Brentwood Elem. Oct. Family News
October 1, 2021 - DIG IN AND BUILD UP! 2021-22
BRENTWOOD ELEMENTARY, SHOW US YOUR P.A.W.S! đŸ
PERSONAL BEST, ACTIVE LISTENING, WITH RESPECT, & BEING SUPER RESPONSIBLE
A Note from Ms. Laroche
Bulldog Families,
Happy October and fall season! It has been a great start to the school year. Our bulldog leaders and students are DIGGING INto so much fun learning and community building! Thank you to our PTA tie dye lead, Asa Kirby, and all of the family volunteers who helped bring our grade level tie dying long standing tradition back with our studentsâ participation. I have seen several bulldogs wearing their shirts already. It was nice to see our students, teachers, and families working together on campus!
Parent/Family/Teacher Conferences are scheduled for Oct. 11 (see more information in this newsletter). This is a great opportunity for families and teachers to come together to meet about the beginning of the school year, student progress, current levels of achievement, and student goals. Your childâs teacher will communicate with you about scheduling conferences. I encourage you to attend because our school/family partnership is an integral part of our success.
I want to share with you that Laura Gonzalez, our current office registrar, is moving into our bookkeeper position later this month. Mara Contreras, our current custodian, is moving into our head custodian position (previously was Ana) later this month. We are excited for both of them! We are looking for a registrar, daytime custodian, and a few teacher assistants positions to join Brentwood.
Please continue to stay connected with Brentwood through our social media sites, where we share glimpses of the fun, exciting, and meaningful learning that we capture: Principal Laroche Facebook Page, Twitter: @BrentwoodAISD, Instagram: BrentwoodAISD, PTA Facebook: Brentwood Elementary PTA), PTA Website.
I am excited to share that we have an upcoming Construction Site Community Zoom Meeting scheduled for, Oct. 26 5:30-7:00 pm. I hope you can join to learn more about our construction progress from VLK Architects and see what our new building will look like. Construction completion is March 2022!
I am thankful for an amazing group of teachers and staff who truly live out their passion for education and our school through their actions and thoughts. Their daily dedication is why Brentwood is Brentwood! We are committed to teaching and caring for our students! Thank you for sharing your children with us. They bring us so much joy as we DIG IN AND BUILD UP together!
With Appreciation,
Amber Laroche
Proud Brentwood Principal
Parent/Family Conferences - Mon., Oct. 11 - No school for students
Friday, October, 29 come to school dressed in your work ready construction gear in honor of our school-wide theme for the 2021-22 school year "Dig in and Build Up!"
Brentwood - Events & Dates of Interest for October 2021
10/4 Custodian and Groundskeeping Appreciation Day
10/6 Evacuation Drill
10/11 Student Holiday - Elem. Parent Conference
10/12 5:00 CAC Meeting #2 & 6:30 PTA Exec. Board Meeting
10/12-15 Brentwood Pride Week
3rd-5th Short Cycle 9 weeks assessments; PK-2 1st 9 week assessments
10/13 Show your PRIDE; wear your Brentwood Pride shirts or any other pride gear
10/14 PTA General Meeting @ 6:30pm with special guest speakers @7pm highlighting LGBTQIA voices (after PTA general body meeting) a panel discussion with GSA Austin (Gay-Straight Alliance Austin), Out Youth, and PFLAG Austin (Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays).
10/16 PTA HALLOWEEN CARNIVAL @ Brentwood Park 3:00-6:00 pm
10/17 PTA 2nd Annual Pride March at Brentwood Park 3:00-4:00 pm - Pride flags and Brentwood Pride stickers to be handed out at the event
10/20 Shelter in Place Drill
10/25 K-2nd grade GT Referral window opens
10/29 Come to school dressed in your work ready construction gear in honor of our school-wide theme for the 2021-22 school year "Dig in and Build Up!"
Holidays & Observances
- Fitnessgram Diagnostic (3rd-5th) (10/4-10/29)
- National Walk/Bike to School Day (10/6)
- World Mental Health Day (10/10)
- Indigenous Peoplesâ Day (10/11/21)
- Hispanic Heritage Month (9/15-10/15)
- National Principals Month
- National Bullying Prevention Month
- National Stop Bullying Day (10/13)
- Week of 10/17 Food Service Workers Appreciation Week & Transportation Employees Appreciation Week & Americaâs Safe Schools Week
- Americaâs Safe Schools Week (10/18 - 10/22)
- Transportation Employees Appreciation Week (10/18 - 10/22)
- October is Dyslexia Awareness Month-
LIFESKILLS OF THE WEEK
10/10 Effort - to do your personal best
10/17 Flexibility - to be willing to change plans
10/24 Friendship - to make and keep friends through mutual trust and caring
10/31 Initiative - to take action; to do something that needs to be done
Morning Arrival
Please make sure you get your learners here on time each morning. Our instructional day begins at 7:40 am each day. Breakfast closes at 7:40 am. Please arrive early if you child is eating breakfast so they can have time to eat.
Morning arrival is a TECH FREE TIME- students should not have their devices out for use.
Reminders for drop off: When you are in the car line waiting to drop your child off as you drive down St. Johns and and turn right on Roland Johnson please "hug the curb/curve" so that other traffic can pass by. If someone is passing our hope and thought is that it is someone parking in our parking lot or it is someone not connected to Brentwood and this will help the line go faster. Thank you for your continued cooperation.
PTA Teacher Reps. - Ms. Beck (5th) and Ms. Stephens (K)
- Big shout out to PTA, and especially Asa Kirby, for making sure our special tradition of tie dye T-shirts for every Bulldog at Brentwood (even teachers and staff!) has continued! What an undertaking! We are grateful.
- Outdoor lunch continues to be so key to keeping our campus safe, and is now downright pleasant with cooler weather.
- We canât wait for the 1-2 punch of PRIDE week and Brentwood Carnival coming up fast. Weâll all be rainbowâed up on Wed, Oct 13th and marching in the neighborhood PRIDE parade Sun, Oct 17. The day before, Oct 16, teachers will no doubt be having fun at the Carnival too - itâs been too long for us as well!
Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness (DEI) at Brentwood
At Brentwood Elementary, diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the core of who we are. We continue to build a culture that welcomes, celebrates, appreciates, and values the diverse voices of our community to ensure the success of every student. Brentwood is All of Us.
Check out the Identity Map projects from our 5th graders shared above! Identity Maps describe the ways that students identify themselves.
Brentwoodâs Diversity, Equity, and Inclusiveness Vision Statement:
At Brentwood Elementary diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the core of who we are. We continue to build a culture that welcomes, celebrates, appreciates, and values the diverse voices of our community to ensure the success of every student. Brentwood is All of Us!
October Focus: Bullying Prevention Month AND Pride Week Celebration
October Quote: âA single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees.â Amelia Earhart
BW College and Career Spotlights
We started a new school tradition at Brentwood this year to spread knowledge about a wide variety of post-high school options. Every Friday on the video announcements, students see information about a college, career, or military branch. Brentwood staff members contribute the slides, which provides a personal connection for the students to appreciate. Check out our spotlight for the US Navy - just in time for the Austin Navy Week celebration, October 1-10th!
Oct. Technology Ms. Dymkowski
Just a reminder that if your child has any technology needs, please email your child's classroom teacher and they will notify Ms. Slaten and myself.
Please remind your child that NO devices are to be taken out in the morning while waiting at arrival for their teachers to pick them up. We are limiting screen time when it is not needed. This also includes phones- if they are brought to school they need to remain in the students backpack.
Students devices need to be fully charged each day and using them at times that are not instructional, drains them of their battery. Our portables only have two plugs per room- which is not enough to charge multiple tech devices.
Thank you for your cooperation,
Mrs. Dymkowski
Oct. Counselor Corner - Ms. McKenna
Greetings Bulldogs! I hope you all have been enjoying the cooler weather as much as I have. We have lots going on in the counseling department this Fall. Iâve been very busy processing Special Education and Gifted and Talented referrals. Please see more information in the Gifted and Talented section of this newsletter.
The No Place for Hate coalition has been completing their first project, which is DEI Announcements. 5th graders shared their projects with the entire school on recorded video announcements during the month of September, and 4th grade will be sharing during the month of October. Every grade level will be spotlighted for 2 months of the school year. Some of the projects so far include Identity Maps, Definitions of Diversity, and Rosh Hashanah Information. I look forward to seeing what else will be shared.
For guidance lessons, I will be teaching about 1) Assertiveness and 2) Bullying Prevention. October is National Bullying Prevention Month. For the assertiveness lessons, students will focus on showing integrity and not allowing themselves to be persuaded by peers to make wrong decisions. For the bullying prevention lessons, students will focus on being an upstander. It sometimes takes courage to stick up for somebody else, but itâs extremely important to keep our school and community safe and bully-free. Here is a website where your family can go for more bullying prevention resources: https://www.pacer.org/bullying/nbpm/
Iâm continuing to help out with lunch duty at our beautiful outdoor cafe. I also see your students in the mornings and afternoons if they ride the bus. Please remind your students that they are always welcome to request an individual session with me.
Thank you,
Tess McKenna
512.841.5999
Oct. Gifted & Talented - Ms. McKenna
Brentwood Elementaryâs Gifted and Talented (GT) program is "designed to move students with high ability at a pace appropriate to their rate of learning through studies that go beyond the age-level or grade-level expectations."
The nomination window for 3rd-5th grade students CLOSED September 24th.
The nomination window for K-2nd grade students is open October 25th - November 5th- click HERE to nominate your child.
You can also visit the following website for more information about the Gifted and Talented nomination and screening process https://www.austinisd.org/advanced-academics/gifted. If you would like access to the information session Ms. McKenna recorded about this process or have any questions or concerns regarding Gifted & Talented, just reach out to Ms. McKenna by email at tess.mckenna@austinisd.org
Oct. P.E. - Coach Marshall & Coach Mueller
Physical Education classes completed their Throwing and Catching Unit. All classes participated in several tossing, throwing and catching games and activities.
We will continue our fall season with our Fitness/FitnessGram Unit in October.
The FITNESSGRAM physical fitness assessment is administered to all AustinISD students in grades 3-12 each school year. FITNESSGRAM assesses a studentâs health-related fitness such as aerobic capacity, muscular strength, muscular endurance and flexibility. Body composition will be measured to determine if a studentâs body weight is healthy relative to their heightThe 1st administration of the FITNESSGRAM Test will be done in October 2021 and the final administration will be given in April 2022.
Oct. Art - Ms.Gardner & Mr. Mendez
- K and 1st gr. just finished up drawing self-portraits using "shape person," inspired by Henri Rousseau's self-portrait from 1890. They will be moving on to some 3-D art with clay sculptures and pinch pots.
- For Hispanic Heritage month, 2nd graders are studying Oaxacan animals, specifically butterflies and the symbolism of butterflies. They have created their own Oaxacan-styled patterned butterfly drawings with oil pastels. (WIP photo)
- 3rd graders are studying the self-portraits and portraits of Frida Kahlo and Kehinde Wiley. Students are creating their own expressive self-portraits with patterned backgrounds, learning about drawing from observation with mirrors, and shape and proportion of more realistic self-portraits. (WIP photos)
- 4th and 5th graders have been studying Pablo Picasso's Cubist style, especially his portraits. Students are creating their own Cubist-style self-portraits, using oil pastels.
Mr. Mendez
We are looking forward to a celebratory October in art with projects connected to autumn, Halloween and Dia de los Muertos!
- Kinder: Will do a few Halloween drawings/paintings (ghost, witch's hat, haunted house etc.).
- 2nd Grade: Will also do a couple of Halloween drawings as well as a project called silly faced pumpkins ( mix of cutting gluing and painting).
- 3rd Grade: Main project will be a silly/scary monster drawing in pastel as well as a couple of other Halloween drawing.
- 4th Grade: Will concentrate on a paper cutout project with sugar skulls/calaveras as the subject.
- 5th Grade: Will focus on creating their own Alebrijes (spirit animals) using pastels and everything they have learned about the elements of line and shape.
Oct. Music - Ms. Rios
A round of applause for all the participants in this monthâs Performerâs of the Week! We had a great turn out of piano players, guitar players, singers, drummers and some group improv performers. Brentwood has some talented musicians! Thank you parents and teachers for the communication and use of instruments from home!
Oct. Library - Ms.Slaten
Oct. Safety - Ms. Dymkowski
In AISD, schools conduct monthly safety drills, with 2-3 drills a month. The drills we are required to have are evacuation, lockdown, shelter, secure, and hold drills.
Upcoming safety drills for October
- 10/6 evacuation drill
- 10/20 shelter in place
Tania Dymkowski
tania.dymkowski@austinisd.orgBrentwood Modernization Update
Visit https://austinisd2017bond.org/ for current updates on our Brentwood construction.
Our permanent campus is coming along. There is brick and wall tiles throughout the building. Join us for our upcoming Construction Site Community Zoom Meeting scheduled for, Oct. 26 5:30-7:00 pm. More information is forthcoming. Construction completion is March 2022!
As a reminder: Our Brentwood Elementary construction site (and Hope Chapel) are being trespassed on and vandalized at a high rate, at all times of the day and night. Please be aware and watch our site if you live nearby. There is a high traffic flow near the Brentwood Park and on Arroyo Seco and with more eyes we can help keep our areas safer. If you see suspicious activity or trespassers please call Austin ISD police at, 512-414-1703.
Oct. Attendance - Ms. Menjivar
Parents, to help ensure every student is successful, we emphasize the importance of on-time arrival and daily school attendance. We are asking you to join forces with us to eliminate absences that can be prevented by making every effort to schedule medical and other appointments outside school hours and by making sure your children get plenty of sleep so they arrive at school on time.
If your child is absent from all or part of a school day, the studentâupon arrival or return to schoolâmust bring a note signed by the guardian or health care professional that describes the reason for the absence. All notes should be provided within two days of returning to school. The campus will update attendance records based on the provided documentation.
Our attendance goal is 98% each week.
Oct. AISD Breakfast & Lunch Menus
FYI from Evan Ramos, Area Supervisor Nutrition & Food Services
For a meal to be considered a meal, it must have a minimum of three components with at least one of those components being a fruit or a vegetable. The first time the child goes through the line, they are allowed a free meal. If a student decides he/she wants to get something else (seconds), he/she must pay for that item. If a student brings their own lunch and wants only one item, then the student must pay for that item. All students who have not gone through the line are advised to take a meal not just one item.
Lunch at Brentwood
Here are some reminders of outside lunch procedures and rules to discuss with your child. We appreciate all our volunteers and the custodians that are working hard in our outside cafe. Letâs help each other out so they are not picking up extra trash and food on the ground. This way we are not asking the ants to join our picnic :)
Food belongs on the table, trays, or in their lunchboxes. We are reminding them that there is no throwing food and dumping milk on the ground and on the umbrella holders.
Pick up all trash and throw it away.
Positive about being outside is that yes, they can talk a little louder. Remind your child to use regular talking voices and only talk to the students at their tables.
Remain at their own table during lunch.
Students will wait to be dismissed by the cafe monitor. Throw away trash only when dismissed by the monitor.
Raise hands if they need something.
We are encouraging everyone to take water bottles to lunch so we are not wasting water and having more plastic bottles to pick up etc.
Students line up in a certain order after lunch so the monitors can have them get in line more orderly and for social distancing/contact tracing, same order.
Students eat their own lunch and do not share food.
Austin ISD Student Code of Conduct
The Austin ISD Board of Trustees approved the 2021-22 Student Code of Conduct (SCOC) on August 26, 2021. The SCOC was revised based on feedback from community stakeholders, teachers, students, parents, administrators, and central office departments. The SCOC is located on the Austin ISD website under the Families tab. Below is a PDF of the Board Summary of SCOC Changes
AISD 2021-2022 Calendar & News
Austin ISD will celebrate the National Hispanic Heritage Month with the 2021 Virtual Talent Show âProud to be Hispanicâ~ check out the info HERE
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October is National Farm to School Month. To celebrate, AISD will participate in the annual Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) Farm Fresh Challenge. The Challenge allows Food Service to highlight the use of local foods on school menus, as well as helping to create a Farm Fresh generation by connecting students to Texas agriculture and garden-based learning.
AISDâs Local Food Vendor Examples:
Beetnik Foods, Austin - Organic chicken meatballs
Farm to School Program - Featuring pears, red apples, and oranges in October, sourced from farms throughout Texas
Fiesta Tortillas, Austin - Corn & whole wheat flour tortillas, Tortilla chips
Lux Bakery, San Antonio - Chia Bars
New World Bakery, Kyle - Whole wheat bread, burger/hot dog buns, dinner rolls, muffins
Padrino Foods, Irving - Beef tamales, Bean and cheese tamales
Elementary Art Contest: Food Service will resume their annual elementary art contest, encouraging students to create artwork highlighting Texas agriculture throughout the month. View contest guidelines here.
Garden to Café: AISD also encourages any campus with a school garden to participate in the Garden to Café program. The program provides guidelines to safely serve school garden grown foods in the cafe. Learn more about the Garden to Café program here.
Farm Fresh Learning Resources:
Farm Fresh Friday Activity Packets - Ideas for all levels with the TEKS skill met
Before We Go
Stay Connected with Brentwood
Brentwood Elementary, "Where we always do our personal best!"
2021-22 School Year Theme: Dig In And Build Up!
Brentwood Elementary is temporarily located on site at Webb Middle School from Aug. 2020-June 2022 while our building undergoes a beautiful and massive partial rebuild and full modernization construction. We are located at, 601 East St. Johns Avenue, Austin, TX 78752.
https://www.austinisd.org/hr/customer-service/rave
Click on the link to recognize an AISD staff member who is going above and beyond! The Recognizing All Valuable Employees, or RAVE, Program was established to publicly honor those who exemplify the highest level of customer service.
Facebook: Principal Laroche
PTA Facebook: Brentwood Elementary PTA
Twitter: @BrentwoodAISD and @bulldogtechAISD
Instagram: BrentwoodAISD
PTA Website: http://brentwoodpta.com
Brentwood Website: http://brentwood.austinschools.org/
Previous Weekly Newsletters
Family Newsletter Aug. 20, 2021
Family Newsletter - COVID, Prin. Chat, & Back to School Night Edition
Family Newsletter Aug. 24, 2021