Brentwood Bulletin
Friday, January 8, 2016
Brentwood Elementary Mission Statement
~Achievement~Actions~Attitudes~
Our students are off to a great start for the second semester. We appreciate your support as we try to maintain a sense of normalcy here at Brentwood. I am sure you heard that the FINAL results for the 2015 ISTEP were released Wednesday morning. While scores all over the state dropped, the scores at Brentwood and other Plainfield schools all did exceptionally well. This year, the state gave fewer “A” scores to schools. Brentwood, along with ALL Plainfield elementary schools received an “A” rating. Plainfield schools as a whole ranked 8th in the state. Our teachers continue to focus on State Standards and math process skills as we look forward to the 2016 ISTEP. We appreciate your support in all of the little – and big – things we do.
Our Excellence convocation was originally scheduled for this coming Monday afternoon. In our efforts to be responsive to current events and concerns, we are going to postpone the convocation until Friday, January 15th. This convocation will be student centered and conducted without public attendance. I understand this is a change in past practices. In an effort to include parents as much as possible, we will take photos of each student receiving their Excellence T-Shirt. They will be available from the office by written request only. We will also take an electronic video of each student speech and make it available from the office for an electronic exchange with a parent only. Again, this must be accompanied by a written request. I understand that this is a departure from past practice however I feel that the current situation warrants this change. The convocation is designed to reward and encourage our students to strive for “Better and Best” in their everyday work. By delaying this any longer, I feel we might defeat the purpose for having the convocation.
We will continue with our current level of security throughout next week.
Thank you for your understanding and support.
Sincerely,
Mr. Underwood
Students of the Week
Staff MVP of the Week ~ Mrs. Chastidy Hall, Instructional Assistant
Our staff Most Valuable Player is Instructional Assistant, Mrs. Chastidy Hall. Mrs. Hall has been an Instructional Assistant at Brentwood since August. Previously, she was a substitute teacher for Plainfield schools for eight years.
Mrs. Hall is a PHS graduate, and has a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Indiana University. She has been married to her high school sweetheart for 22 years. Mrs. Hall has two chilren; her son is a sophomore at Northwestern University and her daughter is a junior at PHS. The Hall family has a family dog which is a pug named Chops.
Some of Mrs. Hall's Faves:
Color—Purple
Movie—A Beautiful Mind
TV Show—Madame Secretary
Book—The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingslover
Restaurant—Harry and Izzys
Sports Team—Pacers
Food—ice cream
In her spare time, Mrs. Hall enjoys going to Pacer Games, plays and musicals. She also likes to travel to places she has never been. "The most interesting place I have been is on a tour of Paris and western Germany. The architecture, cathedrals, and Roman ruins were amazing!" says Mrs. Hall.
Memorable Student Moments: "When I was reading an article about outer space with a group of students, a student who doesn’t usually want to be involved in discussions started asking some excellent questions. That was a great moment!"
Third grade teacher, Miss Binole says, "Ms. Hall is reliable and dependable, and we can count on her to be in our rooms on time ready to work with the kids each and every day. Our students really enjoy working with Ms. Hall, and she always does what is asked of her."
Kindergarten Candy Buffet
And partake in the sweet candy buffet
It's our way to say we love you
On this bright and glorious Kindergarten day.
Mrs. Gray's 4th Grade Class LOVES to Read!!!
Mrs. Barker's Gingerbread Houses
January-at-a-Glance
January 12, 2016
Smart Steps Parent Night @ Clarks Creek Elementary 6:30 p.m.
January 14, 2016
School Board Mtg 7 p.m.
January 18, 2016
Martin Luther King Day
NO SCHOOL
January 25, 2016
PTO Mtg 6:30 p.m.
January 26, 2016
Smart Step Presentations
(Various Times, Grades K, 2, & 4)
January 28, 2016
3rd Grade Music Program 6:30 p.m.
January 29, 2016
Battle of the Books (During School)
PTO Movie Night 6 p.m.
Value of the Month ~ December ~ Kindness
Kate Hilton
Carlee Solero
Kaitlin Foley
Mackenzie Dawson
Addison Hacker
Connor Burress
Aubrey Cox
Sarah Foley
Samantha Stapleton
Avery Hartman
Congratulations Brentwood students for showing your excellence!
1st Grade's Polar Express Day
1st Grade Celebrates Polar Express Style
Third Grade Makes "Time" for Math
Olive the Other Reindeer
Miss Binole's third grade class had a blast at their "Olive the Other Reindeer" themed party on Monday! Here they are proudly displaying our antlers.
Value Student of the Month ~ November
Respect for Others' Rights ~ Emma Morrissey, 4th Grade
Mrs. Emrick wrote, "Emma is always complimenting others, using good manners, listening to others, and laying fair. She shows she cares for others by making cards for friends and always telling those she cares about how much she missed them. Being respectful is a key ingredient to being a great person and Emma exemplifies this value. She truly brings out the "smile" in everyone she is around."
A Guide to Closings & Delays
Youth Sports
Plainfield Optimist Soccer League
Registration NOW open!!! Be one of the first 150 to register and receive a free Plainfield Optimist drawstring gear bag.
Season Dates: April 4, 2016 – May 21, 2016
Academy Skills Program: Ages U4, U5 and U6
League Play: Ages U8, U10, U12, U14 and U19
Online Registration can be found at: http://www.plainfieldoptimistclub.com/soccer
Contact Jim Eckroth for more information: 317-268-4709
Daddy Daughter Dance @ Plainfield Rec & Aquatic Center
Parents: Earn Money for Brentwood Just by Shopping!
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.
Important Policy Information for Change to Transportation
PCSC Transportation Department wants all parents to know that IF you need to change bus transportation in any way they need written notice 24 hours in advance of the change. These changes could be because you have moved permanently, need your child to ride a different bus with a friend, or any other change. If the change will take place on Monday please notify Transportation at 838-3632 no later than the previous Friday at 2:30 p.m.
There are NO exceptions to this policy.
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.
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.
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
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