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January 25, 2013
 
Community
Beach Park School Newsletter
Above: Concentrating in Upper Elementary

Important Dates

Tuesday, January 29, 7 pm - Auction Planning Meeting
                                         All invited, Gonzalez home at
                                         4519 W. North B Street
                                         
Tues. - Fri. , January 29 - February 1 - Standardized                                                                            Testing, Grades 3 - 8
 
Friday, February 8, 10 am - 12:30 pm - Lower Elementary                                       Field Trip, Sweetwater Organic Farm
                           Drivers Needed
 
Friday, February 15th - Dental Health Month Presentations
                                        All classes
 
Cleaning up from painting

Quick Links

Please Share Your Photos

 

Photos from school field trips and events are needed for this year's yearbook. 

 

The Middle School creates our fabulous school yearbook as a year-long project with assistance from parents, Steve Falkowitz, Amy Hirschel and Tacy Troncoso.   

Do you have any photos you could share?  

If so, please drop a disk in the office or bring in your camera card or flash drive with the photos.  

 

If none of those options work, you may email photos directly to Tacy at [email protected]

 

Thanks!

PreK/Kindergarten

This has been a very productive week. The children learned about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and how he made a change in our country. Dr. King preached that people must learn to live together and not be judged by the color of their skin.

 

A nutrition educator from St. Joseph's Hospital came to talk to the children about nutrition. She related her presentation to the colors of the rainbow and the story of The Very Hungry Caterpillar. We extended this lesson with the children making their own food pyramids, choosing healthy choices from each food group, emphasizing eating a variety of food to get the nutrients we need to stay healthy. Thank you, Ms. Skylaar, Hilty's mom, for arranging this inside field trip.

 Lower Elementary 

This week we have been working on our manners!  It proved to be quite fun.  Miss Kristen introduced this subject with the book, Do Unto Otters by Laurie Keller.  And yes, that is the title!  It is a hilarious book that talks about and explains manners and why we need them!  This is going to be a focus for the Lower Elementary for the next few weeks.  We will also be discussing character traits   and the Moral Pillars that make up our society.

 

We had quite a fabulous field trip to Alessi Bakeries of Tampa.  We went on an extended tour of their production facility.  We got to see just how the fabulous baked goods are made.  We were even privy to some tasty treats.  Thank you to all of our chaperones and drivers.  We really appreciate you!

 

Our next field trip is scheduled for Friday, February 8th.  We will be going to Sweetwater Organic Farms of Tampa.  Please contact Jan if you are able to drive and chaperone.

 

Mathematically speaking, this week we discussed fractions.  The children love fraction families, as they get to use their own family tree as a starting point!  

Upper Elementary
Nathan absorbed in a book

Everyone enjoyed the long weekend and came back to school ready to go! The children are working very hard in class. We're in the middle of "Holes" and everyone looks forward to hearing more of the story every day. Students practice new vocabulary and comprehension skills as follow up activities to the book.

 

The children are truly enjoying the new North American biome mat and locating various places on the mat (map). Additionally, they are able to make their own map and map key for the biomes of North America. We will be delving more deeply into the subject in the next several weeks.

 

Next week we'll begin the unit on Rights and Responsibilities. Students will learn about famous people who exhibit positive character traits and examine how they could apply those same traits to their own lives. We'll also focus in on being responsible caretakers of our homes, school, community, and the world.

Middle School

Mr. Sam hooks up a human-powered generator

This week has been another busy and short week for the Middle School group!  We have continued to help distribute the mulch on the playground this week during PE.

 

On Wednesday we had a yearbook meeting and we are working on putting familiar songs into different melodies in Music. 

 

We have standardized testing next week so we have been doing some test prep this week. We are also still working on our Ecology Unit and Financial Literacy Unit.  

 

Congratulations to Isabella who has gotten into the Visual Arts program at Blake High School for next year. 

Spanish

LOWER ELEMENTARY: We read two stories this week. One had to do with school activities and the other with foods  we eat on a regular basis to keep us healthy.  We used the stories to review related vocabulary and discuss our favorite activities, foods, and treats.  We also had a "fashion show" on Friday to practice articles of clothing and accessories.

 
UPPER ELEMENTARY: "Emotions and Feelings" was the topic for our weekly lessons. We all had the opportunity to practice sentences like, "I am happy, sad, sleepy, tired, frustrated, content, hot, cold", etc.  We also covered a lot of grammar, vocabulary, and conversational phrases. We then drew faces expressing the way we feel in certain circumstances. It was a fun activity.
 
MIDDLE SCHOOL: "Professions and Skills" was the bulk of our lessons this week. We did an A to Z list on this topic then used some of this vocabulary in sentences both in the oral and written form.  Students thoroughly enjoyed this though-provoking exercise. Conversational Spanish is encouraged at all levels.
 
TRIVIA FACT: Costa Rica is an adventure tourism playground. Many of the country's most popular activities including white water rafting, canopy tours, scuba diving, snorkeling, surfing, and sport fishing, all activities that offer visitors the opportunity to enjoy Costa Rica's lush and stunning landscapes!   

Office  Notes

Auction Meeting - Tuesday, January 29th
 
Everyone is invited to the Gonzalez's home on Tuesday, January 29th, for the first planning session for the 12th Annual BPS Spring Auction.  The theme this year, "A Sunshine State of Mind", promises fun possibilities inspired by our home state.  Think flamingos, mermaids, sandy beaches, theme parks, swamps!
 
The Auction is being held on Saturday, April 6th at St. Mary's Hall. Please mark your calendar now!
 
Join in on the ground floor of planning for our one big bash of the year for parents, family and other adult friends!   This fantastic event raised just over $50,000 in funds each of the past two years for the improvement and operation of the school.
 
Questions?  Contact the office.  Hope to see you there!
 
Re-Enrollment Starts Next Week
 
Within the next few days you will receive a letter inviting you to re-enroll your child(ren) for the coming 2013-2014 school year.  Re-enrollment for current students is open until Friday, February 15th.  After that time, new applicants will be able to enroll.  To ensure your child a space next year, please respond by February 15th.
 
 4200 W. North A Street � Tampa, FL 33609 � Ph: 813-289-3747 � Fax: 813-286-7307
[email protected]

Beach Park School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin.

Accredited by Florida Council of Independent Schools and Florida Kindergarten Council