🌿🎨 What a wonderful afternoon at the BCEL/Pine River Nature Art Walk!
Today after school, families came together to celebrate our students’ amazing artwork displayed throughout our beautiful nature spaces. The weather couldn't have been more perfect — sunshine, fresh air, and creativity all around! ☀️🌳 (We didn't even notice the wind :) )
It was a joy to see so many smiling faces enjoying the outdoors, connecting with one another, and admiring the incredible creativity of our students. Thank you to everyone who came out to support and celebrate with us — what a fun and inspiring way to end the day! 💚✨
🐛🌱 Exciting news from BCEL! Our students met some very special new team members today—worms! These little composting champions are moving into our new vermicomposter, where they'll help turn our food waste into nutrient-rich soil. 🥕🍎
Instead of tossing scraps in the trash, we’re giving them new life—thanks to our hardworking worms. It’s hands-on science, sustainability, and environmental responsibility in action!
🌧️ Recess in the Rain! 🌧️
When you're a nature school, rain doesn't stop the fun — it adds to it!
Our BCEL students geared up in their trusty Oaki suits and headed outside to soak in the fresh air and splash in every puddle they could find. Slippery slides, muddy boots, and endless smiles — just another joyful day of learning and playing with nature.
We love our nature school! 💚🍃
We are so lucky to have an incredible partnership with the Chippewa Nature Center! 🌿 BCEL is privileged to welcome CNC naturalists into our classrooms to support our nature-based learning with hands-on lessons and amazing resources.
Last week, Mr. Ian brought some fascinating fossil specimens for our 2nd graders to explore—what an awesome way to bring science to life! 🦴🔍
Thank you, CNC, for caring about our kids and helping us nurture their curiosity and love for the natural world. 💚
BCEL and Pine River invite you to join us for our annual Nature Art Walk this Thursday!
The event will begin at 3:45 PM under the pavilion on the BCEL playground.
We’re looking forward to seeing everyone there for an afternoon of creativity and nature-inspired fun!
🌞 What an amazing start to our Friday!
At our school, mornings look a little different in every classroom — and that's what makes it so special. Some students kick off their day with breakfast and playtime to ease into the morning, while others dive into small group interventions or work 1:1 with staff on individual skills. Some enjoy a quiet moment with a good book, and others multitask with breakfast and work time together.
No matter how the day begins, one thing is always true: it's a great day to be here, learning and growing together! 💛📚✨
🌧️🌿 Field trip day fun! Our 1st graders had an unforgettable adventure at the Chippewa Nature Center today—even the rain couldn’t dampen their excitement! From splashing in puddles to exploring with naturalists, our students learned through play and curiosity in the great outdoors.
We’re so grateful for our amazing partnership with the Chippewa Nature Center. Days like today are what learning is all about! 🌱🐾
📚✨ Big things are happening at BCEL! We’re so excited to dive our brand new Literacy program next year: Bookworms! 🐛💚
The excitement hit a whole new level today when our shiny new materials arrived!! We recruited the big muscles to help unload all the boxes 💪📦 (thank you, helpers!!). The girls were thrilled to jump in and be part of the action! We are ready to dive into some serious reading fun next year!
Let the Bookworm adventures begin! 🥳📖 #BCELBookworms #LiteracyLove #ReadersAreLeaders
A heartfelt thank you to Studio 23 in Bay City for welcoming BCEL's 2nd grade to your Access-ABILITY exhibition, celebrating tactile, touchable artwork. We’re also grateful to local author and illustrator Kelsey Laskowski for sharing the joy of loving someone with Angelman Syndrome and for introducing us to your beautiful book, Good Morning, Gus.
Over the past two days, BCEL’s talented second-grade authors took center stage to proudly share their published writing with an enthusiastic audience of parents. Our young writers showed incredible courage as they read their pieces aloud, demonstrating just how much they’ve grown in their writing skills! We couldn’t be prouder of their hard work, creativity, and progress.
A huge congratulations to our second graders—you were amazing on stage! It was truly a joy to watch you shine. Author’s Share is such a special event!
A heartfelt thank you also goes out to our dedicated second-grade teachers for their time, effort, and dedication in planning and organizing this incredible experience for our students and their families. Your hard work made this event unforgettable!
BCEL students were welcomed with a festive St. Patrick’s Day surprise this morning! Our incredible PTO set up these fantastic inflatables to get our little leprechauns in the spirit. A huge thank you to the PTO for bringing extra fun and excitement to our school! 🍀💚
BCEL is incredibly fortunate to have the most amazing PTO! Today, they went above and beyond to spoil us with their thoughtful "Whoot Whoot Wagon," delivering drinks and gifts to all of our staff. We had the joy of choosing a favorite drink and a fun classroom supply, delivered right to us with smiles and kindness. We are truly grateful for our phenomenal PTO and all they do to support our staff, students, families, and the entire community. Your dedication and generosity make such a meaningful impact, and we can’t thank you enough. Thank you, BCEL/PR PTO — we appreciate you more than words can express!
Stack, Flip, Play: Ms. Evans Brings Cup Stacking Fun to BCEL!
BCEL students are flipping, stacking, and racing their way to excitement in PE class with Ms. Evans! She’s introduced a high-energy cup stacking unit that’s turning the gym into a hub of teamwork, coordination, and friendly competition. From building towering cup pyramids to mastering rapid-fire stacking sequences, students are not only sharpening their motor skills but also learning the power of patience and persistence.
Laughter fills the room as kids cheer each other on, hands flying as they try to beat their best times. Whether they’re working solo or in teams, every stack and collapse brings a new challenge to conquer — and plenty of smiles along the way. Thanks to Ms. Evans, PE at BCEL is stacking up to be a blast!
Exciting news at BCEL — we have a new addition to our school community! Meet Kleo, the bearded dragon, who joined us this week. Thanks to the dedication and initiative of Ms. Stacie, our wonderful nature paraprofessional, Kleo now has a comfortable, fully equipped habitat, made possible through a successful grant she wrote.
Kleo’s home is on a mobile cart, allowing Ms. Stacie to bring him to different classrooms throughout the day for special visits. He’s already settling in nicely and has been impressing everyone with his calm and friendly demeanor.
Welcome to BCEL, Kleo! We’re thrilled to have you as part of our family!
👀 Can you spot our "new student"?
Mr. Hale stopped by BCEL today and jumped right into the action! Our Kindergarteners were diving deep into their learning, answering thought-provoking questions that really got him thinking. 🧠✨
Thank you for visiting, Mr. Hale! We loved having you join us for carpet time—come back anytime! 🍎📚
🌟 Welcome, Ms. Thompson! 🌟
Our incredible new 1st-grade teacher at BCEL is settling into her classroom and creating a warm, engaging learning environment where students can thrive. We are so excited to have you join our team, Ms. Thompson—your passion and creativity are already making a difference!
Welcome to the BCEL family—we're lucky to have you! 🍎📚✨
It is national counselors week and BCEL wants to give a huge shout out to the very best, our Mrs. Clapp!!! She makes our school a better place! We sure do love and appreciate her!!! Thank you, Mrs. Clapp, for all you do for us, our kids, and our families!!!
Every Tuesday BCEL is visited by our friends from Costco. They take time out of their week to come and read with our students. We love our visits with our "Costco Reading Buddies"!!
Mrs. Pretzer treated classrooms to a bonfire today. Each class got to go out and enjoy the fire, a story, songs, and jingle bell sticks to shake for rhythm! Thank you, Mrs. Pretzer, for planning such a fun day for us!!
Erin Rey was nominated by an amazing BCEL family for the Golden Apple award sponsored by the Lee Steinberg law firm. TV 25 was out today to film the surprise that she had won!!! Congratulations Erin Rey!! A well deserved recognition for one of the best!!! Thank you for always advocating for our kids and for being an outstanding educator! 🍎
