Dear Bates Families,
Thank you to all who joined us for Bates in Bloom this morning and to those who came to volunteer or cheer on students at the Bates Mini-Marathon. These are both such exciting opportunities to celebrate our students’ hard work. As we reflect on accomplishments with students, we try to acknowledge the effort, perseverance and collaboration they demonstrate. With the Bates Mini-Marathon, students are often inclined to evaluate their success based on the number of laps they run. We prefer to recognize students’ efforts to pace themselves, to take on the challenge of “Heartbreak Hill” and to encourage a fellow runner. We are thoughtful about the kind of feedback we give to students on assignments in class as well. When students focus on effort, they develop a growth mindset. Students with a growth mindset embrace and enjoy challenges and see mistakes as opportunities for learning.
Principal Coffee
I would like to invite parents who are interested in learning about the academic supports at Bates to join me for my Principal Coffee next Thursday, May 5 at 9:00 a.m. in the library. I will share information about our current regular education supports as well as give an overview of our special education services. I invite your feedback on the kind of supports and enrichment opportunities you think would most benefit our students. If you are unable to attend but have feedback to share with me on this topic, I invite you to call or email me at any time.
Food Recovery Challenge
I am excited to report that we beginning the initial phase of The Food Recovery Challenge. As part of this challenge, students, parents and school administrators are working together to develop a plan to prevent, reuse and recycle the waste that we are creating in our school. We are beginning with an assessment of the amount and types of waste that we are generating in the cafeteria. This week and next Monday, students are sorting trash into different recycling bins. Parents, community volunteers and two WHS seniors who are also former Bates students are on hand to help with the sorting process. It’s exciting to see our students engaged in learning about the waste we are producing. We will share the results of our assessment as soon as we are able.
Finally, please note that next week is recognized as Teacher Appreciation Week. It’s a wonderful time to tell your child’s teachers how much they are appreciated.
Warm regards,
Toni Jolley
Upcoming dates:
Week of May 2: Teacher Appreciation Week
Wednesday, May 4: Kindergarten Screening 8:45-11:45 a.m.
Thursday, May 5: Principal Coffee 9:00 a.m. in the library
Friday, May 6: Bates Spirit Day and Walk to School Day
Tuesday, May 10: Grade 3 Math MCAS, Grade 5 Science MCAS
Thursday, May 12: Grade 3 Math MCAS, Grade 5 Science MCAS