Wolves Newsletter

Dear Park Brook Families,

Welcome to the Park Brook Elementary Community! This edition of the newsletter is designed for families just joining Park Brook with information that may be helpful for you.

Please know that you are always welcome to call the office, send an email, or drop in if you have any questions.

Park Brook is a school with a Focus on Fitness to increase academic growth and positive behaviors. You will learn more about this initiative in this newsletter.

Mr. Scott W. Taylor

8:30 a.m. - Supervision in front of the school

8:40 a.m. - Students enter the building. (Teachers have learning activities prepared for students during this time in the younger grades, and upper grades go right to breakfast when they enter the building.)

8:50 a.m.- Students considered late to school.

3:20 p.m. - Dismissal

AM Pre-K 8:50 AM - 11:20 AM; PM Pre-K 12:50 PM - 3:20 PM

(Parents/guardians of Pre-K students need to wait with their child until 8:40 a.m., or 12:50 p.m.)

Please Note: There is no supervision before 8:30 AM, or after 3:30 PM.

Students are welcome to use the school playgrounds, however students MUST go home first and are welcome to come back and play (unsupervised by school staff), UNLESS a parent/guardian is with their own children before/after school.

Please call the school office if your child is out ill, or for some other excused reason. If the office does not hear from an adult, the absence will be considered unexcused.

If out ill:

• Students can return to school if they are fever free, no vomiting, and no diarrhea for 24 hours WITHOUT medication.

When students are late for school they miss a portion of their learning. Students learn best when they enter the school with their classmates on time.

You will need to scroll down on the website to get to the calendar.

1. Be in school and on time every day.
2. Read - Please have your child read every day, or you can read to your child.
3. Exercise - Get 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity (play time) every day.
4. Eat - Eat together as a family without the television or cell phones.
5. Sleep - Elementary age students need 9 - 11 hours of sleep every day.
6. Technology - Monitor and Limit
7. Practice Math Facts

• 1st grade - addition facts
• 2nd grade - subtraction facts
• 3rd grade - addition and subtraction facts (September - January), multiplication facts (February - June)
• 4th and 5th grades - multiplication facts (Students who get over 100 problems correct on the 3-minute timed test for three (3) months in a row move to division facts.)
• Each month students will take a three-minute timed test for the purpose of increasing speed with the math facts.

You will note that homework is not necessarily mentioned above. Homework is not the most effective method for increasing academic growth. Reading, eating together, and playing are all things that will hopefully be enjoyable for your family to do together, which increases academic growth.

(Click on Math Facts below for more information.)

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.

While breakfast and lunch are free for all students in the State of Minnesota, the forms are important for funding purposes.

Students eat breakfast with their class, if they so choose, after the school day begins. Some classes go immediately, and other classes begin the day with a short lesson and then go to the cafeteria. If a student arrives AFTER the class has gone to the cafeteria for breakfast, it is assumed that the parent/guardian has provided breakfast.

Students need to be to school on time in order to participate in all academics and activities that begin at the beginning of the school day.

Monday, October 7, 2024

Wednesday, October 9, 2024

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

Tuesday, February 4, 2025

Thursday, February 6, 2025

Monday, February 10, 2025

Prior to conferences, a form will be sent home for you to indicate all times that work for your family. A specific time will be scheduled for you to meet with your child's teacher. Interpreters will be scheduled for all families who request an interpreter.

Students in grades K - 3 will be issued an iPad, and students in grades 4 and 5 will be issued a Chromebook. These devices are remain at school unless there is a specific school-related assignment to complete. Families are responsible for replacement/repair of technology when students take the devices home.

At Park Brook we encourage families to monitor and limit technology. 'Drama' occurs on social media which is not beneficial for students, or anyone. The article, blue rectangle below, explains some of the dangers with social media.

It is advised that televisions, electronic devices, cell phones, and so on are not in the room where children sleep at night. The temptation to use technology at night is great, and it is best to remove the temptation.

This article is not written by Park Brook Staff. It is provided strictly as a resource for parents.

There is considerable research that increasing movement and fitness increases academic growth and positive behaviors. Students at Park Brook are active and there are additional opportunities beyond the school day for students to be active.

• Brain Boosts - Students will participate in Brain Boosts throughout the day. Brain Boosts are movement breaks designed to assist students with engagement in academics.
• After School Activities - There are additional activities that are offered throughout the year, such as Boot Camp. Flyers will be sent home and also advertised on the Park Brook Website.
• Weekend Events - There are several weekend events that students are welcome to participate in to increase movement and simply enjoy with school mates.
• For weekend events a $5 commitment for each student is required. This commitment fee is because the events are not on school days and are optional. All students receive their commitment fee back if they show up for the event, or they let the office know by noon on the Friday before the event that they are not able to attend. The commitment fee has helped us have an accurate count of students attending, which reduces costs. Students who simply do not show up do not receive the commitment fee back.

(Click on 'Focus on Fitness' for more information.)

Individual growth is most important. Students in grades 3 - 5 will set individual goals for themselves. The Focus on Fitness Initiative is emphasized because of the strong correlation to academic growth and positive behaviors.

(Pacer Test is the center column, below.)

Kinesthetic seating, such as stability balls and Hokki Stools, that require core muscle use during instruction are standard seating at Park Brook. According to Dr. John Ratey of Harvard University, there is a 10% increase in focus when using kinesthetic seating.

Students need to come to school prepared to go outside and enjoy time playing during recess.

• Students go outside every day unless the weather is colder than -5 degrees, or it is raining.
• Please label your children's belongings with their name or initials so that their items can easily be returned if they are misplaced.
• Parents are not permitted to be on the playground during recess.

ParentVUE is an online system where parents can update contact information, view report cards, check attendance, and so on.

Report cards are online only.

It is essential that you have your current phone number and email address on file in the school office. If there are any changes, please update in ParentVUE or call the school office.

Students are not allowed to access their cell phones or smart watches during the school day.

If a phone or smart watch is an issue, personal devices may be confiscated and will need to be picked up by a parent at the end of the day.

If a parent needs to contact their child, please call the school office at 763-561-6870 and messages will be delivered to your child. Communication as to how students go home needs to be between adults-at-home and adults-at-school.

Medications can only be administered at school if there is a prescription from the doctor, signed permission from parent/guardian, and the medication is in the original bottle with the prescription on the bottle.

If your child takes medications at home, it is important to have a list of those medications on file in the health office if there should be a medical emergency.

If your child has been ill, they must be fever free, no vomiting, and no diarrhea for 24 hours WITHOUT medication. Medications reduce the symptoms of an illness.

Birthdays are a special time for students. At Park Brook we recognize birthdays, unless a parent or guardian indicates that we should not. However, students do not bring birthday treats to school on their birthday at Park Brook.

(Click on picture for more information.)

Please label your child's belongings. Lost & Found is usually overflowing with items that are not labeled with student names. If an item is labeled, we do not place it in Lost & Found, but rather return it to the student.

Several times a year unclaimed items are donated to a local charity.

PTO meets once a month. The dates are on the calendar on the website. All parents/guardians are welcome to come!

Parents/guardians are welcome to bring their children. Children will have options for coloring, Legos, and other things that they can choose to do while parents/guardians are meeting.

Each month a different staff member will share a few items, to both inform and be a discussion starter. Mr. Taylor shares a few items regarding the school, as well.

PTO is a place for parents to connect, learn about the school, and provide input.

A parent/guardian needs to communicate to the school by note, phone call, email or text if there is a change in how your child will go home from school at the end of the day. Communication needs to be between adults at home and adults at school; please do not ask your child to communicate change in plans after school.

If a student is registered for an after-school program, they are expected to stay unless the school hears from a parent or guardian.

If you need to communicate a change in plans, please let the office know by 2:30 p.m. so we can send a note to your child and their teacher.

There is no supervision of students after 3:30 p.m.

Students and families are welcome to use the playgrounds after school and on weekends, however, students MUST go home after school unless they are directly supervised by a parent/guardian on the playground.

• Pick-up BETWEEN 3:20 p.m. and 3:30 p.m.
• Students are NOT permitted to walk across the parking lot without an adult.
• Do not pick up your children or park in the cross walk.
• Students need to enter the car from the curb.
• Do not walk through the bus circle.
• The bus circle is for school busses, day care center vans, and other vehicles hired by the district to transport students to/from school.
• Drivers and walkers must obey school patrols.

• W - We will respect ourselves and others.
• O - Own our actions.
• L - Listen and Learn.
• F - Follow Directions.

• Breakfast and lunch are free for all students at Park Brook Elementary.
• Milk is available for students to purchase if they bring a cold lunch from home.
• All classes go to the cafeteria for breakfast. If students arrive late for school, breakfast is not available after their class has finished breakfast. It is assumed that parents provide breakfast if a student is late for school.
• Students should not bring snacks to supplement the lunch menu. Students are welcome to take additional fruits and vegetables.
• Sharing of food at the lunch table is not allowed.

ParentVUE is your parent portal. ParentVUE is necessary to see your child's grades, attendance, and so on. https://www.district279.org/family-access/parentvue

You do not need to let the school know in advance, but it is helpful if you do so. When you arrive at the school office, we will call your child's classroom to have them gather their belongings and come to the office. Please allow ample time for this as it typically takes 5 - 10 minutes.

Yes, you need to call the office at 763-561-6870 to report your child absent. Failure to do so will result in an unexcused absence.

• If your child develops a fever of 100 degrees or above, and/or shows other illness symptoms during the school day, the school nurse will call you to pick him/her up.
• Children who are experiencing vomiting, diarrhea, who have a contagious illness, or are experiencing other illness symptoms should not attend school.
• Your child must be free of a fever (without the use of a fever reducing medication), vomit , and diarrhea for 24 hours before returning to school.

Yes! FIRSTview is our bus tracking application. This app will allow you to see where your child's bus is, its estimated arrival time, and so on. You can find the app on your mobile device by searching 'First View Bus App'. You will need your student's ID number and an access code. Both items can be found in ParentVUE under 'student info', then, 'additional information'.

• All entry doors are locked from the outside at all times. (The staff member opening the door for students in the morning does not know all parents, and therefore will stop all adults from entering the building. Adults must stop in the office before entering the building.)
• All visitors must check in at the office using our visitor management system. The first time you enter the building as a visitor, an office staff member will register you using your driver's license or other identification. On subsequent visits, the system will read your identification when you check in electronically.
• Staff members supervising recess know the students, but not their parents, if a parent is not supposed to have contact with their own child, and so on. Therefore, staff supervising recess will direct adults to visit the office for assistance.

• One breakfast and one lunch per school day are free for all students in Minnesota.
• The school lunch and breakfast menus can be found on the district's website. Click on the website, https://pb.district279.org/ , and then there is a quick link for menus under the first picture on the website.

• Please do NOT send treats to share with classmates on your child's birthday. We recognize that birthdays are special and will honor each student on their special day, unless a parent/guardian requests that we not recognize their child's birthday.

• Great! You can start by completing the volunteer application, which can be found by clicking https://pb.district279.org/community/volunteer .
• Our Volunteer Coordinator, Cathrine Wadler, will contact you with next steps after you fill out the application form.
• Please feel welcome to email Cathrine Wadler at wadlerc@district279.org with any questions.

• Students should come to school wearing clothes that are appropriate for an educational setting and are not disruptive or distracting to others. Student clothing should not be low-cut nor expose midriffs. Flip flops are discouraged as they do not allow students to fully participate in recess or physical education class.
• Hats and hoodies are not permitted in the building except for special hat days or hoodie days.
• Students should come to school every day, prepared for the weather.
• Please see the Parent Handbook for more information about the district dress code.

• Yes! All students will have recess for 30 minutes every day unless it is raining or the temperature is less than -5 degrees. It is important that your child has appropriate outdoor clothing at school every day.
• Please label all of your child's items.

• Please call the school office, send an email, or send a note with your child to update your phone numbers, email address, and so on. Messages will be sent to the phone number and email that we have on file so it is important to update contact information.
• You can always update your emergency contact list at any time. It is important for us to have a someone we can reach, who you trust, if we can't reach you.

• No. Communication needs to be between an adult-at-school and an adult-at-home.
• Please call the school office before 2:45 p.m., if possible, and we will get a message to your child. (We deliver messages just before 3:00 p.m., however, we will always get the message to your child.)
• Students are not permitted to use their phones during the school day.
• If there is an emergency and you need to get a message to your child, please call the school office so we can assist you. If there is an emergency, we will support you and your child.