Highlights from this week's Middle Matters:

• Important Upcoming Dates
• SY22-23 School Calendar
• Parent/Guardian-Teacher Conferences 10/27 12:45pm to 8pm
• PTO Upcoming Events at a Glance
• PTO Book Fair & BOBA
• PTO Volunteers for Book Fair at end of October
• PTO Volunteer - Drop off Goodies
• PTO Let's Go Bowling
• GBMS Yearbook Purchasing Details
• Library in the mornings - starting 10/3 (Repeat)
• GBMS Athletics Update (All games start @4:30pm; student fans need to go home and come back at 4:25pm on home game days)
• Clubs and Sports Information (updated weekly)
• BRAVO Information (updated weekly)
• Student Announcements (updated weekly)

Highlights from GBMS PTO and District

• PTO News
• District News

• Allergy Safe School Information - No Nuts (Repeat)
• Stay Home When Sick (Repeat)
• Process for Reporting Positive COVID-19 Cases to D97 Schools (Repeat)
  
• How to Report Student Absences (Repeat)
• Office Phones and Dropping off Items at Brooks (Repeat)
• School Day (Bell Schedule and A/B/C rotation) (Repeat)
• Cell Phone/Mobile Devices Away for the Day (Repeat)
• Tardies to Class (Repeat)
• Water Bottle Reminders (Repeat)
• School Physical and Immunization Information (Repeat)
• Tech Support

Community Partner News

• Glenbard Parent Series (GPS): Navigating Healthy Families
• STRENGTHENING FAMILIES PROGRAM
  
• Friday Night Place
• NAMI - SUPPORT4U
• Leyden Family Services
• THRIVE

If you have questions about the upcoming school year, please don’t hesitate to contact me at acapuder@op97.org. You can also contact my Executive Coordinator, Ms. Angel Banks, at abanks1@op97.org or (708) 524-7636.

Our administrative team is also available to help answer your questions.

Angelica Love Curriculum & Instruction AP (6th grade, 7th grade) alove@op97.org

Antoine Bland Curriculum & Instruction AP (8th grade, multineeds) abland@op97.org

Stacie Klein Culture & Climate AP sklein@op97.org

• Monday - A day; Tuesday - B day; Wednesday - C day, Thursday - A Day and Friday - B Day

• Noon dismissal: Thursday, October 27th and Friday October 28th

• Conferences: Thursday, October 27th from 12:45pm to 8pm

• School Pictures: Wednesday, November 2, 2022

• No School: Tuesday, November 8th, 2022

• End of Trimester 1: Tuesday, November 22nd

• Trimester 1 Report Card Emailed Home: Friday, December 9th

Just around the corner, we have our Brooks Book Fair happening in conjunction with the parent-teacher conferences. Sign up for volunteer slots here. And, just to make this experience sweeter, we will have boba for sale (discounted with book fair purchase).

Parent-teacher conferences mean it's time to show our appreciation to our educators and Brooks staff. Sign up to drop off treats on Thursday, October 27th for our educators and Brooks staff. PTO will be organizing a delivered dinner that evening too.

BOYS BASKETBALL

More information to come. If you have questions, please email Mr. Darren Haus (dhaus@op97.org).

WRESTLING

The district has approved our wrestling program for all students in middle school! There will be an information session on October 1st immediately after school in B105, Mr. Colucci's room. Can't wait that long? Email Mr. Colucci about your interest, questions or concerns at mcolucci@op97.org. Find out more here at https://www.littlehuskieswrestling.org/ or speak to Mr. Colucci and Dr. Holmes. Wrestling is a technical sport and requires people to use their mind to overcome physical challenges and win. If that sounds like something you would like to embrace, come join the team!

Social Justice/Rubik's Cube Club

Our first meeting is Thursday, October 16th from 3:30pm to 4:30pm in room C405. Our beliefs that students play a valuable role in shaping the climate and culture of their schools. With the community's support, we have expanded opportunities for students' voices to create a more positive and welcoming learning environment for all. Celebrating our 4th year, we are excited to hit the ground running, building an inclusive community and curating our Second Annual Black History Month Celebration. The club's goals are to continue improving school culture and promote and develop leadership skills in our students.

• The Brooks Annual Black History Month Celebration

• Partnering with Rainbow Revolution Club

• Establishing the foundation of the club (developing roles and expectations, establishing a sense of community)

• Analyzing the school community (assets and challenges)

• Conducting research and developing ideas for solutions

• Implementing solutions and reflecting.

Math Team

Next meeting is Monday, October 24th in B409 from 3:30 to 4:30pm. Calling all mathletes! Math Team provides students with the opportunity to participate in various mathematics competitions. In the past, Brooks has sent teams to the following events: Fenwick Junior High School Math Competition, The Latin School of Chicago Mathematics Contest, MathCounts, and Math Olympiad. The primary emphasis of the math team is team work and problem solving. Weekly meetings are held on Mondays after school from 3:30-4:30, starting October 3rd in B409. Students of all abilities are welcome.

Best Buddies Club

No meeting this week. Come to see what we have planned for fall. Bring a friend and get ready to make a friend. See you then! If you have any questions please reach out to Ms. Malina (vmalina@op97.org), Ms. Sefcik (bsefcik@op97.org) or Ms. Gaffney (pgaffney@op97.org)! Best Buddies is the world's largest organization dedicated to ending the social, physical and economic isolation of the 200 million people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Here at Best Buddies we will strive to create a sense of belonging here at Brooks through inclusive activities and social outings! Students will have the opportunity to build one-to-one friendships between people with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities, offering social interactions while improving the quality of life and the level of inclusion. People with IDD form meaningful connections with peers, gain self-confidence and self-esteem, share interests, experiences and activities that other students may also enjoy!

Yearbook

Did you miss our last meeting? Don’t worry, you can still be part of our team. Come to our next meeting on October 20th in C309 from 3:30pm to 4:30pm. PERMISSION SLIPS ARE DUE AT OUR NEXT MEETING!! Don’t have one, please stop by the 3rd Floor C wing. You can pick up a permission slip form the Art Department Bulletin Board in the hallway. Come with a charged Chromebook so you can begin designing our yearbook.

Intramurals

Intramurals will be every Monday and Thursday after school 3:30-4:30pm and meets in the third floor gym. Depending on gym space the activities we will start the year off with will be basketball, football, frisbee and badminton. Please pick up permission slips from Mr. Gillespie (mgillespie@op97.org).

Rainbow Revolution

Brook’s very own group that welcomes students who identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community and their allies—ALL are welcome here! Our next meeting will take place Monday October 27th (NO SCHOOL MONDAY OCTOBER 10th) at 3:35pm in the Brooks Media Center. If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Berman (aberman@op97.org).

Spoken Word Club

We look forward to beginning a new year of Spoken Word Club in October. Please stay tuned for an update that will include a specific time and place.

BEAT (Brooks Earth Action Team)

We meet on Tuesdays from 3:30-4:30 in Room C202. Everyone is welcome! We have so many cool projects going: designing an outdoor classroom, saving the Rusty Patched Bumblebee (an endangered species!), designing a bird sanctuary, growing food and more!

Chess Club / Game Club

We meet in room C108 from 3:30-5:00 p.m on the following dates:

October: Wednesday 19th with more dates coming soon!

Coordinator: Mark Hausfeld mhausfeld@op97.org

The goal of Chess / Game Club is to provide enrichment, teach, sharpen and reinforce game skills while learning to appreciate not only the games themselves but good sportsmanship as well. I hope to help all players, regardless of skill level, improve their “gaming” skills.

**All permission slips can be emailed, dropped in the main office, or brought on the first day our

Crochet Club

We meet on Wednesdays in B202 from 3:30-4:45!

Want to learn how to crochet or want to hang with others that like crocheting? Crochet club is back on! We meet Wednesdays 3:30-4:45. What to bring: Crochet hook (I personally like 3.5mm but look at your yarn for size), Yarn (I have some if needed). Knitters are welcome! Meeting Wednesdays in B202 from 3:30-4:45! Bring a mug for Hot Chocolate! If you have any questions, please email Ms. Rodriguez (trodriguez@op97.org)

Art Club

Meetings every Thursday from 3:30-4:30. Open to all students. Drop in when you can. Make art! Make friends! Email Mrs. Murray to be added to the Canvas course at kmurray@op97.org

Service Club

Service club meets Friday mornings from 8:00am to 8:50am in B209.

Please join us to find out about the service projects we’ll be organizing this year. You are welcome to share your own ideas about how we can help our community too. See or email Ms. Walsh (B209, swalsh@op97.org) or Ms. Martínez (B208, bmartinez@op97.org) with questions.

Service club is hosting a coat drive October 14th to November 4th. A flyer will be coming soon with more information.

Morning Choirs (click here for more info) -

If students are still interested in joining, talk to Mr. Blackman in D105

• Fledgelings (all 6th grade and 7/8th not in a music class) meets Thursdays at 8am
  
• Downbeat (7/8th in Band, Choir, or Orchestra) meets Tuesdays and Fridays at 8am

For more information regarding the clubs (see 2nd tab on spreadsheet):

Brooks 2022 - 2023 Extra-Curricular Activities, which is being updated weekly.

Robotics House League Starting!

The Brooks Robotics House League is starting on Monday October 3, 2022. The House League is the less competitive robotics option at Brooks. House league is geared towards students who have an interest in learning more about the designing, building and coding of robots, without the pressures of the competition team. The house league is geared towards students who are interested in exploring robotics without the pressure of competitions and/or who may not have had any previous experience with robots and coding. The students will work in teams to design, build and code a robot to play a game. If you’re interested, please fill out the Brooks Robotics Club Application by Thursday September 29, 2022. We’ll begin on Monday 10/3/22 after-school in D202 and will meet weekly for about 11/12 sessions. There will be a nominal participation fee to cover the cost of consumable supplies, materials, etc.

If a student is interested in the competition team, House League is a great place to show your interest and for the coaches to get to know you. Spots on the competition team are very limited so this will serve as an opportunity for the coaches to evaluate the student interested in the competitive robotics team at Brooks. Students interested in the competitive team can indicate so on the application.

Open to ALL Brooks 6th-8th Graders

• Dance Studio - begins this Thursday, September 15. Meets every Thursday from 3:30pm-4:30pm in the 2nd Floor Fitness Room from September 15 - December 1. Culminating performance on December 1. SIGN UP FOR DANCE STUDIO

• Stage Crew - Orientation on September 20 in the Auditorium. SIGN UP FOR STAGE CREW

BRAVO AUDITION CLINIC

Open to any 6th-8th grade students who want to learn what auditions are all about or want to work on making their audition even better!

SIGN UP TO PARTICIPATE

6th Grade Auditions for Dot & the Kangaroo - ARE HERE!

Tuesday, October 25 - 3:30pm-6:45pm

Open to ALL Brooks 6th Graders - everyone participates!

SIGN UP TO AUDITION

Raise Your Voice Revue - Tickets On Sale Now!

This amazing 7th/8th Grade Musical features your favorite songs from Broadway Shows - The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Legally Blonde and so many more!

Grab the whole family and come support our 7th & 8th Graders on

November 3 & 4 at 7pm.

GET YOUR TICKETS to RAISE YOUR VOICE

D97 Back-to-School Information

As a reminder, we have created a central location for important back-to-school updates and documents: https://www.op97.org/back-to-school.

The district’s COVID-19 Health Safety Plan is linked below and can also be found, along with other COVID-19 resources and information, by going to https://www.op97.org/updatecenter.

• Summary of District 97's COVID-19 Mitigations

• 2022-23 COVID-19 Health and Safety Plan

• COVID-19 Positive Case Notification Form

Mitigation Change: Effective Sept. 30, District 97 will no longer require masks for indoor events or field trips. Masks will continue to be required in the school nurses' offices. Please visit the district website for complete details about our current health and safety protocols.

Combined Student and Family Handbook for 2022-23

This year, the district worked to merge the Effective Student Behavior Handbook and Family Handbook into one comprehensive resource, the Student and Family Handbook, in order to streamline information for families and staff. The new handbook contains important information regarding school policies, procedures, student rights and responsibilities, and important notifications required by state and federal law.

The purpose of this handbook is to outline the expectations for building an educational community where everyone feels safe, included and able to learn. Having shared expectations, procedures and policies helps us respect all members of the school community in which we learn and work every day. Please take the time to read through the handbook and review it with your child.

Meal Information for the 2022-23 School Year

The breakfast and lunch menus for our elementary and middle schools are available at http://www.op97.org/business-office/food-service. During the 2022-23 school year, students may:

• Bring a nut-free lunch from home.

• Order school lunch.

PLEASE NOTE: During the 2022-23 school year, all students will be required to pay for their breakfast and lunch meals unless they are directly approved by the State of Illinois or approved after completing the 2022-23 Free and Reduced Meal Application.

Food Allergies/Nut-Safe Schools

Nuts and nut products are not allowed in any District 97 schools during the 2022-23 school year. This includes products that are labeled “processed in a facility that shares equipment with nut products.” Our schools have been nut-safe for the past two years—helping to create safer, more inclusive environments for all of our students.

Please visit https://bit.ly/3AyGPpI to access information about the district’s food allergy management program, as well as tips and options for identifying food that is safe for snacks and field trips. We appreciate your support of this important initiative!

School Fees

The district is currently accepting fee payments for the 2022-23 school year. Full payment is due by September 30, 2022. You can access the fee information by visiting https://www.op97.org/business-office/fees.

Text Messages from District 97

District 97 uses the notification system BrightArrow to communicate with families via email and phone calls. We have started using periodic text messages to send reminders directly to parents' cell phones. In order to receive text messages, parents must opt in by texting YES to 87569. Once you have subscribed, you will receive a text confirmation.

Texts may appear from District 97 from 87569 or a phone number with a 424 area code (you may wish to save them to your contacts).

Wellness Check-in Program

Please reach out to your school's school psychologist or social worker if you have social-emotional concerns about your child. If your child is experiencing an immediate mental health crisis, please call the Thrive 24hr Crisis Hotline at 708-383-7500. You may also refer to this local resource guide created by the Community Mental Health Board of the Oak Park Township.

(708) 524- 3058 or tbiggerstaff@op97.org

Please note that our office staff sets the phone to go to voicemail from 8:30am to 9:15am daily. Please leave a message of your student's absence or you can email brooksattendance@op97.org. Our office staff will listen to voicemails to call back or direct calls as needed after 9:15am daily. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

Dropping off Items at Brooks for your Student

You may drop off forgotten items for your student in the main office. Please note that we will not call into your student's classroom, as it is a disruption to the learning for other students and the teacher in the classroom. Your student should plan to stop by the main office on their way to lunch or between passing periods, if they think you may have dropped off the forgotten item for them to retrieve. We appreciate your understanding.

We will be following a block schedule again this school year. Students will attend 4 of their 8 classes Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Friday following an A/B Schedule and on Wednesdays following C Schedule where students will attend all of their classes. On the weeks where there is a day with no school, students classes will be A and B days only.

• Here is the A/B/C schedule rotation for this school year.

• Here is the BELL schedule for each grade level on A/B and C days.

Cell phones/Mobile Devices are not to be used during school hours. This includes calling parents/guardians due to illness, requesting items to be dropped off, etc.

• Students can ask a teacher to use the classroom phone or the phone in the main office, if needed.

Cell phones are to be turned off/on silent upon entering the school building, stored in the student’s locker, and not used until the dismissal bell rings.

More Information can be found here. This will also be shared with students during the first week of school.

Being on time to class is essential for optimal learning for all students. This school year when a student reaches 15 tardies within a trimester, they will meet with their SOAR teacher to develop a strategy to ensure the student will get to all their classes on time. At 25 tardies within a trimester, the student will be assigned a time during their social time to meet with an administrator to reflect on root causes of tardies and develop a plan, additionally, parents/guardians will be contacted. At 35 tardies within the trimester, parents/guardians will be contacted to meet with their student and an administrator to develop a tardy contract.

The Help Corner will features a frequently-asked question related to services and opportunities available for District 97 students and families. We will keep a complete list of these FAQs on our district website.

District 97 has created Community Resources Page. We also encourage families to stay connected through Facebook and Twitter. Additional updates can be found at:

Village of Oak Park

Oak Park Township

Oak Park Public Library

Park District of Oak Park

Oak Park and River Forest High School District 200

District 97 also has a broad network of partner organizations that provide an array of supports and services for Oak Park residents. The Community Mental Health Board and Oak Park and River Forest Townships have also put together a COVID-19 Social Services Resource Guide, which is available at https://tinyurl.com/oprfguide.

The Glenbard Parent Series (GPS): Navigating Healthy Families is a distinguished speaker series dedicated to presenting relevant, high-profile authors, educators and clinicians. These high-caliber presenters offer practical research-based knowledge, strategies, and personal experience to support students’ engaged learning, and well-being.

Founded in 1995, GPS is a weekly resource for parents/caregivers/guardians (for children of all ages) as well as students, school staff, professionals and community members. GPS is here to inform, connect, and inspire. All programs are free and open to the public. Many events are presented at both noon and 7pm, and offered in multiple languages.

GPS is a resource for parents, educators, students, and community members to foster self-empowered children who collaborate, communicate, embrace diversity, create and think critically.

For the safety and convenience of our participants the majority of this year’s Glenbard Parent Series events will be presented virtually on zoom. No registration is required and all are welcome to attend.

Programs are offered free of charge, no registration is required, and the public is welcome to attend.

Details, event updates, and Zoom links can be found here: www.GlenbardGPS.org

Classes open to families with children ages 7-17 years of age.

• Delicious dinner provided. —One night less of cooking dinner!
• Program proven to work– is taught in all 50 states and 36 foreign countries
• No cost to you! ...plus your kids will learn skills to help them all the rest of their lives.
• Must reside in Oak Park or River Forest. (Proof of residency is required, such as ID or Utility Bill.)

PLEASE COME PREPARED WITH SHORTS, SWEAT PANTS, T-SHIRT & GYM SHOES

GREETINGS TO ALL STUDENTS, PARENTS/FAMILIES, FACULTY, STAFF, AND ADMINISTRATORS FRIDAY NIGHT PLACE IS KICKING OFF FOR THE 28TH YEAR! FOR NEW AND RETURNING STUDENTS REGISTRATION AND ACTIVITIES FOR THE FRIDAY NIGHT PLACE AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM OFFICIALLY BEGINS THIS FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16TH, 3:30PM TO 5:30PM. THE LOCATION REMAINS THE SAME, PERCY JULIAN MIDDLE SCHOOL. STUDENTS WHO ARE ATTENDING, PLEASE COME PREPARED WITH YOUR GYM SHORTS AND OR JOGGING PANTS, T-SHIRT, AND GYM SHOES. IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING FURTHER DETAILS PLEASE CONTACT COACH JEROME AT (773)-793-0867. ONCE AGAIN THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT, AND FOR ALL NEW COMERS, WELCOME! GET READY, GET READY, GET READY!

WHO: 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Graders

WHERE: Oak Park, Percy Julian Middle School

WHEN: Beginning Friday, September 16th, 2022

TIME: 3:30p.m. - 5:30p.m.

SUPPORT4U is a mental health resource for our students to anonymously text licensed mental health clinicians any time of the day for assistance or guidance. Students can text for any issue; typical reasons might include social issues, anxiety, depression, substance use, suicidal ideation, eating disorders, bullying, abuse, or any other mental health-related topic. The clinician’s goal is to steer the student to available resources in the school and community. To use, students just need to go to Support4U.live on their phone, click on the Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School logo and hit send. Help is just a text away.

PHONE-BASED COUNSELING

Thrive is offering phone-based counseling, 24/7 crisis intervention services, medication management and, a free Thrive Check-In phone support line (Ext. 8) to address our community’s needs during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Call us at (708)383-7500. Our Front Desk team is also ready to assist you Monday-Friday, 9am to 2pm, with requests for referrals or new services and to reschedule or cancel an appointment.

Mental Health Resource, "Call4Calm"

Thrive is also a proud partner of the Illinois Call4Calm Text Line Service. Text “TALK” TO 552020 (or “HABLAR) for Spanish. The Illinois Call4Calm Text Line is not a crisis hotline, but is a source of support for anyone experiencing stress and in need of a listening ear.

And we know the COVID-19 pandemic can wear on every resource—from food and shelter to our emotional bandwidth and mental health. Fortunately, the Illinois Department of Human Services has launched a support line called Call4Calm that is reachable via text. Individuals who want to speak with a mental health professional can text the word “TALK” or “HABLAR” (for Spanish speakers) to 552-020. Within 24 hours, that individual will receive a call from a mental health professional employed by a local community health center.

People can also text other terms, like “unemployment” or “food” or “shelter” to the same number to receive information on how to navigate and access supports and services. Call4Calm is free, and individuals who use it can remain anonymous. We encourage you to share this resource with your students, families, and staff.