BROOKDALE BOBCAT PRINTS
May 2, 2023
Brookdale Elementary
611 132nd ST S Tacoma, WA 98444
Connie Holman - Principal
Jesse McNeil - Assistant Principal
Office Hours - 9:00 to 4:30
253-298-3100 / FAX 253-298-3115
PRINCIPAL NEWS
CONFERENCE WEEK – As you may know, Student Led Conferences (SLCs) are just around the corner - May 22 - May 25. On these four days all students will be dismissed at 12:35. This is an important celebration time for your child to share with you their progress this year and their goals for next year. Children are working hard to prepare their presentation for you. We ask that you do not bring other children to the student led conference so that full attention can be given to the “star of the conference”. Very soon, you will be receiving a link to sign up for a conference time from your child's teacher. Please be sure to click on the link right away in order to secure a time for your conference.
Along with attending your child's conference we hope you will complete a spring survey. We will have laptops set up in the main hallway for you to access the survey. Once completed, you will receive a raffle ticket. We will have a few items that we will be raffling off in the library - Book Fair Bucks, gift cards, etc.
You will also have the opportunity to visit our Book Fair in the library!
Students will be served a sack lunch before they leave each day. Please be sure that you have made plans for your student(s) for these early dismissal days.
WE LOVE OUR TEACHERS!
The demands and responsibilities on teachers seem to get more intense every year, but our teachers rise to the occasion each and every day to meet the needs of our Bobcats. They design engaging and rigorous lessons to support a wide range of learners. They continuously gather evidence of student learning and work together to identify and address the individual academic and social needs of our students. Their hard work and effort extend well beyond the school day. I consider myself so blessed to be a part of such an amazing group of educators! Please join me in recognizing these outstanding educators:
Kindergarten: Ms. Robb, Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Toomb and Mrs. Leuthold
First Grade: Ms. Colley, Mrs. Loman, Mrs. Martin and Ms. Riley
Second Grade: Ms. Mose, Mrs. O'Hollaren, and Mr. Woods
Third Grade: Mrs Akins, Mrs. Helt and Mrs. Sherry
Fourth Grade: Mrs. Wagner, Mr. Wanager, Ms. Rummel and Mr. Long
Fifth Grade: Mrs. Almand, Ms. Lawyer, Ms. Schatzabel and Ms. Moore
Support Center: Ms. Berntsen and Ms. Manley
Specialist: Mrs. Hursh, Ms. Porter, Mr. Olson and Ms. Gibbard
Support Teachers: Mrs. O'Connor, Mr. Brandner, Mrs. Blanas, Ms. Turri, Ms. Crawford and Mrs. Ohlemiller
This year, the office staff 'flew' our teaching staff off to exotic places, providing a tasty treat from each stop. We stopped in Mexico, Russia (with a layover in Moldova), United States, Japan, & Italy.
May Celebrations
May is also Jewish American Heritage Month. We honor and recognize the achievements and contributions of Jewish Americans during the month of May.
PTO
Movie NIght
PLEASE MARK YOUR CALENDARS WITH THESE IMPORTANT DATES
May 1 - 5 ~ Teacher Appreciation Week
May 3 ~ Early Dismissal - 2:35
May 3 ~ Kinder and First Grad Music Concert - 6:30 pm
May 4 ~ 3rd, 4th and 5th Grades SBA Testing
May 5 ~ 3rd, 4th and 5th Grades SBA Testing
May 7 ~ End of online yearbook sales
May 8 ~ Youth Mental Health Summit @ Keithley MS (5-8 pm)
May 8 - 12 ~ Health Professionals Appreciation Week
May 10 ~ Early Dismissal - 2:35
May 11 ~ 3rd, 4th and 5th Grades SBA Testing
May 12 ~ 3rd, 4th and 5th Grades SBA Testing
May 15 - 19 ~ Principal Appreciation Week
May 17 ~ Early Dismissal - 2:35
May 19 ~ PTO Movie Night
May 22 - May 25 ~ Conference Week ~ Dismissal at 12:35
May 22 - May 25 ~ BOOKFAIR
May 26 & May 29 ~ No School - Memorial Day weekend
OUR NURSE IS THE BEST!
Putting on band aides.
Stopping a bloody nose.
Holding on to ice packs.
Giving out a change of clothes.
Tirelessly healing
all day long.
Just to make sure nothing goes wrong.
Our Bobcats are safer,
Because of you.
Thank you Nurse Muai,
For all you do!
Please join us in recognizing Mrs. Muai during May 8th - 12th
RELEASES DUE BY MAY 20
RELEASES – If you live outside the Brookdale boundaries a reminder letter/email will be sent out this week for school choice/releases to be completed by May 20 to have your children considered for placement at Brookdale for next year.
Overload students -Students who were overloaded to Brookdale for the 22-23 school year will return to their home schools for 2023-24.
Out of District – Students who live outside of the Franklin Pierce Schools boundaries, and are currently attending, will be considered for re-enrollment upon receipt of a school choice transfer from the school district in which you reside. Please use this link to complete this process: Click on the School Choice link to access the correct form.
With-In-District – If you are attending Brookdale on a release from one of the other elementary schools in our district, the online release must be completed by May 20 to consider a spot for your child for next year. Please use this link to complete this process: Click on this link to access the correct form.
If you have any questions about this process, please contact Julia Sylstad at 298-3100.
TEACHER REQUESTS FOR NEXT YEAR
IMPORTANT SBA TESTING
- Third Grade ~ April ~ 27 May ~ 4, 5, 11, 12
- Fourth Grade ~ April ~ 27 May ~ 4, 5, 11, 12
- Fifth Grade ~ April ~ 27, 28 May 4, 5, 11, 12
All makeups will be done on May 31.
LAST DAY TO ORDER COMING FAST!!
ATTENDANCE COUNTS!
1. Good attendance is to miss 9 or fewer days per year.
2. After 7 absences, we will require third party documentations (doctor notes, dentist appt, court hearing, etc.) to excuse the absence. Please get in the habit of getting a note for any appointments, even before you hit that threshold.
3. Any planned absences MUST be approved by the principal two weeks before the planned event. You can get the form from the school office.
4. Chronic absenteeism is more than 18 days in a school year.
I want to encourage all our Bobcats to be at school ON TIME, EVERY DAY, ALL DAY!
23/24 SCHOOL YEAR ENROLLMENT IS OPEN!
We are preparing for the 2023-24 school year already! Enrollment for new kindergarten through grade 5 students who live within our attendance boundaries opened March 13th. A child must be five years of age on or before August 31, 2023 to be eligible to enroll. Please prepare to register by obtaining medically verified immunization records, birth certificate, and a proof of residence (utility bill, lease/rental agreement, or mortgage papers). All enrollment is done online. Click here to access the enrollment application or go to fpschools.org and click on enrollment.
- We are moving to a new online system. Enrollment will end in our current system on June 11th and will reopen on July 17th in the new system. Please make sure to complete your child's enrollment application by June 11th or wait to start it after July 17th.
Current students who live within Brookdale boundaries are automatically enrolled at Brookdale for next year. Students living within our district but outside of Brookdale boundaries who want to attend Brookdale must complete a within-district transfer form online. Click on the Transfers and Homeschool link to access the correct form. Out-of-district students who wish to attend Brookdale must complete a new out-of-district transfer (Choice Transfer) from their home district to be considered for enrollment.
IMPORTANT SCHOOL REMINDERS
STUDENT EARLY DISMISSAL – If your child has an appointment and is leaving before the end of the school day, please make sure you send a note that morning letting the teacher and the office know. If you call, we must receive it before 3:00 and students should be picked up no later than 3:30 due to our end of the day congestion. Also, please allow enough time for pick up. To preserve precious class time, we do not call students to the office until you have checked them out in person (remember your ID).
SCHEDULE CHANGES - The end of the day at Brookdale is very hectic. If you forgot to send a note in the morning (which is preferred) and need to call the school with a change to your child’s schedule, please do so before 3:00 p.m. After 3:00 the office is busy assisting students and parents and will not be able to answer your call or get a message to a student before they leave for the day. All end of the day schedule changes must be made through the office, not with the classroom teacher. Thank you!
UPDATE CONTACT INFORMATION - If any of your information has changed (address, contact info., email address, etc.) please contact the office right away. This year more than ever, it will be important to have the most current information. Also, let us know what your preferred method of contact is - phone, email, text. You can reach the office at 253.298.3100.
FREE DEVELOPMENTAL SCREENING
Children ages 3-5 who reside within the Franklin Pierce School District are eligible for free developmental screening. Hearing, vision, kindergarten readiness, speech and language, motor skills, and behavior are checked. Screenings take place regularly. See their web page here. To schedule an appointment, call the Early Learning Center Child Find hotline at 253-298-4658.