RM Bacon Weekly

Sunday, October 18, 2026

Bacon Weekly - October 19 - 23, 2026

Gabe hanging with Biggie

Bacon Bears,

One School. One Mission, Infinite Possibilities

Welcome to another exciting week at R.M. Bacon Elementary School! As we move further into October, there continues to be so much to celebrate throughout our building. From creative classroom experiences and collaborative learning to our high school students mentoring our younger Bears, we are seeing wonderful examples of what makes our school community so special.

This week, we are also recognizing School Violence Awareness Week, reinforcing our commitment to creating a school where every child feels safe, respected, valued, and supported.

Let's take a look at what's happening at Bacon!

School Violence Awareness Week: October 19–23

This week, Bacon School joins schools throughout New Jersey in recognizing School Violence Awareness Week. This important observance provides an opportunity for students, staff, families, and community partners to work together to promote school safety, kindness, respect, and positive relationships.

Throughout the week, our students will participate in age-appropriate discussions and activities focused on conflict resolution, bullying prevention, inclusion, recognizing unsafe situations, and knowing when to seek help from a trusted adult.

We encourage all of our Bacon Bears to participate in our daily themes:

Monday, October 19 – Wear Blue: Wear blue to show your support for safe, peaceful schools.
Tuesday, October 20 – Spread Kindness: Complete a kindness challenge and find an opportunity to brighten someone's day.
Wednesday, October 21 – Speak Up: Learn the importance of speaking up, recognizing warning signs, and seeking help from a trusted adult.
Thursday, October 22 – Build Community: Celebrate unity, respect, inclusion, and belonging within our Bacon family.
Friday, October 23 – Choose Peace: Make a commitment to being a positive influence and helping create a peaceful school environment.

Be Kind. Be Safe. Be the Change.

School safety is a shared responsibility. We encourage families to continue these conversations at home by discussing the importance of treating others with respect, resolving disagreements peacefully, and speaking with a trusted adult when something doesn't feel right.

Together, we can help ensure that Bacon remains a safe, welcoming place for every student.

Learning Can Be Fun! First Grade Gets Creative

Our first-grade team demonstrated what happens when teachers think outside the box and collaborate to create memorable learning experiences!

Last week, our first graders enjoyed a special learning experience inspired by the story Room on the Broom. Mrs. Driver began by reading the story to the entire grade level before students moved between classrooms to participate in three different activities.

One classroom focused on sequencing the story and creating a broom craft. Another encouraged students to use their imaginations and write about who they would invite to ride on their broom. The third classroom incorporated math activities with a fun witch-themed twist!

This experience brought together literacy, writing, math, creativity, and collaboration while giving students opportunities to learn with different teachers and classmates.

Perhaps the best part? Students enjoyed the experience so much that they actually thanked their teachers for allowing them to have fun while learning!

A special thank-you to our first-grade team for your creativity, flexibility, and willingness to try something different. These are the experiences our students will remember!

Thinking Classrooms: Students Taking Ownership of Learning

We also want to recognize Ms. Ruberton and her students for their work with Thinking Classrooms!

The Thinking Classrooms approach encourages students to collaborate, share ideas, solve problems, and explain their thinking rather than simply waiting for the teacher to provide an answer.

This type of learning shifts the focus from simply completing an assignment to developing a deeper understanding of the learning process. Students are encouraged to take risks, consider different approaches, and learn from one another.

By creating opportunities for students to think critically, communicate, and collaborate, we are helping develop confident, independent learners.

Thank you, Ms. Ruberton, for embracing instructional practices that encourage students to take an active role in their learning!

Music Mentors: Millville High School Tri-M Society

A special thank-you to the Millville High School Tri-M Music Honor Society students for supporting our fourth-grade band students!

It is wonderful to see our high school students giving back to the younger members of our school community. Their encouragement, patience, and willingness to share their musical talents provide our beginning musicians with positive role models.

These partnerships are about much more than music. They help build confidence, strengthen connections between our schools, and remind our students that they are part of the larger Millville family.

We appreciate these talented students for sharing their time and enthusiasm with our Bacon Bears!

Attendance Matters: Week 3 Leaders!

Every school day matters, and we are excited to recognize our October Classroom Attendance Leaders!

Congratulations to the following classrooms for their outstanding attendance!

First Place – 99% Attendance

Ms. McLaughlin

Second Place – 98% Attendance

Mrs. Gandy
Ms. Martinez
Ms. Spencer

Third Place – 97% Attendance

Mrs. Rodriguez
Miss Anton
Miss Spiels
Mrs. Lunemann

Congratulations to all of our attendance leaders!

Regular attendance helps students develop positive routines, strengthen relationships, and build the academic skills they need for success. When students are present, they have more opportunities to participate, connect with classmates, and build confidence in their learning.

We also recognize that families sometimes face challenges that make regular attendance difficult. If your family needs assistance addressing attendance barriers, please reach out. We are here to help!

Thank you to our families for making school attendance a priority. Let's continue working together to make every day count!

Reminder: Bacon School Apparel Store Is Open!

Show your Bacon Bear pride with apparel featuring our new school designs! Families can browse several options in the Bacon Apparel Store.

Order by Sunday, November 1, at 11:59 PM.
Orders are expected to arrive by November 23—just in time for holiday gift-giving!

A flyer with a QR code for the store will also be sent home with students.

Thank you for supporting Bacon School and showing your Bear pride!

Weekly Overview

Monday - October 19 - F Day - Motivation Monday, 8:40 AM

Tuesday - October 20 - A Day - PBIS Team Meeting, 9:30 AM

Wednesday - October 21 - B Day - Workout Wednesday - I and RS Meeting, All Day

Thursday - October 22 - C Day - Staff Breast Cancer Survivor Breakfast, 8:00 AM; PTO Meeting, 5:30 PM

Friday - October 23 - D Day - Wear PINK; PTO 5th grade Pretzel Sale; PBIS Assembly (K-2 at 9:30 AM) (3-5 at 10:00 AM)

Pictures from around the school

Thinking Classroom

Birthday selfie

Simere helping Ms. Candy

Birthday Selfie

Mrs. Banker won the GOOSE

Mr. M and Biggie and Kylie

First grade fun

Reading in PJs

Reading is Fun

Flashlight reading

Lunch Bunch

ID time

Boss's Day

First grade fun

Thinking Classroom

First grade fun

Thinking Classroom

First grade fun

Thinking Classroom

Brotherly love

First grade fun

Breakfast time

First grade Fun

Bear buddies

Ms. McLaughlin's class earned PJ day

Reading in Ms. McLaughlin's class

Ms. McLaughlin's class got to bring their stuffies

Being silly

Stay Connected with R.M. Bacon Elementary

Facebook: RM Bacon Elementary
Weekly Blog: RM Bacon Weekly
School Website: R.M. Bacon Elementary School

2026–27 Theme: Bacon School is Out of This World!
One School. One Mission. Infinite Possibilities.

Our Mission: Then. Now. Always. Family.

Dr. Spike Cook, Principal
R.M. Bacon Elementary School | Millville Public Schools

Sunday, October 11, 2026

Bacon Weekly - October 12 - 16, 2026

Pumpkin painting

Bacon Bears,

One School. One Mission. Infinite Possibilities!

What an excellent week we had at R.M. Bacon Elementary School! As we continue moving through October, it is exciting to see so many wonderful things happening throughout our building. From celebrating our September Attendance Challenge winners to creative classroom activities, meaningful character education lessons, and preparations for our upcoming Halloween Frolic, our Bacon Bears have been busy!

A special thank you to our entire Bacon staff for making this year's Week of Respect such a success! Throughout the week, our students participated in activities and conversations that reinforced the importance of kindness, respect, acceptance, and treating others the way we want to be treated. These lessons extend far beyond one week and reflect the positive school culture we work to build every day. Thank you to everyone who helped make the week meaningful for our students!

We are also encouraged by our early October attendance data, with chronic absenteeism currently at 12%, compared with 20% in September. While there is still work to do, this is a positive start to the month and a reminder of the importance of having our students in school each day.

One of the things I appreciate most about Bacon is the commitment of our staff to creating meaningful experiences for our students. Whether it's a special classroom activity, a positive phone call home, or recognizing students for making good choices, these moments help make Bacon a special place to learn and grow.

As always, thank you to our staff, students, and families for making this another outstanding week!

Get Involved! First PTO Meeting of the Year!

Our first PTO meeting of the school year will take place on Thursday, October 16, at 5:30 PM in the Bacon School Library! This is a wonderful opportunity for families to get involved, share ideas, and help make a positive difference in our school community. Elections for PTO executive board positions will also take place during the meeting. Whether you are interested in taking on a leadership role, volunteering at school events, or simply learning more about how you can support our Bacon Bears, we encourage you to attend. We hope to see you there!

A Special Visitor in Ms. Ruberton's Classroom!

Teddy in the house

Ms. Ruberton's fourth-grade class received a very special visitor this week—Teddy, Assistant Superintendent Mr. Schaffer's therapy dog!

The class was selected by Mr. Matusz in recognition of their dedication to the Character Strong program and their outstanding participation in a lesson focused on understanding and appreciating differences.

What makes this recognition even more special is that the students demonstrated such wonderful engagement and thoughtful participation at 3:15 on a Friday afternoon! Anyone who works in an elementary school knows how impressive that is!

Their hard work and positive attitudes earned them a visit from Teddy, and needless to say, the students absolutely loved meeting their furry guest!

Congratulations to Ms. Ruberton and her students for demonstrating what Character Strong looks like in action. What a wonderful example of the great things happening at Bacon!

BIMAS Mental Health Screening – October 15

Our annual BIMAS Universal Mental Health Screening is scheduled for Thursday, October 15, for students in grades 3–5.

Grades 3–4: 9:20 AM
Grade 5: 10:10 AM

Students will receive the survey link in their school email from Edumetrisis. Students whose families opted out will not receive a link. Participation is voluntary.

Celebrating September's Attendance Champions!

We recently celebrated the students who earned recognition through our September Attendance Challenge! Students enjoyed delicious apples with caramel and chocolate, along with some extra recess on a beautiful fall day!

A special thank you to Ms. Berry for coordinating the celebration and Ms. Candy for helping prepare the treats!

We are also off to an encouraging start in October, with our chronic absenteeism rate currently at 12%, compared with 20% in September. While we still have work to do, this is a positive early indicator as we continue emphasizing the importance of consistent attendance.

Creepy, Creative Fun in Mrs. Lunemann's Classroom!

Who knew underwear could make reading so much fun? Mrs. Lunemann's kindergarten students enjoyed a hilarious and slightly spooky literacy activity inspired by Creepy Pair of Underwear! by Aaron Reynolds.
After enjoying the story, our young Bacon Bears put their imaginations to work by designing their very own creative pairs of underwear! From colorful patterns to unique designs, students had a wonderful opportunity to bring a story to life through art and creativity.
What a fun way to celebrate reading, imagination, and the excitement of the Halloween season!

Pumpkin Painting in Second Grade!

Fall creativity was in full swing in Ms. McLaughlin's second-grade classroom, where students had the opportunity to paint pumpkins!

Activities like these bring excitement into our classrooms and give students opportunities to express their creativity while enjoying the fall season.