Bridges Community School

Families matter in education and literacy.

Parents, aunts and uncles, siblings, caregivers of all kinds are fantastic allies to educators when it comes to cultivating students’ foundational reading skills. In fact, when families are active partners with schools in student learning, the entire school community benefits.

Family engagement unlocks improvements in academic achievement beyond literacy, including gains in math and reading test scores. Family-school partnerships also bring benefits like higher attendance rates, improved teacher satisfaction, and better mental wellbeing for kids and adults. Educators can embrace the impact and the importance of family engagement in education to improve student literacy.

Families are well positioned to help students build their phonological awareness. Here are a couple of tips for caregivers of elementary students:

• Infant (Age 0-1): Babies LOVE socializing with you! You can help them practice early language skills by imitating the sounds they make. This is a great activity after feeding time.
• PreK: Practice rhyming with your child as you help them get dressed each day. Rhyming helps kids hear sounds in words and discover how words can share the same endings.
• Early Elementary (K & Grade 1): Playing with letters and sounds in words helps kids understand how words work. Try word play during mealtime. Ask your child, “What if you replaced the B in ‘bake’ with T? Or L?” How many new words can they make?
• Late Elementary (Grade 3-5): As kids read longer books with more detail, you can ask them questions for comprehension that help them check their own understanding of the texts. You can try questions like “What are you reading right now?” and “Tell me about the story so far.” Bedtime is a great opportunity for this Q&A!

Thank you for continuing to partner with us at Bridges! Together we matter!

Mrs. Rittmiller

Yuna W. - K, DJ S. - 1, Parker M. - 1, Harvey B. - 2, Alianna D. - 2, Weston F. - 3, Audrey O. - 3, Evie H. - 4, Emmet W. - 4, Jack P. - 5, Lexi O. - 5

Mr. Mike enjoys watching our students each and every day! Outside of school he enjoys being in the outdoors. He loves to spend time with his dog.

The transition from secondary to elementary has been an incredibly enjoyable experience! I've loved building meaningful connections with each of my students and becoming a part of the Bridge's community. The school truly feels like a family, and I've been embraced with warmth and kindness from everyone-- especially with the endless hugs I get each day! It's been a pleasure collaborating with new colleagues to ensure that each student has the tools they need to succeed. There's something really rewarding about seeing those "aha!" moments and knowing we've played a part in a child's growth.

Outside of school, I enjoy spending as much time outdoors as I can (that is when it's not freezing!) as well as being with family and friends. My favorite ways to unwind are curling up with a good book or doing a puzzle.

Dear Bridges Families,

We want to share an update about our school counselor, Ms. Olivo. She will be extending her medical leave for the remainder of the school year as she focuses on her health and ongoing cancer treatments. Our thoughts are with her, and we know our Bridges community will continue to send her strength and support.

In the meantime, we are working to ensure that students continue to receive the care and guidance they need. We will keep you updated as we finalize plans for coverage. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Please complete this form to let us know what your plans are for early release. School will dismiss at 12:50. This form needs to be completed every month for staffing purposes.

https://forms.gle/U6CTrKY2KET9oEJc7

Spring conferences are right around the corner. Please click on the link below to sign up for a conference time with your child's teacher. Specialists also have available times to sign up for a conference time and check in with them.

Bridges Conference Sign-up Link

BAC will have the book fair set up on the gymnasium stage during conferences

Bridges conference dates/times:

Tuesday, March 18th 3:20-8:30

Thursday, March 20th 3:20-8:30

Monday, March 24th 3:20-7:00 *Please note that the Book Fair will close about an hour early on the final conference night

Update on Global Studies and Our Dream Team:

• Discussion of how and when Spanish will be delivered and co-taught.

• Decision making around the order of 14 home languages at Bridges and how we will greet each other so students can learn new "hello" and "welcome" in languages represented by students and families.

• Continued work on our Social Studies and ELA crosswalk with Standards and Core Knowledge.

• Discussions around partnerships with local Universities and the potential learning virtually with VR headsets.

• We will be meeting in a week with our task force once again!

When: Thursday, April 17, 5 - 7:30,

Where: Kato Ballroom.

**More information coming out soon.

**BAC is looking for all hands on deck!

The Greater Mankato Mental Health Hub has launched! This hub was developed by Greater Mankato Area United Way's Youth Mental Health/Suicide Prevention Committee and is hosted by the Center for Rural Behavioral Health at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

The hub is meant to be a tool for parents and caregivers to easily find information on crisis support, local mental health services, parent education, and more.

Find more information HERE.

March:

Mar. 3 - School Social Worker Week

Mar. 5 - Young Writers & Artists Conference (Grades 3-5)

Mar. 7 - Bridges Showcase

Mar. 12 - 2 Hour Early Release

Mar. 13 - Bridges Science Fair

Mar. 14 - No School

Mar. 18 - Parent/Teacher Conferences & Book Fair (3:20-8:30)

Mar. 20 - Parent/Teacher Conferences & Book Fair (3:20-8:30)

Mar. 24 - Parent/Teacher Conferences & Book Fair (3:20-7:00)/Book Fair will close at 6:00 on the final night

Mar. 25 - Read & Feed

Mar. 26-31 - No School/Spring Break

Looking for a way to connect to MAPS? We strive to connect our community to our district and schools. Subscribe to this newsletter to get the current information and links to events.

Follow MAPS Facebook and Instagram for student celebrations:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ISD77MAPS

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isd77maps/

MAPS Website: https://www.isd77.org/

Bridges BAC Website: BAC website link: : https://bridgesbears.weebly.com/faq.html