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The Badger Bulletin
Brandywine Elementary Monthly Newsletter
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Message from Mrs.Tremps
Dear Brandywine Community,
As we enter the final quarter of the 2023-2024 school year, I want to take a moment to reflect on the incredible journey we've had so far. It has been a year of growth, learning, and community building. Our teachers have worked tirelessly to create engaging learning experiences for your students, and we are proud of the safe, connected, and thriving environment we have built together.
I want to express my gratitude to our families for their continued support and partnership. Your involvement is essential to our success, and we are grateful for the trust you place in us.
Looking forward to the 2024-2025 school year, we are anticipating some changes due to redistricting. We have unfortunately lost some students and staff members as a result, and we are projecting an enrollment of 976 students. Despite these changes, we remain committed to providing a high-quality education for your children.
As we plan for class placements, please know that if you would like to give input towards your child’s teacher for next year, you will need to send in a letter addressed to me by May 3rd. We do not accept specific teacher names but do want to know if a sibling had a specific teacher. The best feedback we need is about your student’s personality, disposition, and needs. You can also describe the characteristics of an ideal teacher for your child based on that information.
Many of our students experience "Spring Fever," and we have noticed an increase in behavior referrals. Please continue to have conversations with your students about appropriate behaviors. See below for some tips and suggestions:
- Maintain Routine: Try to keep a consistent daily routine, including regular bedtimes and mealtimes. Predictability can help children feel more secure and less anxious, which can reduce behavior issues.
- Outdoor Time: Encourage outdoor play and physical activity. Fresh air and exercise can help children release pent-up energy and improve mood.
- Limit Screen Time: Reduce the amount of time your child spends on screens, especially before bedtime. Screen time can interfere with sleep and exacerbate restlessness. I especially want to request that you please limit or eliminate access to technology and apps meant for older children. Elementary school-aged students should not be on social media as they are not developmentally ready for it. We find that many of our behavior referrals are linked to premature exposure to social media and unsupervised access to YouTube and similar applications.
- Healthy Diet: Ensure your child is eating a balanced diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Avoid excessive sugary snacks and drinks, as they can lead to energy spikes and crashes.
- Mindfulness Activities: Teach your child simple mindfulness techniques, such as deep breathing or focusing on the present moment. These practices can help them manage stress and improve self-regulation.
- Set Limits: Establish clear and consistent rules and consequences. Be firm but fair and follow through with consequences when necessary.
- Seek Help if Needed: If your child's behavior is significantly impacting their well-being or daily functioning, consider seeking advice from a mental health professional or counselor.
We are excited to offer several family engagement opportunities this Spring, including:
- Spring Fling @ Denmark HS – Friday, April 12th
- Forsyth Community Clinic and The Place of Forsyth Mobile Pantry – Saturday, April 27th 10am
Upcoming Events in April
- April 12 Spring Fling at Denmark High School 5-7 PM
- April 17 FoCAL Art Show at FoCAL center
- April 25 DLI Showcase Night 5-7 PM in the Brandywine Cafe
- April 22- May 3 Georgia Milestones (Grades 3-5) see calendar above
- April 29 Chorus Concert and Recorder Performance 5 PM in the Brandywine Cafe
From the PTO
We are having so much fun spoiling our teachers this month for Teacher Appreciation. Keep sending in the treats to let them know how much they are loved!!
Want to help plan awesome events like Father/Daughter Dance and Heritage Night? Then you want to be a PTO board member. Look for more information on how to be nominated shortly!!
Want to get involved with more events at Brandywine?
JOIN the PTO!!!
Go to https://brandywinepto.membershiptoolkit.com/ to learn more!!
Counselor's Corner
Hi Badger Families,
Happy April! Yes, that’s correct, it’s almost MAY a.k.a. the end of the school year is closer than ever! How can it be?! This year has flown by, and we know everyone is looking forward to a long summer break.
Before summer break, however, we have some important things on the schedule:
(1) End of the year testing begins soon and will go into the first part of May. During this time, you might see your student experience some nerves and/or anxiety around coming to school. As parents and guardians, you can assist in setting the tone for your students’ day by reminding them that it’s normal to feel nervous. Additionally, encouraging them to simply try their best will help keep them in a better frame of mind. If you notice your student is feeling nervous about testing, encourage them to take deep breaths. Deep breathing causes an immediate physiological response that will help calm down feelings of nervousness or anxiety. A few of our favorite breathing techniques are Box/Square Breathing and Starfish Breathing; these techniques are taught to all students in the classrooms. Remind your student that the great thing about focusing on taking deep breaths is that it can be done anywhere, anytime, with anyone. Please refer to our most recent Coffee & Conversations presentation on anxiety to see more coping strategies.
(2) With the end of the school year being near, lots of fun activities like field day, field trips, classroom parties, 5th grade graduation, etc. create an extra amount of energy in school. This can easily be the best part (and craziest part) of the school year! It’s important to remind your student to continue to follow the 3 B’s to ensure the last few weeks are fun and safe. We love to support all our students and teachers in having an amazing last stretch of school, but also need your partnership at home to help keep everyone respectful, responsible, and safe throughout the activities.
Additionally, it wouldn’t be a newsletter without doing a reflection of all the exciting things we did this year. We started in the classrooms talking about the Zones of Regulation. Our catchphrase for the four zones was and still is, “you can feel however you’re going to feel, but you still need to make good choices”. We stressed that it’s important to recognize our feelings while still finding a way to productively communicate and regulate. We discussed safety and the importance of being safe with others. We moved into kindness and empathy while celebrating National Kindness Week. We finished up the school year discussing conflict resolution strategies and how to have a better growth mindset.
Lastly, we were fortunate to continue to connect with the community by hosting four successful Coffee & Conversations covering PBIS, technology safety, tips for challenging behaviors at home, and anxiety. We were joined by fabulous guest speakers including our behavior intervention coach Amy Carney, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta’s Christy David, and Johns Creek & Alpharetta Counseling’s Ginny Vose.
We are so thankful that we have such a large community that supports our counseling department at BWE. We are looking forward to next year, but first…one more month...! Stay safe Badgers and we will see you soon!
Parent Information
- Complete the survey for SPARK! Ignite Learning for parent technology trainings. Here is the survey in English and here is the survey in Spanish
Denmark Community of Schools Family Connect Night happens each month! Teachers will not assign homework and we encourage students to engage with their families without technology. Upload any fun pictures here so we can share!
- Check out the Brandywine Family Podcast Now on Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon Music- search for Brandywine Badger Broadcast for great student projects.
- Interested in Dual Language Immersion for next year? see the flyer below to register for DLI.
Summer Activities!
DeSana Basketball
Hello Parents,
Your son and/or daughter has the opportunity to attend a youth basketball camp at DeSana Middle School this summer either June 10-13 or June 17-20 or both! This camp has taken place for the past 13 years and will feature coaches from the DeSana Middle School staff and a former D1 college coach. It is an excellent opportunity to enhance basketball skills and knowledge in a fun and competitive environment. Please see the attached flyer for more information regarding registration.
Rising 6th Grade Denmark Football
Dear Families,
Is your rising 6th grader interested in playing tackle football this fall? We're excited to announce the Denmark Football 6th Grade Feeder Team open to all student districted for Desana Middle, Piney Grove Middle & Denmark High. Please fill out this interest form and their Head Coach (Owens) will reach out to you: https://forms.gle/HnfuL9sr3PHwFwB99
Also, you can meet current players registered and coaches this Friday April 12th at the Denmark High School Spring Fling from 5-7:30. Please contact Mark Owens at denmarkfootballfeeder@gmail.com with any questions.
Denmark Feeder Cheerleading Program
Calling all our RISING 6th Grade Future Danes! (Current 5 th graders)
Aligning with the new Denmark Football feeder team, we are introducing a new Danes Feeder Cheerleading program for the Fall 2024 season. This cheer team is only for 6th grade students that are currently ZONED for Denmark High School. We will host an informational meeting at Denmark HS on 4/16 at 5:30pm in the Media Center.
Park at the front of the school and enter through the front entrance. Look for signs leading you upstairs to the Media Center. Please fill out the interest form NOW (click HERE) to help us gauge interest in the program. Questions? Reach out to Stacy Hodges shodges@forsyth.k12.ga.us
Go Danes.
Whitlow ES STEM Camp
Whitlow is so excited to offer STEM Camp to Kindergarten-6th Grade students this summer! Students will get to participate in a variety of creative experiences in science, engineering, technology and math. Camp will take place June 3-6, 2024. Full day or half day sessions are available. Please click this link for more information and to see our website. Registration will close on May 13th at the end of the business day. Don’t delay, register today