From the Office

We’re excited to introduce the BES News to everyone. This will be a monthly newsletter keeping you updated on what our teachers and students have been working on in the classrooms. Look for a copy of the BES News at the end of each month, along with the following months calendar of events.

We hope you enjoy!

Kindergarten

Mark your calendars!

Help spread the word! This year’s Kindergarten Registration will be held on Thursday, April 3rd from 11-7 and Friday, April 4th from 8-3. Please bring your child’s birth certificate, proof of address, and your child’s shot records. You do not need to bring any money at this time. Our theme this year is Baby
Shark. We can’t wait to meet all of the incoming kindergarteners!

1st Grade

First Grade Celebrates the 100th Day of School…On January 22nd the first grade classes celebrated the 100th day of school. Students started the day with an “Amazing Race”. They followed clues to different locations throughout the school. At each location students were given a task to complete before receiving their next clue. This year’s winner of the Amazing Race was Mrs. Barker’s class! The fun-filled day continued with each first grade class rotating to the other first grade classrooms. In Mrs. Sharp’s room, the first graders had fun creating and designing a 100th day headband. In Mrs. Barker’s room the students were put into groups and given 100 cups. The goal was to build the tallest tower using the cups. The first grade ‘Tallest Tower’ winners were Wyatt, Kristen and Amelia from Mrs. Sharp’s class. In Mrs. Galyen’s room, students created their own domino design using 100 dominoes. It was harder than they thought, but had a great time trying to keep them from falling. In Mrs. Cates’ room the students were to use their imagination and create a picture that incorporated the die cut number 100 in it. There were several very creative pieces, including a llama, a jeep, and an owl in a tree. The day was filled with many things done the “100” way.

2nd Grade

The second graders are working hard to get a ribbon on the Bravo Board in our hallway. The goal is to complete 50 mixed subtraction problems in 4 minutes or less. Once a child meets this goal they get a ribbon on the board and at the end of the month they will get an incentive reward of some sort. Each month we will start fresh with a new reward to be offered at the end of the month. Keep practicing those facts! We celebrated the 100th day of school in many ways, but the students favorite part of the day was when they got to visit the other second grade classrooms. Each teacher had a special 100th day activity to do with all the classes. The students enjoyed games, exercises, cup stacking, and lego building all based on the number 100. Mark your calendars. We are going to go to the Cincinnati Zoo on May 1st.

3rd Grade

The third grade students celebrated their Accelerated Reading success with a party on January 9th. Seventy-three percent (73%) of the third graders reached their goals. First, the students enjoyed pizza and pop. Then, they played games in two of the classrooms. These games consisted of board games, Legos, and stem activities using various items to foster their imagination. The students’ goals are set for the third quarter. We are hopeful that 100% of the students will reach their goal by the end of this quarter!

4th Grade

The month of January found BES fourth graders hard at work! We jumped right in with learning new concepts. In S.S. we have finished our study of Native American groups from Indiana. All three classes made Native American Artifact Museums that were enjoyed by all. We are looking ahead to studying the American Revolution next. In Science Mrs. Higgy and Taylor’s classes just finished up studying about the solar system, while Mrs. Bennett’s class has recently finished up their study of rocks. In Math we are currently in a fraction frenzy! Fraction concepts we are learning include adding and subtracting fractions, fractions on a numberline, equivalent fractions as well as mixed numbers and improper fractions. Don’t forget to keep practicing those multiplication and division facts, as these are an important foundation to our learning about fractions. We also celebrated our second quarter AR achievements this past month with a movie and a snack. Thanks to the Hounds PACK for their help in defraying the cost for this celebration! We are looking forward to a fabulous February!

5th Grade

January brought science experiments to Room 9. Lime Juice and Candy cane experiments were the two main experiments of January in Mrs. Henke’s 5th Grade classroom. Students were given 1⁄2 of a lime and instructed to squeeze the juice into a cup. We had dialogue and a writing assignment about concentrate, dilute, and solution. Some of the students choose to taste the concentrated lime juice. Others choose to dilute the lime juice. Many students enjoyed the refreshing drink while writing their paragraphs with their science vocabulary. The Candy Cane Experiment showed what happened when chandy canes were submerged in hot water, vinegar, and colored water. After a couple of hours the students were surprised to see the candy canes had completely submerged.

Challenge

Challenge students in third and fourth were working on constructing extended response questions and working on elements of a realistic fiction book. They have been working on Google Slides presentations and researching bees, based on the book A Taste of Blackberries. Challenge students in fifth grade were reading The Westing Game,, a mystery about a millionaire businessman. They are learning about the parts of a mystery book, and learning to take notes while reading the book. They are also learning about how the stock market works.

Specials

PE–This month in PE we are working on fitness testing. The students are tested on their flexibility, upper body strength, abdominal strength, speed and agility. We also played a game called battleship, where students try to sink other three teams ships by knocking down their pins. The students love playing this game!

Library–All grade level students are also reading books by–and learning about–author K.A. Holt, who will be visiting us BES on March 9th! Look for information and book order forms to be sent home sometime in February.