Tuesday, December 22, 2015

Watch the latest Wildcat News!

Brought to you by the Spirit Club!
Thanks to Bridget Olig, Claire Butters, and Mrs. Tretow

Spanish Serenaders!

Eighth grade Spanish classes serenaded 8th grade German classes today with "Cascabel, Cascabel" ("Jingle Bells") and "Feliz Navidad."

Monday, December 21, 2015

Holiday Jazz Tour 2015

This year's Belleville High School Jazz Tour on Monday, 12-21, stopped at the Belleville Intermediate School, Dane County Regional Airport, Sauk Gardens Retirement Community, and Belleville Senior Center. The students had a great time and were very helpful and efficient loading and unloading equipment at each stop. We had such positive feedback at each stop. The Intermediate students were so cheerful and receptive to the music this morning. We also had many BHS alumni and parents come see us at the airport. The Sauk Gardens employees gushed about our students, and the Senior Center audience loved it.




















Middle School Political Party Convention

On Monday, December 21, middle school students participated in a political convention through their Social Studies classes. Students worked with others as states. Presenters (with the help of videos that they produced) gave pros and cons on topics such as cell phone use in school. States then discussed the topic before a roll call vote was taken. This will certainly prepare students for this summer's conventions leading up to the presidential election next fall.

Friday, December 18, 2015

Busy Night at the Middle and High School!

Over 100 hundred 7th and 8th graders showed up to the holiday dance tonight (12-18) that ran from 7-9pm. Gianna Diaz and Mya Enerson served as the DJs for the night. Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Enerson for setting up the decorations in the commons.
At the same time in the high school, the Spirit Club organized the 1st Annual Student Volleyball Tournament. Six student and one staff team participated in round-robin pairings before an elimination round. It was certainly successful enough to bring back again next year. Thanks to all those who participated!

Congratulations to Mrs. Smith!

Mrs. Smith recently became a nationally board certified teacher- one of less than 1,000 in the state. Certification consists of four components:
1) Written assessment of content knowledge
2) Reflection on student work samples
3) Video and analysis of teaching practice
4) Documented impact and accomplishments as a teaching professional
Congratulations, Mrs. Smith!

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Children's Books for the Children's Hospital

Mrs. DeCabooter's Yearbook class wrote, illustrated, designed, and published their own children's books. These books were donated to the American Family Children's Hospital. Students traveled to the hospital on Thursday (12-17) to deliver the books to the hospital staff. Although not allowed to meet with the children, the staff appreciated the sentiment and effort put into these projects for their patients.














Capitol Conference Math Meet Results

Congratulations to Joey Sokol (7th place on varsity), Riley Medenwald (3rd place for JV), and Aimee Sies (7th place for JV) at the Capitol Conference Math Meet held on 12-8. Belleville's JV team took second behind Lakeside Lutheran. Our varsity team took 2nd place in the South behind Cambridge. Mrs. Spellman noted, "We are happy enough with the results but would like to give Lakeside a run in the spring."

Wednesday, December 16, 2015

GeoBee

Eighth grader Alex Grignano won this year's Belleville Middle School Geography Bee. The other finalists, Elizabeth Case (7th grade) and Sophia Grady (8th grade), are in the background of the photo below. Elizabeth took second place. The winner was determined after several rounds of open-ended questions for just the finalists. Congratulations, Alex!

UPDATE...Staff Celebrity

UPDATE- Mrs. Schultz placed 3rd this morning! See her appearance on the morning show.
Mrs. Schultz is one of three ugly sweater finalists for Channel 3's contest. She will appear live this Friday morning at 6:15am. Mrs. Schultz will be part of a Q&A interview. The winner will be announced and awarded a trophy on live TV at 6:50am! Make sure you tune in! 

Belleville Band Concert on the Radio

Tuesday night's (12-15) band concert will be replayed on South78Radio.com on Saturday night, December 19. It will promoted on their South 78 Radio Facebook and Twitter pages.

Tuesday, December 15, 2015

Rallycap Speaker

Amber Schultz, a Rally Cap representative, spoke to Mrs. Alsteens's and Mr. Ziehr's 3rd block classes today (12-15). The photo below shows one of the goals of the presentation- to find one of your strengths and something that you enjoy (that the world also needs) as a career choice. The program that Mrs. Schultz took the students through included a strength-finder, with additional information on scholarships and college contacts. The link below will take you to an overview video on their website.

Sunday, December 13, 2015

Middle School Winter Week


More than Cookies and Icing!

The invitation to decorate holiday cookies at the Senior Center on Friday, December 11, was an opportunity for many students in Mrs. Gartley’s Family & Consumer Science courses to get involved. Students enrolled in Prostart Culinary Arts I and Prostart Hospitality & Tourism worked together to develop skills in quantity food production. They prepared, cut, baked, and packaged more than 18-dozen sugar and gingerbread cut-outs, as well as prepared three different icings so that all participants could take a plate of decorated cookies home.

The Child & Family Studies' students have been learning about the role of family, the changing needs during the life cycle, human service careers, and services for populations in need. It was a unique opportunity to spend time doing something fun with adults who grew up in a very different world.  It was evident from the chatter and smiles that all enjoyed the activity and learned from one another.









Friday, December 11, 2015

Middle School Students-of-the-Month for November

From left to right: Front- Regyn Jelle and Jacob Kean
Back - Joseph Booth, Isabella Miller, Elise Medenwald, Tayler Yapp, Carol Rankin and Jillian Michaels
Congratulations to the Middle School Students-of-the-Month for November! They were recognized in a ceremony this morning (12-11) by their teachers in the Middle School Commons. Keep up the good work!

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Middle & High School Choir Concert

Mrs. Krueger led four different choirs tonight (Thursday, 12-10) in a fantastic show before a packed house. The Middle School Choir, Treble (Women's) Choir, Vocal Jazz Ensemble, and High School Choir all performed at least three songs, including the Treble Choir's "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" featuring Patrick Schwoegler and Mrs. Meir on the trumpet. Be sure to attend Tuesday night's (12-15) Band Concert at 7pm in the auditorium!


Tuesday, December 8, 2015

November Students-of-the-Month

Congratulations to Belleville High School's November Students-of-the-Month. After being nominated by teachers from each department, they were honored at a December 8th luncheon. They were treated to Sugar River Pizza and Mrs. Schween's scotcharoos. Students also received movie passes donated by Marcus Theaters, along with their nomination forms from their teachers. What a fantastic group of students!
Left to Right: Nick Pauli, Emilee Solberg, Taylor Legler, Casey Russell, Rylee Hubbard, Luke Kelly and Alexis Walker
Not Pictured: Grace Pryzbyl

Monday, December 7, 2015

Bagpipes in Band!

Mr. Bill McGinnis, a bagpiper from Madison, joined the high school band today. Mike Korth, a frequent substitute teacher in Music for the school district, helped to plan this event. The clip below shows his solo as part of a piece with the band. Be sure to join us on Thursday (12-10) and again on Tuesday (12-15) for the Middle and High School Choir and Band Winter Concerts, respectively. Both shows start at 7pm in the auditorium.

Middle School Penny War/Giving Tree

Leading up to the holidays, the Middle School Student Council held a very successful "Penny War" to raise money for Giving Tree gifts.  The 7th and 8th graders competed against one another to raise these funds. Mr. Gentilli and Mrs. Schultz then traveled with middle school school students to Target on Friday, 12-4, to purchase gifts with this money for the Giving Tree. In total, the middle school collected $538 for Giving Tree gifts. Thank you to the staff involved. What a great way to show service and compassion!

Holiday Gift Shop (Santa's Workshop)

On Friday (12-4), a large number of middle school students, especially those on the Middle School Student Council, assisted at the Intermediate School organizing gifts for Santa's Workshop. Younger students could then purchase gifts for parents, siblings, and others without them knowing what was purchased. Thank you to those who helped out with this annual event!

Sunday, December 6, 2015

First Science Olympiad Competition

Over the weekend, Belleville High School students, led by their Coach Smith, traveled to Boyceville, WI, to compete in an invitational tournament. Mrs. Smith started the team this year, and this was their first chance to compete against other schools and students. The results were amazing for their first effort! Fourteen students competed. They brought home 6 medals- one 3rd, two 5th, and three 6th place finishes. The team placed 10th overall (with 34 teams in their division) and were voted "Best New School!" Congratulations to Mrs. Smith and her team! For more information on the type of events at this competition, go the the link below:
*This TV news story documents how large this particular competition has become and how small schools can benefit from it.

Friday, December 4, 2015

Spanish/German Trip to Chicago

On Thursday, December 3, upper-level German and Spanish students had the opportunity to travel to Chicago. While there, they visited the Christkindlmarket, a traditional German holiday market. They sampled German food while shopping for ornaments and other German items. 

After lunch at the market, students visited the Art Institute of Chicago. They were able to see priceless works of art by Pablo Picasso, Salvador DalĂ­, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, and Franz Marc. Students also scoured the museum to find the pieces of art that they had researched in order to prepare their presentations for class.