Bear Tracks
Bear Creek Elementary
2500 Table Mesa Drive
Boulder, CO 80305
Kent Cruger, Principal
May 22, 2015
GOODBYE AND GOOD LUCK
TO THE BEAR CREEK CLASS OF 2015
In this issue
The Bear Creek family wishes you all the best as you make the move to
middle school next year.
Come back and visit us when you can!!!
Sophia Ammann
Analinda Anderson
Rhianna Beaupre
Evyn Bendele
Reyna Bernard
Nora Blair Houston
Isabella Boza
Joey Brockett
Vera Beuler-Fraudree
Annessa Buggy
Dillon Bush
Benno Cho
Eli Cho
Valerie Clelland
Lindsay Cook
Miles Ellis
Sabrina Feld
Eva Fuller
Corbin Glebe
Meghan Gram-Dinger
Nate Hayman
Jude Hekman
Milo Hukill
Penny Jensen
Benton Johnson
Sadie Korngold-Finkelstein
Emma Kraft
Lia Kubitschek
Ryan Lee
Chandler Levy
Kevin Locher
Gordon Loeffler
Sam Malcolm
Olivia Mateyko
Lizzy Newman
Lucas O'Dowd
Vaughn Rantilla-Veenendall
Happy Summer Break!
Liam Ouellette
Joshua Park
Trinity Paulson
Cade Payton
Maia Penuel
Quinn Perian
Aidan Robinson
Bodhi Rubinstein
David Song
Rocco Soucie
Jordan Taber
April Tong
Owen Walter
Alec Wang
Haiyan Wang
Matthew White
Max Williams
Andrew Zirger
~ Kent Cruger
BC At-A-Glance
2
PTO
3-6
The Lion King - Kids
7, 8
Classroom Clips , Drum- 9-11
ming Concert and Art
Show
BC Monthly Calendar
12
BVSD
13-15
BEFORE AND AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES
As you are looking for activities for your children to participate in before and after school, I just wanted to give you a
"heads-up" about where to look for activities that are happening at Bear Creek, and which ones are Bear Creek and
BVSD sponsored.
BEAR CREEK CALENDAR
AT - A - GLANCE
Lifelong Learning, which is part of BVSD's Community Schools
Program runs many wonderful activities for students in
schools across the district. If you go to their web-page you
can find great kid classes, many of which will happen right at
our school! Lifelong Learning will send you mail alerts of activities that are happening at Bear Creek. You can sign up for
classes at any location, but parents have found it particularly
accommodating when classes happen right at Bear Creek. This
fall at Bear Creek Lifelong Learning will offer at Bear
Creek such things as chess, basketball, Spanish classes, and
Lego building.
Monday, May 25
NO SCHOOL—Memorial Day
Wednesday, May 27
Awards Assembly @ 9:00
Thursday, May 28
Awards Assembly @ 9:00
I spy missing volunteer
badges?
Friday, May 29th
LAST DAY OF SCHOOL
If you have a badge hanging from
your car mirror or living in the bottom of your
purse, would you please return it? We are
down to just a couple……
5th Grade Graduation - 1:00 pm
August 2015 Special Dates
BC Office Open:
Green School Newsletter
Wednesday, August 5
Thrive Update Newsletter
Registration Day
Tuesday, August 18
END OF YEAR-LOST AND FOUND
First Day of School
** Clothes will be laid out in the foyer
the Final week before SUMMER Break.
All unclaimed clothing will be bagged up
and given to a charity.**
Thursday, August 20
5th Grade to Cal-Wood
Monday, August 24-Wednesday, August 26
BC School Picnic
Thursday, August 27
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PTO PULSE
OUTDOOR WATER FOUNTAIN AND CHROMEBOOKS!
The PTO had an additional surplus this school year and voted to spend it on the installation of an outdoor water
fountain in the back of the school! This is in addition to the set of 30 Chromebooks the PTO will purchase with the
rest of the budget surplus. We hope to keep the water fountain a surprise for the students. Mr. Cruger will make the
announcement next week during the end-of-year assembly.
NEW PTO BOARD FOR 2015-2016
The PTO also voted in a new Board for the next school year:
Chair – Annie Haselfeld
Fundraising – Michelle Wellington
Treasurer – Camila Weise
Secretary – Meghan Correll
Hospitality – Treloar Medd
DPC Representative – Sonya Gary
Volunteer Coordinator – Meridith Bacus
Members at Large – Michi Sakurai, Brigetta Stephenson, Kristin DeLorenzo, Mindy Munger, Sun-Young Hendrick,
Lisa Cook, Karli Carston
THANK YOU PARENTS!
On behalf of the PTO, thank you so much for your involvement this year – from volunteering in the classroom, donating money to our annual Tools for Learning Campaign, using your King Soopers Rewards cards, bringing in meals or
snacks to the teachers, and chaperoning field trips! Bear Creek would not be the same without all of your generosity! THANK YOU!
A Special THANKS to the following super stars:
Jeff Finkelstein – for taking fabulous photos of our kids during the entire school year and sharing those precious
images with us
The Bear Creek PTO Board and PTO Liaisons – for their time and dedication to our students
Sun-Young Hendrick – for organizing so many wonderful treats for the teachers throughout the year
Lisa Cook – for organizing the fun and informative Super Science Nights
Mary Pettigrew, Regner Trampedach, Charlotte Mudar – for organizing the ever-popular car-free commute program and annual Earth Day celebration
Michelle Wellington – for taking charge of the spectacular Carnival and thanks to the amazing group of parents and
5th graders who volunteered their time
Heather Burhop – for organizing the King Soopers Rewards cards for the school
The Garden Committee – for bringing students outdoors to the amazing Learning Garden.
Joan Ouellette – for sacrificing his spare time to build the garden shed
Ross Philip, Darren Kelly, Robyn Savage – for bringing us another fantastic Lip Sync show and Edie Cheng for
filming it all
The Yearbook Committee – for producing a wonderful yearbook
Ross Philip – for creating the best volunteer website: bearcreek.rocks
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PTO PULSE, cont.
Thanks you to the following for bringing in so many amazing treats for the staff during
Teacher Appreciation Week:
Vanessa Carroll, Michi Sakurai, Mindy Munger, Heather Burhop
Michelle Shewchuk, Treloar Medd, Michelle Francel, Ruth Smith
Mary Davis, Narisa Wild, Katie Birkholz, Patty Prazen
Jane Henderson, Sonya Gary
HAVE A WONDERFUL SUMMER!!!
Drumming & Art Show
Thank you to the volunteers who brought food for the Drum Concert and Art Show!
Tania Hollingsworth, Brigetta Stephenson, Jie Chen, Doug Bachman, Michi Sakurai,
Heather Burhop, Kathy Hawk, Sun-Young Hendrick and Margaret Selby. Also a
special thank you to the parents who helped set up the art displays and refreshment
table: Heather Burhop, Sun-Young Hendrick, Treloar Medd, Brigetta Stephenson and
Patty Prazen.
In accordance with the BVSD policy on distribution/posting of non-curricular material-Bear Tracks will print
curricular items about our school. Many outside opportunities available, (i.e. Science Matters, second language
programs, parenting workshops, community sports, non-profit organizations, etc.) may be posted on the hall
bulletin board with prior approval of the Principal, but may not be included in Bear Tracks. Be sure to check
the Parent’s Board in the school for information regarding outside opportunities. All articles can be submitted
to Carolyn Walker at [email protected].
Submission Deadline
Publication Date
August 26
August 28
Additional information about Bear Creek can be found on the website at
http://www.bvsd.org/schools/bearcreek/
.
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5
6
The Lion King—Kids
Thank you Mrs. James and all her volunteers who absolutely out did themselves!
Please stop by the office hallway and look at the wonderful “Lion King “ photos on display.
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8
Summer Library News
Congratulations to all who made our spring book fair such a success! We had our highest gross sales
ever and earned over $5,000 in Scholastic credit. The book fair can be a crazy time, but it is such an
important fundraiser for our library and classrooms. Thank you for your support. A special thank you
goes out to the volunteers who helped set up, pack up, and work the registers: Heather Burhop, Lisa
Chase, Michelle Williams, Narissa Wild, Nicole Rudman, Jean Kaufmann, Courtney Williams, Brigetta
Stephenson and our own Bear
Creek teacher, Sara Koch. We absolutely could not hold a fair without your help!! Also a huge thanks
goes out to the faithful library volunteers who shelve hundreds of books each week and keep the library
neat, tidy and running smoothly: Heather Burhop, Heidi Samuel, Gwen Grasse, Ann Weatherley, and
Patty Prazen.
We need all books back on the shelf before the end of the school year for an accurate inventory. If your
child still has a book checked out (you should be receiving an overdue notice in their take home folder),
please help him/her find and return or pay for any missing books. Thanks for your help in maintaining
our library collection.
Encourage your kids to keep reading over the summer. Boulder Public Library has a super hero themed
program this summer for kids K-12. See the following link for information.
https://boulderlibrary.org/summer-reading/
Students can also continue to use the Overdrive ebook catalog:
https://bvsd.libraryreserve.com/10/45/en/SignIn.htm?url=Default.htm. Students log in with their regular
computer log in. (First letter of student's name, up to seven letters of last name then last four digits of
student/lunch number (e.g. lbrockwa4567
Password: bvsd.student number + the letter a (e.g. bvsd.234567a) Students should select Bear Creek
from drop down menu, log in with their regular computer log in, then select Elementary under Collections.
Kids who need some recommendations for good books to read this summer can access the following
sites : What I Should Read Next and Your Next Read and Novelist through Boulder Public Library’s site.
Students can also access Wixie, an
online drawing and publishing
program, by going to Wixie.com
and selecting Log in with Google.
Their email is their same username
with @bvsd.org at the end.
e.g. [email protected]) Their
password is the same as their computer
password.
Have a happy summer, and curl up with
a good book as often as you can!!!
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Drumming Concert & Art Show
Thank you Mrs. James, Ms. Wright, Mr. Kraft and our Bear Creek artists for
providing us with an evening of music and art.
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Physical Fitness Improves Brain Health
by Simon Evans
Everyone knows that exercise is good for them. It contributes to weight loss and weight management. It’s good for
your heart and your cardiovascular system. And it generally keeps you fit and healthier. .
Exercise improves learning and memory.
It turns out that physical activity actually turns on hormonal support systems in your brain. The activation of these
systems strengthens brain circuits that you already have and helps you develop new ones.
Exercise causes a rise in several growth factors in the brain that are responsible for helping brain cells survive and
divide into new brain cells, or neurons. Only a couple of brain regions can produce new neurons and exercise
increases the amount and rate of neuron production in these regions.
Exercise also increases the blood supply in the brain. In laboratory studies, exercise increased the number of blood
vessels that supply several brain regions. This has the effect of improving nutrient delivery and waste removal from
critical regions that effect mental function.
One of the brain areas producing new neurons is the hippocampus. The hippocampus plays a critical role in
learning, memory and attention. Exercise induces new neuron growth in the hippocampus and improves
performance on several types of cognitive tasks.
Exercise improves mental health.
Folks that exercise regularly know that they are much more capable of handling stress throughout their day than
they are when they don’t exercise. This is, in part, because exercise and stress have opposite effects on the
hippocampus and exercise improves your “buffer” to handle the stress.
Interestingly, anti-depressants work in a similar manner. Although, we don’t completely understand the exact
mechanism of anti-depressant action, we do know that several classes of anti-depressants increase new neurons in
the hippocampus. They do the same thing that exercise does!
With so many kids and adults on anti-depressants today, I have to wonder what proportion of them could get off
these medications with more physical activity. Of course, anti-depressant therapy is both beneficial and necessary
for some folks. But the rate of prescriptions today, especially in kids, is out of control.
Exercise protects the brain from damage and disease.
Studies also show that exercise protects the brain from aging and injury. Older adults that regularly exercise
perform better in cognitive tasks and have lower rates of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease. They also recover
stronger from strokes and from accidental brain injury. One can argue that people that exercise have many factors
in their lives that can contribute to these findings.
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May 2015
Sun
3
Mon
4
Tue
Wed
5
6
Thu
7
Fun & Fitness
Raindate
Fri
Sat
1
2
8
9
15
16
22
23
1st Grade
Program @ 2:15
4th Grade
CalWood
Meeting @6:00
10
11
12
13
PTO @ 1:30
14
Spotlights
9:00am &
6:30pm
Book Fair Monday - Friday
17
18
19
8:45 Garden
Comm.
20
21
SoHills Band
Concert @ 6:30
Fun & Fitness
Drumming
Concert 1:30pm
& 6:00pm
2nd Grade
Program @2:15
Art Show
Kindergarten
graduation @9
6:45 - 7:30
24/31
25
Memorial
Day
26
27
28
Awards
Assembly
@ 9:00
29
Awards
Assembly
@ 9:00
5th Grade
Pool Party 10-2
No School
12
30
5th Grade
Graduation
1:00 PM
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Press Release
For Immediate Release
Contact: Fairview High School Main Office
720-561-3100
Fairview High School Production of Anything Goes Nominated for Prestigious Bobby G
Award from the Denver Center for the Performing Arts
BOULDER, Colo. (May 6, 2015) – Fairview High School’s 2014 musical production of Anything Goes has been nominated for the Bobby G Award for Outstanding Overall Production and several cast members have also been nominated for
individual awards. All five high schools nominated for Outstanding Overall Production will be invited to perform at
the May 28 Bobby G Awards ceremony held at the Buell Theater in Denver.
The Bobby G Awards, overseen and hosted by the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, are Colorado's regional representative within the larger National High School Musical Theatre Awards, otherwise knows as "The Jimmy
Awards.” The awards program, which culminates in a Tony Awards-style ceremony celebrates outstanding achievement in high-school musical theater in Colorado. The winners of Colorado's outstanding actor and actress awards not
only will invited to attend the Jimmy Awards on June 29 at the Minskoff Theatre in New York, but to participate in a
week-long series of intensive classes and workshops with Broadway actors, directors and designers.
Fairview has been nominated in 8 categories, including: Outstanding Overall Production of a Musical, Outstanding
Achievement in Direction (Michael Bizzaro and Janice Vlachos), Outstanding Achievement in Choreography (Karen Cassel), Outstanding Performance by a Chorus, Outstanding Achievement in Lighting Design (Lanny Boyer and Caleb
Werkmeister), Outstanding Performance of an Actor in a Leading Role (Charlie Kolbrenner as Moonface Martin), Outstanding Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Alei Russo as Reno Sweeney),
and Outstanding Performance by an Orchestra.
Fairview High School has had a long history of high-quality extensive choral and instrumental music programs that are
renowned throughout the region and the country. In April 2014, both FHS jazz choirs, Age of Guinevere and Excalibur,
performed by invitation at the prestigious New York City Jazz Festival at the Rose Theater at Lincoln Center. Various
groups are also invited frequently to perform at the prestigious Colorado Music Educator's Conference, held at the
Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.
Tdap REQUIRED FOR 6TH
Pertussis (whooping cough) can be a very serious disease in infants and small children. It has been found that siblings who have
Pertussis disease can frequently expose other children in the household. Colorado ranks fifth of all states in the country with this
disease. Per Colorado state law, Tdap vaccine will be required for all students in grades 6-12 for the upcoming school year (201213). (If your child has already received this immunization, the requirement is fulfilled.) It is the responsibility of the parents to provide an updated record of immunization to the school. http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/dc/Immunization/1213schoolYear/ParentLetterWithChartK-12_2012-13.pdf
If you do not wish your child to have this vaccine for personal or religious reasons, please sign a waiver that is available in the
Health Room. http://www.cdphe.state.co.us/dc/Immunization/CARD-certofimm.pdf
A medical exemption must be signed by a physician. Parents of 6 th graders: The most commonly used vaccine for Tdap in the
Boulder area requires that the child be at least 11 years old. If your child is entering 6 th grade and is not yet 11, please check with
your provider ahead of time to see if you will need to wait until the 11th birthday. A vaccine licensed for 10-year-olds is available at
the Boulder or Broomfield County Health Departments.
http://bvsd.org/health/Pages/immunizationclinics.aspx
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Student accident insurance 2014-2015
Low-cost student accident insurance is again being offered by Markel this year. They have changed their enrollment method from
paper to electronic and will not be providing print outs to schools to distribute to students. Attached is a PDF of their enrollment
information. This information is also available on the district website at
http://www.bvsd.org/employees/AthleticsActivities/Athletic%20Insurance%20Information/Forms/AllItems.aspx.
Healthy Kids Initiative
Another possible option for parents whose students need health insurance is the Boulder County Healthy Kids Initiative which
helps families enroll in Child Health Plan Plus (CHP+) and Medicaid. CHP+ and Medicaid are free and low-cost health insurance
plans that provide dental, medical, prescription, mental health, and vision benefits. There are no monthly premiums, and co-pays
range from $0 - $15 depending on family income. CHP+ has higher income eligibility limits than many public assistance programs,
so many working families can qualify. Assets are not considered when determining eligibility for these programs. Some families
who have not previously qualified may be able to qualify now due to new income guidelines.
Eligibility specialists are available to serve families at all BVSD schools. Call 720-515-1454 today to talk with a specialist or to make
an appointment!
More information is available on the district website at http://www.bvsd.org/healthykids. A link to this page is on the front page of
the district site: Go to www.bvsd.org and click the Healthy Kids Initiative logo at the bottom of the page.
BVSD Community Connections: Resources for Kids & Teens
BVSD’s online guide, Community Connections: Resources for Kids & Teens can be found at http://guide.bvsd.org. The goal of Community Connections is to connect the BVSD community with groups and individuals offering youth-oriented activities and services. Categories include academics and tutoring, health and support services, camps and classes, sports and fitness, the arts, teens, adventure, college planning and more. We
strive throughout the year to make Community Connections a valuable resource for fun, educational and transformative opportunities for kids
and teens.
To learn more about Community Connections or to discuss advertising options, please contact Marla Riley at 720-561-5977 or [email protected].
NONDISCRIMINATION/EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
In compliance with Titles VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, Colorado law and Board of Education Policy AC
(Nondiscrimination/Equal Opportunity), Boulder Valley School District does not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, creed, color, sex,
sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, religion, ancestry, need for special education services, age, marital status, genetic
information, or physical characteristics in admissions, access to, treatment, or employment in educational programs or activities which it operates. Complaint procedures have been established for students, parents, employees and members of the public. The following person has been
identified as the compliance officer for the district:
Superintendent
Boulder Valley School District6500 Arapahoe Rd.
Boulder, CO 80301
720.561.5114
[email protected]
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