FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S PEN___ Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, The first trimester is over and both the students and teachers have established routines for the daily instruction. This is the time for families to sit down with their students and talk about how the first trimester turned out. Is there room for improvement, should study habits be adjusted to improve grades, or what did I do the first trimester that I want to continue the rest of the year? I know the teachers and I will be doing this same type of self-evaluation. We all need to be constantly looking at ways to improve in school, our job, or life.
Just a reminder to all who drop their children off in the mornings to please be patient and follow the prescribed traffic flow in the rear of the building. It is very important that you do not get impatient and allow your child to cut through traffic creating a very dangerous situation. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at the school.
The next parent-teacher conference night is scheduled for Thursday, December 1st, 2011 from 3:30 p.m. – 6:45 p.m. Please call the middle school office (513-734-2271, option “2”, then “0” for the secretary) to schedule an appointment. Please take a look at the section titled “up-coming events” for details on other important BTMS events.
I a message from the superintendent This community entrusts the Bethel-Tate Local Schools with your most precious gift- your children. We understand the implications of the responsibility and the gravity of our work. We also believe that the community is entitled to ongoing communications about our progress. As I begin my first year as Superintendent of the Bethel-Tate Schools I am recapturing the successes that were accomplished last year. Each time a staff, school board and administrative team make a decision; they will always keep the interest of students first. Long-range plans for being an exceptional district will undoubtedly mean setting priorities to reduce class sizes, repair or maintain existing facilities, improve curriculum and instruction and upgrade technology to ensure our schools and your investment are increasing in value and relevance. By working together as a community, I am confident we will continue to see positive results.
Bethel-Tate students are very successful academically as well as in their
extra-curricular activities. Parent and staff support is evident as students
strive for high standards academically, behaviorally and physically. Support
from the entire community helps students succeed in reading, math, writing,
science and the social sciences. Our teams and clubs demonstrate their best
talents in drama, music and sports. Students have a wide range of elective
courses to choose from, too. A great emphasis on college readiness and
post-secondary are evident in our high school.
The Curriculum Department has been working to improve literacy in mathematics, writing and reading achievement. Language arts programs have been adopted to improve instruction across all grade levels. Strengthening differentiated instruction through professional development of all staff remains a high priority. Early intervention services (Response to Interventions, RTI) are being used with all students to promote reading fluency. Greater emphasis in district-wide staff collaboration is a high priority of the instructional leaders and teachers. A new reading program is being implemented to improve instruction and learning; time to collaborate as a Professional Learning Community will improve student achievement.
We are making steady progress. Our students, support staff, teachers and
administrators can be very proud of their accomplishments in achieving an
"Excellence with Distinction” rating from the Ohio Department of
Education. We will continue to engage in a school improvement process based on
(1) gathering assessment data, (2) analyzing the results, (3) creating action
plans with measurable outcomes and (4) evaluating our progress. We are mindful of how important it is to keep the community informed. Open communication includes: presentations to staff as well as listening to parent and patron concerns to resolve issues or seek solutions. Your input is valuable. Please feel free to schedule an appointment anytime to discuss your thoughts. (513)734-2271 The challenges, especially financial, have kept all of us in turmoil. It has been challenging during this latest financial crisis of a recession and yet, I feel grateful for the opportunity to help solve some of the most difficult problems facing this district. Thank you for your support!
STUDENT ISSUES______________ The second of three parent-teacher conferences is December 1st, 3:30-6:45 p.m. If you need to schedule a conference, please call the school at 734-2271, option “2” and then option “0”. We appreciate the effort made by the parents to stay on top of their child’s academic progress. You can also e-mail the teacher by getting their e-mail address through the betheltate.org web site.
Every student should have received their student ID for the school year which is included in their school fees. The replacement fee is $5 if the card is lost, damaged or stolen. . CAFETERIA NEWS Don’t forget Pre-Pay! It is the safest, fastest and easiest way to provide lunch money for your child. If you do not have access to a computer to use the EZ Pay then you can always send in a check to be credited to your account.
Students in every grade level should have their ID cards at lunch time. This helps our cafeteria run more efficiently.
ARTS DEPARTMENT The M.S. Holiday Concert will take place on Monday, December 12th at 7:00 in the M.S. gym.
SPORTS UPDATE If you haven’t already done so, please check out our calendar on the www.betheltate.org website. The calendar has not only sporting events but also school events such as dances, concerts, honors assemblies, etc.
TECHNOLOGY UPDATE!!___ Do you have a computer at your home? Do you have an e-mail account? If yes, then you will want to be on our mailing list. Just e-mail Mrs. Barr, barr_t@betheltate.org, and let her know you would like to receive information via e-mail from BTMS. Also, remember that you can access your child’s grades and other information in the district by using Progress Book. It requires an initial password from us to get started. Just e-mail Mrs. Barr, barr_t@betheltate.org, and she will get back with you on your username and password.
Also, at this point you should have received numerous updates from our “One Call Now” program. If you have not, please contact the school so we can make sure we have the correct primary contact number in our files. If you would like to add a secondary number such as cell or work number then you would need to access the betheltate.org web site and click on the “Middle School” link and then the “One Call Now” link to add those numbers. .
A MESSAGE FROM THE GUIDANCE_ DEPARTMENT Student Council:
Halloween Costume Contest: Student Council held a Halloween Costume Contest to raise money for the Tiger Pack Program. The grade level winners were: 6th grade Jacob Reinhart and Eddie Burns, 7th grade Matt Copeland and Morgan Reinhart, 8th grade Jordyn Miley. Thank you to all that participated.
3rd Annual Coat Drive: We are currently collecting gently used coats to donate to the Bethel Clothing Free Store. We have expanded this year and are also asking for powdered laundry detergent and bars of body soap. If you have any donations please stop by the main office where a collection box is located.
Holiday Food Drive: We have added a twist to the Holiday Food Drive this year. Students will be decorating grocery carts and walking in the Down Home Christmas Parade. They are collecting non-perishable food items along the way. This will help kick off our school collection where each homeroom competes against one another to bring in the most items.
RAK: Random Acts of Kindness has started again. Students are encouraged to do kind things for other students as well as school staff. We have added the Caught Being Kind, to our RAK program this is where students have the opportunity to vote for other students that they see doing a kind act. Drawings will be held weekly for those students nominated.
COMMUNITY NEWS “From Scratch” Restaurant and Catering is providing their 5th annual free Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, November 24th, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. You may dine in or they will deliver. The restaurant is located at 124 W. Plane Street. Please call 734-9777 to make reservations.
UPCOMING EVENTS________ 11/23-11/27 No School-Thanksgiving Break 12/1 7th gr. Honors Assembly-7:50 a.m. 12/1 6th gr. Honors Assembly-8:30 a.m. 12/2 8th gr. Honors Assembly-7:50 a.m. 12/7 Early release-students dismissed at noon 12/22-1/2 Winter Recess
PREVENTION SERVICES Hello everyone! My name is Connie Nurre and I wanted to tell you about the service Child Focus provides to your schools.
I provide prevention services (not therapy services) with students individually or in a group setting to help build skills such as anger management, crisis intervention, conflict resolution, self-esteem, grief and loss, decision making skills, and to help improve academic performance.
These services are funded with levy dollars from the Clermont County Mental Health and Recorvery Board and FAST TRAC, a grant funded program from the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).
An effort is made to work with students during the school day at a time agreed upon by the student, myself, and the school staff to prevent your child from missing academics.
If a child exhibits behaviors or has needs that are of greater concern than prevention services provide, I will refer the student to a higher level of care, by contacting the parents about my concerns for their child and will explain the process for them to call Child Focus and register for services. A student can be referred for prevention services by a parent/guardian or school faculty member. I am in Bethel Middle School on Wednesday, Wm. Bick on Thursday, and Hill Intermediate on Friday. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at these schools.
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