September Monthly News
BROOKER CREEK ELEMENTARY
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL
It is hard to believe that we are already more than 10% through the school year. It has been a very busy and exciting start to the year. With PTA's ongoing support, the rest of the year promises to be engaging and exciting.
Please take a moment to read through this newsletter as it contains important information for each family. We are inviting grandparents to eat breakfast with their grandchildren this Friday, September 15, at 7:45. An invite is shown below. Start With Hello Week takes place next week. A graphic is shown below, and students are encouraged to participate in our planned events. There is a Rowdies Game night on September 23 which promises to be an enjoyable time. A flyer is shown below. There are many enjoyable things taking place in the next few weeks.
Know what isn't enjoyable? The morning car drop off line. We are aware of the issues, and you may have seen me trying different methods to keep the line moving. Cars have been unable to exit the parking lot very easily. We have contacted the Department of Transportation and asked for them to adjust the traffic light. Our school crossing guard has contacted her supervisor and I spoke with a sheriff deputy today. The past two days have been better, and we will continue to work on solutions. I can't thank you enough for your patience.
Mr. Hodges
A Message From the Assistant Principal:
Testing Update
We have completed 98% of our 3-5 grade FAST testing and VPK – 2nd Grade STAR Reading and Math testing.
Parents wishing to see their 3-5 grade student scores can log into the parent portal and click on Florida Assessment on the right and your student scores will populate.
Parents of student in VPK-2nd grade have received paper copies of Reading scores and Math scores will be sent home shortly.
Thank you for having your students to school on time and ready for testing on their specific testing days. Although the hurricane altered our schedule, we were able to change the schedule to ensure that each student at Brooker Creek had an optimal testing environment.
Mrs. Gerber
Congratulations Mrs. Gina for Being Our 2023-2024 Support Employee of the Year
COUNSELOR'S CORNER
It is with great pleasure and pride that Mrs. Miller nominates Sophia Smith as our Brooker Creek East Lake Sunrise September Student of the Month. The positive traits and attributes that Sophia possesses demonstrate just why she was chosen as the recipient of this award. Sophia is an avid learner who comes into the classroom each morning with a bright smile and cheerful demeanor. Throughout the day she continuously strives for excellence following all the Guidelines for Success (R.O.A.R.S) with diligence and a positive attitude. She participates well in class and can always be depended on to volunteer, showing insightful thought when answering questions. Her high level of motivation allows her to immediately tackle any task that she is given, completing it with both neatness and accuracy.
One of Sophia’s favorite extra-curricular activities is horseback riding, and she competes in horse shows statewide. As an accomplished English Saddle Seat rider, she has developed focus, listening skills, and discipline…skills that are serving her well here at school. Music appreciation runs in her family, and Sophia enjoys taking rock guitar lessons online. She is also an avid reader of fiction, nonfiction, and fantasy genres, and embraces the responsibility of helping to take care of her dog Russell. Congratulations to you Sophia! We are so proud of you! You are definitely a Brooker Creek Bobcat that ROARS!
PTA NEWSLETTER
Happy September BCE Bobcat Families! The PTA has been working and planning to continue to support our students and staff and we are very excited to enter into these last few months of the year, the “ber” months, and start looking to sharing our fun activities.
We are happy to provide you with information about the following upcoming events. Additional information and flyers will come home as we get closer but mark your calendars for:
· Spirit Night at Chipotle on 9/20. Burritos for dinner!!! You can go in person (US 19 in Palm Harbor) or order online and pick up.
· Family Night with the Book Fair and Mathnasium 10/18. Join us for fun math games and a cool math map that will lead you to the Book Fair to explore the awesome books Mrs. Gabbert has in the media center!
WE NEED YOU!! Each year the PTA puts together the yearbook for the school. This is a pretty big undertaking. We need parents who are interested in helping teachers gather pictures and create pages, as well as a few other things. If you are interested in helping, please reach out to yearbookbcepta@gmail.com.
If you would like to volunteer or help plan some of the upcoming events, please contact the PTA at presidentbcepta@gmail.com
CLINIC NEWS
Hello Families,
I just wanted to put out a reminder that all clinic cards and school health consent forms are on your parent portal this year. You may have noticed that in the welcome back envelope that your student brought home in August that there were a few forms that were missing. The clinic card and the school health services consent form were 2 of these forms. Unfortunately, I am not able to do much with your student besides call home if the health consent form is not filled out. You may choose to pick only certain things listed on the consent form, however, please note that if you choose not to choose the option with Nurse: ear/throat check, heart and lung assessment, blood pressure monitoring, I cannot assess your student. For example, I would not be able to take blood pressure, pulse, or check a pulse oximeter if necessary. I wouldn’t even be allowed to look into their mouth for a sore throat using a light. Also, I need this form filled out if your student has any medication in the clinic. If you have any trouble accessing your portal account there are several steps you can take, such as resetting your password. You can call the school if you need your student linked to your account. I know that this process is a bit more lengthy than years past, but hopefully we can all work together and make this process flow for this year. Please contact me via email at glatczakd@pcsb.org if you have any questions regarding the clinic card, or consent forms using this process. I will try my best to help you troubleshoot.
I also want to mention that due to a nursing shortage in the district, my schedule has changed and now have 2 schools. On Mondays and Wednesdays, I will be going to Leila Davis Elementary School and there will be no nurse on campus at Brooker Creek. That being said, we do have medication trained staff here that will help and they do know how to get ahold of me if needed. I look forward to another terrific year here at Brooker Creek. Again, if you have any questions or concerns feel free to contact me during working hours.
Thank you all for your support and cooperation.
~ Nurse Diana
ART NEWS
How do you grade Art?
I often get asked by parents how I assess student art when assigning the letter grades of E,V,S,N on their report cards for art production and conduct.
Typically I don’t grade every piece of art we create, especially in the primary levels. Some art should just be about expression and instilling a love for the creative process. This is my ultimate goal as your child’s elementary art teacher. As they grow in maturity and skill level, naturally we will spend more time in critique and assessment but if you don’t love something first, you won’t put your heart into it.
For our main lessons, I discuss with them what skills/learning targets I am specifically teaching. They know what’s optional and what’s non-negotiable. Then, I grade on a simple and easy to understand rubric. These rubrics include visual examples of what each letter grade LOOKS like so they have a better understanding of my expectations. We display large, general rubrics in the art room all year long. It is an ongoing group discussion.
Writing their letter grade on the back of their artwork can be discouraging to an elementary artist and I tend to shy away from doing that. Again, I feel that at this level instilling a love of the creative process is more important than the letter grade on the back of their work. This can often leave them feeling discouraged and “not good at art”. Grades for each main project are however entered in FOCUS. Students in grades 3-5 are required to photograph, crop and upload their final piece for each lesson. This allows them, as well as you, the opportunity to see an example of the desired outcome attached to the lesson as well as what your child produced.
Conduct grades in art are very simple:
E- Excellent behavior during art. (a Bobcat that ROARS) Responsible, Optimistic, Always determined, Respectful and Safe in the art room.
V- Very Good behavior during art means most of the time the student is displaying ROARS behavior. May just a little reminder every once in awhile.
S- Satisfactory behavior in art means student has a tough time staying on task and focused. I spend a great deal of time redirecting/reminding student of the ROARS art room expectations.
N- Behavior Needs Improvement. I will not surprise you with an “N” on your child’s report card without contacting you in advance. An “N” in art means always distracted, never on task, disruptive and disrespectful to me and fellow students. Administration has been called to intervene.
If you ever have a question regarding your student’s grade in my class please don’t hesitate to reach out for clarification.
~Mrs. Livingston
Brooker Creek Art Department
Library Media and Technology News
Take the Media Parent Survey: 2023-2024
This survey is anonymous and is designed to gather input and recommendations for materials that you would like to see in our school library media center. BCE Media Center Survey 2023-2024
Scholastic Book Fair:
The Brooker Creek Elementary Book Fair will be held Friday, October 13th through Friday October 20st. Our hours this year will be 9:00am – 4:00 pm, with extended hours on Wednesday, October 18th. The Book Fair will also be available online with 24/7 access for any families or friends who can’t attend. Online shopping can be accessed starting October 12th through 28th at: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/brookercreekelemschool1
We would love to have the support of our BCE volunteers again this year! All volunteers will receive a 10% discount on purchases and can sign up at the link below:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0845AAA629A2F58-bcefall5
Battle of the Books:
Battle of the Books is a reading program for students in 3rd through 5th grade. The list of books comes from the Sunshine State Young Reader's Award titles. The program is a "quiz bowl" type of game in which teams try to answer content questions from the 15 Sunshine State Young Readers Award titles. Questions are based on plots, settings and characters. Students are expected to read a minimum of 10 of the 15 chosen books to take the qualifying test in March. Taking the qualifying test does not guarantee making a team. However, those who score well enough will be placed on teams to compete in our school Battle of the Books competition. The winning team at the school level will go on to compete at the Regional Competition in April.
Boys Read:
We are so excited that BCE will be participating in the 2023-2024 Boys Read Book Battle for the second time! This program is comparable to the Battle of the Books, but just for boys! There are 5 titles that boys will need to read by December for this program. This initiative is designed to encourage male readers in grades 3-5 to engage with literacy in a fun and collaborative way.
1. A Rover’s Story by Jasmine Warga
2. I Survived: The Wellington Avalanche, 1910 by Lauren Tarshis
3. The Good Sports League: The Ultimate Goal (Book 1) by Tommy Greenwald
4. Odder by Katherine Applegate
5. Bedhead Ted by Scott San Giacomo
Links for Battle of the Books and Boys Read have been place in Clever for students. Students can use these links to access games and activities for each book. Students can also earn Book Brag Tags for each book that they read. Students do not have to be in either club to engage in the activities in Clever or to earn Book Brad Tags.
Visit our school website’s Clubs and Activity page for more information on Battle of the Books and Boys Read. Club permission forms will be coming home in the next few weeks. https://www.pcsb.org/brooker-es
Danielle Gabbert, Library Media Technology Specialist
The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn,
the more places you’ll go.
— Dr. Seus
PE NEWS
Hello Bobcat families! We've had a good first month out in PE. We've tried our best to keep the kids hydrated and in the shade. We are beginning our Fitness Testing. Not everyone has given consent that their child may be tested. This is of course your personal choice. Please know a majority of the exercises the students are tested on are not extremely difficult, nor do they require a lot of time. We encourage all students to participate in Fitness Testing and try their best:-) One more friendly reminder, students are not allowed to participate in PE while wearing Crocs, sandals, and boots. Please try to send your child to PE with proper footwear. Again, we are always here to answer any questions you may have:-)
We have an awesome opportunity happening in PE on Friday Sept. 15th. All students will be able to participate whether it's their "PE" day or not. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers Flag Football Team will be coming in to put on a clinic for the children. Students MUST HAVE a signed waiver turned in, in order to participate. These waivers were sent home on Monday, Sept, 11th. Please have these turned in ASAP:-)
Travis Broome Ed.S
Volunteer News
Hello, my name is Erica Ortega, and I am happy to introduce myself as your new Family Liaison! A Bobcat for the last 5 years, I have had the privilege to teach VPK and Kindergarten, and I am thrilled for this new opportunity! I have a Bobcat in 4th grade, so I gladly wear both hats as a BCE parent and staff member. We have some wonderful opportunities for you to get involved in your scholar’s learning and I look forward to collaborating with you. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns, ortegae@pcsb.org.
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.
Lunch with your children
9/29 Kindergarten, VPK, and 4th
10/13 3rd and 1st
10/20 PreK3, 2nd, and 5th
These types of events are fun for all, but some guidelines must be in place to ensure safety for all. Families are invited to bring food from off campus, but the food must not be shared with other students. Also, students are not allowed to bring their friends with them. Lastly, students must be supervised at all times by their parents. Students should not be running around or jumping off the amphitheater steps. This event is being set up as an opportunity for parents to eat and focus on their children. Thank you for respecting these guidelines.
Students may be signed out on these days through the established procedure. Parents will need to visit the front office or desk and sign out students. A sign out slip will then be provided to parents.
Pinellas County School Night Rowdies Game
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