October Monthly News
BROOKER CREEK ELEMENTARY
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Bobcat Families,
It seems like the storm that ravaged the country took place much longer than only one week ago. The chaos and destruction that has taken place since that storm continues to disrupt lives throughout the southeast. Locally, some schools sustained massive amounts damage, requiring a change in schedules and daily lives. A plan for the schools' recovery is in place and we hope that those students can return to their schools as soon as possible. Even more close to BCE, we have four employees that were directly impacted at various levels- from two cars being lost to a downstairs level of a home being completely destroyed along with appliances. This recovery is very real to our community. As such, our students are wanting to assist with the overall recovery, in some capacity. The NEHS and SAVE Club are going to collect donated items and they are asking for your support. More information, such as a list of useful items, can be found below, and collection will begin on Monday, October 7.
As you read through the newsletter, be sure to capture the dates found in PTA's piece. We'll be holding a drive through Trunk or Treat as well as a Math Night during October. A book fair is scheduled for October 11-18. As you'll see, several events as scheduled to take place, and we'll need the help of volunteers! Speaking of our PTA, the STEM garden is about 95% complete. This garden was designed with students needing sensory development in mind. We also included a worm box because what kid doesn't like worms? I am grateful to PTA member, Kim Cudzil, for leading this effort and the dedicated people she had helping her to complete this project. This school would not what it is today without the help and time spent by our dedicated PTA members.
Finally, we have again teamed up with Calvary Church in their "Pack A Snack" effort. This program collects and sends food home directly with students in need, many of which reside in the East Lake community. After Helene, the needs have grown. The items in need are listed in the picture below. These items were chosen because students take the food home, and it must be packed in a manner that allows the students to carry it. This collection will begin the night of our Trunk or Treat, October 24.
Thank you again for supporting our school. Go Bobcats!
ART NEWS
The first county art show is in the books. Congratulations to our 10 BCE artists who joined us at The Administration Building in Largo for the 22nd annual All County K-12 Student Art Show. Check out a few of the photo highlights below. Thank you also to Mr. Hodges for joining in the fun.
Participating artists were:
Evan Prillhart
Hannah Bailey
Giselle Jallo
Allyson Tarver
Joseph Boylan
Donald Mandeville
Avery Trueblood
Adalyn Whitcher
Madison McCoy
Daniel Markut
5th graders have just completed their Pinellas County Tax Collectors Tag Art and those masterpieces will be released to parents sometime within the next month directly from the Tag Office. Be on the lookout parents for that email.
Our Artsonia online student gallery is officially up and running. Please check your emails and sign the parent permission slip electronically to gain access to your students on going creative portfolio. With the holidays quickly approaching, Artsonia makes it easy for you also to purchase memorable keepsakes and cards spotlighting your child’s artwork. 20% of all proceeds come directly back to the Brooker Creek Art Department.
As always, feel free to reach out with any art questions.
~Mrs. Livingston
BCE ART
COUNSELOR'S CORNER
Student of the Month
It is once again Mrs. Miller’s pleasure to nominate a most deserving fifth grader as our Rotary Club of East Lake Sunrise Student of the Month, and that honor goes to Dominic Marzo.
Dominic consistently demonstrates our PCS Commitment to Character traits and follows our R.O.A.R.S. behavior guidelines for success each day at school. He shows tremendous responsibility in working with PreK students as a Safety Patrol in Mrs. St. Onge/Vargas’ PreK classroom and is always willing to lend a hand whenever and wherever it is needed. One can always find him holding the door open for others, being polite and respectful to everyone, and Dominic is exceptional when it comes to listening and following directions. He is such a wonderful role model to his peers, and always strives to do his very best. He participates in Art Club here on campus and is an avid reader.
Outside of school, besides reading, Dominic enjoys visiting the local library, and learning about the history of surrounding towns. He has a great sense of humor and brings joy to everyone he is around.
Congratulations Dominic! You are truly a Bobcat that ROARS!
Prestigious Paws for Citizenship
Student Name **** Teacher
Navy Houllis **** Ms. Ibrahim/Ms.Ortega
Giovanni Salierno **** Ms. Henin/Ms.Keiderling
Paisleigh Blue **** Ms. Farah/Ms. Taylor
Jasmine Perissien **** Ms.Renee/Ms.Vargas
Dominic Stolar **** Mrs. Bailey
Kai Strom **** Mrs. Crim
Katrina Weskerna **** Ms.Mangano
Jackson Gilpin **** Mrs. Newsome
Hazel Findlay **** Mrs. Mieras
Nolan Smith **** Mrs. Schwabe
Sasha Brzoska **** Mrs. Smekal
Audrey Gough **** Mrs. TenBieg
Hank Mainor **** Ms. McSunas
Jeremiah Barnes **** Mrs. Price
Sofia Gonzalez **** Mrs. Read
Mara Hull **** Mrs. Skryd
Harper Nguyen **** Mrs. Fox
Augustine Catalano **** Mrs. Borkowski
Benny Yohe **** Ms. McMullen
Jacob McCullough **** Mrs. Vinyard
Liam Eisele **** Ms. Browne
Ellie Ulrich **** Mrs. Ficca
Wyatt Wells **** Mrs. Hite
Tessa Brown **** Mrs. Schuler
George Carter **** Mrs. Hickman
Trevor Anderson **** Mrs. Miller
Riley Orth **** Mr. Rademacher
Madilyn Andrews **** Ms. Smith
Kane Collins **** Mrs. Livingston
Aaron Dodge **** Mr. Ross
Alek Aboul-hosn **** PE Department
Ellie Rebmann **** Ms. Iannello
Logan Medina **** Ms. Putnam
Library Media and Technology News Florida Power Library
Happy October! Teachers have a scheduled class visit every two weeks. Visits will include a Library Media lesson with book checkouts. This month I will be partnering up with Mrs. Prillhart, our school counselor to focus on Digital Responsibility lessons.
· K- Media Balance is Important
· 1st- Digital Footprint and Identity
· 2nd- We, the Digital Citizens
· 3rd- The Power of Words
· 4th – Super Digital Citizen
· 5th -Is it Cyberbullying
If you would like to learn more about these lessons and how to prepare your student for a connected world, visit Common Sense Media at https://www.commonsensemedia.org/.
All students may borrow two or three books (depending on grade level) and keep them for two weeks. Books must be returned in good shape by their due date. If you would like to help your student pick out books, you may easily access our school’s catalog at https://destiny.pcsb.org/ then click on Brooker Creek, then the catalog tab. Please note that you can use this link for any Pinellas County school.
Non-scheduled student Visits: Students may visit the media center K-5th for quick check-ins and check-outs between their scheduled media visits.
· M-F 8:30-8:40am (before school)
· Small groups during the school day- if sent by classroom teacher.
o K-2 (2-3 students group)
o 3-5 (2-5 students group)
Please remind your child about checking out a “Just Right Book” to increase their reading enjoyment and take time to share their books with them. By sitting together looking at the pictures, reading the captions and talking about the story you are modeling good reading habits that will last your child a lifetime. Our Media Center is open to all students, staff, and parents who wish to check out books or use any of our many resources
The Brooker Creek Elementary Book Fair will be held Friday, October 11th through Friday October 18th. Our hours this year will be 9am – 3:30 pm. Family night will be on Wednesday, October 16th 5:30-7:00pm to coincide with our PTA sponsored Math Night. The Book Fair will also be available online with 24/7 access for any families or friends who can’t attend. Online shopping can be accessed starting Friday September 20th at: http://www.scholastic.com/bf/brookercreekelemschool.
We would love to have the support of our BCE volunteers again this year!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0845AAA629A2F58-51463174-bcefall
Danielle Gabbert, Library Media Technology Specialist
The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn,
the more places you’ll go.
— Dr. Seuss
PE NEWS
Hello Bobcats! We are moving into Fall, even though it doesn't feel like it outside! We will be finishing up our first rotation mid month and will have a week long activity, the kids favorite activity...Steal the Sticks! Hope everyone has a spooktacular month:-)
PE Dept.
HELP FOR HELENE!
Beginning on Monday, October 7th, Brooker Creek SAVE club along with NEHS will be collecting donations to assist with hurricane relief efforts in our area. There will be bins placed in the lobby of each grade level as well as in the front office for item collection.
Below is a list of suggested items that can be donated:
· Toothbrushes/toothpaste
· Toilet paper
· Soap
· Shampoo/conditioner
· Deodorant
· Diapers
· Baby wipes
· Bug Spray
· Band-aids
· Hand sanitizer
· Cleaning supplies
· 30+ gallon trash bags
· Rubber gloves
· Batteries
· Pet food
We thank you in advance for your caring and generosity in helping those in need!
Mrs. Miller and Ms. Smith
CAFETERIA
Parents:
Did you know that all students at Brooker Creek Elementary and Schools in Pinellas County receive Free Breakfast every morning? Brooker Creek’s breakfast runs from 8:15 am to 8:45am daily.
We offer a wide variety of items from Hot to Cold.
Sample of Cold Items,
· A variety of Whole Grain Cereals,
· Nutri Grain bars,
· Whole Grain Blue Berry Muffins,
· Whole Grain Cocoa Cherry bars
· Whole Wheat Cinnamon toast
Sample of Hot Items, all breads are made with Whole Grains
· Sausage Biscuit
· Bacon Egg and Cheese Pizza
· Mini Pancakes
· Egg and Cheese Croissant
· Chicken Biscuit
We also offer 100% juice and low-fat Milk as well as a wide variety of fruits.
Lunch reminders:
Lunch cost $2.25 a day, there are several ways you can add funds to your child’s lunch account:
· Send in Cash, place in an envelope and write your child’s name and their teachers name on the outside and send it in to their teacher.
· Send in a Check, you may write out a check (payable to Brooker Creek Café), if you have multiple students then one check will do, just indicate on the memo line that you want it divided up and we will do the rest.
· My School Bucks get the app on Google play or the App Store, to set up your student you will need their 10-digit student id number. Once your child is set up you may add any amount to the account as you like. The app will also let you set up alerts so that you know when funds are getting low.
National School Lunch week will be the week of 10/14 – 10 18, please support you school café and encourage your child to have a school lunch. Note: for the month of October School Lunch is free.
Please note a change in ice cream pricing, ice cream starts at 1.00 and goes up to 1.50, students may prepay for ice cream any day of the week or bring their money in on Friday.
Please label your students jackets, water bottles and sweaters with the student’s name and their teacher’s name. This allows us to get the clothes back to you. It is also helpful if you label your students lunch box.
If you need to apply for meal benefits you may use the following link, turn around time for an online application is 24 to 48 hours.
If you have any questions, please call or email the Cafeteria at 727-943-4027 or jamessh@pcsb.org
Thank you
Shane James
Manager, Brooker Creek El Café
VOLUNTEER VIEWS
Hello Families!
Great American Teach-In is right around the corner, scheduled for Wednesday November 13, 2024, from 9:00-2:15.
The Great American Teach-In provides an opportunity for parents and members of the community to come in and speak with students about their occupations, hobbies, or areas of interest. Although the focus of the Great American Teach-in is to give students information on a variety of careers, we also encourage volunteers to speak about hobbies, areas of interest, organize an activity, read a story or teach a class. Speakers can choose the class they would like to visit and the amount of time they wish to speak for, from one hour to an entire school day.
If you wish to speak in only in your child's class, a sign-up sheet was sent home with the students. Please return these to the teacher so we can get you on the schedule. If you want to speak in multiple classes, please scan the QR code on the flyer below and fill out the Microsoft forms document. We look forward to an exciting day learning about your careers, interests, and hobbies!
PTA UPDATES
Happy October BCE Bobcat Families!
As we focus on community this year, the BCE PTA would like to take a few moments to say how thankful we are that our school and most families survived Hurricane Helene. Our school was fortunate to have very little damage, however, other schools in our district and neighboring counties were not so lucky. At this time, we are discussing options to support other PTAs and school communities in Pinellas. Some PTAs such as Cypress Woods and Ozona Elementary are working to provide relief to families and friends. We are told the district will take care of any supplies the kids need at the schools that were affected. We will keep you posted of any hurricane relief efforts we are able to patriciate in and what is needed. In the meantime, if you wish to support the other PTAs in their established efforts, feel free to reach out and I can direct you to their contact information.
Back at the Creek, we have a big month ahead of us:
· Join us at Astro Skate on 10/10 for our first Family Skate Night! Tickets are $13 dollars and include skates, pizza, and a soda! Come join us from 6-8pm at Astro Stake in Tarpon Springs!
· Math Family Night (in conjunction with the Book Fair) will take place 10/16 from 5:30-7pm. Mrs. Gerber will provide a brief overview of math curriculums across the school and our business sponsor, Mathnasium, is coming to host fun math games for all ages to play. Then, of course, head to the book fair to buy a book or two for yourself or your teacher. Snacks and drinks will be available for purchase. A flyer with details to follow soon!
· Our annual Trunk or Treat celebration will occur on 10/24 from 5:00-6:30pm. Remember to come dressed in your costume and bring a snack to help support Calvary’s Pack a Snack program where food collected is going home with children in need at local public schools. You can also bring a canned food item to donate to local food pantries in Pinellas.
A final sponsor shout out this week: Thank you to Keystone Property Maintenance for providing us with plants for our STEM Garden. Plants are in and worms are almost ready, stop by the garden to check it out!
As we jump into October, November, and December, please keep in mind we will have several volunteering needs. Get your pencils and planners out and save the date to help with math night, Great American Teach In, holiday gift shop (we will have needs for set-up, take down, and helping classes buy holiday goodies), as well as at our holiday movie night. Sign-ups to follow:
· 11/13 GATI
· 11/22 Holiday Gift Shop set up
· 12/2-12/6 Holiday Gift Shop
· 12/6 Holiday movie night
· 12/9 Holiday Gift Shop take down
Without the support of our families, many of these events would not be possible. We hope you find some time to volunteer and thank you for your continued support.
Report Student Absence
Elementary School Wellness Guidelines
While we know that students and families enjoy providing treats to students, particularly on birthdays, there are strict rules and guidelines provided for the elementary student consumption of food items. We try to use our best discretion for these situations. The link provided below will take you to the district website outlining the guidelines, but we have included a graphic below. Items such as candy, cupcakes, and donuts do not meet the guidelines and we ask that you please do not provide them as the office staff will remind individuals of the guidelines and the food items will be returned to the adult delivering them. The link and graphic provided list options that are acceptable, and we ask that you make allowable selections when needed. Thank you for understanding.