Bureau Valley Junior High/Elementary

It was a fun Christmas themed day for our elementary and jr. high students!!

8th Grade Business students put their skills to work through “Business in a Box.” From chicken hats and jewelry to dance studios, students dreamed up a variety of fun, creative, and unique business ideas.

🎉📊 December i-Ready Winners 📊🎉

Congratulations to our December i-Ready Winners! These students showed outstanding effort, growth, and commitment to their learning. We are so proud of their hard work and dedication—keep it up! ⭐

🏆 December i-Ready Winners:
-Lydia Endress
-Charlotte Hasbrook
-Sadie Endress
-Skylar Schmotzer
- Marissa Marquis
-Lennox Benavidez

Way to go! Your perseverance and focus truly paid off! 💙

🎉 December Elementary Students of the Month 🎉

We are proud to recognize our December Elementary Students of the Month! These students were selected for demonstrating positive behavior, strong character, and a great attitude toward learning. We are so proud of you—keep up the amazing work! ⭐

👏 December Students of the Month:
• 3rd Grade: LeRoy Beasley
• 4th Grade: Elenore Goldsberry
• 5th Grade: Isabel Johnson
Congratulations to each of our students and thank you for helping make our school a great place to learn and grow! 💙🎄

⚡️ BVJH December Student of the Month ⚡️ These students have a positive influence on the BVJH student body through extraordinary qualities of character, citizenship, service and leadership. Congratulations and keep leading with Storm pride!! 🌩️

8th grade Business students are wrapping up the second quarter by strengthening their money counting skills.

6th Grade Boys Basketball Game Update:
Unfortunately, the 6th grade game scheduled for this evening has been canceled due to the weather, as our opponent has decided to cancel all evening activities.

Because of this cancellation, there will be no practice after school today.
Coach Stabler is planning to host a team meal after break to help close out the season and celebrate the team. More details will be shared once plans are finalized.

📣 Cheer Night at the Game! 📣

Our high school cheer team is excited to host our K–5th grade students for a special halftime dance at the Varsity Boys Basketball Game on January 16! 🏀✨

We can’t wait to see our younger students shine on the court and be part of the game-day excitement. Families, please check your email as all information was sent today.Families, be sure to come cheer them on and enjoy a fun night of basketball and school spirit! 💙

🏐 Junior High Volleyball Season Is Almost Here! 🏐

The Junior High Volleyball season begins this January, and we’re excited to get started! Below is the season schedule with dates, opponents, and locations. We look forward to cheering on our student-athletes as they work hard, compete, and represent our school with pride.


Let’s pack the gym and support our team—Go STORM !

🎄✨ Holiday Dress-Up Days Are Here! ✨🎄

Bureau Valley Elementary/Jr. High would like to invite all students to spread some holiday cheer with our Dress-Up Days!

🛏 Thursday: Pajama Day – cozy and comfy!
🎅 Friday: Christmas Sweater Day – the more festive, the better!

We can’t wait to see everyone dressed up and celebrating together! ❤️💚

🎄📦 4th Grade STEM: Paper Bag Christmas Trees! 📦🎄 Our 4th graders got creative this week in STEM by designing Christmas trees out of paper bags! This hands-on activity challenged students to think like engineers as they folded, cut, and stacked their materials to create strong and festive trees. Along the way, they explored important science concepts, including: ✨ Stability and balance ✨ Structural design ✨ Materials and forces ✨ Problem-solving and teamwork It’s amazing to see our students combine creativity, science, and holiday fun in one project! 💙🤍

🎄🔧 5th Grade STEM Takes on the Upside-Down Christmas Challenge! 🔧🎄 Our 5th graders put their engineering minds to the test with a fun and tricky Upside-Down Christmas STEM challenge! Students worked in teams to design and build structures that could hold holiday items upside down without falling, collapsing, or tipping over. This hands-on activity stretched their thinking in all the best ways, helping them practice: ✨ Engineering design & problem-solving ✨ Balance and stability ✨ Forces & motion ✨ Critical thinking and teamwork We love watching our students take on big challenges, test their ideas, redesign, and celebrate their successes. STEM learning + holiday fun = the perfect combination! 💙🤍

🦌🚀 Reindeer Rocket Launch in 3rd Grade STEM! 🚀🦌 Our 3rd graders took their STEM skills to new heights today with a festive Reindeer Rocket Challenge! Students designed and launched their very own “reindeer rockets” and then competed to see whose rocket could travel the farthest. Through all the excitement, students explored important science concepts like: ✨ Force & motion ✨ Air pressure ✨ Energy transfer ✨ Design & problem-solving The room was full of creativity, teamwork, and lots of laughter as students made predictions, tested their rockets, and improved their designs. We love seeing hands-on learning bring science to life! 💙🤍

🎈🚗 8th Grade Balloon Car Science! 🚗🎈 Our 8th graders had a blast in Physical Science this week building balloon-powered cars! 💨 This hands-on activity teaches students about force, motion, energy transfer, and engineering design. By inflating the balloon and letting the air rush out, students see Newton’s Third Law in action — the escaping air pushes the car forward! They planned, built, tested, and redesigned their cars to see how far and how fast they could go. So much creativity and problem-solving on display! Love seeing our students learning through movement, exploration, and fun! 💙🤍

🏀💙 STATE CHAMPIONSHIP DAY! 💙🏀
Our 7th Grade Storm Girls Basketball Team is taking the court TODAY to compete for the IESA State Championship! They will tip off at 7:30PM at Riverton High School vs Mt. Sterling Brown County.⭐️⚡️

Let’s show these athletes just how proud we are of their hard work, grit, and heart. Bring the noise, bring the energy, and let’s pack the stands with BV blue! 🌪️🙌

🎉 Good luck, ladies—finish strong and bring it home! 🎉

🎄✨ You’re Invited! ✨🎄

Join us for a festive evening of music and holiday cheer tonight at our Annual Bureau Valley Holiday Concerts!

🎶 Elementary Concert – 6:00 PM
🎶 Junior High Concert – 7:15 PM

Bring your family, fill the seats, and help us celebrate the season with the incredible talents of our BV students. We can’t wait to see you there! 💙🤍

Kind reminder to junior high parents:
If your child plans on riding the State fan bus on Thursday,December 11th we need to hear from a parent/guardian by Wednesday, December 10th at noon. You can email the office at lreuter@bureauvalley.net or scrownover@bureauvalley.net or call at 815-445-2121.
Thank you!
Go Storm!

Santa Claus the Musical was a big “hit”Saturday! BV Brainstorm students were treated to a production at Circa 21. We are looking forward to our play “Christmas in the Land of Oz” on Dec 17! Brainstorm is a part of a Federal Grant in Partnership between Bureau Valley and the Regional Office of Education.

Today our Stormbots wrapped up an amazing competition season! They have so much to be proud of. They spent countless hours brainstorming, building, testing, laughing, and growing together. Their teamwork, creativity, and problem-solving were truly awesome.

📣💙🏀 Good luck to our 7th grade Girls Basketball Team
They’re headed to the opening round of the IESA State Tournament tomorrow to take on the Riverdale Washington Bulldogs!

Come out and support our girls tomorrow at 1:00 PM in Riverton, IL at Riverton High School. Let’s bring the energy and cheer them on as they chase a spot in the next round! 🌪️🔥

Let’s go, Storm! 💙🏀