Having Fun at Open House

Having Fun at Open House
Thank You to everyone who attended this years' Open House.   We were impressed with the turnout, as it appeared we had nearly full attendance!. We are so lucky to have such a proud, positive, supportive and tight knit school community. There is nothing better than seeing the pride kids and parents have in wearing their Burkland’s BEST gear and showing it off.

We have been doing some great things here at HBB, we are proud of it and it shows! In the near future you will hear about the positive gains that have been made here across the board on MCAS! We are moving forward as a school, we are moving from being a good school to a great school and we would like to thank you because we appreciate the support we receive from the entire school community…..we are all in this together!

Below are a couple of pictures from Open House, including pictures taken at the Photo Booth which was set up outside Mrs. Reardon and Mrs. Martin's class.

Career Dress Up Day

As part of our message to students that they can be anything they want as long as they work hard, we hosted our 2nd annual Career Dress Up Day.  We had everything from Doctors, Astronauts, Paleontologists to Bike Racers.  I was impressed with creativity of some students and overall this was a fun way to remind students that school is important, we want them to dream and we are here to help them reach their goals.

Burkland's BEST Gear

School Council

Interested in getting involved? We are looking for a few parents who may be interested in joining the School Council. The School Council is a committee of parents, teachers and community members who work directly with me to develop the School Improvement Plan. If we have a large number of interested parents there will be an election. For those interested please contact me at dthompson@middleboro.k12.ma.us

Family Resource Center

Over the past year many of you have probably heard us speak about the upcoming Family Resource Center. Well, it brings us great pleasure to announce that the Family Resource Center is official and we would like to welcome Mrs. Meghan Quirke who has been hired as the Coordinator. Mrs. Quirke was chosen amongst a pool of very talented candidates.  She is exceptionally well qualified for the job and we are very excited to having her on board and we are looking forward to working with her on improving the ways by which we engage families and the community here at HBB.  Welcome Mrs. Quirke!

Harvest Big Blast Save the Date! 

Please be sure to mark your calendars for Friday October 23rd......The Big Blast is coming!

5th Grade Character Word of the Week Winners

Golden Broom Award Winners

Congratulations to our first Golden Broom Award winners of the year.  Ms. Borrowman and Mrs. Hart's Class.  Great Job kids!

Community Meeting

Community Meeting
This year we are doing things a little different!  This year we have a community meeting every Friday with different grades each week.  During these meetings we are giving out all awards, such as the Character Word of the Week, Burkland's BEST Challenges etc.  When we give out the awards we ask all students to come on stage and take a bow......while the audience claps of course!

In addition to giving out awards we are introducing students to the Social Thinking Curriculum.  In a nutshell, Social Thinking is about teaching students how to get along with others.  Over the last two weeks we have been talking to students about whole body listening.  These are the things students do with their body that shows the speaker they are paying attention, such as looking with their eyes, facing the speaker and paying attention to what is being said and I am happy to report that our first few community meetings have been a great success!

Here is a picture of all our 3rd and 4th grade winners of the Character Word of the Week.  If you are interested in learning more about the Social Thinking Curriculum give us a call!  Congratulations to all our winners!

Open House

Please mark your calendar for next Wed because we have our annual Open House from 6:30-8.  Open House is a great opportunity to tour the school and visit your child's classroom.  We will have an opportunity for parents to sign up for Parent Teacher Conferences as well, which are scheduled for November 18th and 19th.  Please remember that Open House is not the time to conference about your child.  You are certainly welcome to ask questions but we ask that everyone please be cognizant that each classroom teacher must be present and available for all parents during Open House and any in depth issues should be discussed at another time.  We also ask that you keep your children with you at all times during your visit.  We hope to see you all there!

Career Day!

Bat Run

Don't forget the Bat Run this weekend.  If you are available on Sunday please consider supporting this great event!

Early Release/Hat Day

Next week (Thursday) we have an Early Release Day.  School is out at 1 pm.  We would like to encourage all students to wear a hat and we will be collecting voluntary $1donations.  All money raised through our Hat Days goes directly back to the students to support enrichment activities, after school programs, field trips and donations to local charities!  Thank you for your support! 

You Can Be Anything You Want to Be.....if you work hard!

This week we had an introductory assembly for each grade.  During the assembly we covered all the typical things that we tend to go over here at HBB but there was one thing we discussed with students that we thought would be important to share. 

During the assembly I asked every student to close their eyes and imagine what they want to be someday when they grow up.  When they opened their eyes I told the kids that they can become anything they want to be if they work hard enough!

One of our goals here at HBB is to ensure that every student leaves this school believing in themselves and believing that they can achieve great things.  We want our students to possess confidence, but also a solid understanding that they need to work hard in order to achieve their goals.  We do not look for perfection, we want kids to persevere and work hard!

In an effort to continue promoting this line of thinking we are hosting our 2^nd annual Career Day on Sept. 25^th.  We would like to encourage all students to dress up like what they want to be someday.  We would also like to ask you to encourage your child to dream.  Encourage your child to set high goals and remind them that if they work hard enough, anything is possible!

For more info on the Growth Mindset check out this website  https://www.mindsetworks.com

Thank you PTA!

Last week I attended the School Committee to receive a check from the PTA which was granted to start the Family Resource Center.   The Family Resource Center is an essential step in the School District's efforts to increase parent and community engagement and will help fill a huge need here for the schools.  Without the support of the PTA this would not be possible and I would again like to thank the PTA for their donation and all the continuous support to our students and teachers!  

BAT RUN!  

Please help us raise money for the Jesse Foundation by attending the Bat Run on Sept. 20th.  See the flyer below for more details.....we hope to see you there!

Breakfast

We would like to encourage all students to eat a healthy breakfast every morning.  Did you know breakfast is available to ALL interested students?  If you have a hard time getting your kids out the door in the morning maybe one solution is to have them eat their breakfast with us.  We have allotted time each morning for students to go to the cafeteria to get their breakfast.  If you are interested in learning more please give us a call.

Off to a GREAT Start!

We have had a GREAT start to the year!   We are so glad to have all the kids back and I would like to take a moment to thank all the parent volunteers who came in to help the kids find their class and to be there as support.  The first two days of the year have gone great and I hope this is a sign of things to come!   

Growth Mindset!

For those of you who are new to HBB we would like to take a moment to tell you about the importance of the Growth Mindset and we would like to ask you to please help us promote the growth mindset in your child at home.

How do you do that?  Well, someone who possesses the growth mindset is someone who understands that with hard work and perseverance anything can be accomplished.  What is important is NOT natural ability, but, rather, ones willingness to work hard and persevere in the face of challenges.  When you are talking to your child at home praise their effort…..especially when they struggle.  Any student who works hard and truly understands that the effort is what matters will end up doing great.  We don’t want our kids to be afraid to challenge themselves and we want them to truly understand that, much like weight lifting, your brain gets stronger when you are engaged in challenging academic work. 

For more info on the Growth Mindset check out this website  https://www.mindsetworks.com

Breakfast

We would like to encourage all students to eat a healthy breakfast every morning.  Did you know breakfast is available to ALL interested students?  If you have a hard time getting your kids out the door in the morning maybe one solution is to have them eat their breakfast with us.  We have allotted time each morning for students to go to the cafeteria to get their breakfast.  If you are interested in learning more please give us a call.

Safe to School

Please remember to call the Safe to School number listed below whenever your child is absent from school.  We ask that you call as soon as you can.

Tech Fair

Next Tuesday from 5-8 at MHS there will be a technology fair and we hope to see you all there!  I will actually be manning a table.  The fair will be a great way to learn about the tech offerings for kids and there will be some great deals on tech for kids and parents.  Check out the flyer for more information.

BOKS

We are very excited that BOKS will be offered again through the YMCA.  We also have before and after care available.  Please read below for more information.

Happy First Day!

Happy First Day of School!  We are very excited for the students return and we are looking forward to hearing about everyone's summer!  As we get ready for the first day here are a few things to keep in mind.

- This year the doors will not open until 8:40 (this is a change from last year)

- The school day ends at 3:20

- Please do not forget to send the sheet that was mailed over the summer letting us know how your child is getting home for the first week of school.

- Please review and return all paper work that is sent home on the first day as soon as possible. 

Breakfast

Please make sure your child eats a healthy breakfast everyday!  If you don't have time or find yourself in a rush please keep in mind that your child can get breakfast here!  Please review the district website for more information regarding breakfast and lunch.  You can also find access to the free and reduced lunch application.

Safe to School

Please remember to call the Safe to School number whenever you know your child will be absent!  The Safe to School number is (508) 946-8871.

Have any other questions just give us a call!  (508) 946-2040