The Crossing
January 2024 Edition
Brooks Crossing Elementary
"Kindness Begins With Me"
Principal's Message
Dear Brooks Crossing Families,
Happy 2024!
We hope your family had an enjoyable break filled with family, friends and some relaxation, too. It is hard to believe it is January already. This is the time of year when our students, across grade levels, really get into the heart of new curriculum and revisiting routines. Now that we are back in full swing, this is a good way to ensure that our students are best able to focus and learn.
We have some exciting upcoming events ! We hope to see you February 9th from 6PM-8PM at our Someone "Beary" Special Dance here at Brooks Crossing. All are welcome to this exciting family event organized by BC PTO! Please see flyer below for more details. You can register HERE for the event and order pizza!
February 9th is also our "Souper Bowl". Brooks Crossing Student Council will be sponsoring our annual "Souper Bowl" drive beginning on Monday, February 5th and will run through Friday, February 9th. We will be collecting cans of soup to be donated to our local South Brunswick Food Pantry. During that week, students will cast their vote for your favorite team by placing you donation on a table in the front of the school labeled with the team of your choice. The winning team will be announced at the end of the day on the 9th. Let's tackle hunger together!
We are so grateful to work with families who work tirelessly to raise respectful, kind children. There are so many big events going on in the world and things are moving so quickly that it can be challenging to navigate conversations with kids. We are finding that our kids know bits and pieces about adult issues and share with their classmates. Our kids have a great deal of exposure to information. While these are not topics that are being addressed by teachers in classrooms, they may have overheard an adult conversation, watched the news, seen something online or heard from an older sibling.
While we, as adults, cannot control the topic of every conversation that our children are a part of, we are responsible for preparing them for sensitive conversations that may arise. Should your child(ren) bring these topics up at home, we encourage you to have a conversation with them. We can tell you that if you don't have the conversation with them, they will learn it somewhere else. If you're looking for a resource about how to have difficult conversations with your child, click here for a UNICEF resource.
To you parents - we continue to be grateful for the partnership that we have with you.
Sincerely,
Jaime Maccarone, Principal
Aju Mathews, Assistant Principal
Can You Help?
Our Brooks Crossing PTO is hosting a Scholastic Book Fair. Our kids get so excited to choose their very own books. They love seeing their parents in school, too. If you can spare a few hours to make this week a success, please click here. We are unable to hold events like this without parent support, so we appreciate your willingness to help enhance the opportunities that are offered to our students.
SBSD Parent Academy
Save the Date: SBSD Parent Academy - Internet Safety - Parents, Guardians and Community
South Brunswick School District is happy to continue our tradition of partnering with families by offering learning opportunities known as Parent Academies. Parent Academies aim to educate and inform parents and guardians on important topics, and our first for the year will be on keeping our children safe online. Parents and guardians of children of all ages are welcome.
Internet Safety - Parents, Guardians and Community
Presented by: Secret Service Agent, Jesse Trail
Tuesday, January 30, 2024
High School Auditorium
6:30PM
Click here for more information on this event. If you have any questions, please contact Blair.Eiseman@sbschools.org.
AFTER SCHOOL ENRICHMENT CLUBS~ STARTING SOON
Is your child interested in participating in an after school club? Click here to read about WINTER ENRICHMENT CLUBS starting in January!
IT'S NOT TOO LATE! ORDER A BC YEARBOOK!
Order your school yearbook to enjoy memories of the 2023-2024 school year! The months fly by and we wouldn't want you to be disappointed by forgetting to order your '23-'24 yearbook!
You can customize pages in your child's yearbook too! They will be printed ONLY in your child's yearbook, so you can include fun, memorable moments just for them to remember the '23-'24 school year!
- Customize your 2 FREE pages. Want more pages? Each additional 2 pages is just $0.99
- Add photos from your computer, Facebook, Instagram, Google Drive & more
- Answer fun memory questions to help remember the school year
TO PURCHASE YOUR BROOKS CROSSING SCHOOL YEARBOOK:
- Go to www.treering.com/validate
- Enter our school passcode: 101410381054870
Inclement Weather Delayed Opening/School Closing
When we have a delayed opening, the Champions Before School Program begins at 9:00 a.m.
● Announcements will also be published on the SBSD website as well as reported to television and radio. Radio Station WCTC (1450 AM) will announce school closings or delayed openings several times between 6:00 a.m. – 8:30 a.m.
● Announcements will be posted on the District’s website, www.sbschools.org, WMGQ 98.3 (http://www.magic983.com/), Comcast Cable Channel 28, Channel 62 (News 12) and Verizon FiOS Channel 36, and Channels 7 (WABC) and 4 (WNBC).
Brooks Crossing's 2 Hour Delayed Opening Start Times:
- Brooks Crossing - Start time 11:00am
On days that the weather turns unfavorable (i.e. snowy conditions) after the children have already arrived to school, please do NOT call the school asking about the possibility of an early closing. We ask that you help us keep the phone lines open, by monitoring your email and phone numbers that you have listed in the Genesis Parent Portal. Notifications for inclement weather early closings will be sent to the contacts that you have chosen to receive both Emergency AND Non-Emergency Notifications.
Winter Health Update
With the weather getting colder please make sure to send your children to school with appropriate clothing for recess. Warm coats, hats or hoods and gloves are suggested. Please make sure to label all items and encourage your child to wear them when outside.
With winter upon us and following the holiday travel season, we are seeing an increase in Flu and COVID cases across the state. This Winter the best way to stay healthy is through handwashing, staying home when sick, testing if symptomatic and staying up to date on Flu and COVID vaccinations. The CDC suggests updating COVID boosters for anyone 6 months or older: Vaccination Info. For other suggestions see: Illness Prevention Strategies.
COVID guidance has changed and we are no longer required to report positive cases of COVID to the state so students are no longer completing google forms when positive but are still required to isolate and be excluded as per CDC guidelines. If your child is positive, email your school nurse, report their absence in Genesis or through the Attendance Office and use this link to calculate their return date: COVID Exclusion Calculator. Order free COVID tests here Free COVID Test.
As a reminder for the health of our students and staff please keep your child home when they are sick and consult with your pediatrician. Sick students can return to school once they are feeling better, fever free for >24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications and vomiting/diarrhea free for >24 hours.
RECEIVING NOTIFICATIONS
Send Children to School Dressed for the Colder Weather
Important Upcoming Dates
Thurs. 1/18 - Board of Education Meeting
Fri. 2/9 - EARLY RELEASE DAY, Staff Professional Development
Fri. 2/9 - Souper Bowl & Special Someone Dance 6:00pm
Mon. 2/12- DELAYED OPENING
Mon. 2/19 - School Closed. President's Day
For more dates/events that may be added, go to:
Disenrollment & Re-registering Due to Extended Absence
For a planned absence of 10 or more days, students will be disenrolled on the first day of absence. Please notify your child's teacher and Michelle.Cima@sbschools.org as soon as you know your travel plans for your child. Michelle Cima will send you information that includes a link to a form to report the absence. You will then be notified of the steps to follow if you choose to re-register your child to attend Brooks Crossing Elementary School upon your return. Note: Re-registering may take a few days after you return and there is no guarantee for the same classroom assignment.
Reporting Attendance/Late Arrivals
ALL absences AND late arrivals should be entered promptly in the Genesis Parent Portal. Go to https://parents.sbschools.org. Be sure to enter the reason, including specific symptoms, as to why your child is absent. These can be entered in advance, 24 hours a day. Daily absences should be entered by 8:30am. (Note: If too late and the system is locked, DO NOT EMAIL your child's teacher. You must call the main office to report your child's absence.)
The # of tardy & absences will be noted on the report card because attendance matters!
Daily attendance is important for your child's academic growth. We strongly encourage you to plan travel during school breaks and holidays listed on the District Calendar. Read the District Attendance Policy for more information on what the State of NJ requires and follow procedures for disenrollment & re-registering after an extended absence of 10 or more days.
Chartwells Breakfast and Lunch
Click here for the SBSD monthly menus. Select Brooks Crossing for the menu. Menus are subject to change. Discuss with your child the menu item choices they will have on any given day. Students have lunch every day, including early dismissal days.
Reminder ~ All students should bring a healthy snack daily and a full water bottle. Please label lunch boxes and water bottles with your child's name.
Bring Lunch from Home Inside Lunch Box
EVERY student that brings a lunch to school, must have a lunch box to carry all of their food & drink containers in. Be sure to label your child's lunch box & thermos/water bottles with their full name, so we can reunite your child with their items if they are misplaced at school or on the school bus.
NOTE: Many of our young students have struggled to open and/or close their lunch containers. Please practice at home! Your child should be able to open and close all of their containers without assistance.
Bus Transportation
All transportation questions should be directed to the SBSD Transportation Department.
For non-urgent concerns/messages for the transportation department, email: Transportation@sbschools.org.
FOR TIME-SENSITIVE ISSUES - Do not delay! Immediately call the Transportation Department at: (732) 297-7800 Extension 5108.
Do NOT call the school as this will delay assisting you. Have your child's BUS ROUTE # available for someone in transportation to promptly assist you. This can be found in the Genesis Parent Portal.
Champions Before/After School Program
If your child currently attends the Champions After School Program, besides informing the teacher of a dismissal change, you must remember to contact Champions staff to inform them if your child is NOT attending. The Champions staff is sometimes looking for students, unaware that a child is not attending.
Do you need childcare before and/or after school? If so, please contact Champions South Brunswick Before/After School Childcare Program If you have any questions, please contact Champions Area Manager, Amanda Russo amanda.russo@discoverchampions.com or call Champions Customer Care: 1-800-246-2154.