Sunday, March 12, 2017

March 13 - 17, 2017





Bears,

It's over.  Finished.  Done.  After days of friendly trash talking, the annual student vs. staff floor hockey game has been played, and the staff were victorious with a final score of 5-1.  The faster, more nimble students came out strong, but they quickly realized the slower adults had just a few more years of experience under their belts.  The competition was more intense than the score suggests, and the students had several shots on goal and applied pressure through the entire match.  If not for the skills of Mrs. Amy Gandy, who tended the goal for the staff during the entire game, the score would have been much closer (like last year when they put Mr. Coyle in the goal - that was a mistake).  All who played and watched had a great time.

Mrs. Bingham would like to extend her thanks and gratitude to all the Bacon Bears who participated in this year's hockey season.  All of you came out and gave your best. She had a lot of fun, and she hopes you did, too.

I'd like to thank the Daily Journal for coming out to our event.  The pictures and coverage they gave our school was awesome and appreciated.  If you haven't seen their write up, click here.

I'd also like to thank Mrs. Kelly Bingham for running this year's floor hockey program.  It was great arriving at school in the morning to the sounds of hockey and cheering coming from our gym.  It was equally great seeing so many parents come out to watch the events.

Finally, I want to thank our staff members who played in Friday's game, supervised the students in the stands, or helped in any other way.  It's takes a family to do what we do, and we have a great family.  Thank you all!

In other news, winter made a return to the region this week (to the delight of our Bears - see pics below), and right now all eyes are on a potential snowstorm that could plow through here sometime Monday night into Tuesday.  As of this writing, we are forecast to get somewhere between 3-12 inches, depending on where you turn for this type of info.  But I saw something interesting this morning.  The confidence in a snow event is high, but the confidence in the snowfall projections is low-mid.  Why put us through this??  In other words, let's not talk about amounts yet, but somebody somewhere is pretty sure we'll get something.  We'll see.  As a fan of cold and snow, I'd like at least one good dumping this year.  I'm not in charge of such things, however, so I guess we'll all find out together what will happen when it happens.  Seems obvious enough, right?

In things not hockey or weather related, we are happy to announce we have received a fruit and vegetable grant for the duration of the school year.  Here's an update from Candy Devich, our cafeteria manager.


Our school will be participating in a special Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program for the remainder of the 2017 school year! We will be offering fresh fruits and vegetables in the classroom as snacks! We are excited to have been awarded this grant to provide our RM Bacon School children with healthy, nutritious foods.

Three to four days each week, your child (children) will enjoy a fruit or vegetable in the classroom.  Occasionally, there will be information and recipes sent home so your family can participate in promoting and increasing your consumption of fruits and vegetables.  Every child will be able to participate regardless of their free/reduced status!

Looking ahead, we have set a date for our Spring Community Day - May 22 (rain date May 23).  More info on this event will be forthcoming, but it should be a great evening of family and fun.

That will do it for now.  Everyone have a great week.  Do something great for someone else.
Mike

  
Floor Hockey Pics

The Bacon 2017 floor hockey champs!  Congrats on a great season! 
They look ready. Sort of.

A view from the stands 
Mrs. Levari is alone - where are her teammates??

Mrs. Digiorgio and Mr. Lokey waiting for the action to clear the staff end and come their way  
Mrs. Gandy and Mr. Coyle - nothing shall get through.



Team Bacon Staff

Pictures from around the School

We almost forgot what winter looked and felt like.  These Bears took advantage of it.

Thanks to Ms. Berry for keeping our prize coffers stocked with great items 
Taco Tuesday!

Friends at lunch 
GT students using KINEX to work on STEM bridge building.  Developing, testing, analyzing, modifying - great stuff

Mrs. Gandy and Ms. Peck's students working on an Arts Infused project

This Arts Infused project entailed studying the Rosetta Stone and hieroglyphics  
Writing hieroglyphics into clay

Combining art, history, research, and writing - a great day!

Some of Mrs. Bingham's students making it happen in the hall.  Learning isn't limited to the classroom.
The last warm day before the absent Old Man Winter found his way back to NJ.  Working on making paper airplanes more aerodynamic. 

Birthday Selfies



Weekly overview
Monday (3/13): C day - lesson plans due, PBIS Tier 2 meeting (10:44 am in the conference room)

Tuesday (3/14): D day - K, 2nd, and 5th grade PLCs

Wednesday (3/15): E day - Dare to be Fit (8 am in the gym), Workout Wednesday, 4th grade PLC

Thursday (3/16): A day - Staff meeting (8 am in the library), Kindergarten Swim, 1st and 3rd grade PLCs, Parents as Leaders meeting (6 - 7:30 pm at Bacon -- Topic: Helping kids make healthy eating choices)

Friday (3/17): B day - Saint Patrick's Day, early dismissal for students, staff professional development after students leave, wear GREEN or Bacon gear

Sunday, March 5, 2017

March 6 - 10, 2017





Bears,

Another great week is in the books here at Bacon.  This week, we celebrated Read Across America Week, which is a national celebration of reading that takes place to coincide with Dr. Seuss's (1904 - 1991) birthday.  Each day brought something new (crazy hats, wearing Dr. Seuss colors, etc.), and students and staff alike had a blast.

The highlight of the week was the Read Around the World Family Night.  On Wednesday night, students and their families were able to come back to Bacon to hear great stories, eat some snacks, and enjoy quality time with their loved ones.  When participants arrived at school, they checked in to the front desk to receive their passports.  From there, they went on a tour around the world (and around our school) to hear a great story from various countries read by staff members, 5th grade Bacon students, and some volunteers from the Girl Scouts.  Around 40 families joined us that night, and we all had a great time.  Thanks so much to the Bacon staff and student volunteers (including the Girl Scouts) who helped make the evening possible.  A big shout out to Heather Rowland, Bacon's very own media specialist, for dreaming up the idea and pulling everything together to make it a reality.  It was awesome!

Before the weather turned cold again, some of our Bears were able to take advantage of the warmth to do some reading outside.  Also throughout the week, crazy socks and crazy hats could be seen, and Bacon was awash in red, white, and black in honor of Dr. Seuss's birthday.  Staff and students also got into pajama day, the final day of Read Across America Week.  Many were students were seeing cozying up to some fun projects and activities that day.

March also kicked off some music appreciation, and Mrs. Beth Rohaly has been treating the entire school to some early-morning singing from some of our Bears.

Cassy Johnson from RAC Team 7 (a group from the state that helps us be even better) come to our staff meeting on Thursday.  She shared some info from the climate and culture survey that was done earlier this year.  As a school, we can proudly say that we like what we do and where we do it - and that's a pretty big deal.  Credit goes to the great staff of RM Bacon for making our school such a great place to come each and every day and for making our school a place of safety, learning, and fun for our Bears.  If we like being here, the kids notice and follow our lead.  Great job, all!

In floor hockey news, the last playoff game of the season was played on Friday.  It was a nail biter that went into sudden-death overtime, but our final bracket is now established and set to be played on Tuesday.  From there, the winner of that game will face the staff in the annual student/staff floor hockey game on Friday.

That's all for now.  Everyone have a great week, and do something great for someone else.
Mike

Read Around the World Family Night Pictures























Pictures from around the School
Chat and chew with Ms. Spanbauer 
Reading outside for Read Across America week
Taking advantage of the warmth 
A growth mindset challenge
How can you refuse a challenge like this? 
Graphing in Mrs. Lore's class
Working hard 
Mrs. Bingham and a Bear on crazy hat day
Ms. O'Neill with something on her head 
Twins for PJ day
Mrs. Fryling got a little too comfortable on PJ day

Thanks to Target for our new bags that will be used for the fruit and veggie program 
Ms. Peck - now officially a published artist!  Congrats!!
Singing on the morning announcements 
Cassy presenting during the staff meeting
Office hijinx 
Green eggs and ham hat!!

Mrs. Gandy and Mrs. Lunemann are always in the mood to get festive

Birthday Selfies!






Weekly overview
Monday (3/6): C day - lesson plans due

Tuesday (3/7): D day - Floor Hockey final (8 am in the gym), K, 2nd, and 5th grade PLCs, progress reports go home (grades 3-5)

Wednesday (3/8): E day - Dare to be Fit (8 am in the gym), Workout Wednesday, 4th grade PLC, 3rd grade health screening

Thursday (3/9): A day - PBIS events planning committee (8 am in the library), Kindergarten Swim, 1st and 3rd grade PLCs

Friday (3/10): B day - Students vs. staff floor hockey game!