This Week at Brown School
Jan 21 No School - MLK Day
Jan 22 NWEA continues this week
Jan 23 No late start today!
Jan 24 Parents as Teachers playgroup in gym (9-10 a.m.)
Jan 25 1/2 day for students-dismissal @ 12:05 p.m.
Coming Up...
Jan 28 Kindness Week begins!
Jan 29 Third graders to Sarett 9-11:30am
Lory's Place group - 11:45am
Release Time Bible Class 2:20-3:35pm
Feb 1 IEP Day
Popcorn Friday
Feb 4 WIDA Testing begins
Hearing/Vision re-screening
Feb 5 Skate Night @ Lakeshore Roller World 6-8pm
Feb 6 Late start day
First grade musical @ 6pm
DQ Night
Feb 8 Family Movie Night 6pm in the Brown School gym
Feb 11 Screenagers Event at SJHS 6:30pm
Feb 13 Student Count Day
Feb 14 Valentine's Day parties (p.m.)
Start the New Year with a Plan for Screen Time
Inclement Weather & School Cancellation Announcements
In the event of inclement weather, announcements regarding school closures and delays will be made via School Messenger and posted with local news outlets. Please be sure we have your most up-to-date phone numbers and email addresses on file in the school office. Two hour delays work very similarly to our late start days, just one hour later. School would begin at 10:25 a.m. - buses would run two hours later than normal.
Jan 29 Third graders to Sarett 9-11:30am
Lory's Place group - 11:45am
Release Time Bible Class 2:20-3:35pm
Feb 1 IEP Day
Popcorn Friday
Feb 4 WIDA Testing begins
Hearing/Vision re-screening
Feb 5 Skate Night @ Lakeshore Roller World 6-8pm
Feb 6 Late start day
First grade musical @ 6pm
DQ Night
Feb 8 Family Movie Night 6pm in the Brown School gym
Feb 11 Screenagers Event at SJHS 6:30pm
Feb 13 Student Count Day
Feb 14 Valentine's Day parties (p.m.)
Mark your calendars! The Brown School Variety show will be held at SJHS on March 4th at 6pm. Please submit your child's permission slip to participate soon!
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| Congratulations to all of our top ten spellers who recently competed to participate in the upcoming Cloverleaf Spelling Bee at Lake Michigan College. We are proud of you all! Good luck to Kailyn, Pihu, Ella and Ezra who will represent Brown School at the Cloverleaf. |
Start the New Year with a Plan for Screen Time
By Joe Rommel, Berrien RESA
Few word combinations provide a sinking feeling for parents quite so quickly as ‘screen time’. Maybe
college tuition, but if your house is anything like mine, screen time is the more pressing issue. With two
elementary and two middle school children, along with my own technology habits, dealing with screen
time can seem overwhelming. Here’s a few strategies to make 2019 the year YOU control the screen!
In May 2018 the American Academy of Pediatrics provided ‘Children and Media Tips.’ There are several practical reminders such as establishing limits, being a positive example and establishing tech-free zones in the house. The point that really resonated with me was to not use the technology as an emotional pacifier; that tech time should not equal alone time. Young children learn and develop
through social interactions and play. Play is much more complex than just a swipe and a tap!
In an updated position statement the National Association for the Education of Young People acknowledges there are meaningful uses of technology for even infants and toddlers. The statement focuses on co-viewing and using devices to strengthen relationships. A good example of this is sharing
pictures of family members on your phone with your child.
The National Education Technology Plan provides guidelines as well. One of their recommendations for birth to three year olds is to help these young learner transfer and connect their experiences from a two dimensional screen to three dimensions. For example use an app to play with blocks virtually and then later play with blocks in real life. Another pointed reminder is to make learning with technology a
language rich experience - talk to the kids, have them explain what they are doing, make connections.
As a parent I have to remind myself that not all screen time is created equal. There is a big difference between being actively engaged and creating with technology versus consuming three seasons of a show on Netflix! Asking yourself whether it is sedentary and whether it is solitary are two good questions to start with when identifying screen time.
A meaningful activity to clarify the using of technology for your family, including the parents, is to develop a family media plan. The website HealthyChildren.org from the American Academy of Pediatrics has developed a step by step process to help with creating just such a plan. Include others work through the steps together at HealthyChildren.org/MediaUsePlan to set clear boundaries and expectations for your household. Meeting together to discuss how the plan is working is another way to have meaningful conversations around the topic.
You may consider using one of the many screen time monitoring apps that are available for all types of
devices. Gathering the data and understanding how much screen time is happening is often a good place to start the conversation. The folks from Screenagers, a 2016 documentary dedicated to this subject, put together a comprehensive list that provides several places to start. Find the list at screenagersmovie.com under the resources tab.
The New Year is a perfect time to revisit or begin a consistent plan and put you back in charge of the media use in your house (or classroom).
Few word combinations provide a sinking feeling for parents quite so quickly as ‘screen time’. Maybe
college tuition, but if your house is anything like mine, screen time is the more pressing issue. With two
elementary and two middle school children, along with my own technology habits, dealing with screen
time can seem overwhelming. Here’s a few strategies to make 2019 the year YOU control the screen!
In May 2018 the American Academy of Pediatrics provided ‘Children and Media Tips.’ There are several practical reminders such as establishing limits, being a positive example and establishing tech-free zones in the house. The point that really resonated with me was to not use the technology as an emotional pacifier; that tech time should not equal alone time. Young children learn and develop
through social interactions and play. Play is much more complex than just a swipe and a tap!
In an updated position statement the National Association for the Education of Young People acknowledges there are meaningful uses of technology for even infants and toddlers. The statement focuses on co-viewing and using devices to strengthen relationships. A good example of this is sharing
pictures of family members on your phone with your child.
The National Education Technology Plan provides guidelines as well. One of their recommendations for birth to three year olds is to help these young learner transfer and connect their experiences from a two dimensional screen to three dimensions. For example use an app to play with blocks virtually and then later play with blocks in real life. Another pointed reminder is to make learning with technology a
language rich experience - talk to the kids, have them explain what they are doing, make connections.
As a parent I have to remind myself that not all screen time is created equal. There is a big difference between being actively engaged and creating with technology versus consuming three seasons of a show on Netflix! Asking yourself whether it is sedentary and whether it is solitary are two good questions to start with when identifying screen time.
A meaningful activity to clarify the using of technology for your family, including the parents, is to develop a family media plan. The website HealthyChildren.org from the American Academy of Pediatrics has developed a step by step process to help with creating just such a plan. Include others work through the steps together at HealthyChildren.org/MediaUsePlan to set clear boundaries and expectations for your household. Meeting together to discuss how the plan is working is another way to have meaningful conversations around the topic.
You may consider using one of the many screen time monitoring apps that are available for all types of
devices. Gathering the data and understanding how much screen time is happening is often a good place to start the conversation. The folks from Screenagers, a 2016 documentary dedicated to this subject, put together a comprehensive list that provides several places to start. Find the list at screenagersmovie.com under the resources tab.
The New Year is a perfect time to revisit or begin a consistent plan and put you back in charge of the media use in your house (or classroom).
Screenagers Event
Cold and Flu Season Reminders
Please be sure your child is fever free and vomit free for 24 hours, without medication, before returning to school. At school, we’re taking extra measures to clean and sanitize common surfaces (door knobs, drinking fountains, etc.) and reviewing hand washing expectations and sneeze/cough procedures. You can help at home by reminding your child to wash his/her hands often and to never share food or beverages with others.
Consumers Energy Powers TheEcoDryer® School Project to Help West Michigan Students Stay Warm and Dry This Winter
TheEcoDryer® by TheGreenGloveDryer® School Project is a statewide initiative to solve the wet glove and mitten problem in K-5 classrooms by providing an energy-free, antimicrobial drying solution for kids, teachers and schools throughout Michigan. Public, private and charter schools across 29 counties in West Michigan will begin receiving school packs of EcoDryers - that’s 900 schools, including ours!
The dryers use our existing heating vents to help gloves and mittens dry in an eco-friendly and antimicrobial way. “Consumers Energy is committed to the success of schools and the communities we serve,” Lauren Youngdahl Snyder, Consumers Energy’s Vice President of Customer Experience. “Green Glove Dryers have helped children stay warm and dry without wasting energy, and we are excited to see the difference they can make for tens of thousands children in these schools.” For more information about the history of TheEcoDryer or to order one for home, please see their website: thegreenglovedryer.com.
Parents and students K-12, please join us Feb 11th from 6:30 pm-8:30 pm in the St Joseph High School’s John and Dede Howard auditorium for a viewing of Screenagers. Screenagers is an award-winning film that depicts the challenging struggles that families have over social media, video games and academics. The film offers solutions on how we can help our kids navigate the digital world. After viewing the film, we have a county expert, Joe Rommel, who will give additional updates on current social media trends and suggestions for parents on setting boundaries with their students’ social media use.
Refreshments will be available, along with free childcare offered by SJHS National Honor Society student group. Childcare is available for toddler through elementary school age children.
Cold and Flu Season Reminders
Please be sure your child is fever free and vomit free for 24 hours, without medication, before returning to school. At school, we’re taking extra measures to clean and sanitize common surfaces (door knobs, drinking fountains, etc.) and reviewing hand washing expectations and sneeze/cough procedures. You can help at home by reminding your child to wash his/her hands often and to never share food or beverages with others.
Thank you for reporting your child's absence to our school office by calling (269) 926-3500. You are able to leave a recording 24/7. Please be sure to include the reason for his/her absence as we include this information in our report to the health department.
TheEcoDryer® by TheGreenGloveDryer® School Project is a statewide initiative to solve the wet glove and mitten problem in K-5 classrooms by providing an energy-free, antimicrobial drying solution for kids, teachers and schools throughout Michigan. Public, private and charter schools across 29 counties in West Michigan will begin receiving school packs of EcoDryers - that’s 900 schools, including ours!
The dryers use our existing heating vents to help gloves and mittens dry in an eco-friendly and antimicrobial way. “Consumers Energy is committed to the success of schools and the communities we serve,” Lauren Youngdahl Snyder, Consumers Energy’s Vice President of Customer Experience. “Green Glove Dryers have helped children stay warm and dry without wasting energy, and we are excited to see the difference they can make for tens of thousands children in these schools.” For more information about the history of TheEcoDryer or to order one for home, please see their website: thegreenglovedryer.com.
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| Fluffy Friday with Flashlights was a very fun day for our students. Thank you for planning this experience, Student Council! |
Inclement Weather & School Cancellation Announcements
In the event of inclement weather, announcements regarding school closures and delays will be made via School Messenger and posted with local news outlets. Please be sure we have your most up-to-date phone numbers and email addresses on file in the school office. Two hour delays work very similarly to our late start days, just one hour later. School would begin at 10:25 a.m. - buses would run two hours later than normal.
4th and 5th Graders ski FREE this Season!
For more information go to goskimichigan.org to register your 4th or 5th grader.
Community Corkboard
Looking for fall activities to enroll your child in?
Check out local offerings by visiting our Community Corkboard.
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.
