Dear Brooks Families,

Over the past two weeks and two days, we have spent much time helping all our students understand the expectations that keep us safe and create a welcoming school environment focused on learning. We have been teaching, reteaching, and reminding students and sharing the reasons behind the expectations in order to make them clear. Today, we will begin to record Behavior Information Records (BIRs) for unexpected behaviors that do not meet our school-wide expectations. If a student receives multiple BIRs, they will meet with a teacher for a remediation session to reflect on their unexpected behaviors and create a plan to meet expectations in the future. Teachers will share student reflections with parents/guardians after a remediation session is completed. This structure aims to focus on students learning social and emotional skills that will help them succeed in the future.

This week we have two opportunities to engage as a Brooks community. Our first opportunity is tonight with our Brooks PTO meeting at 6pm, where we will meet in the Media Center. This Thursday is our Brooks Curriculum Night. Please see more details about both of these opportunities below. The support of our families connecting with our staff is key to student success and cultivating welcoming and nurturing school community.

Sincerely,

April Capuder

Principal

• Monday, September 9th is an B Day; Tuesday - A Day; Wednesday - B Day; Thursday - A Day, and Friday - B Day

• In-Person Curriculum Night: Thursday, September 12th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm

• No School: Thursday, October 3rd, 2024

• No School: Monday, October 14th, 2024

• Family Conferences: Thursday, October 24th from 4pm to 8pm & Friday, October 25th from 9am to 1pm

• No School: Tuesday, November 5th, 2024

• End of Trimester 1: Friday, November 15th

We will be hosting an In-Person Curriculum Night on Thursday, September 12th from 6:00 pm to 8:00pm. You will be following your student's A/B day combined into one schedule. Here is a google template (that will prompt you to make a copy) or a PDF version you can print, to create your student's schedule that you'll follow on Curriculum Night.

8th Grade Trip: More information will be shared at a later date regarding this trip. We will not be holding an information session regarding the trip during Curriculum Night. This has been removed from the schedule templates provided.

Link to order:https://1stplacespiritwear.com

Hot lunch will be available to students who wish to participate and have a funded or an approved lunch account, starting the first day of school. If you have questions regarding your student's lunch balance, you may contact the Lunch Manager, Shetrice Baker at Sbaker2@op97.org. To make payments on student lunch accounts please visit, https://www.mymealtime.com/signin.aspx

Breakfast and hot lunch menus and other information

PTO Tuesday STARSHIP Lunch Options will be available.Sign up for Starship lunches!

• Take a break from packing or buying lunch every Tuesday! The Brooks PTO is once again pleased to offer a fun lunch option for students on Tuesdays from Starship Restaurant.

  More information is available here. Sign up here by September 12. Everyone who wants a lunch must sign up - we do not order extra lunches.

• Looking for a fun & easy volunteer opportunity at Brooks? Starship Lunch is a great way to touch base with your child at lunch as well as get to know new families. We rely on volunteers to help distribute food and keep this program going, so please consider donating your time. We can't do it without you!!! Sign up to volunteer on Tuesdays here

****CASH ONLY ON Friday September 13th****

Domino's Pizza Lunch on Fridays: SIGN UP TO PARTICIPATE IN FRIDAY PIZZA LUNCH

>> Students MUST have a Brooks Student ID EVERY FRIDAY to receive pizza <<

Pizza Lunch Volunteers Needed!

Looking for a fun & easy volunteer opportunity at Brooks? Pizza Lunch is a great way to touch base with your child at lunch as well as get to know new families. We rely on volunteers to help distribute food and keep this program going, so please consider donating your time. We can't do it without you!!! Sign up to volunteer on Fridays: Please Sign Up to Volunteer

Nuts and nut products are not allowed in any District 97 schools during the 2024-25 school year. This includes products that are labeled “processed in a facility that shares equipment with nut products.” Our schools have been nut-safe for the past two years—helping to create safer, more inclusive environments for all of our students.

Attendance will be taken every day for each class period by each of your child's teacher and it will be denoted in PowerSchool. Student's are expected to attend each of their classes at their scheduled time and day. If your student will be absent from school, please call the attendance number 708-665-3074 or email brooksattendance@op97.org

Please contact the Brooks Health Office and speak with Nurse Tracy Biggerstaff if you have questions or concerns regarding your student's health.

(708) 524-3058 or tbiggerstaff@op97.org

Office Phone Hours

Please note that our office staff sets the phone to go to voicemail from 8:30am to 9:15am daily. Please leave a message of your student's absence at 708-665-3074 or you can email brooksattendance@op97.org. Our office staff will listen to voicemails left on the main line starting after 9:15am daily. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

Dropping off Items at Brooks for your Student

You may drop off forgotten items for your student in the main office. Please note that we will not call into your student's classroom, as it is a disruption to the learning for other students and the teacher in the classroom. Your student should plan to stop by the main office on their way to lunch or between passing periods, if they think you may have dropped off the forgotten item for them to retrieve. We appreciate your understanding.

• Here are the links to our A/B Day Rotation and the Bell Schedule.

Over the past two weeks and two days, we have spent much time helping all our students understand the expectations that keep us safe and create a welcoming school environment focused on learning. We have been teaching, reteaching, and reminding students and sharing the reasons behind the expectations in order to make them clear. Today, we will begin to record Behavior Information Records (BIRs) for unexpected behaviors that do not meet our school-wide expectations. If a student receives multiple BIRs, they will meet with a teacher for a remediation session to reflect on their unexpected behaviors and create a plan to meet expectations in the future. Teachers will share student reflections with parents/guardians after a remediation session is completed. This structure aims to focus on students learning social and emotional skills that will help them succeed in the future.

We have been teaching, supporting and reminding students of the School Wide Expectations.

Cell phones/Mobile Devices are not to be used during school hours. This includes calling parents/guardians due to illness, requesting items to be dropped off, etc.

• Students can ask a teacher to use the classroom phone or the phone in the main office, if needed.

Cell phones are to be turned off/on silent upon entering the school building, stored in the student’s locker, and not used until the dismissal bell rings.

Locker Checklist has been shared and posted in each student's locker during the first week of school to help them think through the items they need to take with them when they visit their locker at the start of the day, before and after lunch and at the end of the day.

If your child needs to purchase a lock at anytime during the school year, please do so online HERE. We've been working with your student's SOAR teacher to learn if your student is missing a lock and providing one to them.

We ask that if possible to please send your student to school with a filled water bottle. There are no drinking fountains open, but we have water bottle filling stations in the school for our students to refill their water bottles when needed.

Technical support will be available from school and district technology staff by accessing the Help Desk through email, helpdesk@op97.org. When an email is submitted, a Help Desk ticket is created and assigned to technology staff, who will be working throughout the day to address technology concerns. Our technology team can support District 97 devices and student online programs. Please complete claim form if your student's chromebook is damaged or lost.

CLUB Information can be found in Student Announcements. This is updated weekly, as new clubs get organized and announce dates and times.

BROOKS SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY 2024

Students in grades six through eight are welcome to join the cross country team. The Cross Country coaches for 2024 are Kim Beader (kbeader@op97.org), Steve Gonsur (sgonsur@op97.org), Lary Grimaldi (lgrimaldi@op97.org) and

Cross Country is a no-cut sport at the middle schools. All students must have a copy of an updated physical to hand to the coach (we will not have access to nurse's files) before practicing for the 2024-2025 cross country season. Please see the linked information from the coaches which outlines what is needed each practice and the calendar of practices for the month of August.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the coaches, Sam Fishman-Strait, sfishman-strait@op97.org (Junior Varsity) and Dr. Kina Brown, kbrown@op97.org (Varsity).

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

We are so excited to kick off the 7th & 8th Grade Fall Musical with this amazing pilot production of Once Upon a One More Time, JR! We will be the first program to ever perform this newly adapted musical from the Broadway production that weaves Brittany Spears music throughout.

November 8 and 15 at 7pm

November 9 and 16 at 2pm & 7pm

>> Tickets Available beginning of October <<

Have you signed up for PTO Starship Lunch yet? The Brooks PTO is once again pleased to offer a fun lunch option for students on Tuesdays from Starship Restaurant in Forest Park. These lunches are the primary fundraiser for the PTO and help to fund important school programs like teacher and student grants, provide scholarships for the 7th and 8th grade trips, and funding to host staff appreciation lunches. This first round of ordering is for every Tuesday school is in session from September 17, 2024 - Jan 14, 2025 for a total of 15 lunches. Orders must be placed by Thursday Sept 12. Sign up HERE or use this QR code:

The PTO will need adult volunteers to assist with distributing Starship lunches to all grade levels each Tuesday. Please see the available dates by following this link: PTO Starship Lunch - Volunteer Registration. You can sign up for just one date, or as many dates as you are available! This is a great chance to get involved inside the school, see your kid(s), and meet other Brooks parents. Starship Lunch is an important school fundraiser supporting many of the PTO programs, initiatives, and events, and we'd love your help to ensure its continued success!

Please note that to ensure the distribution process runs smoothly, we request that volunteers are able to stay for the duration of all 3 lunch periods from 11:00am - 1:30pm on any day you may sign up for. **Per D97 policy, all volunteers must complete and pass a D97 Background Check which is a quick and easy process that can be scheduled through the D97 office.**

Join us with Principal Capuder to discuss all things Brooks and PTO on September 9th in the Brooks Media Center.

Follow us on FaceBook at @gwendolynbrookspto, or email us at gwendolynbrookspto@gmail.com.

Distribution of information by a community group in accordance with District 97 policy does not imply, directly or indirectly, that the group's program(s), event(s) and/or services(s) is sanctioned, sponsored or endorsed by the district, the Board of Education or the superintendent.

If you have questions about the upcoming school year, please don’t hesitate to contact me at acapuder@op97.org. You can also contact my Executive Coordinator, Ms. Angel Banks, at abanks1@op97.org or (708) 524-7636.

Our Administrative Team

April Capuder, Principal (acapuder@op97.org)

Dr. Denise Gildon, Associate Principal for Teaching & Learning (dgildon@op97.org)

Student Success Coach Team:

6th Grade: Bernard Starks - bstarks@op97.org

7th Grade: Josh Rodgers - jrodgers@op97.org

8th Grade: Nichelle Stigger - nstigger@op97.org

Social Workers:

6th Grade: Abby Berman - aberman@op97.org

7th Grade: Hannah Boudreau - hboudreau@op97.org

8th Grade: Jennifer Olsen - jolsen@op97.org

Reporting Student Absences:

Email brooksattendance@op97.org or call 708-665-3074

School Nurse and CNA:

Tracy Biggerstaff: tbiggerstaff@op97.org

Melissa Godwin: mgodwin@op97.org

Send School Health form/physicals/dental forms to: brooksnurse@op97.org

Front Office:

PowerSchool login questions, Attendance or School Fee Questions-Vashti Carter: vcarter@op97.org

Canvas login questions, Receptionist- Minerva Colbert: mcolbert@op97.org

TECH Support:

Please email: helpdesk@op97.org

Please complete claim form if your student's chromebook is damaged or lost