Bridgewater Bear Tracks

Welcome to the 2025-2026 school year at Bridgewater Elementary! We have been busy planning all summer for the return of students to the hallways and classrooms. We hope you have all had a wonderful summer!

While Mrs. Antoine is away from the office helping to care for her husband after a bone marrow transplant, Hope Langston and Adam Danielson are working together as interim principals in her absence.

Please don't hesitate to reach out to either Mrs. Langston (hlangston@northfieldschools.org), or Mr. Danielson (adanielson@northfieldschools.org). Together, they look forward to supporting you and your children as we start the new year.

I am extremely excited to get this new school year started and to serve the students, staff and families as interim principal along with my role as behavior coach. I started at Bridgewater right after college and have been here for 25 years. I taught 4th and 5th grade prior to becoming the behavior coach. I am also the head boys golf coach at Northfield High School. I live in Northfield with my wife Christa, who is a kindergarten teacher at Bridgewater, as well as our three kids (Parker-5th, Sawyer-3rd, and Vivian-1st) who all attend Bridgewater.

It is a privilege to step into the role of interim principal and I look forward to working alongside you as we begin this new school year. I have spent 25 years in public education as a teacher, instructional coach, and district administrator. Originally from New England, I have proudly called Minnesota home for many years and began my Northfield career right here at Bridgewater. My husband and I live in Northfield, and enjoy spending time with our children and grandchildren. I am truly excited to join the Bridgewater community and to partner with you in creating an enriching and successful school experience for all of our students and families.

Family Conferences will take place on Wednesday, August 27th (11:00-7:00) and Thursday, August 28th (7:30-11:30). Links were sent with classroom placement information to sign up for the date and time that works best for you. While at Family Conferences you will have the opportunity to:

• Meet with your child's teacher and discuss the coming school year
• Sign up for Snack Cart (optional)
• Complete paperwork
• Have your child's school picture taken
• Make a car tag to display if your child is picked up at the end of the day

School pictures will be taken while you are at Bridgewater for Family Conferences. To place an online order for pictures, please visit the Strawbridge website and enter Bridgewater’s code: FM475291 under “Order Pictures & Yearbooks.”

Teacher placement information was sent via email last week. Please note that this process takes many hours, and this is why parent input was requested in April. Changes requested in August will not be honored except for extenuating circumstances. Thank you for understanding!

Our schools offer healthy meals each day. We are a part of Minnesota’s Free School Meals for Kids Program, which started in school year 2023-24. All students can get one breakfast and one lunch free of charge each day at school. For more information on this program click here (para español). Although no application is required to receive this free meal benefit, filling out the Application for Educational Benefits is still important! Your child(ren) may qualify for other benefits like reduced fees for school sports & activities. Your application may also help the school qualify for education funds, discounts, and other meal programs.

The appropriate form must be completed each school year and submitted to Child Nutrition Services for review and approval. Applications are available online to print on your own, at each principal’s office, each school kitchen, and are mailed to each household in August. If an application is needed in a different language please contact Child Nutrition Services. Applications are also available to fill out online in Family Access under the “Food Service” tab.

Snack cart will be offered for a fee again this year. Below are the snack cart letter and form for this year. This fee may be paid on RevTrack: https://northfieldschools.revtrak.net/bridgewater/Bridgewater-School-Fees/#/list

Bus registration is required each school year. If your form was not received by August 10th, you will need to wait until after the first week of school to receive transportation. If Benjamin Bus did not receive your form you will not be added to a bus for the beginning of this school year, regardless if you rode a bus last school year.

If you are not certain that you turned in a bus form, contact Benjamin Bus at 507-645-5720. They are happy to check this for you. The online option will not be available until after September 3rd.

Benjamin Bus will continue to provide SAFE and professional transportation to all students.

Attendance Line

507-664-3306

Benjamin Bus

507-645-5720

BW Main Office

507-664-3300

Office Hours: 7:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Nurse

507-664-3305

Tuesday, September 2nd is the first day of school for students. Please mark this on your calendar. We are excited to have the students return!

• School starts each day at 8:20 a.m. (except Wednesdays) and dismisses at 3:20 p.m.

• On Wednesdays, students start at 9:20 a.m.

• Students are allowed to arrive between 8:00-8:20 a.m. (9:00-9:20 a.m. on Wednesdays) if not eating breakfast at school. Supervision will be in place during that time on the playground.

• Please do NOT park in the drop off lane. If your child isn't exiting your vehicle right away, please park in the lot and walk them to the building at the appropriate time.

• Breakfast (optional for all students) begins at 7:50 a.m. (8:50 a.m. on Wednesdays). Once they are done eating, students will go outside until 8:20 a.m.

• Call the attendance line and leave a message (507-664-3306) OR

• Email: bwattendance@northfieldschools.org

• Be sure to include the following detailed information:

• Student’s full name

• Classroom teacher

• Reason for absence and symptoms if it is illness related

• Phone number to reach you if there are any questions

Please do not leave messages on the attendance line for changes to the end of day routine. Please call the office at 507-664-3300 instead. We notify students by 2:00 of these changes.

It is helpful for the office staff to know if your student will be late for school. You can do this one of three ways:

• Leave a message on the attendance line, available 24 hours/day (507-664-3306)

• Email bwattendance@northfieldschools.org

• Call the main office number (507-664-3300)

If your student arrives after 8:25 a.m., they will need to be checked-in by a parent in the office before heading to class.

Please contact the office (507-664-3300) if you plan on picking your student up before the 3:20 p.m. dismissal. All students need to be signed out in the office before leaving the building prior to the end of the school day. You can come into the office to pick your student up and sign them out.

If your student’s end of the day plans is going to differ from their normal routine (ie. your child will be picked up by mom/dad instead of riding the bus home), please call the main office number (507-664-3300) no later than 2:00 p.m.

*Please do not leave messages on the attendance line for changes to the end of day pick up routine.

Below are the School Supply lists for the school year.

Reminder that the Bridgewater Booster Club (BBC) is paying the school supply fee for all Bridgewater students K-5. This generosity is due to the incredible amount of money raised by families at the Boosterthon Fun Run last spring. Please note, there is a short list of remaining items on the School Supply List above that will need to be purchased by each family.

Please make sure to share medical needs for your child with Nurse Lucy Archibald. Any and all medications need to go through her as well. Please do not send medications on the bus with students. Thank you!

Please feel free to contact Kid Ventures for information on before or after school child care for your elementary student. Kid Ventures

All volunteers in our school buildings are required to complete a confidentiality acknowledgment, plus an informed consent form that grants permission for the district to conduct a criminal background check. A background check needs to be completed each year in order to volunteer in the schools or chaperone field trips. Please click the link below to complete a background check for the 2025-2026 school year, and allow processing time of 24 hours prior to your event. You can call the Bridgewater office at 507-664-3300 if you have questions.

There are many activities that children and adults may access during the course of the year. Click the "button" below to check out current event, activity, and resource opportunities.

Aug 27 & 28---Family Conferences & School Pictures

Sept 2---First Day of School

Sept 3-One Hour Late Start

Oct 16 & 17---MEA Break-No School for Students

Oct 30---End of 1st Quarter

Oct 31 & Nov 3---No School-Teacher Preparation Day

The Northfield School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, familial status, status with regard to public assistance, sexual orientation, including gender identity or expression, or disability and prohibits discrimination in any education program or activity that it operates, as required by Title IX, including in employment. You can learn more at: https://northfieldschools.org/about/departments/human-resources/ under the Title IX tab.

World-Class Learning for Elementary Students, Bridgewater Elementary School, situated on a 14-acre campus just south of downtown Northfield, is a K-5 public school serving approximately 560 students. It serves the neighborhoods on Northfield's southern side, Dundas, and the rural area south of Highway 19 and west of Highway 246. Students benefit from an active parent-teacher organization, Bridgewater Booster Club (BBC) and many parent volunteers.

The staff is intensely dedicated to offering a high-quality, well-rounded education that strives to meet the specific needs of each student. We focus on empowering our students in their academic and social emotional learning along with building a solid foundation for their educational journey in partnership with families.

Main Office Number: 507-664-3300

Attendance Line: 507-664-3306

Address: 401 Jefferson Parkway

Web page: northfieldschools.org/schools/bridgewater-elementary/