September 29, 2017
Bridge Point Elementary
MRS. MEEK'S WEEKLY MESSAGE
Dear BPE Families,
The start of the year is now behind us. Just as we are beginning to fall into a routine, now it's time to gear up for the busy month of October. Mark your calendars for important dates in October:
Parent Conference sign-up will begin on Thursday, October 5 at noon. The majority of conferences will take place the afternoons of October 25, 26, and 27. In an effort to give families a little more control over selecting a time to accommodate their schedule, we will be using Skyward's Conference Scheduler. Through Family Access, parents will be able to access the teacher's availability. Please watch the 90 second tutorial for directions on how to sign up. For additional questions about this process, please reach out to your child's teacher. If your child is in fourth or fifth grade, please only sign-up for a conference with your child's HOMEROOM teacher.
In addition to scheduling your conferences, Thursday, October 5, will also be especially exciting as we come together for our highly anticipated Family Picnic. I am looking forward to seeing all of you on BPE's soccer field from 5:30 PM—7:30 PM. Be sure to have your children wear their grade level colors--a rainbow of colors on the soccer field will be fun! Chick-fil-A, Mighty Fine, and Stony's Pizza will be available for dinner (cash only)!
SOCKTOBER is coming to Bridge Point. The PE teachers, Ms. Dean, Mrs. Rose, and Mrs. Pate, are kicking off a campaign that is not new to the Austin community, but new to Bridge Point! At Morning Assembly, students watched a video from Kid President to explain to students that we are asking for sock donations. Throughout the month of October, we ask that you donate new socks to bring some good to those in our city who are in need. Socks made of wool or wicking material tend to dry quickly when they get wet, but any new socks are appreciated. Organizations that are collecting socks are the Veteran's Association, Easterseals, Salvation Army and more. At the end of the month, we will deliver all of the socks collected to some of these local charities. Thank you for your help in spreading joy and kindness!
Check out the Kid President video we shared at morning assembly to kick off Socktober!
All My Best,
Heather Meek
BPE NEWS
Counselor's Corner
This first nine weeks the SEL core competency we are focusing on is Relationship Skills. In addition to providing to students with skills to facilitate positive peer relationships, we also strive to empower students to handle peer conflict, which is common among elementary aged students. Children often come home with reports of problems on the playground, in the lunchroom, on the bus or even in the classroom. Kids are quick to involve adults and may be inclined to label their peers as "bullies". From there, a parent's natural instinct is to jump in and protect our children from these challenges, but we may be doing them a disservice when we rescue them from a conflict.
These common everyday peer conflicts provide a teachable moment to empower our children and develop their conflict resolution skills. Below are some strategies that you can encourage your child to be problem solvers in times of peer conflict:
- Take time to calm down
- Say the problem without blame, using "I statements" to explain feelings
- Think of solutions that are safe and respectful for everyone
- Apologize and take responsibility for your part of the problem
Sincerely,
The Shelf Life: Library News
Since the beginning of the school year, students have been working on a collaborative poster from StickTogether in the library Makerspace. As each class came to the library, students got to add stickers on and we watched the image develop over time. Everyone had to work together and follow a letter-based key to put the stickers in the right spots.
Now that it's complete, students have been able to see their hard work evolve into a pixelated picture of students reading! Check out some more photos of our creation on the library blog!
Sincerely,
BPE CALENDAR
FLYERS
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BRIDGE POINT ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
6401 Cedar Street, Austin, Texas 78746