BMS | January 2023 Newsletter

NEWSLETTER JANUARY

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

BROOKWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL FAMILIES,

WE WISH YOU HAPPY AND SAFE HOLIDAY SEASON!

PRINCIPAL’S CORNER

The teachers and staff of Brookwood Middle School would like to wish you and your family a happy and safe holiday season.

For this edition of our newsletter, we would like to share with you pictures from the different activities that took place during the month of December.

School Hours

Students’ school day is from 8:30 a.m. until 3:10 p.m.

Students should not arrive earlier than 8:00 a.m.

All walkers and car riders will enter through Door #1, The Main Entrance.

LaShawn Stewart Principal lstewart@brookwood167.org

PRINCIPAL’S CORNER

Attendance/Absences/Tardies

To ensure that our students excel academically, they 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 will be able to earn rewards and participate in fun activities.

When your child has to be absent, please inform the front office. Our absentee number is 708-757-2110.

COMMUNICATION & INFORMATION

Our teachers do an excellent job of communicating with families. Here is where 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.

• 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.

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.

IF MY CHILD IS SICK, WHEN SHOULD I KEEP THEM HOME?

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 of taste or smell

• Fatigue from unknown cause

• Muscle or body aches

If you answer “yes” to any of the above, your child MUST stay home. Please call the school to report your child’s absence (708) 708-757-2110 (Option 1.)

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.

We are excited to announce that Brookwood School District 167 will provide students with a set of school supplies for school and home again this school year! Therefore, there are [NO] school supplies lists. However, if your child needs additional resources, please get in touch with the school office at 708-758-5252.

SCHOOL SUPPLIES

POWERSCHOOL

All Brookwood 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 confidential; therefore, you will need an access username and password to see your child’s progress. If you need your username and password, please contact 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.

TECHNOLOGY HELPLINE

If your child is having any technology problems connecting to their teacher’s Google Classroom, please contact our help desk at (708) 300-3553 or email our help desk

helpdesk@brookwood167.org

Please leave a detailed message with your name, child’s name, phone number, and the issue you are having with the device.

MISSION STATEMENT

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

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 challenged to the highest level of academic and artistic excellence.

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

• 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.

VISION STATEMENT

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 research-based 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.

WE ARE COMMITTED TO

1. Providing students with highly qualified teachers

2. Providing our staff with professional development

BMS SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT GOALS

CLASSDOJO

What is ClassDojo?

PLEASE JOIN OUR CLASSDOJO’S AND STAY INFORMED!

It is important that you sign up for the Principal’s Class Dojo. I post important information such as if a bus is running late, important reminders regarding picture day, graduation information and other important topics.

PLEASE SIGN UP TODAY!

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, email, lstewart@brookwood167.org. All you will need to provide is your cell phone number or email address.

GET INVOLVED AND STAY INFORMED!

LOOKING BACK...

TRENDING...

ELA

We are happy to announce that the 6th grade collectively grew by 6 points during their NWEA MAP Winter Benchmark!!!! When we return from Winter break, we are going to be starting our first novel study of the school year! I am confident that all our students will have a wonderful time reading “Where the Red Fern Grows”. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!

MATH

We are so proud of the growth and progress students showed on their NWEA MAP Winter Benchmark!! Full steam ahead into 2023 and the last half of 6th grade. We should have decimal operations wrapped up by the end of December and on to ratios & rates starting in January. Happy Holidays and I wish you a happy and healthy New Year!!

6TH GRADE SCIENCE

Our current science unit is about Inheritance and Genetic Variation. Students have been learning how to use Punnett Squares and compare their traits to others in the classroom. In January, we will move to Earth and Space Science, starting with Weather.

5TH GRADE SCIENCE

Students are nearing the end of the Matter Unit. The final concept that we are practicing is Matter Conservation. We completed a Baking Soda/Vinegar Lab, in which students not only observed the Conservation of Matter but reviewed the Properties of Matter and Signs of Chemical Changes. Upon return from Winter Break, expect that students will receive their Matter Unit Review packet, with the Matter Unit Test, about a week later. Have a Happy Holiday!!

MATH INTERVENTION

Throughout the month of December, we have been completing our 1st Book: Addition and Subtraction B. We will be focusing on how to use an open number line to add and subtract in Take-Away word problems, as well as when we are making comparisons and in Part-Whole problems :)

READING INTERVENTION

In December, we are finishing up our Workshop on the True West. We learned about reasons why people settled in the West, and we wrote about whether or not we would like to live in the West in the 1800s. We will conclude the Workshop by making a “Go West” poster.

SOCIAL STUDIES

In Social Studies, we are currently learning about the shift from hunter-gatherers to farmers and the importance and components involved with establishing a new civilization. We will move on to Mesopotamia where we learn about King Hammurabi and his Code of Laws. We continue to have weekly daily geography and CNN10. We are also working on Financial Literacy by designing a budget and the importance of being fiscally responsible to afford a future lifestyle.

This month, we have been looking at contemporary artist Jen Stark and her abstract “drip” paintings. Sixth graders practiced using positive and negative space by making their own stencils of an animal or a creature and making two exact copies of that on regular paper: one with drips inside the creature and one with drips outside of it. Finally, we wrapped up this unit by painting drips on large, white paper and cutting them out. They are hanging on display on the staircase at the front of the school for all to see!

BROOKWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL VISITORS

To stay current on what is happening at Brookwood Middle School, please continue to check Class Dojo or watch the morning announcements on YouTube by going to the following page...

https://bit.ly/3NA8V8C

If you need to come into the school for any reason, for safety reasons, you will be required to wear a mask, and you will need to have a current Driver’s License that will be checked in our Raptor Security System.

Raptor® provides a line of sight as to who is always in our school. The system provides school and districtwide reporting for all visitors, volunteers, and contractors that have signed in/out of our buildings. This is important for safety reasons.