Hi! I’m Bernie the Bear – the Mascot of St. Bernadette School. You have probably seen me at special events like the Sundaes on Sunday or the Back to School Breakfast. I really enjoy spending time with the students and their families. But…I kind of miss seeing them between events.

So, I asked Principal Glennon if I could visit the students during the school day. She thought it might be a little disruptive to the classes. Everybody makes such a fuss when they see me (naturally).

But I really miss my friends. So guess what? Principal Glennon gave me a job. I am now an undercover reporter! I’ll get to walk around the school and see what my friends are up to. She thought that the students’ families would like to hear what’s going on, too. I’m going to write down what I see during the week and share it with everyone. I call it Bernie the Bear’s Blog.

Since I’ll be undercover, no one will see me (I know what you’re thinking: how can a 6 ½ foot Bear be undercover? Oh, you’d be surprised by how good I am at not being spotted!)

This was my first week!

Whew. There’s a lot that goes on at school! Monday there was the Living Rosary. All of the students from Kindergarten to 8^th Grade formed a big circle that represented a Rosary. The older students were in the center and passed a microphone around to lead the rest of the students in praying the rosary. They did a really nice job. Everyone was very respectful. What a great way to start the week.

I finally figured out how lunch works. The older kids play in the playground for about 20 minutes while the younger grades eat their lunch in the cafeteria. Then they switch. It was really fun to watch all the kids play jump rope, basketball, wall ball, football. Some just ran around laughing. There are moms and dads who come everyday to help keep the children safe while they play. Here's a special thank you to them.

Kindergarten has recess just before the older kids, so they get the schoolyard all to themselves. Then, they eat in their classroom. It’s nice that they have that quiet time to focus on their lunches. I heard something about being in a “perfect bite club” – I definitely want to be in that club!

This week I saw the 5^th graders hard at work in their classroom. Mrs. Tsakiris shared some pictures with me (they are posted in the photo album to the left - along with some Living Rosary pictures). I visited the art room, too. Wow! There are some amazing pumpkin and leaf projects being done. The preschool is doing lots of work on Fire Safety. I heard lots of good “Stop! Drop! And Roll!” directions. The younger students are also doing a great job learning their Halloween songs.

For dismissal, I learned that some of the 8^th graders lead the whole school in prayer, make special announcements, and then direct the students for dismissal. The 7^th graders take turns leading the students to the right places. I like that the older students take care of the younger ones.

It was a fun first week of my new job. I learned a lot more about our school and was glad to see all the students so happy.

Next week there is a school mass when the Student Council will be inducted and an in-school play by the Windy City Players. I can “bearly” wait.

Have a good weekend.
Your buddy,
Bernie