Hello Families,
The swim program is in full swing and the students are doing great! The newest swimmers are getting comfortable in the water and the seasoned swimmers are practicing diving. All of the kids are growing skills and confidence! Thanks to families for supporting kids with extra gear this week.
Our new counselor Rachel is getting to know the students through one-on-one conversations. She sent out an email to families with a link to this survey: School Counseling at BBS. This is a great way to share your thoughts with Rachel on how our counseling program can best support students.
Read on for news & updates.
All School News
Important Dates & Reminders
- Swim Program continues!
- ⇒ Students should pack their swimsuit, towel, and plastic bag (to carry home wet items).
- ⇒ Bus drop-off will be earlier for Sisters on swim days: 2:30pm at Sisters library, 2:35pm at Daybreak, and 2:40pm at Tollgate.
- Wed Apr 9: Swim Program – NO EARLY RELEASE!
- Fri Apr 11: Swim Program
- Mon Apr 14: Swim Program
- Tue Apr 15: PTO Meeting 3:15pm
- Fri Apr 18: Swim Program – Last day!
- Save the Date – June 5th: BBS Open House
Update from Ms. Steele
Administrators (5th-8th)
The Administrators all had a math assignment due today that they have been working on for the last week. They have been encouraged to take it home if they needed more time to work on it. If they don’t complete it on time, they may need to finish it during recess!! Responsibility is the lesson. On Thursday I will be giving out a second assignment that they have another week to do. Time management and staying focused in class is the lesson.
In literacy the Administrators are working on a writing assignment from the book “Scat”. They have three more class days to complete it and it is due on Monday, April 14th. They have been given a lot of freedom to complete tasks during class. As I observe the students, some are using their time efficiently and some are not. Check in with your student about how they are doing.
Update from Ms. Kassie
K-1 Literacy & Math
In literacy we have been working on R-controlled vowels. The different sounds we have been working on are /ar/ like in barn, /or/ like in fork, and /er/ like in bird. Ask your students to show you the hand motions that match these phonemes (sounds).
In math we have been working on adding and subtracting multiples of 10 to any number
K-1 Literacy and Math Work and Play to try at home
- Literacy
- ⇒ Keep work on spelling with final e and see where you can find it around yo
- Math
- ⇒ Ask students to add or subtract 20, 30, even 60 from a given number
- ⇒ Try counting by 10s starting at different numbers like 4, 14, 24, 34…
K-2 Science
Mr. B has mostly been teaching a sci-art class. We have started to explore some of the patterns of night and day.
Update from Mr. B
BeBop Literacy & Math (2nd-4th)
The Bebop crew is navigating the swim schedule quite well!
In math, they continue to stack upon their understanding of perimeter, interpreting graphing data, finding number patterns, and dabbling with equivalent fractions.
In literacy, Beboppers are reading trickster tales and completing story maps to aid in identifying sequencing and recognizing character traits. Their cursive continues to blossom as they are writing words from their HD Word Unit along with irregular and helping verbs from their handwriting lessons.
Art Literacy
In Sci-Art, the K-2’s are hard at work on their moon books. They are currently sketching 8 phases of the moon as well as writing a few important tidbits!
Update from Mr. Sharp
Field Studies (3rd-8th)
On our non-swim days we have been working with our Alvik robots. Yesterday the students wrote code to make one robot (Earth) spin in a circle while another robot (Moon) rotated around the middle. We even decorated our robots to make it more fun. Tomorrow we will be working on our Yearbook and we only have about a month to finish that up.
Health Class
This past week has been focused on our swim program in the afternoons. We have the students divided into 4 groups in the pool and each group is working on different skills. The students have done a great job getting changed and being organized for the program. This has allowed us to be on time and relatively stress free. Thanks to families for helping support this program.
Introduction from BBS Counselor Rachel O'Connor
Hello Black Butte Families,
As you may have seen in the last bulletin, I’m stepping into the role of School Counselor here at Black Butte School and wanted to take a moment to introduce myself directly. There is also a brief survey linked below to share your hopes for this position.
I’ve called Central Oregon home for the past six years and have been working in education since 2015—most recently with Heart of Oregon Corps as a Youth Advocate, a role quite similar to this one. I first encountered BBS several years ago while working as a Farm Educator with Seed to Table, and I was immediately drawn in by the school’s unique approach and strong sense of community investment. It’s been a joy settling in and getting to know your students—I’m truly grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this vibrant learning environment.
My educational philosophy is rooted in the belief that learning is most effective when it’s active, engaging, and connected to real-life experiences. I believe all students have the capacity to thrive when supported academically, socially, and emotionally, and I ground my work in empathy and respect for each student’s strengths and potential. I use a variety of approaches—including motivational interviewing, choice theory, and restorative practices—all of which share a belief in students’ ability to grow, make meaningful choices, and become thoughtful contributors to their communities.
As a partner in your student’s learning journey, I would love to hear from you. What are your hopes, expectations, or needs related to this role? I’ve created a short survey (about 10 minutes) to gather your input—it would mean a lot to me if you’d take a moment to share your thoughts: School Counseling at BBS
You’re also welcome to reach out anytime by email at roconnor@blackbutte.k12.or.us or through the school office phone. I am typically at the school Tuesday-Thursday 11:30am-3:30pm though there may be weeks when those hours are flexed for specific scheduling needs. If I am not here, please reach out via email and I will get back to you the next day I am in.
Thank you for welcoming me into the Black Butte School community. I look forward to building relationships with you and your students as we support their growth—both in school and beyond.
Take care,
Rachel O’Connor
