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Math Team News

The Bowman Math Teams meet weekly before school (virtually this year), with 15-20 students from each of 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades. The students participate in the Continental Math League and the first competition for 4th and 5th graders was in November. Students were given 6 problems and had 30 minutes to solve them independently. Each correct answer was worth 1 point and the top 6 scores became the team’s score.

4th grade: There are 58 teams participating in this year’s CML Grade 4 Math at the Pythagorean level (the higher of the 2 levels). Bowman’s team scored 33/36, which put them in the top 30% in the country and #2 in New England. Congratulations to Kiernan P., Joey W., and Ela S. who each had a perfect score on their test.

5th grade: There are 60 teams participating in this year’s CML Grade 5 Math at the Pythagorean level (the higher of the 2 levels). Bowman’s team scored 34/36, which put them in the top 20% in the country and #1 in New England. Congratulations to Avery I., Alice Y., Charles C., and Matei B. who each had a perfect score on their test.

Excellent job to both teams! Every member of the team worked hard and can take pride in this accomplishment, especially given the challenges of this year and the move to a virtual math team. The second competition for 4th and 5th-grade teams will take place in December and the first competition for 3rd grade will take place in January.

Finally, thank you to the numerous parent volunteers who are helping to prepare lessons, facilitate classes, supervise Zoom breakout rooms, and grade homework.

 

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LEF Trivia Bee

December 1st at 7:00 pm

This year’s event will be virtual and more fun than ever! Bowman teachers – Chris Bruff, Katherine Costa, Olivia Downey, and Elise Heaton – will be representing Bowman as the “Liv ‘n the Dream Team”, so please mark your calendar for Tuesday, December 1st at 7:00 pm and we will “see” you then.

The Trivia Bee is a unique LEF tradition – a fun evening that brings the Lexington community together for a friendly battle of wits while raising funds to enhance educational excellence in the Lexington Public Schools. To learn more about the Trivia Bee head over to www.lexedfoundation.org.

 

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Bowman Holiday Gift Drive: Help Families During the Holidays

This year the Bowman community is once again partnering with The Second Step Organization, a non-profit based in Newton, MA. The Second Step partners with women and child survivors of domestic violence to foster a supportive community and identify pathways to physical and emotional healing, housing, and financial security. This year, survivors of domestic violence have been experiencing an increased risk of abuse, increased isolation, and difficulty escaping danger due to Covid-19. Many are also experiencing loss of wages and the inability to meet their family’s basic needs, including food, rent, car payments, and essential health supplies. Factors such as unemployment, job loss, and economic hardship trigger and increase both the severity and lethality of domestic violence.

The Holiday Gift Drive is a terrific opportunity to meet the immediate needs of these families and help make their holidays a little brighter. Due to COVID restrictions, we will only be collecting gift card donations this year. If you’d like to participate, please sign up for which gift cards you will purchase on Sign Up Genius. You can also make a cash donation (Venmo instructions in the link). Please drop your gift card purchases in an envelope with your name on it. There are two options for dropping off the gift cards:

• During rolling car drop off and pick up at Bowman, you can hand the envelope to a Bowman staff member
• Place it in the mailbox at 58 Robbins Rd (mailbox at bottom of the driveway on the left side)

We will be collecting donations between Monday, November 30th, and Monday, December 7th. Thank you in advance for your generosity and support!

 

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Gingerbread Cookie Decorating Contest

3 Easy Steps!

1. • PURCHASE A COOKIE KIT by December 4th!
     Order your Cookie Kits for $10 each. The kits are manufactured by The Gingerbread Construction Co. We will have them ready to pick up outside Bowman School on December 19th – instructions to follow. Each kit includes a 5-inch Gingerbread person, icing, and decorating candies.
   • DECORATE YOUR COOKIES & SET THE STAGE based on your favorite book!
     Or just get creative – write a story, draw a background, build a diorama, or even a Lego structure.
   • SEND US YOUR PICTURE(S) by January 3, 2021.
     Maximum 2 pictures per entry. Contest details will follow in mid-December. ONE PRIZE FOR EACH GRADE! (Announced by January 15, 2021)

WINNING CREATIONS WILL BE FEATURED IN THE BOWMAN BROADSIDE. ALL ENTRIES WILL BE DISPLAYED ON THE PTA WEBSITE!

The deadline to purchase cookie kits is December 4th. Order Your Gingerbread Cookie Kit!

 

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Bowman’s First Read-A-Thon

December 19, 2020 – January 3, 2021

We are launching our FIRST Bowman Read-A-Thon on December 19, 2020, lasting through January 3, 2021, during winter break.

This is a new and important fundraiser to support additional classroom programs and supplies (through teacher reimbursements), virtual “field trips”, grade level experiences, and support for all of the Bowman students and staff. While Bowman PTO events are virtual this year, we still strive to support the curriculum enhancement (science fair, math nights, etc.), community building, and cultural events. Please support our activities through this fundraiser! We hope students will join in this Read-A-Thon this winter break and find joy in reading!

We want everyone to join the fun, students are not required to collect donations in order to participate. Every student participating in the Read-A-Thon will receive a Bowman Reads 2020-2021 pin. There will be a general prize drawing with 10 winners for all students who read enough to qualify for the drawing (K-2 200+ minutes, 3-5 300+ minutes). Additionally, top readers and fundraisers will receive prizes and recognition! The top classes in K-2 and 3-5 for reading minutes will also get $100 towards books for the classroom.

Start customizing your child’s personal Read-A-Thon page today
See the full Bowman Read-A-Thon Flyer for how to participate and prize information.

Please contact [email protected] with any questions.

 

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Online Scholastic Book Fair

Need books? The Bowman Virtual Book Fair open from December 7 – December 20!

The books are sent directly to your home and 25% of the proceeds go towards purchasing more books for Bowman.  Visit the book fair at https://www.scholastic.com/bf/bowmanelementaryschool3.

 

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Earn Cash For Bowman with Box Tops!

Please join the Bowman Community in earning cash for our school by using the Box Tops app. It’s an easy way to make a difference. All you have to do is buy Box Tops participating products (like Cheerios!) and scan your grocery receipt. Box Tops are worth $.10 each and they add up fast! Twice a year, our school receives a check to help pay for whatever we need – equipment, supplies, or experiences the kids love!

Use this referral code NCYA8J2V when you sign up and you’ll get 30 Bonus Box Tops when you scan your first receipt!

Download the Box Tops for Education app here: You’re Invited! – Box Tops for Education

Questions?

More FAQ’s can be found here: https://www.boxtops4education.com/How-To-Earn
Or, contact the Box Tops Coordinator: [email protected]

One additional note: since the pandemic, we know a lot of people have been using curbside pickup for groceries, and there are delivery options as well (Peapod, etc.) that give online or full-page receipts rather than the register tape from in-person shopping. Even if the app isn’t able to scan those receipts, they can easily be submitted by email. More information at this link: https://www.boxtops4education.com/FAQs (enter “email receipts” and the information will pop up.)

 

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Passport to the World Spring Series: “We All Belong”

The Passport to the World Committee invites all Bowman families to present their favorite cultural traditions through performances, stories, and demonstrations. This year we are taking Passport online and would like to create a series of monthly events beginning in February. Presentations may include (but are not limited to) dance, cooking demonstrations, singing/instrumental performance, storytelling, skits, family interviews, and fine arts. Performances can be Bowman students, family members or a combination. Families can also work together with other families. We want to let our community’s creativity shine!

Please complete this form by Monday, December 7, 2020

This year we ask families and community members to consider these questions: While practicing social distancing, how do we…

• care for ourselves and others?
• embrace and celebrate our different cultures?
• show kindness during this uncertain time?

In Lexington Public Schools, we celebrate the diverse identities that make up our school community and actively embrace the benefits that come from learning from and with people who differ from us. Our first core value is “We all belong.” We are inclusive of all people, and we embrace and serve one another. We are dedicated to working toward a mutual understanding of all cultures, backgrounds, identities, ideas, beliefs, learning styles, and abilities that are different from our own. In our Bowman community, we all bring unique skills, perspectives, and experiences. We create a safe and supportive learning environment when we work to ensure that everyone is honored and respected.

 

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Bowman Science Fair

Yes, there is a 2021 Science Fair! The Science Fair team is currently planning a remote Science Fair for early 2021. Though more updates will follow in December, we’d like to share some early details.

• Registration opens: Monday, December 14th
• Registration closes: Friday, January 15th
• Projects due: Sunday, February 21st

General Overview:

This year, Bowman Student Scientists can share photos, slideshows, or videos of their projects with the Bowman community on a Bowman-hosted online site. Based on student interest and Visiting Scientist availability, Student Scientists will also have the opportunity to present their projects via Zoom to Visiting Scientists.

The Science Fair team looks forward to sharing more details about the Fair in the next few weeks. In the meantime, please encourage your budding scientist(s) to begin brainstorming about their project ideas!

 

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Volunteers Needed

Library Volunteers Needed for K-1 Read-Aloud

Looking for ways to volunteer virtually at Bowman this year? The Bowman School Library is looking for additional parent volunteers to help students learn about our library’s online resources and discover new grade-appropriate books during virtual library lunch groups. We are especially looking for Kindergarten and First Grade parent volunteers. If you are interested, please contact: [email protected].

Disco Bingo Event Coordinator

Are you a party planner? Bingo Night is a fun-filled night for the whole family with teacher and student Bingo callers, a DJ, and prizes! Organizers focus on publicizing the annual event (Early April), obtaining prizes, and recruiting Bingo callers. Work in conjunction with the Class Basket Raffle organizers, for this fun-filled fundraiser evening. We would like to reinvent this event for the 2020-21 school year, and we need an organizer to help pick up where we left off after that. Our current organizer will be graduating soon and we’d love to pass this event on to a new team of volunteers. This is a good position for one or two volunteers. If you are interested, please contact: [email protected].

Seeking a Bowman LEF Representative

Lexington Education Foundation (LEF) is looking for a Bowman Parent Representative. Join the LEF School partnership committee and act as the liaison between Bowman and LEF. Support teachers in applying for grants, present the grants to the LEF team, and review/vote on all grant requests LEF receives. LEF has monthly school partnership meetings and a few additional meetings in the spring to review grants. If you are interested, please contact: [email protected].

 

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Volunteering and CORI Checks

Please remember that it is district policy that anyone who volunteers at school (online and/or in-person) must have a CORI check that has been processed by Lexington Public Schools. CORIs are valid for 3 years. If you‘ve had one previously and aren’t sure if it is still valid OR you need to have one done; Mrs. Ashness ([email protected]) or Mrs. Barnes ([email protected]) in our Main Office is happy to assist you. Please do not wait, it can take up to a month for a “check” to come back which may prevent you from joining in the fun.

 

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Recycle Empty Writing Instruments at Bowman

The LPS Green Teams is coordinating a district-wide writing instrument recycling program for staff and students in all buildings, as well as for households. Each Bowman teacher has a classroom collection bin for students to deposit any empty writing instruments that they would like to bring in from home. Accepted materials include empty pens, mechanical pencils, highlighters, markers, and glue sticks, as well as the packaging. See here for the details of the program and learn about TerraCycle’s mission: https://www.terracycle.com/en-US/brigades/bic. Items can be ANY BRAND. Special thanks to Mr. Curhan and his second graders for helping with Bowman’s writing instrument collection efforts.

 

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Bowman PTO Membership 2020-2021

Four classes can win $75 Scholastic Book Bucks! Join by January 3, 2021, to win books for your class!

With 2020 drawing to a close very soon, the Bowman PTO is going for one last push to get as many families as possible to participate in membership enrollment. We are currently at 46% enrollment and would really love to hit a goal of 100%! To help reach this goal, we will have an option where membership will be $0 until January 3rd, 2021.

Simply log in to the Bowman PTO Directory and sign up for membership.

We will also be holding a friendly competition between classes where four classes will be able to win $75.00 Scholastic Book Bucks for their classroom. After the January 3, 2021 deadline, the winning classes will be the Top 2 classes with the highest number of participants and the Top 2 classes with the highest percentage of membership enrollment. (A class may only win ONCE for the highest number of participants OR the highest percentage of membership enrollment – a total of 4 winning classes.).

Here is where all of the classes currently stand.

This is our last membership drive for the 2020-2021 school year. Please help us reach 100% by enrolling in membership today and help win $75.00 Scholastic Book Bucks for your classroom!

 

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Thank You!

Spirit Wear

Our Spirit Wear sale was another hit this fall. The online sale generated $610 in Spirit Wear sales in support of Bowman School so far this year. Thanks to everyone who purchased Spirit Wear and helped with the sale this year. An extra thank you to Tish Apstein, Courtney Jones, and Susie Hammond for running this year’s sale, and Tricon Sports for their support.

Orders have been mailed out, and everyone should receive them within the next week. And don’t forget to show your support and Bowman pride by wearing your new Spirit Wear!

This once-a-year sale will be back next fall. In the meantime, if you missed out, there are still a few Bowman face masks left which may be purchased at https://bowmanpta.membershiptoolkit.com/packet/1864

BOKS

Thank you to Jess and Paul Quattrocchi for running BOKS virtually this year. Without all your time, help, and support BOKS would not be possible!

Class Baskets Auction

Silent Auction Success! Thank you to Lakshmi Ramanath and our fundraising team for organizing the class basket auction, and congratulations to our silent auction winners. Thank you so much for supporting the Bowman PTO! With your help, we raised $1,003 to help pay for grade-level virtual field trips this year.

Bowman Teachers and Staff

A HUGE thank you to ALL of our teachers and staff for everything you have done for our students and families so far this year. You have all done an amazing job. Thank you from all of us!

 

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