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Volume 6, Issue 9
May 2015
Congratulations to our Bulldog Best Winners
April - Courage
MAY
4/8
1/2 of 3rd Grade Field Trip, YMCA
4-8
Staff Appreciation Week
4-8
Spring Scholastic Book Fair
7
PTO Meeting, 10:00;
2nd Grade Open House/Program,
6:00/7:00
13/14
1/2 of 3rd Grade Field Trip,
Spring Creek Nature Center
14
4th Grade to Tom Cox
15/19
1/2 of 4th Grade Field Trip
20
4th Grade Fine Arts Day
21-22
Bulldog Store during recess
22
4th Grade ORHS War Eagle Challenge
25
School Closed - Memorial Day
26-27
HJ Ralles Author Visit,
3rd Grade Writing Workshop
29
Citizenship Bulldog POP Party, 2:00p.m.:
Pre K Award/Party 9:15 / 1:15
JUNE
2
2nd grade Learned –A-Lot, 8:30-10:00
3
End of Year Awards for Kinder/1st;
Kinder Party: 8:15 followed by awards;
Yearbook Signing 2,3,4 in specials;
3rd grade cinema party, 1:00;
4th grade End of Year Fun Day!;
ORHS Graduation at Pavillion
4
End of Year Parties for 2nd/3rd/4th;
Yearbook Signing K, 1 in specials;
1st grade Party: 9:30—lunch in class
room after clap out;
3rd grade Fun Day, 9:00-11:20;
4th grade awards, 10:05 followed by
clap out
Kindergarten
Everett Jacobs
Teagan Milller
Juan Galvan
Catherine Breaux
Nathan Jackson
Leo Stroubakis
Christina Hill
Donovan Mitchell
Noah Earley
Dominic White
Ava Box
Andrew Kearns
Summer Nichols
Alex Shaver
Ben Schneider
Neel Nayak
Caty Abercrombie
David Freire
Hannah Tenzer
Connor McCullough
Courtland Cloud
Ethan Bishop
Gavin Dawson
Matthew Czerwinski
First Grade
Dominick Duran
Elizabeth White
Patrick Durkin
Jacob Smelley
Lauren Jenson
Gavin Richards
Christian Jimenez
Anders Osbourne
Landon Gates
Gabbi Mercado
Mateo Sevilla
Alahna Walton
Jimmy Kosakowski
Zac Lira-Joachim
Shayne Perez
Fidencio Ramos
Payton Jacks
Ishan Singh
Quincy Goudeau
Caroline Harris
Rudra Sarker-Das
Second Grade
Caleb Barth
R.J. Hurt
Ryan Garcia
Samara Coleman
Ellie Selever
Percy Bonilla
Chloe Barrow
Ethan Freeman
Nicole Hamdamova
Diego Anderson
Gracie Shepard
Lucas Murray
Talan Ryan
Jennifer Antonio
Bryson Champagne
Emalee Stuckey
Ava Fojt
Ford Graham
Third Grade
Samuel Guiterrez
Makaela Heath
Paige Blackwell
Sarah-Jane Summers
Daniel Lewis
Ashlynn Hayes
Hyrum Hausen
Cole Cardinale
Teagan Wolfsandle
Joshua Davis
Jesse Luna
Nolan Jensen
Callie Cantu
Alani Owens
Joe Mong
Caio Contrucci
Ashley Samic
Ryanne Crocker
Zachary Wofford
Halle Manners
Mason Bayne
Fourth Grade
Emy Rodriguez
Diana Romadina
Jessica Curry
Nathan Nguyen
Sofia Tobar
Hunter Henderson
Alexis Lotspeich
Henry Ragas
Brittlyn Fortunato
Lana Andrews
Helen Duong
Branden Martin
Beau Altemus
Gabriella Tyson
Megann Hernandez
Sebastian Banales
Pre-K
Dear Pre-Kindergarten Parents,
I wanted to let you know that it has been a privilege to spend such an important year
with your child. I hope that your child has had a positive beginning to their education
and will look forward to their many years of school ahead. I would like to invite you to
a brief ceremony to celebrate your child's achievement near the end of May. The finalized date and times will be coming your way soon. If possible, please make other arrangements for siblings during this event. This time is meant to honor the Pre-K students and space will be limited in the classroom.
End of the year district assessments are about to begin. Each child will be tested on
letter, sight word, number, color, and shape recognition. Report card testing will also
begin soon. Please review with you child any report card skills he or she has not mastered.
Thank you for all the support and have a fantastic summer.
Kindergarten
Kindergarten teachers would like to send out a BIG thank you to the parents for helping our program be a huge success. We enjoyed seeing everyone at open house and listening to those beautiful voices on stage. Your Bulldogs have a lot left to do in a very
short amount of time so buckle up and hold on tight, we are going to fly through these
last few weeks of school :)
First off, our end of year testing will begin very soon; please continue to read with
your child daily and review those sight words.
Next, our Field Day is coming up on May 1st from 9-10am.
Then our Kindergarten breakfast will be June 3rd from 8:15-8:45 in your child's
classroom, awards will follow at 9am.
Last but not least is yearbook signing in Fine Arts classes June 4th.
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First Grade
Dear First Grade Parents,
With the end of school looming in our near future, all of the first grade teachers want
to thank you for letting us nurture and care for your previous little babies this past
year. We can see bright futures ahead of each and everyone of them. With that in
mind, here are a few reminders of upcoming classroom events. Tuesday May 12th End
of the Year Math Benchmark, Wednesday May 13th End of the Year Science Benchmark, Wednesday June 3rd First Grade awards ceremony in the gym at 12:20, and last
but not least our End of the Year class parties Thursday June 4th beginning at 9:30.
Second Grade
2nd grade is about to have some really fun units of study!
In math we are doing measurement. We've talked about customary units of measurement such as inches, feet, and yards and metric units of measurement such as centimeters and meters. We will also be learning about time using both digital and analog
clocks. Students will be able to tell time using both hours and minutes.
In language arts, we are going to start an integrated unit for reading and writing. The
students will be researching an animal and then be presenting their information to the
class. Be looking for more information to go home soon about the visual display students will work on at home.
Some important 2nd grade dates coming up:
April 29th - Reading benchmark
May 13th - Math benchmark
May 15th - Science benchmark
May 21st - Social studies benchmark
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Third Grade
Third graders have a lot of fun and enrichment to look forward to in May.
All third grade students will have an opportunity to go on a field trip to the YMCA to
participate in a variety of activities. In the past, students have done canoeing, gone on
an inflatable water slide, and taken a nature hike, among other things. Students from
Mrs. Gibson, Mrs. Fosson, Mrs. Wooldridge and Dr. Henderson's classes are set to take
the trip on May 4th. All remaining classes will go on May 8 th. The field trip is designed
to be a celebration of all that students have achieved this school year.
Then, on May 13 and May 14, students are set to go to the Spring Creek Nature Center.
On this trip, students will explore a variety of concepts, including the water cycle. Students will take a relaxing hike and hear from nature experts. Students from Mrs.
Pease, Mrs. Carter, Mrs. Rankin and Mrs. Kraeter's classes will go on May 13, with all
other classes will be going on May 14.
Of course, students also will still be focused on academic work. The end of the year
science benchmark will be held on May 11, and the social studies benchmark will be given May 20. Both tests will include concepts taught throughout the school year.
Third graders also will hear from author H.J. Ralles on May 26 and May 27. The author
will be talking to students about her books, the writing process, and how they can be
more effective writers.
It's been a great year, and we as teachers are having a hard time believing it's gone so
quickly. Thank you for all that you do to help your child be ready to be their best each
day at Birnham Woods. We appreciate you!
Fourth Grade “Top Dogs”
May is going to be a very busy month for the Top Dogs! In Math we will be finishing up
our financial literacy unit. We will also be reviewing all skills taught this year to prepare for the fifth grade placement test at the end of May. In Science, we will be
working on learning about different Ecosystems. The students will be learning about
the Civil War in Social Studies. For Language Arts, each class will utilize previously
taught skills to work through a novel unit. Top Dogs will also be doing a lot of traveling.
We will go on four field trips this month! Please be on the look out for a permission slip
in their Friday folder.
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ART
Parents of BWE's art program, you made our art fundraiser the most successful yet!!!
We are thrilled that as you receive your child's artwork on the products you ordered
the art program will in turn receive the financial boost that gives your child the advantage of using a much wider range of quality materials. Most of the projects they
enjoy creating would not be possible without your support. A Big Bulldog Thank You to
our parents and relatives!!!
April in the BWE, art rooms has been a creative whirlwind of sharpening senses and developing skills! Great thought is put into developing each grade level art project to offer our young students an opportunity for expansion of their creative responses.
*Our kindergarteners have explored the world of Dr. Suess through two different exciting mediums. They first curled, arched, waved, and looped neon strips of paper to
build a 3D Suess City. This project was a big it! Now our kinder hands are making clay
bases and beads to arrange Suess sculptures that can be bent into whimsical shapes.
We just finished painting them with neon patterns.
*First graders have been introduced to the wonderful world of artist Laurel Burch.
Our artists chose to illustrate either a cat or a dog then used pencil and oil pastel to
fill their large project page with their animal—Burch-style. Students added interesting patterns and detail before moving on to watercolor. The pastel resist makes this
project even more exciting for the kiddos. They were also thrilled to make their first
clay pinch pot and enjoyed using different kinds of pasta to apply pattern to their little
vessels. Next up...bisque firing then glazing!
*Second graders have extended their knowledge and skill in using line, pattern, composition, and shape after Henri Matisse. They were introduced to basic perspective and
still life. They are finishing up their vase of flowers watercolor project and can't wait
to bring them home. Ask you child what their clay assignment was this year and we
know their eyes will light up. They made clay owls and nests to rest them in. Students
loved this new project and are more than eager to glaze them when we unload the kiln.
*Third graders took time off of their Wayne Thiebaud watercolor ice cream cones to
make a Thiebaud cupcake out of clay. This was not an easy project, but every student
was successful in fashioning an impressive confection. Next they will be glazing those
treats...we can't wait to open the “oven” (kiln)!
*Fourth grade have learned about foreground, middle ground, and background in a landscape. Their drawings are a testament to their amazing progress from August to now,
and their beautiful application of paint and color so impressive. They have painted a
plate with florescent designs in preparation for our next adventure in weaving.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION
We can hardly believe the end of the school year is upon us. As we wrap things up,
there are still lots of exciting things going on! All Bulldogs will be participating in their
Field Day this Friday, May 1st. The students are looking forward to a day filled with action-packed games and activities!
Next week, on May 5th, your 3rd or 4th grader has the opportunity to participate in the
Oak Ridge Feeder zone Fun Run. This is a mile run taking place at Oak Ridge High
School. If your child would like to participate, the first race will begin at 4pm. 3 rd
grade girls will run first, then 3rd grade boys, followed by 4th grade girls, then boys.
(Rain date is May 7th)
4th Grade students will be taking a field trip on May 22nd for the “War Eagle Challenge”
where they will get to participate in a variety of track and field as well as academic
events to show off how awesome BWE is! They will be competing at Oak Ridge High
School against other feeder zone elementary schools.
Finally, our students are learning how to properly play a great past-time recess favorite
of Four Square! Not only are we working on the dynamics of the game, but it’s also a
great tool for practicing conflict resolution.
Our kindergarten group has come a long way since August and we are so proud of them
as we continue to see them improve their coordination and social skills!
LIBRARY
The Spring Book Fair is here! Visit the library May 4-8th for your summer reading material! The library will be open each day from 7:20-11:00 a.m. and 11:45-2:30 p.m. for
students and parents to shop. After school on Thursday, May 7th, the book fair will be
open from 2:45-6:45 p.m. just before our 2nd grade Open House and Program. Stop by
the Scholastic Book Fair and preview all of the titles the fair has to offer for your
young and old readers! To shop, please send cash only with students. Parents may use
credit card or cash for their purchases. Don't forget to stop by our Classroom Wish
List display to buy a book for your teacher's classroom library. And... back for this
book fair... donate $1 to Scholastic's All For Books program and your family will receive
one free kid meal from our friends at the Sawdust Road Chick Fil A (while supplies last
- we have 600 coupons available for this special offer so donate early). Thank you again
for your support of the BWE Library and its library reading programs.
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MUSIC
As we finish up a great year a huge thank you to all of Birnham Woods. It has been fun
learning about recorders, seasonal songs, games, and music appreciation in general. The
last program of the year is second grade. The program is called "Just For Fun" and will
be presented Thursday, May 7th at 7:00 pm. Open house will begin at 6:00 pm. In addition the book fair will be open that evening. And finally a big thank you to PTO for all
you do for the Music department. As well as thank you Mrs. Wofford for your beautiful sets on the stage.
NURSE
Fifth Disease Overview
Currently, there have been several cases of fifth disease at our school. I just wanted
to send out a little information regarding the (small) outbreak of fifth disease that we
are seeing. I am including the CDC link with all the answers you may ever want to know!
From the CDC: http://www.cdc.gov/parvovirusB19/fifth-disease.html
About: “Fifth disease is a mild rash illness that occurs most commonly in children. The
ill child typically has a "slapped-cheek" rash on the face and a lacy red rash on the
trunk and limbs. Occasionally, the rash may itch. An ill child may have a low-grade fever, malaise, or a "cold" a few days before the rash breaks out. The child is usually not
very ill, and the rash re-solves in 7 to 10 days” (CDC, 2012).
Cause: “Fifth disease is caused by infection with human parvovirus B19. This virus infects only humans and is spread through saliva/mucus secretions of coughs/sneezes.
Pet dogs or cats may be immunized against "parvovirus," but these are animal parvoviruses that do not infect humans. Therefore, a child cannot "catch" parvovirus from a
pet dog or cat, and a pet cat or dog cannot catch human parvovirus B19 from an ill
child” (CDC, 2012).
Prevention: Good hand washing, promoting “covering your cough” in the classroom, and
not bringing your hands to your mouth/face unless you have just washed them.
Risk during pregnancy for those exposed: Please follow the link below if you are pregnant and feel that you have been exposed to fifth disease. You should contact your
doctor regarding the exposure if you are pregnant. http://www.cdc.gov/parvovirusb19/
pregnancy.html
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COUNSELOR CORNER
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Dear BWE Staff, parents and students,
I want to thank everyone who made a donation or bought a
spirit stick during the month of February. I was able to use the
money to help pay some of my medical expenses and I was also able to purchase prosthesis. I have been doing well. It is
hard being away from school and I miss my students. I have 2
chemo treatments left and then I will have 6 weeks of radiation. I am looking
forward to being back at school in the fall.
Tori Skinner
Dear Bulldog Families,
I want to express my heartfelt thanks for your support of my
family and I as I cope with cancer and its treatments. Your donations and messages of encouragement have been much appreciated. In the year since I was diagnosed there have been
many struggles. There have also been many blessings. The
kindness offered by friends and even strangers, both in thought and deed,
has been the greatest of these blessings.
Kim Willoughby
News from your PTO
BIRNHAM WOODS ELEMENTARY
PTO NEWSLETTER
MAY
THANK YOU!! So many thank-yous to our volunteers, sponsors, and vendors at Spring Fling.
PKB Bookkeeping & Tax Services, Tymes
Square Dental, LoneStar Ace, David Weekley, Donnelly’s, Spectrum Concessions, Parkway ER Harmony, Holcomb Properties,
Kona Ice, The Edge, Kroger and HEB, we wouldn’t have been able to proWithout our sponsors:
vide the activities for our BWE community. We are so grateful to all of them. Also a HUGE
thank you to our staff and parents that volunteered their time to keep things running smoothly.
We appreciate all of your time always. And to our vendors who gave us lots to look at and information to gain, we are so glad you wanted to be part of our Spring Fling!!!
PTO MEETING
Please join us for our last PTO meeting of the year on Thursday, May 7 th at 10:00am in the
PTO room. Come and hear what is going at BWE!
TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK
May 4th through 8th we will be celebrating our teachers! Letters were sent home with your students but these are the fun things we have planned: Monday – students bring a card/and or
flower to their teacher, Tuesday – PTO will be making their favorite drinks, Wednesday –
lunch with be provided, Thursday – Aveda will be there to pamper our teachers, and Friday –
we will provide a gourmet popcorn bar for them to try some great flavored popcorn! We love
to show our teachers how much we appreciate everything they do. Please help us to show them
that week!
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PTO NEWSLETTER ….CONTINUED
OPEN POSITIONS FOR PTO
We are looking for friendly, dependable, and honest people to help fill several spots open for
next year in our PTO! We are currently looking for people to help on our Decorations Committee, Yearbook team, Spring Fling, Spirit Sticks and Corporate Sponsors committees. We
encourage you to ask any questions you have about these positions and turn in the nomination form as soon as possible!! We’d love to have you on our team. The nomination form is
included in this newsletter so please fill out and send into school.
SPIRIT STICKS
Our last sale date of the year will be on Wednesday, May 27th at 7:20-7:40am. We will need
volunteers to help during spirit stick sales so watch for the sign-up genius.
BULLDOG STORE
Our last Bulldog Store will be open on Thursday, May 21st and Friday, May 22nd during each
students’ recess time. They can make purchases with Bulldog Tokens or cash, but please do
not send more than $5 as we do not have expensive items available.
FIND US!
You can find us on Facebook to keep you updated with the latest events and activities, even
through the summer. Search Birnham Woods PTO or go to this link:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/230561053798970/
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