Brookside Bulletin

• Oct. 7 - Safety Drill (practice only)
• Oct. 7 - 5th grade fundraiser JT's pizza 3-10pm
• Oct. 8 - PTA Mtg. 7:00pm
• Oct. 11 - Fall Fest
• Oct 11-17 - Book Fair (See below)

• Oct. 14-17 - Conference Week

• Oct. 18 - No school, in-lieu of conferences

• Oct. 31 - Fall Parties

Happy October!

It's officially fall and the weather is finally turning and parent/teacher conferences are right around the corner. Please be on the lookout for messaging from your child's classroom teacher. We love partnering with our families and look forward to seeing you!

The sun always shines on Brookside! 🌞

Warmly,

Dr. Jenny Wielinski

Fall parties will be on October 31st this year. For the safety and consideration of all students, we ask that you please adhere to these policies:

• Students may not wear costumes to school. If they bring a costume, it must be something that can easily slip over what they are wearing. We do not have the time or space for students to change clothes.

• No masks or face paint in school.

• Keep in mind that we have students who are as young as five. So, please, no scary or inappropriate costumes. Also, plastic weapons are prohibited, as always.

• All food snacks that you arranged with your child's teacher to send to school must be pre-packaged and include a list of ingredients before the party.

Brookside PTA is participating in the Reflections Art Program this year! You can find an ENTRY FORM and RULES. An additional email will follow.

Our 4th and 5th graders will work on projects in Art Class and will have the choice whether or not they want to submit their artwork. I also hope to see participation from K-3 students, but this would need to be completed at home, as we are focusing on other projects during art class.

~Keely Murray

Did you try a sample of these delicious pastries at the Fall Fest? Brochures with ordering instructions will be sent home with students next week; parents will also receive an email with instructions on obtaining an individual sales link for their student. These pastries come frozen and travel well and make a great addition to any holiday meal. Take a moment to call a few neighbors or grandparents or post your child's link on your social media. The last date to order will be November 6th, and pickup will be at the school on November 19th.

Today, October 11th 6:00pm-8:00pm is Brookside's Fall Festival sponsored by our PTA. The Fall Fest is only for Brookside students and their families. Students must attend with an adult. See this FLIER for more details.

In October, we also review and practice our safety drills. The safety and well-being of our students, staff, and community are always our top priorities in Worthington Schools. Research and experience show that when students and staff are well-prepared through knowledge and practice, they can respond effectively to emergency situations. This is why we continuously engage in safety routines, drills, and learning to support the safety of everyone in our schools.

Historically, our schools have participated in several important safety drills:

• Fire Drills: These drills teach students and staff how to report fire hazards and safely evacuate the building using multiple exits.

• Weather Drills: These drills help everyone stay calm and safe during weather-related events, such as tornadoes, by identifying and using sheltered spaces within the building.

• Lock-Down Drills: These drills prepare us for situations where free movement within the school is restricted due to external disturbances or unauthorized visitors. They involve securing the school perimeter, classrooms, and common areas to keep everyone safe.

• Rally-Point Drills: These drills focus on safely exiting the building in cases of emergencies like a gas leak or unsafe visitor, and moving to a predetermined safe space away from the school.

In addition to these drills, Ohio law requires public schools to conduct a "Full Scale" Safety Drill every three years. This comprehensive drill combines elements of the previously practiced drills and includes a controlled classroom lockdown, as well as a simulated evacuation to move students away from the building in the event of danger.

Our staff has been trained in the ALICE (Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate) emergency response model, which includes additional countermeasures during a lockdown to facilitate a safe evacuation to a Rally Point. In the event of an emergency requiring relocation, students would be transported to a designated "reunification" location, with the Worthington Education Center (WEC) being our primary consideration.

In October, we will provide instructions and practice opportunities for students across our schools to prepare for a Full Scale Safety Drill. By being well-prepared for unplanned interruptions, we aim to build confidence and ensure the ultimate safety of our students. We know that when students feel safe and understand safety protocols, they can better focus on their learning.

Thank you for your continued support and partnership in keeping our schools safe.

Get ready—the Scholastic Book Fair is coming to our school! Book fair volunteers needed! Sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080D4CA8AC2FA7F49-47212588-brookside#/

This is a great opportunity to connect with your child over the thrill of bringing home new books to dive into again and again. Studies show that kids read more when they choose books for themselves. And fostering a love of independent reading leads to a wide variety of benefits—including academic success and improved mental health.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Book Fair:

Dates: Friday, Oct. 11th at the Fall Fest & Oct. 14th - Oct. 17th during class!
Location: Brookside's Library
Family Event schedule and location: Shop Book Fair at Fall Fest - Friday, Oct. 11th 6-8pm!

There’s even more info on our school’s Book Fair homepage:

Brookside Link

While you’re there, set up a Book Fair eWallet, the digital payment account that allows your child to shop for books at the Fair without cash. Then share your eWallet link so friends and extended family can add funds.
When you fund an eWallet, you’ll have the opportunity to contribute to a giving initiative called Share the FairTM. Your contributions directly support our students who need help buying books from the Fair.

Many of us still remember the rush of finding the perfect book at a Scholastic Book Fair. I hope you’ll join your child at our school’s Fair and share a reading experience they’ll remember forever.

I am excited to announce that Brookside will be using Artsonia as an online platform to share student art. Family and friends can view the art online, leave comments, and order keepsakes featuring the artwork. 20% of the sales go back to the art room to help fund unique project supplies. You can access this on a computer, or by downloading the Artsonia app on your phone.

Directions:

• Scan the QR Code

• Enter your child's first and last name, grade, and email address

• Enter your information (name, email, phone number)

• Once you enter into your student's portfolio, you can add "fans" (family and friends) so they have access as well; this is NOT public information.

Once we finish creating an artwork, you will receive a notification that a new artwork has been uploaded to your student's portfolio. The physical artwork will come home at some point in the school year.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to me at kmurray@wscloud.org.

Should your family ever need clothing assistance, here is a resource you can use.

Read this FLIER for more information.

The district is planning a change in the email address our infinite Campus email address is delivered from. We plan to make the change before the end of this calendar year. This is just a heads

"Ensure emails from Worthington Schools make it to your inbox - Parent Email Domains"

Money for breakfasts and lunches need to be deposited in www.mypaymentsplus.com You will set up a parent account and then add a student account for each child using their student ID#. If you decide to pack a lunch (or snack) please be aware that our District is Nut Free (peanuts and all tree nuts). We appreciate your cooperation with this.

• We do serve a grab & go breakfast in the cafeteria from 7:30-7:40
• Breakfast can be purchased for $1.60
• Lunch is $2.75
• Additional milk is $.50.

If a student is free or reduced and the student wants to buy milk (extra or with a packed lunch) the milk is not free, it is $.50.

The USDA had school food services return to pre-pandemic operations last year.

Worthington Schools has eligibility-based pricing of meals (Free/Reduced/Paid).

All Worthington School families are required to complete the online Free/Reduced Lunch Eligibility Form. All students use their Lunch ID for meals. The student's number can be found in the Parent Portal. Select the Student ID tab and look for your Lunch PIN.

Families can add money to their lunch account through My Payments Plus. You can also use MPP to track your student's account and see how much money remains on it. My Payments Plus is also used to pay other fees, like high school parking permits and AP testing fees.

Please have your child arrive to school and be an active and engaged learner by our tardy bell at 7:40am. It is important that your child arrives on time as school attendance is calculated by the minute and accumulates quickly when tardy.

If your child will be absent for any reason, please call (614-450-5300) or email (dwadkowski@wscloud.org) attendance. If you know about a planned absence, please share that information prior to the absence, especially extended absences.

Just a few additional reminders:

• No toys/stuffed animals should be brought to school.

• For the safety of students, if they arrive after the 7:40 bell, please come in with them to sign them in.

• Please make sure to put your child’s name inside their coats and jackets.

• Should you know in advance that your child will need an alternative bus stop on their assigned route due to child care or other reasons, please fill out the Alternative Transportation Request Form as soon as possible.

• If your child's afternoon transportation needs to change at the end of the day, you must notify the office by 1:30 that day. Teachers can't get to their emails while teaching, so it is best you contact our school office 614-450-5300.
  

Arrival occurs between 7:30am and 7:40am. The tardy bell rings at 7:40am.

Brookside uses a car loop for parents who choose to drop their children off in the morning. Please be sure your child is ready to exit the car in a quick, but safe manner on the passenger side only. We do this for safety purposes. Please keep your speed to a crawl and please be patient. Now and then we have family members who are not familiar with our process or some are simply new to our school community. Feel free to park in the front parking spaces to drop your child off should you not use the car loop.

Thank you in advance for adhering to our guidelines. 🙂

Thank you for helping us instruct your child on ways to remain safe while walking and bicycling to and from school.

• Be sure your child can recite their name, address, and telephone number so if there is an emergency someone can more easily locate you, if necessary.
• Please tell your child to NEVER talk to, accept rides with, or take presents from a stranger.

For the safety of children, do not send any nut or peanut items to school in your child's lunch, snack, or school party item as we are a nut and peanut free school. It could literally mean life or death to another child. Thank you in advance for your understanding and compliance.

Brookside loves Grandparents! If you are interested in getting involved with the Circle of Grandparents, please see this FLIER for more information.

Field Trip volunteers/chaperones must have their volunteer badges. If you are interested in volunteering in our school or for a field trip. Please go to the district website and follow the instructions HERE.

CONTACT INFORMATION: Parents, if you have not done so this year, please make sure to verify/update information in the Emergency Data Review through the parent portal. You can access the portal* on the WCS website. This process must be completed every year in case of an emergency and in order for your child(ren) to participate in class field trips. Instructions for using the parent portal appear here.

The Special Education Road Map has been translated into 21 different languages!!

This roadmap is helpful to all families, especially families who are just beginning the special education process.

Worthington’s Special Education Key Communicator Committee strives to build positive, productive and collaborative relationships and partnerships amongst the educators and community of families whose children receive special education and related services. We will engage in two-way communication, with the goal being to provide a circle of influence where we can share out and learn from and with each other.

The key communicators will convey information from their building to the committee, as well as information from the committee to their buildings.

The Key Communicators for Brookside are Sandra Sell at snsell74@gmail.com and Emily Smith. Please reach out to either of our communicators if you have questions or topics to discuss.

Title I, Part A (Title I) of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, as amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESEA), provides financial assistance to local educational agencies (LEAs) and schools with high numbers or high percentages of children from low-income families to help ensure that all children meet challenging state academic standards. Our school receives Title IA funding.

Parents/families of students in our building have a right to know about teacher qualifications and state-mandated assessments. All teachers providing Title I interventions are properly licensed for their positions and anyone can search licensure information on any educator at https://core.ode.state.oh.us/Core4/ODE.CORE.Lic.Profile.Public.UI/ . In addition to being linked here, these documents are available on the Title IA page of our school website.