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Wolves Newsletter
Welcome to Park Brook Elementary
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Welcome to Park Brook Elementary
A note from the principal
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
Attendance
School Times
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.
Absences
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.
School Calendar
Please click on the Park Brook Webpage link below.
- On the Park Brook Website, click on the blue rectangle, Full Calendar, to view the calendar for the entire year.
- The 'blue dots' are the upcoming events.
How to Help Your Child Succeed in School
- Be in school and on time every day.
- Read - Please have your child read every day, or you can read to your child.
- Exercise - Get 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity (play time) every day.
- Eat - Eat together as a family without the television or cell phones.
- Sleep - Elementary age students need 9 - 11 hours of sleep every day.
- Technology - Monitor and Limit
- 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.)
Lunch Forms
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.
Breakfast
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.
Conferences
Dates
Monday, October 7, 2024
Wednesday, October 9, 2024
Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Tuesday, February 4, 2025
Thursday, February 6, 2025
Monday, February 10, 2025
Conference Scheduling
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.
Technology
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.
This article is not written by Park Brook Staff. It is provided strictly as a resource for parents.
Focus on Fitness
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.)
Physical Fitness Standards
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
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.
Recess
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
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.
Phones
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
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.
Birthday Treats
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.)
Lost & Found
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 - Parent Teacher Organization
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.
Dismissal
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.
Parking Lot
- 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.
The Wolf Way
- W - We will respect ourselves and others.
- O - Own our actions.
- L - Listen and Learn.
- F - Follow Directions.
Breakfast & Lunch
- 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.
Useful Links
parkbrook@district279.org (email)
phone: 763-561-6870