Bulldogs Newsletter October 2, 2023

Hello Basswood families,

This week we kicked off our annual Fun Run Fundraiser at Basswood. We have partnered with Booster for several years and they always deliver a great event for our students. It is a FUN RUN!!!

At Basswood we do two school fundraisers a year, one that promotes physical heath and another that promotes reading. The Fun Run is done in partnership with Booster and is our biggest fundraiser of the year, bringing in approximately 40 percent of our PTO budget.

What does PTO do with the funds? The general budget for PTO provides a lot of support for our students. The impact of the PTO is significant! Here are a few of the ways Basswood is supported through PTO:

• Reading intervention support
• Extra staff to supervise recess
• Eastman Nature Center lessons for all students
• Funding of special projects like the new basketball court
• Teacher appreciation and support
• Special materials and items to support instruction
• Library materials
• and so much more.

The Fun Run is exciting for our students and it generates funds to support Basswood students. Thank you for your ongoing support of Basswood and your support of the Fun Run!

In partnership,

Steven Schwartz

Basswood Principal

Quick reminder that MyBooster.com is officially open for sign ups for our Basswood Elementary Fun Run! Our goal is to raise $55,000 for PTO budget which helps provide things like the Kindness Retreat, 5th grade celebrations, Outside vendors for student experiences, Teacher Appreciation, And so much more. Follow our social pages for updates on our fundraiser.

Fun Run Schedule

• 10:35-11:35am - 1st and 3rd grade

• 12:15-1:15pm - 4 Star and 2nd grade

• 2:00-3:00pm - 5th grade

Basswood Fall Conferences will be held during the dates/times listed below:

Monday, October 7 7:30am-8:30am and 3:40pm-6:40pm

Wednesday, October 9 7:30am-8:30am and 3:40pm-6:40pm

Monday, October 14 7:30am-8:30am and 3:40pm-6:40pm

Parents will be scheduling conferences through their ParentVUE accounts. Conference scheduling will open on Sunday, September 29, and will close the evening of Sunday, October 6.

Please schedule your conference with your homeroom teacher. If your student is receiving EL services, you can schedule a conference with Mrs. Borman or Ms. Pluzhnik as well as with your child’s homeroom teacher.

If you need an interpreter during your conference, please contact the Basswood office at 763.494.3858 or email at iaconot@district279.org after you have scheduled your conference.

You can log into your ParentVUE account through the Basswood website or at:

https://mn-oas-psv.edupoint.com/PXP2_Login_Parent.aspx?regenerateSessionId=True

If you do not have a ParentVUE account or have forgotten your password, please call the Basswood Office at 763.494.3858 for assistance.

Over the next several months, elementary and middle school attendance boundaries will be reviewed to determine needed changes. These adjustments will reassign the elementary and/or middle school some households are zoned to attend. Our community’s support of Building a Better Future in 2023 is helping to minimize the extent of the changes.

Community involvement matters: There will be multiple ways for staff, students, parents/caregivers and community members to be involved throughout this process. The first opportunity is to share what considerations should be adhered to during the review via this ThoughtExchange. Please note any responses you provide are anonymous and can be completed within minutes. The provided feedback will help the team create draft attendance boundary scenarios. Staff, students, parents/caregivers and community members will then be able to provide feedback on each of the possibilities presented.

Timeline: This first feedback opportunity is open until Oct. 9. Scenarios will be created mid-October through December using the considerations shared. These scenarios will be presented shortly after winter break. Edits may be made based on that feedback, and again presented with the opportunity to share comments. The overall process is expected to wrap up in the spring. The new attendance boundaries will go into effect fall 2026.

Stay tuned: Detailed information will continue to be shared on the district website, district279.org. Any questions or concerns should be directed to BetterFuture@district279.org or 763-391-8990.

• October 4: Fun Run Event!!

• October 7, 9, 14: Conferences
• October 10: Lockdown drill 11am
  
• October 13: PTO Kindness in Chalk
  
• October 14: Picture Day (please note this date changed from 10/3 to 10/14)
  

• 2nd grade: 10:45 - 11:10am
• 4th grade: 11:15 - 11:40am
• 1st grade: 11:45 - 12:10pm
• 3rd grade: 12:15 - 12:40pm
• 5th grade: 12:45 - 1:10pm
• Kindergarten: 1:15 - 1:40pm

First bell rings at 8:40am letting students into the school. Second bell rings at 8:50am letting students know they should be in their classroom ready to start the day! At 8:50am, the front doors are shut and student will need to come through the office to get a late pass.

We welcome and encourage volunteers at Basswood. You can complete an online volunteer form online at apps.raptortech.com/Apply/Nzg0OmVuLVVT and work with our volunteer coordinator, Lezlie Northagen. Volunteer information will go home the first week of school. Activities in a normal school year include being a classroom assistant, helping with classroom parties, helping with PTO sponsored activities (Carnival, Turkey Bingo, Book Fair, etc.) along with numerous other opportunities. We continue to follow state guidelines and adjust our volunteer program accordingly.

Every parent or guardian of enrolled students of Basswood Elementary is an automatic member of the PTO. We encourage you to join one of our next general meetings - or just send us a note if you have a question. You can find more information on our PTO website: https://sites.google.com/view/basswoodpto/home?authuser=1 or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BasswoodElementaryPto

Yes! You will be able to follow us on Facebook. Our first posts went live on September 5th. Please note that we are moving away from Twitter (@BWPrincipal279) for Basswood social media. Click here below to follow us.

The District Transportation department only allows students to ride their assigned bus to and from school. If you have questions, you can reach out to the Transportation Department at 763-391-7244 or transportationreques@district279.org.

If you are planning a family vacation or just time away from school, please remember to call your student's absence into the attendance line. You can call 763-494-3858 and press 1 to leave a message with your student's name, student's teacher, reason for absence, and dates that your student will be gone. We really appreciate your assistance!

Our district Community Education department offers a variety of after school classes. If you do sign your student up for one of these classes, please remember to let your student's teacher know about the class and when your student needs to stay after school.