Bear News - Sept. 11, 2017

Dear Parents,

Due to school being closed today and tomorrow, the September PTA Meeting has been rescheduled for Thursday, September 14 at 6:00 p.m. at Bear. We hope you will join us!

The Parking Spot Super Silent Auction has also been postponed. Don't miss this chance to have a  stress-free afternoon carpool for the year! The new deadline for bids is Tuesday, September 19 at 4:00 p.m. The winner will be announced during Pizza Dinner before Math Night.

Don't miss a fun and educational time for the entire family in our Outdoor Classroom on Saturday, September 16 from 9:00-10:30.

The Discount Card deadline is Monday, September 18, Please turn in all money or unsold cards at this time. To be eligible for prizes, money must be turned in by 9:00 a.m.

Math Night Pizza money is due Monday, September 18. All dinners must be pre-ordered by Monday. You can order online here Order Pizza Online.

Join us for our first Spirit Night at Rockin' Jump on Thursday, September 28 from 4:00-8:00 p.m. A portion of the proceeds from the day come back to our school.

Stay safe and dry!

Bear PTA

UPCOMING DATES:

PTA Meeting - 9/14

Garden Education Day - 9/16

Pizza Money Due - 9/18

Discount Card Money Due - 9/18

Spirit Night - 9/28

Bear News - Sept. 7, 2017

Hello Bear Parents,

PTA MEETING - TUESDAY

Please join us for our first PTA meeting of the school year on Tuesday, September 12 at 6:00 p.m. in Bear’s Lunchroom. We have a lot of great information that we want to share with you. You don’t want to miss this jam-packed meeting!

·         Discount Card Fundraiser Update

·         Fall Festival News

·         Garden Education & Maintenance Days

·         Spirit Nights

·         Reflections Art Program

SKIP THE CARPOOL LINE WITH FRONT-ROW PARKING

How would you like to drive up to Bear and have your very own reserved front row parking space? We have two reserved parking spaces that will be awarded to the highest bidders through a “super silent” auction. Bids will be accepted Friday, September 8 – Tuesday, September 12 at 4:00 p.m. Place your bid in the Super Silent Bid Box by the front door of the school. Rules and an entry form can be found here - Parking Spot Bid Form.

GARDEN & EDUCATION DAYS

The PTA is thrilled to have Bear parent Ashleigh Livingston as our Garden/Outdoor Classroom committee chair this year. Ashleigh is ​a​ ​holistic​ ​health​ ​and​ ​nutrition​ ​counselor,​ ​Interactive Metronome​ ​Clinician​ ,​ ​an​ ​ADHD​ ​coach, and owner of​​ ​Integrated-Wellness.​ Please join Ashleigh as she leads our first Garden Education Day for children and parents on Saturday, September 16 at 9:00 a.m. in the Bear Garden. The topic is “The Food and Mood Connection,” and the goal is to have lots of FUN with kids in our awesome garden! The education segment will last about 45 minutes, and then we invite you to stay for another 30 minutes to help in the garden. We promise you will be home in time for football! 

Learn more about Ashleigh and see our 2017 Garden Education Dates in 2017 here - Garden Information 2017.

SPIRIT NIGHTS

In an effort to fellowship throughout the year and raise funds for Bear, several Spirit Nights have been arranged. Participating in the Spirit Nights is easy. Simply visit each business during the specified date and time, make a purchase, and place your receipt in the box next to the register labeled Bear Spirit Night. It’s just that easy! Our first Spirit Night is at Rockin’ Jump Trampoline Park on Thursday, September 28 from 3:30 – 8:00 p.m. The schedule for the year can be found here - Spirit Night Schedule 2017-18. 

Fall is a wonderfully busy time around Bear. We have so much to tell you about, so we hope to see you on Tuesday at our first PTA Meeting!

Sincerely,

Bear PTA

Mark Your Calendars for These Back to School Events

Kindergarten Orientation – Thursday, August 3 @ 6:15

1st grade – Thursday, August 3 @ 5:00

2nd grade – Monday, August 7 @ 6:15

3rd grade – Monday, August 7 @ 5:00

4th grade – Tuesday, August 8 @ 6:15

5th grade – Tuesday, August 8 @ 5:00

Parents and students only, please.
 Due to space limitations we ask that you refrain from bringing siblings, younger or older.
 Thank you for understanding.

Please join the PTA for our annual Parent "Boo-Hoo Yahoo!" Breakfast 

Thursday, August 10th 

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL 

8:40 a.m. Bear Cafeteria 

Picnic in the Park 

Tuesday, August 22nd 

Vaughn Road Park 

5:30 p.m. 

Pack a picnic supper, gather your blanket/chairs 

and get ready for a rootin’ tootin’ good time! 

Nancy's Italian Ice will be there to help you cool off, so be sure to bring a couple of dollars!  

PTA Back to School Packet

Howdy Partners! 

Welcome to the new school year! Thank you for taking the time to review this packet of information. Although all this paperwork may seem overwhelming, we want to make sure that you have all the information that you will need for a successful school year from the very first day.

We encourage you to get involved with the PTA. Parental involvement is what makes Bear such a special and successful place. There is always something exciting going on! Joining the PTA only costs $7 per person and will get you access to all our PTA informational emails throughout the year. You can also find a lot of great information on Facebook in the group "Bear Exploration Center PTA."

We request that you complete and return most of the information in this packet by Friday, August 18. We accept cash and checks. Please write a separate check for each form or send exact cash. Please DO NOT staple checks or cash to the forms. Paper clip each payment to the appropriate form and place everything back in the large envelope and return it to school with your student.  Below is a checklist of the forms and corresponding due dates.

□  Fundraising Participation Form - 8/18

□  Volunteer Form - 8/18

□  Student Directory Information - 8/18

□  Communication Form - 8/18

□  Bear Wear Order Form - 8/31

□  PTA Membership Form -  9/15 

□  Golden Bear Membership Form - 9/15

□  Brick Order Form - 9/15

□  Partners In Education Form – 9/22

We also have a Bear PTA Web Store which allows you to pay with credit card for the following items - PTA Membership, Bear Wear, Golden Bear Membership, and Partners in Education. All online purchases are subject to a 3% fee. 

Please contact anyone on the Executive Board if you have any questions.

Bear PTA Executive Board 2017-2018

Edris Davis, President

boxerbuff@charter.net

Jill Sexton, 1st Vice President

jasexton23@yahoo.com

Traci Schell, 2nd Vice President

tracischell@gmail.com

Victoria Little, Treasurer

vlittle674@att.net

Kelly Stanton, Secretary

kstanton@alsde.edu

Lisa Stevens, Communications Coordinator

lisastevens@charter.net

Summer Skills Review Packets

Hi Parents!

On May 25 students at Bear put on their tool belts and hard hats for the last time for the 2016-17 school year. To make sure that the foundation built over the last nine months remained firm, the PTA, along with the help and guidance of our wonderful teachers, put together summer skill review packets.

Completing the packet over summer break will keep skills sharp and ensure that students are ready for the new learning adventure that awaits them next school year.You will find the grade-level packets in PDF form here. Choose the grade level that your child was in LAST year (the 2016-17 school year).

Participation is OPTIONAL. Students who complete their packet and return it to school by Friday, August 11, 2017, will be rewarded with a prize from the PTA.

Thank you for making 2016-17 a most constructive school year!

Kindergarten English

Kindergarten Math

First Grade English

First Grade Math

Second Grade English

Second Grade Math

Third Grade English

Third Grade Math

Fourth Grade English

Fourth Grade Math

Teacher Appreciation Week - Specialists and Office Staff

Teacher Appreciation Week is May 1-5, 2017 at Bear Exploration. We love to shower our teachers and staff with notes and treats throughout the week. We have had several parents ask to see the "Favorites" sheets from our specialists and office staff. Participation in Teacher Appreciation Week is a great way to show we care, and, as always, it is completely optional.

WISH LIST FOR SPECIALISTS

Art – Mary Bonikowski

Wet wipes (most urgent need)

Dry erase markers

Lysol spray

Paper plates                         

Pencils

                       

Counselor - Carlos Booker

Crayola markers - all colors

Ziploc bags (gallon size)   

Lysol wipes

Batteries (AA and AAA)

8-count BIG crayons (Kindergarten)

Large block/cube erasers  

Library - Laurie Houlditch

Lysol wipes

Card Stock paper

Swiffer Duster refills

Hand sanitizer

                       

Music - Sarah Fell

Blank DVD disks

Gallon Ziploc bags

CD envelopes/sleeves

AA batteries

Lysol wipes

Masking tape (strong)

Ziploc bags (sandwich/gallon sizes)

                                                             

Nurse - Ada Postell

Band-Aids

Hand sanitizer

Ziploc bags (quart/gallon sizes)               

Soft mints (peppermints)

Lysol spray

P. E. - SueAnne Reynolds

Lysol wipes                                                  

Ziploc bags (quart size)                             

Band-Aids (elbows/knees)

Band-Aids (regular)

Instant ice packs                                         

Batteries (AA and D)                                  

Ant killer                                                       

Baby wipes

Crayola Washable Markers                       

Pens (blue or black)

Reading Coach - Loretta Harrison

Donated chapter books     

Large rubber bands

Incentive stickers                                       

Batteries (AA)

                                                                       

Science Lab - Sheila Sealy

Gift certificate to pet store (any amount) 

Batteries (AA and D size)              

Masking tape (Wide)                                 

Ziploc bags (gallon)                                    

Scotch tape (clear, regular size)               

Wax paper

Aluminum foil                                              

Swiffer Duster refills           

Chinchilla Dust                                           

Salt water fish

Pet food for chinchilla, bird & bearded dragon 

Spanish – Omayra Casalduc

Lysol wipes                                                  

Pencils          

Crayons

Markers

Pens (blue or black)

Speech - Gina Eagerton

Lysol wipes

Hand soap

Technology Lab - Tricia Moulton

Flash drives (32 GB or higher)                   

Office Depot gift card for ink         

Air Spray for computers                             

Mouse(s) for laptops

5 small desk lamps                                     

Floor pillows for iPad nook

Rechargeable AA batteries for digital cameras