Wolves Newsletter
Welcome to Park Brook Elementary
Dear Park Brook Families,
I am thankful to be able to serve the Park Brook families and look forward to a fun-filled school year for your kids. While expecting strong academic growth, I also desire Park Brook to be a school where students want to be, and have great fun. I believe that learning should be fun. My hope for the fifth-grade students is that they move to middle school feeling that school is a place where they belong and want to be. (I was in shock as I reviewed the fifth-grade class lists this year and couldn't believe that these kids, many I have known since pre-k and kindergarten, and in their final year at Park Brook.)
I do not emphasize homework because it is not the best way to increase academic growth at the elementary level. There are things that kids should practice at home, such as math facts, speech techniques if they receive speech services, and so on. I emphasize five things I want families to do at home which do have a great impact on academic growth:
- Read at home. Kids can read to themselves or be read to, which increases vocabulary and background knowledge. (You can simply read to your child, it should not be a struggle to get your child to read every-other-page, and so on. Enjoy the time with your child.)
- Eat together as a family without the television or cell phones. Enjoy time together with your children!
- Get 60 minutes of exercise every day. Kids don't call it exercise, they call it play. This is important so that they are ready to learn when they come to school.
- Get 9 - 11 hours of sleep every day. Elementary age students need 9 - 11 hours of sleep every day. Please keep cell phones, television, and other electronic devices out of rooms where kids sleep - it is a great temptation for kids and adults. Elementary age kids should be in bed around 8:30 p.m. so they can get 9 - 11 hours of sleep, wake up and NOT be rushed in the morning to get to school.
- Monitor and limit technology. Kids need parents to monitor social media, texts, emails, and so on. In addition, limiting time kids spend on technology is important.
Funding for Park Brook Elementary is dependent upon free/reduced cost lunch forms. We kindly request that all families complete a form (including Pre-K), even if your child will not be eating school lunches. Please complete the form in September if there is a possibility you may qualify for free/reduced lunches.
Completing the lunch forms before October 1 will assist Park Brook in providing Title I services; TAG services; additional teachers to reduce instructional group size; and ESP support. The State of Minnesota has one count in October which determines the funding for the next school year; we need all families to fill these forms out in September so we have the resources to serve your children.
While breakfast and lunch are free for all students in the State of Minnesota, the forms are important for funding purposes.
Families are welcome to enjoy a BBQ hamburger lunch with their children on Thursday, September 26.
Kindergarten: 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.
1st Grade: 12:30 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.
2nd Grade: 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
3rd Grade: 11:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
4th Grade: 11:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.
5th Grade 12:15 p.m. - 12:45 p.m.
Cost: $5.25 per adult or child who is NOT a Park Brook Student. - Total/family $10.50.
Credit cards not accepted.
- Families will order pictures online (online only) after pictures have been taken on Wed. Sept. 25.
- A link will be sent via email to each family to approve your child's picture. Please make sure you have the correct email on file with the school.
- Information will be posted on the school website, perhaps the 2nd week of October as to who you should contact if you have questions.
- Picture retake day is October 16th. This is only for students who missed picture day, and for students IF their parent/guardian has requested their child's picture to be retaken. It is the responsibility of the parent/guardian to contact the school if a student should have their picture taken on retake day. (If a student is absent on picture day, they will automatically be on the list to have their picture taken; no need to let the school know.) Communication needs to be between adults-at-home with adults-at-school.
The Mile Run is one of the physical fitness tests that all students in grades 1 - 5 take. At Park Brook, the entire school participates at one time, with a fun-filled community feel to the event.
We kindly ask that parents/guardians not join in as we are timing each student, but parents and guardians are encouraged to come and cheer on the students.
Parents/guardians are welcome to take their children home, but we ask that you wait until the entire event is finished. There will be sign-out sheets available, and then after the entire event is finished all students will return to their classes and then those signed out will come out to meet their families.
Please do not have high school and middle school students leave school early to come and cheer on their siblings.
Elementary age students need 9 - 11 hours of sleep every day. Electronic devices, telephones, and televisions should be kept out of rooms where kids sleep. When students are well rested, they are ready for learning and behavior improves.
Parents and guardians may be wondering why the topic of sleep comes up regularly. Sleepy students is a huge issue, not just at Park Brook, but across our nation. Increasing sleep by removing technology from rooms where kids sleep, and having regular bed times that allow for 9 - 11 hours of sleep is best for kids.
Elementary age students if they go to bed at 8:30 p.m., allows them to get 10 - 11 hours of sleep, and then wake up and not be rushed in the morning. (On non-school nights it is o.k. to stay up a bit later, but routines are good for kids.)
The second and third weeks of school, kindergarten students have special learning projects with a different color each day. The entire school joins the fun with staff and students across the building dressing in the color of the day.
Click on the picture, right, for the calendar with the color for each day.
Commitment fees are only for weekend events. The purpose is so that we can have an accurate count of the number of students who will attend the event.
Most field trips in most schools occur during the school day. The commitment fee assists families in knowing that the event is not during the school day, and on a weekend.
Prior to the commitment fee system, the count was off, and several times we ordered an extra bus (over $300 per bus) when it was not needed. For some field trips we had 20 - 30 students registered who did not show up.
Cost to the school for weekend events may include: staff, bus, food, registration fees, equipment students need. It is not only cost, but also logistics of having the right equipment, such as cross-country skis.
All families receive the commitment fee back IF:
- Their child attends the event,
- They let the office know by noon on the Friday before the event that their child is not able to attend.
The only time the commitment fee is kept is if a student registers and then does not show up for the event.
Recess is important for elementary age students for a variety of reasons, from the exercise, to building friendships, to simply having fun.
- Students go outside for recess most days, unless the weather is colder than -5 degrees.
- If a student needs to stay in more than a day because of an injury, we need a note from a doctor.
- If you think they are sick enough that they shouldn't go outside for recess, they shouldn't be in school.
- We do not have parents/guardians outside at recess. The recess staff know the students, but they do NOT have all of the information about families as to who should and shouldn't be in contact with students. Adults who are not staff members will be asked by recess staff to go to the office.
- Please label your child's jackets, hoodies, and so on with their name or initials. We look for names and initials in lost items, but many items we never find their owner.
Students who are registered for Boot Camp are expected to stay unless we receive a note or phone call from a parent/guardian. Please do not ask your child to let us know that there is a change in plans; we want communication to be between adults-at-home and adults-at-schools so we can make sure your child is where you want them to be after school.
Deadlines for registration are in place as there are many logistics with programs outside of the school day, especially when we have approximately 150 students participating. (For some events, such as the Twin Cities 5K, we have a deadline when we have to register students with Twin Cities in Motion.)
Fifth-grade students will attend a presentation regarding Students Connecting Through International Service on Monday, September 9. Students will have an opportunity to write an essay, if they so choose, if they are interested in being a part of Students Connecting Through International Service.
Fifth-grade students will bring home a packet of information, if they choose to, on Monday, September 9, following the presentation.
Click on the red square, picture, to learn more about Students Connecting Through International Service.
Families New to Park Brook, and all Pre-K and Kindergarten Families
Tuesday, September 17, 2023
5:00 pm – 7:00 pm
Families are welcome and encouraged to join us for dinner and conversation.
· Families and staff will enjoy time together eating dinner.
· Following dinner, students will go to the gym for activities.
· Parents/guardians will spend time together visiting about Park Brook, discuss questions families have, and a time for everyone to get to know each other.
All beef hot dogs will be served.
