Brookside Elementary news & events
It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating Thanksgiving and now the holiday season is upon us; where does the time go?
Mother Nature has been so gracious to bless us with snow right before break; the students are so excited! It’s fun watching the students play in the snow; there is something so innocent about it.
We would like to thank all the families for their support in making sure your child is equipped with the appropriate winter apparel for recess. It is reassuring to know that they will be kept warm and dry when enjoying the outdoor recreation.
We also hope this upcoming holiday break provides you and your family the opportunity to relax and enjoy each other. We want to thank you for sharing your greatest gift with us, your child. We are very proud of the education we provide at Brookside Elementary and hope you and your child share the feeling as well.
Happy Holidays.
Progress Reports - We want to congratulate our students and teachers on a successful first trimester of this school year. Progress reports were available to families on December 6th through ParentVue.
This is a wonderful time to engage in conversation with our child about school. Here are some suggestions to help begin the conversation:
Which grade are you most proud of and why?
What is one area that you could improve on during the second trimester?
Which subject could you put more effort towards?
How can we support you in a certain subject, so that you are able to do your very best?
Which subject is the most interesting to you & why?
A simple conversation about a child's progress report is a perfect example of parental involvement. It shows that we, as parents, are interested in our children, their progress in school, and their ability to achieve their highest potential.
Remember this, it is all about growth and improvement. Each child is different, and so our expectations for each student must fit with each individual. We encourage parents to use the progress report as a way to encourage and motivate students to do the very best they can each day.
Parent pick up and drop off reminders - With winter break right around the corner, it is a good time to review adult expectations for parent pick up and drop off. It is important we all follow these expectations to allow for a safe transfer of students and a smooth flow of traffic.
Dropping Off
Pull all the way to the front of the drop off line to allow us to unload as many students as we can safely and quickly.
When dropping off your child, please make sure you are dropping off curbside. If you are unable to do this, please park and walk your child across the street. We never want a student getting out of a car into oncoming traffic.
Please make sure your child has shut the door and you see your child pass before pulling away from the curb.
Cars in the left lane please let cars from the pick-up line zipper merge.
Picking Up
Pull all the way to the front of the pick up line to allow us to load as many students as we can safely and quickly.
Encourage your child to wait for the sign to turn to green before coming to the car.
If you've let staff know your child's name and they are not yet outside, pull up when the line moves.
When picking up your child, please make sure you are picking up curbside. If you are unable to do this, please park and walk your child across the street. We never want a student getting into a car into oncoming traffic.
Please make sure your child has shut the door before pulling away from the curb.
Cars in the left lane please let cars from the pick-up line zipper merge.
Parents picking up their child in person at the end of the day, please remember to stand behind the cone by door #1 to allow students access to the crosswalk.
Crosswalk users please group together to cross the street instead of stopping traffic individually; this helps with the flow of traffic.
Lastly, if your child needs assistance buckling in, please consider parking your car and picking your child up in person to help keep the traffic flowing. Thank you.
Winter recess guidelines - Recess will be held indoors only if the temperature is below 0 or -10 degrees wind chill. These same temperatures are used to determine if students are to wait outside before the morning bell rings. If the temperature is above zero, even just 2 degrees, students are expected to be outside. It is critical for all students to dress appropriately, and to be dropped off as close to 9:15 am as possible. Please remember that adult supervision starts at 9:10am.
Lost and Found - Our lost and found at Brookside is growing so fast we are running out of storage. To fix the problem, we will be making a change starting the month of January, 2025. At the end of every month, any items left at lost and found will either be repurposed and used in our grade level borrow bins or donated to a local charity.
We will send out a reminder the 3rd week of every month to remind families to check lost and found before items are donated or repurposed.
Specialty and magnet school options provide family choice in Anoka-Hennepin
Anoka-Hennepin Schools offers 12 schools that provide in-demand educational options such as the arts; science, technology, math, engineering and biomedical sciences (STEM/STEAM), as well as International Baccalaureate (IB).
Specialty and magnet school options are available to all students at no additional cost, designed to provide family choice. Students who live within the Anoka-Hennepin boundaries are eligible to apply to any of the specialty or magnet schools. The magnet schools belong to Northwest Suburban Integration School District (NWSISD) which provides transportation. Students may join the specialty programs using an in-district transfer process without transportation.
Six sites offer specialty programs, which students can access via in-district transfer; and six sites are magnet schools, available choices for families through the NWSISD. View the full article to learn more about Specialty and Magnet School options available to all families in Anoka-Hennepin Schools.
The specialty and magnet schools are hosting information nights/open houses for parents to learn more about the programs offered. These events range from November - mid January. For specific open house dates and more information on each of the specialty and magnet schools and the application/enrollment process, visit ahschools.us/specialtymagnet.
School Board action addresses $26 million budget gap for 2025-26 school year
The Anoka-Hennepin School Board endorsed a $26 million budget reduction and reallocation plan at its November 25 meeting, a decision that completes a process that unfolded over the past several months and allows planning for the 2025-26 school year to remain on schedule.
A number of factors converged in early 2024 that led to the need to reduce district expenditures. Read about the impact to Anoka-Hennepin Schools.
FEATURED CLASS- 01/24: Braille for Beginners
Hello from Community Education! We are looking forward to our upcoming classes and would love to see your student enrolled. Register now to ensure a spot for one of our many activities including:
01/21: Bricktopia Catapult's
01/22: Craft Club
01/24: Braille for Beginners
01/30: Art Memes
For even more classes and opportunities: All Current Youth Community Education Classes
Questions about Community Ed?
Please contact Tricia Josephs at tricia.josephs@ahschools.us or 763-433-5212
Need help with online registration?
Please contact Erinn Gardiner at 763-506-5144
*Financial assistance available if needed, please call to inquire