Berlin Elementary School’s Kindergarten through 5th-grade Mountaineers once again came together in December for a Character Education Assembly, celebrating peers who embody the monthly character trait and inspiring others to do the same!
The Mountaineers started the assembly by reciting the Mountaineer Mantra, led this month by third grade Mountaineers.
Character Counts
During the month of November, the character trait at BES was gratitude – a feeling of thankfulness for the good things in your life and showing that feeling. Mountaineers who showed gratitude over the last month were awarded the monthly Character Counts award. A Character Counts Award was announced for each classroom, and this year, the BES Art, Music, and Physical Education teachers are also awarding Character Count Awards to a student who goes above and beyond to model the monthly trait in their classes.
Congratulations to December’s Character Counts recipients!
Kindergarten: Atticus Church and Sawyer Dolle
First Grade: Adeline Lampman and Lyric Bamba
Second Grade: Helena VonSchiligen, George LaMountain, and Laura Taylor
Bright Stars: Maxwell Micheli
Shooting Stars: Joseph Childs
Third Grade: Gavin Casey and Ava Monk
Fourth Grade: Riley Bink and Amelia Planz
Fifth Grade: Clayton Montanye and Luke Stott
Physical Education: Daxton Murray
Music: Finn Gundlach
Art: Alana Keller
During December’s Character Education Assembly, the BES Mountaineers were introduced to the character trait of generosity, being kind and willing to give or share things, such as toys, food, or your time, to others without expecting anything in return.
The Character Education team invited two special organizations that represent generosity in our community.
The first was the Stewart’s Shops Match program, the Character Education team invited local Stewart’s Shops Superstars, Ms. Lorie and Ms. April, to the assembly to receive a card and acknowledgement for the generosity of the Stewart’s Match grant program. From Thanksgiving Day through Christmas Day, Stewart’s customers generously donate to the program at the register, and each individual donation is matched penny for penny by Stewart’s Shops. 100% of the funds benefit local, non-profit children’s organizations and students at Berlin CSD, through its programs, including the BNL Booster Club and PTO, are benefited. Thank you to all the community members who generously donate their change and for the generosity of Stewart’s Shops for matching it. Customers’ generosity has helped Stewart’s Shops raise and donate over $39 million since 1986. Thank you, Ms. Lorie and Ms. April, for being wonderful Stewart’s Shops representatives and awesome BCSD Moms and Community Members.
The second organization to demonstrate generosity to the Mountaineers was Mohawk and Hudson River Humane Society.
For the last 26 years, first-grade teacher Mrs. Tracie Heinrichs has been supporting the Mohawk and Hudson River Humane Society in Menands, and once again hosted a pet drive, collecting donations of food and supplies for animals in need. To launch the drive, Mrs. Heinrichs invited special guest dog Bane and Mohawk and Hudson River Humane Society Vice President for Shelter Operations, Ms. Nancy Haynes, and Director of Community Outreach & Engagement, Ms. Melanie Stevenson to the assembly. Ms. Haynes and Ms. Stevenson talked to the students about their work at the shelter and shared important tips with the Mountaineers about caring for their pets.
Attendance Matters
At Berlin CSD, attendance matters, and every day at school counts. Principal Cataldo’s attendance initiatives this year emphasize this important message. One initiative is the monthly Attendance Superstars! The class with the best attendance for the month is recognized during the assembly, and their door is decorated to acknowledge outstanding attendance. Congratulations to December’s Attendance Superstars: Mrs. Ruebel’s 2nd Grade Mountaineers! Another initiative is the Attendance Jar, which is added to each time a class has perfect attendance at BES. Once the jar in the main hallway is filled, a surprise celebration will occur. So far, the Mountaineers have celebrated the jar filling up three times: an impromptu dance party, a popcorn surprise during lunch, and, just before the break, a lunch and a movie where the students watched Frosty the Snowman together during lunch – it was a hit. Way to go, Mountaineers! Principal Cataldo looks forward to celebrating the excellent attendance improvements at BES in the new year. Remember, every day counts, and you never know when an attendance celebration will occur.
Merit Winners
Being a Mountaineer means being responsible, safe, and respectful. Each month, merits are awarded by BES staff and bus drivers to celebrate students who demonstrate these traits. These students are given merits to be deposited in the Mountaineer Merit containers (K-2, 3-5, and bus merits) found in the main hallway. Principal Cataldo randomly draws ten merit recipients (five from kindergarten to second grade and five from third to fifth grade) and three from the bus merit container each month for recognition and a prize.
Before announcing the individual Merit winners Mrs. Cataldo announced that each month there is a staff member observing the assemblies for the class who is showing they are responsible, safe, and respectful during the assembly. Congratulations to the BES STARS Classrooms for being the class merit winners during November’s assembly!
Congratulations to November’s Merit Winners!
Emmett DeShane, Vivian Kranick, Ensley Wood, Amelia Henderson, Brooks Blakely, Finley Lampman, Devin Devine, Athena Lemons, Carter Childs, and Riley Bink
Bus Merits:
Hank Gundrum, Gavin Casey and Willian Siller