This week marked the autumnal equinox and the first day of fall. Equinox represents the two points in the year where the sun crosses the equator and day and night are equal in length. This can be a good reminder to consider balance in our own lives - how we balance attention, time, work and play. We feel really fortunate that our students experience the balance of many things at Brookside...
exploring ecosystems in Waterbury and beyond
teambuilding with peers and trusted adults
watching the metamorphosis of a monarch caterpillar
biking and scootering in PE
harvesting cherry tomatoes for the BPS salad bar
math work that challenges our thinking
discovering authors and genres to read
taking risks in learning language and music
experimenting with mediums in art
older and younger students working together as buddies
outdoor and nature education
...and so much more!
Thank you for sharing your children with us each day. We look forward to sharing so much of what we are proud of during our open houses coming soon. As a reminder, these events are for families including children, as your student will be leading you on a tour! We are eager to open our doors to you all again!
Enjoy the first weekend of fall!
Warmly,
Sarah & Chris
iMove Activities- grades 3 & 4
This year we are excited to provide third and fourth grade students with more opportunities for iMove activities. The goal of our iMove program is to get students outside, moving their bodies in all VT seasons. We typically plan to hike in the fall, ski/snowshoe in the winter, and bike in the spring. In order to make this program a success we need level 3 chaperones! If you are a confirmed level 3, please reach out to your child’s classroom teacher if you are interested in volunteering for any of the activities by Friday 9/30. If you are not yet a level 3 chaperone and would like to volunteer at some point please reach out to Michele Ballard (mballard@huusd.org) to start the process. Once we know who is interested in volunteering we will reach out via email and see who can join us to hike Wednesday 10/12.
Nurses' Notes
Testing Positive? Please check out the updated HUUSD COVID webpage.
...from the Library
The summer books have been flooding back and there are only 1000 books left to go! If you have not gone on a "Book Hunt" recently, please do! Students are checking themselves out this year are blocked when there are more than 10 at home... Your assistance in helping them learn about the responsibility of circulation is greatly appreciated.
PE Updates
Thank you to all the parents, grandparents, etc. that transported bikes and scooters this past week. We have several new riders from the past week! We will do another bike week in the spring, but are done biking for this fall. Please remember to pick up bikes and scooters this weekend. Kindergarten scooters are in the back main entrance airlock. The airlock is not locked, so you can pick them up anytime. Bikes and older student scooters are outside by the shed or chicken coop. Again, thanks for your support in making this a fun, if not rainy, bike week! Mrs. Baitz
Backpack Program
It is now the beginning of the school year and our Brookside Backpack Program is up and running. For those who may not have heard of it, this program was started by our former principal Denise Goodnow to further meet the needs of students in our community. Every week, a backpack is sent home providing Brookside families who sign up with supplemental food for the weekend. We are always accepting donations in this program. This year I have started an Amazon wish list that I will update periodically based on need. It is not required that the items be purchased off of Amazon, they can be purchased anywhere. This is primarily to communicate our needs with the community members who choose to generously donate. Here is the link:
You can leave donations in the Main Entrance airlock at Brookside Primary school, or order online and have shipped to:
Backpack Program
47 Stowe St.
Waterbury, VT 05676
Thank you for your continued support of this program.
If you have any questions, please contact Aimee Smith at asmith@huusd.org.
Brookside PTO
Hi Brookside parents, grandparents and caregivers! We're happy to announce that the Brookside PTO is having their first meeting on Tuesday, 9/27 at 6pm in the conference room across from the office. We are hoping this year will be a success and make up for the lost fundraising time during COVID.
Have you thought it would be fun to help plan events for your child's school and meet other adults who have students here? If so, we could use your help and we hope to see you Tuesday! Meetings are once a month and last approx 1 hour. Please email Tammy at trost@huusd.org with any questions.
COMMUNITY POSTINGS
The Children's Room Annual Barn Dance & Fall Festival!
Join the Children’s Room this Sunday, September 25th, for a fun family fall event at the beautiful spot in Waterbury Center. The Barn Dance is our biggest fundraising event of the year with harvest snacks, live music from the Valley Cats, hay rides AND pony rides, games, crafts, a pie contest and more:). Bring a pie for the contest and join the fun! Event is at the Beard Family Property located at 1601 Barnes Hill Rd in Waterbury Center. 2:00-5:00 pm. $20 per family. Rain date is Sunday, October 2nd.
Ben & Jerry's Annual Pumpkin Giveaway
Sunday, October 16th
Rain, snow or shine we will be here at the factory handing out pumpkins, goodie bags and of course ice cream!
All that we ask for is a non-perishable food donation or monetary donation which supports the local Waterbury Food Shelf, helping them to fill up their shelves before winter starts.
Start time is 9:00am and we finish when the last pumpkin is gone. I ordered 100 more for this year as we ran out within the hour last year.
Event is at the factory and will be in the lower guest parking lot.
Prevent Child Abuse Vermont - Family Support Programs
