BMS | May Newsletter

MAY 2021

May Flowers are starting to bloom which is a definite sign that the earth is evolving into its seasons. May is also the month we honor teachers, nurses, school staff and mothers. We are beginning to see a light at the end of this school year and we just want to let you know that we APPRECIATE you to the fullest.

This has been a difficult year with adjustments, flexibility, loss of loved ones and friends etc. Please take a moment to call up someone you haven’t spoken in a while to just say hello, or buy a stalk of flowers to bless someone’s day with vibrant colors. This is just a few examples of how we can show resilience and appreciation of life to say the least.

We have just finished our IAR ELA testing and we are now on to the Math. I must say our students stayed the course and are doing great! Please encourage them to hang in there and give this their best to the last run of the 4th quarter by completing all assignments, and participating in class.

We are in this together and WE APPRECIATE YOU! f

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BMS PARENTS/GUARDIANS We are excited to announce that recommendations and invitations have been sent out for Brookwood School District 167’s Summer School program. We are excited to invite all of our students to an enriching and skill based learning experience where teachers will be focusing on bridging the gap between Covid learning loss and reaffirming necessary foundational skills for our students’ education.

Our District will be providing both an online learning option as well as an in person learning option. Each child will receive intensive Math and Reading instruction and in person students will receive a cold breakfast and snack.

Our Summer school program will run from June 14th, 2021 through July 16th, 2021. In addition to the intensive math and reading instruction, Brookwood 167 will offer a choice of Math Camp, STEAM Camp, or a Fine Arts Camp. Students will not be in attendance July 2nd and 5th.

This Summer program is being offered by the school district at no cost to the child’s family. Students will attend a morning SEL session along with one session of Math and Reading.

• • • • •

Breakfast/Morning SEL Meeting: 8:30 a.m. - 9:00 a.m.

Session 1: 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Session 2: 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Optional: Lunch/Fitness 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Optional: Camps begin at 1:00 p.m.

We look forward to seeing each and every one of our students and families taking advantage of this great program.

R. Mitchell | Assistant Principal

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SAFETY PROCEDURES FOR IN-PERSON LEARNING • The use of face masks will be required at all times on buses or inside school buildings except while students are eating during breakfast and lunch periods. Face masks can be removed when outdoors if socially distanced by six (6) feet or more.

• Social distancing must be maintained to the extent possible.

• Students will have their temperatures taken by staff prior to entering the school building each day.

• Parents will be required to self-certify daily that their child is free of COVID-19 symptoms, is not suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19 and has not been exposed to someone who is confirmed or suspected of having COVID-19 in the past fourteen (14) days.

• Any child who is exhibiting any symptoms of COVID-19 must stay home. Symptoms include: a fever of 100.4 or greater, chills, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle of body aches, headaches, sore throat, new loss of taste or smell, diarrhea, congestion or runny nose, nausea, or vomiting.

• Students will eat breakfast and lunch in their classroom or in another designated area while maintaining proper social distancing.

• Food deliveries to school will not be allowed.

• Frequent hand-washing breaks will take place throughout the day. f

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Our Vision

Mission Statement

Our overall vision is to improve the achievement of all students, regardless of race, socio-economic status, gender, or ability levels (disabilities).

We share the accountability of student achievement throughout the school. We believe in using researchbased practices to achieve our goals. We promote school and community involvement because we believe that these partnerships help us meet the needs of all of our students.

Brookwood School District 167, in partnership with parents and community, will create a learning environment in which all students excel at becoming lifelong learners and decision makers.

We Believe...

Families shape their children’s motivation, confidence, and academic success by being interested and involved in their overall development.

All students are unique and should be challenged to the highest level of academic and artistic excellence.

We are committed to: • providing students with highly qualified teachers • providing our staff with professional development

In the importance of staff development opportunities based on best practices and educational research.

In educating our children in a safe and nurturing environment with access to state of the art technology.

The school system should teach students to think critically enabling them to become contributing citizens in our global society.

In continuous improvement in all aspects of the school system to foster a culture of excellence, accountability and integrity.

In responsible stewardship of financial and physical resources.

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EMAIL US: bmsremotelearning@brookwood167.org CALL US: 708.758.5350

Technology Help Line!

If your child is having any technology problems connecting to their teacher’s Google Meet (live teaching), please contact our help desk at (708) 300-3553 or email our help desk: helpdesk@brookwood167.org Please leave a detailed message with your name, your child’s name, phone number and

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the issue you are having with the device.

Parents must call the school to report their child absent before 8:30 a.m.

The number for reporting absences is (708) 757-2110. Official attendance will be reported every morning at 9:00 a.m. If your child joins a teacher’s classroom late, they will be marked tardy in PowerSchool, and you will be notified through the Principal’s ClassDojo.

If your child needs any resources or supplies for any of their classes, please contact the school office so we can help provide them with the needed materials.

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MS. MANGAN ELA

OUR TEACHERS!

As we wrap up our study of poetry and figurative language, we will move forward with our next unit of study. The “Big Idea” for the next unit is “In what ways can things change?” We will explore essential questions such as, “How do shared experiences help people adapt to change?” We will focus on the comprehension skills compare and contrast as well as cause and effect. As always, students should be reading at home

MR. WESLEY SOCIAL STUDIES

for at least twenty (20) minutes each day because readers become readers and critical thinkers by reading.

What is worth fighting for? The American revolution. People can stand up for what they believe.

Many American colonists united in the common goal of fighting for freedom and equality. There are universal rights that all people share. Political change can have costs and benefits for different groups. Our fifth-grade students will learn how the tensions rose between the American colonists and the British following the French and Indian War.

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MS. EASON MATH

OUR TEACHERS!

Spring has sprung, the birds are chirping and the sun is shining.

As we move forward in Math, students will be learning to add and subtract fractions with unlike denominators. Next, we will learn how to multiply fractions.

As always, students should be practicing multiplication facts daily for ten (10) to fifteen (15) minutes daily.

MS. SCHIEMANN SOCIAL STUDIES World is a much better place now that some students have returned! We will wrap-up our Ancient Greeks Unit with a Greek Gods and Goddess project. We will then continue our travels to a neighboring country because we know “all roads lead to Rome!” The Romans were very influential and we learn all about their amazing contributions to our ancient world history. Keep working hard, we are truly making history together every day!

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MS. BRYLEWSKI MATH

OUR TEACHERS!

The second wave of in person learners was warmly welcomed! We are going to finish off the year in Algebra talking more about Expressions, Equations, and using Variables. Keep up the great Math talk comments and knocking out those Carnegie workspaces! I am extremely proud of all the work the students have been doing during the WILD school year!!

Let’s have a stronG

finish!

MR. CRESCENTI ELA IAR testing for ELA has just finished, and we are jumping directly back into poetry! We will be finishing our poetry unit by writing three different forms of poetry. Students will be required to create a haiku, limerick, and lyrical poem by the end of the unit! Once we finish Poetry we will conclude the school year by focusing on our final unit of Wonders. It is important for students to remember that we have to keep working hard all the way through the last day of the school year. I know that things are beginning to wind down, but our effort has to stay as high as possible!

Let’s finish the year on a positive note! f

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OUR TEACHERS!

MS. HORN/ MR. BLAHNIK RESOURCE/ DO THE MATH It has been wonderful having so many of my Math Intervention students return to in-person learning.

On May 3rd, we will begin our final Math Module for Do The Math-Multiplication Workbook B-Facts Through 12 X 12. Rather remote or in-person, each student will receive a workbook. As with our previous workbook A, the Math topic has five (5) lessons and then the students complete a “Show What You Know Quiz” to check their comprehension of the skill taught. There will be a total of thirty (30) lessons focusing on strengthening understanding of multiplication using a number chart, hands-on experiences creating number grids, exploring visual patterns of multiples, increasing Math vocabulary/learning new strategies, and memorization of timetable facts through 12 X 12. f

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MR. RAB ART

OUR TEACHERS!

After a long road of learning about drawing facial features, the 5th graders are wrapping up their self portraits. From there we will go to the complete opposite end of the art spectrum when we learn about, discuss, and create abstract art. This can be a bit challenging, but it can also be a lot of fun.

We will also be taking another virtual field trip to an art museum on the other side of the globe to see some fantastic digital collections.

It has been great to see the students’ progress as we have been working on our art projects.

MR. BARTON SCIENCE We have been working on a series of videos to supplement the curriculum. In the latter half of the quarter we will introduce more engaging activities to end the school year in the areas of the Earth’s Systems.

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MR. DIXON RESOURCES

OUR TEACHERS!

May is the month when Spring flourishes. The Unique Learning Unit is Plants in Gardens and Fields.

Our focus will investigate plants as foods, plant’s ability to make their own food via photosynthesis.

Students will learn about the parts of plants and humans help plants make food and reproduce.

Finally, students will learn about why people and animals need plants to survive. Students will continue to learn about basic algebra and geometry, as well as continue practicing basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.

MS. CROWEL MATH 180 Hello to Everyone! This May, as BMS approaches the end of an eventful year, Math 180 students will continue to work on Block 4, Understanding Fractions. Students will use models to compare fractions and determine whether one is equal to, greater than, or less than another. Math 180 students will practice making fractions rows equivalent to one and use this to find unknown fractional quantities. Remember to complete five (5) minutes of Brain Arcade each day and twenty (20) minutes of Math 180 Software. f

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MS. MILLER-COOPER SCIENCE

OUR TEACHERS!

We are in the midst of our Space Science unit and the students have been studying the individual motion of our planet, as well as, its motion in relation to other celestial bodies. These motions are the cause of the day/night and yearly cycles.

As we study the Sun, our own planet Earth and the other seven planets in our Solar System, we are looking past it, as well. Students are learning just how vast our Universe really is, and it’s truly mind-blowing. Scientists estimate that there are hundreds of billions of galaxies, while each galaxy contains about 100 billion stars! Our own Sun is just one of those stars. As we move out of our Solar System to the stars beyond, look for your student to be bringing home a stargazing activity soon.

MS. GUZMAN R180 It’s been great to have the students back in the classroom! They are doing so well with the transition.

This month in Read 180, we are continuing to work on Workshop 5: The Earth Moves. We will be moving from informational text to literature about earthquakes, volcanos, and tsunamis. Please make sure you are reading independently every day for 15-20 minutes and filling out your Reading logs on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Also, make sure you are completing 15-20 minutes of software daily and completing your software logs on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. For 4th quarter you need to have two more segments completed (for a total of 8). Software will be weighted more heavily this quarter. There will be a special incentive for the students who have finished eight (8) segments by the end of the quarter. f

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OUR

MR. CHINN &

TEACHERS!

MR. BRANDT / P.E.

It has been a breath of fresh air having real live students in the gym again! In an effort to give both live students and at home students the respect and attention that they deserve, we have been splitting responsibilities so that each group has one dedicated PE teacher for the day. This means that students who are exercising at home can continue to push the pace. Students who are working out live with masks on can pace themselves as we all know, physical activity with a mask on is challenging. We are looking forward to the weather getting nice (and staying nice) and hopefully taking the live students outside to enjoy the weather with outdoor physical activities. f

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Remote Learning Schedule | Grades 5th & 6th LIVE HOURS

TIME CLASS PERIOD

30 MIN 8:30 A.M. | 9:00 A.M. MORNING MEETING | Social Emotional Learning

Activities | (1ST PERIOD) | Official attendance will be sent to the school office at 9:00 a.m.

20 MIN

9:00 A.M.

| 9:50 A.M.

1ST PERIOD

20 MIN

9:50 A.M.

| 10:40 A.M.

2ND PERIOD

10:40 A.M. | 10:50 A.M.

BRAIN BREAK

20 MIN

10:50 A.M. | 11:40 A.M.

3RD PERIOD

11:40 A.M. | 12:10 P.M.

LUNCH

20 MIN

12:10 P.M. | 1:00 P.M.

4TH PERIOD

20 MIN

1:00 P.M. | 1:50 P.M.

5TH PERIOD

1:50 P.M. | 2:00 P.M.

BRAIN BREAK

20 MIN

2:00 P.M. | 2:50 P.M.

6TH PERIOD

2:50 P.M. | 3:10 P.M

INDEPENDENT READING

TOTAL

(2.5 HRS)

TEACHERS WILL BE LIVE THE FIRST 20 - 30 MINUTES OF EACH CLASS 2:50 P.M. - 3:15 P.M. TEACHER PLC MEETINGS

Onquanette Pierce, Principal

p Contact

Brookwood Middle School 200 E. Glenwood-Lansing Road Glenwood, IL 60425 708.758.5350