Brentwood Bulletin
Friday, November 13, 2015
Brentwood Elementary Mission Statement
~Achievement~Actions~Attitudes~
Grandparents' Day at Brentwood
Greetings Parents:
Grandparents’ Day – What a GREAT evening! Grandparents came from all over – even as far as Tucson, Arizona! Brentwood was packed and it was a wonderful evening. I noticed so many previous students who return to Brentwood with their own children and then grandchildren. This is not only a great statement about Brentwood but about Plainfield schools as a whole. The elementary schools all use the same curriculum and participate in on-going collaboration to insure that all students have similar experiences as they move into the middle grades and high school. Many thanks to all the grandparents who came to see and support our school. We would also like to thank everyone who took time to participate in our restaurant Night last night at McDonald's near Highway 70. It was a great evening. I was able to see many families there after our Grandparents’ Night.
Colder Weather – The high winds and colder temperatures this week have reminded us that winter weather is getting nearer than any of us would like to admit. This week end would be a great time to try on the winter coats, gloves, hats and scarves. While many may say they don’t need a coat because they are inside all day, we do go out periodically for short bursts, fire drills etc. Coats and hats are a must. Research tells us that most of our body heat is lost through the head so help hour child cover it up. Later this winter, we are going to have a “Winter Hat Day” to help encourage our students to wear hats.
ISTEP+ Rescore Deadline – Don’t forget that the rescore window closes tonight at 11:59 p.m. This is the last opportunity for you to request a rescore of your child’s 2015 ISTEP. The access codes and all information you need to request a rescore are listed on the form we sent home with your child last week. If you lost the form, you can contact CTB McGraw-Hill at 800-481-4769. The helpdesk will be open until 9:00 p.m. tonight.
Sincerely,
Mr. Underwood
Thank You For Your Service
Students of the Week ~ Friday, Nov. 13, 2015
1st Grade Pollination Experiment
Mrs. Sullivan's first grade students have been studying bees this week in 1st grade. They conducted a pollination experiment with Cheetos. The bag of Cheetos represented a flower with pollen in it. Their hands were the "bees" and once they got the "pollen" on their fingers they rubbed their fingers on the flowers on each other's Cheetos bags (flowers) to represent how bees spread pollen.
Staff MVP of the Week ~ Mrs. Cathy Kaiser
This week's Staff Most Valuable Player is Mrs. Cathy Kaiser, Instructional Assistant. Mrs. Kaiser has been working at Brentwood for 11 years now. She great up in Greencastle, IN and currently lives in Plainfield with her husband, three sons, one daughter, and family dog.
Some of Mrs. Kaiser's Favorite Things:
Color ~ Blue
TV Show ~ NCIS & Blue Bloods
Book ~ Mysteries
Flower ~ Rose
Restaurant ~ McAllister's Deli
Candy ~ Anything Chocolate
When she isn't at Brentwood, Mrs. Kaiser enjoys spending time with her family. A memorable trip they have taken was to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.
What is a student moment you remember fondly? "One of my favorite moments is when I'm working with a student and they are struggling with something. As we are working on it they start to understand. Their face lights up as they realize they got the answer and they are so proud of themselves. That is the best thing!"
As an instructional assistant and a parent, what advice do you have for parents on how they can be involved in their child's education? My advice to parents would be to read with your child as often as you can. You can take turns reading and ask each other questions about the story to make sure they understand. They can learn so much from you."
First grade teacher, Mrs. Boyer, just loves working with Mrs. Kaiser, she says, "Cathy Kaiser is an outstanding teaching assistant. She cares about each and every child! She is always so kind and thoughtful! I am blessed to work with her."
Value Student of the Month ~ October
Responsibility, Accountability, and Justice
PCSC Considers Change in Schoolday Hours for 2016-2017
Administrators, faculty, PTO officers and others have been discussing the possibility of changing school hours beginning with the 2016-2017 academic year. While the change, in terms of overall minutes, is small, it could be significant for student performance in the classroom.
The Board of School Trustees will vote on this in the next few months, so that parents will have adequate time, if needed, to consider child care or scheduling needs when the new school year begins.
PCSC has prepared this FAQ to help everyone better understand the issue, the research behind the proposed change, and the factors taken into consideration. Please take a moment to click on the link and read more about this topic.
4th Grade Raps about Mean, Median, Mode, & Range
Small Card, BIG Results
2015 Plainfield Community Schools Legacy Foundation Major Saver Campaign
The Plainfield Community Schools Legacy Foundation is once again offering Major Saver cards for sale through the Plainfield elementary schools. Students will receive the sales packets on Wednesday, November 11th and can continue to sell the $10 discount cards until Friday, November 20th. Proceeds from the sale of Major Saver cards directly support the participating schools and the activities of the Plainfield Community Schools Legacy Foundation.
The 2015 participating restaurants/establishments include: U Paint Pottery Studio, Beefcake Burger, Hardees, Golden Corral, Popeye’s, Rally’s, Orange Leaf, Domino’s, White Castle, Burger King, Gladdaugh Irish Pub, Arby’s, Firehouse Subs, Fazoli’s, Monster Golf, KFC, Dairy Queen and Pizza Hut.
Major Saver cards can be purchased via cash, check or online at www.majorsaver.com. The online sale can be credited back to a particular classroom and school. All cards purchased online will be mailed directly to the customer. Classroom Incentives will be fulfilled by the end of the campaign.
Major Saver stresses safe selling and discourages door to door campaigning. The company encourages students to sell to family members, church patrons, neighbors, or other adults the family may know; and to always make sure their parents are involved.
Major Saver cards can also be purchased, and credited to a student, through the Major Saver App. Once the free app is downloaded to an Android or iOS device, buyers can choose a Major Saver card through the “buy cards” tab on the app. Once the buyer completes the transaction the offers will be stored in the Major Saver App. Patrons can then redeem offers directly from the app and do not need a physical card.
Please consider purchasing one or more Major Saver cards this year to help benefit the Plainfield Community Schools Legacy Foundation and the students within the district.
Thank you for your continued support!
Mrs. Roger's Stars Have a Special Name Helper for the Letter "U"
Parents: Speak Up - your ideas are important to us!
Open October 1st – December 18th, 2015
Be a part of the conversation! The Plainfield Community School Corporation is participating in the Speak Up national research project. Speak Up is the first survey designed to help parents share their ideas directly with schools and national policymakers.
As key stakeholders, Speak Up provides parents with a mechanism for expressing their views to the administrators at their child(ren)’s school and district about key issues impacting their child(ren)'s education. Since 2003, Speak Up has collected and shared the views of nearly 4 million students, teachers, and parents from all 50 states.
By participating in Speak Up, parents are expressing their views to an audience of local, state, and national policy makers as well as the business community, and contributing to the national dialogue about science, technology, and preparing students for the 21st century workforce.
The online survey is open to students, educators and parents; it’s quick and easy to get involved. To take the survey visit: http://www.bit.ly/SU15survey and click the blue “parents enter here” button!
The PCSC administrators appreciate your support in many ways; participating in this survey is just another way we can partner together to strengthen our schools and to improve the future for our children.
4th Grade Circuits
Student Council Thanksgiving Food Drive
- hot and cold cereals
- peanut butter
- macaroni and cheese
- muffin mixes
- crackers
- toilet paper (individually wrapped rolls)
- feminine hygiene products
- diapers (especially sizes 3-5)
- diaper wipes
Lost & Found
~Thanks!~
Thanksgiving Dinner for YOU!
November 26th
11 a.m. — 2 p.m.
Dine-in or Carry-out (no reservations needed)
Guilford Township Community Center at Hummel Park
1500 S. Center St.
Plainfield, IN
Local delivery for those without transportation
Delivery requests must be made by noon on Monday, November 23
For information, call:
(317) 839-2384
Important Notice to ALL PARENTS regarding Breakfast at School
IF you do not wish for your child to buy breakfast at school, please discuss this with them. We cannot monitor OR restrict this at school.
If a child says they have NOT had breakfast we will never turn them away. Having a healthy breakfast is EXTREMELY important for all of our students here at Brentwood Elementary School!
Thank you for your assistance in this matter!
November-at-a-Glance
Saturday, November 14, 2015
PTO Super Saturday 8:45-11 a.m.
Monday, November 16, 2015
PTO Meeting 6:30 p.m.
November 26-27, 2015
Thanksgiving Break
**SNEAK PEAK AT DECEMBER**
Saturday, December 5, 2015
Parents Night Out - at the Flip Zone
Textbook Rental Payments are now Past Due
2015-2016 Textbook Fee Schedule
Kindergarten - $122.93
1st Grade - $116.85
2nd Grade - $100.84
3rd Grade - $96.13
4th Grade - $93.38
5th Grade - $88.38
Brentwood on Social Media
Youth Sports Info
PSA SOCCER - 2016 Winter Indoor Season
· Recreational Soccer ages 6-12
· 6 Saturday morning games
· Located in gym at Thatcher Park
· $40.00 registration
· $5.00 discount if you bring a friend
· Register online at Plainfield-soccer-academy.com or call 317-853-9531
· Registration ends November 15.
Girls Winter Basketball - IGHL
Sign-up and pay $85 fee online
IGHL Travel basketball is played on Sunday afternoons against local School Teams.
Player Evals: Wed. Nov. 18th 9-10:30 a.m.
at Plainfield High School Fieldhouse
Questions: Coach Abrell at sabrell@plainfield.k12.in.us
Heroes Indy Basketball
AAU Summer 2016 Tryouts
Grades 5th & 6th
Saturday, November 14 & 21 3-5 p.m.
Thatcher Family Center
4649 W Vermont St
Indianapolis, IN 46222
Season Begins: February 2016
Tournament Play Begins: March 2016
Contact David Barlow or Ken Townsend with questions.
Study Buddies NEEDED at Brentwood!
- 30 minutes a week
- one-on-one time
- tutoring
- mentoring
- becoming a friend
- lessons provided
Please contact Mrs. Karen Nay, Home School Advisor at Brentwood if you are interested in more infomration or you are ready NOW to sign up! Call 317-839-4802 or email knay@plainfield.k12.in.us.
Send in Your Box Tops to Your Teacher!
Brentwood is Enrolled in Kroger Rewards!
1. Kroger Community Rewards Website
- NPO Number 74295
2. Shoparoo Website
- Sign up using code: cror5868
Please have your Kroger Card handy before starting enrollment! If you don't have a Kroger Card you can pick one up for free at the customer service desk.
Transportation Arrival & Dismissal Info
All car riders arriving in the morning should be dropped off in our car rider lane NOT in our Visitor Parking lot. This ensures they are not crossing over any traffic.
Late Arrivals:
If you child is being dropped off late an adult must come into the office and sign them in.
Student Arrivals (bus riders):
If your child rides the bus to school and will be eating breakfast in the cafeteria please talk to them about going straight to the cafeteria to get their breakfast. This will give them the most time to eat as healthy of a breakfast as possible.Dismissal Changes:
- If you need to change your child's dismissal instructions the best way to do this is to send a signed note to your child's teacher.
- If this is impossible please call the office NO LATER THAN 2:30 p.m. to ensure the dismissal change gets to your child's teacher in a timely matter.
Transportation:
If you are permanently changing how your child goes home or if you move please notify our office at 317-839-4802, as well as Transportation at 317-838-3632, and submit a new Transportation Form to the office.
Email: rclark@plainfield.k12.in.us
Phone: 317-839-4802
Volunteer News & Information:
- Volunteer Background Agreement
- Volunteer Confidentiality Agreement (ask at front office the first time you come in to volunteer)
- Read & understand our Emergency Procedures Handout (ask for your copy at the front office)
- Read & understand our "Facts about Bullying" handout (ask for your copy at the front office)
Some guidelines to follow when volunteering at Brentwood (please refer to our handbook for more):
- You may only take photos of your own child. Photos may not be taken of friends or other students and should NEVER be posted on social media sources without the consent of the classroom teacher and the other parents.
- You should avoid taking or making phone calls while supervising students unless for an emergency or communication is needed on a field trip.
- You should not bring other children along on a field trip.
- You must immediately report incidents or suspected incidents of bullying, physical, and/or verbal aggression to a teacher.
"Those who can, do. Those who can do more, volunteer." ~Author Unknown
2015-2016 Brentwood PTO
We, the PTO, look forward to an exciting year ahead and welcome all teachers, staff, parents, and families to attend meetings and events. We are here to work and partner together to provide a unique, fun, and amazing environment for our students.
We always welcome ideas for new events, fundraising, or info of something going on in the community. Please don't be a strange to our events and we are always accessible.
PTO Officer List 2015-2016
Tanya King, President
Jessica Botts & Kristen Bergman, Co-Vice-Presidents
Julie Beasley, Treasurer
Michelle Becker, Secretary
Pam Hendrickson, Financial Secretary
PTO Email: brentwoodpto@att.net