Brookview School
MARCH 2023 NEWSLETTER
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Families,
I hope that everyone had an incredible February Break! It was wonderful to have some rest and relaxation.
During this time of the school year, I meet regularly with classroom and intervention teachers to review mathematics and reading data to assess student progress. These assessments provide our teachers with information on the skills students know and the skills they do not yet know. This data also informs us about which students may need additional support and opportunities for extension through our Response to Intervention (RTI) system.
Through established RTI blocks for reading, which occur for 30 minutes a day for five out of the six-day letter calendar, students are grouped according to what they know and what they need to work on next.
This structure allows teachers to provide targeted and specific instruction to meet students where they are in terms of reading and math development. For example, students identified as needing additional support in either reading or math qualify to receive intervention services during these RTI blocks. The benchmark data also shows us which students need to be challenged with exceeding grade level standards, and these students are grouped across both classrooms to receive the appropriate instruction. For the current school year, we are officially beginning RTI Reading Blocks in March, which means that your child may be receiving instruction from a different teacher during this time.
Your partnership is always valued, and I appreciate everything you do at home to strengthen your child’s ability to read fluently and ability to perform mathematical operations. For more information on what you can do at home to support your child in these areas, please review the PTSA website for practical guides on what students learn during each grade level and how you can support these learning outcomes. Click on the following link for more information: A Parent’s Guide to Student Success.
Thank you for your continued collaboration and commitment with your child. Our team effort creates a wonderful environment for success. We are fortunate to be in a learning community that focuses on the whole child.
In partnership,
Alicia Spitz
BROOKVIEW SCHOOL INFORMATION
Secretary: Gretchen Tortora
Phone: 585-336-1630
Fax: 585-336-1631
Health Office: 585-336-1638
Email: gretchen_tortora@westiron.monroe.edu
Website: westirondequoit.org/brookview_school
Location: 300 Brookview Drive, Rochester, NY 14617
Phone: 585-336-1630
Twitter: @spitzy19
UPCOMING EVENTS
MARCH:
- 3/1 2023-2024 Kindergarten Orientation 7:00 pm
- 3/16 Open House 6:30 pm
- 3/31 NO SCHOOL - Superintendent Conference Day
APRIL:
- 4/3 - 4/7 Spring Recess - NO SCHOOL
- 4/14 Early release for Parent/Teacher Conferences (K-4 students)
- 4/19 - 4/21 NYS ELA Assessments
- 4/20 Artistic Showcase at Irondequoit High School 6:30 pm
MAY:
- 5/2 5/4 NYS Grade 3 Math Assessment
- 5/5 - 5/11 NYS Grade 3 Math Make-up dates
- 5/16 Annual Budget Vote and School Board Elections, St Paul Fire Dept., 433 Cooper Rd
- 5/29 NO SCHOOL - Memorial Day
FULL SCHOOL CALENDAR, click here.
6-DAY LETTER CALENDAR
STUDENT SERVICES UPDATE
During the 2021-2022 school year, a group of outside consultants conducted an analysis of Special Education in West Irondequoit. The concluding report highlighted many strengths including our inclusion of students with disabilities in the general education environments and graduation rates for students with disabilities that are above county averages. The analysis also offered feedback on ways to further strengthen our special education programs and practices.
Following that, the Student Services Department convened a taskforce which consists of a multi-disciplinary group of professionals. The taskforce has been hard at work over the course of this school year examining the outcomes of the analysis and beginning to make changes for the benefit of students with disabilities in our district. Outcomes of this work will include improved transitions between grade levels and programs; enhancement of our current Continuum of Programs with the goal of maintaining students in their least restrictive environment; development of eligibility and exit guidelines for service providers to ensure students are receiving needed supports while increasing independence when they demonstrate readiness; improved alignment across the district of RtI and CSE processes; and an improved system for identifying and implementing high quality professional learning for our staff. The taskforce is passionate about building on the district’s culture of excellence to meet the needs of all learners, as reflected in our newly developed Student Services Mission Statement.
ABSENCES AND LATE ARRIVALS
If your child is going to be late or absent from school, please call the office by 9:30 a.m. each morning of the absence. Due to current health department guidelines, we must have contact from a parent/guardian regarding the absence to ensure we remain in compliance with all current health department regulations.
Call (585) 336-1630
DRESS WARMLY FOR RECESS
Parents/guardians: Please note that all students will go outdoors for recess as long as the temperature and wind-chill are 20 degrees or warmer. Students will need to wear hats, mittens or gloves, boots and snow pants to play in the snow. Students lacking proper clothing will still go outdoors but will remain on the sidewalk with limited play. Please remember to send appropriate outside play clothing in everyday.
Spring weather means a muddy playground and field. Remember boots or extra shoes and socks to change into.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH
Throughout Black History Month in February students learned about noteworthy people of color from our past and present. It is one of the Heritage Months that we celebrate. March is Women’s History Month.
For February, students learned about historical figures such as Rosa Parks, Nelson Mandela, Harriet Tubman and Jackie Robinson. Others may have included more recent newsmakers such as Barack Obama and Serena Williams.
One classroom at Colebrook showed an interest in black musicians, so their teachers helped them learn more. To hear more about that, including the voices of our own students in videos, click here: bit.ly/BHM_WI_2023.
PANCAKES AND MAPLE SUGAR AT HNC!
Come celebrate the Maple Sugaring Season at Helmer Nature Center the weekend of March 18-19! There will be Maple Sugaring Tours from 11 AM to 3 PM. Cost is $5 per person but HNC members and children 3 and under are FREE! There is no need to pre-register. A pancake breakfast runs from 10 AM to 1 PM both days! Enjoy some maple syrup made right at Helmer, 154 Pinegrove Ave. It’s our school district’s outdoor classroom and much, much more! For more details, click here: https://bit.ly/3EiY1Rv
PLEASE UPDATE EMERGENCY CONTACT INFO
Do you:
Have a new cell phone number or email address?
Have a new work phone number?
Need to update your emergency contacts?
Be sure to keep your child's school informed of any changes to your phone numbers or emergency contact information. Update info directly on the Parent Portal, or send in a note with your child. Thank you!
BROOKVIEW SAFETY SCOUTS
Our third-graders help to keep our building safe at the start of our day by being a Safety Scout. Their job is to help other students by making sure their classmates are being responsible and respectful. Each month, eight third-graders are selected to serve as safety scouts. The following students (see picture below, too) were selected as safety scouts for the month of February because they are always showing their teachers what Brookview’s Best really looks like. I want to congratulate these students for being selected as our Safety Scouts for the month of February.
Samson Garnish
Jonathan Jacobs
Delilah Kruglov
Ivelisse Nasca
Kaylee Patterson
Leighton Skinner
Tiffany Weng
Tyron Wilcox