Bethel Springs Elementary School

Why do we celebrate Presidents’ Day? Is it just another patriotic day or a day to take off from school? Initially, the holiday began in 1885 to recognize George Washington, which is why it’s still called “Washington’s Birthday.” For that reason, it was set as February 22nd, which is Washington’s actual birthday. However, in an effort to honor all presidents, the holiday was moved to the third Monday of February.

BSES students Michaels Stuardi, Eliana Byun, Emma Moran, and Gianna Gamble represented our school in the PMEA (Pennsylvania Music Educators Association) District 12 Chorus Fest. They joined students from around the Philadelphia area at Downingtown East High School this past Thursday to participate in a full day workshop, finishing with an evening concert performance. Congratulations to these talented students and their wonderful music teachers, Mrs. Adam and Mr. Vonderstuck!

The Dash Divers and The Oceanic Dashes made it to the final round of the Wonder Robotics Competition. Link - https://www.makewonder.com/classroom/robotics-competition/

There were over 5,000 teams world-wide. Approx. 500 teams made it into this round (and only 104 teams in this age bracket). Wonder only allows for 3 Grand Prize winners (one from each age bracket) and 12 "runner-up" teams. The Invitational Round starts March 1st and the final submissions are due 4/5. We are proud of our 3rd graders and we wish them the best! Many thanks to Ms. Brown for leading the efforts of these students!

A message from Terri Bracken, Director of Special Education in the Garnet Valley School District:

Hello everyone!

Below you will find the Making a Difference Award Nomination form:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0By96mv0gfmC-d29FQmVfS3lDOG9vZmk0ejNEUGlMdUdVbGo4/view?usp=sharing

This is the 7th year that the Local Educational Task Force in Delaware County will honor staff, students, or community members who make a difference in the lives of students with special needs and who go above and beyond to provide our students with opportunities to participate with non-disabled peers in their schools and communities. This is a county-wide award and we are asking for your nominations of our GV family who fit this description!

ALL NOMINATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED ONLINE - (click on link in the yellow box on form to submit a nomination)

NOMINATION DEADLINE IS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2019 at 5:00 p.m. NO NOMINATIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THAT TIME.

Final decisions about winners will be made by March 28, 2019. District special education directors will be notified of the winners in their respective districts.

Thank you!

Soft Pretzel Sale: Bethel Springs is having a soft pretzel sale! The Pretzel Boys pretzels will be delivered in time for snack on Friday, February 22nd. Pretzels are $1.00 each. Please send back the payment (cash only) in an envelope marked with the Student’s Name, Grade, Teacher, Number of Pretzels, and Amount Enclosed or print out the Pretzel Sale FORM here and return with payment to school by Wednesday, February 20th. (Forms will not be printed/distributed school-wide for this sale.)

Thank you to all Bethel Springs families who generously contributed to our Kids Heart Challenge Fundraiser. It was a fun filled week with lots of heart pumping exercise. Our students all worked hard during class on their jump rope skills and beyond. We are proud to announce that our school will be donating $9,518.34 to the American Heart Association!

We would also like to announce our top fundraisers from each grade level. These students will pie their PE teacher OR principal on Friday, February 22nd during their respective lunch periods!!

1st grade leader- Van Steiger- Mrs. Uniacke's class

2nd grade leader- Avery Canuso- Mr. Behl's class

3rd grade leader- Summer Sundberg- Mrs. Shaffer's Class

4th grade leader- Rachel Hicks- Mrs. Ferguson's Class

5th grade leader- Regan Leydig- Mrs. Chalfant's Class

BSES Read Across America Activities

Celebrate Reading with Read Across America Theme Days

February 25th - March 1st

Each day students can dress up to match a different theme insprired by our love of reading.

Monday 2/25 - “Snuggle Up with a Good Book” - Wear your pajamas to school!

Tuesday 2/26- “Poem in your Pocket” - Wear clothes with pockets!

Wednesday 2/27- “Wacky Wednesday” - Wear mismatched, backwards, wacky clothes!

Thursday 2/28- “Read my Shirt” - Wear a shirt with words on it!

Friday 3/1- “Celebrate All that You’ve Read” - Wear red, white and blue!

Author Visit - Janet Wong

February 26th

Each grade will enjoy an assembly with author Janet Wong as she stops by BSES to share her stories about reading and writing with our students. (see attached book order form or look for it in the Smores sent by Mr. Piasecki)

Bob Kelly Visit - LIVE FROM BSES

February 26th

Philly FOX 29 newscaster, Bob Kelly will be stopping by to celebrate Read Across America with BSES. Families can tune in to FOX 29 at 9:30 am to see the live broadcast.

Principal’s Storytime Bookfair at Barnes and Noble

Wednesday, February 27, 2018, 5:45–8 pm

Join Mr. Piasecki, Mrs. Allen and BSES Teachers and Staff, along with GVHS Athletes for storytime at Barnes and Noble on Concord Pike. The BSES Library will receive a percentage of the profits earned anytime a voucher is presented that day! Present our special voucher at the time of your purchase to help us earn credit (café consumables count, too).

Mystery Teacher Readers

Week of Februrary 25th

Students are in for a special treat when teachers swap classes and read around the school.

Guest Mystery Readers

Week of Februrary 25th

Once again we will be hosting a number of mystery readers. Bethel Springs will be reading like crazy when guest readers from the school district and the community drop by to read to our students.

Read Across America Book Trivia

Week of Februrary 25th

Classes will have a chance to win great prizes by answering book trivia each morning.

Book Bingo

Weeks of February 18th and Februrary 25th

Our popular book bingo is back for another year! Students who complete the book bingo form at home and return it to Mrs. Gamiño by Monday, March 4th will receive a prize.

The BSES Home and School Association is sponsoring a visit from author Janet Wong on Tuesday, February 26th. She will share her stories and how she creates them. To learn more about Janet Wong visit her website:

https://www.janetwong.com/

Students may order books by Ms. Wong by clicking the link to the book order form below:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0By96mv0gfmC-QWMwUXB6ejZMYklHV3dEWU00YThZdE1EM0xF/view?usp=sharing

The February Fitness Challenge is here! Students who have completed the "Roll in the New Year" January Challenge can turn them in to their PE teacher now for a toe token and their picture on the wall outside the gym. Below is the link to the February Challenge, For the Love of Exercise:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1h53RS-4sGIka2UT86LQnxCGNlrQ8m9OGMcRMDVydfJw/edit?usp=sharing

Families are encouraged to participate together!

For your convenient reference, the weekly announcements will be archived on the school website. Simply go the Bethel Springs page on the district website (garnetvalleyschools.com) and go to "Our School" and to the "Announcements" drop-down. Click on the particular weekly announcements you wish to view. Thanks!

The 2018-2019 calendar is linked on our website.

https://bses.garnetvalleyschools.com/calendar

The link for the calendar "School Calendar" is in the drop-down menu under "Our School" on the Bethel Springs website.

FULL SPEED AHEAD - Stocks Bakery Pound Cake Sale: The Stocks Pound Cake Sale is in full gear until Friday, February 22nd or until we sell out!! For just $15 per “brick,” we’ll be able to bring your orders directly to the school for convenient pickup! Use this Google Form to request your order, and you will automatically receive a receipt via email. Complete your payment and then print your receipt and bring it to Bethel Springs on Friday, March 8th between 3pm-6pm (times may change), and we'll provide curbside service on the old Kindergarten Loop on the left of the school.

You can order Vanilla and Marble pound cakes with Vanilla, Chocolate, or No Frosting. Extra cakes may be available for purchase after March 8th. All proceeds benefit the BSES Library Renovation Project. Please contact Lora Barber with any questions.

Don't forget - the cakes can be frozen, so be sure to plan accordingly!!

Box Tops Collection - FINAL ROUND: Now’s the time to be filling up the Final Box Top Collection Form of the year - if yours didn’t come home or you need extra one, click HERE. To mix things up a little, the top classes from each grade level will receive a Pajama Day, while the top class in the whole school will receive a Special Snack to enjoy during their Pajama Day! Forms are due by Friday, February 22nd.

Volunteer Needed - Scholastic Book Fair Co-Lead: The Fall Scholastic Book Fair is one of our school’s most successful events between the focus on reading, funds raised, and the fun had by all!! If you are interested in helping out as a Co-Lead for the Book Fair, please contact BSES HSA for more information.

HSA Board - Volunteer for Co-Treasurer Position: The HSA Board is currently looking for a volunteer who might be interested in assuming the Co-Treasurer role for the 2019-2020 school year. Previous financial experience and familiarity with QuickBooks are desirable traits for someone undertaking this role. Check out the HSA Website for more information, and contact BSES HSA if you are interested or have questions.

Jaguar Color Dash - Raffle Prize Donations: We are reaching out to BSES families that may have a relationship with local sports teams that could potentially support the Jaguar Color Dash. Perhaps you work for, or have season tickets to, our favorite home teams like the 76ers, Flyers, Eagles, Phillies, Wings, or Union. Consider whether you can donate a set of tickets or a sports swag item as a prize to be raffled off as a reward for student fundraising. If you are interested in contributing or have any questions, please contact Renata Brooks.

And SAVE THE DATE for the Jaguar Color Dash Kick Off Meeting for parents which will be held on April 29th in the BSES Library! Come find out how you can help and how the funds raised will be used to revitalize the library. We hope to see you there!

Volunteer Spotlight:

Nature Trail: Thank you to the Matier family for taking such great care of the Nature Trail this past week!

Upcoming Dates:

February 20 Pretzel Friday FORMS/Payment Due

February 22 Stocks Bakery Pound Cake Sale Ends

February 22 Box Tops Collection FORMS Due

February 22 Pretzel Friday

February 25 First Day of Read Across America Week

For the most up to date information check the HSA Website: BSES HSA

Follow us on social media-

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bseshsa/

Instagram: @bethel_springs_hsa

Twitter: @bseshsa1

Dear Parents/Guardians of Garnet Valley 5th Graders,

We are excited to welcome you to Garnet Valley Middle School this fall. Over the next few months, you will begin to receive communications from GVMS regarding parent meetings and transition information for the 2019-2020 school year.

But first, we want to share with you that it will be important to know how to access your child’s Garnet Valley school email account. By understanding this system it will enable both you and your child to experience a smooth and enjoyable transition to the Garnet Valley Middle School.

Most 5th-grade students regularly use their Google email accounts at the elementary level. We would like to share with you the account protocols. Students can sign into Gmail (or Google) using firstlast@garnetvalley.org, followed by their password, which in most cases is first three letters of the last name, all caps, followed by student ID (Lunch number) - LAF12345 as an example. If you have questions or need assistance with this process, please email techsupport@garnetvalley.org.

GVSD is a leader in technology and committed to its integration in the classroom. It is important that students establish the routine of checking their email on a regular basis. In order to start preparing students for the transition to middle school, we kindly ask that you and your child view and begin to manage your child’s school email account this spring. Garnet Valley Middle School will be communicated with 5th graders via the student email. For example, the summer work information and expectations for 6th grade ELA and math will be communicated in this manner.

Thank you for your continued support. The topic of the next communication will be your use of our student information management system called ALMA. We look forward to meeting you soon.

Sincerely,

Lisa Stenz, Principal

Dawn Papa, Assistant Principal

Gerry Weinhardt, Assistant Principal

This year our Art and Literature Fling will focus on Greece! Each week in our announcements we will include a fact about this fascinating culture that stretches back thousands of years and has had such incredible influence on the world. PLEASE SHARE THE WEEKLY FACT WITH THE KIDS! In May, around the time of our Art and Literature Fling, there will be an electronic quiz on the weekly facts sent home for families to complete. All families achieving a perfect score will have their names put in a prize basket raffle to be drawn at the conclusion of the Art and Literature Fling on Wednesday, May 28th (you'll have to be present to win)!

GREEK FACT FROM 9-10-18

https://www.smore.com/zjy34

GREEK FACT FROM 9-17-18

https://www.smore.com/09v4y

GREEK FACT FROM 9-24-18

https://www.smore.com/h1y3c

GREEK FACT FROM 10-1-18

https://www.smore.com/zyp73

GREEK FACT FROM 10-8-18

https://www.smore.com/urazs

GREEK FACT FROM 10-15-18

https://www.smore.com/b7vf4

GREEK FACT FROM 10-22-18

https://www.smore.com/3wyfh

GREEK FACT FROM 10-29-18

https://www.smore.com/0g3e1

GREEK FACT FROM 11-5-18

https://www.smore.com/1gbay

GREEK FACT FROM 11-12-18

https://www.smore.com/605vb

GREEK FACT FROM 11-21-18

https://www.smore.com/dhpv7

GREEK FACT FROM 11-26-18

https://www.smore.com/pymx3

GREEK FACT FROM 12-3-18

https://www.smore.com/ebk03

GREEK FACT FROM 12-10-18

https://www.smore.com/ped0y

GREEK FACT FROM 12-17-18

https://www.smore.com/w8mhn

GREEK FACT FROM 12-31-18

https://www.smore.com/v65rx

GREEK FACT FROM 1-7-19

https://www.smore.com/60x3a

GREEK FACT FROM 1-14-19

https://www.smore.com/2kr5z

GREEK FACT FROM 1-21-19

https://www.smore.com/yqe8j

GREEK FACT FROM 1-28-19

https://www.smore.com/k8bqm

GREEK FACT FROM 2-4-19

https://www.smore.com/zb0ku

GREEK FACT FROM 2-11-19

https://www.smore.com/jxznq

The Garnet Valley Performing Arts Association will present Annie from March 7-9 at GVHS. Annie is fun for all ages so bring the entire family to a performance to show your support for our amazingly talented and hardworking students! For tickets and information, visit www.gvpaa.com.

Diva Dance Party sponsored by the Garnet Valley Dance Team is scheduled for March 23, 2019 at the High School from 10:00-4:00 (Registration beginning at 9:30). Preschool age 4 through 5th grade are welcome to attend this fun filled day with the Garnet Valley Dance Team. They will learn a dance routine, have their hair and make up done, do a craft project, have lunch, get a t-shirt and perform for family and friends at the end of the day! Sign up by mail, through the Garnet Valley Diva Dance Facebook page or Eventbrite. Act quickly before space runs out! We hope to see your little Diva there!

Garnet Valley Solo Fest - Sat Feb 23, 2019

All GV students grades 5-12 band, orchestra, chorus, or piano lessons are invited to perform a solo in the 2019 GV Solo Fest. Students will perform an approved solo piece for two music adjudicators (not in front of an audience), and will receive written feedback and participation recognition. Several outstanding performers will be selected for special recognition and may be selected to perform in our 2019 Garnet Valley Music Gala Concert on March 24. Your music teacher will help you select a piece to perform. Register at www.gvhsmusic.org/solofest by Jan 25!

On Sunday, March 24, 2019 at 3pm, the Garnet Valley School District Music Department will hold our first annual Music Gala Concert. The purpose of the concert is three-fold:

1) To highlight and celebrate our outstanding music students from grades K-12.

2) To celebrate National Music-in-our-Schools Month (March).

3) To raise funds for Musicopia, a Philadelphia non-profit organization that provides music education and musical instruments to underserved local communities.

We invite you to help support our worthy cause by purchasing tickets and attending the concert. Adult admission is $15.00, free admission for children and performing students. You may purchase tickets at our website www.gvhsmusic.org/musicgala

Presenter:

Sameer Hinduja, Ph.D.

Florida Atlantic University

Cyberbullying Research Center

Where: GVMS Auditorium

When: Monday, March 4, 2019 (3/5/19 Snow date) 7 – 8:30 pm

Who is invited: Parent/Caregivers 3rd -12th grade

Professional Flex for Teachers

This presentation will cover a broad overview of cyberbullying, including issues parents, educators, and teens need to know about how youth use and misuse technology to cause harm to their peers. The presentation will define and provide examples of cyberbullying and discuss the role of parents in preventing and responding to inappropriate online behaviors. It will also describe many of the online environments popular among adolescents today and strategies to use to make sure they are used safely and responsibly.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B237lPbhNPQUM0hvYkd5OWlncnZMQjZMMW81R0V4MWw5N0Qw/view?usp=sharing

February 14 Valentine's parties

February 15 Teacher In-service Day No school for students

February 18 Presidents' Day Holiday

February 25-March 1 Read Across America

"Learning and fun all in one."