Dear Bolinas Stinson School Families,
MARCH HIGHLIGHTS
March has been an exciting month here at BSUSD! Our students have been getting out and about on field trips, raising money for the Ukraine, building egg-cellent engineered contraptions, learning about bike safety and much more!
Our parents have been busy too - attending our Parent Information Night & chili feed, driving & chaperoning on field trips, attending parent teacher conferences, helping out in classrooms, and dropping off delicious treats to appreciate our teachers and staff during this extra-busy week. We couldn’t do it without the tremendous parent support and participation so THANK YOU ALL!
Bolinas Campus Bike Rodeo Grades 2-6
Students had a fun time learning about bike safety while participating in classroom presentations and riding through a challenging bike obstacle course today. Safe Routes for School provides this service free to all public schools. The Safe Routes team made learning about bike safety so much fun for our kids.
This program is an important part of keeping our students safe while encouraging them to ride to school. If you would like your child to be able to ride their bike at school during recess on the Bolinas Campus, please use this link to fill out and return the Wheels on Campus Permission Slip: VOLUNTARY ACTIVITIES PARTICIPATION FORM - Wheels on Campus.
Pre-K Facilities Improvements Are Over The Rainbow!
Our pre-K students have been taking hikes, painting rainbows, cutting out shamrocks and learning about critters and what animals’ milk people drink around the world (as part of a recent Wildcare visit) - so much fun!
While the students have been busy, our maintenance and operations team, Roberto, Ben and Paul, have been hard at work making some changes to the pre-K area to create a more child-friendly environment for our littlest students. Moving the paper towel dispenser to be more accessible, relocating backpack hooks to be by the lunch tables, and installing a small fence around the play structure, have helped to improve the Pre-K experience for our staff and students. We are so lucky to have such a dedicated team and appreciate all their hard work!
Kindergarten & 1st Graders Design & Build Egg-cellent Creations!
Our Kindergarten and 1st graders had an amazing time working together to design and build containers to protect their eggs from a six foot drop! Our students were excited to take on the challenge. This activity is a perfect example of integrated curriculum at its finest. The kindergarten students have been reading and studying various story elements and vocabulary from multiple versions of Humpty Dumpty. They then took this knowledge to help tackle an egg-straordinary challenge!
Students were creative as they collaboratively discussed and built contraptions for their eggs. As an extra challenge, students had to work together and use their interpersonal skills to build a group project using unusual materials. I was impressed and surprised that our students were able to construct fall-proof containers and many of our test-eggs survived intact! Every student was highly engaged while working collaboratively on problem solving and innovating on their designs. The cheers could be heard clear across campus as students unwrapped their eggs to inspect them after the fall. It was touching and beautiful when even the eggs that did not survive the fall received uplifting comments and cheers of support from their peers. So sweet.
2nd Grade Visits the Marin Center for Farm Day!
It was a wonderful day when our super second graders visited the Civic Center and saw all the different representations of farming and ranching in our local community. The class won the Farm Day raffle and used the winnings to buy fresh produce at the farmers market for a delightful lunch - some of the favorites were tangerines, grapes and tiny apples.
3rd Grade Salmon Studies & Bolinas Lagoon Hike
Our intrepid third graders have been working with the California Conservation Corps to study the health of our local watershed. They got up close and personal with a salmon to look at the different body parts and learn their functions. Our 3rd grade scientists then hiked out to the Bolinas Lagoon to find evidence of biodiversity using magnifying glasses and binoculars. They saw lots of little critters, plants, insects and more!
4th Grade Releasing Trout at Bon Tempe Reservoir and Exploratorium
Our caring fourth Grade got a special opportunity to release baby trout at the Bon Tempe Reservoir with another local fourth grade class. They learned about the life cycle of a trout and what makes a healthy watershed/habitat for the baby fish. They also got to visit the exploratorium to celebrate Pi Day.
5th & 6th Grade Bake Sale to Benefit the People of Ukraine
Our Giving 5th & 6th Graders raised more than $1,400.00 for the people of Ukraine with a bake sale last week. Students, families and community members contributed the delicious baked goods that were sold after school at this meaningful event! This is just the most recent way our 5th and 6th graders have been working to make a difference in the lives of others. Last month they also packed backpacks for our neighbors in need with the Warm Wishes organization. Thank you for making a difference!
7th & 8th Grade Hit The Bear Valley Trails!
Our indefatigable seventh and eighth graders spent the day out at Bear Valley immersing themselves in nature. They have been looking at the regrowth after the previous year’s fires to learn more about how our environment changes over time. Our students hiked trail after trail and some even participated in a high energy trail run. I have heard from Coach Kelly that some of our students are the fastest she has seen and possibly future track stars!
Parent Information Night and Chili Feed ~ Roll out of our BSUSD Community Agreement System
We had a tremendous turn out at our Parent Information Night and Chili diner. It felt wonderful to be able to gather together as a whole school community again! As I walked through the classrooms listening to teachers and parents talking, I was impressed by the level of compassion and care shown for our kids' social and emotional well-being. We are so fortunate to be a close-knit school community with such a dedicated staff and engaged parents.
If you were unable to attend Please use this link to view the parent handout BSUSD Community Agreement System Overview in English and Resumen del Sistema de Acuerdo Comunitario de BSUSD in Spanish.
Parent Teacher Conferences ~ A Time for Our Students to Reflect on Their Personal & Academic Growth And Shine!
Thank you for attending your child’s conference this week. The home school connection is critical to our students’ success. We have been working with our students to help them set both personal and academic goals and reflect on their progress. Your child may have shared this with you at home before the conference or even presented this to you at their conference. We know that when students take responsibility for their learning it is more impactful and motivating. By establishing goals for themselves and working together with teachers and parents as a team, our students are developing the skills of perseverance, responsibility, and resourcefulness. This focus is part of our continued work to cultivate the North Star Qualities in our students.
I hope you have a wonderful spring break next week and have a chance to get out in nature with your children!
Michelle