Bulldogs Newsletter October 2, 2023

Dear Basswood Families,

At Basswood we have a lot of people that celebrate holidays in December. For those that celebrate, I hope you have a very special time with your family and friends, filled with peace and joy!

Be Well: We continue to have a high rate of student and staff absences due to illness. Please watch for symptoms and take precautions to prevent the spread of seasonal illness.

Lost & Found: Please check the tables for anything that may belong to your family. Please note that all items will be donated over winter break.

Office Closed: The Basswood office will be closed December 24th through January 5th. The office team will reply to messages when we return. Thank you for your understanding!

Happy Holidays!

Steven Schwartz
Basswood Principal
#WeAreBasswood!

While the 2025-26 school year is still young, Osseo Area Schools is already making preparations for a smooth transition to new attendance boundaries at the elementary and middle school levels for the fall of 2026. Families can double-check whether or not their household is impacted by using the 2026-27 search tool available via osseoschools.org/boundaries.

• December 22-23 - Moonlight Bowling in PE classes
• December 23 - All School Sing-Along
• December 24 thru January 2 - Winter Break
• January 5 - Welcome Back to School!

• January 13-15 - Vision & Hearing Screening for 1st, 3rd, 5th grades
• January 16 - E-Learning Day for Students
• January 19 - No School/Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday
• January 22 - PTO Meeting 6:30pm

• 2nd grade: 10:45 - 11:10am
• 4th grade: 11:15 - 11:40am
• 1st grade: 11:45 - 12:10pm
• 3rd grade: 12:15 - 12:40pm
• 5th grade: 12:45 - 1:10pm
• Kindergarten: 1:15 - 1:40pm

If you are planning a family vacation or just time away from school, please remember to call your student's absence into the attendance line. You can call 763-494-3858 and press 1 to leave a message with your student's name, student's teacher, reason for absence, and dates that your student will be gone. We really appreciate your assistance!

Our district Community Education department offers a variety of after school classes. If you do sign your student up for one of these classes, please remember to let your student's teacher know about the class and when your student needs to stay after school.

First bell rings at 8:40am letting students into the school. Second bell rings at 8:50am letting students know they should be in their classroom ready to start the day! At 8:50am, the front doors are shut and student will need to come through the office to get a late pass.

The District Transportation department only allows students to ride their assigned bus to and from school. If you have questions, you can reach out to the Transportation Department at 763-391-7244 or transportationreques@district279.org.

We welcome and encourage volunteers at Basswood. You can complete an online volunteer form online at apps.raptortech.com/Apply/Nzg0OmVuLVVT and work with our volunteer coordinator, Lezlie Northagen. Volunteer information will go home the first week of school. Activities in a normal school year include being a classroom assistant, helping with classroom parties, helping with PTO sponsored activities (Carnival, Turkey Bingo, Book Fair, etc.) along with numerous other opportunities. We continue to follow state guidelines and adjust our volunteer program accordingly.

Yes! You will be able to follow us on Facebook. Please note that we are moving away from Twitter (@BWPrincipal279) for Basswood social media. Click here to follow us.

Every parent or guardian of enrolled students of Basswood Elementary is an automatic member of the PTO. We encourage you to join one of our next general meetings - or just send us a note if you have a question. You can find more information on our PTO website: https://sites.google.com/view/basswoodpto/home?authuser=1 or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BasswoodElementaryPto