News for April 29, 2019

Mrs. Lokey's class helped to plant two maple trees on Brown School's playground in celebration of Earth Day on Monday. 

We would like to thank the Cook Plant and Second Nature Gardens for their donation and ongoing community partnership.

This Week at Brown

April 29     3rd & 4th grade M-STEP testing begins
                 K-5 NWEA testing begins
                 Spring Mileage Club begins

April 30     Lory's Place group @ lunch

May 1       Late Start Day
                 Mileage Club @ lunch recess
May 2       Fourth graders to Sarett (p.m.)

May 3       Mileage Club @ lunch recess 

Coming Up...

May 6-10 Teacher Appreciation Week!

May 6       Board of Education Meeting @ SJHS 5:45 p.m.
                 Mileage Club @ lunch recess

May 8       Late Start Day

                 Mileage Club @ lunch recess

May 10     3rd-5th grade track meet @ Upton 11:00 a.m.
                 Ren Baldwin Technology Festival @ SJHS 6-7:30pm

May 13     Board of Education meeting 6pm @ Central Office

May 14     3rd graders to Charleton Park @ 7:45 a.m.

May 15     Late Start Day

      

May 16     Lory's Place lunch group meeting  

May 17     5th grade HealthWorks presentation 1:00-2:30 p.m.

May 20    Third grade swimming this week (a.m.)

                4th grade HealthWorks 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
                Board of Education meeting @ Central Office 6pm

May 21    Student Council meeting @ lunch
                Final PTO meeting of the year 7pm in media center

May 22    Late Start Day
                Book Bonanza 4-6pm at SJHS Student Center

May 24    Fourth graders to Lansing 
                Fifth graders to Air Zoo
                Second graders to bluff

May 27     Memorial Day - no school Y5/K-12

May 29     Fifth grade musical 6pm
                 Last DQ Night of the school year!

May 31     Popcorn Friday!

June 3      School Picnic Day!
                 Board of Education meeting 6pm @ Central Office

June 6      1/2 Day - dismissal at 12:05pm
                  Fifth grade breakfast

June 7       Last day of school!
                 1/2 Day - dismissal at 12:05pm
                  Awards assembly / Fifth Grade Farewell

Teacher Appreciation Week is coming! Let's show our staff how much we appreciate all of their hard work by celebrating them every day of the week May 6th -10th. 

Yearbooks
Our 2018-19 school yearbooks arrived this week and they look great! Great news - it is not too late to order one. If you are interested in purchasing a yearbook before the end of the school year, please send in $15 to the school office (cash or a check made out to SJPS) by Friday, May 3rd. Please be sure to write your child’s name and teacher's name on the envelope. This will be your last chance to get one this year. 

PTO News 
April's PTO Meeting Minutes can be found here. Thank you for reading along and staying informed. We appreciate your support and commitment to our school! Our next meeting will be held on May 21st at 7pm in the Brown School Media Center. We hope to see you there - little ones are always welcome. 

Track Meet Help Needed
Our annual St. Joseph Elementary Track Meet is coming up Friday, May 10th. This is an exciting day for 3rd-5th grade students to compete against Clarke and Lincoln students on the Upton track/field. All three schools are to provide volunteers to pull off this fun day. If you are able to help out that day, please email Jessa Calderwell at jessamyn.margoni@gmail.com. Volunteers would need to be there from 10am-2pm. Parents of lower elementary students are especially appreciated, freeing up parents of 3rd-5th graders to watch their children. Thank you!

Here are the specifics from Mr. Jager:
-- Experience NOT necessary.
-- The track meet is May 10 at UPTON MIDDLE SCHOOL from 10 am to 2 pm.
-- Volunteers need to be at the Upton school track @ 10 am to be assigned a job and receive directions (there will be a short break, but volunteers need to be in place by 11:15 am). The track meet lasts until about 2 pm. (Some events finish slightly earlier.)
-- If you volunteer, please be prepared to stay until your entire assigned job is finished.
-- Sorry, but no little ones. There are just too many people and a lot going on.
-- Remember to dress for the weather and layer!

Drop-Off and Pick-Up Procedures

Please be sure to ALWAYS USE THE CROSSWALK when entering and/or exiting the parking lot during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up times.  Thank you for your attention to this important safety procedure. Please take a moment to watch our procedural video highlighting the recent changes linked here. 

Michigan's Adventure Family Trip 
The annual Michigan's Adventure Family Fun Day is planned for June 12th. Tickets are $28 each. This includes both parks and lunch. Money is due to the school office by May 20th. Checks can be written to "SJPS". This is a family event - not a school-sponsored trip. You will need to make travel arrangements to and from the park. A special thank you goes out to Kim Ferguson for planning this special opportunity for our families.

M-STEP Testing

Students in grades 3-8 all across Michigan will be taking the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP) assessments this spring. Like last year, the M-STEP will be given online. The fifth graders were the first to test and are in the process of completing the assessments. The third and fourth grade windows for testing begins April 29th. 

The M-STEP measures current student knowledge of Michigan’s high academic standards in English language arts (ELA), mathematics, science, and social studies.  A robust set of resources related to the M-STEP is available online atwww.michigan.gov/mstep.  The resources linked below were specifically developed for parents.

• Student Testing, What Parents Can do to Help Students Prepare
• Michigan's System Education Assessment, What It Is, What It Means, and What It Offers

Community Corkboard
Looking for fall activities to enroll your child in?
Check out local offerings by visiting our Community Corkboard.

It is the policy of the St. Joseph Public School District that no person shall, on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, disability, height, weight, or marital status be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to, discrimination during any program, activity, service or in employment.

News for April 22, 2019

Last week's special celebration of the love of our supportive families and friends reminds us all of the importance and incredible value of home - school partnerships. Thank you for sharing your children with us each and every day. It is truly a gift to team up with you in your child's educational experience. 

This Week at Brown School

5th grade M-STEP continues

April 22    Release Time Bible Class 2:20-3:35 p.m.

                 
April 23     School Store @ first recess
                 PTO Meeting @ 7 p.m. in the Media Center

April 24    Late Start Day
                2nd graders to Heritage Museum 10:15-2:00 p.m.

April 25    Y5 Hearing and Vision Screening
                 Kindergarteners to Sarett 9:00-11:30 a.m.
                 Parents As Teachers playgroup 9:30-10:30 a.m.
                 4th graders to Cook Plant 9:30-11:30 a.m.

April 26    Mismatch Day! 

                Movie Night @ Brown 6-8:30 p.m.

                International Music Festival @ SJHS 7:00 p.m.

Coming Up...

April 29     3rd & 4th grade M-STEP testing begins
                 K-5 NWEA testing begins
                 Spring Mileage Club begins!

April 30     Lory's Place group @ lunch

May 1       Late Start Day
                 Mileage Club @ lunch recess

May 3       Popcorn Friday!

                 Mileage Club @ lunch recess

May 6-10 Teacher Appreciation Week!

May 6       Board of Education Meeting @ SJHS 5:45 p.m.
                 Mileage Club @ lunch recess

May 8       Mileage Club @ lunch recess

May 10     3rd-5th grade track meet @ Upton 11:00
                 Ren Baldwin Technology Festival @ SJHS

Students in Ms. Zelenock's class learned a
new cooperative learning strategy this week.
Be sure to ask your child about "Find Someone Who".

Thank you to our PTO for the new playground balls ! We are so fortunate to have the support of our families!

Dressing for the Weather
The promise of warmer days has students excited to get back to wearing shorts and flip-flops to school. As a reminder, the temperature can vary greatly throughout the day during this time of year. Please be sure your child is coming to school dressed in layers so that he/she may enjoy all the time outdoors that we have built into our day.  

Masons to conduct a free Child ID Program

On Saturday May 4th, the St. Joseph Masonic Lodge #437 will be providing a free child identification program. The event will be held between the hours of 10:00am and 2:00pm at Upton Middle School which is located at 800 Maiden Ln., St Joseph.

Each child that goes through the Child ID process will receive a dental impression as well as a flash drive containing a photo, video, digital fingerprints and their vital information. Parents or legal guardians of children who participate must be present and fill out a permission slip for the child to receive this service. Children who have already received the service are encouraged to repeat the process every two years to keep the information in the completed packets current.

The Michigan Child Identification Program provides the family with everything needed for the Amber Alert System. Over ninety three thousand Michigan children have received this valuable service. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children considers the Michigan Child Identification Program to be one of the most comprehensive of its kind.

For questions or more information about the event you may call 269-612-7424 or consult the Michigan Child ID Web Site at www.michiganchildid.org.

Track Meet Help Needed
Our annual St. Joseph Elementary Track Meet is coming up Friday, May 10th. This is an exciting day for 3rd-5th grade students to compete against Clarke and Lincoln students on the Upton track/field. All three schools are to provide volunteers to pull off this fun day. If you are able to help out that day, please email Jessa Calderwell at jessamyn.margoni@gmail.com. Volunteers would need to be there from 10am-2pm. Parents of lower elementary students are especially appreciated, freeing up parents of 3rd-5th graders to watch their children. Thank you!

Here are the specifics from Mr. Jager:
-- Experience NOT necessary.
-- The track meet is May 10 at UPTON MIDDLE SCHOOL from 10 am to 2 pm.
-- Volunteers need to be at the Upton school track @ 10 am to be assigned a job and receive directions (there will be a short break, but volunteers need to be in place by 11:15 am). The track meet lasts until about 2 pm. (Some events finish slightly earlier.)
-- If you volunteer, please be prepared to stay until your entire assigned job is finished.
-- Sorry, but no little ones. There are just too many people and a lot going on.
-- Remember to dress for the weather and layer!

Michigan's Adventure Family Trip 
The annual Michigan's Adventure Family Fun Day is planned for June 12th. Tickets are $28 each. This includes both parks and lunch. Money is due to the school office by May 20th. Checks can be written to "SJPS". This is a family event - not a school-sponsored trip. You will need to make travel arrangements to and from the park. A special thank you goes out to Kim Ferguson for planning this special opportunity for our families.

Lunch at School 

If you are coming to school to have lunch with your child, please plan on eating school lunch or packing a cold lunch from home. To be respectful to others, no fast food lunch is allowed in our cafeteria. Thank you!

Community Corkboard
Looking for fall activities to enroll your child in?
Check out local offerings by visiting our Community Corkboard.

It is the policy of the St. Joseph Public School District that no person shall, on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, disability, height, weight, or marital status be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to, discrimination during any program, activity, service or in employment.

News for April 15, 2019

Brown School students have certainly enjoyed the "spring-like" weather this week. They have especially been celebrating the installation of our new teeter-totter, which was a gift from last year's fifth grade class. 

This Week at Brown

5th grade M-STEP continues

April 16     Muffins with "Moms" 7:30-8:15 a.m. 
                         Student Council meeting @ lunch 

April 17     Late Start Day

April 18     Mrs. Nowicki's class to Calling All Colors (a.m.)


April 19     Good Friday - 1/2 day of school - 12:05 dismissal 

Coming Up...

April 22     Release Time Bible Class 2:20-3:35 p.m.
       
April 23     School Store @ first recess
                 PTO Meeting @ 7 p.m. in the Media Center

April 24    Late Start Day
                2nd graders to Heritage Museum 10:15-2:00 p.m.

April 25    Y5 Hearing and Vision Screening
                 Kindergarteners to Sarett 9:00-11:30 a.m.
                 Parents As Teachers playgroup 9:30-10:30 a.m.
                   4th graders to Cook Plant 9:30-11:30 a.m.

April 26    Movie Night @ Brown 6-8:30 p.m.

April 29     3rd & 4th grade M-STEP testing begins
                 K-5 NWEA testing begins
                 Spring Mileage Club begins!

April 30     Lory's Place group @ lunch

May 1       Late Start Day
                 Mileage Club @ lunch recess

May 3       Mileage Club @ lunch recess

May 6-10 Teacher Appreciation Week!

May 6       Board of Education Meeting @ SJHS 5:45 p.m.
                 Mileage Club @ lunch recess

May 8       Mileage Club @ lunch recess

May 10     3rd-5th grade track meet @ Upton 11:00
                 Ren Baldwin Technology Festival @ SJHS

Spring Mileage Club

Our Spring Mileage Club is right around the corner! We will begin the fun on April 29th. For those unfamiliar with the Mileage Club, it runs exactly like the Walkathon but it is not a fundraiser. It is simply meant to support health and fitness by encouraging our kids get outside and get active. They will still receive a foot charm for every 5 laps/mile that they walk/run. If your student is new to Brown School, they will receive a charm necklace for free from their teacher the first day of the Mileage Club. If you were a Walkathon volunteer, be on the lookout for an email from SignUp to help with Mileage Club. And of course, parents and siblings are always welcome to come walk with us!

Muffins with "Moms"
Please bring your child(ren) for a special morning treat in celebration of the special role mothers, grandmothers, aunts, cousins, family friends, etc. play in our students' lives. The doors will open at 7:30 a.m., but you are welcome to arrive anytime before 8:15 a.m.. 

Fundraising Update 
Our Brown School Student Council is so thrilled to announce that our school community collected $1,675.80 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and over $300 for the African village school in Arnoldine. Thank you, students and families, for your generosity and kindness!

2019-2020 Enrollment Surveys
Thank you for taking a few moments to help us plan for next year's grade level sections by completing one of the surveys linked below by Wednesday, April 17th.

Resident Survey - intended for families that live within St. Joseph Public Schools boundaries

Non-Resident Survey - intended for families that live outside of St. Joseph Public Schools boundaries

Student Placement

We try to use our best professional judgment to create balanced classes. We consider the following factors when making class lists:

• An even distribution of students according to ability;
• A fair balance of boys and girls in a classroom;
• A fair distribution of students who demand more care and attention from teacher; and,
• The mixture of students’ personalities and probable “fit” as a class.

Parents may submit written information for staff to consider for student placement. Specific requests for teachers are not accepted.  All placement requests must be filed with Kristen.

Warm Weather Protocol
It looks like spring has sprung! With the fluctuation of temperatures throughout the day, please be sure your child is prepared to participate in three outdoor recesses daily. While there is not student handbook language related to exact temperatures appropriate for students to wear shorts, a good rule of thumb is 60 degrees, though we trust that you know your child and his/her needs. It is always a good idea to dress your child in layers this time of year. Please be sure to label all jackets with your child's name. 

Fifth Grade Fundraiser 
We will be having popsicle sales starting next week to raise money for the fifth grade gift to the school. Students can purchase a popsicle treat for $0.50 during third recess on Tuesdays and Thursdays through April.

M-STEP Testing

Students in grades 3-8 all across Michigan will be taking the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP) assessments this spring. Like last year, the M-STEP will be given online. The fifth graders were the first to test and are in the process of completing the assessments. The third and fourth grade windows for testing begins April 29th. 

The M-STEP measures current student knowledge of Michigan’s high academic standards in English language arts (ELA), mathematics, science, and social studies.  A robust set of resources related to the M-STEP is available online at www.michigan.gov/mstep.  The resources linked below were specifically developed for parents.

• Student Testing, What Parents Can do to Help Students Prepare
• Michigan's System Education Assessment, What It Is, What It Means, and What It Offers

Field Trip Chaperones
There are many field trips coming up on the Brown School calendar. If you plan on chaperoning, volunteer forms must be on file and processed before the trip. Please allow at least a week for processing. You may pick up forms in the office or call us to have them sent home with your child.

Community Corkboard

Looking for after school activities for your child?
Our Community Corkboard is your source for information about all kinds of happenings around town. Take me to the
Community Corkboard now.

It is the policy of the St. Joseph Public School District that no person shall, on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, disability, height, weight, or marital status be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to, discrimination during any program, activity, service or in employment. 

News for March 25, 2019

Happy Spring! We've been busy at school and have so much important work still yet to accomplish this school year. Thank you for your help in prioritizing learning even as the weather warms up and after-school activity increases.

This Week at Brown

Students in Mrs. Nimtz's class prepare
for a reader's theater presentation.

March 25 5th grade parent planning committee meeting in the media center @ 6:30 p.m.

March 27 NOT a late start day

March 28    
Parents as Teachers playgroup in gym 9:30-10:30 a.m.

5th graders to Upton 9:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m

March 29    
1/2 day - dismissal at 12:05 p.m.
*Please be sure your child(ren) are picked up right on time as our school office will close right after dismissal

Pajama day & movie celebration for reading month 
            
April 1-5     Spring break!

Whether you are traveling or
enjoying a "staycation",
have a fabulous week together!

After the Break...
April 8       5th grade M-STEP begins

April 9       Access @ 8:10 in the media center

April 12     Popcorn Friday!
                 Lokey's class to the planetarium 8:45-9:45 a.m.

April 16     Muffins with "Moms" 7:30-8:15 a.m.

April 17     Late start day

April 19     1/2 day - Good Friday    

April 23     School Store @ first recess

April 24    Late start day
                2nd graders to Heritage Museum 10:15-2:00 p.m.

April 25    Y5 Hearing and Vision Screening
                 Parents As Teachers playgroup 9:30-10:30 a.m.
                 4th graders to Cook Plant 9:30-11:30 a.m.

Science Night Fun!

What a great night, full of family fun and exploration. A special thank you goes out to all of the volunteers and coordinators who made this special event such a success.  

Welcome to the PTO Executive Board, Sheri Baker (Vice President) and Jessa Caulderwood (Secretary)! Please join us at our next meeting at 7pm on April 16th where next year's budget will be purposed. Children are always welcome. We look forward to seeing you!


Home - School Partnership Meeting 
Thank you to those that were able to attend our Home - School Partnership meeting last week. Our intervention team and teacher leaders shared a wealth of resources to support the work you do with your child(ren) at home. If you were unable to attend this important event, please visit the school office to obtain a resource packet. 

Brown School Now Has a 3D Printer!

In our continuing efforts to focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math (STEAM) opportunities for our students, we have added a 3D printer to the media center.  This grant funded learning tool will allow students to design and print objects. How cool is that?!!

A special thank you goes out to all of the volunteers who made our first all-school ice skating trip such a success. 

We appreciate your help!

Kindergarten Enrollment Packets are available in the school office! If you have a child that will be five on or before September 1, 2019, please stop in and pick up a packet!

Community Corkboard
Looking for fall activities to enroll your child in?
Check out local offerings by visiting our Community Corkboard.

It is the policy of the St. Joseph Public School District that no person shall, on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, disability, height, weight, or marital status be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to, discrimination during any program, activity, service or in employment.