Bridgewater Bear Tracks

Join us on Friday, December 20th for Hat and Pajama Day with a holiday twist! Slip into your festive PJs and top it off with a fun holiday or Santa hat. Don’t forget to bring in your contributions of $1 – 100% of the collected money will go towards supporting our amazing teachers and enhancing our classrooms.

We are in search of more boys XL sweatpants. If you have any that you are getting rid of/your children are growing out of, please consider donating them to the school! Thank you in advance.

Around this time of year, we sometimes see a number of students out due to illness. The most common diagnosis right now is strep throat. We don’t like to encourage students to stay home longer than needed, but we also do not want them to return to school before they are well enough.

Here are some guidelines to help with your decision if you are not sure whether you should send your child to school; students in these situations should stay home:

• If your student has had a temperature of 100.0 degrees or higher in the past 24 hours

• If your child has vomited within the past 24 hours

• If having your student at school would significantly put others at risk for catching your student’s illness

• If your student will not be able to participate or focus on academics

If you have questions about when to send your child to school, please call our school nurse. Thank you for cooperating to keep our students healthy at Bridgewater Elementary.

Our students enjoy attending Northfield High School events including basketball games, hockey games, etc. These events are most fun for everyone when every child is supervised by his/her own parent. Please be mindful of this and do your part to make this an enjoyable experience for everyone. Children should be there to watch the event, not to run around causing a distraction for others. Thank you for understanding!

Please send your student to school prepared with clothing appropriate for the changing temperatures.

• If the temperature is warmer than 0 degrees and the wind chill is warmer than -10 degrees students will be outside for recess.

Labeling clothing and winter gear with your child's name is helpful, especially as we approach winter! We have numerous mittens, hats and sweatshirts in the lost and found. Labeled items are so much easier to return to the owner. Keep in mind that many of us shop at the same stores, so you can imagine how many pairs of black snow pants we have.

Click on the button below to read about weather related disruptions and school closings. This information will help you plan if the weather affects the school day.

Thank you to everyone who picked up their clothing items from the lost and found! We will be doing another donation run during Winter Break, so please have your children collect their things in the next two weeks. The school is also open until 6PM if you want to come in and take a look after school!

Winter Break is December 23rd-Jan 1st with no school for students. The Bridgewater Office will also be closed. Please remind your child to bring home their winter gear over break so they can play outside.

School-age children need from 9-12 hours of sleep per night. Children who get less sleep have difficulty focusing and regulating their emotions. It is best to keep a consistent bedtime for children with no electronics in their room. Please give your child the gift of sleep.

As winter months and snow are upon us, please be sure your children have appropriate shoes for physical education with them at school (you can have them leave these shoes at school!). Thank you for helping us take care of our gym floors!

Grades 3-5 will be participating in roller skating January 8-24. All students were sent home with a sheet containing the details for this unit. If you have additional questions, please let one of the Physical Education teachers know! To pay and give your student permission, please click the link HERE. The cost for this in-house field trip is $7. If you need financial assistance, please let us know.

The time has come for two of our current BBC Board Members to step down. Beau Nielsen (President) and Tori Swedin (Treasurer) will be retiring at the end of the 2024-2025 school year. We are searching for a new President and a new Treasurer for the 2025-2026 school year. Please inquire at our front office with questions and/or interest in one of the positions!

Please join us for our upcoming musical performances!

December 17 4th/5th Grade Orchestra Concert NMS @ 7PM

Looking for a fun, active way to spend your time over winter break? Join us for FREE Open Gym at Greenvale Park Elementary!

When: Monday, December 23, 10am - 12pm & Friday, December 27 10am - 12pm
Where: Greenvale Park Elementary School Gym
Who: All Northfield District Students Welcome!

No registration required—just show up and join the fun! Spread the word, and we’ll see you there!

Did you know that the YMCA sends a van to Bridgewater to transport students to the Y after school for programs? The programs that are just starting are: Afterschool Basketball, Afterschool Volleyball, Afterschool Soccer, and Afterschool Gaga Ball. All of these are for students in Grades 1-5.

Go to northfieldymca.org or call 507-645-0088 to register.

Is your swimmer ready for competitive swimming? If your swimmer is interested in joining the swim team for the first time, contact Coach Jesse to set up an evaluation. Evaluations take 10-15 minutes and determine if swimmers are ready for the team or if they need additional swim lessons.

Multiple Swimmer Discount - 1st Swimmer = Full Amount; 2nd Swimmer = 10% off; 3rd Swimmer = 20% off; & 4th Swimmer = 40% off

Scholarships are available - Need-based scholarships are available through the Northfield Youth Sports Collaborative. To learn more about scholarships contact the Northfield Community Resource Center at (507) 664-3524.

The lunch menu for each month will be provided in the newsletter.

There are many activities that children and adults may access during the course of the year. Don't forget to check the numerous opportunities from the Northfield Community Education Program: https://northfieldschools.org/communityeducation/

Dec. 16---Gingerbread House Day for Kindergarten 9:30-10:30

Dec. 17 ---4th/5th Orchestra Concert; 7 PM @NMS

Dec. 23-Jan. 1---Winter Break-No school for students

Jan. 14---Bridgewater Booster Club Meeting 6:00-7:00 pm in the BW Media Center

Jan. 20---MLK Day-No School for Students & Staff

Jan. 21 & 22---Teacher Preparation Days-No School for Students

Feb. 11---100th Day of School Kinderbration (morning)

Feb. 11---Bridgewater Booster Club Meeting 6:00-7:00 pm in the BW Media Center

Feb. 17---Teacher Preparation Day-No School for Students

Feb. 21---Choral Festival for 4th & 5th Grade Students

Mar. 24-30---Spring Break

May 16---Boosterthon Fun Run

June 5---Fifth-Grade Graduation

Attendance Line

507-664-3306

Benjamin Bus

507-645-5720

BW Main Office

507-664-3300

Nurse

507-664-3305

The Northfield School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, familial status, status with regard to public assistance, sexual orientation, including gender identity or expression, or disability and prohibits discrimination in any education program or activity that it operates, as required by Title IX, including in employment. You can learn more at: https://northfieldschools.org/about/departments/human-resources/ under the Title IX tab.

World-Class Learning for Elementary Students, Bridgewater Elementary School, situated on a 14-acre campus just south of downtown Northfield, is a K-5 public school serving approximately 570 students. It serves the neighborhoods on Northfield's southern side, Dundas, and the rural area south of Highway 19 and west of Highway 246. Students benefit from an active parent-teacher organization, Bridgewater Booster Club (BBC) and many parent volunteers.

The staff is intensely dedicated to offering a high-quality, well-rounded education that strives to meet the specific needs of each student. We focus on empowering our students in their academic and social emotional learning along with building a solid foundation for their educational journey in partnership with families.

Main Office Number: 507-664-3300

Attendance Line: 507-664-3306

Address: 401 Jefferson Parkway

Web page: northfieldschools.org/schools/bridgewater-elementary/

Email: nantoine@northfieldschools.org