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Brookside Elementary news & events
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In the Know- April 2023
April 26, 2023
Upcoming events
April 27- Flint Hills Family Festival at Anoka Middle School (6:30-8:00 pm)
May 3- Arts and Academic Night from 5:30-7:00 pm
May 8-12- Staff and Teacher Appreciation Week
May 11- PTO Meeting
May 15- Dine Out Night at Culvers
May 19- Spirit Day (twin day ) and Pop Up Shop. Partner up with a friend and dress alike!
May 29- District Closed, Holiday
June 2- Track & Field Day
A Message From The Admin Team
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Thank you,
Admin Team
School Highlights
Kindergarten Welcome Night
Kindergarten Welcome Night was a HUGE success with a great turnout. We welcomed approximately 75 future Brookside students. There was a great amount of planning and organizing by many volunteers that made this event a positive experience for families and incoming kindergarteners.
Celebrating Staff of 25+ Years Of Service
On the evening of Wednesday, April 19 the district celebrated staff who have dedicated 25 years or more to working at Anoka Hennepin. Please join us in celebrating the following staff for their commitment to education, to the district, and to the hundreds of students they have impacted. Thank you and Congratulations!!
- Julie Herrera - 4th grade - 26 years
- Kim McNair - 1st grade - 26 years
- Betsy Quist - 5th grade - 31 years
- Teri Sutterer - 4th grade - 31 years
- Brenda Dahl - 1st grade - 32 years
- Holly Fenwick - 2nd grade - 32 years
The last day of school for elementary students
The School Board votes to amend 2022-23 school year calendar
The last day of school for elementary students will now be Wednesday, June 7, while secondary students will have their last day Thursday, June 8
The School Board approved a change to the district calendar at its December 12 meeting, converting June 8 to a non-student contact day at the elementary level. There will be no change to the schedule at the secondary level. The last day of school for elementary school students will be Wednesday, June 7, while the last day of school for secondary students will remain Thursday, June 8.
This change will allow elementary staff additional time to prepare for transitions that will occur from the current school year to the next, including the closing of Franklin Elementary School and boundary changes across the district.
Staff and Teacher Appreciation Week
Dear Students & Guardians
We will be celebrating our annual staff and teacher appreciation week the second week in May. This year the theme is YOU LIFT US UP! Below is an itinerary of the weekly events along with a suggestion of ways you can contribute to the fun of showering our teachers and staff with the
appreciation they deserve!
Monday: REST UP to give a high-five to a staff member.
Tuesday: SPEAK UP for appreciation thank a staff member for all they do.
Wednesday: STAND UP and help around (ex: pick up after yourself, offer to help a teacher/staff).
Thursday: LISTEN UP maintain a silence level zero when in the halls and cafeteria.
Friday: STEP UP for appreciation draw a picture or write a thank you note.
Arts and Academic Night
Arts and Academic Night is Wednesday, May 3, 2023 from 5:30-7:00 pm. Please RSVP using the form below. Please RSVP by May 1st.
Event includes:
- 5th Grade Concerts
- Art on display
- Academic games
- Concessions for sale
- Photo booth
Lunch Guests
Here is the Lunchroom Sign-Up Link for May 2023. You can also sign up through the Brookside Elementary Home page. Please see directions below.
* FYI, due to field trips, track and field, and other events, we will not be having lunch guests in June.
Directions to Sign-Up to Have Lunch with your Child
- Go to the Brookside Elementary Home Page: https://www.ahschools.us/brookside
- Click on "About Us"
- Click on "Daily Schedule"
- Click on the link "Sign up to have lunch with your child in May"
Directions to Add Funds to Your Student's Meal Account
- Log in to your A-H Connect parent account at ahschools.us.
- Click on the My Student Information/Synergy icon.
- Once in ParentVUE, click on the "Fee" tab.
- Click on "Pay Fees" to enter the SchoolPay payment system.
- Click on "Food Services" to add funds to your student's meal account.
Become a Reading Tutor
Put Your Passion in Action ─ Become a Reading Tutor!
Brookside is looking for two Reading Corps tutors for the 2023-24 school year. You can take action in our community by giving your time and talent to help students build their skills and confidence!
Tutors work one-on-one or in small groups with students during school hours throughout the school year. Whether you are a recent grad, career changer, stay-at-home parent or retiree, you can make a great tutor! No experience? No problem. With training and on-site coaching, our tutors are prepared to help kids succeed.
Part-time and full-time positions are available ─ apply now to start in August 2023. Positions are also available to start in October 2023 and January 2024.
Tutors receive a paycheck every two weeks plus up to an additional $4,800 for college tuition or loans (tutors 55+ may gift the education award to their child, grandchild, stepchild or foster child). Free health individual health insurance is provided for tutors serving 35 hours per week, and child care assistance is available (based on family size and income).
Ready to put your passion in action to help to help more children succeed? Learn more or apply at Join.ReadingandMath.org. Questions? Email join@ampact.us or call 866.859.2825
Universal School Meals
Universal School Meals program to begin in the fall of 2023
On March 17, the Minnesota Legislature approved and the Governor signed a bill providing “Universal School Meals,” which means every student may receive free breakfast and lunch beginning in the fall of 2023. The program will cover one breakfast and one lunch for every student, however ala carte and other meal choices will not be covered.
Families will need to continue purchasing meals for their students for the remainder of this school year, as the new bill will not forgive or pay for any meal debt accrued before Sept. 2023.
If your family needs immediate assistance with free or reduced-priced meals, or access to other educational benefits (such as high school athletics and activity fees; ACT, SAT and AP fees; Comcast internet and SNAP membership discounts; Xcel Energy account assistance and more), please visit ahschools.us/childnutrition to complete an application.
The district’s child nutrition program is working to provide details for all families in preparation for the 2023-24 school year. Stay tuned to your back to school communications for specific details about this benefit for your family in the summer of 2023.
Character Strong
We began rolling out our Character Strong social emotional curriculum this fall. Students are receiving daily lessons with an emphasis on conflict resolution, emotion regulation, and executive functioning skills. Below is the family newsletter for each grade level. Please take a peek to see what your child is learning.
Student Council News
We will be organizing one final Spirit Day and Pop Up Shop for the 2022-2023 school year in May.
May 19 will be Twin Day. We invite students to partner up with a friend and dress alike! Our Pop Up Shop will also be open selling a variety of flower themed items on May 19.
Do you ever wonder where the proceeds from our Pop Up Shops go? We've happily funded several staff and building requests this year! Have you noticed the ceiling signs outside specialists rooms and grade level flex areas? The Student Council funded those! Teachers and support staff were invited to add an item of their choice that they felt would benefit their students to an Amazon wishlist. The Student Council cleared the list! In addition, we've funded requests for special speakers, student incentives and literacy and math supplies just to name a few! We are so excited to announce that we recently partnered with our PTO and the Anoka Hennepin Education Foundation to purchase a school mascot costume! PTO and the Student Council also teamed up to purchase a Brookside Storm photo backdrop for future school events!
We are looking forward to celebrating a year of leadership with a group visit to Feed My Starving Children in mid-May. We are so lucky to have such a great group of student leaders. They are always looking for ways to lead in and out of the classroom!
Brookside PTO
PTO UPDATE:
Huge THANK YOU to everyone who attended our movie night last Friday! It was a fun night for families to spend time together!
Grade Level T-shirts Store:
We have opened up the Grade level t-shirt store if anyone would like to purchase one for upcoming field trips or Track and Field! Store will close on May 3rd, and t-shirts will be delivered to classrooms the week of May 15th.
Here is the link: Grade Level T-shirts
Green Valley Gift Cards:
We are excited to partner with Green Valley Greenhouse to to a Spring Fundraiser! For every $25.00 gift card sold between now and May 12th, the PTO will earn $7! This will allow us to continue to support upcoming field trips, teacher supply requests and student engagement type activities. Great opportunity for Mother’s Day, birthday and other special events coming up!
Click on this link for more information!
Green Valley Greenhouse Gift Cards
Student Council Partnership:
We are excited to partner with the Student Council to purchase some awesome items for our school! Stay tuned for the reveal of the Storm Macost and a Brookside Storm photo backdrop for future school events!
Donation Request:
Does your company offer a Directed Giving Empowerment Program? We would love for you to sign up for this! Send an email to brooksideelemschoolpto@gmail.com and we can send you our EIN number!
Upcoming Events:
May PTO Meeting: Thursday May 11 at 6:30 in the Maker Space Room. We will vote for new board members! We are excited to have many opportunities for people to be more involved in PTO!
DINE OUT night: Culvers Monday May 15th from 4:00p-8:00pm.
Thanks again for all your support throughout the year! We couldn't make so many things possible for our students, staff and school community without the support of our amazing families!
Volunteer Update
Art and Academic Night - May 3, 5:30-7:00
- There will be art displays by our very own students in every grade level wing. Additionally, there will be engaging academic activities offered in every flex area. These are fun activities that you can enjoy with your child while at this event and maybe even incorporate at home for some fun family time with your child(ren). We will be offering concessions and are looking for 6 volunteers to help.
- Since our teachers and staff lift us up, May 8-12 we are lifting them up! Please join us in donating items to bless them during this celebratory week. Items should be dropped off to Brookside by Friday, May 5th at the end of the school day.
Kindergarten ' s Spring Sing Concert - May 11, 5:30-6:30
- Brookside's Kindergarteners have an event coming up in May called the Spring Sing and we are looking for volunteers to assist with greeting families and passing out programs. The event will take place on May 11th from 5:30-6pm followed by juice and cookies from 6-6:30pm. Volunteers would be needed from about 5:00-5:45pm.
Track and Field Day - June 2, 10:00-3:00
- This will be an all day outdoor event. There will be numerous volunteer opportunities.
- More information coming soon!
***As we close out the school year, I want to genuinely thank each of you for your support of our students, staff, and community this year. We are beyond grateful for the ways you have helped.*** --Jennifer Ames, Volunteer Service Coordinator
To date:
- Over 1, 700 hours of volunteer hours given for 2022-2023
- 276 Brookside volunteers for 2022-2023