
Brewster Weekly
Oct 14, 2022
We are here to do good things for our students, our coworkers, and our community.
We represent qualities such as love, hope, kindness, respect, and responsibility.
Our culture mirrors those attributes. Let’s continue to make our school the best place to work and learn where everyone is inspired to be the best they can be. What we do, we do well.
Let’s keep the courage to shape a bright future for our students.
Calendar Updates
Oct. 14: Fun Run, Fall Family Night at Blake's Orchard
Oct. 24-28: Vision Screening, Grades Pre-K, 1, 3, 5
Oct. 28: Halloween Parade Time (Updated 9/28: Staff voted to hold the parade on the Friday before rather than on Monday, the 31st. Parade will be outside weather permitting at 2:15pm)
- Community invited to watch and wave outside as students tour the perimeter of the school on our sidewalk and black top areas. Students will walk the sidewalk perimeter of our school- one time around. (We are so large we get stuck in a traffic jam, if we go around twice! We will start promptly at 2:15! )
- This is a voluntary event, we respect family wishes not to participate, please notify teacher for further support if necessary.
- School appropriate costumes please! - save the horror, fright, and/or exceptional haunts for the evening trick and treat fun at home on MONDAY! No weapons for props and please make sure the student can walk freely (masks obstruct vision) as they will go up and down stairs for the parade!
November 8 No School- Election Day, Professional Development for Staff
November 11 Veterans Day
November 15 Picture Retake Day, Brewster PTA Meeting
November 18 Half-day of School
November 22 Thanksgiving recess at end of the day
Meet Our Staff!
Breakfast and Lunch Menus
Positivity Project
Dear Families,
Next week our school community will be focusing on the character strength of Integrity. Integrity means you are honest and speak the truth. You present yourself genuinely and sincerely.
Integrity is doing the right thing when nobody is watching. People with integrity practice what they preach and maintain a consistent pattern of behavior aligned with their values. They have the courage not to follow the crowd if it means going against their beliefs. Integrity is closely aligned with the terms of honesty and authenticity. People with integrity tell the truth and have alignment in their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.
Integrity is vital to individual growth. It is correlated with a multitude of psychological well-being measures. Harmony in your feelings, thoughts, and actions makes you better able to personally grow and achieve goals. Authenticity and a lack of pretense make you more likable and trusted by others, meaning your relationships will benefit.
To practice and encourage the character strength of integrity with your child, please visit the Positivity Project’s P2 for Families (password: P2), where together you will watch a video, read a quote, and talk about the answers to three questions.
Have a wonderful week!
Media Update
Media Update by Mrs. O'Rourke Oct. 2022
Students have been working hard in the library! Thank you for helping your child(ren) remember their books on library day!
Classes have also been reviewing Digital Citizenship. Please ask you child what they learned about making safe, healthy choices online. Much of what we learn is found in Common Sense Media. This is a great resource to use at home to be smart & safe online & also evaluate movies & other media for your family. Check it out: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/
Storybook Pumpkin Patch Returns! Please look at the included documents & get creative with you family! We can’t wait to see what you make!
Book Fair is Coming! Book fair will be in the Media Center Oct. 24-28th & online as well. Please look in the Weekly for exact times to shop as the date approaches. If you can help with book fair set up, clean up or selling, please email Mrs. O’Rourke ariceorourke@rochester.k12.mi.us
The Specials Team is on Facebook! Please follow us at https://www.facebook.com/people/Brewster-Elementary-Specials-Art-Library-Music-Phys-Ed/100063552367921/
Thanks so much! ~Mrs. O’Rourke
Brewster Elementary’s
Storybook Pumpkin Patch
Is Back!
Your child is invited to help create a storybook pumpkin patch in the Media Center.
What to do?
∙ Think of a favorite book and design your pumpkin based on a favorite character from that book.
Here are suggestions for creating your pumpkin at home:
- Purchase a pumpkin (real or fake)
- Gather your decorating supplies. Acrylic paints or permanent/paint markers work best. Watercolors tend to run, and spray paint will gradually dissolve the pumpkin. Other options include adding materials such as yarn, buttons, wiggly eyes, etc.
- Unfortunately, carved pumpkins cannot be brought to school.
- You & your child may complete a character page you may use to explain your creation.
- Participation is completely voluntary. This is not a contest.
Have fun and be creative!
Students are welcome to bring in character pumpkins starting Oct. 11th. You may come to the Media Center between 8:00 & 8:30 am. Please fill out the character sheet to help us better understand your design. Pumpkins need to be picked up Friday Oct 31st before or after school. Unclaimed pumpkins will be removed J
Arrival and Dismissal AND Parking Lot Reminders
Please use the crosswalk instead of walking into the car loop traffic! Thank you!
Join Our Team!
WE have two 2 hour recess para educator positions open!
Early Childhood Special Education Para Educator (7.0 hours)
Thank You to Our PTA!
ALSO, WOW! Shirts came in and spirit was high with BULLDOG PRIDE! Thank you to our PTA officers and volunteers that made this quick turn around a wonderful success.
Our dedicated families and PTA sponsors are owed a great deal of thanks for their time to make our school so special. Another thanks to PTA for Science Alive as well.
If you haven't had a chance to make your one time family donation, please consider a donation that you can offer to help- all money collected by our PTA goes directly back to our students. We are currently at approximately $4,000 with a goal of $15,000 to support our year. Any gift to our school helps the PTA and supports children smiling and making memories together.
All the best to our Bulldog families for the weekend- ENJOY BLAKE'S ORCHARD tonight!!
Brewster PTA Welcomes our Families!
Brewster PTA
Fun Run
Thank you to Tiffany Wyzlic and team for an amazing Fun Run!
Blake’s Fall Family Night
We look forward to seeing everyone tonight at Blake’s from 6:30p-9:30p. The event will be $12 at the door.
Committee Chairs Needed
We have a great group of families at Brewster and we need your help! We have the following committee chairs open or in need of a co-chair. Please reach out to BrewsterPTAPresident@gmail.com if you are interested in helping or learning more!
Assembly co-chair
Founders Day
Nominating co-chair
PAC Rep co-chair
Safe Routes
Reflections
VP of Fundraising
We are sad to announce that Rachael has decided to resign as VP of Fundraising as her work schedule has increased. If you are interested in joining the board please let us know. Please send an email to BresterPTAPresident@gmail.com for more information.
Be SMART!
We will have a presentation by our Be SMART committee at our November PTA meeting. Please see the attached flyer for more information.
Adopt-a-Book
Our Adopt-a-Book program is up and running for the year! If you are interested in adopting a book for your child please fill out the form in the Membership Toolkit Store.
Reflections
Please be on the lookout for information about Reflections for this year. The theme for this year is Show Your Voice! We are in need of a committee chair to make this competition go smoothly this year. Please reach out to BrewsterPTAPresident@gmail.com for more information.
District PTA
Please check out the flyers of events from the District PTA.
Membership Toolkit
Membership Toolkit is a website and app used by the Brewster PTA. On Membership Toolkit you can find a Brewster directory, calendar of events, and make secure purchases. You do not need to be a PTA member to use most of the features on Membership Toolkit. To create an account, you need to go the website first. Once you create your account on the website, you can download the app on your mobile device. If you already use Membership Toolkit, please log in to update your student’s information for the new school year. Use this link to create or update your account https://rhillsbrewsterpta.membershiptoolkit.com/
Brewster Facebook Group
The Brewster Facebook group is a great way to connect with Brewster families and learn about upcoming events. If you are a member of the Brewster Facebook group, please send an invite to Brewster families that are not yet members. For the safety of our students, the Brewster Facebook group is private. To join, you need to be a current Brewster family and answer the questions to join the group.
Join the PTA
You can join the PTA by going to the store on the Membership Toolkit app or clicking this link Join the Brewster PTA. By joining the PTA you will have access to the Brewster directory on the Membership Toolkit website and app.
Annual Fundraiser
The Brewster PTA has launched its Annual Fundraiser and a yellow flyer came home with your oldest child at Brewster. Our hope is to pivot from ongoing fundraising activities throughout the year that support Brewster students, teachers and staff, to a one-time donation made by each family at the beginning of the year. To make a donation use this link General PTA Donation or go to the store on Membership Toolkit. While there is no set amount that we are requesting, as we are sensitive to every family’s financial capacity, we hope and suggest the following amounts: $60 per family with one Brewster student or $85 per family with two or more Brewster students.
PTA Board Names and Contact Information
President – Jackie Bieber BrewsterPTAPresident@gmail.com
VP of Fundraising –
VP of Membership – Michelle Endres
Treasurer – Susanna Brennan
Secretary – Grant Kosch
Brewster Reads!
2022-2023 Brewster Reads Program
Starting October 1, we’d like to invite all students to participate in the 2022-2023 Brewster Reads program! Students who choose to participate log 500 minutes of reading during the month and report on the Membership Toolkit app for a monthly prize and entry into a year-end raffle. For more details, please find our introductory letter and minute tracker attached to this newsletter. Questions can be sent to Katie Baron (katie.baron@icloud.com) or Kellie Newman (kellie.newman@mac.com).
District Opportunities
Welcome to a new school year! The Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Parent Network (DEIPN) is excited to continue our work together this year!
Please mark these future meeting dates on your calendar:
Tuesday, October 18
Monday, November 21
Monday, January 23
Monday, February 27
Monday, March 20
Tuesday, April 18
Monday, May 15
MISSION STATEMENT OF DEIPN
Parents who support, encourage, celebrate diversity, and human connections across all boundaries of difference within Rochester Community Schools. We are purposed to make RCS an environment where diversity is authentically included and equally respected in all aspects of the student’s experience. Where all students, especially those who have been historically marginalized, can fairly and equally achieve their full potential to build meaningful productive lives in a global society.
Stay Connected!
Email: kdessy@rochester.k12.mi.us
Website: https://brewster.rochester.k12.mi.us/
Location: 1535 Brewster Road, Rochester Hills, MI, USA
Phone: 248-726-3300
Twitter: @BrewsterRCS