Dear BES Families,

We hope you have had a wonderful summer! Our staff has been working hard to make sure this is a great school year for our students and families. I am beyond excited to join the BES community and to serve as the principal for the 22-23 school year. One goal we have this year is to connect with our families and maintain open lines of communication. Here are some of the ways we will be communicating this year:

• The Beacon (Brookside’s monthly newsletters)

• Weekly Teacher newsletters

• Remind

• Daily Attendance phone calls (for students who are absent)

• Parent-Teacher Conference Day- November 7

• Facebook

We value our partnership with you, so please know that we are always just a phone call away. We look forward to a fantastic school year with our students and families! I can’t wait to meet everyone at Open House on August 8th from 5:30-7:30!

Mr. Nick

Click on the link to get to know Mr. Nick!

Welcome to our new BES families! We are so excited to have you join our school family. Welcome also to the following new staff members:

• Caroline Stringer: 5th grade teacher
• Monica Dougherty: 1st grade teacher
• Lydia Spencer: 5th grade teacher
• Emily Courtney: 2nd grade teacher
• Rachel Watkins: 4th grade teacher
• Marsha Becknell: 2nd grade teacher
• Savannah Thomas: SPED teacher
• Dara Arbuckle: Gifted and Talented teacher
• Kristin Moberly: PASS assistant
• Hannah Logan: Speech Language Pathologist
• Mallory McKibben: Paraprofessional Teacher Assistant

Here at Brookside we believe in a team approach, where we ALL work together to accomplish what is BESt for our students! Our teachers are highly qualified and possess unique skill sets to help every student meet his or her highest potential. In addition to the regular Kentucky Academic Standards based curriculum, students are provided daily intervention and/or enrichment time based on various formative, summative, and diagnostic assessments. The hard work of everyone involved will increase your student’s success and achievement.

Throughout the course of the year, your student will learn a variety of skills that will set the foundation to be successful with future grade level content. It is imperative that your student be at school each and every day, participating in instruction. Helping your child be prepared will go a long way in their educational journey as well. Below are a few tips to assist with having a successful school year:

1. Get Organized-Have your student lay out their clothes the night before. This will save time and take the guesswork out of busy mornings. It is also helpful to establish a time for homework each day and to maintain a calendar with important dates and extracurricular activities. Having a routine and being organized can eliminate stress and will help keep your student on track for success.

2. Rest Up-Help ensure your student is well rested and ready to begin each day. With our hectic schedules it is important that we set relevant bedtimes to allow our students the opportunity to get a full night of sleep. Limited sleep deprivation can lead to negative behaviors as well as health problems. Students who regularly receive a full night of sleep have a healthier immune system, and better school performance, behavior, memory, and mental health!

3. Fuel Up-Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! Please ensure that your student eats a healthy breakfast at home or from the cafeteria. Research shows that eating a healthy breakfast leads to improved cognitive function with memory and test grades, improved attendance, and better classroom behavior.

4. Set Goals for the School Year- Studies show that when you make and write goals you are more likely to achieve them. Your student will set academic goals with his or her teacher. Whether it is to increase iReady scores, complete their homework each night, or to wake up in the morning without fighting with their siblings, help your student set goals for success!

5. Positive Attitude- A positive attitude is essential for a great school year! You are your child’s first teacher and a model for their attitude about learning. It is important that we make and establish positive working relationships with our BES families. Being familiar with what your student is learning will not only enable you to assist your student with their homework, but it will ensure we are working as a team to provide the BESt opportunities for your student.

I am looking forward to another successful school year as we support the academic, social and emotional growth of your child here at Brookside Elementary School. If you have questions at any time about curriculum or content, please feel free to contact your student’s teacher or myself.

Sorry Summer, it’s Showtime!

With fun in the summertime sun coming to an end and we take in those last moments of summer break, the main event is about to begin…aka the first day of school! Exciting! However, the show cannot begin without some rehearsal time first…that is, preparing your child for the first day. If they have not already, feelings may surface when faced with the reality of summer ending; feelings such as anxiety, worry, fear, happiness, and excitement are all common emotions when it comes to the Big Day. I remember what it was like as a student—staying up later than normal and spending the day going places or playing video games; being said, there can be a lot of anticipation or suspense that comes with going back to school. So, what are some good tips on preparing your child for their big debut?

• Set up a Back-to-School Routine: This is a very important step! Prepare your child with the idea of going back to school and what it will be like. What time will they have to wake up? Will they eat breakfast at home or school? How will they decide what to wear to school the following day? Are they riding the bus? Answering all of these questions beforehand can alleviate anxiety and help prepare your child.

• Get the Sleep Schedule on Track: I loved staying up during summer break as a kid, but that made getting up early for school very difficult sometimes. Set a consistent bedtime prior to school starting with appropriate amounts of rest (for school-age children it is about 9-11 hours; it is recommended that this routine start about two weeks before school starts).

• Normalize any feelings that your child may have before returning and have open discussions about it; find out what is causing any fear or anxiety, and give them courage! Oftentimes linking kids up with a peer can help alleviate anxiety, while also allowing for questions and open discussions about school.

• Focus on more productive activities: The leisurely lifestyle of summer can be filled with video games, watching endless TV shows, etc., so stopping all of a sudden and going back to school can be shocking. Focus time on activities that will sharpen their learning skills (reading), while decreasing video games, TV time, etc. gradually. Limit the amount of time they spend on such devices so going back will be less challenging.

• Get Organized for the Big Day: Are all of their school supplies in order? Is their room clean? Do you know their teacher and when the open house is? Organization and order helps decrease stress and anxiety–unknown situations can cause stress and is preventable.

• Get and Stay Connected with the school: Show them that you are invested in the school, perhaps by volunteering to help out at the school, get to know their teacher and other staff, etc., and they will model after you!

Although Back to School can seem scary or stressful, it does not have to be! Remember to have a positive outlook and encourage your child to do the same! After all, this year is going to be the BESt one yet, and the show is about to start!

About Your BES Counselors

At Brookside Elementary, we are preparing for the upcoming school year to make it a great experience for our families and students! Brookside Elementary, Mrs. Carson and Mr. McClanahan are the two School Counselors tasked with aiding your child in their Academic, Career, and Personal/Social Development. Being said, Mrs. Carson and Mr. McClanahan deliver a variety of services at the school-level, some of which include: Individual, short-term therapy, whole-class development guidance lessons, small-group counseling, assistance with 504s and attendance, and much more. We look forward to another great year at Brookside Elementary, and would love to answer any questions you may have! Check out your counselors below!

Hello Families!

The 22/23 school year is right around the corner! I am SO excited to welcome all of our families to Brookside! I wanted to share with you how the Family Resource Center (FRC) can support YOU! At the center we support families by:

• Provide school supplies for students as needed

• Home visits and parent phone calls as needed

• Coordinate the Weekend Food Bag program

• Support to families locating agencies that can help with: housing, food, clothing, child care assistance, and utility assistance

• Connect parents and caregivers to local parent workshops and trainings in community

• Hosts family nights throughout the school year

• Provide after school clubs to grades 3rd-5th

The main goal and purpose here at the FRC is to help you and your family remove any barriers or obstacles along the academic journey. Families will receive a Parent Needs Survey during the second week of school. Please help the center by completing this survey and sending it back with your student.

Mrs. Welch

This year’s art room theme will be “Art Takes You Around The World!” We will be learning about art & culture around the world. Our featured units will be: Hispanic, Native American, Slavic, Asian/Indian, African & Middle Eastern. March will be devoted to Music in our Schools Month and Youth Art Month. More info will be coming!

The art room could really use donations of black sharpie markers, markers & wipes. We go thru them so quickly! Please label donations “art room” to ensure they make it to down to the art room.

Hello Brookside Family!

I hope your summer is going well and you all are staying cool. I’m excited to see our students when we come back to school as we prepare to kickoff a new school year. I’m especially excited to meet our incoming first graders as we welcome them to Brookside. I hope you all stay safe and get plenty of rest and family time in before we ramp up our school year!

Coach Butler

Online Registration is STILL OPEN! Online Registration is a requirement for every family! We still have families who have not completed Online Registration. Please help us out!

- ALL students, whether they are new to Brookside Elementary or an existing student, must complete online registration. Visit the link below to complete Online Registration.

Questions?

Email: julie.lemaster@jessamine.kyschools.us or call 859-887-2012!

Families can find their students school supply lists on Brookside's webpage! Click on the link below to be taken there directly!

Over the last five years, we’ve added 3,000 Chromebooks to our inventory to ensure that each elementary student has access to a device. With these new Chromebooks, the need for replacement, repairs and maintenance (i.e. screen replacement, missing keys, broken ports) has become a large need. In order to provide continued maintenance of these devices, we’ve added an annual $25 technology fee to each elementary student’s Infinite Campus account (fee may be adjusted, based on free and reduced lunch status). In order to offset this fee for our families, schools will be reducing the cost of requested school supplies and/or providing assistance to families in need of support. Thank you for partnering with us to provide the best educational opportunities for all JCS students.

Families will pay this fee by accessing your Infinite Campus parent portal and selecting the fees tab.

Regular attendance at school is extremely important for the success of our students. We also understand that there are days you just can’t be here. If that is the case, please follow the proper processes to make sure your students' attendance is accurate.

Do tardies to school contribute to my student’s number of unexcused absences? Yes, unexcused tardies to school accumulate to full unexcused days and will contribute to truancy.

When is my student tardy? School starts at 8:00 so students must be in their classes by then. If they are not, the parent/guardian has to walk their child inside and sign them in at the office.

When is my child truant to school? By law, students are truant after 3 unexcused absences to school. They are considered habitually absent at 6 unexcused absences. You will receive a letter from the JCS DPP at both the 3 and 6 absence mark.

How can I keep up with my kids' attendance regularly? Student attendance is viewable through the Infinite Campus portal.

How many parent notes can my student use? Each student can use 6 parent notes for the year. However, if a student has unexcused absences, they cannot then use the full 6 parent notes. See examples below:

A student has 3 UEX days from school and has turned in 3 Parent Notes for other absences. At this time the student will not be able to use any more parent notes for the remainder of the school year.

A student has 6 UEX absences and has not used any of their parent notes. At this time the student will not be able to use any parent notes for the remainder of the school year.