November 2008 

BMS hosted its second annual Literacy Day on Wednesday, November 19th.  This day, devoted strictly to literacy, emphasizes the importance of being able to read and write effectively. The students, faculty, and staff participated in several activities throughout the week, and it turned out to be a HUGE success!

Below is a list of activities that took place:
Read-A-Thon: BMS students, faculty, and staff members read throughout the week with a goal of 30,000 pages. If students made it to 15,000 pages, Mr. Dublin and Mr. Methvin had to serve lunch to the students (all decked out in gloves, aprons, hair nets, etc.).  If students reached 20,000 pages our principals agreed to perform a puppet show for the middle school.  Finally, if students reached the goal of 30,000, Mr. Dublin and Mr. Methvin agreed to perform a live concert for the entire middle school to witness!  In addition to that, they also had to do the first two tasks as well!

BMS is proud to announce that everyone read over 125,000 pages throughout that week!  They blew the mercury off the “Pages Read Meter”!
 
Also on Literacy Day, teachers dressed up as characters from books.  The costumes were judged on an individual basis and on a grade-level academic team basis.  Dr. Steve Morgan, Mrs. T.C. Wall, and Mrs. Sandy Krueger judged the teachers’ costumes and, after much deliberation, decided on the following winners:
       Individual winner- Mrs. Kathy Holiday with Courtney Mashburn (6th grade) as Mrs. Frizzle from The Magic School Bus
       Team winner- Encore Team as characters from The Wizard of Oz (see picture)
 
Students also dressed up for the event.  Each winner received a gift card.  Winners were Hayley Newcomb (6th), Breanna Barber (7th), and Leann Maloney (8th).

October 6, 2008

Bully Prevention Week at BMS put a spotlight on one of our society’s fastest growing problems. Below are a few details about the activities that will be going on this week. We thank teachers, staff, and parents for their assistance with helping us to build awareness about this problem as we work to give our students a safe environment for learning.

• On Monday, Tuesday and Thursday our social studies classes will watch anti-bullying videos to start 3 minutes after the tardy bell.  SS teachers will lead class discussions about bullying at the beginning of each social studies period, and also conduct a bullying survey of all students.
  
• Art Club students have created a huge anti-bullying banner pledging to "make BMS a bully-free zone” to be unveiled and signed by all students at lunch on Monday.
  
• Bolivar High School’s “Ounce of Prevention” will perform for each grade during their scheduled S2P time on Wednesday.
  
• Art club will coordinate an Anti-Bullying poster contest to be judged by all students at lunch on Friday.
  
• All teachers/staff display “No Bully Zone” buttons provided last year by Mrs. Smith and the Counseling Dept.

This week is an extension of our revamped Character Education program, and is a big step in building awareness about bullying in our school. We will continue to address this issue throughout the year and build upon the culture of caring at BMS!

School is just around the corner!  We are excited to have the students back at school and to jump into another year of learning and activities.  The following is a list of important dates for August and September:

8/7-8- New to district student enrollment (8-noon & 1-3 pm)
8/13- 6th grade schedule pickup (8:00-5:00)
8/14- 7th grade schedule pickup (8:00-5:00)
8/15- 8th grade schedule pickup (8:00-5:00)
8/21- First day of school
8/28- 6th grade mixer (3-4:30 pm International Plaza)
9/1-  Labor Day- No school
9/3- 7th grade mixer (3-4:30 pm International Plaza)
9/4- 8th grade mixer (3-4:30 pm International Plaza)/Grandparent’s Day
9/12- BMS Health Fair
9/19- School Pictures

Please feel free to call us in the office at 326-3811 if you have any questions.  We will see you on August 21st!  Be ready to strive for straight A’s: Attendance, Attitude, and Achievement!

MSTA, Missouri State Teacher Association, hosted internationally known speaker and author, Dr. Ruby Payne, for a 2-day conference on June 2-3 in Branson.  Dr. Payne is a leading expert in helping schools meet a diverse population of students through research-based instructional techniques as well as various community/parent involvement activities. 

The team of teachers and principals from Bolivar Middle School had the extraordinary opportunity to eat lunch with Dr. Payne and converse about specific ideas that the middle school has put in place as well as new ones that can be utilized to continue the strong school and community partnership already formed.  Dr. Payne commented on Bolivar Middle School’s efforts in being innovative and raising student achievement for all kids through cutting edge techniques such as the MAP walk and offering breakfast items before the MAP test, among many other practices. 

“It was a privilege to spend some focused time over lunch with Dr. Payne," said Shane Dublin, BMS Principal.  "She has influenced schools and the way we reach students for a number of years, so her input into what we are doing at Bolivar Middle School is invaluable.”

Pictured from left are Lisa Doyle, Nancy Smith, Lisa Funk, Judi Wall, Dr. Ruby Payne, Shane Dublin, and Michael Methvin.