Brown School News for April 30, 2018

Spring has FINALLY Sprung!

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 we have built into our day. PLEASE label all clothing items with your child's name. 

This Week at Brown School

4/30  Mileage Club begins at lunch recess today!

         3rd and 4th grade M-STEP testing begins 

         NWEA spring testing begins

5/1    Third grades to Charlton Park 7:45am-3:00pm
          School of Choice window opens - see our district website for information

5/2    Late start day      

5/3    Mrs. Schueneman & Mrs. Rank's classes to the planetarium 1:30-2:45pm


Out of respect for all Brown School families, PLEASE do not park in the drop-off/pick-up lane. It is important to keep traffic moving so that everyone can get where they need to be safely and on time. 


Coming Up...

5/8    5th grade parent orientation night at Upton Middle School 6:30pm

5/9    Late start day

          5th grade program 6pm - DQ Night!

5/10   Ms. Barron's class to Calling All Colors 9:05-11:15am

5/11   Track meet day for 3rd-5th graders
          Ren Baldwin Technology Showcase SJHS 6pm

5/14   Board of Education meeting at Central Office 6pm
          2nd graders to the Heritage Center and historical walk 9am-1:30pm - must take cold lunch
          4th graders to Lansing 6:15am departure

5/15   Muffins with Moms 7:45am-8:30am 
          Hearing and Vision Screening - ECDD & Young 5s 

5/16  Late start day

5/17   5th grade visit to Upton
          Girls on the Run 5K in Berrien Springs

5/21-5/25 Third grade swimming week 

5/21   Track meet rain date
          PTO meeting in the Media Center 7pm

5/22   First graders to Sarett 9-11:30am
          Last day to submit School of Choice paperwork

5/23   Late start day
          Young 5s to Sarett 12:30-2:30pm
           Family Book Bonanza 4:00-6:30 at SJHS Student Center

5/24   Mrs. Danapilis's class to Calling All Colors 9:05-11:15am

5/25   Fifth graders to the Air Zoo 8:45 am-2:25 pm

5/28  No school - Memorial Day

5/29   Fifth graders to Health Works 10:30am-1:00pm

5/30   Health Works coming for fourth grade session

6/1    Flip Flop Friday - Student Council Fun Friday

6/6    School Picnic! (more information to come soon)

6/7    1/2 of school - dismissal at 12:05 pm

6/8     Last day of school! 1/2 day - dismissal at 12:05 pm

Congratulations on the announcement of your retirement, Mrs. Tipton! You will certainly be missed around here!

Attention Families of Fifth Graders

Here is a special message from Natalie Rank:

Dear Families,

I am helping make the video that will be shown at the 5th grade breakfast.  I am asking for each family to upload 4-5 pictures of your child during their time at Brown.  Try to send pictures of your child during a school function/event. Please avoid pictures from individual birthday parties or events outside of the school day.  Photos from "picture day" are fine too.  If you have any questions, please let me know.

We want to have EVERY student represented in the video so please try to upload some pictures of your child.  Please try to stick to 4-5 pictures each - we want to try to have students evenly represented.  Please try to have all pictures uploaded by May 18th.  Thanks!

Link to upload photos:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/OAT0QsJgafwUHqIh2

    The fundraising committee needs volunteers that are available during the day to help the 5th graders sell Dilly Bars and collect cans to raise money for their school gift. If you are available please contact me and I will get you signed up. Thank you for your time.

    Please contact Michelle Wente @ 269-235-4190 to volunteer!

Please be sure to email Marylin Bishop (m.bishop407@yahoo.com) with your 5th graders t-shirt size ASAP. 

John Hall Annual Elementary Track Meet

Parents/Guardians of Y5 thru 2nd we need your help at the Track Meet on May 11th!

The Track Meet is an annual event at the St. Joseph High School Stadium for 3rd-5th from all St Joe elementary schools.

We need 15-20 parent volunteers of Kindergarten to 2nd grade so the families of Brown students involved in the annual track meet can watch their children grades 3 to 5 participate.

To volunteer:

-- Experience isn’t necessary. 

-- The track meet is May 11th at the high school stadium from 10 am to 2 pm.

-- Volunteers need to be at the high school track @ 10 a.m. to be assigned a job and receive directions (there will be a short break, but volunteers need to be in place by 11:15 a.m.). The track meet lasts until about 2 p.m. (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!

*Rain date May 21. Parents from other grades are welcome to volunteer as well.

Please contact Cherry Bayley to volunteer or with any questions @ cherrydbayley@gmail.com or text or call 810-335-5354. Thanks!

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 3 days for processing. You may pick up forms in the office or call us to have them sent home with your child.

Spring Mileage Club

Hello Parents! Our Spring Mileage Club is right around the corner! 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!

Planning is underway for the 2017-18 school year!  

If you and your family are planning to move over the summer and will not be returning to our school, please let us know as soon as possible.

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.

Brown School News for April 23, 2018

Our first after school Spanish Club was a great success! 
We look forward to its return in the fall.

This Week at Brown School

4/23   PTO meeting - 12:00 in the Media Center Please join us!

4/25   Late start day

4/26  Parents as Teachers playgroup 9:30-10:30am - last one!

         Mrs. Danapilis' class to Calling All Colors 9:05-11:15am

Coming Up...

4/30  Mileage Club begins at lunch recess today!

         3rd and 4th grade M-STEP testing begins 

         NWEA spring testing begins

5/1    Third grades to Charlton Park 7:45am-3:00pm

5/2    Late start day      

5/3    Mrs. Schueneman's class to the planetarium 1:30-2:45pm

5/9    Late start day
          5th grade program 6pm - DQ Night!

5/10   Ms. Barron's class to Calling All Colors 9:05-11:15am

5/11   Track meet day for 3rd-5th graders
          Ren Baldwin Technology Showcase SJHS 6pm

5/14   Board of Education meeting at Central Office 6pm
          2nd graders to the Heritage Center and historical walk 9am-1:30pm - must take cold lunch
          4th graders to Lansing 6:15am departure

5/15   Muffins with Moms!
          Hearing and Vision Screening - Young 5s 

5/16  Late start day

5/17   5th grade visit to Upton
          Girls on the Run 5K in Berrien Springs

5/21-5/25 Third grade swimming week

5/21   Track meet rain date
          PTO meeting in the Media Center 7pm

5/22   First graders to Sarett 9-11:30am 

5/23   Late start day
          Young 5s to Sarett 12:30-2:30pm
           Family Book Bonanza 4:00-6:30 at SJHS Student Center

5/24   Mrs. Danapilis's class to Calling All Colors 9:05-11:15am

5/25   Fifth graders to the Air Zoo 8:45 am-2:25 pm

5/28  No school - Memorial Day

5/29   Fifth graders to Health Works 10:30am-1:00pm

5/30   Health Works coming for fourth grade session

6/1    Flip Flop Friday - Student Council Fun Friday

6/6    School Picnic! (more information to come soon)

6/7    1/2 of school - dismissal at 12:05 pm

6/8     Last day of school! 1/2 day - dismissal at 12:05 pm

Berrien RESA's Parents as Teachers is looking for candidates to fill Parent-Educator positions
Are you looking for a professional and yet flexible position that really makes a difference in the lives of families and young children? If so, consider applying as a parent-educator with Berrien RESA's Parents as Teachers. They are currently looking to fill 4 positions as soon as possible. Interested candidates should contact 
Kerenda Applebey at kerenda.applebey@berrienresa.org. 

Planning is underway for the 2017-18 school year!  

If you and your family are planning to move over the summer and will not be returning to our school, please let us know as soon as possible.

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.

In partnership with the National Inventors Hall of Fame, St. Joseph Public Schools is pleased to offer the nationally acclaimed Camp Invention program to children entering first - sixth grades (2018-19). Camp Invention is an exciting, weeklong summer adventure with lessons that explore connections between science, technology, engineering and innovation. Children will work together to seek solutions to real-world problems and sharpen critical 21st century learning skills while rotating through several fascinating modules.

All activities give participants the opportunity to explore, discover and achieve while having fun!  Local educators will facilitate program modules, and enthusiastic high school students will serve as Leadership Interns, ensuring that one staff member is in place for every eight children.

The camp will run Monday-Friday, June 11-15, 2018, from 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM daily at Upton Middle School.  Watch THIS VIDEO to learn more!  Camp cost is $225 and includes a Camp Invention t-shirt.  Visit www.campinvention.org or call 800.968.4332 to secure your child’s spot today!  If you register before May 4th, use promo code Ideas15 to save $15.

M-STEP

Students in grades 3-8 all across Michigan will be taking the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress (M-STEP) assessments beginning in April.   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 30th. 

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.  Three resources specifically developed for parents include:

• Parent Letter
• 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

John Hall Annual Elementary Track Meet

Parents/Guardians of Y5 thru 2nd we need your help at the Track Meet on May 11th!

The Track Meet is an annual event at the St. Joseph High School Stadium for 3rd-5th from all St Joe elementary schools.

We need 15-20 parent volunteers of Kindergarten to 2nd grade so the families of Brown students involved in the annual track meet can watch their children grades 3 to 5 participate.

To volunteer:

-- Experience isn’t necessary. 

-- The track meet is May 11th at the high school stadium from 10 am to 2 pm.

-- Volunteers need to be at the high school track @ 10 a.m. to be assigned a job and receive directions (there will be a short break, but volunteers need to be in place by 11:15 a.m.). The track meet lasts until about 2 p.m. (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!

*Rain date May 21. Parents from other grades are welcome to volunteer as well.

Please contact Cherry Bayley to volunteer or with any questions @ cherrydbayley@gmail.com or text or call 810-335-5354. Thanks!

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 we have built into our day.  

Mark Your Calendars!  

We’re working on details for a family fun night you will not want to miss!  Please plan to join us on May 23rd at St. Joseph High School for our first ever “Family Book Bonanza”.   We’ll be giving away books for the summer to all our Y5-5th grade students.  How cool is that?!

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 3 days for processing. You may pick up forms in the office or call us to have them sent home with your child.

Spring Mileage Club

Hello Parents! Our Spring Mileage Club is right around the corner! 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!

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.