February 5 - 9, 2018

Bears,

Are you watching the big game?  For those pulling for the Birds, we hope you have a great weekend.  For those cheering on the Pats, we hope you have a terrible weekend (kidding, sort of).  For those watching just for the commercials, we hope they don't disappoint.  For those not interested at all, sorry to have bored you with this opening paragraph.  Let's get down to business...

At this week's staff meeting, we focused on mindfulness as a way to help our students deal with social and emotional obstacles to learning.  The impacts of this aspect of positive psychology have been making their way into schools as educators find more ways to help students process and handle the stress that comes with being a learner in the 21st century.  Regardless if one is into the meditation background of mindfulness, it can still be a beneficial approach to help students sort through difficult emotions, teach them how to control outbursts, and guide them into clearer and more focused thinking.

My big takeaway from this training was an image the presenter showed of a brain scan comparing a healthy brain and one that's been damaged through abuse, neglect, or other factors that hurt emotional and social development.  The parts of the brain that help people process emotions and social interaction didn't "work" correctly, and that in turn can have a dramatic effect on learning.  The social, emotional, and learning centers of the brain play off each other.  When the brain's development has been stunted in these areas, it cannot process information the way it should, and learning is impacted.  Mindfulness training has been shown to reverse these damages.  The parts of the brain that aren't working correctly can be retrained and restored through consistently using simple techniques that help that individual cope with outside stresses and internal turmoil.  The result is that the brain is better equipped to handle information and learning.

That's the short version, and I probably haven't done a great job of covering it even at a surface level.  This is something I'm just getting more into myself.  The bottom line is this - there is more to preparing students for learning than what we think of as traditional schoolwork.   Part of the equipping we need to do should be based on social and emotional health.  Good teachers intuitively know this, but with the research proving this to be so, it should serve as a reinforcement that school is more than academic assignments and grades.

Announcements
It's not too late to order Carnation Grams.  They are $2 each.  Return the order form and money to Mrs. Lore as soon as possible.  They will be delivered on 2/14.

Signup slips for this year's floor hockey season are in front of Mrs. Bingham's room (15).  They are due by 2/11,  and the season kicks off on 2/16.  All games will be played before school.

Welcome to Moe's!  Moe's will be having a Bacon FUNdraiser on 2/15 from 4 - 10pm.  You don't need to bring anything - just show up and order!

And after your delicious dinner at Moe's, join us at the Lakeside Middle School cafeteria for Millville Public School's final strategic planning session.  You do not need to have attended the other sessions to come out. This event is open to all parents, staff members, community members, local business leaders, and 4th and 5th grade students.  See below for details.

Everyone have a great week!

The Week Ahead

Monday (2/5):  C day - Wear Eagles green if they win (to celebrate) or lose (to mourn the loss and show support for a great season), lesson plans due, board meeting to recognize teacher and educational services provider of the year (7 pm at Culver Center)

Tuesday (2/6): D day - A great day of fun and learning

Wednesday (2/7): E day - Cat in the Hat visit, Workout Wednesday, report cards go home

Thursday (2/8):  A day - A great day of fun and learning

Friday (2/9):  B day - Wear Bacon Gear

Upcoming Dates

2/14 - Wear pink and red for Valentine's Day

2/15 - Moe's fundraiser

2/15 - MPS final strategic planning meeting

2/16 - Jump Rope for Heart

2/16 - Chinese New Year Parade 

2/16 - Floor Hockey Begins (3rd - 5th grade)

2/19 - Schools closed in observance of President's Day

2/23 - Wear boot day (to stomp out bullying!)

Bacon Pics

Mrs. Rohaly and some 1st graders preparing for the Chinese New Year parade

Mrs. Lunemanns' class checking out a hornet's nest - an old, empty nest! 

The nest was impressive up close (before "dissection")

Math sports in Mrs. DeVita's class

Math sports in Mrs. DeVita's class

Math sports in Mrs. DeVita's class

Math sports in Mrs. DeVita's class

Mrs. Rohaly doing an Arts Infused lesson in Mrs. DeVita's class

Cooper is excited for Sunday

Bacon staff getting ready for the weekend 

...on the road to victory

STEM snowflake project in Mrs. Muhlbaier's class 

Snowflake project

Snowflake project

Birthday Selfies

January 29 - February 2, 2018

Bears,

This week, we say goodbye to January and welcome February - as hard as that is to believe!  February has some exciting things happening, so make sure to check out the upcoming dates section.

On Monday, we'll be having our teacher in-service meetings.  All our teachers will be involved in either learning more about how to provide even better learning experiences for our students or writing curriculum.  The future looks good, and we'll be sure to share more about that as time goes on.

That's all for this week's brief update.  Everyone have a nice week.

The Week Ahead

Monday (1/29):  NO SCHOOL - Staff professional development

Tuesday (1/30): D day - PBIS Pep Rally (9:30 - 10:30), lesson plans due

Wednesday (1/31): E day - Workout Wednesday

Thursday (2/1):  A day - Staff meeting (8 am in the library)  

Friday (2/2):  B day - Wear Bacon Gear

Upcoming Dates

2/5 - Board meeting to honor teacher and educational services provider of the year

2/7 - Cat in the Hat visit

2/15 - MPS final strategic planning meeting

2/16 - Jump Rope for Heart, Chinese New Year Parade 

The Parents as Leaders Coalition will be hosting events here at school on most Mondays during the winter and early spring.  Stay tuned for more info.  

Bacon Pics

A surprise visit from Grandmom plus a cooking session!

More best friends eating with Mr. Coyle

Mrs. DeVita's class working on fraction number lines in the hallway

Students from Mrs. Digiorgio's class playing a math flashcard game

Enjoying some January warmth

Playing some floor hockey during indoor recess

Birthday Selfies

January 22 - 26, 2018

Bears,

I hope everyone is having a nice weekend thus far.  Good things are continuing to happen here at Bacon, and I'm proud of the work our teachers and staff members do day-in and day-out.  

Before we get to the announcements, I'd like to share something that I believe is powerful, practical, and potentially beneficial to all of us. There is an approach to building rapport with students called the 2x10 method.  Here's the idea - if a staff member spends two minutes a day with a student talking about whatever the student wants to talk about for 10 consecutive days, it may lead to more meaningful connections.  And those connections can lessen or even prevent discipline issues, lead to better student achievement, keep the student interested in learning, improve attendance, and create feelings of goodwill between the staff member and child.  All from two minutes of "off topic" conversation a day.  These seem like obvious outcomes, but it's something that can be easily overlooked or pushed aside due to other things that pop up and pull us in different directions. 

The reality is that building a connection with someone requires an investment of time and emotion.  It also requires a mindset that is both positive and selfless.  After all, there's no guarantee it will work, but for it to even have a chance, the person attempting to build the rapport must want it and believe it's possible. 

Think about it - the 2x10 method is basically claiming that in 20 minutes, you can begin to reach someone and have a better chance of influencing their life for the better.  Just 20 minutes.  Isn't it worth the time to at least try?  Now, in the classroom, it's not practical to do this with every student at once.  The caring teacher knows who needs a little extra love and attention in the moment, but can't we apply this beyond the classroom?  I'm seeing this as something we all can do.  What if each of us made an investment of 20 minutes into each other?  What if those 20 minutes were all it took to reach, help, guide, embrace, or maybe even save someone?  Wouldn't those 20 minutes be worth it, especially to the person being helped?  Even more specifically, aren't others worth just 2 minutes of our time?  While the 2x10 method requires the consistency of two minutes repeated over a 10 day period, in our personal lives, we don't need to be so scripted.  The point?  Make time to talk, share, be available, listen, or simply be nice. Take an interest in someone, maybe someone you don't know.  Be bold.  Reach out of your comfort zone.  Make it about someone else and not yourself.   You just might influence that person in ways you can't possibly imagine - all from making a decision that someone is worth at least two minutes of your day.   

Announcements
Do you need some Bacon gear?  Now is the time to stock up!  Orders are due by Jan 26th.  See flyer below for more info.  

Attention all Bears - Do you want to send someone a valentine message while raising money for our school?  Then buy a carnation gram.  Each one is $2, and all proceeds will go to help fund student activities here at school.  See below for details.  All orders are due by 1/29.  

On Monday, the Parents as Leaders Coalition will be sponsoring a Family Yoga Night here at the school.  The event will run from 6:30 - 8 in the Bacon gym.  Please call Honesty at 856-265-1456 if you are interested. 

Note:  The Parents as Leaders Coalition will be hosting a number of events here at Bacon.  These events will take place on Mondays throughout the winter and early spring.  Stay tuned for more info.

Everyone have a great week!

The Week Ahead

Monday (1/22): D day - Lesson plans due, RTI and 2nd grade PLCs, Family Yoga Night sponsored by the Parents as Leaders Coalition (6:30 - 8 in the Bacon gym)  

Tuesday (1/23): E day - A great day of fun and learning

Wednesday (1/24): A day - K, 1st, 3rd, and 4th grade PLCs, Workout Wednesday

Thursday (1/25): B day - A great day of fun and learning

Friday (1/26): C day - 5th grade PLC, wear Bacon gear

Upcoming January Dates

January 29th: NO SCHOOL - staff professional development day

**The Parents as Leaders Coalition will be hosting a number of events here at Bacon.  These events will take place on Mondays throughout the winter and early spring.  Stay tuned for more info.**

Bacon Pics

Mrs. DeVita's students experimenting with paper airplanes, science, and math - always a fun combination

Team spirit bolstering school spirit 

Land of the free, home of the brave...and Eagles fans

Birthday Selfies!

January 15 - 19, 2018

Bears,

We hope everyone a great week.  Our first full week of the year featured some great activities taking place in classes, a music demonstration, and some good conversation about learning.

But before we get into this week's blog, we'd like to recognize the honorable and heroic work and life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  In today's world, there is no shortage of people telling us how to feel about any number of things.  Oftentimes, volume and intensity are confused with truth.  Perhaps we'd all do well to listen to Dr. King's words and reflect on what really matters.  He and others challenged us to be kind, decent, understanding, loving, forgiving, and helping humans.  Dr. King let his light and love do something.  In spite of the danger, and in the face of hate, he let his light shine and his love conquer.  May his life and example inspire us to be better people who continue to strive for a better society.  The work is never done.  I believe we honor him best by letting our own light shine and our own love conquer.  Thank you, Dr. King, for doing what was right despite the cost.  May we all have your courage.    

This week, I was able to observe a lesson that was almost exclusively done using Google Classroom.  For those who might be unfamiliar, Google Classroom is a web-based platform where teachers can assign work and check it in real time.  It's a sort of virtual classroom that is highly interactive and fun for the students.  In this lesson, the students were introduced the concept of fractions.  Particularly, they were to determine equal vs. unequal amounts, and they were to analyze parts of a whole. Using Google Classroom, the teacher was able to track their progress as they worked through the problems and offer quick, individualized help as needed.  It was a nice example of what technology can do in the classroom, and these are areas where we'll continue to develop and grow - interactive learning with focused, timely feedback.




We'd like to thank representatives from Cole's Music Service for their instrument demonstration on Friday.  For students signing up for band (and for those already playing an instrument), it was a nice demonstration on what various instruments can do.  The students enjoyed hearing their demo, and the presenters played popular songs and recognizable bits of music to keep them interested.







During this week's staff meeting, a number of us looked at walkthrough data for Bacon.  Basically, this is a snap shot of what is going in the classrooms.  We looked at trends and methodologies within our school, and we used this info to talk about learning, instruction, and how we can make sure students are demonstrating the skills they are learning.  We also reviewed discipline and absenteeism data, and we did some planning for upcoming assemblies and events.

Announcements
Attention staff members, parents, community members, local businesses, and 4th and 5th grade students!  Please join us on Tuesday, January 16th for Millville's second strategic planning session.  Come be a part of planning for the future.  Click here to sign up, but you don't need to sign up to attend.

Nurse Pruett wants to thank Bacon School’s club 21 students and staff for walking to NY with her.
They showed great team work walking and creating a New Year’s Eve themed party in Times Square to Celebrate 2018.     

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

The Week Ahead

Monday (1/15): NO SCHOOL -- schools closed in observance of Martin Luther King Day 

Tuesday (1/16): E day - Millville Public Schools 2nd strategic planning meeting (6:30 - 8 pm at the Lakeside Middle School cafeteria)

Wednesday (1/17):  A day - Workout Wednesday

Thursday (1/18): B day - Staff meeting  (8 am in the library)

Friday (1/19): C day - Wear Bacon gear

Upcoming January Dates

January 22nd: Family Yoga Night sponsored by the Parents as Leaders Coalition.  6:30 - 8 in the Bacon gym.  All are welcome, but you must register by 1/19 to save a spot.  Please call Honesty at 856-265-1456 to reserve a spot.    

**The Parents as Leaders Coalition will be hosting a number of events here at Bacon.  These events will take place on Mondays throughout the winter and early spring.  Stay tuned for more info.**

January 29th: NO SCHOOL - staff professional development day

Pictures from around the School

Students in Mrs. Gandy's class working together

Mr. Coyle with the cone patrol

Mrs. Summers is back in action!

Students practicing writing their names in Mrs. Munzenmayer's class

Mr. Coyle's Bear Buddy

Mr. Coyle's other Bear Buddy

More from Cole's music

Birthday Selfies!