Wolves Newsletter

Focus on Fitness ... Good for our Bodies ... Good for our Brains!

First Day of School: Tuesday, September 3, 2024

Welcome to the 2024 - 2025 School Year!

As I plan for the school year, I want to continually create and imagine a school that students thoroughly enjoy coming to each day. We strive to prepare all students for their dreams for their future, not my dreams for them, but their own individual dreams. While we have a lot of fun, and value fun, there is a history of strong academic growth at Park Brook and I am intentional with all that we do to be a school with strong academic growth so that students are prepared for their dreams.

For those new to Park Brook, you will notice that our approach to learning is unique. Not only will students be encouraged to be fully invested in the Focus on Fitness program, they will have opportunities to learn woodworking skills, play the ukulele, join the choir, and much more.

Focus on Fitness is unique to Park Brook Elementary. The purpose is not to create athletes, although some students may thoroughly enjoy participating in sports, but to encourage students to be active to prepare them for their own individual dreams. The research is overwhelming that increasing movement increases academic growth. At Park Brook students will be active throughout the school day; students in grades 3 – 5 will set fitness goals; kinesthetic seating encourages students to use core muscles during instruction; and there are before school, after school and weekend activities for students. I would be remiss if I did not mention that our fitness activities are fun, and having fun is important for learning!

Please feel welcome to stop-in, call, or email at any time.

Sincerely,

Mr. Scott W. Taylor

Principal

Open House

Wednesday, August 28, 2024

4:30 pm – 6:00 pm

Class lists will be posted on the office windows by 2:00 pm on Wednesday, August 28.

Funding for Park Brook Elementary is dependent upon free/reduced cost lunch forms. We kindly request that all families complete a form (including Pre-K), even if your child will not be eating school lunches. Please complete the form in September if there is a possibility you may qualify for free/reduced lunches.

Completing the lunch forms before October 1 will assist Park Brook in providing Title I services; TAG services; additional teachers to reduce instructional group size; and ESP support.

While breakfast and lunch are free for all students in the State of Minnesota, the forms are important for funding purposes.

Students eat breakfast with their class, if they so choose, after the school day begins. Some classes go immediately, and other classes begin the day with a short lesson and then go to the cafeteria. If a student arrives AFTER the class has gone to the cafeteria for breakfast, it is assumed that the parent/guardian has provided breakfast; it is the parent/guardians responsibility to provide breakfast at home if a student is late for school.

Students need to be to school on time in order to participate in all academics and activities that begin at the beginning of the school day.

Summer Hours: 7:30 am – 11:00 am & 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

The office is closed for staff training on

Tuesday, August 13 and the mornings of Monday, August 26 & Tuesday, August 27.

(The office will generally be closed for one-hour during the lunch hour during the summer, but the time varies based upon need. Please call if you need to stop-in at a specific time during the lunch hour.)

Office Hours on Regular School Days: 7:30 am – 4:00 pm

8:30 a.m. - Supervision in front of the school

8:40 a.m. - Students enter the building. (Teachers have learning activities prepared for students during this time in the younger grades, and upper grades go right to breakfast when they enter the building.)

8:50 a.m.- Students considered late to school.

3:20 p.m. - Dismissal

AM Pre-K 8:50 AM - 11:20 AM; PM Pre-K 12:50 PM - 3:20 PM

(Parents/guardians of Pre-K students need to wait with their child until 8:40 a.m., or 12:50 p.m.)

Please Note: There is no supervision before 8:30 AM, or after 3:30 PM.

Students are welcome to use the school playgrounds after school, however students MUST go home first and are welcome to come back and play (unsupervised by school staff), UNLESS a parent/guardian is with their own children before/after school.

Please call the school office if your child is out ill, or for some other excused reason. If the office does not hear from an adult, the absence will be considered unexcused.

If out ill:

• Students can return to school if they are fever free, no vomiting, and no diarrhea for 24 hours WITHOUT medication.

When students are late for school they miss a portion of their learning. Students learn best when they enter the school with their classmates on time.

Children are expected to be clean, neat, and dressed appropriately for the school day. Clothing must not interfere with the educational process and must comply with requirements for health and safety.

Parents, please monitor your child’s choice of dress by adhering to the following guidelines:

• Shirts must cover the entire midsection, have no language or illustrations that are offensive, nor have “spaghetti straps”. Straps should be at least 1.5” wide.
• Shorts/skirts must come to the bottom of the fingertips when the student is standing.
• Jackets and coats may not be worn during the school day.
• Hats, caps, or headwear (including hoods) are not allowed, except during school-sponsored events and/or for religious, or medical reasons, with the principal’s approval.
• Pants must be at a length so that the student will not trip on them and fit so that the student can run during recess and physical education without having to hold their pants with their hands. No undergarments should be showing.

Park Brook Elementary does not have a supply of clothing for students dressed inappropriately or for use during physical education or recess.

Please click on the Park Brook Webpage link below.

• On the Park Brook Website, click on the blue rectangle, Full Calendar, to view the calendar for the entire year.
• The 'blue dots' are the upcoming events.

1. Be in school and on time every day.
2. Read - Please have your child read every day, or you can read to your child.
3. Exercise - Get 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity (play time) every day.
4. Eat - Eat together as a family without the television or cell phones.
5. Sleep - Elementary age students need 9 - 11 hours of sleep every day.
6. Technology - Monitor and Limit
7. Practice Math Facts

• 1st grade - addition facts
• 2nd grade - subtraction facts
• 3rd grade - addition and subtraction facts (September - January), multiplication facts (February - June)
• 4th and 5th grades - multiplication facts (Students who get over 100 problems correct on the 3-minute timed test for three (3) months in a row move to division facts.)
• Each month students will take a three-minute timed test for the purpose of increasing speed with the math facts.

You will note that homework is not necessarily mentioned above. Homework is not the most effective method for increasing academic growth. Reading, eating together, and playing are all things that will hopefully be enjoyable for your family to do together, which increases academic growth.

(Click on Math Facts below for more information.)

Monday, October 7, 2024

Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

Thursday, February 6, 2025

Monday, February 10, 2025

Prior to conferences, a form will be sent home for you to indicate all times that work for your family. A specific time will be scheduled for you to meet with your child's teacher. Interpreters will be scheduled for all families who request an interpreter.

Conferences will be held in October to give parents/guardians an opportunity to visit with their child’s teacher, share information with their child’s teacher, and for teachers to share with parents and guardians.

Conversations will include hopes-and-dreams for the school year; math, reading and fitness goals; and interventions to meet and exceed goals.

A sign-up sheet will be sent home with your students in September. Please complete the form and return to school by the date on the form. A confirmation will then be sent home with a specific date and time for your family.

Students in grades K - 3 will be issued an iPad, and students in grades 4 and 5 will be issued a Chromebook. These devices are remain at school unless there is a specific school-related assignment to complete. Families are responsible for replacement/repair of technology when students take the devices home.

At Park Brook we encourage families to monitor and limit technology. 'Drama' occurs on social media which is not beneficial for students, or anyone. The article, blue rectangle below, explains some of the dangers with social media.

This article is not written by Park Brook Staff. It is provided strictly as a resource for parents.

There is considerable research that increasing movement and fitness increases academic growth and positive behaviors. Students at Park Brook are active and there are additional opportunities beyond the school day for students to be active.

• Brain Boosts - Students will participate in Brain Boosts throughout the day. Brain Boosts are movement breaks designed to assist students with engagement in academics.
• After School Activities - There are additional activities that are offered throughout the year, such as Boot Camp. Flyers will be sent home and also advertised on the Park Brook Website.
• Weekend Events - There are several weekend events that students are welcome to participate in to increase movement and simply enjoy with school mates.
• For weekend events a $5 commitment for each student is required. This commitment fee is because the events are not on school days and are optional. All students receive their commitment fee back if they show up for the event, or they let the office know by noon on the Friday before the event that they are not able to attend. The commitment fee has helped us have an accurate count of students attending, which reduces costs. Students who simply do not show up do not receive the commitment fee back.

(Click on 'Focus on Fitness' for more information.)

Individual growth is most important. Students in grades 3 - 5 will set individual goals for themselves. The Focus on Fitness Initiative is emphasized because of the strong correlation to academic growth and positive behaviors.

(Pacer Test is the center column, below.)

Kinesthetic seating, such as stability balls and Hokki Stools, that require core muscle use during instruction are standard seating at Park Brook. According to Dr. John Ratey of Harvard University, there is a 10% increase in focus when using kinesthetic seating.

Students need to come to school prepared to go outside and enjoy time playing during recess.

• Students go outside every day unless the weather is colder than -5 degrees, or it is raining.
• Please label your children's belongings with their name or initials so that their items can easily be returned if they are misplaced.
• Parents are not permitted to be on the playground during recess.
• Recess staff know the students, but they do not know parents/guardians of students. For this reason, parents/guardians are not permitted to just join the students on the playground.

ParentVUE is an online system where parents can update contact information, view report cards, check attendance, and so on.

Report cards are online only.

It is essential that you have your current phone number and email address on file in the school office. If there are any changes, please update in ParentVUE or call the school office.

Students are not allowed to access their cell phones or smart watches during the school day.

Students are not permitted to use their cell phones to take pictures during the school day, this eliminates pictures of other students being posted to social media, sent to others, and so on.

If a phone or smart watch is an issue, personal devices may be confiscated and will need to be picked up by a parent at the end of the day.

If a parent needs to contact their child, please call the school office at 763-561-6870 and messages will be delivered to your child. Communication as to how students go home needs to be between adults-at-home and adults-at-school.

Park Brook Elementary, ISD 279 and staff members are not responsible for lost or damaged cell phones.

Medications can only be administered at school if there is a prescription from the doctor, signed permission from parent/guardian, and the medication is in the original bottle with the prescription on the bottle.

If your child takes medications at home, it is important to have a list of those medications on file in the health office if there should be a medical emergency.

If your child has been ill, they must be fever free, no vomiting, and no diarrhea for 24 hours WITHOUT medication. Medications reduce the symptoms of an illness.

Students MUST be 24-hours fever-free, without medication, to be in school. Medication to bring down a fever only reduces symptoms, but the individual is still sick and possibly contagious. This guideline was in place prior to COVID.

Boot Camp

Students in Grades 1 – 5 - Begins Monday, September 9

Boot Camp will be held after school the first few weeks of school on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:20 pm– 4:15 pm. The purpose of this after school activity is to increase fitness and movement as we begin the school year. In addition, students can enjoy time with other students. The Boot Camp consists of a lot of movement activities; students should be prepared to have fun and move!

Students who are enrolled in school the first week of school need to register by Friday, September 6 to participate. Registration information will be available at Open House.

Girls on the Run

Girls in Grades 3 – 5 – Begins Tuesday, September 10

Girls in grades 3-5 are encouraged to register for this fun after-school program, which includes running, but is also designed to develop leadership skills. Space is limited for this program.

Girls who register need to commit to being at the meetings every Tuesday and Thursday through early November. GOTR culminates with a 5K that the girls are welcome to run.

Registration information is available on the Park Brook Website, by clicking here, or you can complete registration at Open House. Space is limited.

Twin Cities 5K

Students in Grades 1 - 5 – Saturday, October 5

The Twin Cities 5K is held in St. Paul beginning at the Minnesota State Capital. Students will ride a bus from Park Brook to the Twin Cities 5K. Parents/guardians are welcome to ride the bus and come cheer on the students from the starting and finish lines, but they are not required to come.

Registration information will be available at Open House. For weekend events, a $5 commitment fee is required which is returned to all students who participate and students who let the office know by noon the day before the event if they are not able to come; we need to have an accurate count of students who are participating in events outside of the school day.

Birthdays are a special time for students. At Park Brook we recognize birthdays, unless a parent or guardian indicates that we should not. However, students do not bring birthday treats to school on their birthday at Park Brook.

(Click on picture for more information.)

Please label your child's belongings. Lost & Found is usually overflowing with items that are not labeled with student names. If an item is labeled, we do not place it in Lost & Found, but rather return it to the student.

Several times a year unclaimed items are donated to a local charity.

PTO meets once a month. The dates are on the calendar on the website. All parents/guardians are welcome to come!

Parents/guardians are welcome to bring their children. Children will have options for coloring, Legos, and other things that they can choose to do while parents/guardians are meeting.

Each month a different staff member will share a few items, to both inform and be a discussion starter. Mr. Taylor shares a few items regarding the school, as well.

PTO is a place for parents to connect, learn about the school, and provide input.

The first meeting is during the Pre-K/Kindergarten/New Family Dinner on September 7. All parents who want to be a part of PTO are more than welcome to come.

Families New to Park Brook, and all Pre-K and Kindergarten Families

Tuesday, September 17, 2023

5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

Families are welcome and encouraged to join us for dinner and conversation.

· Families and staff will enjoy time together eating dinner.

· Following dinner, students will go to the gym for activities.

· Parents/guardians will spend time together visiting about Park Brook, discuss questions families have, and a time for everyone to get to know each other.

Late summer, families will be completing back-to-school forms online via ParentVUE. Forms that will be a part of this process will include emergency cards, family contact information updates and photo releases. Even though this process is not occurring until later this summer, there are steps you can take now to prepare.

In order to participate in this process, parents/caregivers need to engage with the ParentVUE application. This is accessible by clicking Family Access toward the top right of any district or school website. If you haven’t activated your ParentVUE account, please call Amy Titus at school at 763-561-6870 between 7:30 am and 4:00 pm.

ParentVUE holds a variety of student information, including grades, progress reports and transportation assignments. Students use a similar application called StudentVUE.

For additional assistance, please reach out to Amy at Park Brook, help@district279.org or the district’s help desk at 763-391-7180.

A parent/guardian needs to communicate to the school by note, phone call, email or text if there is a change in how your child will go home from school at the end of the day. Communication needs to be between adults at home and adults at school; please do not ask your child to communicate change in plans after school.

If a student is registered for an after-school program, they are expected to stay unless the school hears from a parent or guardian.

If you need to communicate a change in plans, please let the office know by 2:45 p.m. so we can send a note to your child and their teacher.

There is no supervision of students after 3:30 p.m.

Students and families are welcome to use the playgrounds after school and on weekends, however, students MUST go home after school unless they are directly supervised by a parent/guardian on the playground.

• Pick-up BETWEEN 3:20 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
• Students are NOT permitted to walk across the parking lot without an adult.
• Do not pick up your children or park in the cross walk.
• Students need to enter the car from the curb.
• Do not walk through the bus circle.
• The bus circle is for school busses, day care center vans, and other vehicles hired by the district to transport students to/from school.
• Drivers and walkers must obey school patrols.

Cars must be next to the curb for students to safely enter or exit a car.

DROPPING OFF or PICKING UP: please pull your car to the curb, so your child can enter or exit your vehicle at the curb. Stopping in the middle of the lot to pick-up or drop-off a student is extremely dangerous for your child.

If you are PARKING, please use the diagonal parking spaces. Students should walk on the sidewalk rather than crossing the parking lot.

Students are never permitted to walk across the parking lot without an adult.

• W - We will respect ourselves and others.
• O - Own our actions.
• L - Listen and Learn.
• F - Follow Directions.

• Breakfast and lunch are free for all students at Park Brook Elementary.
• Milk is available for students to purchase if they bring a cold lunch from home.
• All classes go to the cafeteria for breakfast. If students arrive late for school, breakfast is not available after their class has finished breakfast. It is assumed that parents provide breakfast if a student is late for school.
• Students should not bring snacks to supplement the lunch menu. Students are welcome to take additional fruits and vegetables.
• Sharing of food at the lunch table is not allowed.

Park Brook Elementary and ISD 279 are not responsible for toys or electronics that students bring to school. Please supervise what students bring to school. Generally, there is no need for students to bring toys to school. If a student needs to bring a cell phone to school, they need to turn it off and put it in their backpack during the day. If a situation arises where an electronic device or toy is a disruption, the device may be confiscated, and a parent or guardian may be requested to come in to pick it up.

Parents are responsible for reading and understanding the information in the ISD 279 Parent

Handbook. We ask that you read it, not necessarily for agreement, but for understanding. The Park Brook Behavior Expectation Handbook will be sent home, after it is reviewed in the classroom, that we ask you to read and review with your child. We will ask parents to sign that they have received a copy of the handbook.