Sunday, October 7, 2018

News for October 8, 2018



We are looking forward to our continued collaboration with you at our upcoming conferences. Throughout the month of October and into November teachers will be meeting with families to share students' strengths and next steps for learning. Thank you for your support. Our partnership is key to your child's success. 



This Week at Brown School


Oct 8 Walk-a-Thon @ lunch recess (11:40-12:40)

Spanish Club starts after school

Oct 9 Access @ 8am
Walk-a-Thon @ lunch recess (11:40-12:40)

Oct 10 Late Start Day
Walk-a-Thon @ lunch recess (11:40-12:40)
   
Oct 11&12 ½ Days - Elementary only - dismissal @ 12:05




Coming Up...


Oct 15 Walk-a-Thon @ lunch recess (11:40-12:40)

Oct 16 PTO meeting in media center 7 p.m.

Oct 17 Late Start Day
Walk-a-Thon @ lunch recess (11:40-12:40)

Oct 19 School Spirit Day - wear maize & blue!
Last day of the walk-a-thon @ lunch recess

Oct 23 Donuts with "Dads" (or any special grown-up) 7:30 a.m.
Oct 24 Late Start Day

Oct 31 Late Start Day

Halloween Parties - p.m.



Parent-Teacher Conferences are being scheduled throughout the month of October and into November. We have 4 half-days dedicated to conference time, however, your child's teacher may schedule a conference with you anytime between October 11th and November 9th. Please feel free to contact your child's teacher with any questions. 


Our Walk-a-Thon Continues and we are in need of additional volunteers and helping hands to encourage students, punch cards, and hand out charms. Please consider sharing your midday time with our students and staff if you are able.


Remaining dates for this year's walk-a-thon are:

10/8, 10/9, 10/10 (M, T, W) - due to 1/2 days this week
10/15, 10/17, 10/19 (M, W, F)

All dates are weather dependent. Please plan on joining us from 11:40-12:40 p.m. (during lunch recess). 

Please click on the link below to sign up your volunteering time slot for this year's walk-a-thon!


All school volunteers must complete an annual background check prior to your commitment date. Forms are accessible in the school office or by clicking here. Please turn completed forms into the office. 

Have YOU HEARD? YOU CAN COLLECT WALK-A-THON DONATIONS ONLINE NOW! 

Here's the link: 



Best wishes, Mrs. Huizenga! While we will certainly miss her, we wish her all the best as she embarks on the most important journey of her (and her little man's) life - motherhood. 

Welcome to our Title One Inter-richment team, Mrs. Tina Uzelac! We are delighted to introduce "Mrs. U" to our learning community. She recently joined Mrs. DeVore and Mrs. Valensi's collaborative team.

We LOVE guest readers! Thank you for sharing the importance of literacy with our students.






Don't forget to visit our Little Library! 
We will gladly accept donations of gently used books to add to our supply. 




Media Center Volunteers Wanted

Do you like books and kids?  Do you have some free time during the day?  If this sounds like you, then we would love to welcome you as a volunteer in one of our media centers.  We could use some extra hands when classes visit our library.  We need help with checking in and checking out books as well as shelving them.  If this is something that interests you, please complete this form.

**You will also need to complete a volunteer consent form and have it submitted to the office if you don't already have one.  We will be in touch with the details to get you started.  Thanks!

Get Your Car Tags! 
Do you pick your child(ren) up from school regularly? If so, please complete the google form linked below so that we can create a rearview mirror tag displaying your child(ren)'s last name. In effort to keep traffic moving along and to ensure another layer of safety, please display your tag upon pick-up. 

Pick-Up Mirror Tags


Learning in the Lab 

Students will soon have the opportunity to join Mrs. Uzelac in the computer lab for additional Core5 practice to ensure specific reading skill attainment. Classroom teachers will be inviting a select group of students to join her either before school begins (if children arrive early) or during lunch recess, as needed. This special opportunity protects class time, while providing additional opportunities for focused reading practice. 


Kagan Cooperative Learning

Student engagement for learning is a top priority at our school.  Intentional class building and team building activities have been used throughout the school to get students connected to each other.  This provides the foundation for students feeling safe and accountable for learning together all day long. At Back-to-School night you may have see evidence of the tools teachers use to manage cooperative learning in their classrooms as well. Our district-wide focus is for teachers in each classroom to use Kagan Cooperative Learning strategies to maximize time students spend talking about their learning. If Kagan structures are new to you, this video can help you learn more about them. 

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.

Sunday, September 30, 2018

News for October 1, 2018



Our annual walk-a-thon begins this week! Thank you for your participation in our lone school fundraiser. Our goal is for 100% of our students to participate in walking and collecting donations. Every donation counts toward our goal. Thank you for sending in your pledge sheets this week!



This Week at Brown

Oct 1 Walk-a-Thon begins! 11:40-12:40 (lunch recess)

Oct 3 Student Count Day - not a late start day
  Walk-a-Thon @ lunch recess (11:40-12:40)

Oct 5 Walk-a-Thon @ lunch recess (11:40-12:40)

Coming Up...

Oct 8 Walk-a-Thon @ lunch recess (11:40-12:40)

Oct 9 Access @ 8am
Walk-a-Thon @ lunch recess (11:40-12:40)

Oct 10 1 hour Late Start
Walk-a-Thon @ lunch recess (11:40-12:40)
      
Oct 11&12 ½ Days - Elementary only

Oct 15 Walk-a-Thon @ lunch recess (11:40-12:40)
Oct 17 1 hour Late Start
Walk-a-Thon @ lunch recess (11:40-12:40)

Oct 19 Walk-a-Thon @ lunch recess (11:40-12:40)

Oct 24 1 hour Late Start

Oct 31 1 hour Late Start
Halloween Parties - p.m.

Walk-a-Thon Volunteers Needed!
In order to effectively run our annual fundraiser, we need many volunteers and helping hands to encourage students, punch cards, and hand out charms. Please consider volunteering your time to celebrate alongside our students. 

Dates for this year's walk-a-thon are:

10/1, 10/3, 10/5 (M, W, F)
10/8, 10/9, 10/10 (M, T, W) - due to 1/2 days this week
10/15, 10/17, 10/19 (M, W, F)

All dates are weather dependent. Please plan on joining us from 11:40-12:40 p.m. (during lunch recess). 


Please click on the link below to sign up your volunteering time slot for this year's walk-a-thon!


All school volunteers must complete an annual background check prior to your commitment date. Forms are accessible in the school office or by clicking here. Please turn completed forms into the office. 

Have YOU HEARD? YOU CAN COLLECT WALK-A-THON DONATIONS ONLINE NOW! 

Here's the link: 



Extended Learning Opportunities
St. Joseph Public Schools is proud to offer extended learning opportunities for students as part of our daily routine.  Your child's teacher may include him/her in individual or small group experiences designed to support academic, social and/or emotional learning.  These special opportunities will be facilitated by other members of our staff, including the paraprofessionals who serve on our Title One Intervention Team and/or Mrs. Van Hekken (our school social worker).

Lexia Core5 is Back! 
This school year your child will be using Lexia Reading Core5, a fun computer-based program that has helped millions of students. The activities in Core5 support and build on our classroom curriculum and focus on developing reading skills in six areas: phonological awareness, phonics, structural analysis, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
Here’s how Lexia Reading Core5 works:
     Your child begins Core5 at a starting point that fits his or her needs and works in online activities throughout the week.
     Online activities include direct instruction and feedback as your child learns new skills.
     Progress and performance in the program is reported so teachers can provide help when needed.
     Paper-and-pencil activities are also used for practice and may be done in school or brought home.
     Achievement certificates may be sent home to celebrate success and to show progress in the program.

Lexia Reading Core5® can be used at home for extra practice. Getting started is easy!
1. To use on a computer, go to the school Symbaloo and click on Clever.  The Symbaloo page is at  https://www.sjschools.org/district-web-links.  Or you can go directly to the SJPS Clever login page at https://clever.com/in/stjoebears, log in as your student, and select Core5-Lexia.  Be sure to enable Flash in your web browser.
2. To use on an iPad, iPad mini tablet, download the free Clever App from: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/clever-instant-login/id1134186971?mt=8 and the Lexia Reading Core5 app https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/lexia-reading-core5/id623853404?mt=8 from the App Store   The app will not work on other devices, including Kindle, Android, or iPhone at this time.  Log in to Clever on the device, and launch Lexia Core5 from there.
3. These download links for can all be found here:  https://www.lexialearning.com/core5-downloads  Just remember we use Clever to authenticate your students account so log in through there first.  
4. It is important that your child works without any help while using Core5. All of the work your child does at home is recorded and reported to school. This way, teachers can see when help is needed and provide additional instruction at school.
5. If you have a question about your child’s username or password, please contact your child’s teacher.


Enjoy a delicious meal and support our community!

Kitchen News
Lunch balance notes were sent home with students on Friday (9/28/18). Students owing more than $12.25 will receive an alternate lunch next week (soy butter and jelly, milk, fruit, salad bar ).  


Just a reminder that mail notifications can be sent to you weekly, once a child's lunch account falls below a certain amount.  To activate this service, please email Sue Punches (spunches@sjschools.org). 


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.

Sunday, September 23, 2018

News for September 24, 2018





Thank you for joining us for our Back to School Night event. Your partnership is the key to a successful school year. We are so grateful for all of your support!


This Week at Brown

You can send in walk-a-thon packets all week! 

Sept 26 1 hour Late Start
School Picture Day!

Sept 27 Berrien RESA's Parents as Teachers Playgroup @ Brown School 9:30-10:30 a.m.

Learn more about this opportunity by clicking here. Here is this year's schedule for playgroups:


Coming Up...

Oct 1 Walk-a-Thon begins!

Oct 3 Student Count Day!
Please make every effort to have your child in attendance.

Oct 10 1 hour Late Start
      
Oct 11&12 ½ Days - Elementary only
Oct 17 1 hour Late Start

Oct 24 1 hour Late Start

Oct 31 1 hour Late Start
Halloween Parties - p.m.

Walk-a-Thon Volunteers Needed!
In order to effectively run our annual fundraiser, we need many volunteers and helping hands to encourage students, punch cards, and hand out charms. Please consider volunteering your time to celebrate alongside our students. 

Dates for this year's walk-a-thon are:

10/1, 10/3, 10/5 (M, W, F)
10/8, 10/9, 10/10 (M, T, W) - due to 1/2 days this week
10/15, 10/17, 10/19 (M, W, F)

All dates are weather dependent. Please plan on joining us from 11:40-12:40 p.m. (during lunch recess). 

Have YOU HEARD? YOU CAN COLLECT WALK-A-THON DONATIONS ONLINE NOW! 

Here's the link: 

All school volunteers must complete an annual background check prior to your commitment date. Forms are accessible in the school office or by clicking here. Please turn completed forms into the office. 

Please click on the link below to sign up your volunteering time slot for this year's walk-a-thon!


Great Recognition for SJPS! 
Our schools were recently recognized by Niche as one of the top 20 districts based on our high academic achievement. Here is a description:


The 2019 Best School Districts ranking is based on rigorous analysis of key statistics and millions of reviews from students and parents using data from the U.S. Department of Education. Ranking factors include state test scores, college readiness, graduation rates, SAT/ACT scores, teacher quality, public school district ratings, and more.

Read about it here!


Media Center News
We have so many innovative practices happening around our district. Please check out our media center blog here for more information.



Do you LOVE pizza and LOVE supporting our schools? Please join us for our Silver Beach Pizza give-back night on October 9th.

Please save this photo on your phone and present it to your server.
Thank you for supporting St. Joseph Public Schools!



PTO News
In order to continue to offer enrichment opportunities to our students, our PTO is in need of additional volunteers. Please consider donating your time and talents to our school. Click here to access a simple google form that will allow you to sign-up for volunteer opportunities at Brown School.


We are in need of playground balls at Brown School. Please consider donating your gently used or new kickballs, footballs, soccer balls, or basketballs for school wide use. Balls will not be returned and cannot be "reserved" for individual classes. Please leave donations in the box located in the vestibule near the main office door. Thank you for your generosity!


Social Emotional Learning + Digital Citizenship
Digital citizenship directly relates to our School Improvement plan goal of increasing student access to additional social emotional learning opportunities. The website below has a plethora of resources both for educators and parents. We encourage all families to explore the site for ideas of how you can support your child making safe, responsible and respectful decisions online both at school and at home.


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.