Congratulations to all of our students who entered projects in our 2021 Ren Baldwin Student Technology Festival! The innovation and creativity displayed in your work is both admirable & inspiring!
Check out the website including links to all of the projects and winners by clicking here.
This Week at Brown School
NWEA & M-STEP testing continues this week!
Wear your P2 t-shirt today!
Board of Education Meeting @ 5:45 p.m. @ SJHS
5/12 Late Start Day - 9:45 arrival
Coming Up...
5/17 P2 Character Strength: Teamwork
Last week for book checkout
5/18 Virtual PTO Meeting @ 12 p.m. - please join us!
5/19 Late Start Day - arrival at 9:45 a.m.
5/24 P2 Character Strength: Open-Mindedness
5/26 Late Start Day - arrival @ 9:45 a.m.
5/28 All books to be returned to the M.C. by today, please!
5/31 No School - Memorial Day (ECDD - 12th grade)
6/1 P2 Character Strength: Outro Week
6/2 Late Start Day - arrival @ 9:45 a.m.
6/4 Popcorn Friday!
6/9 Hot Dog Picnic Lunch (outside by cohort group)
6/10 1/2 day of school - dismissal @ 12:34 p.m.
5th grade Farewell Breakfast @ 9:30 a.m. (staff & students only - will be live on Google Meet for families & 5th grade SJVS students)
6/11 Last Day of School!
1/2 day of school - dismissal @ 12:34 p.m.
5th grade Awards Assembly @ 11:00 a.m.
(5th grade staff & students only - will be live on Google Meet for families & 5th grade SJVS students)
Traditional 5th grade Walkaway @ 11:45 a.m. - more details to come
We wish all of our students' mothers, grandmothers, & caregivers a very Happy Mother's Day! Enjoy!
Parking Lot Safety
For the safety of all of our students and their families, please exercise patience and follow the procedures (posted below for your reference) when dropping off and picking up your child daily.
Students MUST NOT cross Yukon Drive in front of traffic to enter/exit the school.
In addition, adults and students must always use the crosswalks while entering/exiting the school during drop-off and pick-up times.
Keeping our students safe is our collective responsibility. Thank you for your attention to this important reminder.
2021 Ren Baldwin Student Technology Showcase
The 2021 Tech Fest website opened Friday at 12:00 p.m. Students received certificates and ribbons at school, as well as a note to share with parents with the festival website address. Be sure to check out our students' creativity here:
The festival is entirely asynchronous this year, and all information will be on the website. Thank you for your support of tech fest and congratulations to all of the winners and students who shared their creativity with us this year.
Spring Book Fair Now Open!
Our SJPS Media Department partnered with Forever Books to hold our first ever local virtual book fair! The event opened on Friday, May 7th and will run through Friday, May 21st. Please click here to learn more about this event.
Thank you for your ongoing support of our schools and local businesses, as well as your commitment to engaging children in literature.
Daily Health Screening
Thank you for your continued adherence to our daily screening guide posted on our district website before sending your child to school. If he/she is exhibiting any symptoms consistent with COVID-19, they must stay home. It is imperative that we work together to safe safe so that we can stay together.
If someone in your home is awaiting results of a COVID-19 test, all students need to stay home from school until the results are in. Thank you for your attention to this.
Schools of Choice
Schools of Choice applications will be accepted May 3-21. The packet will be available on our website beginning on May 3rd, both on the district home page and all enrollment pages. Those wishing to apply may download, print and complete the forms and return by US mail, email, fax, or they may drop off the packet to the central office (2580 S. Cleveland Avenue, St. Joseph, MI 49085).
Families who resided in the district but moved out during this school year, or are attending our schools via a letter of release, only have to fill out the two-page SOC form. New applicants should complete the SOC form along with the discipline form (and have it signed by the child's current principal).
If we receive more applications than we have openings for, acceptance will be determined by a lottery drawing. We may give preference to current students and siblings of current students.
Families will be instructed to fill out the other enrollment forms online once notified of acceptance. Applicants should not use the online enrollment process for the initial SOC application. Please call our central office at 926-3101 with any questions.
PTO Corner
Announcements
We would also like to extend a thank you to Cycle and Fitness in St. Joseph for offering a very competitive bulk price on water bottle holders.
Yearbooks
Our yearbooks have arrived! If you would like to purchase a yearbook, we have extra copies in the office available for $15.
Staff Appreciation Week
Thank you for all the treats and messages of appreciation sent to our teachers and staff.
Thank you as well to Sara Eckert for organizing the take-and-bake pizza night for our teachers!
Young Authors and Artists - due May 10th
All students are welcome to submit written or art work to our annual Bear Tracks! Bear Tracks is a full-color book showcasing student’s work. Each participating student will receive their own copy of Bear Tracks.
Accepted works include:
Guidelines:
Please proofread all work before submission
Inappropriate content will not be accepted
Students may accept up to two projects. Please note that both projects will be printed on the same page.
Artwork must fit an 8.5”x11” format.
Enjoy expressing yourself artistically!
All work must be electronically submitted to m.bishop407@yahoo.com
Subject line: BEAR TRACKS
Email Body: Must contain your full name, your teacher’s name and your grade level.
All entries due by Monday, May 10th!
Book Fair
St. Joseph Public Schools is thrilled to partner with our local bookstore, Forever Books, for this year’s spring book fair, which will take place May 7 - May 21. This event will give you the opportunity to stock up for summer reading while supporting your school and a local business.You will be able to shop in-store and online. Twenty percent of the sales will come back to our schools. Forever Books is located at 312 State Street in Downtown St. Joseph.
For a list of the books available for purchase online, see our Digital Flier.
5th Grade Farewell
Attention 5th Grade parents! One of the Fifth Grade Farewell traditions is to have a display of baby pictures and guess who is who. Our goal is to include all of our fifth graders by presenting their baby picture and a recent picture. You can upload pictures here: Fifth Grade Farewell Baby Pics
We are also putting together a slideshow of our student’s pictures from elementary school. We are collecting pictures from all their years at school. (Photos do not have to be from Brown School if your child previously attended another school) If you have photos from past parties, field trips, Science Fairs, school plays, variety shows, track meets, etc.. that are of multiple students, we would like those as well. You can add them here: Fifth Grade Slideshow. Please contact Burke Lokey at BLokey@sjschools.org with any questions about the slideshow.
PTO Vote - Teacher Grant
We will be voting on a request to grant funds for a classroom need at our next PTO meeting. The request is for a new rug and kitchen playset in one of our kindergarten classrooms. Details for this grant request can be viewed prior to the vote on May 18th: K Grant Request*. If you have any input, please join us for the PTO Meeting or contact any board member or Kristen Bawks in advance of the meeting.
*The water bottle holders are no longer part of this request as the board voted to pilot this in the requesting classroom with the potential of school-wide implementation next school year. 
Reminders
Attention all virtual students!! We love seeing what you have been learning in your virtual classrooms!
Please continue to share your pictures with us on our Facebook page in the Brown Bears Virtual Learning album.
Please download the Box Tops for Education app by visiting https://www.boxtops4education.com/.
Save the date for these upcoming virtual PTO meetings:
May 18 @12pm
Classroom Blogs
Our Brown School classroom teachers have important information to share with families. Please click on your child's class below to view weekly updates.
ECDDMrs. Rank and Mrs. LeClear's Class
Young Fives
Mrs. Schueneman's Class
Kindergarten
Mrs. Hooker's Class
Miss Barkovich's Class
First Grade
Ms. Harmening's Class
Mrs. Brown's Class
Ms. Barron's Class
Second Grade
Third Grade
Mrs. DeVore's Class
Mrs. Lear's Class
Mrs. Nowicki's Class
Fourth Grade
Mrs. Hassenger's Class
Mr. Hernandez's Class
Fifth Grade
Mr. Lignell's Class
Mrs. Lokey's Class
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SJVS BLOG LINK
| DISTRICT TECHNOLOGY WEBSITEClick HERE to access our fantastic resource site put together FOR YOU to help navigate district technology! Having trouble with your district device, email - support@sjschools.org | MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCESClick HERE to access a wealth of resources put together by our SJ counselors and social workers!
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Check out the positive messages and celebration of our community on the St. Joseph Public Schools Foundation blog.
Be sure to see the information related to the first ever student art contest! Entries are due May 20th by 3:00 p.m.
Looking for spring activities to enroll your child in? Check out local offerings by visiting our
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.
