August Newsletter

Greetings Brighton Families~

The staff and I are thrilled to welcome everyone back for another fantastic year! We have had a busy, productive summer preparing for the 26/27 school year. From welcoming new team members to seeing familiar faces step into exciting new roles, our staff is energized and ready to go.

Our campus got some wonderful upgrades this summer that the students are going to love. The gym now has brand new HVAC and air conditioning, completing the final phase of our building climate updates. Out on the playground, we've also added a brand new Gaga Ball Pit. A huge thank you to our PTO and everyone who donated to make that project possible.

The building has been far too quiet; we can't wait to see all of our students fill the halls with energy, laughter, and learning. Thank you for your continued partnership and support. Let's make this the best school year yet.

Respectfully,

Carrie Reid

As we filled the vacancies that came up this summer with the best candidates for our school, we shifted some classes, roles, and responsibilities to align our staff's strengths and certifications directly with our students' needs.

I want to extend a huge thank you to Matt Revell and Holly Terry for their incredible flexibility and willingness to step into new roles to support our team:

-Matt Revell (Library/WC, 6th ELA, 7th Math): Mr. Revell is expanding his versatility by adding 6th grade ELA to his teaching schedule. He will continue to teach Library and World Cultures as well.

-Holly Terry (4th Grade): Ms. Terry is looking forward to taking over the 4th grade classroom this year. She has been busy for the last few weeks giving the 4th grade classroom a makeover and being sure its ready for the fourth graders' return.

Along with these internal shifts, we're excited to announce some fantastic additions to our Brighton Family! Please join us in welcoming our newest staff members:

Riese Mosback (Special Education)- Ms. Mosback comes to us with a dual license in General and Special Education, a passion for student advocacy, and a well-rounded background in supporting diverse learners.

Hayley Lane (1st Grade)- Ms. Lane brings a passion for foundational reading, sharp expertise in data analysis, and rich experience teaching across multiple elementary grade levels.

Amber Cushing (7th/8th ELA, 8th Grade Math, and Instructional Coach)- Ms. Cushing joins us with broad licensure in teaching and administration, versatile middle school and elementary experience, and a proven track record of strong teacher leadership, mentoring, and instructional coaching.

Regina Halbmaier (5th-8th Grade Spanish): Ms. Halbmaier is bringing a wealth of expertise in teaching Spanish and dual language middle school classes.

Margaret Lucas (Art)- With years of experience teaching and developing young artists across the country; the energy and passion Ms. Lucas is bringing to Brighton are sure to inspire the creativity in our students.

We are fortunate to have such a dedicated and flexible team, as well as talented new educators joining our great staff. Please help us welcome our newest members and show them why Brighton is the #1 school in Kenosha County!

We put strong value on our partnership with Brighton families in fostering a safe, focused, and engaging learning environment. We recognize that many students carry personal communication devices (including cell phones, smartwatches, and tablets), and fully respect parents' desire to stay connected with their children. However, during the school day, guardrails are essential to protect instructional time, align with district policy, and minimize unnecessary distractions. To support this, we ask that families partner with us by speaking with their child(ren) about our expectations for cell phones at school;

all devices must be powered completely off (not just placed on silent or vibrate) and stored out of sight in their backpacks throughout the school day.

This policy is in alignment with WI Act 42, which prohibits student cell phone use during instructional time.

Our goal is to work with families to reinforce these habits. If a student has a device out during school hours, staff will enforce Board Policy 5136 by confiscating the phone and securing it until the end of the day. If you need to reach your child during school hours, don't hesitate to get in touch with the office directly, and we will gladly connect you. If you have questions about this policy, please call the office to speak with Mrs. Reid.

Thank you for your continued support in keeping our classrooms centered on learning!

As always, the safety of students is our top priority, especially during daily drop-off and dismissal times. Please help us keep everyone safe by following the procedures below.

Morning Drop-Off:

• Observe "Bus Lane" signs. The Bus Lane is ONLY for buses, cars should not use this lane. Do not drop off or park in the designated loading zone for buses.

• Parents dropping students off must drive through the parking lot and let their student exit the vehicle at the cross-walk (where a staff member will be standing).

• Parents and students must use the marked crossing area to get from the parking lot to the front doors.

• If your student is in 4k or 5k, be sure to park your vehicle and walk them to the crosswalk.

• If your student needs extra time to get out of the car, park your vehicle so as to not back up the drop-off line.

• The drop-off line should be used by students who are ready to quickly exit the vehicle on the passenger side.

• If your student needs to exit the vehicle on the driver's side, please park in a parking space.

• Single file in drop-off lane please. No one should ever pass another vehicle while in the drop-off lane.

• When parked in a parking spot, it is not permitted to pull forward into the bus lane to exit the lot.

• Cars are not permitted in the bus lane in the morning.

End of Day Dismissal/Pick-Up:

Dismissal is 2:20 pm. All students who are riding buses are expected to load promptly. Students getting picked up will wait inside with staff until they are called to the pick-up lane outside. Students are never to be outside the school without adult supervision. Students not picked up on time should go to the after-care program, please make arrangements ahead of time.

After the buses leave, we will dismiss the parent-pick-up students.

• Parents picking up their child will form two lines in the Bus Lane. Students will be dismissed depending on who is first in the car pick-up line.

• A school staff member will come to your window to ask who you are picking up.

• If you have a child in 4K or 5K, you may not pick them up from the moving lane. Please park in a parking spot and walk to the crosswalk to let the staff know you are here.

• If you have someone other than yourself pick up your student, that person must be added to your emergency contact list ahead of time. You will need to email us the name, daytime phone number, and relationship to the child for any emergency contacts.

• If you need to pick up your student early, you must notify the office via note, email, or phone call by noon.

• If your student regularly rides the bus and you are picking them up, you must notify the office before noon (same for students riding the bus to another student's home).

• If alternative plans are being made for a child’s transportation home, please send a note with your child to school.

• If a change needs to occur after the start of the school day, please contact the office before noon. Phone messages left and requests made after noon may not reach students resulting in an unsafe situation for your child.

Mark your calendars! Brighton School Open House is Wednesday, August 26, from 4:00-6:00 pm.

• Meet Teachers and Friends: Say hello to your new teachers, and catch up with fellow Brighton Stars.
• School Pictures: Get your photo taken in the gym.
• School Supplies: Drop off school supplies. No one wants to lug those heavy things around on the first morning of school!
• Special Treat: Keep your eye out for the Kona Ice Truck!