Bobcat Bulletin
Week of May 17th
Principal's Letter
Hello Bobcat Families,
When we look back and reflect on this school year, it all feels like a blur: the uncertainty behind how we would begin the year, the remote learning, the piloting of hybrid learning, then back to remote learning, the two and a half hour in-person/remote days, and the rooming and zooming full days. My goal in the remaining weeks is to remind staff, students, and all of you, of the amazing things you all have accomplished together this school year. It really has taken a team effort, and you should all feel incredibly proud.
One of those large tasks, which seemed impossible a year ago, has been accomplished this week: TESTING! Completing all of our state and district mandated testing during a very challenging school year has been no easy feat! A huge shout out goes to Mrs. Lindsey Stepper and Mrs. Carol Bramstedt who have coordinated and orchestrated all of our testing for not only our in-person learners but remote learners, too! We are so fortunate to have them a part of our Brookdale Dream Team!
As I walked through the school this week, I was filled with pride as I saw our Academic Support and Special Education Teams hard at work running an assessment SWEEP in the LMC for over 400 students. Classroom teachers were running computer-based testing in their classrooms, and students were really giving it their all to show their best learning! I have gotten to take a sneak peek at the results, and I am so incredibly proud of our students and the hard work they put in each day to continue growing as learners. We do know students have learned so many things, many of which will never be measured by an assessment.
Today I had the pleasure of eating lunch with our students who were nominated for our April Bobcat Trait. One of the students authentically stated she was sorry I had to be principal during COVID-19 because I haven't gotten to see how wonderful Brookdale really is. As I reflect on that comment, I regret not telling the student that I have gotten to see way more beauty than I would during a normal year because I have gotten to see how Brookdale perseveres. I have gotten to see all stakeholders rally together to overcome challenges, support each other, celebrate together, and appreciate one another...and that, Bobcats, is true beauty! We will slowly make our way back to our new normal, and all the shine and glitz will return, but I know the beauty that exists at the core, and that is a truly special thing to witness.
Thank you for your role in making Brookdale such a special place to be!
Respectfully,
Mrs. Keeley Schmid
Principal
UPDATES
State and District Testing
A special shout out to Mrs. Lindsey Stepper, our Student Services Coordinator, who took on an unbelievable task of accomplishing the large feat of testing, which usually begins in October and fitting it all into two months! We were able to test a large percentage of our students thanks to her hard work!
A shout out as well to Mrs. Bramstedt, our interventionist and Academic Support Team (as well as our teachers!) for knocking out three days of benchmarking testing! I have taken a sneak peak at the data and have been very pleased to see some great growth by our students. Those brains are growing!
5th Grade Academically Talented placement letters will come home on Monday, May 17th along with assessment score sheets. As a reminder, if your child is already in 5th Grade PA he/she is automatically placed into PA ELA strand in middle school due to the unique school year. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Mrs. Lindsey Stepper.
Register Today: Come Join the Brookdale Family!
Check this off the list before the summer begins! Keeping our amazing staff depends on the number of students we educate! We greatly appreciate you getting this complete for our 21-22 school year.
Parents and guardians can use ParentVUE’s online registration portal.
THIS WEDNESDAY: Interested in Registration Support In-Person? Come to Brookdale, and we can assist on May 19th from 3:00-6:30. If residency is not verified, bring three proofs of residency. If registering a kindergarten student, be sure to bring a copy of his/her birth certificate.
If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call our main office 630-428-6800. We thank Ms. Minch and Mrs. Fiala greatly for all they do to assist with our registration process.
Here is a video tutorial to support: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VRRYj7yvFA
Team IPEF: Bubble Gum Fundraiser
Thank you to everyone who came out and bought some bubble gum in support of Team IPEF! It was a huge success! We will be selling it the next two Fridays 5/21 and 5/28. We did remind the students in the announcements today to ensure they were asking adult permission before chewing. We do have a vegetarian alternative for our students who cannot chew Double Bubble due to the gelatin.
We are so excited to have so many joining the Brookdale Team! Team members, join us for a "Team Huddle" on Monday, May 24th from 3:15-4:00pm (Zoom link to come!). Let's get to know one another and share some fundraising dates to get on the calendar! Our goal is to cover everyone's fundraising minimum through our activities! Interested in joining us? Register for Team IPEF 2021 here: https://www.ipef204.org/teamipef/
TEAM BROOKDALE
Tricia Fagiano (staff), Lisa Furstenau (staff), TJ Furstenau (staff family), Brittany Green-Silva (parent), Nikki Guerrero (parent), Megan Happ (parent), Alice Iwinski (staff), Carolyn Lenc (staff), Katie Palermo (staff), Diana Perotti (staff), Allen Sapoznik (staff), Anne Schmalandt (staff), C.J. Schmid (staff family), Keeley Schmid (staff), Andrew Schmidt (staff family), Kristin Scrima (staff), Leah Steinhauser-Walsh (staff), Karen Supel (staff), Swati Shenoy (parent), Jennifer Urban (parent), Gregory Walsh (staff family), Rebecca Yonan (parent)
All of the money raised for Team Brookdale IPEF goes directly back to our students in District 204 and half of it comes directly back to Brookdale!
REMINDERS
Parent Input Form Class Placement 2021-2022
If you are interested in providing information regarding the learning environment you feel your child learns best in, please complete the parent form for class placement by May 14th for consideration for next school year. Requests towards a specific teacher will not be granted.
LMC End Of Year Reminders
May 21st: Last Day for students to checkout from the LMC.
May 28th: Kindergarten in-person Chromebook and charger collection.
June 1st-June 4th: 1st-5th grades Chromebook and charger collection, textbooks, and K-4 Summer Book Check-out
June 7th: All remote learners (Zoomers) drop-off Chromebooks and chargers, textbooks, and teacher's supplies.
Field Day is ON!
We are happy to share we will hold our annual field day in-person for our Roomers and will provide a virtual option for our Zoomers on June 1st (June 2nd rain date)!
Thank you to everyone who volunteered for Field Day; we were able to fill all volunteer slots! We look forward to seeing you on June 1st. Please report to Door 1 (main office) and bring your ID.
We know our student Bobcats are very familiar with our safety guidelines but welcome to the fun, parents! You are required to wear a mask at all times and practice social distancing while volunteering! The goal is fun AND safety! We greatly appreciate your time!
Grades 3-5 Volunteers: Arrive at 8:45am
Grades K-2 Volunteers: Arrive at 10:15am
Welcome Class of 2034!
**Please share if you know someone with an incoming kindergarten student!
Official registration has started! We thank you in advance for registering early. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call our main office 630-428-6800. You can also call to let us know to anticipate your child joining the Brookdale family next year!
Here is a video tutorial to support: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VRRYj7yvFA
Summer Lunch Meal Program
- Start on Tuesday, June 15th
- Distributed meals Monday through Thursday and give out double meals on Thursday for families to have on Friday
- Distributed at 10 locations throughout the district
· Spring Brook Elementary School
· Cowlishaw Elementary School
· Fry Elementary School
· Georgetown Elementary School
· Gombert Elementary School
· Brookdale Elementary School
· Longwood Elementary School
· Neuqua Valley High School
· Metea Valley High School
· Waubonsie Valley High School
- Meals distributed from 10-1pm each day, Monday through Thursday.
- End summer distribution on Thursday, August 5, 2021
OPPORTUNITIES
Pledge of Allegiance
RESOURCES
Brookdale Chromebook Device Support
PTA UPDATES/REMINDERS
Supply Kits
School supply kits for 2021-22 are now available to order! Conveniently get everything your Bobcat needs for school next year!
Visit www.carlsonschoolkits.com to order now. Under city click “Naperville” and select “Brookdale Elementary.”
Ordering closes on 6/13.
Any questions, please contact Laurie Trinko at lbohnen@aol.com
Join the PTA: PTA Membership is Open
Join the Brookdale PTA for the 2021-22 school year and help make an immediate and direct impact on your child’s time at Brookdale. All Brookdale families (up to two adults) qualify for the Family Membership of $15. You can sign up and pay online, or you can complete the paper membership form that came home with students last week. No commitment or expectations are required, but your support is a powerful resource that benefits all students and staff at Brookdale.
Upcoming Dates
IPSD 204 School Board Meeting
May 17
PTA Meeting & Volunteer Recognition
May 24
No School: Memorial Day
May 31
Field Day
June 1st
Rain date: June 2nd
5th Grade Celebration
June 4
Last Day of School
June 4
IPSD 204 School Board Meeting
June 14
School Begins
August 19
District Calendar:
Stay Connected
Check out who is on the Brookdale Dream Team! Be sure to also check out the addition of Staff Photos and put a face to a name.
Email: keeley_schmid@ipsd.org
Website: brookdale.ipsd.org
Location: 1200 Redfield Road, Naperville, IL, USA
Phone: 630-428-6800
Twitter: @brookdalebobcat