October 1 - 5, 2018

Bacon Bears,

Impossible as it seems, September is over.  Are we really about a month into the new school year? Already?  Even so, Monday kicks off October, and that means cooler weather and the usual exciting fall events are nearly upon us. 

But let's quickly talk about the last week of September here at Bacon.  In short, it was a banner week.

On Wednesday, we had our kickoff assembly for the Birthday Book Project.  Nor'Easter Nick from SNJ Today was on hand to get the kids pumped for reading, and he shared some words of encouragement and inspiration with our Bears.  Click here (Cara McCollum Birthday Book Project) to see the story on SNJ Today.

The project honors the memory of Cara McCollum, former SNJ Today news anchor who tragically passed away in 2016.  Cara started the project while still in high school, and her goal was for children to receive books on their birthdays.  It is a beautiful legacy, and we at Bacon are honored to be a participating school.  Thank you SNJ Today for allowing us to benefit from this great project, and thanks to Nor'Easter Nick for hanging out with us on Wednesday.

Also on Wednesday, SNJ Today was on hand again to film a piece on our district's new mobile STEM lab.  The lab has been mentioned in previous blog posts, and this was the final week of the trailer being at Bacon.  Click here (STEM lab) to see the SNJ Today segment.

Our Bears did a great job building and even programming the robotic cars.  It was awesome seeing our students get hands-on with their learning.

Again, thank you SNJ Today for the great footage and for covering the story.








Mark your calendars now!  Our annual Fall Frolic is on Wednesday, October 24th.  Like every year, it will be a FUNtastic evening of events and things to do.  Don't miss out. 

Parents/Guardians - as a reminder, we have no school on Wednesday, October 3rd for staff professional development.  Classes resume on Thursday. Also, we have no school on Monday, October 8th for Columbus Day.

Thought of the week
Happiness isn't a byproduct of everything going well.  It's about being realistic about the present while maximizing our potential for the future.  Happiness doesn't mean we don't need to change anything; rather, it is the realization we can change.  (Shawn Anchor)

Check out Shawn Anchor's book The Happiness Advantage for more info or click here



The Week Ahead

Monday (10/1): C day - lesson plans due, PBIS Assembly (2 pm)

Tuesday (10/2): D day - A terrific Tuesday

Wednesday (10/3): NO SCHOOL - Staff development 

Thursday (10/4): E day - Fire prevention, staff meeting (8 am in the gym)

Friday (10/5): A day - Fire prevention, wear Bacon gear

Upcoming Dates
10/8: SCHOOLS CLOSED in observance of Columbus Day
10/10: Individual picture day
10/19: 1:45 dismissal - staff development 
10/24: Fall Frolic 6-8 pm (rain date on 10/25)
10/26: Dress like a super hero day
10/31: Halloween

Cara McCollum Birthday Book Project Assembly

Nor'Easter Nick from SNJ Today talking about the Cara McCollum Birthday Book Project

At the end of the assembly, Nick called on a few students to help him with a weather forecast

Nick giving Bacon a sendoff forecast 

Thank you, SNJ Today and Nor'Easter Nick!

Bacon Pics

The final days of the mobile STEM lab at Bacon 

Indoor STEM due to rain

A beautiful sunrise shines over Bacon

See You at the Pole

Ms. O'Neill being recognized for 30 years with MPS

Glenn Hunter being recognized for perfect attendance for the 2017-2018 school year 

Ms. O'Neill showing her class how it's done (can you spot her?)

The apple project in Mrs. Lunemann's kindergarten class

Birthday Selfies

September 24 - 28, 2018

Bears,

We hope you all had an outstanding week.  Learning and fun are in full swing here at Bacon, and our Bears are off to a great start this school year.

The MPS STEM trailer is here! 

This week, the district's new STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) trailer made its official debut - at Bacon school, no less!  Students from Mr. D's 5th grade class were able to build small robotic cars and remotely drive them.  A few students had time to program the cars to run predetermined routes.  This project allowed our learners to get hands-on experience in the areas of engineering and robotics, and many of our students had a blast while accomplishing something complex and intricate.  The project lasted four days, and next week, it will be Muhlbaier's turn to have her class do the same assignment.  Bobby Barber, our district's math and science supervisor, spearheaded and oversaw the effort to obtain and convert the trailer into a mobile STEM lab, and it was his vision to bring the learning to the students in such a fun and engaging way. In a word, it's awesome!  We'd like to thank Gerald Bruman and Shawn Jenkins from the high school for working with our students during this joint effort.



Speaking of math - parents, there is an informational meeting at Lakeside on Monday regarding Eureka Math (grades K-2).  Please see below for more details.

On Tuesday, we had our annual Back to School Night.  Parents were able to come and meet their teachers, ask a few questions, and have good dialogues and communication in a positive, productive way.  We also had many sign up to get involved with our Home School Association, so stay tuned for more info there. 












Staff - don't forget your why.  Don't let it get fuzzy.  Remember, why drives everything.  Everything.


That's all for now.  Everyone have a fantastic weekend and week ahead.


The Week Ahead

Monday (9/24): C day - lesson plans due, staff flu shots, board meeting recognizing years of service 

Tuesday (9/25): D day - A terrific Tuesday

Wednesday (9/26): E day - Birthday Book Program Assembly (K-2 at 9:30, 3-5 at approximately 10:15)

Thursday (9/27): A day - Another great day

Friday (9/28): B day - 3rd grade dictionary delivery, wear Bacon gear

Upcoming Dates
10/3: SCHOOLS CLOSED for staff development day
10/4: Fire Prevention
10/8: SCHOOLS CLOSED in observance of Columbus Day
10/24: Fall Frolic

STEM Trailer/Robotics Pics

A peak inside the mobile STEM lab

Millville's engineering program does well - can you tell?

The engineers getting their instructions

Mr. D's class preparing to build

A completed project.  Going mobile. 

A quick adjustment

Driving the completed project

Bacon Pics

Mrs. Cheeseman's class is off to a great start. 

Someone loves her Bacon socks

Two mystery Bears rocking their new Bacon socks

The now infamous watermelon outfit

Famous Footwear dropping off donations.  Thank you!

A beautiful sunset kicks off Back to School Night

Enjoying a night out - a Back to School Night out

The new Bacon mascot

Birthday Selfies!