Bring on MCAS!

Thank you PTA!

Thank you to our PTA for planning another AWESOME Spaghetti Supper!  We are so lucky to have such a dedicated group of parents that work so hard to make HBB a better place!  Thanks again!

MCAS Rally!

Today we hosted an MCAS Rally for the Whole School and we had a blast!  We were visited by a special guest, Mark Kenny, who holds the Guinness Book of World Record for being the World's Best Handwalker.  During his visit he wanted kids to understand that everyone has a talent, but you have to work hard!  He shared with the students that he worked very, very, very hard in order to become deemed the World's Best Handwalker.  He has walked down the entire staircase at the World Trade Center in New York and recently did the most amount of stairs in the shortest amount of time at Gillette Stadium.  He has been on David Letterman and Regis and Kathy Lee and he has done it all through hard work! (check out his website!  http://handwalker.com)

As we approach MCAS we thought the message would resonate with our kids because all year we have worked to teach the students that your brain is a muscle, and it gets stronger when you work hard.......similar to lifting weights.  They have been working hard all year and if they work hard on MCAS day they will do great!

Please help us encourage students to work hard on MCAS.  Also remember to make sure they get a good night sleep, eat a healthy breakfast on MCAS days and wear comfy clothes!  Also remember this year that MCAS snacks will not be provided this year so please send in a healthy snack on testing days as well!

MCAS Starts next week for Grades 3 and 4!

Grade 3 Reading Comprehension – (3/31, 4/1)

Grade 4 Long Composition – (4/2)

Grade 4 Reading Comprehension – (4/6, 4/7)

Grade 5 Reading Comprehension – (4/8, 4/10)

 Enjoy the pictures from today's rally.

Character Word of the Week Winners

Congrats to the winners this week....great job!

Save the Date!!!

MCAS is Coming!

MCAS Is Coming!

The first round of MCAS is right around the corner. As we get closer to MCAS we would like to ask that everyone to please begin to talk to your child about MCAS.

MCAS is not something to be afraid of. Every year we face the difficult balance of getting our students to take the test seriously while not stressing over it. As you speak to your child about MCAS please encourage them to do their best, to persevere and to try their absolute hardest. At the same time let them know that, at this stage, MCAS is focused more on measuring our school overall. Individual MCAS results are not used to determine grades!

We work very hard here at HBB and, unfortunately, many people in the state judge us based on the results of this test….so let’s show them what a great school we have. We know that a test does not accurately measure and capture everything HBB stands for and it does not reflect all the great things that go on here everyday. At the same time, we are very confident that our students are well prepared and we want them to do their best so that we can show those in the state that do look closely at the results that we are Burkland’s Best!

Please make sure your child gets a good night sleep the night before the test and make sure they eat a healthy breakfast on the morning of the test. Here are the dates of the upcoming ELA MCAS.

Grade 3 Reading Comprehension – (3/31, 4/1)

Grade 4 Long Composition – (4/2)

Grade 4 Reading Comprehension – (4/6, 4/7)

Grade 5 Reading Comprehension – (4/8, 4/10)

Rock Your Socks Day!

Today was Rock Your Socks Day here at HBB and around the district and we would like to thank everyone who helped raise money for World Downs Syndrome Day!

Report Cards
Please be on the lookout for the Report Cards next week, they are coming home next Friday!

Spaghetti Supper
I am really looking forward to the Spaghetti Supper next week and I wanted to take a moment and thank all of our volunteers in advance for all their hard work.  This has become a great tradition here at HBB and such a great way to get the whole community together.  Thanks again and I can't wait for next Friday!!!

Character Word of the Week Winners

Congratulations to the winners this week!

Golden Broom Award Winners

Congratulations to Mrs. Brown's first grade class for winning the Golden Broom Award this week.  The kids have done a great job keeping their class, hallway and lunch table clean all week.  Great Job!

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Enjoy this clip of Mrs. Campbell playing the bag pipes....one of my favorite HBB Traditions!  To watch, click the link below.

http://1drv.ms/1FvmLB0

March Madness and Drop Off

March Madness

Next week we will celebrating March Madness by having a theme for each day. We are encouraging kids to dress up each day according to the following themes!

Monday – Wear your Burkland’s Best Gear

Tuesday – St. Patty’s Day……Wear Green!

Wednesday – PJ Day

Thursday – March Madness……Dress like your favorite athlete!

Friday – Rock Your Socks Day!

Tops in the District Again!

Congratulations HBB!  We are tops again in the district for attendance with a 95.6% attendance rate for the month of February!  That is our second month in a row with the highest rate in the district.  Remember, good school attendance is crucial to success in school.....but don't come to school if you are really sick!

Drop Off

To follow up on the all call I placed the other day regarding student drop off I would like to thank everyone for your cooperation. The past few days have gone much better out front and I hope everyone understands that we are doing our best to keep the traffic moving and to relieve traffic around the school during arrival time.

Again I would like to remind everyone that school does not start until 8:35. We also ask that you please stay in line when dropping off and do not get out of your car. Have your child get out on the passenger side and do so as quickly as possible. Please do not get out of your car unless it is absolutely necessary and if you need to come in to the school, park in the lot and do not enter the drop off line.

We appreciate your assistance in ensuring a smooth drop off process and remember, our number one priority is keeping the kids safe!

Report Cards
Please mark your calendars for Friday March 27th! Report Cards will be coming home!

Character Word of the Week Winners

Congrats to this weeks' winners!

Odds and Ends!

Coaches Night

Build Your Child’s Vocabulary!

Having a strong vocabulary is crucial to becoming a solid reader and writer. So much of what we do in school centers on reading and writing and by helping your child develop a strong vocabulary you can help them succeed in school! Try these ides to help strengthen your child’s vocabulary.

Look for new words – When you are out and about, shopping, at the doctor, point out new words. You will be surprised how many new words you can introduce to your child when you are on the look out for them!

Encourage verbs and adjectives- Help your child add descriptive and action words to their vocabulary. Try to find new words to describe things such as something that happened in a sporting event, a play or a movie. Talk about how the ball soared, the player had real determination or the runner who sprints!

These things may not seem like much but they really can make a big difference! Sometimes supporting your child’s education is easier than it seems!

Pretending it's Spring!

Thank you to Ms. Wheeler for painting the spring scene on the main office windows reminding everyone to Bee Happy!  While it might still be snowing outside we are anxious to bring on Spring so she is painting a nice Spring Scene to remind us all that Spring is not too far away!

Where are you headed poster contest

All posters can be submitted to the HBB main office!

A Message From BOKS!

The Old Colony Y is collaborating with the Middleboro Public Schools to offer the BOKS (Building Our Kids Success) Program once again to the students. The program is for children at the HBB and MKG in grades 1- 5. BOKS prepares children for a day of learning and is an important step in helping children gain an appreciation of the benefits of exercise and healthy choices that will last a lifetime. BOKS was inspired by Dr. John Ratey, of Harvard Medical School, he states that “exercise is the single most powerful tool that we have to optimize the function of our brains.” Classes are filled with team oriented games, relays, strength movements and provide plenty of opportunity for play, since the program focuses on FUN ! Check out the www.bokskids.org website for more information.

The BOKS session will start Tuesday, March 24th and end on Thursday, June 4th. The session is 45 minutes long and will run Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 7:50-8:35am. The cost of the Spring Session is $25.00. Parents are responsible for transporting their children to the school on those days and making sure they have breakfast before they arrive. Parent Drop off is between 7:40-7:50am on the side door by the gymnasium at the Burkland school. Financial Assistance is available to qualifying families.

BOKS is designed to involve the whole community and family. We would love to have parent volunteers to help run the program. Volunteers cheer for the kids, participate in the activities, help with attendance, set up stations and help monitor the kids. If interested please contact me know, as we will need to do a CORI and SORI check on all volunteers.

I hope that you will share our enthusiasm for this program and you will, in turn, see a positive impact on your children. If you have any additional questions please contact our office. 508-947-1390.

The registration must be filled out and returned to your child’s teacher before March 13, 2015. Space is limited so register early to guarantee your spot. BOKS rocks and kids and parents love the program!

Once we receive the registration there will be additional paperwork. Communication is through *email so make sure we have yours. Register early as space is limited.

Character Word of the Week Winners


Congratulations to the winners of the Character Word of the Week!

Golden Broom Awards Winners

Congratulations to Mrs. Sullivan's class for winning the Golden Broom Award this week!