RM Bacon Weekly

Saturday, May 7, 2016

May 9 - 13, 2016

Then, Now, Always

Bacon Bears,

This week, we said goodbye to Ryan Hudson (for his personal farewell to Bacon, see last week's blog). Our staff meeting opened with some shop talk and a brief review of discipline data, but the last part was dedicated to Ryan and the legacy he built here at Bacon. Again, we wish him all the best as he transitions to his vice principal position at Lakeside.

Thank you!

Our week kicked off with a lunch to honor our local first responders. Members of the Millville Police and Fire Departments, as well as officers from the Cumberland County Sheriff's Department, stopped by to eat with our students and to spend some time socializing and answering questions. A huge thanks to all who came out. We appreciate your service and your willingness to give up part of your day to be with our Bacon Bears.

Serving others, community pride

The Bacon safety patrol had a busy week. In addition to dealing with the rain (pretty much everyday) during their outside duties, they helped serve breakfast at a Kiwanis club event over the weekend. Also, safety patrol members Kendall Sooy and Ryan Goehle were honored at a Kiwanis club luncheon later in the week. They raised the most money for the upcoming safety patrol trip, and they were recognized along with other district winners. Great job to all the patrol members for braving the weather all week, being involved in your community, serving others, and bringing honor to your city and school! Thank you!

Skills

The bear bucks store and bear challenge were up and running this week. Our store was swamped as excited students traded their hard-earned bucks for various items. The challenge was a hit, and the students and staff had a blast as participants attempted to win additional prizes during the competition. This month's event was a bucket toss, which wasn't as easy as students first thought. Several students were winners, however, and regardless of the outcome, they all had a great time.

Teacher appreciation week was in full swing at Bacon. The staff was given treats and eats (who doesn't like treats and eats??), and their hard work and dedication were acknowledged and rewarded. Teachers and all staff - thank you for what you do!!

Candy and Robin, part of our amazing cafeteria staff

Later in the week, Mr. Coyle took some time to speak with the 5th grade class. They are nearing the end of their experience here at Bacon, and he shared his insights and thoughts about what they should be expecting at Lakeside Middle School next year. The upcoming transition form elementary to middle school is important, and we here at Bacon want to ensure that our Bears are equipped for future and continued success.

Don't forget - The new date for the Bacon Alumni night is 5/20. For more information, please see our Facebook page (click here) or call the school at 856-327-6100.

Pictures from around the school

Serving breakfast for the Kiwanis club

Dedication

Staff braving the rain

Rain? No problem

We got this

Bear challenge

Excitement during the challenge

Ryan addressing the Bacon staff one last time

A parting gift

Kendall and Ryan at the Kiwanis Club lunch

Receiving their certificates for raising the most money

Kendall, Ryan, Mrs. Muhlbaier, and Mr. Coyle after the Kiwanis lunch

Great job!

Bear buddies!

The sun (briefly) came out. Photo credit to Mr. Paul Lokey.

Birthday Selfies!

Weekly overview (be sure to check the official school calendar)

Monday: D day - Another great day at Bacon

Tuesday: E day - Another great day at Bacon

Wednesday: A day - National school nurse day, Workout Wednesday

Thursday: B day - Grand Canyon University Luncheon (teacher's lounge)

Friday: C day - Wear Bacon gear

Friday, April 29, 2016

May 2 - May 6, 2016

Bacon Bears,

The word above says and means so much. During his time here at Bacon, Ryan Hudson has given it and gotten it...and it was well-earned. And so, without further delay, we kick off this week's blog with a special Coach's Corner.

Coach’s Corner by Mr. Hudson

I want to first start off by saying, “Thank you to the students, parents, and staff of R. M. Bacon School family!” This is my final blog post as a member of the Bacon School family. Starting on May 9th, I will be at Lakeside as the 8^th grade vice-principal. I will always remember my 11 years at Bacon School and never forget where I began my career. Bacon School has helped me grow as a person, father, and as an educator.

To the students, thank you for letting me be myself. Throughout my time at Bacon, we laughed, played jokes on one another, and grew as a school family. Words cannot express how thankful I am that I had a chance each and every day to learn from you, just as you learned from me. I wish each of you nothing but success and look forward to seeing you in a few more years at Lakeside. Please continue to be awesome!!

To the parents, thank you for allowing me to work with your son/daughter. I can honestly say, it was my pleasure. I hope when your child looks back on their educational journey they can say that I was able to have a positive impact in their life. I appreciate all of you the support you gave me throughout my time at Bacon School. You can trust me when I say, your children are in great hands with the staff at Bacon School.

To the staff, I cannot begin to thank you for all of your support that you have given me throughout my career. The relationships that I built with you has helped me develop into the educator I am today. I always felt welcomed and came in the next day more excited than the previous. The memories from Bacon School will stick with me forever. This school truly allowed me to be myself and share my passion for education with everyone. I will miss laughing with you all and being a part of the Bacon School family. From the bottom of my heart Bacon School, I will miss you and wish you nothing but the best!!!!

Thank you, Ryan. You have truly made a difference here at Bacon, and we all know you'll take your energy and talents to Lakeside and do great things. We wish you continued success and happiness - you deserve it.

Bacon school had another successful week. PARCC is finished, the staff are back to creating awesome lessons and learning environments, and the students are engaged and learning.

The 5th grade class had a blast at the Riverfront Renaissance Center for the Arts and Levoy Theater for Multicultural Week presentations. Special thanks to Robert Trivellini for coordinating this wonderful event, and a huge thanks to the fine people at the arts center and theater for sharing their time and talents with our students. Also, a big shout out to all the students from the Millville Senior High School who taught our 5th graders about history and culture. Great job to all involved!

Eggs, eggs, and more eggs hatched and hatched here at Bacon. The students have been doing a fantastic job caring for the newly hatched chicks, and they even got to learn about science and nature while doing it.

Butterflies that took up temporary residence in a 1st grade class were released to the wild this week. They were initially cared for as caterpillars, and the students were able to see their metamorphosis into beautiful butterflies. Since they were released into our school's butterfly garden, we hope they will stick around for awhile.

This week, Bacon also successfully completed a fire drill evacuation and a school lock down drill. The students were superb, they took the exercises seriously, and the staff ensured they quickly and orderly followed the protocols for each drill. Excellent job, everyone.

In other news, on 5/2 (this Monday), we will be having some special guests here at Bacon. First responers from our city and county will stop by and eat lunch with the students. We are looking forward to spending time with the men and woman of our community who help keep us safe.

Please note - Bacon Alumni Night has been postponed until 5/20. If you are interested in attending, please sign up ASAP! Call the school or contact us on Facebook by clicking here.

Pictures from around the school

Learning origami at the arts center

Giving a medieval shield replica a test run

Art and History lesson from a senior high student

Making musical instruments

Happiness

Joy

Wonder

Contentment

Nature!

Birthday Selfies!

Harmony Froding

Prophettes Johnson-Adams

Weekly overview (be sure to check the official school calendar)

Monday: D day - "May Day" lunch with the first responders, healthy schools zumba with Mom (after school)

Tuesday: E day - National Teachers' Day

Wednesday: A day - Bear Bucks Store

Thursday: B day - Another great day a Bacon

Friday: C day - Wear Bacon gear

Friday, April 22, 2016

April 25 - 29, 2016

Motivation...inspiration...dedication

Bacon Bears,

Being positive, being yourself, being the best you, helping others, being awesome, not giving up, enjoying the moment, embracing today, realizing that YOU CAN DO IT...these are things we embrace here at Bacon. The bulletin board pictured here is near our cafeteria, so every student has a chance to read it. What a great reminder to continually strive for excellence, authenticity, and optimism in all we say and do.

These things matter because everyone has influence, and everyone is being influenced. Once we realize and come to terms with this, the questions then become...

Will I surround myself with people who have a positive influence on me?
Will I be a positive influence on those around me?

Our Bacon family embodies the power and persuasion of being a positive influence, and we hope to always remember how important these truths are as we interact daily with our students.

And so...

This was another busy but great week here at Bacon. The PARCC test was in full swing, and Ms. Spanbauer and Mr. Hudson kept things on track. An extra big shout-out to all the students and staff for helping to make these days of testing go smoothly. Great job!

The students vs. police floor hockey game was held on Wednesday. It was back and forth, but the students ultimately gained and kept the upper hand. A great time was had by all, and we are grateful to the officers who came out to play and bond with our students. Thank you to all the players, parents, and officers who made this possible.

The police kept it close, but the Bears held on!

Thank you, Millville PD!

Earth day was Friday, and it was great seeing so many lessons have an Earth theme. From the weather and nature to Earth's geothermal properties, a lot of ground (or should that be Earth?) was covered, and many classes ended the afternoon in an Earth Day scavenger hunt outside. The teachers thoughtfully planned the day's activities, and the students had a great time learning about our planet.

Coach’s Corner by Mr. Hudson

This week fourth grade finished up their PARCC testing and third grade started theirs. Students have been working hard and making their teachers proud. Next week, PARCC will continue for third grade on Monday-Wednesday. Also, make-ups will be going on throughout the week. Ms. Spanbauer and I want to thank the parents for continuing to get our Bears to school on time.

In addition to that, I was able to observe several awesome activities in the classrooms. Mrs. Gandy’s class were building circuits and using inquiry to discover how magnets work. The discussion the students were having about magnets and circuits made me think I was in a room with electricians.

In Mrs. Bingham’s room, I was able to see a guided reading lesson. The students were reading a book called, “Baby Animals.” Mrs. Bingham provided the students with time to showcase their knowledge on different baby animals prior to reading the text. The students seemed to have a lot of background knowledge about different baby animals. The group seemed very excited to read this story. Knowing Mrs. Bingham and her love for nature and animals, these students will be reading more books about animals and learning about their habitats.