Bobcat Brief

November 6, 2017

Reminders

• Picture Retake Day is Tuesday November 7^th (first thing in the morning).
• Students should have a coat, snow pants, hat, mittens/gloves, boots and a warm heart in school so that they may go out for recess. The last item is not technically required but helps.
• Invitation: Please attend, if able, our Veterans Day Program Friday November 10^th at 1:30.
• Thanksgiving break runs from Wednesday November 22nd through Sunday November 26^th. Tuesday November 21^st is a 3:00 dismissal.
  • Dale
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Bobcat Brief

November 3, 2017

Congratulations an invitation and a reminder

Congratulations to our neighbor to the east, RTR, for their win last night and for their entrance into state football competition! We are looking forward to another win next Friday as they take on Mountain Lake. This is a big deal and we hope that the school and community treasures every moment of the run to a MN State Championship.

Invitation: Please attend, if able, our Veterans Day Program next Friday November 10^th at 1:30. We owe our vets so much and we thank them for their help in continuing this democratic nation that we live in.

Reminder: Thanksgiving break runs from Wednesday November 22nd through Sunday November 26^th. Tuesday November 21^st is a 3:00 dismissal.

Dale

Bobcat Brief

November 1, 2017

Playground Fundraiser Success!

Congratulations to team “Animal Lovers” for making it through our Escape Room in a record time of 24:24. Members of The Animal Lovers team are all 5^th grade students; they are Abby, Autumn, Brooklyn, Keira, Liberty and Savannah. Escape rooms challenge young and old alike to use problem-solving skills to solve/escape from a space. In our case, the theme was football and the location was our locker room.

Mrs. Amanda Drake organized this fun event and in so doing raised $330.00 for our new playground equipment.

Thank you students, staff and especially Mrs. Drake!

Dale

Bobcat Brief

October 30, 2017

Reminders

Although my own children are long since grown up, I am reminded of pre-Halloween advice I received from son Ludwig’s third grade teacher back in 1998. In no particular order:

• If you plan on eating volumes of candy Halloween night it is best to condition ones tummy by eating at least 3 candy bars for the three days leading up to  October 31^st. We call it the 3x3, (like the 4x800 but less work).
• You may experience a feeling of fullness after the first 7 peanut butter cups, do not panic, this feeling is temporary and you will most likely be able to power through this discomfort and down that 12^th cup with only mild discomfort.
• Smarties (14 per pack) count as just one treat.
• Beware of the dentist handing out high fructose treats taped to a business card.
• Candy is its own food group.
• Sharing candy with mom and dad is never a substitute for Mothers/Father’s Day presents; the dates are not even in the same month! Come on!

Not related reminder:

• 1:00 early out this Thursday November 2^nd for staff development.
• No more shorts worn to school starting November 1 through Spring/Easter Break.

Dale

Bobcat Brief

October 18, 2017

Today is the last day of the first quarter of the 2017-18 school year. Although the previous sentence sounds a little like a greeting card, (“first day of the rest of your life”), it is accurate. We are today completing the first 41 days of the school year. When we come back after MEA break, second quarter will have arrived.

Grade reports will go home with students next Tuesday October 24. Second quarter grades, (end of first semester), will be mailed home right after Christmas, third quarter, sent home with students and fourth quarter (end of second semester), mailed home. This is the pattern that we will follow for communicating with families. Remember that you can go to our districts website, http://www.lakebentonschool.org, go to the navigation bar on the left side and select Parent Portal to check on your child’s grades.

Have a safe, fun, and restful MEA Break,

Dale

Bobcat Brief

October 16, 2017

Potter!

Thank you to both Mrs. Carpenter and her fourth grade class for allowing me to participate in the Harry Potter Sorting Hat House activity last Friday! The classroom was decorated; Mrs. Carpenter was in costume and the students eager to find which of the four possible houses they might be a part of.  Although the first Potter book was published in the United Kingdom, on June 26, 1997 the appeal of J.K. Rowling’s work is as strong today as it was twenty years ago. This interest has led so many youngsters to become readers of fiction and just as importantly become strong readers. Student engagement is was educators strive for when developing lessons and the lesson that I observed Friday was uber engaging.

Dale

Bobcat Brief

October 13, 2017

A week in review

As a 1970 graduate from the eighth grade at St. Michaels School in the Twin Cities I can truly say that education, or more specifically National Education Week, (Fire Prevention, School Lunch Week), have vastly improved in how they are scheduled and then communicated to the public.

For example, for the second week of October in 1968, we as a nation celebrated Great American Smoke In, Great American Smoke Out, Beef, It’s What’s For Dinner, Go Vegan or Go Home, Fire Prevention Week, Campfire Week, National School Lunch Week, Leftovers Are Best overs Lunch Week, Nuclear Weapons Week: Duck and Cover and of course Food Safety Through Radiation Week. It was for many, a bit confusing.

Fast forward to today. One week, two great causes, and they are National School Lunch Week and Fire Prevention Week. We are genuinely thankful for the service that our firefighters provide us with. We are also so fortunate to have nutritious, appetizing and delicious food served each day in our cafeteria.

Thanks for a great week!

Dale

Bobcat Brief

October 12, 2017

Fire Prevention Week

“Every Second Counts, Have a 2^nd Way Out”

We are in the middle of Fire Prevention Week, and were fortunate to have the Lake Benton Firefighters present this morning for student training. Fire Chief Pat McCarthy led today’s training with reminders about both potential household dangers and procedures taken should a fire break out. Replacing batteries in our smoke detectors and practicing home evacuations were just two of the many simple and practical steps that we can take to keep our families safe. Two firefighters suited up and moved through the student body as a way of reducing the fear that a child might have when met with a firefighter in an emergency.

Students by class were able to get a close-up view of the fire departments equipment and toured the trucks that they may one day depend on in case of an emergency.

Thank you to our 24 Lake Benton Firefighters for donating your time and talent, not just this week but for all 51 weeks of the year!

Dale

Bobcat Brief

October 10, 2017

National School Lunch Week

Thank you to our school’s food service director Teresa Bunkers as well as our kitchen assistant and cook Kara Christensen for your role in meeting one of the most basic needs of our students. High quality nutritious meals are served twice a day at Lake Benton Elementary. Without breakfast and lunch little learning occurs. Elementary age children experience rapid physical and mental growth and it is the job of our food service to provide the fuel for that development. Teresa and Kara follow USDA requirements all while creating appetizing and appealing entrees. Each day they serve approximately 50 breakfast meals and 135 lunches, and they do this all with a smile on their face. Nationwide more than 30 million students enjoy healthy lunches every school day. 95% of schools participate in the National School Lunch Program.

Oh, and one more thing, when we ask students what they like best about school, lunch is a common answer. As an educator, I might ask students to rethink the value of the lessons that are taught each day in math or social studies, but as a human who really enjoys eating quality meals, I understand where students are coming from.

Have a Handcrafted, Triple-Basted, Slow-Cooked, Golden-Brown, Juicy, Hand-Selected, Fresh from the Oven, Fork Tender, Delicate kind of day!

Dale 

Bobcat Brief

October 5, 2017

Student Dress and a change in weather

As our daytime highs drop from an average of sixty-seven degrees on October 1 to fifty-one degrees on October 31^st the need for warm clothing also changes. We know that you are mindful of your child’s need to dress for the weather but we also know that children can sometimes choose without notice a summer outfit for a winter-like day.

Will you please check to see that children are equipped for the cold and snow that will soon be upon us?

Shorts

Please do not allow your child to wear shorts to school from November 1 to April 1. From April 1^st to October 31 students may wear shorts if the daytime high for Lake Benton is predicted to exceed 50 degrees.

Thank you!

Dale