Giddy Up

• December 16 - January 3 - Winter Break
• January 4 - Students return to school
• January 4 - Specials - K, 1, 5: Day 10; 2, 3, 4: Day 7
  
• January 4 - No Lunch Guests
• January 5- Specials - K, 1, 5: Day 11; 2, 3, 4: Day 8
• January 5 - No Lunch Guests

We hope our students and school staff have a safe and relaxing Winter Break. Students return to learning on Thursday, January 4.

All Aboard the Polar Express at Brookwood Elementary! Today was an unforgettable journey filled with holiday magic and joy!

Our students embarked on an enchanting adventure as they watched "The Polar Express" movie, captivated by the whimsical tale of belief and the spirit of the holidays. Creativity soared as little hands crafted Polar Express-themed activities, bringing the magic of the North Pole right into our classrooms! From train crafts to festive decorations, our students truly embraced the holiday spirit.

Wrapped up in cozy blankets, our little Polar Express passengers sipped on delicious hot chocolate, warming their hearts and creating precious memories. The joy in their eyes and the laughter echoing through the halls were the true spirit of the season.

Thank you to our dedicated teachers and staff who made Polar Express Day an extraordinary experience for our students. Together, we've created cherished moments that will stay with our students forever.

This morning, All Pro Dads of Brookwood Elementary gathered for their December meeting in Colt Cafe', and it was truly heartwarming! The focus of the meeting was on the power of SERVICE, and our amazing dads, students, and other caring adults discussed how they can channel their unique talents into acts of kindness for our community.

Save the Date for the next meeting of All Pro Dads of Brookwood Elementary set for Friday, January 19th at 7:35 am.

We are thrilled to announce that Brookwood Elementary School has been recognized as a 2024 U.S. News & World Report Best Elementary School!

We're proud to share that Brookwood is ranked in the top 11% of GCPS elementary schools and in the top 4% of elementary schools in the state of Georgia! And if that's not impressive enough, our students' reading and math performance has been ranked well above expectations!

Huge thanks to our incredible students, dedicated staff, and supportive community for contributing to Brookwood Elementary's success!

Student breakfasts are $1.50. Student lunches are $2.25 plus $.40 for extra milk. Adult lunches are $4.00. Families are encouraged to set up meal accounts for their student in MyPaymentsPlus. You can pay for your student’s lunch on MyPaymentsPlus using his/her student number.

Free or reduced price lunches will be provided for those students whose families meet Federal guidelines. If parents wish to apply for free or reduced price lunches, forms are available online on the GCPS website. Forms must be completed and resubmitted each year for approval and are available beginning in July for the next school year.

Food/snack/drink deliveries are not allowed for students at school. Students must bring a lunchbox from home or enjoy the school lunch.

Parent Visitors for Lunch

We do not have any parent visitors for breakfast. Parents may visit to eat lunch with their student Tuesday-Friday. (We do not have visitors on Mondays.) Parents/Guardians visiting for lunch should say "good bye” to their student in the cafeteria so that the teacher can begin instructional time after lunch. You are welcome to bring a lunch with you or you may purchase a lunch from our cafeteria.

Parents/Visitors who are eating lunch with their child, must be listed in Synergy as an approved contact and must sit at the specified visitor table with only their student. Students may not bring a friend with them to the parent/visitor table.

Food/snack/drink deliveries are not allowed for students at school. Students must bring a lunchbox from home or enjoy the school lunch.

Please see the current month’s calendar for additional days that visitors are not allowed to come for lunch due to testing or other special events. We do our best to communicate these days in advance. Available menu items are subject to change based on current inventory and deliveries.

The Dot & Dash Robotics Club has openings for 1st, 2nd & 3rd grade students who are interested in an introduction to robotics and coding. There are 14 openings for students to explore a variety of robots for 6 sessions. We will meet on select Friday mornings before school starting at 7:40am from January 12 to March 22. In an effort to allow everybody the opportunity to experience an introduction into robotics, we will only be accepting applications from those who have not yet participated in the Dash & Dot Club. If we have any additional spots left open after applications are received, we will send out another email for those who would like to participate again. If interested, please feel out the linked registration form.

If you have any questions, please contact one of us below.

Thank you,

Leyah Nicometi and Katie Sudan

Leyah.Nicometi@gcpsk12.org

Katie.McClure.Sudan@gcpsk12.org

The Georgia Parent Survey is designed to give parents an opportunity to share input about their child's school. The information parents provide by completing the survey will be used as part of the calculation of the school's School Climate Star Rating with the state. Individual data results from the Georgia Parent Survey will not be available to personnel of Gwinnett County Public Schools and will not be posted online.

Parents may complete the survey using a personal computer, smartphone, or tablet. Parents that do not have access to the Internet may contact Brookwood Elementary to arrange to complete the Georgia Parent Survey at the school.

Please click here to complete the survey. We appreciate you taking the time to complete the survey!

Our PBIS Team has created an Amazon Wish List to help with filling Golden Ticket Orders and we would love to have donations. (If you have any new packaged small items that you'd like to donate, we'd love to have those as well! ) Check out our Amazon Wishlist to help us continue to motivate our students to be Ready, Respectful and Responsible AND cash in those Golden Tickets!! 🙂

Your Brookwood Elementary PBIS Team

The 2023-2024 Brookwood Schools Foundation Bidding for Good site is now open! The auction will run from August 21, 2023 to May 30, 2024, with proceeds going to Brookwood Schools Foundation in order to support all of the schools in the Brookwood district. Auction items for Brookwood Elementary School include:

• Lunch with the Principal
• Morning Annoucements with the Principal for a Week

Tell your friends, family, community. Let the bidding begin!

We are excited to announce that the 2023-2024 Brookwood Elementary yearbook is now on sale. Our students and staff are working hard to capture the events, activities and memories of this school year. Place your order for the yearbook at jostensyearbooks.com. This is one you won’t want to miss!

Purchase this yearbook now at the lowest price of the year! Until October 28th, you can purchase the yearbook for only $40. Purchasing early ensures your student receives a yearbook at the end of the year.

Have you changed your notification settings in ParentSquare yet? If not, make sure to complete this important step! You can select your desired notification settings for Email, Text, and the App.

• Off: You will not receive a notification when communications are sent.
• Digest: You will receive a summary of all the messages that have been sent at the end of the day.
• Instant: You will receive a notification every time a message is sent.

Also, don't forget to download the ParentSquare app! It's the best way to receive up-to-date notifications from Brookwood Elementary School and (coming soon) your child's teacher!! More information about how to activate your ParentSquare account, downloading the app, and directions for customizing your notification settings can be found on the GCPS ParentSquare Information page.

Students, families, and staff can download the free GCPS Mobile app to stay on top of the latest news, calendar events, and emergency information. You can enable notifications and choose your preferred language.

Why download the app?

• Receive alerts for school closures or delays and important districtwide information.

• Check school and district events calendars.

• Access your school’s lunch menu and add money to your student's account..

• Access districtwide digital resources.

• Read the latest district news.

Search for Gwinnett County Public Schools in the App Store or Google Play to download our app for free.

All money collected from boxtops goes directly to buy PE equipment for Brookwood Elementary. There is a new system starting this year where you download the FREE Boxtops for Education App and scan your receipt. The boxtops will automatically upload to our school's account. Just be sure to select BROOKWOOD ELEMENTARY SNELLVILLE, GA when you set up the app (There are SEVERAL Brookwood Elem. schools to choose from.) The video below will show you how the process works. Thank you!

It's time to join Brookwood Elementary's PTA! Go to the PTA membership website to purchase your membership today!

You can now help support Brookwood Elementary PTA just by shopping at Kroger! Just enroll your Kroger Rewards card to Brookwood Elementary PTA. (Don't have a Kroger Rewards card? Stop by the Customer Service Desk at your favorite Kroger!) Watch the video below to see how to enroll via the app.

BBSA is happy to announce Registration for Spring Season is now open! For more information and to register go to https://www.playbbsa.com/.

The Five Forks branch of the Gwinnett County Public Library has released their list of events for the month of December. For more information about these and other programs, go to the Gwinnett County Public Library website.

All ages are welcome for Polar Express Night at the Five Forks Branch of the Gwinnett County Public Library on Wednesday, December 6th at 6:00 pm.

Come celebrate the holiday season with a special reading of The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg and crafts. Pajamas are welcomed and encouraged! For more information visit: bit.ly/gcplevents

Gwinnett Parks & Recreation has released their calendar of events for the month of December including Breakfast with Santa at the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse. You can find an entire list of events for the month here. For more information about these event and how to register, please go to the Gwinnett Parks & Recreation website.