Three more sleeps until the first day of school!
We are so excited to welcome you all back on Monday - our custodial and summer custodial staff have been working incredibly hard to get the building ready for everyone!
There will be many new faces at BPS and we've been introducing them on our instagram - come give us a follow @brooksideprimaryschool
Now, for some updates to arrival and dismissal times:
Arrival:
Students will be let into the building at 7:30am as in years past.
School officially begins at 7:45am. Students arriving after that time will be marked tardy. Please make every effort to get your student(s) here on time.
Dismissal:
Due to a slight change in the bus schedule, students will be dismissed at 2:25pm this year.
HUUSD has updated bus routes again. The latest routes are published here:
If you don't see your stop, please do the following:
Email Danial.Sargeant@firstgroup.com with the subject line "missing bus stop"
Complete returning student registration, IF a returning student. New students do not need to complete this step (this year), we have your information.
We have an additional bus this year that will transport students enrolled in the Mountain Village School afterschool program in Stowe. The white bus will be parked in the lower visitor lot in the back of the building at dismissal and the driver will meet BPS staff at the rear of the building to transition students out. There is an option for 'MVS bus' on PickUp Patrol as of this evening.
Please note that Live Y'ers Afterschool Program begins on Tuesday, September 5th. Please make sure your child's plans for the first week of school account for this.
Speaking of PickUp Patrol...our school uses PickUp Patrol for parents to report absences and communicate dismissal plan changes. Notes, emails or phone calls are not accepted for changes, except in emergencies.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR THIS SCHOOL YEAR
RETURNING PARENTS: Please enter and confirm your students default plan here: https://app.pickuppatrol.net/parents by Sunday, 8/27/23. For a safe dismissal, it’s essential that we know your student’s regular daily dismissal plans before the first day of school.
NEW PARENTS: You should have received a registration/welcome email this week with a link to set up your account. The PUP web app is free for parents and you can use it from your smartphone or computer. Instructions for how to add the app to your phone are included in the registration email. Please register and enter your students Default Dismissal Plans by Sunday 8/27/23. You will need to register before you can enter default plans.
Thank you for using PickUp Patrol to make safety a priority and to ensure our dismissal process is efficient for all our students. If you have any questions, please check the PUP Parent Guide. If you still need help, contact the office at kguziak@huusd.org or PickUp Patrol at support@pickuppatrol.net.
Meet the School Counselors!
Who will my child(rens) primary School Counselor be this year?
-If your child(rens) last name starts with an A-K, they will have Ms. M (below, left)
-If your child(rens) last name starts with a L-Z, they will have Ms. B (below, right)
COVID-19 August 2023 Updates
The Vermont Department of Health recommends that anyone with symptoms of COVID-19 stay home when they are sick. If you test positive for COVID-19, you should begin the process of isolation. Please see Vermont Department of Health guidance on what to do if you test positive. Isolate at home away from other people for at least 5 days. Day 0 is the day your symptoms started OR the date of your test if you have no symptoms. Get medical care immediately if you have trouble breathing or chest pain.
You can return to school on Day 6 if your COVID-19 symptoms have improved, and you have been fever free for 24 hours without using medication to reduce your fever.
Please see the Vermont Department of Health Close Contact guidance on protocols if you have been exposed to COVID-19. The school district has a limited number of COVID antigen tests available. Please contact your school nurse if you are in need of a test kit.
As of August 25, 2023, the Vermont Department of Health recommends that if you do not have symptoms but have been in close contact with someone with COVID-19, it is recommended to test five (5) full days after the COVID-19 exposure.
If you use an at-home antigen test and the result is negative, test again 48 hours later.
If you have a negative PCR or LAMP test, no follow-up test is needed.
Vaccinations for COVID-19 are available at local pharmacies and your primary care provider’s office. The Vermont Department of Health supports COVID-19 vaccines as the safer way to build protection from serious illness.
"Fill the Form" to support VT schools
Through Vermont’s universal meals program, public schools offer free breakfast and lunch to all students. Even though meals are now free to all students, our schools still need to gather family income data.
We need your help. Every family needs to Fill out the Form to help create a brighter future for all Vermont students.
You may not have filled the form in the past. But filling the form this year will help us run the Universal Meals program and keep it affordable.
It's about more than meals. By filling out the form you:
Help our school/schools access millions of dollars in federal money for education
Help students in our district and across Vermont access healthy, nutritious food
Keep education taxes from going up in our community.
When your child starts school in the fall, your school will ask you to complete an income form (either a USDA School Meals Application or a Household Income Form). The form should only take a few minutes to fill out. You can download a copy here and we have paper copies available in the office. Privacy of the income information you provide is protected by law. Please reach out to Sarah or Chris if you have any questions.
Finally, a few upcoming dates to note:
August 28th - First Day of School
September 4 - Labor Day NO SCHOOL
September 6 - 7:40am First ASMM!
September 18 - Open House (PK, K, 1) 5:30-6:30
September 19 - Open House (2, 3, 4) 5:30-6:30
September 28 - Picture Day! (Th/F PK photos)
October 17 - Picture retakes (M/T PK photos)
We can't wait to see you on Monday!
Warmly,
Sarah & Chris
COMMUNITY POSTINGS
Please note that the opportunities/events listed below are not specifically endorsed or screened by school staff. As always, families should use their own standards and review processes to determine appropriate activities.
Volunteers Needed for Nature Education Program
Brookside Primary School's Four Winds Nature Education program is seeking volunteers to help teach kids about our natural world. This year the theme is “Structure and Function” and we will be teaching 5 different lessons over the course of the academic year. The specific lessons are entitled Spiders, Tremendous Trees, Skull Sleuthing, Calling All Owls, and the Buzz on Bees. Curriculum materials including background information and activity descriptions are provided by the Four Winds Institute and are accessible online.
We have a two hour in-person training session prior to teaching each of the 5 lessons. The training sessions are led by a professional environmental educator and naturalist. There are a variety of different activities for each lesson, including an informative puppet show, hands-on experiments, games, crafts, dances, songs, examination of provided specimens, and observations in nature. These training sessions are scheduled for the second Thursday of the month from 8-10am.
Our first training session is on Thursday, September 14th, 2023. If you can’t make the in-person meeting you can study the materials at home to prepare for teaching the lesson.
Ideally each class is taught by a team of two volunteers. The classroom teacher is always there to help with managing the kids as well. Four Winds Institute provides us with many of the scientific materials and we organize and gather household items to be used for the lesson activities.
Please email Emily Marotto at fourwindsbps@gmail.com to let us know if you are interested in volunteering this year or if you have any questions about the program.