Wolves Newsletter

March 22, 2024

Dear Park Brook Families,

Next week is Spring Break. My hope for each one of you, and the staff as well, is that we all enjoy the week. I also hope that you will be able to spend time outside!

During Spring Break it is good if students continue to read each day. I will continue the theme of enjoy! They should enjoy the book they read. Reading to a child is just as important as them reading to themselves; enjoy reading to your child and spending time together!

I am leaving the links for the American Heart Association on this newsletter, and I have added a link to an article on our website about the Double Dutch Team. The Double Dutch Team travels to support the initiatives of the American Heart Association and is sponsored by them. One fact I heard this year, that is shocking, is that less than 1% of kids in the United States today are living heart healthy lives.

Mr. Taylor

Pictured below: Double Team Teach at Rice Lake Elementary (final performance for the year), and celebrating the season at Broadway Pizza.

The students met their goal, raising over $2,300 for the American Heart Association and with a few families learning hands-only CPR. On Friday, March 21, Mr. Christlieb, Mr. Nelson, and Mr. Taylor all received a pie in the face as the incentive if students reached the goal.

Park Brook Elementary supports the American Heart Association with the Double Dutch Team kicking-off the Kids Heart Challenge at schools across the Twin Cities, and with the fundraiser for the American Heart Association. This year Park Brook Elementary students and staff raised $2,511.15 for the American Heart Association.

All students attending Park Brook Elementary on the last day of school will receive a yearbook with their grade level pictures. The purchased yearbook is for pictures of all grade levels and additional pictures.

Students are recognized each month for following the Wolf Way.

• W - We Will Respect Other and Ourselves
• O - Own our Actions
• L - Listen and Learn
• F - Follow Directions

Ms. Anfang's fifth-grade class suggested to Mr. Taylor that staff should also receive Wolf Way Awards. Since Ms. Anfang's class brought this suggestion to Mr. Taylor, he had Ms. Anfang's class select the staff Wolf Way Award Winners. They selected Mr. Woebke and Mrs. Dols. Student input and suggestions are important at Park Brook.

Students are recognized each month for following the Wolf Way.

• W - We Will Respect Other and Ourselves
• O - Own our Actions
• L - Listen and Learn
• F - Follow Directions

Mrs. Brenny's second grade class selected Mrs. Lor and Ms. Thomas as the staff recipients of the Wolf Way Awards.

Math Awards are presented each month to encourage memorization of math facts to allow students to use funds to solve mathematical problems and engage in conversation about math.

• First Grade - addition facts
• Second Grade - subtraction facts
• Third Grade - addition/subtraction to practice switching between the two, and now multiplication
• Fourth Grade - Multiplication (A few students have graduated to division.)
• Fifth Grade - Multiplication (A few students have graduated to division.)

Students are recognized for growth, and for top 10% in grade level.

5th Grade - Multiplication Growth Awards

Pre-K students took a 'field trip' to the staff lounge to learn about popping popcorn with Mr. Taylor. The hot-air popcorn popper at Park Brook Elementary was purchased from a grant with NFL's Fuel Up to Play 60 and part of Park Brook's Focus on Fitness Initiative.

Fifth grade girls will spend a day, April 18th, at the Caterpillar Plant in Maple Grove. Employees have designed a day specifically to introduce STEM (Science, technology, engineering and math) careers to girls in 5th grade at Park Brook Elementary.

Fifth grade students learned to knit hats this year as one component of art. The students made hats for CEAP (Community Emergency Assistance Program). The hats ranged in sizes from infant to adult sized hats.

Park Brook students have given back to the community in three specific ways this year as part of the Osseo Area Schools Mission to have students contribute to community throughout their lifetime. The three specific initiatives include: Students Connecting Through International Service, which provides school supplies for students in Sasabe, Sonora, Mexico; Double Dutch Team which kicks-off the American Heart Association's Kids Healthy Heart Challenge in schools across the Twin Cities, and the financial donations from Park Brook staff and students; and the making of hats for individuals needing assistance through CEAP. The students are learning there are different ways to contribute to community.

Mr. Taylor was inspired by one of his students from Weaver Lake Elementary who presented to the Park Brook Students about the work of CEAP, what it means to work for a non-profit, and so on. She was a student at Weaver Lake from 1st grade - 5th grade when Mr. Taylor was the behavior intervention teacher and then principal of Weaver Lake Elementary.

Thursday, March 21, 2024

The four language Clubs (Hmong, Spanish, Vietnamese, and World Languages) came together on March 18 to celebrate their learning and enjoy a time together eating and sampling food from their culture and the cultures of the other clubs. The purpose of the language clubs at Park Brook is to have a place for students who have a home language other than English to come together to deepen their understanding of their home language, speak their home language, and deepen background knowledge in their culture. The World Languages Club is similar, however, this is a place for students who have a home language other than English but not enough students at Park Brook to have a club.

There are students at Park Brook who are fluent in two, and three languages. Academic growth increases for students if they maintain their home language and grow background knowledge in their home language.

A few of the students chose to dress in their outfits from their culture.

Park Brook Elementary Patrols enjoyed a pizza party after school on March 15, which included a patrol meeting, and then a time to play in the gymnasium. Siblings of patrol members were invited to join in the fun.

Mr. Christlieb oversees the patrols.

The students in Pre-K build a robot. The challenge was to make it taller than Mr. Taylor. Mr. Taylor visited both the a.m. and p.m. classes to be measured.

Monday, March 25 - Friday, March 29

The Park Brook Elementary Office will be closed for Spring Break.

These classes/clubs begin on Monday, April 1

3:20 - 4:15 p.m.

Black Joy Club - Mondays - ends May 20

Cardio Drumming - Mondays and Wednesdays - ends April 17

Double Dutch Boot Camp - Mondays and Wednesdays - ends April 17

Chess Club - Mondays - ends May 20

GOTR begins on Tuesday, April 2

Tuesday & Thursday

3:20 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Wednesday, April 3, 2024

April 9 - 14

Student representatives along with Mr. Taylor will travel to Arizona to deliver school supplies to Sasabe, Sonora, Mexico.

Tuesday, April 16 - 6:00 p.m.

Please see click on link for testing dates.

A special MCA edition of the Wolves Newsletter will be sent to families of 3rd, 4th and 5th graders prior to testing.

Sunday, April 14, 2024

(All students will receive a yearbook with pictures of their classmates. The yearbook families are welcome to order will include pictures of students in all grades.)

Friday, April 19

Kindergarten - 5th Grade

Mondays and Wednesdays - 3:20 p.m. - 4:15 p.m.

April 29 - May 15

Boot Camp is designed to increase fitness to increase academic growth and positive behaviors.

Friday, May 3 - 2:00 p.m.

(Please note that this date is included here as there was an error on the website calendar which has been updated.)

According to Great Schools, Students at Park Brook are making far more academic progress given where they were last year, compared to similar students in the state.

High progress with low test scores at Park Brook means that students are starting at a low point but the school is doing a great job at supporting their academic growth compared to most other schools.