Prairie Rose Post
January 2014
Principal’s Note
UPCOMING EVENTS
January
By Brenda Beiswenger
13 – PTC Meeting 6:30 p.m.
19 – No School – MLK Jr. Day
th
20 – 5 Grade Visits Wachter
29 – Prairie Rose Geography Bee
– 2:00 p.m. – Grades 4 & 5
30 – Birthday Celebrations for
November, December, and
January
Our mission at Prairie Rose Elementary states that we will provide a
safe, caring, and respectful environment that fosters and empowers
lifelong learning for an ever-changing world. Change is always
happening and seems to be happening faster each year. This creates
both opportunities and challenges for schools. We are working as a
staff to instruct students how to use technology as a part of their
learning. We use it as a tool to collaborate, to communicate, to be
creative, and to think critically about content and what they are
learning. Mrs. Olson, our library media specialist, works with the
classroom teachers planning integrated technology opportunities for
students. By integrated, we mean, multiple subjects are being learned
in one project. Not only is this an efficient way to teach, but is highly
engaging. As a staff, we will continue our own learning about how to
teach these “digital natives”. All of the teaching staff at Prairie Rose
have participated in staff development on integrating technology into
their teaching. I want to thank the PTC for supporting this mission as
well. They committed $5,000 to purchase Chrome Books for our
classrooms. We are at a 2 to 1 ratio of students to computers in
classrooms in grades 2 through 5. We will continue to work at getting
this in all grade levels.
February
th
3 – 4 Grade NAEP
10 – PTC Meeting 6:30 p.m.
16 – Presidents’ Day – No School
17 – Staff Development Day – No
School for students
20 – Kindergarten to the Simle to
see a Play
26 – Parent Teacher Conferences
4:00-7:45
nd
27 – End of 2 Trimester
March
2 – Parent Teacher Conferences
PTC News
Pizza Corner pizza sales will
start on Wednesday,
January 14 and run until
Friday, January 28. A
tentative pick up date will
be February 11. Thank you
for participating in this fund
raiser for our school.
Do you shop at Cash Wise? If you do, Prairie Rose has started to collect Labels for
Learning points that are on the receipts. All you need to do is save your receipts and
turn them into the office. Thank you for your continuing support.
Kindergarten Registration
Kindergarten registration is underway. If you have child entering kindergarten this
fall, go to www.bismarckschools.org under the red Registration & Transfer tab to
complete the necessary forms and get information about making an appointment
to register. Please let any neighbors or friends with a new kindergartner know this
information too. Thank you!
Prairie Rose Elementary
-
2200 Oahe Bend
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(701) 323-4280
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www.prairierose.bismarckschools.org/
District News
Nutrition News:
discretionary calories
By: Joan Knoll, BPS Dietitian
Discretionary calories are the
calories left after meeting our
nutrient requirements from the
five food groups. The “leftover”
calories amount to about 150
calories per day for a young child.
These calories are often consumed
as empty calories found in sugary
beverages, chips, fried foods, etc.
Depending on the number of times
these types of foods are offered
throughout the day, a child’s
discretionary calories may add up
to much more than 150.
Moderation of these items is the
key to a healthy, balanced food
plan. Click here to learn more!
2015-16 School Calendar
The Bismarck School Board has
adopted a calendar for next school
year. Classes will begin Aug. 27
and end June 2. Graduation will
be Sunday, June 5 for BHS and
CHS. A copy was e-mailed to you
before Christmas or you can find
it online at bismarckschools.org
under Calendars on the left.
College admission
standards increase
North Dakota State University
(Fargo) and the University of
North Dakota (Grand Forks) have
approved stricter admission
standards. Beginning in the fall of
2016, NDSU and UND will raise
the minimum GPA from 2.5 to
2.75 and minimum ACT score
from 21 to 22. Applying the new
standards, 6% of the 2014
freshmen would have been denied
admittance to NDSU or UND.
Another 17% with lower scores
than the minimum would have
been admitted based on other
qualifications such as Advanced
Placement courses or
extracurricular activities.
Celebrating the New Year with promise!
By Tamara Uselman, Supt.
I love the New Year. It’s a fresh slate after reflecting on the past and preparing for the future. I want
to highlight some of what’s new in Bismarck Public Schools that you and your children may be
interested in.
1. Math scores: for the first time in 11 years, students at all levels have met MAP (Measures of
Academic Progress) scores in math. We have worked hard to improve student math
proficiency and want to celebrate that!
2. College Algebra: the School Board has approved a College Algebra course. Starting next
fall, students will be able to take it for high school credit, or for dual college credit through
Bismarck State College. We believe this math course will better prepare our students not
only for the ACT (American College Test) but for college in general.
3. Flex & Block Schedules: Simle Middle School already has a block schedule; Horizon and
Wachter may switch to a block schedule in the future (why? Benefits?). Legacy High School
will try a Flex Schedule next year when the new building opens. Similar to a college
schedule, some class periods will be longer for labs and lectures, and some will be more
standard, and some will be shorter for tutoring assistance, etc.
4. Soup: due to federal guidelines, we had to take our soups off the menu at middle and senior
highs this fall because sodium and/or fat contents were too high. We’ve worked with our
dietician, chefs and our BPS cooks to find acceptable versions of this popular school lunch
menu item. Once we had our “made from scratch” recipes, we had to wait for vendors to get
the necessary ingredients because many school kitchens across the country were faced with
this same culinary dilemma. Last month, we started to serve kid-tested chicken tortilla soup.
It was such a hit our kitchens ran out! Tell your children to expect to see knoeffla (everyone
spells it differently) soup in January!
5. Vision: We will be hosting visioning meetings in January to validate some of the survey
data we’ve collected from parents, students, teachers, administrators, business people and
others in our community. Once the School Board approves our collective vision, we will use
this clear direction as we continue to prepare our students for success in college and careers.
Kindergarten registration Jan. 13 – Mar. 26
Children who are 5 years old on or before July 31st can now register for fall kindergarten in
Bismarck Public Schools. Go to www.bismarckschools.org under the red Registration tab on the left,
then the kindergarten registration link on the left. Download the information, fill out the forms, and
gather necessary documents like birth certificates and proof of residence. Then make an appointment
ASAP online or by phone because kindergarten open houses are in late April and early May!
Friday, March 13 is the deadline for new transfer requests for students entering grades K-5 this fall
who want to attend a Bismarck Public School outside of their attendance area. Transfer request
forms for elementary and secondary students are available online at www.bismarckschools.org under
the same red tab.
The Bismarck Public School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, national origin, religion, age or disability in admission or access to or
treatment or employment in its programs and activities. To obtain this material in an alternate format, or if you need access, or auxiliary services such as
interpreters, large print, brail or recorded material, call (701) 323-4071, or a TTY Relay Service at 711 or 1-800-366-6888 two weeks prior to the event.