Bullying Prevention Awareness Week

Governor Mike Rounds has declared October 4 - 10 Bullying Prevention Awareness Week in South Dakota.
Harassment and bullying of students in not tolerated by the Brandon Valley School District. We are committed to providing all students with a safe and civil school environment in which all members are treated with dignity and respect.
Harassment and bullying may include, but are not limited to, the following behaviors and circumstances:
* verbal, non-verbal, physical or written harassment, bullying, hazing, or other victimization that have the purpose or effect of causing injury, discomfort, fear, or suffering to the victim;
* repeated remarks of a demeaning nature that have the purpose or effect of causing injury, discomfort, fear, or suffering to the victim;
* implied or explicit threats concerning one's grades, achievements, property, etc. that have the purpose or effect of causing injury, discomfort, fear, or suffering to the victim;
* demeaning jokes, stories, or activities directed at the student that have the purpose or effect of causing injury, discomfort, fear, or suffering to the victim; and/or
* unreasonable interference with a student's performance or creation of an intimidating, offensive, or hostile learning environment.

Bullying takes a lot of different forms. Even girls and boys deal with bullying differently. Girls tend to be more verbal while boys are more likely to show aggression like pushing or hitting. Physical aggression is fairly apparent and much easier to identify. When bullying takes the route of making comments behind someone's back, it's more difficult.

Miss Frizzle stops at Fred Assam Elementary

Miss Frizzle from the Magic School Bus series made a stop at Fred Assam Elementary School this morning to invite students to come to the Book Fair! She is off to her next adventure ~ a dinosaur dig to find lots of dinosaur artifacts.
The Book Fair is open today and tomorrow. Students will be visiting the Book Fair each morning and parents are encouraged to stop in during conferences. There is a wide variety of books for all readers!

Beautiful Fall Flowers

I've heard the saying "the way to a woman's heart is with flowers"! Well, my heart was already with my Fred Assam Elementary family but these flowers are from my staff that came with a Big, Happy Smile!
I may be just a bit bias ~ but I'm pretty sure that I have the BEST of the best Brandon Valley staff right here at Fred Assam Elementary! P.S. That goes for students, too! :)

Make Way for More Math Marvels!

Congratulations to these new Math Facts in a Flash completers! Keaton, Dylan, Lexis, David, and Austin finished their programs this week.

Thanks, Lexis! Finally a female amongst these Math Males!

DIG those Lynx!

WOW! I just returned from the Brandon Valley/Yankton volleyball match. Although the Lady Lynx didn't come away with the win tonight, they played some of the best volleyball I've seen this season. They started out on the slow side, but once they found their rhythm ~ they played hard. Both teams had outstanding ball handling tonight. It's volleyball at its best when both teams are hot! Once again ~ those Lynx players and fans have captured my attention and school spirit! I'm proud to be A BRANDON VALLEY LYNX! P.S. The concession stand supper of popcorn and Diet Coke hit the spot!

Donuts for Dads

A grand group of dads came to Donuts for Dads on Tuesday morning. The event was sponsored by the Fred Assam Elementary PTA. The first dads to arrive came in about 6:35 and continued strong until 8:00 am. The coffee was hot, the milk & juice cold, and the donuts were DELICIOUS! I noticed a few sleepy heads throughout the crowd ~ but everyone enjoyed their time together. A few dads even made it to the playground for a little activity before heading off to work. GREAT TO SEE YOU, DADS!! COME AGAIN!!

Mrs. Sunne's Fantastic Friday

Mrs. Sunne's second graders enjoyed a Fantastic Friday! In addition to Sunne's Store and their shopping experience, students had a picnic style lunch in the Commons. Lots of giggles were shared by everyone!