BMS | August 2023 Newsletter

REGISTRATION DROP OFF | PICK UP

August 8th 10:30 a.m. | 1:30 p.m. | Thornwood Apartments

August 9th 11:00 a.m. | 6:00 p.m. | Brookwood Middle School

August 10th 11:00 a.m. | 6:00 p.m. | Brookwood Middle School

August 17th

1ST DAY OF SCHOOL!

Students should arrive at school no earlier than 8:00 a.m. and be picked up after school no later than 3:15 P.M. If a student is being dropped off or picked up, the driver must adhere to the one-way sign at the entrance of the parking lot. Drivers must NEVER go the wrong way in the parking lot as this is unsafe for students and staff. All walkers and car riders will enter through Door #1, The Main Entrance. Thank you for being so cooperaTive!

PRINCIPAL’S CORNER

We are asking that every parent sign up for the Principal ClassDojo, as this is a great way for parents to stay informed about important events and information throughout the school year. Please contact the school office if you need help signing up for this awesome communication tool.

MEET THE PRINCIPAL

I can be reached at the school number (708) 7585350, by email mhollimon@ brookwood167.org

Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year, where we will “Reignite the Fire Within Us”.

I am Dr. Muriel McClam-Hollimon. I am honored to serve as the Principal of Brookwood Middle School and be a part of Brookwood School District 167’s school leadership team.

Prior to my new leadership position here at Brookwood Middle School, I served as an Assistant Principal for three (3) years and a Dean of Students for three (3) years

in the Park Forest-Chicago Heights School District. In both positions, I built relationships with families, students, and staff to ensure educational equity for all students. Before I ventured into administrative roles, I was the Sixth Grade STEM teacher at Brookwood Middle School for seven years. In this role, I helped students understand the importance of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math and how to apply their understanding to everyday life and learning. In the early years of my career, I had the opportunity to educate students in several capacities in the Country Club Hills School District. I have a master’s degree in education, a post-graduate specialist degree in leadership, and a Doctoral degree in Education Leadership, where I researched Social and Emotional Abilities. My qualitative study explored the best practices for student’s social and emotional abilities to improve their academic success. I am an advocate of equity for all and a believer that all students can learn in a loving environment.

On a personal note, my husband and I are proud parents of four. Two college graduates, one in his 3rd year of college, and our youngest is a senior in high school and planning for her college experiences.

Lastly, I look forward to meeting everyone and having conversations about how we will collaborate and continue to work together to move our students toward academic excellence to build lifelong learners. Let’s “Reignite the Fire Within Us” and have a GREAT School Year!

Sincerely,

Dr. Muriel McClam-Hollimon | Principal

SAFETY FIRST

Please use extreme caution when dropping off and picking up your children. The speed limit is 5 mph on school grounds. Watch for children exiting and entering vehicles. Please yield to buses dropping off and picking up. We thank you for helping us to keep all students safe.

COMMUNICATION & INFORMATION

Our teachers do an excellent job of communicating with families.

Here is how you can stay informed proactively

• School and District Website - www.brookwood167.org

• Timberwood News - Weekly school newsletter that will be sent home on Fridays

• ClassDojo - It is essential that you sign up for the Principal’s ClassDojo. If you have not already joined, an invitation will be sent to you during the first week of school. To join, you will need either your phone number or email address.

TECHNOLOGY HELPLINE

If your child is having any technology problems, please get in touch with our help desk at (708) 300-3553 or email our help desk at helpdesk@ brookwood167.org

• A phone call or an email is an efficient way to communicate with your child’s teacher. Please remember that our teachers are with students throughout the day and will return the call/email as soon as possible. At times, this may be the next school day.

MISSION STATEMENT | WE BELIEVE!

BROOKWOOD SCHOOL DISTRICT 167 | MISSION STATEMENT

challenged to the highest level of academic and artistic excellence.

• In the importance of staff development opportunities based on best practices and educational research.

WE BELIEVE...

• Families shape their children’s motivation, confidence, and academic success by being interested and involved in their overall development.

• All students are unique and should be

• In educating our children in a safe and nurturing environment with access to state-of-the-art technology.

• The school system should teach students to think critically, enabling them to become contributing citizens in our global society.

• In continuous improvement in all aspects of the school system to foster a culture of excellence, accountability, and integrity.

• In responsible stewardship of financial and physical resources.

Excellence... Potential...

Brookwood School District 167, in partnership with parents and the community, will create a learning environment where all students excel at becoming lifelong learners and decision-makers.

“When you’re good at something, you’ll tell everyone. When you’re great at something, they’ll tell you.” --Walter Payton

WE ARE COMMITTED TO:

1. Providing students with highly qualified teachers

BROOKWOOD SCHOOL DISTRICT 167 | VISION

“Whatever you want to do, if you want to be great at it, you have to love it and be able to make sacrifices for it.” --Maya Angelou

2. Providing our staff with Professional Development

Our overall vision is to improve the achievement of all students, regardless of race, socio-economic status, gender, or ability levels (disabilities). We share the accountability of student achievement throughout the school. We believe in using researchbased practices to achieve our goals. We promote school and community involvement because we believe that these partnerships help us meet the needs of all of our students.

WHEN TO KEEP YOUR CHILD HOME...

If a child has any symptoms listed below, they should stay home in the morning or go home if these symptoms first occur at school.

When a child can return to school is based on the specific symptom they have:

• Fever of 100.4 or higher

• New onset of moderate to severe headache

• Shortness of breath, new cough, sore throat

• Nausea, Vomiting, Diarrhea

• Abdominal pain from unknown cause

• New congestion/runny nose

• New loss of sense, taste or smell

• Fatigue from unknown cause

• Muscle or body aches

If

answer

I am excited to share with you that our Superintendent and Board of Education will continue to provide our students with a set of school supplies to use at school and a set to use at home! If your child needs any additional resources or supplies for any of their classes, please get in touch with our school office at (708) 758-5350, so we can help provide them with all necessary and needed materials.

To ensure that our students are excelling academically, students must attend school daily and be on time. When students are tardy, they miss valuable instruction, primarily in reading and language arts. Attendance will be tied into our school’s PBIS expectations, in which students can earn rewards and participate in fun activities. When your child must be absent, please inform the front office. Our absentee number is 708-758-5350.

ATTENDANCE/ ABSENCES/ TARDIES OPEN HOUSE | CURRICULUM NIGHT

AUGUST 29TH, 2023 | 5:30 P.M. - 7:30 P.M.

REPORTING AN ABSENCE

To report absences, please call the attendance line at (708) 757-2110, Option 1. Please call the school before 8:30 a.m. to report your child’s absence. Please leave the following information:

• Student’s full name with the spelling of the last name

• Reason for absence/tardy/early release

• Your name and relationship to the student

• Please call the main number (708) 758-5350 at least 45 minutes PRIOR to early dismissal. For your student to be EXCUSED, you must sign them in and out in the main office, or their absence will be marked as unexcused.

Official attendance will be reported every morning at 9:00 a.m. If your child joins a teacher’s classroom late, they will be marked tardy in PowerSchool, and you will be notified through the Principal’s Class dojo.

PLEASE JOIN OUR CLASSDOJO’S AND STAY INFORMED!

ClassDojo is a global community of more than 50 million teachers and families who come together to share kids’ most important learning moments, in school and at home —through photos, videos, messages, and more.

ClassDojo is actively used in 90% of U.S. K-8 schools.

ClassDojo is a free app that helps build amazing classroom and school communities. Teachers give feedback to students for any skill, like “Working hard” and “Being curious.” From

the mobile app, parents view their child’s feedback, and can message directly with teachers and school leaders. Please join my ClassDojo so you can stay informed on what is happening at BROOKWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL. If you would like to join, please accept the invitation that we emailed to you or texted

you, or contact the school at (708) 758-5350, or email, mhollimon@ brookwood167.org. All you will need to provide is your cell phone number or email address.

GET INVOLVED AND STAY INFORMED!

DOJO WE BELIEVE...

Kids have always learned together in physical spaces. Today, they learn in virtual spaces, too. Now that ClassDojo has connected a worldwide community of teachers, kids, and families, we’re building that virtual space for everyone...

Curriculum Night /

Open House

Tuesday, August 29

ANTI-BULLY PLEDGE

We make a COMMITMENT to stand against bullying.

We will treat others with RESPECT and KINDNESS.

We will have the COMPASSION to not be a bully.

We will have the COURAGE to not be a bystander.

It is our RESPONSIBILITY to help others and to report bullying.

5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m.

OPEN HOUSE

Please join us for our annual Open House on Tuessday, August 29th, 2023, 5:30pm - 7:30pm. The Open House will present an opportunity to meet your child’s teachers and get to know our staff. You will receive information about curriculum and instruction, and pick up your child’s “HOME DEVICE,” and tour the building. We look forward to seeing all of our Timberwolve Families during Open House.

VISITORS

If you need to come into the school for any safety reasons, you must have a current Driver’s License that will be checked in our Raptor Security System. Raptor® provides a line of sight for those always in our school. The system provides school and district-wide reporting for all visitors, volunteers, and contractors signed in/out of our buildings. This is important for safety reasons.

POWERSCHOOL

At PowerSchool, we believe that for students to succeed, they need to feel connected to learning in a personal way.

All Longwood teachers use an online grading system called PowerSchool that they update every Thursday.

We encourage you to check your child’s progress regularly. This program is entirely confidential; therefore, you will need an access username and password to see your child’s progress.

If you need your username and/or password, please get in touch with the school office at (708) 758-5350. A PowerSchool app for your cellular phone makes it easy for parents to stay updated on their child’s progress.

“Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great.”

– Mark Twain

PBIS | SECOND STEP

second step | sel (social emotional learning)

As part of our PBIS Initiative at Brookwood Middle School, our teachers have been infusing a Social Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculum into their daily routines. With a lesson focused on each week, this curriculum teaches our students important skills such as how to have empathy, emotion management, problem solving skills, friendship skills, and responsibility. The weekly focus for each lesson varies. Please talk with your child about these lessons, it will help to reinforce them at home! If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your child’s SEL teacher.

Define, teach, and routinely acknowledge family expectations.

• Discuss how you want to live as a family and identify some “pillars” (important, building-block concepts) that represent what you value. Talk about what those pillars look and sound like in everyday routines. To help the family remember and be consistent, choose only 3-5 and create positive statements about them.

Here are a few examples:

• Speak in a respectful voice.

• Be responsible for actions.

• Be safe; keep hands, feet, and objects to self.

• Identify a couple of “hot spots” to begin. Challenging behaviors often occur within routines. Perhaps mornings or mealtimes create hot spots for the family. After discussing 1-2 ways to be Respectful, Responsible, and Safe in the morning, teach what each looks like. Have fun with it! Set up “expectation stations” for practicing the plan and assign each family member one pillar to teach to the rest.

• Behaviors that get attention get repeated. Notice when a child does the right thing and say something about each success: “I noticed you stopped to pick up your shoes in the hallway. Thanks for putting them away and keeping the walkway safe for others.” The easiest way to change a behavior is to point out what a person does right!

• Remember this catchy phrase, “5-and-1 gets it done” to ensure five positive interactions for each negative interaction. When the expected behavior becomes routine, the reinforcement can fade away.

Create engaging and predictable routines.

• Children crave structure and routine. Adults may look forward to a relaxing evening or weekend, but kids often need regular activity and engagement. Consider that either the kids are busy, or the adults are busy managing bored kids!

• Use visuals to create predictability. A visual schedule can display major routines of the day with pictures that are drawn, real photos or cut-outs from magazines. Create the schedule together, if possible. Parents can ask a child to check the schedule – especially when moving from a preferred to non-preferred activity. It’s hard to argue with a picture!

CHAMPIONS | BEFORE & AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM

DAILY BELL | SCHEDULE

Champions is a Before & AfterSchool Care Program available to our Brookwood families. Please get in touch with Champions as soon as you can to secure your spot. Space is limited.

Champions Family Support

Phone: (800) 246-2154

ChampionsHelp@kc-education.com

HEALTH TIP

One precaution to help stop the spread of germs is to not share personal items.

Some of these include water bottles, lip balms, hats, hairbrushes, and EarPods. These items should only be used by the individual to whom they belong.

“REIGNITE THE FIRE WITHIN US”