Hello Families,
With behavior issues cropping up on the bus, we have created a new rule: No toys on the bus please. It has created some problems and safety issues. Books for reading and coloring are great, but please leave toys at home. Thank you!
Our academic calendar for the 2025/26 school year has been finalized and approved by the board. For those needing to plan ahead with holidays and school breaks, scroll down to see the calendar.
As announced last week, we have hired a new teacher to take over for Ms. Steele. Killian Sump will begin teaching our Upper Grade class in the 2025/26 school year. Read more about Killian below!
Read on for news & updates.
All School - Dates & Reminders
- Thurs May 1: LAST DAY to order your yearbook!
- May 4-9: Upper Grade trip to San Francisco!
- Mon May 5th: K-3 field trip to the Fish Hatchery
- Tues May 6th: K-3 field trip to the Bend Rock Gym (PM Bus early drop off – Sisters Library 2:30pm & Tollgate 2:40pm)
- Mon May 12th: State Testing begins for 3rd-8th grade and attendance is extremely important during this week!
- Free Community Event: Good Grief Speaker Series at the Camp Sherman Community Hall begins this Saturday (see flyer below)
Update from Ms. Steele
Administrators (5th-8th)
Hello Families of the Administrators.
This week we have been working in groups a fair amount. Which can be really rewarding and a collaborative way to learn and can also be really challenging to listen to others’ views and to stay focused around peers. There has been many positive learning opportunities arise during the week. Both group assignments are due this Friday. We will have one more day to work on the Create a Culture project and the Advertisement Writing Assignment.
During math everyone continues to make great progress working through so many new concepts. And because we have stayed with the same system of: getting a detailed assignment sheet with 4 to 5 assignments on it, there have been lots of examples of students coming up with systems to stay more organized. And I have witnessed many students taking “constructive criticism”, otherwise know these days as “feedback”, and make changes!! It warms the executive functioning part of a teacher’s heart.
Update from Ms. Kassie
K-1 Literacy & Math
In literacy we have been working on vowel teams and have learned the long i vowel team igh like in night or light.
In math we are working on adding two digit numbers to other two digit numbers.
- K-1 Literacy and Math Work and Play to try at home
- ⇒ Literacy– Work on finding the “igh” spellings around you. What do they say?
- ⇒ Math– Switch up the game. Get out a deck of cards and pull 4 this time. Use the biggest numbers in the ones place. Add the two numbers together using pictures or grouping the 10s and ones to do the addition.
K-2 Science
In science we have been learning about the sky. On Monday students brought home a sun finder they made to help them remember the sun rises in the East and sets in the West. We learned how to use directions and the sun to help us if we get lost.
Today we tried to understand the relationship between the size and distance of the Earth and sun. In a small model, we made the Earth 2.5 cm and the sun 7 meters and figured it would be about 745 meters between the two of them at that size. We used meter sticks to measure out the sizes and just the length of the field to get an understanding of how long 745 meters is.
Update from Mr. B
BeBop Literacy & Math (2nd-4th)
The bebop crew is strengthening their place value chops by working on expanded form, building automaticity with 6’s and 8’s, and getting lots of word problem practice!
In literacy, they are testing out ‘whisper reads’, reading more informational text, writing words with /oo/ (like ooze) and listening for the differences between /oo/ and /yoo/.
Art Literacy
In art literacy, all students are using line, color, and water to experiment with value around primary and secondary hues.
Update from Mr. Sharp
Field Studies (3rd-8th)
We wrapped up our robotics and electricity units last week in Field Study class. On Monday I introduced our focus for the rest of spring on native plants and local ecology. Students learned about many of our native trees in the fall and now they will be tasked with learning about some native plants near school and how they interact with the local ecosystem.
Ms. Sharp worked with the students on Monday and again on Wednesday in the yearbook. We are almost done with another great yearbook. Students will get to see the final version on the last day of school.
I spent last Thurs/Friday in Bend at a mental health training called ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) put on by Deschutes County. I learned some new skills to help me talk with folks about this challenging but important topic.
Next up, San Francisco and our big overnight trip starting on Sunday!
PE/Health Class
In PE class we have set up a disc golf course in the forest and students are having lots of fun practicing this game.
In health class Ms. Steele and Mr. Sharp taught a sexual health class to the 5th-8th graders. The whole group was together for most of the lesson and then also split into small group discussion – girls with Ms. Steele and boys with Mr. Sharp. The students handled the topics really well and asked great questions!
Meet the new Upper Grade Teacher, Killian Sump
Killian Sump is a fifth generation Oregonian. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from Alaska Pacific University and his Masters in Teaching from Eastern Oregon University. His education background ranges from teaching mixed grade classrooms, to over 10 years instructing in the outdoor and experiential setting. Other professional avenues of his include guiding, snow/avalanche science, and first responder medical certifications. In his free time, you can find him out in the mountains: Backcountry skiing, climbing, or paragliding. He also enjoys quiet time at home pursuing tasks like building, gardening, meditation, and music.
This will be his first year at Black Butte School and in Central Oregon. He is looking forward to helping the upper grade students challenge themselves, grow academically and personally, and is excited to share his love for the outdoors with the students of BBS. Key values he brings with him are the benefits of an active lifestyle, community, sustainability, and environmental stewardship.
Gary Lovegren shows students his handmade orrery (a mechanical model of the solar system)
New bus rule - no toys! See message above
New bus rule - no toys! See message above
How many BBS students can jump rope at one time?!
Jump rope fun at recess
