News for March 18, 2019

We had a blast ice skating last week! Thank you to the PTO for sponsoring the event and to all of the families who volunteered to help. We couldn't have done it without you!

This Week at Brown School

March 18    Release Time Bible Class 2:20-3:35 p.m.
                  
March 19    Young 5s to planetarium 8:40-9:40 a.m.
                   PTO meeting @ 12 p.m. - please join us!

March 20    Late start
                    School-home partnership meeting in the media                        center 7:30 - 8:15 a.m. - see details below
                   Science Night 6 p.m. - please join us!

March 21   Elementary Super Show reception @ Central Office 4:30 - 6:00 p.m.

March 22    Flashlight Friday and Fuzzy Socks Day! 

Coming Up...
March 28    Parents as Teachers Playgroup in gym 9:30-10:30 a.m. - click here for more information


March 29     Pajama Day
                    1/2 day - spring break begins at 12:05 p.m. 

The school office will close right after dismissal - please be sure to make arrangements in advance

              
April 1-5     Spring break!

April 8        School resumes
    

School-Home Partnership Meeting 
School-home partnerships are vital to your child's academic success. In fact, research indicates that a student's skill sets increasingly grow at a faster rate when we utilize the same academic vocabulary and strategies both at home and at school. Therefore, our intervention team and teacher leaders have prepared a wealth of information and resources to help families support their children's learning. Please join us on Wednesday, March 20th, from 7:30-8:15 a.m. in the Brown School Media Center to acquire resources and tips to support your reader and mathematician.  

This will be set up as an "open house" format with different stations around the room. If you are able to come for five minutes or forty-five minutes, we'd love to see you! Please note that this is an adult-only event, however there will be supervision in the gym as this is a late start day. 

We are in need of additional volunteers for Wednesday evening's Science Night. If you are able to help out, please email Marilyn Bishop at m.bishop407@yahoo.com. Thank you for considering! 

The Elementary Super Show will be held from March 21st until April 25th. The opening reception is on Thursday, March 21st, from 4:30-6:00 p.m. at Central Office (3275 Lincoln Avenue, St. Joseph). Featured artists will receive a letter indicating their work will be on display. All families and community members are invited to celebrate and enjoy our selected district elementary artists until April 25th during business hours at Central Office. We hope to see you there!

Drop-Off Procedures
Please help to ensure all families can get on their way safely each morning by NOT parking in the drop-off lane. If you wish to walk you child in or have the need for extra time to say goodbye, you must park. Thank you for your attention to this. 

United Way Book Drive
We will continue to collect books in our front entrance lobby for the United Way's annual "Spring Into Action" book drive. Thank you to those of you who have already contributed. We have already filled one box and are gladly accepting additional donations through March 21st. 

13 Online Challenges To Be Aware Of
Some of you may have heard recent media reports about dangers related to the "Momo Challenge". Our staff has been made aware of this and our hope is to educate our families as well. Below you will find information from commonsensemedia.org about this and, by clicking the link, 12 other challenges that your children may already know about. Rest assured, our IT department is, as always, taking precautions to ensure our students are safe online. 

Momo Challenge. This frightening social media challenge appears with an unforgettable, horrifying picture of a statue of a bird (that looks like a girl) and allegedly encourages kids to perform increasingly risky and harmful tasks, including hurting themselves. It can pop up in a variety of places but seems to center around Whatsapp, where a user is sent a link to click on. It's not new but resurfaces occasionally. Though some articles mention reports of kids actually harming or killing themselves as a result of the challenge, they are unsubstantiated. Some reports indicate it's actually a way for hackers to get access to devices, which poses a whole separate set of risks.

Lost and Found
Our lost and found continues to grow! Please stop by the school to look through the items in case your child has lost something. We have lots of boots right now! If you are unable to come during school hours, you are welcome to come in after school. The building is open for after school activities Monday through Friday. All remaining items will be donated after spring break. 

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.

News for March 11, 2019

This past week was another excellent example of the power of our home-school partnerships. Thank you to all of the volunteers who assisted in classrooms with book exchanges and SMART time support. In addition, we welcomed library volunteers and had all hands on deck support with our annual Variety Show and with our popcorn celebration on Friday. We are looking forward to seeing many of you this week for ice skating and learning support around the school. We appreciate you!  

This Week at Brown School

March 11  Book Fair begins!
                 4th grade performance @ 6:00 p.m.
                 Board of Education meeting @ Lincoln 6 p.m.

March 12  Access @ 8:10 a.m.
                 Science Fair projects due!
                 Lory's Place group @ lunch 
                 Family Night at the book fair

March 13   Late start 
                 
March 14   Ice skating day! (see schedule below)

March 15   Kindergartners to the planetarium 8:45-10:00 a.m.
                  Second graders to Sarett @ 9 a.m.

Third graders hard at work with Mrs. Lear this week. 

Coming Up...

March 18    Release Time Bible Class 2:20-3:35 p.m.
                  
March 19    Young 5s to planetarium 8:40-9:40 a.m.
                   PTO meeting @ 12 p.m. - please join us!

March 20    Late start
                   Science Night 6 p.m.

Congratulations to Mrs. Nimtz's class! They received a certificate of appreciation from the Blue Star Mothers of America for their thoughtfulness and generosity toward our troops. A true testament of the kind spirit of our students and staff.

All school ice skating is this Thursday, March 14th. Volunteers are certainly welcome! If planning to join us, please be sure to have a Volunteer Consent form on file in the school office. They must be resubmitted annually.

If the weather forecast changes, students will want to wear warm gear - hats, gloves, snow pants, etc. Students may bring their own skates and helmets if they wish. Helmets are not required however. There will be "trainers" for students to use if ice skating is a new experience for them.

Thank you to our PTO for covering the cost of skate rentals. The concession stand will not be open, therefore students should not bring money with them.

Thank you for supporting your child in completing his/her reading passport each week. Mrs. Berry collects these every Friday throughout the month. In celebration of reading month, students are guessing "where in the world Mrs. Bawks" is each week after hearing clues on the news. We discovered that I was in Kenya last week. Where might I be traveling this week?

Late Start Supervision is available in our school gym for families in need beginning at 7:45 a.m. If you are able to bring your child to school later for the 9:25 start time, please do so. While we are more than happy to assist our families in need, we have noticed an increase in attendance and want to be sure that attendance is reserved for those in need. Thank you for your help with this.

Pennies for Patients Update
The campaign ended a couple weeks ago and the coins are being counted. So far, Brown School families and friends have donated $940 to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! WOW! Our Student Council is still processing donations, so that total is going to grow. Stay tuned for the final donation amount! Brown School Student Council thanks you for your kindness and generosity.

PTO Survey

If you have not had the chance to complete our PTO survey about the best times for our 2019-2020 meetings, please do so. by clicking on the link below. Your input is very important and valuable. Thank you!

Click here to access the survey.

If you have a child or know of a family that has a child who will turn five years old before September 1st and were not able to attend last week's Kindergarten Round-Up event, please click here to have your child's name added to our registration list. Enrollment packets are available in the school office. Please stop by and pick one up as soon as possible. We look forward to welcoming your child to SJPS!

Our Brown Bear Student Credit Union is open every Friday morning before school. With your help, students can set up a savings account through Honor Credit Union. With the help of our community partners, our student helpers will process deposits. Please consider having your child participate next week! 



United Way Book Drive
We are collecting books now through March 21st in our front entrance lobby for the United Way's annual "Spring Into Action" book drive. Thank you for your help to ensure all children thorughout our county have books in their hands. 

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.

News for March 4, 2019

What an inspiring and engaging week of learning our students had! Maker Day 2019 was a huge success. From breaking apart wind-up toys and computer parts to discover how they work to building cardboard creations, developing code to move robots and creating stop motion animation videos, students of all ages participated in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics) activities that directly related to current curriculum. Be sure to ask your child about his/her sessions. 

 

This Week at Brown

March 4 Variety Show @ SJHS Auditorium 6pm
The student body will travel to SJHS for the dress rehearsal @ 9am


March 5   Team/club pictures for the yearbook (wear club t-shirt, if applicable)


March 6   Late Start Day

March 7   Kindergarten Round-Up at Brown School 7pm


March 8   

Dress like a World Traveler Day!

2nd grade classes to planetarium 8:45-9:45am

Author visit @1pm for 4th & 5th graders


Coming Up...

March 11-15 Book Fair continues!


March 11     4th grade performance @ 6pm
                    DQ Night
                    Board of Education meeting @ Lincoln 6pm

March 12     Access @ 8:10 a.m.
                    Science Fair projects due
                    Lory's Place group @ lunch

March 13     Late Start Day

March 14    Ice skating day - see schedule below

March 15    Kindergartners to the planetarium 8:45-10:00am
                   Second graders to Sarett @ 9am

We are looking forward to an exciting start to our week! Brown School students will showcase their talents at our annual Variety Show tomorrow, March 4th. A special thank you to the event's coordinators, Chelsey Fonua and Cheryl Thompson, for all of their hard work. We would also like to thank all of you for your support. We have no doubt it will be another extraordinary show!

All School Ice Skating was rescheduled for Thursday, March 14th. The schedule is the same as originally posted. Volunteers are welcome! If you are interested in joining your child's class, please be sure to have an annual Volunteer Consent form on file in the school's office.

PTO News: Please take our brief survey

The Parent Teacher Organization feels it’s important to create an environment where we can get the most involvement as possible to support the partnership between our school and parents for the sake of our children. We truly value your participation, not only with volunteering your time, but also with staying up to date with the latest PTO news. That’s why I’ve created this brief survey to see when the best time would be for you to attend our informative meetings.

At the meetings, your opinion is valued with decision making, you learn where the PTO funds are being disbursed, and you get to hear about our upcoming PTO sponsored events. Additionally, you will be informed of important news from our Principal, Mrs. Bawks, surrounding any new implementations. We would love to see you there! Please complete the brief survey linked below by Sunday, March 10th.

As always, thank you for your time!

Marylin Bishop
PTO President

Click here to access the survey.

March is Reading Month 2019
One World, Many Stories


Each year during March, we go all out to get our students reading and this year is no exception! Our theme, One World, Many Stories, will run from March 1st - March 29th.

We live in one great big world and each of us has a story to tell. Throughout March, we will be traveling the globe to learn about the many stories that make up the people and places of our world.
Our challenge will be to read daily and participate in a number of reading adventures to help Mrs. Bawks earn the miles she needs to complete her worldly adventure. Fortunately, we’ll be traveling right along beside her to learn about the people, cultures, and stories of our world. Each day, classrooms will hear clues on the news and will have a chance to try and figure out “Where in the World is Mrs. Bawks?”

Goals:
● To promote lifelong reading habits
● To motivate and encourage reading for fun
● To create opportunities for adults and children to share time reading
● To learn about countries around our world
● To engage in reading and STEAM activities centered around our theme (breakout boxes, Dash robots, tower building, Google Earth scavenger hunts, etc.)
● To become aware and participate in a global service project to raise money for school supplies for a village in Zimbabwe

Directions:
● All students will have a passport to keep track of all of the reading adventure activities they complete each week.
● Passports will be collected and reviewed on Fridays. 

Rewards:
● All students who complete the weekly reading adventure activities will receive a raffle ticket to place in the Reading Raffle buckets. Prizes will include books.
● Along with the individual student rewards, classes will be challenged to meet their class goal and will receive a puzzle piece each week they meet the goal. Our school will build this mystery puzzle throughout the month which will reveal Mrs. Bawks's final reading location.
● Classes will see their progress around the world on the large map that will be displayed near the cross hall.

Special Dates:
● Kick Off Video/Passports passed out - Friday, March 1st
● Author Visit for Upper Elementary: Patricia Sutton, author of the book, Capsized: The Forgotten Story of the Eastland Disaster, will be here visiting with 4th and 5th graders on March 7th.
● BOOK FAIR: March 8 - 15
● Book Fair Family Night: Tuesday, March 12th from 5:30 - 7:30pm
● Reading Month Celebration: Friday, March 29th

Fun Friday Dress-Up Days
Friday, March 8 Dress like a World Traveler Day
Friday, March 15 Dress as Your Favorite Book Character
Friday, March 22 Flashlight Friday & Fuzzy Socks
Friday, March 29 PJ Day

Please feel free to contact Mrs. Berry (jberry2@sjschools.org) or Mrs. Bacolor (cbacolor@sjschools.org) in the Media Center if you have any questions. 

Thanks for your support and happy reading! 

Mrs. Berry, Media Assistant 

Mrs. Bacolor, Media Technology Integration Specialist 

CALLING ALL BEAR CUBS
St. Joseph Public Schools Kindergarten Round-Up is Thursday, March 7th at Brown Elementary beginning at 7pm. If you or someone you know has a child who will be 5 years old on or before September 1, 2019, please plan to attend this special adult-only event. You will have the opportunity to meet our Kindergarten and Young Fives staff, see a primary classroom, learn about our comprehensive curriculum and pick up registration materials.

It is important that we know your intent to register your child in St. Joseph Public Schools for the 2019-2020 school year. If you are unable to attend, please contact the school office for registration details.

Please note: If your child is currently enrolled as a student in one of our Young Fives classrooms, you do not need to attend.

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.

News for February 25, 2019

This Week at Brown

Feb 25    4th grade to planetarium 9:00-9:45am

Feb  26   Girls on the Run begins after school

Feb 27    Late Start Day

                Yearbook order forms due by today!

Feb 28   1/2 day of school dismissal @ 12:05pm (ELE only- P/T conferences)  

              Maker Day (Y5-2nd grades)  
              Parents as Teachers Playgroup 9:30-10:30am
              Variety Show rehearsal after school in gym (Act I)
              Report cards home today
       

March 1  1/2 day of school - dismissal @ 12:05pm (ELE only- P/T conferences) 

                 Maker Day (3rd-5th grades) 
                 Reading Month begins!
                 Variety Show rehearsal after school in gym (Act II)

Coming Up...

March 4   Variety Show @ SJHS Auditorium 6pm

                  The student body will travel to SJHS for the dress rehearsal @ 9am

March 5     Team/club pictures for the yearbook

March 6      Late Start Day

March 7      Kindergarten Round-Up at Brown School 7pm

March 8      2nd grade classes to Upton's planetarium 8:45-9:45am

                   Author visit in the media center 1pm (4th & 5th grades)

                  
March 11-15 Book Fair!

Congratulations to our Brown School Spellers! 









Pihu, Kailyn, and Ella proudly represented our school at the Cloverleaf Spelling Bee earlier this week. We are all very proud of you!

A special thank you goes out to Brandi Johnson who served as the team's coach this year. We are very grateful for your volunteerism!

Our all-school ice skating trip to John and Dede Howard Ice Arena has been rescheduled for Thursday, March 14th. The classes will be bussed with a buddy class to the ice rink for a 45 minute block of skating (see schedule below). The cost of skating and skate rental is being covered by our PTO. No money is needed for this trip. Thank you, PTO! 

Volunteers are welcome! If you are interested in joining your child's class to assist with lacing and/or balancing, please be sure you have a Volunteer Consent form on file in the school office.  Forms must be submitted annually. 

Please make sure your child is dressed appropriately with outdoor gear on their designated day to skate.  If your child has ice skates or hockey skates, they are welcome to bring them on their designated day. Please make sure their name is in them and they have blade protection. 

Upcoming Author Visit

Patricia Sutton, author of the book Capsized! The Forgotten Story of the SS Eastland Disaster will be here to present to our 4th and 5th grade students on March 8th. 

On July 24, 1915, as the SS Eastland made final preparations to transport factory workers and their families to the Western Electric employee picnic, the ship capsized in the Chicago River while still moored to the pier.  844 people died.  The disaster took more passenger lives than the Titanic and stands today as the greatest loss of life on the Great Lakes.  

Capsized!  The Forgotten Story of the SS Eastland Disaster details the events leading up to the fateful day of the disaster and provides a minute-by-minute account of the ship's capsizing.

Capsized! is narrative nonfiction, using eyewitness accounts to tell the story of the 844 that died that day.  

During her presentation, she will be sharing some background information on the disaster and the St. Joseph connection.  She'll also pose some critical thinking question such as; why is this forgotten?  Who was responsible? What is the importance of recording our own family stories?  

To purchase signed copies of this book from Forever Books, please fill out the order form that was sent home with your child.  All orders are due on Thursday, February 28.  Additional order forms are available here. 

Thank you to our Brown PTO for making this special event possible!

The Student Art Exhibit at the Box Factory for the Arts (a partnership program sponsored by Berrien RESA, the Krasl Art Center, and the Box Factory for the Arts) will be held from March 9th until March 23rd. Thirty students from grades 2-5 will be notified through a letter next week if their artwork is to be included in the show. All families and community members are invited to celebrate and enjoy our locally selected elementary artists!

CALLING ALL BEAR CUBS 

St. Joseph Public Schools Kindergarten Round-Up is Thursday, March 7th at Brown Elementary beginning at 7pm. If you or someone you know has a child who will be 5 years old on or before September 1, 2019, please plan to attend this special adult-only event. You will have the opportunity to meet our Kindergarten and Young Fives staff, see a primary classroom, learn about our comprehensive curriculum and pick up registration materials. 

It is important that we know your intent to register your child in St. Joseph Public Schools for the 2019-2020 school year. If you are unable to attend, please contact the school office for registration details.

Please note: If your child is currently enrolled as a student in one of our Young Fives classrooms, you will not need to attend. 

You will hear this important message throughout our school as staff work to support our learners.
Click here to see the amazing work our staff is doing to build lasting, meaningful relationships with students and among peer groups. 

Community Family Night

Friday, March 8th is Family Open Gym and Movie Night at Upton Middle School. Gym time is scheduled to be from 5:30 to 6:15 pm.  The featured movie will be Coco and will begin at 6:30pm.  $10 per family suggested donation for the gym and movie.  $5.00 per family suggested donation for the movie only.  Snacks, candy, baked goods, Capri Sun, and water will be available for purchase. Come out and enjoy a family night! 

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.