November Monthly News
BROOKER CREEK ELEMENTARY
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL
We have reached the end of the first nine weeks, and we are moving into November. Thank you for a successful October. We were able to host parents for lunch, completed a math night, a very successful book fair, and a greatly enjoyable Trunk or Treat night. We had many volunteers on campus today for our Mad Scientist events and other classroom activities. We simply could not do these things without your support. You will see more events are planned for November as you read below. It has been a great start to the school year! Please consider donating to the "Pack A Snack" event. We'll accept items until Friday, November 10th.
Stay safe and Happy Halloween!
From the Assistant Principal:
November Testing:
Students in 1st and 2nd Grade will be taking an Earth Science Assessment. Additionally, all students will be taking a writing assessment prior to thanksgiving break.
Kindness Calendar
When my kids were growing up, this was always the time of year when they started to go a little haywire. We talked a lot as a family about investing your time in doing kind things for others. I attached a Kindness Calendar that you can use with your students if you so choose. There are items that take 5 minutes and other items that take a bit of time. Enjoy.
COUNSELOR'S CORNER
Mrs. Katsourinis is so excited to nominate Matas Meskys as BCE’s East Lake Sunrise November Student of the Month! Matas is an incredibly kind, humble and hardworking young man in and outside of school. He just stands out in such a positive way. Matas comes into class each morning with a smile. He is always ready for a challenge and perseveres patiently until he gets it just right. Matas is a problem solver, and he leads by example. He is a true role model to all. Matas is also an incredibly talented musician! He spends his free time learning to play multiple instruments, attends the Bach to Rock music school and is even lead musician in a band that has won first place in a Battle of the Bands competition. Matas' dedication to music has taught him to be disciplined in everything he does.
There are no words to describe how proud we are of Matas! He truly is a Bobcat that ROARS!
Prestigious Paws for Tolerance
Corbin Toomer **** Ms. Taylor
Macie Mainor **** Ms. K & Ms. Gina
Emily Kapus **** Ms.Renee & Ms.Vargas
Pete Kapur **** Ms. Loftus
Peyton Bork **** Mrs. Copri
Nolan Smith **** Mrs. Crim
Caleb Malsky **** Ms. Toye
Kleita Berisha **** Mrs. Mieras
Daniel Krajacic **** Mrs. Schwabe
Beau Schoenbaum **** Mrs. Smekal
Mia Kontodiakas **** Mrs. TenBieg
Harper Nguyen **** Ms. McSunas
Catalina Valencia **** Mrs. Read
Sienna Mokhiber **** Mrs. Skryd
Tessa Brown **** Mrs. Bailey
Olivia Dean **** Mrs. Fox
Mairi Himonetos **** Mrs. McMullen
Kai Aamold **** Mr. Rademacher
Elly Heyns **** Mrs. Vinyard
Sophia Nguyen **** Ms. Browne
John DiDiana **** Mrs. Ficca
Noah Dickson **** Mrs. Hite
Cooper Davis **** Mrs. Schuler
Lucas Ranahan Roberts **** Mrs. Hickman
Colton Scruggs **** Mrs. Katsourinis
Amanda Garcia **** Mrs. Miller
Louie Lind **** Ms. Smith
Elaina Brotten **** Mrs. Livingston
Anna White **** Mr. Ross
Lily Kerley **** PE Department
Holly Kerley **** Ms. Iannello
Roy Shell **** Ms. Putnam
PTA NEWSLETTER
Hello Bobcat Families!
Can you believe it? We are one month closer to the end of the year?! The PTA has been busy getting ready for our Fall and Winter events! We are helping staff for big events coming up like Great American Teach In, Veteran’s Day, and our Turkey Trot, just to name a few. Our Family Book Fair night and Trunk or Treat events were big successes thanks to the staff and our business sponsors! It was so fun seeing everyone in their costumes! Field trip shirts have been ordered, as well as a few additional goodies for the big kids at recess, and we also are finalizing our holiday gift shoppe and holiday movie night for December! It is such a fun time of year, if you ask me!
A few PTA reminders:
· Don’t forget the PTA School of Excellence survey is still open for a few more days! Please take 5-7 minutes to answer the questions here: https://forms.gle/oiVUAH2Z959QQCXH7
· Our online wrapping paper and goodies fundraiser is going on now until November 12th. Just in time for the holidays, you can buy wrapping paper and goodies and they will ship immediately to your house. All proceeds from this fundraiser will go towards building some new outdoor learning areas for our students.
o This is entirely optional for students and families to participate. I know many have given for the playground and have not seen those results yet. The district has ordered the equipment, it’s just now we wait...
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, you can reach out to me via email at presidentbcepta@gmail.com
Jen Reyes
Students, be sure to turn in your U-Crew Collectible Tickets every time you sell more items in the fundraiser. Tickets will be collected in the morning before school begins.
Find the volunteer with the bucket of collectibles and give them your ticket(s). Tickets must be completely filled out and signed by a parent in order to be redeemed.
You can only turn in your tickets during the 2 weeks of the fundraiser. Collectibles will not be given out after the due date of the fundraiser so be sure to turn them in on time.
Remember, if you sell 30 items you will receive the entire set of 12 U-Crew Collectibles when the product is delivered. Plus, you can keep the other collectibles you already received!
ART NEWS
Wow….the last few months have flown by. We’ve been extremely busy in the Art Room getting TWO big art initiatives underway.
Our school-wide butterfly garden mural is all planned and we are ready to start breaking ground on that this month. Keep an eye out as you visit campus for our progress. Thanks to our generous sponsor through a Pinellas Education Foundation grant and The Arts Referendum Special Projects grant, we are now 100% funded! Let the fun begin!
Our next big initiative this year is the online student art gallery through www.artsonia.com
All of our artists in grades Kindergarten-5th grade now have an account set up and at least one project uploaded. If you have yet to sign the artsonia permission form, please take time to do so. Check your email for your message from Artsonia.
Our 2nd-5th graders have been learning how to photograph, crop and upload their art projects on their own. I’m still content editor for K-1 but I have a feeling they will be well on their way to mastering this skill soon. It takes time and patience from all of us.
To view your child’s artwork, click on www.artsonia.com and scan the QR code here to access Brooker Creek Elementary. From there, follow the prompts to your child’s homeroom class, their name and then their masterpiece. Check out Artsonia’s giftshop for a terrific collection of personalized, artistic keepsakes. The holidays are right around the corner and we’ll continue to upload more student masterpieces.
One last shout out to 3 of our BCE artists for having their work accepted in the Dunedin Fine Arts Center, Creative stART Show which will be held on,
1. Deklan Matthews, 4th grade, for his Roy Lichtenstein self portrait
2. Julia Sarkis, 5th grade, for her Abstract Sunset
3. Ellen Cudzil, 1st grade, for her Initial Art painting
So proud of our artists!!!!
~Mrs. Livingston
Any questions at all feel free to contact me at livingstons@pcsb.org
November Library Media and Technology News Florida Power Library https://www.flpowerlibraries.com/fplsschools
Book Fair News:
WOW! The BCE Fall Book Fair had an awesome turn out and there simply are not enough words to express our gratitude. THANK YOU to all the fearless volunteers who gave their time, THANK YOU to all the fabulous visitors who shopped the fair, and THANK YOU to everyone who purchased books. All profits earned from the Book Fair will be used to support our Media Center.
It's the boundless generosity of this community that helps make Brooker Creek Elementary one of the best Elementary Schools in the county!
Library News:
The media center is a place where kids learn to enjoy reading. When a student chooses the books that interest them, they are more interested in reading. Remind your child to choose a just right book. Please take time to share their books with them. By sitting together looking at the pictures, reading the captions and talking about the story, you are building memories and modeling good reading habits that will last your child a lifetime. If you would like to view our inventory of books, please go to https://destiny.pcsb.org and select Brooker Creek Elementary. This will give you a direct link to all the books that we have in our collection available for checkout.
Our students have been doing a much better job of returning books on time. We greatly appreciate their efforts, as well as your encouragement for them to do so. We would like students to remember their student name badges or book bags when they visit the Media Center, as this greatly enhances the check-out system.
“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.”
— Dr. Seuss
Mrs. Danielle Gabbert, LMTS
PE NEWS
Bobcats!
This first grading period is complete, and we feel it's been a great start to the school year! We finished the grading period playing one of the students' favorite games...Steal the Sticks! We are now turning our attention to the Turkey Trot!!! This year, the Turkey Trot will be held on Tuesday, November 14th. As always, it takes place during your child's "Specials" time. All students will be participating that day, whether they have PE or not. More information will come out as we get closer.
PE Dept.
Bobcat Family Den
Hello Bobcat Family! October was fun and eventful within the walls. Shoutout to all of our volunteers, we appreciate you all. Are you looking to get back into the classroom and/or media center to volunteer? Please make sure to reactivate your account so that you are able to support your scholar and our school. Not yet a volunteer? I can help you with that! Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have, and I would be happy to walk you through the process. Are you a Level 1 volunteer and want to be a Level 2? Certain volunteer opportunities require an additional screening called Level 2 and I am delighted to assist you.
November brings the Creek many things to be thankful for and we are thankful for you. On November 10th, we are hosting our 2nd Annual Veteran's Day Celebration. November 14th is our Turkey Trot-Gobble! Gobble! The Great American Teach-In (GATI) is on November 15th. The Great American Teach-In provides an opportunity for parents and members of the community to come in and speak with students about their occupations, hobbies, or areas of interest. Interested in participating in this amazing event? We’d enjoy having you, and I encourage you to reach out to me if you are interested and available.
I appreciate all that you do and I feel fortunate to work with our amazing Bobcats and our community.
Have a great November,
Mrs. Erica Ortega
Elementary School Wellness Guidelines
While we know that students and families enjoy providing treats to students, particularly on birthdays, there are strict rules and guidelines provided for the elementary student consumption of food items. We try to use our best discretion for these situations. The link provided below will take you to the district website outlining the guidelines, but we have included a graphic below. Items such as candy, cupcakes, and donuts do not meet the guidelines and we ask that you please do not provide them as the office staff will remind individuals of the guidelines and the food items will be returned to the adult delivering them. The link and graphic provided list options that are acceptable, and we ask that you make allowable selections when needed. Thank you for understanding.
Brooker Creek Elementary
Email: Hodgesjo@pcsb.org
Website: https://www.pcsb.org/brooker-es
Location: 3130 Forelock Road, Tarpon Springs, FL, USA
Phone: 727-943-4600