Bulldogs Newsletter October 2, 2023

Dear Basswood Families,

It has been a chilly week! As the weather gets colder, please remember the following:

Penguin Shuffle: Our parking lot and sidewalks can be quite slippery at times. To reduce the risk of slips and falls, please walk with care.

Send Warm Clothes: Students will be outside daily through the winter unless the temperature is 5 degrees below zero (feels like). Warm coats, snow pants, boots and gloves help your child's recess to be more enjoyable.

Drive Safely: In the winter we can have more cars and pedestrians in the Basswood parking lot. Please be extra careful and patient, as the ice and snow make the arrival and dismissal process more challenging.

In partnership,

Steven Schwartz
Basswood Principal
#WeAreBasswood!

When bringing forgotten winter gear or instruments or lunches to Basswood, please do your best to have them to Basswood by 10:30am. We have morning deliveries each day at 10:30am for all of these forgotten items so they get delivered before lunches begin. This way these are items are delivered to the classroom and we do not have to call to interrupt instructional time. Thank you for your consideration!

Thank you to all who participated in the attendance boundary considerations Thought Exchange. A total of 2,989 participants shared 1,528 thoughts and had 36,832 ratings on these thoughts.

Parameters have been created using the feedback shared.

They are as follows:

• Center our core values: honor and integrity, belonging, inclusion, innovation and excellence, transparency and intrinsic value.
• Ensure scenarios can function in our system, including but not limited to: transportation; building utilization and capacity; enrollment (current and future); teaching/learning program offerings; and financial costs.
• Ensure scenarios have longevity in our system.
• Follow the teacher/student targets established by the school board.
• Consider the number of students impacted for each scenario.
• Consider the student demographics of each scenario.
• Consider connecting more schools from level to level.
• Keep neighborhoods intact as much as possible.
• Minimize non-contiguous/non-adjoining areas.
• Maintain 0.8 elementary and 1.0 secondary transportation service areas.
• Maintain safety standards in regard to bus routing (avoiding major roadways, etc.)
• Avoid lengthy travel time on buses.
• Comply with state laws, school board policy and negotiated agreements.

Timeline: The team is now utilizing these community-built parameters to create proposed attendance boundary scenarios. Staff, students, parents/caregivers and community members will be able to provide feedback on the scenarios in January. Edits may be made based on the January feedback, and again presented with the opportunity to share comments. The overall process is expected to wrap up in the spring. The new attendance boundaries will go into effect fall 2026.

Stay tuned: Detailed information will continue to be shared at district279.org/boundaries. Any questions or concerns should be directed to BetterFuture@district279.org or 763-391-8990.

• December 9-13: Students host Basswood Gives Back Toy Drive
• December 11: Report Cards available in ParentVUE by 4:00pm

• December 18-20: Moon Light Bowling in PE class
• December 20 - All School Sing-Along at 9:30am and 10am
  
• Dec 23 - Jan 3: Winter Break - No School
  

First bell rings at 8:40am letting students into the school. Second bell rings at 8:50am letting students know they should be in their classroom ready to start the day! At 8:50am, the front doors are shut and student will need to come through the office to get a late pass.

• 2nd grade: 10:45 - 11:10am
• 4th grade: 11:15 - 11:40am
• 1st grade: 11:45 - 12:10pm
• 3rd grade: 12:15 - 12:40pm
• 5th grade: 12:45 - 1:10pm
• Kindergarten: 1:15 - 1:40pm

Yes! You will be able to follow us on Facebook. Our first posts went live on September 5th. Please note that we are moving away from Twitter (@BWPrincipal279) for Basswood social media. Click here below to follow us.

We welcome and encourage volunteers at Basswood. You can complete an online volunteer form online at apps.raptortech.com/Apply/Nzg0OmVuLVVT and work with our volunteer coordinator, Lezlie Northagen. Volunteer information will go home the first week of school. Activities in a normal school year include being a classroom assistant, helping with classroom parties, helping with PTO sponsored activities (Carnival, Turkey Bingo, Book Fair, etc.) along with numerous other opportunities. We continue to follow state guidelines and adjust our volunteer program accordingly.

Every parent or guardian of enrolled students of Basswood Elementary is an automatic member of the PTO. We encourage you to join one of our next general meetings - or just send us a note if you have a question. You can find more information on our PTO website: https://sites.google.com/view/basswoodpto/home?authuser=1 or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BasswoodElementaryPto

If you are planning a family vacation or just time away from school, please remember to call your student's absence into the attendance line. You can call 763-494-3858 and press 1 to leave a message with your student's name, student's teacher, reason for absence, and dates that your student will be gone. We really appreciate your assistance!

Our district Community Education department offers a variety of after school classes. If you do sign your student up for one of these classes, please remember to let your student's teacher know about the class and when your student needs to stay after school.

The District Transportation department only allows students to ride their assigned bus to and from school. If you have questions, you can reach out to the Transportation Department at 763-391-7244 or transportationreques@district279.org.