Change is headed to the Twin Falls School District. The District is always adjusting to serve the district to the best of its abilities. At the January School Board Meeting options for dealing with Bickel's dwindling enrollment were shared with the Board. The February Meeting will be when the board makes their decision of what is best for the whole district. It is a public meeting. Whatever they decide will go into effect for the 2025-26 school year. We will finish the year as is, but next year all of Bickel will be affected with the changes. The Board decided to gather more information and has asked that all of our Bickel Families complete the attached survey. Again, this will go into place next school. Please read up on it and complete the survey. Thank you.
Dear Bickel Elementary School Families, Oregon Trail Dual Immersion Families, and TFSD Staff Members,
At the TFSD School Board Meeting, the School Board heard a report outlining options to help address challenges related to decreased enrollment at Bickel Elementary School and balance enrollment numbers at other schools. As was previously communicated via email a committee of stakeholders has been exploring various options to ensure the school’s long-term success. You can access the written report provided to the board here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wuvHBs220lheSIGEZxKIR-UnjAK2YR_FEgzYxQWx5_s/edit?usp=sharing
The Twin Falls School District is seeking feedback from staff and families about the potential changes being considered. We invite you to share your thoughts through a brief survey. Your feedback will help inform the school board’s decision-making process as they consider how to best serve all students in our district. Please understand that some action must be taken prior to the beginning of the 2025-26 school year in order to ensure the success and viability of all TFSD school campuses.
We encourage you to review the document linked above before completing the survey to better understand the potential solutions being considered. Once you have reviewed the options, please provide feedback utilizing this link:
https://forms.gle/dGMFi3LMBRKor5YE7
Thank you for your time and for helping us shape the future of our schools.
Sincerely,
Twin Falls School District Board of Trustees,
Dr. Brady Dickinson, Superintendent of Schools
Mr. Morton, one of our playground paras, has been implementing a recess program. It provides more structure and more options at recess. This helps the kids have more fun and less issues. He has posted the rules and the game of the week. Today he taught Mrs. Shields' 4th graders how to play the game of the week - Wall Ball!
Here is a great math activity that really MEASURES up! Mrs. Ruiz's first graders are building their own measuring tapes. They will use them with partners to measure each other's heights.
Do you love your child’s teacher? Has your child had a teacher who made an impact or who went above and beyond?
Here in the TFSD we are lucky to have an Education Foundation that helps recognize our outstanding educators. To do this, they organized a Teacher of the Month program that named one elementary teacher and one secondary teacher for this honor. If you know a great educator, please take a moment to nominate them for this honor. The nomination application is open now and can be accessed here: https://forms.gle/PE1ez3kuFwBN77rW6
Hello TFSD Elementary School Families,
We are always working to improve how we communicate about student progress. This year, we introduced a more detailed progress report. We would greatly appreciate your feedback on your experience with the progress reports during the 1st and 2nd quarters. This survey will be open until Wednesday, January 22 at 12 PM. Thank you!
https://forms.gle/RmUSMrRCppuvsVTU9
Our 3rd grade teachers attended a reading training. The reading program that we use is "Wonders." It uses a lot of music to help improve the children's reading skills. Miss Johns was so excited that she got to meet the gentleman who does the songs for 3rd grade. She was singing his praises all afternoon!
We're thrilled to announce the new app for Twin Falls
School District! It's everything Twin Falls School District, in
your pocket.
Download for Android https://aptg.co/yvsj6c
Download for iPhone https://aptg.co/9SsmBR
Friday the halls were filled with school spirit. Bickel Blue was everywhere. The kids were in good spirits, too because Mrs. Higley made special plans for all of the students who got their best math score of the year.
Don't forget that Mondays we dismiss at 2:00 and the school board meeting will be held on Monday the 13th at 7 pm (160 Gooding Street West).
Click here to read our wonderful newsletter for January. https://secure.smore.com/n/8nkvg
If you have not read the January Newsletter, you can check it out here....
https://secure.smore.com/n/8nkvg
In August Miss McNeil asked her 3rd graders to color in a picture of a hat! They were to design the perfect hat for themselves. In November she had her friend, Nana Sam,
crochet her closest interpretation of each of the hats . To ring in the New Year, Miss McNeil's students received their special hats today and got to wear them home!
It is almost time to head back to school. We can't wait to see all of our Bobcats on Tuesday, January 7. You may have noticed on the last Friday before break that the staff backed their cars in. We said goodbye to 2024 and are ready to head into 2025!
Friday, January 10 is our PTO sponsored School Spirit Day! Show off that Bickel Blue (or any Bickel shirt). The class with the most spirit will be recognized!
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that Ms. Angell would put something special in there;
The first graders were happy and filled with delight,
When they discovered their stocking had been filled in the night!
When we return next week from our relaxing break, we will be taking our monthly reading and math test in K-5. When we took the tests in December, Mrs. Ruiz's class worked so hard that they earned a shaving cream party!
From our families to your families, Happy New Year!
There’s still time to make a difference! Homelessness impacts a child’s ability to learn, but with your support, we can provide the stability they need. Just $25 can provide hygiene supplies for a family, $75 can fund equipment for extracurriculars, and $150 can feed a student for a month. Let’s help them focus on learning, not survival. Donate before Dec. 31 to help TFSD reach our goal of $5,000. Every dollar helps! https://www.avenuesforhope.org/organizations/twin-falls-school-district #AvenuesForHope #LastChanceToGive #SupportTFSD
"Reading by the fireplace with our popcorn and hot chocolate, and making snow globe crafts." Happy Holidays from Mrs. Jones and her 5th graders.
Today we celebrate a friend of Bickel! This lovely lady turns 100 years old today. She is friends with one of our staff members and lives in Florida. The staff and students worked together to create 100 (and 1 to grow on) birthday cards. Happy 100th Birthday, Mrs. Lehmer from your friends at Bickel!
Happy Holidays from Mrs. Shields and her 4th grade class!
