Grade levels promoted Muddy Brook mascot candidates for our primary election held this week. Students met in their neighborhoods and heard passionate speeches from their peers to promote the candidates: coyote, bear and squirrel. Speech makers and audience members were engaged, thoughtful, very polite, and considered a myriad of reasons to consider each mascot. We learned that coyotes are problem solvers and persevere. Bears are strong in body and spirit and make many different sounds including growls, woofs, snorts, bellows, roars, mumbles, squeaks and pants. Black bears also see and hear better than humans. Squirrels are chatty and fast and make great nests in trees.
The vote was run much like a formal election in any of our towns. Students stated their first and last names to receive a ballot. Ms. Thompson checked their names off a master list and students filled in their ballots behind privacy screens.
Four ballots had all candidates checked off and were not able to be counted.
We are now heading into the final election. Our candidates are bear and coyote. Important to know, however, is that a group of thoughtful students is organizing a third party write-in campaign for owls. Their points are that owls are wise and come in many different shapes and sizes just like us. In Harry Potter they have magical qualities. We can hear owls hooting at night in the woods around our houses. Owls also have super skills like seeing in the dark and flexible necks.
Final voting will take place the week of December 19. Please join the fun and talk about local animals at home. Every vote counts!
Our 2015-2016 PTA President Tiffany Wilding-White and our PTA Leadership Team wrote the following letter which was published in the Berkshire Eagle, Berkshire Record and Berkshire Edge last week. The letter is going viral. Please join the conversation about caring for each other. https://theberkshireedge.com/nationwide-ptas-can-unite-to-oppose-racism-sexism-xenophobia/
There are many fliers this week!
Chess Club News
Muddy Brook Auction – Ends December 4
PTA Craft Workshop
Holiday Shop, Sip and Stroll
PTA Presence at GB Outfitters for Holiday Stroll
Box Top Challenge
Girl Scout Information Night
Stockbridge Congregational Church Holly Fair
Berkshire Pulse
Finally, don’t miss our holiday concerts! The halls at Muddy Brook are filled with music and anticipation. Grades PK – 2 will perform on December 8. The third and fourth grades perform December 22.
Warmly,
Mary Berle, Principal
CALENDAR OF EVENTS
MONDAY, December 5
8:00-8:30 a.m. Chess Club
TUESDAY, December 6
8:00-8:30 a.m. Parent/Child Morning Recess
3:15-4:45 p.m. Girls Science Club
6:00-8:00 p.m. Cub Scouts
WEDNESDAY, December 7
8:00-8:45 a.m. School Council
8:00-8:30 a.m. Chess Club
9:30-10:30 a.m. PK/EK/K/1/2 Concert Dress Rehearsal
THURSDAY, December 8
8:00-8:30 a.m. Parent/Child Morning Recess
8:00-8:30 a.m. Ukulele Club
9:50-10:35 a.m. All Grades 3 & 4 Chorus (no instruments)
12:30-1:00 p.m. PK/EK/K Winter Concert
2:00-2:45 p.m. Grades 1 & 2 Winter Concert
FRIDAY, December 9
Half Day of School; Noon Dismissal – No Lunches Served
Spirit Day – Muddy Brook Blue
8:00-8:30 a.m. Unicycling
UPCOMING EVENTS
Dec. 14 10am - All School Assembly Dec. 22 1pm - 3rd & 4th Grade Holiday Concert Dec 23 - Half Day; 12noon Dismissal; no lunches served Dec. 26 - Jan 2 - Holiday Break Jan. 3 - Classes Resume
Chess Club News
Announcing the Seventh Annual Muddy Brook Chess Tournament
This year the Muddy Brook Chess Tournament will start on Monday, March 13. Once again it will be open to all Muddy Brook students who play chess and whose parents or guardians turn in a parental permission slip to the Muddy Brook Office or Dr. Kalish before February 1st.
Games will be played on Mondays and Wednesdays at 8:00 am in the Muddy Brook library. If a student is more than 10 minutes late for a game without an adequate excuse, he/she will automatically forfeit that game. The tournament will be a double elimination so that no student will eliminated from the tournament until he/she has lost two games. If any match ends in a stalemate (tie game), that game will be replayed. If participants have two tie matches in a row, Dr.Kalish will devise a chess problem for those participants to solve to determine who will be the winner of their match. The winner of the entire tournament will have his/her names inscribed on the Muddy Brook Chess Tournament Trophy which is placed in the front office of the Muddy Brook School.
Below is a copy of the parental permission slip which must be completed and turned in to before February 1st in order for that student to be in this year's Chess Tournament.
___________________________, would like to participate in the Muddy Brook Chess Tournament this year. He/she understand that the chess games will take place on Mondays and Wednesdays and that he/she will be informed ahead of time of exactly on which day his/her games will take place. He/she understands if he/she is 10 minutes late he/she will forfeit his game.
I, _____________________________________, am the parent/guardian of the above student and understand that Berkshire Hills cannot provide transportation to the chess tournament for my child. I can be best contacted by means of the following telephone number or email address:
_____________________________________________________________
Gene Kalish, Muddy Brook Chess Coach
BHRSD does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, sex, gender, gender identity,
religion, national origin, sexual orientation, disability, or homelessness.
