Dear Middle School Parents,

The countdown has begun! Soon the Middle School hallways will be filled with seventh and eighth grade students. We continue to refine schedules, prepare classrooms, and connect as a faculty, preparing our hearts and minds for a wonderful school year. Please read further for some very important information:

Middle School Orientation is on Friday, August 24 from 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the Main Commons. Orientation is required for all grade 7 students and all new students in grade 8. Students will receive their class schedules and locker assignments, find their classrooms, meet their teachers, and get a running start on the school year. Students should wear comfortable casual clothing (not uniforms) to Orientation, and may bring their school supplies to leave in their lockers.

Parent are also invited to Orientation which includes a special online tools demonstration at 10:00 a.m. Attendees will be introduced to the school website MyBC/Parents (resources, calendar, alerts), Parent Portal (Household Profile, grades and assignments, emergency form, and invoices), Naviance Student (for college and career planning), and Vidigami (for sharing and viewing photos). I hope to see you there!

Summer Assignments: Don't forget that all students in grades 7-8 must complete summer math practice. Please visit Summer Assignments for instructions (we're using Khan Academy this summer) and get some summer reading suggestions from the Middle School English teachers. Questions regarding math assignments should be directed to Linda Graham (lgraham@tbcs.org).

The first day of school is Wednesday, August 29 at 9:00 a.m., our usual Wednesday late start time. Students may wear casual uniform.

New this year, we will celebrate the beginning of the school year with a Middle School Convocation. Students and parents will meet in the Cornerstone Theater (in the Main Building) at 9:00 a.m. Students will be dismissed to their classrooms at 9:45 a.m. while parents are invited to remain for a session disseminating information on technology in the classroom, nurturing a healthy Middle School culture, and the nuts and bolts of Middle School.

Middle School Icebreaker is scheduled for Thursday, August 30 and Friday, August 31 from 8:10 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. It is not an overnight event although students will be offsite for part of the day on Thursday (see itinerary). The Icebreaker waivers and forms are part of the Summer Packet. If you haven't updated your Household Profile and submitted your online Summer Packet policy form, please do so immediately. You will submit everything online with the following exceptions: the YMCA Team Challenge waiver must be printed, signed, and submitted in the main office; also the dietary needs form should be submitted only if required.

Beginning Tuesday, September 4, the regular school day starts at 8:10 a.m. and ends at 2:55 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. On Wednesdays, school begins at 9:00 a.m. to allow our students a little extra rest. This mid-week late start gives students a boost to finish the week strong. Between 2:55 p.m. and 3:25 p.m. every day except Thursdays, Middle School teachers are available to provide extra help and support to students. If students were not able to get help during Office Hours, after school is a good time to connect with teachers (see Middle School weekly timetable).

Morning Drop-off and Parking: Most of the front parking lot is designated for parents. If these spots are full, park by the Farmhouse on the north side of campus. See morning drop-off routes. Please do not park in a reserved parking spot.

For safety purposes, we will limit the number of unlocked doors at the Redmond Campus Main Building each morning to the following (see drop-off map for entrance numbers noted):

• main entrance (1)
• loop entrance (3)
• north entrance (4)

We will continue to have administrators welcoming students and monitoring our building. Thank you for helping us by directing folks to these three doors if they are waiting by another door. All exterior doors will lock at 8:45 a.m. If you arrive after 8:45 a.m., please go to the main entrance and use the electronic buzzer to enter and check in.

Afternoon Pick-up: At the end of the school day, students with a Middle School sports team practice or game and students who are enrolled in a Bear Creek Plus after school class or academic team should proceed immediately to those activities. Students taking advantage of Extra Help should proceed directly to their teachers' classrooms. Otherwise, please pick up Middle School students starting at 3:00 p.m. Parents are welcome to park and come into the school building or may drive through the pick-up lane where students will be called to come out to cars beginning at 3:00 p.m. Students will exit through the arts hallway; cars will queue on the south side of the building (see X on map) and teachers will assist students into cars. See Afternoon Pick-up Routes. Students riding the bus will queue and board at the main entrance. See Daily Bus Schedule.

Middle School fall sports begin practice on September 4 or 5. Please contact Middle School Athletics Director Ryan Byram (rbyram@tbcs.org) if you have any questions. If your child is planning to play on a fall sports team, please register online if you have not already done so; the registration deadline has passed, and teams are forming now.

Uniforms: Middle School students will celebrate Chapel each week on Tuesdays from 10:00 a.m. to 10:25 a.m. Dress uniforms are worn on Tuesdays and Wednesdays throughout the school year; dress uniforms include sweaters, pants, or skirts from DENNIS Uniform and dress shoes. Monday, Thursday, and Friday are casual uniform days. Please refer to the School Uniforms page and the Family Handbook for guidelines and ordering information.

2018-2019 Middle School Faculty

• Mr. Carl Benson (cbenson@tbcs.org) – Math, Strength Training
• Mrs. Sherrie Brown (sbrown@tbcs.org) – Life Science, Academic Lead
• Mrs. Joy Chong (jchong@tbcs.org) – Computer Programming, Math, and Creation Lab
• Mr. Kyle Dresback (kdresback@tbcs.org) – Christian Studies, Creation Lab
• Mrs. Kaley Fry (kfry@tbcs.org) – English, Drama
• Mr. Phil Higley (phigley@tbcs.org) – Christian Studies, History
• Ms. Kelsey Jobst (kjobst@tbcs.org) – Band
• Mr. Joel Visker (jvisker@tbcs.org) – Choir
• Mrs. Stephanie Meyer (smeyer@tbcs.org) – Earth Science, Digital Storytelling
• Mr. Tyler Mendezona (tmendezona@tbcs.org) – Physical Education
• Mr. Nathan Pettit (npettit@tbcs.org) – Latin, Dean of Students
• Mrs. Marianne Scrivner (mscrivner@tbcs.org) – Latin
• Mrs. Kristina Stevenson (kstevenson@tbcs.org) – Math
• Mr. Brent Strobel (bstrobel@tbcs.org) – History
• Ms. Maxine Tu (mtu@tbcs.org) – Art
• Mr. Mike Walkington (mwalkington@tbcs.org) – Strength Training
• Mrs. Janice White (jwhite@tbcs.org) – English, Drama

My assistant is Mrs. Carol Willard, and you can reach her at cwillard@tbcs.org.

Please extend a warm Bear Creek welcome to the new members of our Middle School team:

• Mrs. Stephanie Meyer will be teaching grade 8 Science, as well as the Digital Storytelling elective. She graduated from Anderson University with a B.A. in biology and secondary education. Her teaching experience includes teaching high school science, as well as middle school biology and math. After her experience subbing at Bear Creek, she was enthusiastic about a permanent position at The Bear Creek School. She is passionate about science but is even more excited about the mission and the students of Bear Creek.
• Mrs. Marianne Scrivner will be teaching grade 7 Latin. She graduated from Gutenberg College with a B.A. in liberal arts with a classics emphasis. For the past twenty years, Marianne has taught math, writing, and science to middle school to upper school students. Additionally, she has coached students as they prepare for SAT testing. She has studied languages for the past four years. Marianne is eager to share her passion for classical education as a Latin teacher at The Bear Creek School.
• Ms. Maxine Tu will be teaching art to our students in grades 3-8. She has her Master of Arts in teaching. She speaks three languages: Chinese (fluent), English (fluent), Korean (conversational). Outside of school, Miss Tu loves taking her journal out for a hike, writing handwritten letters to family and friends abroad, reading books on theology, and cooking yummy Asian cuisine.
• Mrs. Carol Willard is the Early Middle School and Middle School Division Assistant. She attended to the University of Idaho and graduated with a degree in finance. She comes to us with many years of experience in private schools as a Business Manager and is very excited to take on this new role here at The Bear Creek School. She enjoys riding her bike, going for hikes, spending time with her family, and reading a good book.

Mark your calendars for these other events and check the website's School Calendar for:

• Fall Tailgate and BBQ on Saturday, September 8 (RSVP)
• Parenting Your Athlete on Tuesday, September 11 (Reserve Your Seat)
• Middle School Curriculum Night on Thursday, September 20 at 7:00 p.m. Parents say this is one of their favorite events of the entire school year. Please join us!

Yearbook: Don't forget to order your child's yearbook online!

Vidigami is our digital photo collecting and sharing site for the school community. You may access your Vidigami account where you may privately and securely share photos from the 2018-2019 school year directly from MyBC/Parents.

The 2018-2019 edition of the Family Handbook has been published. Please consult the most recent edition for all updated policies and guidelines by logging in on MyBC/Parents. Many questions can be answered with resources on the school website (school calendar, athletics schedules, uniforms, school supplies, libraries, etc.).

As we go through the year together, please let me know if you have any questions. I pray these last few moments of summer are filled with good memories, rest, and inspiration.

© 2018 The Bear Creek School

Invested in students. Intentional in outcome.