Winter BEEs!

Greetings Parents and Community Members!

It’s been a great few weeks since my last update. At the Scholastic Book Fair, every student at Brandon was able to purchase books in-person, and all proceeds went directly back to our Media Center. To celebrate our 100th day of school, our PC students participated in activities that encouraged them to count to 100, learning about place value along the way. We continue to host school tours that are packed with parents interested in learning more about our neighborhood school. Several grade levels are participating in High Touch High Tech, an in-house field trip tailored around STEM and grade level science standards, and we even resumed some out-of-school field trips! I presented our initial school budget for FY 22/23 to our GO Team and in the coming weeks, we will tailor our staffing and budget to align with our strategic priorities, most notably increasing proficiency in reading and math. Finally, we kicked off the Kids Heart Challenge to help raise money for the American Heart Association. Thank you to our awesome PE teachers for leading the charge! If you have not signed up yet, there is still time to register HERE.

We also have a ton to look forward to as we roll through the month of February, including a HIVE Rally next Friday, February 11, and of course Valentine’s Day! Our very own Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl team will compete against all APS schools this Friday, February 4, and our Social and Emotional Screener (BASC-3 BESS) will be administered between February 16 and March 1. As a reminder, this universal screener was selected by the district to help identify student strengths and areas for growth. Students 8 and above (generally 3rd-5th graders) will be invited to complete a self-rating that will take 5-15 minutes to complete. Parents of students in grades PreK-5 will be invited to complete a brief rating scale about their student(s), in addition to homeroom teachers’ input. This valuable data helps us to recognize the needs of all our students, and to align a school budget that reinforces the necessity for supporting the whole child.

February kicks off an incredibly busy time of the school year, so get ready for lots of fun at Morris Brandon!

Until then, take care and let us know if you need anything.

j