Remember spirit week beginning Monday!
It was another great week at Brookside! We had more time with our guest artists, our 3rd and 4th grade choruses performed, our 4th graders showcased their best dance moves and there was at least one gorilla siting. Luckily, he was friendly and a big fan of Brookside:) Some students built robots and others worked hard to develop their reading and writing skills. Our students truly are the best! A huge thanks to Mrs. Palumbo and the entire Arts team for an amazing week with our guests artists and an incredible performance Thursday night. You rock!
Have a great weekend!
Chris and Sarah
VTCAP - for 3rd and 4th grade students only
his year, Vermont will be implementing for the first time, the Vermont Comprehensive Assessment Program (VTCAP) provided by Cognia in replacement of the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBAC) and Vermont Science Assessment (VTSA). As in the past, students in grades 3-9 will be assessed in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math, and students in grades 5, 8 and 11 will be assessed in Science. The schedule for testing in our school is as follows:
Please note these dates on your calendar now. The testing window for these assessments is more narrow than in the past; it is therefore even more important than ever that students being assessed are at school on these identified dates. Look for more information on these assessments as the testing date gets closer.
1st and 4th Grade Artwork at The 2023 Student Art Show at the Current in Stowe!
This year, Brookside Primary School was invited to be part of the annual Student Art Show at The Current in Stowe. I have chosen to highlight the work of our 1st and 4th graders in this event.
I am excited to announce that 1st and 4th grade art will be showcased at The Current in Stowe this spring. Here are the details:
When: May 1 - 27, 2023 Opening Reception: May 1, 3-5pm Gallery Hours: Tuesday-Friday: 10am - 5pm Saturday: 10am - 3pm Closed on Mondays Where: The Current, A Center for Contemporary Art 90 Pond Street Stowe, Vermont 05672 What: (I will be installing only 1st and 4th grade artwork from Brookside for this event.)The artwork includes a great variety of media and subject matter taught by dedicated art teachers: Kayla Hoffman, Stowe Elementary; Rachael Wells, Brookside Primary School; Jenn Anthony and Tim Waite, Stowe Middle School; Kate Crouse and Carleen Zimbalatti, Stowe High School. Come out and support our artists! Thanks for reading, Rachael
Please see the link below for more information!
We will be having another student art show for all grades May 31st and June 1st here at Brookside (more details to come about that later).
Please mark your calendars for these upcoming Arts events at BPS:
Spring Celebration: Thursday May 18th, 1:30pm on the BPS upper playground (songs and dances to celebrate spring and showcase West African dances learned during our Artist in Residency). Friday May 19th rain date.
Arts Nights:
Wednesday May 31st, 5-6pm for Preschool, Kindergarten and Grade 1
Thursday June 1st, 5-6pm for Grades 2, 3 and 4
Arts Night is like Open House with the Arts teachers. See what your kids have been learning in French and Health. Learn about the School Counseling program. Spend some time in the gym where students will sing songs learned in music and demonstrate skills learned in PE.
Sunday Fun-day
Harwood’s chapter of the National Honor Society will be hosting a kid’s fun day, which we are calling “Sunday Fun-day”, on May 7! Registered caregivers will be welcome to drop off their kids at Harwood Union High School to be taken care of and entertained by members of NHS, so that children can spend some time participating in fun activities followed by a storytime, and caregivers can have a couple of free hours. Child drop-off will run from 3:30 to 4 pm, and we ask that parents pick up their children by 6 pm.
This event is open to children ages 4-8, and registration is required—we are capping the number of children at 50. Registration will be done on a first-come-first-serve basis, and can be done at this link. If you are registering more than one child, we ask that you register them separately so that we can accurately count the number of registered participants. Thank you!
Music Notes:
Congratulations to all the performers in the Spring Concert last night!!!
4th Grade Families: Please return all T-shirts to school as soon as possible. You can give them to your classroom teacher.
April Social Emotional Learning Newsletter
Dear Families and Caregivers,
Take a minute to reflect..how many decisions do you think you make every day? Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands? The answer varies, but it is a lot. A LOT. And guess what, there are many decisions for your kids to make too. Our hope is that they are making the best, most informed decisions possible. And the thing is, humans make mistakes, kids and adults alike, and when we do, the hope is that we can learn from it. Making informed decisions sometimes is thanks to not making great decisions in the past.
Responsible decision making involves learning how to make constructive choices about personal behavior and social interactions across diverse settings. So how do we help kids learn these important skills? Here are a few resources:
Books:
Conversation Starters:
Are you good at making decisions? Why or why not?
Tell me about a good decision you made.
Tell me about a bad decision you made.
Do you like to make choices? Why or why not?
Tell me one of your long-term goals.
Tell me one of your short-term goals.
Have you ever made a decision then changed your mind? If yes, explain the situation.
Have you ever asked the opinion of someone else before making a decision? If yes, explain the situation.
Do you think people make bad decisions because of peer pressure? Why or why not?
Tell me about a setback you had in your life.
Strategies for parents and caregivers to help their children process their actions and discuss what they can do to make amends
Level: PreK/Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary, Middle School
Duration: ≤ 15 minutes
Try playing a Game of Would you rather on your way home from the bus stop, school, or practice. You will get a feel for decisions your child makes and the thought process that goes into those decisions.
Remember the choices we make each day can make all the difference,
Thanks for all you do!
COMMUNITY POSTINGS
Please note that the opportunities/events listed below are not specifically endorsed or screened by school staff. As always, families should use their own standards and review processes to determine appropriate activities.
Just a quick heads up that we have our Dabble Days Spring Art Fling this Saturday at the Brookside Primary School gym in Waterbury, 10:00 am to 12:30 pm, with special guests from MakerSphere! We also have two other events coming: a Tree Planting Project with Friends of the Winooski River on April 26th and our Annual Tag Sale on May 19th and 20th. Check out the info below. Come join the fun!
Dabble Days Spring Art Fling: Saturday, April 15th, 10:00 am - 12:30 pm, Brookside Primary School gym in Waterbury. Bring a friend along for ripping, tearing, taping, pasting, painting, and molding. Special guests from Waterbury’s MakerSphere will also be leading activities! Dabble Days is a craft-themed event geared toward ages 2-6. Suggested donation of $5 per child.
Tree Planting Project: Wednesday, April 26th, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm. TCR is collaborating with Friends of the Winooski River to help with a tree planting project along the Little River in Stowe. Come spend a morning outside along the river and help plant some trees to restore our watershed. ALL ages welcome! Email childrensroom@huusd.org to sign up!
Annual Tag Sale: May 19th and May 20th, Wesley United Methodist Church on 56 South Main in Waterbury village. Spring cleaning anyone? Donate clean baby and kid’s clothing, outerwear, toys, shoes, boots, costumes and baby gear on May 16th-18th, and come shop the sale! Drop off times coming soon on http://www.childrensroomonline.org/events.html
Enjoy the sunshine and hope to see you at a Children's Room program soon! -Heather