Sunday, September 14, 2025

9.13

A Life Well Lived According to Emerson – The Life and Times ...

Hi All, 

I hope that you had a wonderful weekend. The week ahead of us is busy! I wanted to thank you all for your colleagueship and positive outlook on our teaming opportunities this year. A huge shout out to the 3-6 teams for running a Kid Talk Protocol and for being thoughtful about how we show up for our young people. 

On a personal note I wanted to share that Wednesday of this week marks the 30th year of my Mom's passing. If I seem off on Wednesday, I wanted you all to know why. May we all find kindness, joy and empathy for with another this week. 

News and Announcements

  • I started the Staff Spotlight in the Weekly Bobcat Beat. Thank you for those of you who have completed the form. If you could take a few moments and fill this form out, we can share a little about ourselves with the larger school community weekly all year long! https://forms.gle/fsdpAsQkErKP9uMM8
  • Here is the 25-26 WCUUSD LCAP. Many of the windows open on Monday and will close early October. 
  • In an effort to be in alignment with the contract Amber Burnell will be floating between K-2 and 3-6 recess duty. I recognize that this is a major change and it's one that I think the last year has prepared us for. Adults that are on recess duty please see Amber's notes about procedures.  

3-6

-the kids can get their own balls from the black container, they are responsible for picking them up and putting them back in the container. 

-the kids know where the boundary lines are, sometimes they may need a reminder.  If the same kids need another reminder, they own 5 mins on the wall, and a conversation about where the boundary lines are. 

-if there are any hands on with physical aggression, the kids involved have an automatic 10 mins on the wall, if it happens again the next day (with the same kids) it’s 15 mins on the wall (ODRs to be filled out directly after, and a quick convo with their teacher when the kids are inside) and processing why they are there.  I have zero tolerance for any type of physical aggression or hands on, and all the kids know what to expect if they do. 

-if there is any foul language, it’s an automatic 5 mins on the wall. If it happens again with the same kid or group, they have another 5 mins on the wall and they find something else to do. 

-the kids line up at 12:06 when I blow the whistle (3 sets of 3). The 5-6 line up on either side of the 5-6 door. 3-4 line up by the 3-4 door, both 4th grade classes are on either side and 3rd is lined up down the middle. Voices are off, and clam bodies before they enter the building. 

-no classes enter the building unless all the balls are picked up and put away. 

K-2

-When the kids go out of the door they must walk until they hit the grass area, then they may run. they should go around the telephone pole and the wires, not through them. There is a 100% chance they won’t get hurt by the wires if they go around. 

-they all know where the boundaries lines are. I walked them with most of the classes and the teachers did a great job going over them with their kids. Sometimes they may go outside those boundaries, a gentle reminder is all that’s needed. If it happens again (with the same kids) it’s 5 mins on the wall and a convo about why they are there. 

-if the kids want a playground ball they must ask an adult, the same adult must make sure the ball gets put back into the black container. 

-if there are any hands on with physical aggression, the kids involved have an automatic 5 mins on the wall, if it happens again (same day or the next day) with the same kids it’s 10 mins on the wall (ODRs to be filled out directly after, and a quick convo with their teacher when the kids are inside) and processing why they are there.  I have zero tolerance for any type of physical aggression or hands on, and all the kids know what to expect if they do. 

-if they take their jackets, coats, or sweaters off they are to be put in their line order spot, not left on the playground. They must either be wearing them or put in their spot on the wall. 

-the kids line up at 12:35 when I blow the whistle (3 sets of 3). They know it’s line order, arms at their sides, voices off, facing forward, and clam bodies. I try to give the kids who have a hard time transitioning a 5 min warning, and I make it a game… who’s going to race me to the wall?!! 

-I always have a kid hold the outside door, I pick a kid who is doing what’s expected. Sometimes I ask a kid who may be having a tricky time coming inside…. I ask for their help holding the door. When Harley is there, he usually hold the inside door. 

Reminders  
  • You must be ontime for your duty. 11:40 and 12:10 are the start times of both lunch and recess blocks. 
  • If you leave campus during the school hours you need to sign out in the book in the front office. For safety purposes we need to know where you are/when you are back. 
  • You must be moving around to supervise and utilize proximity at recess.
  • Connection and communication/play with students at recess and lunch goes a long way in building relationships and managing behaviors. 
  • Pledge of Allegiance: 
    • Students are to be respectful and not speak during the pledge. 
    • Students are not required and cannot be made to stand up or recite the pledge.
  • Community Bobcats! Please share appreciation for your colleagues! The slips are in the copy room.   

What's Happening at BES? 

Monday 9/15

SST 9:15-10:15

Tuesday 9/16


Wednesday 9/17

K-6 PD 8:20-9:20 (Art Room)
Staff Meeting (Meet in Art Room) 3:10-4:45 
    Agenda:
        DESSA PD
        Nuts and Bolts 
WCUUSD Board Meeting 6:00

Thursday  9/18


Friday 9/19

Allied Arts PD 8:20-8:50
Team Meetings 
K-2 Behavior/SEL
3-6 Academic 

Where is Celia?

Monday 9/15

Fall Festival Planning 8:15
SST 9:15-10:15

Tuesday 9/16

Para PD 8:15-8:45 (Optional---Music Room) 
Kim B Check-In 9:15
Interview w/Kim B
Rowan Speech at 2:15**Celia Out for 35 minutes and then back in building.

Wednesday 9/17

Admin Team Meeting: Nuts and Bolts 1:00-2:00 

Thursday  9/18

Student Meeting 8:30 
WCLT Meeting 1:00-3:00**Celia Out 
Den Groups 

Friday 9/19

Allied Arts PD 8:20-8:50
Team Meetings 
K-2 Behavior/SEL
3-6 Academic 




Sunday, September 7, 2025

9.7

Hi All, 

I hope that you had a good weekend. I had my first sports experience as a parent/principal on Saturday morning when Rowan had her first soccer practice. The PK/K soccer team was quite the crew! Huge thank you to Coach Kealy Sloane and her husband coach Zach. I'm so grateful to be able to live and work in this community. 

Thank you all for doing a quick vote on Friday afternoon for our staff color for the Fall Jamobree on 10/10. In a 15 to 25 vote the Fall Green Color won. Now, I need your next step, sizes! Please fill out your last name, first name and then t-shirt size in this that would be fantastic. I need this done by the end of the day Monday. If you're not sure of the size I have t-shirts in the office to give sizes a try. I will be coming around on Monday morning to get kid t-shirt sizes. 

I also wanted to share this simple and powerful read about family engagement at the start of the year. https://www.responsiveclassroom.org/six-strategies-for-partnering-with-families-at-the-start-of-the-school-year/ Connected families and engagement is directly related to our strategic plan and something that we should be utilizing with intentionality at all levels. 

News and Announcements:

  • T-Shirt Size: Please fill out the document above by the end of the day Monday. 
  • Reminder: lunch/recess procedures and expectations 
  • It's an expectation that all supervising adults in this environment are circulating to observe behaviors and interact with students. We know that proximity is a powerful tool, please use it. Tyler will be fading his support in the cafeteria over the next few weeks so that he can support students in small groups of individually during the lunch hour. He's modeling what's expected of folks on duty. If you have questions please check in with him. 
  •  If you are 1:1 with a student you must be within a short distance from them. If they are working on a fade plan this is something that you would know and be working on with a special educator. 
  • Here is the 25-26 WCUUSD LCAP. Many of the windows open on Monday and will close early October. The acadience window and classes should be populated on Monday. 
  • Teacher PD starts on 9/10. Below is the Wednesday Coverage Schedule. This can be found on the tabs at the bottom of the BES Universal Schedule
  • Wednesday Coverage 8:45---9:30
    This is a chart to show coverage for Wednesday mornings PD. 
    Rogers (3)Maring (1)Dessureau (2)Turcotte (2)VelezDowning (2)Rob (1)Wagner (1)Armstrong (1)
    DavidJessica HeinzJenniferRuthanneMarcJessica EgiziJessieTylerAmadeus
    AshlynAmberMeganKim
  • We will meet on Friday for our data meetings. 3-6 will focus on Behavior Kid Talk and K-2 will focus on academics this week. Here is the link for that basic schedule. We will adjust as we go this year. 
  • Mandatory Trainings are due by 9/15. 
  • We have a couple of dueling meetings on Monday so we are going to shift SST to meet from 9:15-10:15 on Monday morning. 
  • Here is a copy of the Duty Schedule. Please double check the days that you are on. Comment if you need/want to switch days etc. 
  • Flynn Event on Tuesday! Do I have any volunteers who may want to be the point person for the bus on Tuesday? This would look like riding the bus to and from the event. I am being asked to be at U-32 so I won't be able to support the bus from BES in that way. Let me know if you're willing/able to do this. 
  • Community Schools: You will see Bec in and around our building Monday and Friday this week. If there's something specific you'd like her to connect with you on please reach out to her rdezan@u32.org. She's a great kid wrangler and community builder if you're looking for a team building experience. 
What's Happening at BES? 

Monday 9/8

SST 9:15-10:15

Tuesday 9/9

Flynn Event 6:00. Bus leaves Berlin at 5:15 if you don't want to drive. Bring a picnic dinner. 

Wednesday 9/10

K-6 PD 8:30-9:30 
Staff Meeting (Meet in Art Room) 3:10-4:45 

Thursday  9/11


Friday 9/12

Team Meetings 
K-2 Academic
3-6 Behavior/SEL

Where is Celia?

Monday 9/8

Student Meetings 8:15 

SST 9:15 

BC Meeting 11:30 

Curriculum Council 4-5:30 

Tuesday 9/9

Meeting with Berling PD--AM
WCLT Meeting 9:30-12:30*Celia out during this time 
Flynn Event--Playing Fields 

Wednesday 9/10

Admin Team Meeting: Nuts and Bolts 1:00-2:00 

Thursday  9/11


Friday 9/12



Monday, September 1, 2025

8.30

 


Hi All, 

I hope you had a wonderful long weekend. We're looking at a full 4 day week ahead of us! I apologize that I have two previously scheduled appointments during this week. One is for Rowan and one is with a specialist so I can't move the time. I'm hoping that the weather will be more cooperative this week and we'll see less rain! I wanted to thank you all for your support in life's curveball throwing last week. 

Shoutouts: 

  • Tyler, thanks for running point on dismissal. It's been a bit of a doozy. 
  • Thank you to Lori for all her help with setup/take down during inservice 
  • Intervention team--thanks for being open to new ideas! 
***All, please "shoutout" your colleagues by sending me an email during the week!*** 

News and Announcements: 
  • We will have two have half-day/early release days as a district. U-32 and Elementary Folks will have a different fall day but a shared spring day. Mark your calendars for 12/10 and 5/13. We will gather and will calibrate much of our shared district PD work. The district calendar has these dates reflected. 
  • Here is the link to the Staff Website. Please share with me the links to your parent communication (blog, site, doc, etc.) 
  • Staff Meeting---We will have a quick check in and then you'll have more mandatory training time. 
  • Services for data and special education start on 9/8.  
  • Teacher PD starts on 9/10. Below is the Wednesday Coverage Schedule. This can be found on the tabs at the bottom of the BES Universal Schedule
  • Wednesday Coverage 8:45---9:30
    This is a chart to delinate coverage for Wednesday mornings PD. Please note: if you are going to be out it is your job to ensure that this is coverage for your class.
    Rogers (3)Maring (1)Dessureau (2)Turcotte (2)VelezDowning (2)Rob (1)Wagner (1)Armstrong (1)
    DavidJessica HeinzJenniferRuthanneMarcJessica EgiziJessieTylerAmadeus
    AshlynAmberMeganKim
  • We will meet on Friday for our first data meetings---we will focus solely on academic work so that you can get a clear picture of who the interventionists are planning on working with based on spring data. Here is the link for that basic schedule. We will adjust as we go this year. 
  • Mandatory Trainings are due by 9/15. 
  • Here is a copy of the Duty Schedule. Please double check the days that you are on. Comment if you need/want to switch days etc. 
  • I want to come around and see Morning Meetings in actions in the next few weeks. Please remember that it's vitally important that we "circle up" for morning meeting. Circle allows for students to physically see and be in partnership with eachother. Here's a quick article to remind us of the power of Morning Meeting. 
  • Reminder---All District Event--- Flynn Theater "Playing Fields"---9/9--Busses leave at 5:15 from. BES. ALL are welcome! Bring a picnic and a chair.
  • Here is the "Chicken Scratch" version of our monthly meeting overview. I know a few of you had requested this. 





What's Happening at BES? 

Monday 9/1


Tuesday 9/2


Wednesday 9/3

 

Thursday  9/4

All School Meeting  2:50-3:20
PTNA Meeting 6:00 

Friday 9/5

Team Meetings 

Where is Celia?

Monday 9/1


Tuesday 9/2

EduClimber Training 8:00-10:00
PK Taskforce 4:00

Wednesday 9/3

*Celia out until 10:00 (Rowan appointment) 
Student Meeting 10:00
Admin Team Nuts and Bolts 1:00 
Staff Check In 3:00 

Thursday  9/4

BES Safety Team Meeting 9:15
Celia and Susanne Check in 10:00 
Interview 3:00 
PTNA Meeting 6:00

Friday 9/5

*Celia out until 9:45 (Celia appointment) 


Sunday, August 24, 2025

8.22

Hi All, 

I hope that you're feeling ready for tomorrow! I am looking forward to seeing you tomorrow at U-32 and then again back in our building for staff meeting starting at 1:00. 

Reminders:

As a reminder here is the outline for tomorrow and the next day. Click Here or see below. 

Monday: 

Time 

Topic

Time 

Topic

7:45-9:00

Breakfast (Coffee/Light Snacks) 

11am- 12:45


Special Educators Meeting and Lunch 

8:00-9:00

Association Meeting Time  (Attendance Optional)

11:00-12:45

Travel/Light Lunch Provided at BES

9:00-9:15

Break

1:00-2:30

All Staff Meeting 

9:15-11:00

      Convocation 

2:30-3:30 

Mandatory Training Time  

 Tuesday: 

Time 

Attendance 

Topics to cover in each building - Principal’s discretion

Why??


8:30-9:00

All Staff

Welcome and Carbs and Coffee

Personal connection and food are keys to our survival 

RB

9:30-10:00

All Staff

Focusing on the “Why?” 

Grounding ourselves in commitments to each other and our students. Answer the question of “why?”

RB

10:00-10:15

All Staff

Break 

A quick reset is important! 


10:15-10:45

Teaching and Para Staff

PBIS Review 


L

10:45-12:15

Teaching and Para Staff

Nuts and Bolts 

  • Team Meetings 

  • Schedules 

  • LCAP 

  • Upcoming Dates

    • Open House— September 24th 5:30-6:30

    • Pictures— September 18 


IS

12:15-1:00

Lunch 

Lunch 

Food is important—We will provide lunch 


1:00-3:00

Teaching and Para Staff

Team Time 

  • Schedules 

  • Planning 

  • Questions  

  • Mandatory Trainings 

  • Unpacking new materials (literally and figuratively)

Time to connect and complete work as you see fit. 

PL

3:15

Closing Circle 


Connection and closing is part of the brain science of a cohesive team 

RB


Please see the notes from Lori last week: 
  • New Coffee Maker--will not be operational until Monday
  • I have an order here in the office I cannot figure out who ordered: some of the items include Digital timer, pencil eraser caps, pencil sharpener, Neon Colored Paper.  If any of this sound familiar let me know
  • If you have any laminating or copy jobs get them to us asap please.  The laminator is only run by Doreen or myself.  Thanks!
  • Upstairs, at the top of the stairs, there is a table and shelves (only first section) to the right that have free items.  If it is still there by the end of the day Tuesday, its going to the dumpster.  
  • If you go upstairs and are not sure where your section is, come and see me...I have that knowledge.  Anyone who had things upstairs, has a rack now.  Please do not stray outside of your rack and the 3 feet in front of it.
  • Also upstairs is a rack with some free for all things such as bulletin board paper, etc
  • New cafeteria pricing for adults this year is $5.00 for Breakfast & $7.00 for lunch.  This is a pay in advance system so feel free to put monies on your account at the beginning of the year and you can ask for your balance at any time.
  • I will be putting Sunshine envelopes in your mailboxes at some point soon, if you want more info on that, please ask me.
  • If you have not received something in your orders, please let me know asap so that I can get it ordered or check on its status.  School Specialty has some B/O items.
To-Do's:
  • LAST CALL: Summer Slideshow: Please add a slide to this slideshow with something you'd like to share from your summer. Directions are on the slideshow. 
  • Staff Spotlight: All staff please fill out this Staff Spotlight Form. We will be recognizing staff in the wider community weekly throughout the year. 
Upcoming Events
  • August 25---Watermelon Social at BES 5:30-6:30
  • August 27---First Day of School 8:45-3:00
  • September 1st---No School
  • September 9th- Playing Fields Project at U-32 6:00pm
  • September 24--- BES Open House 5:30-6:30pm
  • September 25th--- Community Meal at U-32


Where is Celia?

Monday 8/25

U-32 then BES! 


Watermelon Social 5:30-6:30 *All are Welcome

Tuesday 8/26

Inservice All Day 
SPED Team 

Wednesday 8/27

Admin Team Nuts and Bolts 1:00 
Staff Check In 3:00 

Thursday  8/28

9:00-11:00 504 Training 
Community Meal Meeting 3:00 

Friday 8/29

** Rowan's Birthday**




9.13

Hi All,  I hope that you had a wonderful weekend. The week ahead of us is busy! I wanted to thank you all for your colleagueship and positiv...