August Monthly News
BROOKER CREEK ELEMENTARY
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Bobcat Families,
The 2024-2025 school year is well underway. Students have adjusted quite well to our new procedures. Our dismissal car line is concluding around 3:15 and buses are leaving the camps close to the scheduled time. I appreciate all the support and efforts you have made to make this a great start to the year.
Please stay tuned for testing information, as we will be giving the first of three state required tests over the next few weeks, starting for some students on Monday. Testing dates will be shared with families very soon.
This newsletter contains much information, and I ask that you take a moment to read through it. We share information regarding volunteering, book checkout, PTA news, and many other valuable pieces of information including our popular Grandparent's Breakfast scheduled for 9/13.
Lastly, please remember that our Open House takes place tonight, 8/21. We hope you can attend!
Josh Hodges
Walking Dismissal Information
PICTURE DAY IS SEPTEMBER 11TH
Flyers will be going home as it gets closer to the date.
ART NEWS
“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes.
Art is knowing which ones to keep.”
Welcome back to the Art Room BCE Families!
For those of you who are brand new to Brooker Creek, my name is Shannon Livingston and this is my 9th year teaching art at our amazing school and19th in Pinellas County. My husband and I are beginning year three of “empty nesters” with our daughter in her junior year at Rollins College. She’s heading off to London in a couple weeks for her first semester abroad. My “Mom” heart is beating a little faster knowing she’ll be so far away until Christmas. Our other daughter is a 10 year old Sheepadoodle named Lucy….aka “the best dog in the world” as we tell her several times a day.
I have a very exciting year of projects, campus beautification and community art shows planned for our students. Being that I see all of our kids every year from Kindergarten through 5th grade, it is my standing goal to foster a nurturing environment and love of art for your children first and foremost. Drawing, painting, sculpture, clay, digital art and photography are all areas we will be exploring. That being said, aim to have your child wear “art smart” clothes on their art day because they WILL get messy.
**One big school wide unit I have planned this year will revolve around the art and natural beauty of our National Parks. Lessons on landscapes, preservation, wildlife of the parks, digital art park posters and making clay relief picture frames are just a few projects we will be diving into. If your family has visited one of our amazing National Parks I am requesting you email me a photo of your kiddo in the park….bonus points if it’s front of a National Park sign, so we can print it and add it to the handmade picture frame your child will be making during art later this year. If you haven’t yet visited a National Park, any outdoorsy photo of your child will do. My email address is listed below. Be sure to label photo/email with student's name, which park is in the picture, and student grade.
Stay tuned next month for our Artsonia launch. Artsonia is an online gallery that not only lets us share your child’s artwork with friends and relatives far away but also offers a wonderful way to earn funds for the Art Room through customized keepsakes.
Lastly the Art Room is ALWAYS looking for generous donations of the following:
· Black Fine Tip Sharpies (we never have enough)
· “fresh juicy markers” as we describe them. Crayola makes some really beautiful sets with fancy colors like Tropical, Bright, Pastels, Metallics, even cool gel pens. It’s always nice to have a variety of colors other than the basics.
· Art is messy....really messy...We are constantly in need of baby wipes for quick and easy cleanup when time is a factor. Which it always is.
Thanks as always for your generous support not only to the Art Room but to our entire school and staff.
If you are new to Brooker Creek, you will soon realize what a special place this is.
We make a great team!!!
Here’s to a wonderful year,
Mrs. Livingston
Reach out anytime: livingstons@pcsb.org
COUNSELOR'S CORNER
Hello Bobcat Family! My name is Toniann Prillhart, and this is my 18th year at Brooker Creek as your School Counselor! I would like to take this opportunity to welcome new families to our school as well as welcome back our returning families. I have the privilege of being on this campus every day and students know me most through my classroom lessons. Some of the topics I teach throughout the school year are character education, bully prevention, conflict resolution, social skills and career awareness. I have many responsibilities and roles at BCE, but my number one priority is every child feels safe. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about what I do or how I maybe able to help support you and your bobcat(s). Thank you for trusting your child with us and together we can make this school year a bright one!
Sincerely, Mrs. Prillhart (prillhartt@pcsb.org)
MUSIC NOTES
Chorus
Here are two opportunities for the students that love to sing. One takes place during the school day the other option is in the evening.
Brooker Creek Chorus takes place during the school day and is for 4th and 5th grade students. Ignite Youth Choir takes place in the evening and is available for 3rd, 4th and 5th grade.
You can join one or be involved in both. Sign up now, don’t miss the deadlines.
Library Media and Technology News Florida Power Library
Welcome back to school. We have been busy scheduling student media center orientations and students will soon be able to visit the media center and check out books. Please remind your child about the importance of 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.
Teachers have the option to schedule a whole class visit every two weeks. Visits will include a Library Media lesson with book checkouts. 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.
Mark your Calendars!
Scholastic Book Fair will be October 11th – 18th
Reading is vital to every child’s success and raising kids to love reading means getting involved while they’re young. Now is the time. Since there will never be a substitute for a parent’s direct involvement in his/her child’s education, please make plans to visit our Book Fair. We will need volunteers! Please contact Mrs. Gabbert at the Media desk if you can help.
Great Resources to Check Out:
Digital Learning: https://www.pcsb.org/Page/858
The main focus of the office of Digital Learning is to collaborate with district and school-based personnel as a resource to support school libraries, classrooms and curriculum in their transformation from print to digital content. This is great resource!
OverDrive: http://pplc.lib.overdrive.com
With OverDrive, you can borrow and enjoy free eBooks, audiobooks, and more from your public library’s digital collection. All you need to get started is an internet connection and your public library card.
The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.
— Dr. Seuss
Keep Reading!
Mrs. Danielle Gabbert, LMTS
PE NEWS
Welcome back Bobcats! We are so excited to start a new school year! We have some fun things we are doing in PE. The second week of school, we are having our own Olympics. The students will compete in the 50-yard dash, high jump, and long jump. Our top boy and girl from each class will take part in the all-around competition and be awarded medals! The students will take the Fitness Pre-Test during the following weeks. Students will take part in a variety of activities. Our hope is we will see improvement from the beginning to the end of the year!
A couple friendly reminders...students must wear athletic shoes in order to participate in PE. Unfortunately, students can't wear boots, sandals, or Crocs. Also, it is hot!!!! Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately and has a water bottle. We do have a water fountain, but water bottles are highly recommended. We look forward to having another great year in PE at Brooker Creek!
PE Dept.
CAFETERIA CORNER
Parents:
Welcome back parents and students. 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 8:40am 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% Orange 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.
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 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 and water bottle.*
If you need to apply for meal benefits you may use the following link, turn around time for an online application is 24 to 448 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
Brooker Creek Elementary School
Welcome Families to our 2024-2025 school year!
My name is Rachel Kloepfer and I am your Family & Community Liaison.
Phone number: 727-943-4600; Email: Kloepferr@pcsb.org
I look forward to working with you as a returning or new volunteer. All volunteers must be registered or reactivated before volunteering.
Volunteers and community partners make a huge difference throughout the school year. There are many Volunteer Opportunities for you to be involved in.
Returning Volunteers
Please re-activate your volunteer status in the volunteer system.
Please use a desktop computer and go to https://focus.pcsb.org/volunteer
Enter your username and password:
User ID: V. Last name, first initial
Example: V.SmithK
Password: Last name (Only first letter capitalized) followed by the 4-digit birth year
Example: Smith1975
Common last names may have additional characters or symbols as part of the user ID. If you are unsure of your user ID, please contact Rachel.
Brand New Volunteers
Please compete the online volunteer registration form at www.pcsb.org/volunteerregistration. You will need to upload your government issued photo ID. Your application will be processed through the Office of Strategic Partnerships of Pinellas County Schools. You will receive an email approval with a User ID and password. This will be used to update your profile and log your hours.
Volunteer Opportunities
Great American Teach In- Wednesday, November 13th
PTA, Classroom Help, Book Fair, Field Trip Chaperone, Media Center, Lunch Pal Mentor, School Events
SAC APPLICATION
Brooker Creek Elementary School SAC is a team of parents, students, teachers, administrators, support staff, business and community partnerships. As a member of a SAC, you will be instrumental in assisting with the evaluation of the school improvement plan and continuous schoolwide improvements.
Meetings begin at 7:45 and are tentatively scheduled to meet on 8/30, 11/13, 2/12, and 5/8 in the Media Center.
PTA UPDATES
Hello Bobcat Families!
The 2024-2025 PTA Board has been hard at work all summer planning for the upcoming school year. We have a few new faces this year. We would like to thank Morgan Boyd and Marissa Phillips for their commitment and dedication last year and service to the PTA! Now let's meet your new board:
· PTA President: Jen Reyes
· PTA Vice President: Kim Cudzil
· PTA Secretary: Julie Leasure
· PTA Treasurer: Darcy Knez
We are looking forward to a "Roaring Together" with students, teachers, and staff this year. Throughout the year keep your eyes peeled for fun events for students and families! We would like to invite you to stop by the cafeteria during Open House to learn more about PTA and our programs, including All Pro Dads during our general meeting. There will be coffee and snacks to enjoy before moving on to your child’s classroom. If you have any ideas, questions, or concerns, you can reach out to the PTA via our email addresses.
If you are interested in joining the PTA board, but don’t know where to start or don’t want to be in charge, we have some spots still open:
· Membership and Business Sponsor Representative (this can be a work at home position managing Givebacks memberships and business sponsor request)
· Fence Designer (plans, designs, and builds our fence messages that face East Lake Road designs will need to be changed throughout the year around holidays and school events)
· Winter Wonderland Coordinator (plans and prepares for the Wonderland Gift Shoppe, includes being present the week the Gift Shoppe is “in town”)
· Yearbook Contact (helps throughout the year with yearbook preparation and designing)
· Fundraising Committee Members (helps coordinate fundraising efforts for the school)
· Special Event Committee Members (helps plans and execute special events throughout the year including Holiday Movie Night, Great American Teach-In, Staff Appreciation Week, etc.)
· Reflections Contact (coordinates the PTA reflection program/submissions during the Fall semester)
If you are interested in any of these positions, please contact me at presidentbcepta@gmail.com.
Jen Reyes
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.