroom Winner* Classroom Runner-Up
5th/Hults Kareem Sadek Addie Lichtenstein
5th/Barton Ellie Francois Matthew Meredith
5th/Bates Jasen Rocheleau Adam Ohline
5th/Walton & Benton Laryn Fletcher Connor Brennan
4th/Eby-Runkle Jeremy Njuguna Angeline Nigro
4th/Leonard Garrett Borntreger David Sofoluwe
4th/Barton Navya Anumandla Riley Zurzolo
4th/Walker Hunter Brown Nitya Inabithini
4th/Corcoran & Kanefsky
Will Lupinek Holly Fenton** Kaitlyn Frantz**
Miranda Wyszynski** *participant in the Championship Rounds **three way tie
The Championship Rounds of the Bee were held in the cafetorium on Friday, Jan. 13th. Ellie Francois was named the Bunker Hill Elementary School Champion and Jasen Rocheleau was the runner up. All classroom winners did an outstanding job on some very difficult questions. Ellie will be taking an online test to see if she qualifies for the state of Delaware Bee in March. A special thank you to the BHE PTA who supports the Geography Bee and weekly geography trivia with Barnes and Nobles’ gift certificates and prizes for grade level trivia winners.
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Bunker Hill Elementary 1070 Bunker Hill RD
Middletown DE 19709
Phone (302)378-5135
Office Contacts
Connie Yelle, Senior Secretary [email protected] Tina Finch, Office Secretary [email protected]
Web
www.bunkerhillelem.org
How to Access Calendars
There are many ways to access both district
and school calendars. To view the district
calendar visit: www.apposchooldistrict.com,
click on “Families” tab, then scroll down to
“Calendar” –or- visit www.bunkerhillelem.org,
click on the “Parents” tab, then scroll down to
“School Calendar”. To view events more
specific to Bunker Hill, visit
www.bunkerhillelem.org, click on the
“Parents” tab, then scroll down to “Events
Calendar”.
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Learning Today, Leading Tomorrow…Imagine
the PAWS-ibilities!
The Appoquinimink School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, age, disability, marital status, national origin, or other legally protected categories in its educational programs, activities, employment, or student admissions policies or practices. Inquiries regarding compliance with the above can be directed to Section 504 Contact Kittie Rehrig, Supervisor of Student Services, 313 South Fifth Street, Box 4010, Odessa, DE 19730-4010. Responsibilities: To coordinate the ASD’s efforts to comply with the disability discrimination laws. Title IX Contact Matt Fallis, Director of Personnel, 313 South Fifth Street, Box 4010, Odessa, DE 19730-4010. Responsibilities: To coordinate the Appoquinimink School District’s efforts to comply with and carry out the district’s responsibilities under Title IX, including any investigation of any complaint alleging noncompliance with Title IX or alleging actions which would
be prohibited by Title IX.
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Title 1 Information As a Title I school we are required to provide parents with the following documentation:
Parent Involvement Plan
Parent/Student/School Compact
Parent Right To Know Teacher Qualifications
Delaware Federal Programs Complaint Procedures
All students were sent home with a packet containing a hard copy of the above documents. Also the same information has been posted on the school website. To access the information, go to www.bunkerhillelem.org and click on the Title 1 link.
Hello. I’m excited to come to Bunker Hill next month and get to know the students, staff, and parents. I keep hearing great things about the school and the community! I have been at Cedar Lane Elementary for the past two years as their administrative intern. Appoquinimink is one of the few districts that allow aspiring administrators the opportunity to be placed in an internship and get first-hand experience learning the role of administrator.
Prior to this position, I have worked as a first and fourth grade teacher at Townsend Elementary. I teach courses at Wilmington University and also am a consultant for Franklin Covey. Outside of work, I have a husband and an energetic two year old that keeps me busy. I look forward to meeting you!
Sincerely,
Jamie
Introducing BHE’s New Administrative Intern: Jamie Bailey