It is hard to believe that we are approaching the final week of our year together. We want to thank all of you for your partnership and commitment to learning & growing this school year. We wish you all a safe and enjoyable summer.
This week is especially bittersweet for myself, Andrew Pratley, all of our transitioning staff, and our fifth graders and their families. Please know that your children and your family mean a great deal to all of us. While we all look forward to the next steps in our journeys, we will forever hold dear the relationships and memories made at Brown School.
The FINAL Week of 2021-22 School Year
6/6 Maize & Blue Monday!
6/7 4th graders to Kalamazoo Valley Museum
5th grade to Wissing Lane Park
6/8 NOT A LATE START DAY!
4th grade to Grand Mere (a.m.)
Summer take home books distributed
School Picnic Day!
*Approved volunteers only for this event, please
6/9 1/2 day of school - dismissal @ 12:09 p.m.
5th grade breakfast 9:00 -10:15 a.m.
*Approved volunteers only for this event, please
6/10 1/2 day of school - dismissal @ 12:09 p.m.
LAST DAY OF 2021-22 SCHOOL YEAR!
5th grade farewell celebration assembly 10:45 - 11:45 with walkaway immediately following
*5th grade families welcome & encouraged to attend
PTO Corner
As a guardian of a Brown Elementary student, you are a PTO member! Find out more about the PTO, including a list of planned events for this school year and how to volunteer, on our PTO Site.
Staff Likes
If you are looking for a small thank you gift for your favorite staff, be sure to check out the lists of their Favorite Things!
PTO Year In Review
The PTO Executive Board would like to thank all of our families for all the ways you have given to Brown this year, whether it be your time, monetary donations or your support. Volunteers are the heart of everything we do at Brown and make it possible to support our students, teachers and staff.
Here’s some of the things exciting we were able to provide or contribute to this year:
Spring Picnic is BACK in full swing!
The Spring Picnic is BACK!!!!!
We will have the inflatable obstacle course, snow cones, cotton candy and TONS of fun carnival style games! This will be an end of school year party that the kids won't forget!!!
Please sign up to volunteer in the link below. You may only attend the picnic if you are signed up to volunteer! If you are able to stay for both "shifts" please do so. We will need all the help we can get with this!
Thank you
https://sites.google.com/view/brown-elementary-pto/20212022-event-dates/spring-picnic
All of of yearbook have been sold! If you are still wanting one, they can be purchased online and mailed to your home. ⬇️
https://prepay.geskusphoto.com/?YB=3716
Spring Cleaning Donations
If you are sorting through old sports equipment, don’t forget you can drop it off at Sports44 under the BrownPTO account (just tell them it’s for Brown School and they will take care of it). Any sales will support PTO activities.
Save the Date!
Save the date for our First Annual Tailgate, hosted by the elementary PTO’s. The tailgate is scheduled for Thursday, September 1. Look for more details to come this summer!
5th Grade Parents
Attention 5th grade parents!!
If you do not have any more students at Brown and you are in the Facebook group, could you help the PTO out and leave the group in the next few weeks? We work hard to keep the group limited to parents and guardians of current students only (we’ve even turned down an old principal!) - the annual review is a tedious process, and removing yourself will help us out. Thanks, and best of luck to all at Upton!
You can join the Upton FB page at Upton Middle Pto or
https://www.facebook.com/groups/854277431609971/?ref=share
Summer Learning Challenge 2022
We are challenging all of our current Y5 - 4th grade students to "go for gold" this summer! By dedicating a small portion of their free time to fun learning activities, students will work to overcome the effects of "summer slide".
Here's how it will work: students will track their progress all summer long on this sheet (a hard copy will be sent home with summer book packs on Wednesday as well). They will turn it in once we return to school in the fall. Based on the number of activities completed throughout the summer, students will earn a gold, silver, or bronze medal. Let's inspire all of our Brown School students to "go for the gold"!
A Message From the SJPS Guidance Department
As we go into summer, please enjoy this time with your family & student(s), but remember you still have access to our resources if you need support. Our Guidance & SEL Resources site includes many resources for mental health support including special summer offerings. If you are looking for outside counseling support, consider calling soon because there are still waiting lists at many places.
Free School Meals for All Students Ending
When the 2021-2022 school year ends, so do free meals for every student. While the federal government funded a program that allowed all students access to free meals during the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress recently declined to continue funding this program. This means all families will need to carry a positive balance in their student’s school meal accounts when school begins in the fall.
If your student qualifies for free or reduced meals, they can still receive them next year, but you must take action to make it happen.
Complete the 2022-2023 online application, which will be available on the district’s website after August 1, 2022. Even if you completed the 2021-2022 application, you still need to complete the 2022-2023 application as well.
Complete a 2022 paper application which will be mailed to you with your student’s Welcome packet. Please turn that application in the first week of school to assure that you will receive Free/reduced status for the school year.
If you do not qualify for free or reduced meals, you may begin depositing money into student accounts at any time after Aug 1, 2022, to prepare for the cost of school lunches next year. Information on meal prices for the 2022-2023 school year will be available in August 2022. We are still waiting for guidance on pricing from the USDA.
If your student has a negative lunch account balance, we encourage you to pay it off as soon as possible and then begin depositing money into the account to prepare for the 2022-2023 school year.
Completing an application is the only way to be considered for free or reduced meals next school year.For assistance, please contact our Food Service Department at 269-926-3127 or email Demrhy Youngquist @ dyoungquist@sjschools.org.
News from the Lunch Room
We would like to remind everyone that breakfast and lunch are FREE again this year to every St Joseph Public School student.Please try to remember to preorder your student’s lunches when they are going to participate in lunch. This helps speed up the morning lunch count process. You will be allowed to order the Friday before the next week using www.sendmoneytoschool.com. The website has changed and may direct you to create a new account. Thank you for your patience as this is out of our reach to change.
06/06/22 – Breakfast – OATMEAL BARS, FRUIT, 100% JUICE AND MILK
Lunch - MAC & CHEESE, VEGETABLE CHOICE, FRUIT SELECTION AND MILK
06/07/22 – Breakfast – MUFFIN & YOGURT, FRUIT, 100% JUICE AND MILK
Lunch – BREADED CHICKEN & POTATOES, FRUIT SELECTION AND MILK
06/08/22 – Breakfast – CHEESE OMELET, FRUIT SELECTION, 100% JUICE AND MILK
Lunch – HOT DOG PICNIC
06/09/22 – Breakfast – ASSORTED BREAKFAST ITEMS, FRUIT, 100% JUICE AND MILK
Lunch – ½ SOYBUTTER BAGGED LUNCH
06/10/22 – Breakfast – ASSORTED BREAKFAST ITEMS, FRUIT, 100% JUICE AND MILK
Lunch – ½ SOYBUTTER BAGGED LUNCH
Year End Events
This time of year it seems like we have so many things to be thankful for and to celebrate. We have several special events planned next week. From field trips to our picnic and fifth grade celebrations, it can be a little difficult to keep track of. We have tried to capture as many of those events as possible for you above, however, there are a few special ones that need a bit of explanation. They are outlined here so everyone's "in the know".
Summer Book Packs will distributed June 8th by all Y5-5th grade classroom teachers.
School Picnic - June 8th: This annual school tradition is indeed a special event for our students! It's all the volunteers who make this picnic possible - thank you! Please know that only those signed up as volunteers are able to attend. Additionally background checks must be on file with the school office in advance of the event.
Fifth Grade Breakfast - June 9th: This special event is for the fifth grade students only. Only parents that have signed up to volunteer will be in attendance.
Awards Assembly - June 10th - Last Day of School: Our fifth grade parents are welcome and encouraged to attend the Fifth Grade Farewell awards assembly on the last day of school. We will recognize the accomplishments and contributions of our students and bid farewell to our fifth graders in our traditional walk-away on the playground immediately following.
Lost and Found
Our lost and found is located outside of the gym doors. If you believe your child is missing something, we encourage you to stop in before or after school one day next week as the collection is growing. All items will be donated mid-June.
Rescue medications (Epi-pens and inhalers) will be sent home on the last day of school with students. All other medications must be picked up by the child's parent in the school office by Friday, June 17th. Any medications left at school after that date will be destroyed.
Summer Office Hours
The school office officially closes on June 24th for the summer. If the office is closed, and you are in need of assistance, you can reach Kristen Bawks via email at kbawks@sjschools.org. For enrollment questions or assistance, please contact our central office team members at (269) 926-3100. They are open daily during the summer. The school office will reopen in mid August.
Classroom Blogs
Our Brown School classroom teachers have important information to share with our families. Please click on your child's class below to view weekly updates.
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.
