Our kindergarten students, dressed as Pilgrims and Native Americans, made their delicious Stone Soup today. They had their very own Thanksgiving feast, which included pumpkin pie that each student made. Our very own Mrs. Elsis was invited to the event, and she some how ended up with the stone in her bowl. That's not a potato, Mrs. Elsis!
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AACPS is kicking off a "Be Nice" Campaign to bring kindness back into our daily lives. This is an easy campaign for Bodkin to promote because we already live in such a nice and kind community. What we need your help with is we want the kindness conversations to continue at home. We are inviting you to join us in promoting kindness in and around our school community. Continue talking with your child about why kindness is important. Recap the day’s events with kindness stories shared among your family. Be on the lookout for updates on our Social Media outlets, join the kindness conversation on our Blog, and continue the kindness talk at home. Below is an article to kick off our campaign; check it out! 6 Reasons Kindness Matters in Work and in Life
I’m sitting in my study on a glorious almost-summer morning. The coastal fog is still swirling in its morning dance with the sun. “Who will win today?”, they seem to say as they challenge each other daily (I’m rooting for the sun!). My heart is full from the beauty I see from this hillside home perched high above the San Francisco Bay. I am so grateful for my life, and now I want to be kind today. I want to be compassionate. With myself. With friends. With the woman three thousand miles away who has become so important in my life and my heart. And with total strangers. I reflect a lot on the importance of love in our lives, and all the offshoots of love like compassion, empathy, gratitude, hope, inspiration, faith, joy, and indeed kindness. My father was a very kind man. A friend to so many. It was only a tough, hardened stranger who was not melted by my Dad’s warmth and kind heart. I want to be kind today, kinder than yesterday. I want to help people who are struggling in their lives — with a moment or two of lightness, of care, of sensitivity. I want to be kind today. Because kindness matters. Here are 6 reasons to be kind today: 1. Kindness is a powerful emotion to uplift our mood. A simple act of care can switch our perspective from dark to light, from hopeless to hopeful, from reactive to creative. 2. Sincere kindness from the heart triggers a cascade of vitality and health-inducing biochemicals in our body, at least 1400, which re-energizes both giver and receiver. Now research has shown that at least 600 genes that are designed to protect our health and longevity are actually triggered to express when we are feeling kind and compassionate. Kindness makes us healthier. 3. Kindness can interrupt a stress cycle so both giver and receiver can reset and move forward. Sometimes we get locked in patterns of reactivity, fear or upset. A kind act can not only defuse the negative emotions, but in that process a window opens for more positive solutions. 4. Kindness slows aging, especially on your face Let’s get down to the bottom line here: worry, fear, anxiety, and self-centeredness are all accelerators of aging. Those worry lines that can become deep grooves on someones’ forehead or around the eyes don’t have to be there! It’s in our power to change it. The stressful emotions we all experience separate us from the kindness and love of others. They create walls of a prison we are now the inhabitant of. No one wins. A simple act of kindness can dissolve the worry so instead of aging needlessly we can feel the forward momentum of hope come alive. 5. Kindness creates loyalty. Whether you’re dealing with a negative customer, an irate client, a colleague having a very bad day, or a boss who is overwhelmed, kindness can be that special gift the other person is not expecting, so they never forget. Companies that teach genuine kindness to their frontline staff have happier customers, who want to talk about what a great company you are. Who come back for more of what you have. I love going in any Apple store anywhere in the world as I know without any doubt that my problems and my ignorance of techy stuff will be treated with kindness and helpfulness, bringing me relief, satisfaction, and the desire to go back and tell others. Kindness matters, to the bottom line. 6. Kindness just feels better. Ever faced with a choice to ignore a person in need, like a homeless person with their cardboard sign and a hand out, or someone struggling to solve a problem at work, or a fellow passenger struggling to lift their heavy carry-on into the overhead compartment on the plane. So you stretch out of your comfort zone to lend a helping hand, and the joy and relief on the face of the recipient of your kind gesture just made your day! I want to be kind today. How about you? Bodkin Elementary School is a great place to be especially on days like today – Veterans’ Day. One of the many ways Bodkin is honoring our veterans today is by wearing these poppies. Our Global Studies class made poppies for all staff members and visitors. It makes for a great conversation piece and I plan to wear mine outside of school as well today. This is the basket that greets our visitors and volunteers. The note, written by our fifth graders, reads, “Wear a Poppy Pin with Pride! This poppy pin was crafted by a 1st grader or kindergartener at Bodkin. Moina Belle Michael (AKA the Poppy Lady) started the tradition of wearing a poppy pin after being inspired by the WWI poem, ‘In Flanders’ Fields.’ Citizens in England, Australia, and Canada also follow this tradition of remembrance. Please wear this poppy to honor veterans on Veterans’ Day. We will remember them all. Always!” It warms the heart….. to see the entire school wearing red, white, and blue or camouflage/khaki or something special from a family service member; to put on the red poppy made by a first grader or kindergartener; to walk into school with American flags and pinwheels filling our front gardens; to say the Pledge of Allegiance today and every day. These are just a few of the activities that will be going on around our school today on this special day.
Thank you PTA for our A's and B's spirit sticks! These will be distributed with report cards tomorrow. Only students in grades 2 through 5 are eligible to earn these spirit sticks! This is to acknowledge students who have achieved all A's and B's on their report card with no EMs or NDs. Each marking period offers a new opportunity to earn one. There is a different color for each marking period. We love these spirit sticks and we love our PTA! Thank you for helping us celebrate this achievement!
Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does our garden grow? With volunteers and students a like and custodians all in a row! Thank you for loving and caring for our front gardens! Our school looks wonderful thanks to the many helpful hands who pitched in to weed, mulch, and spruce up our flower beds. THANK YOU!!! IB? STEM? PVA?
The Middle School Magnet Program application deadline is November 30, 2016. Still have questions? Give a call! Visit www.aacps.org/magnet. The online application is a quick and easy process to get started…deadlines are approaching. Ask questions and explore to see if a magnet program is the right choice for your child. For the 2nd Marking Period, we invite you into our classrooms to see Formative Assessment, Higher Level Questioning and Every Pupil Response strategies in action! Do you wonder how teachers are able to tailor instruction to the varying needs of all learners? Are you curious to know how teachers ensure that all students are actively engaged and learning? Have you heard about the requirements for rigorous thinking and learning, but wondered what it means or looks like in the classroom? If you’ve answered YES to any of these questions, our 2nd Touch Base Thursday may be just the event for you! On Thursday, November 10th, we invite you to join us at your child’s Science or Social Studies (Math for some 5th graders) class to see the magic of teaching and learning in action. Each session will begin with a brief overview of the instructional strategies used to target instruction to a variety of levels, then you will visit your child’s classroom to see it in action! We will debrief after the visit to share the highlights of what you saw, celebrate the work of our teachers, and answer any questions you have about these instructional strategies. GRADE LEVEL SESSIONS WILL OCCUR AT THE FOLLOWING TIMES: K, 1st, 2nd Grades...........9:30-10:30 3d and 5th Grades............2:30 - 3:30 4th Grade @ Arlington Echo....May visit 3rd or 5th **If you are not available at your child’s session listed above, you will be able to join the grade level session occurring at the time you are available. Also, please know that, due to safety requirements, visitors may not tour the building without a staff member present. Lobby doors open 10 minutes before each session!
When: Thursday, November 17th
Time: 6:00-8:00pm What to bring: a towel or blanket for your family to sit on We hope you will join us for a fun-filled evening geared towards the importance of family reading. Our evening will start with each family reading the book Dragons Love Tacos that will be donated to their family. After the reading of the book, each family will participate in activities surrounding the book and record memories of the evening. After this, families will be able to circulate around to various other stations in the building to engage in fun activities related to reading and the book. The bookfair will also be open during this time for you to browse and purchase books. We will have door prizes and PTA will supply ice cream! In addition, we will have a self-run photo booth where you can snap a photo of the event for yourself and also post to our Twitter account to help grade levels win Spirit Sticks for the #FallintoReading Twitter Challenge. This night is sure to be a fun one! We hope that you will be able to join us! Since we will be purchasing a copy of Dragons Love Tacos for every family that attends, please RSVP by Monday, November 7th using the flyer that went home. Only families that RSVP will receive a copy of the book. Cold weather has returned. This is a friendly reminder to send your student with a jacket or coat. Please keep working with the younger students to help them learn to independently zip and button. Perhaps you might stuff a pair of gloves or mittens into their pockets for when they go out to recess. Recess lasts 25 minutes. Outdoor recess will occur unless the temperature drops below 32 degrees (or at the discretion of administration). We want our students to stay warm and have fun at recess! And speaking of the playground, we would like to remind parents of the hidden dangers that strings in hoods and jackets can create. Please check your child/ren’s clothing and be sure there are no strings or other hidden hazards. Thank you for helping us keep your children safe and warm.
Thank you, Bodkin PTA! The Bodkin Attendance Committee is very excited to be giving out these Perfect Attendance Spirit Sticks soon! As we mentioned in the Bodkin Banner, perfect attendance equals no absences, no tardies, and no early dismissals - it is perfect! We are so proud of our students who achieved this status! Each marking period begins a new opportunity for students to earn these perfect attendance spirit sticks.
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