Bulldogs Newsletter October 2, 2023

Hello Basswood Families,

It has been a great week at Basswood! During a time when there is so much uncertainty, one of our goals is to provide the structure and routines that help students feel more settled. Each day students engage in their lessons, complete their work, and visit with friends as they eat together. We will continue to support the social-emotional needs of students through our programing. This week we also had some special events:

DARE Graduation: We started off the week with a celebration of our 5th graders completion of the DARE program. We are grateful for our partnership with the Maple Grove Police Department and the work of Officer Smith. Through DARE students learn strategies for decision-making, managing stress and challenges with friends. Making sound decisions related to chemical use is central in the program. It was great to hear the students share their commitments and I am confident it will help them to accomplish great things in the future.

Principal Reed of Maple Grove Middle School presented to our 5th graders this week too. They learned about registration, activities, and had a chance to ask questions. Parents will have a chance to connect with the team at MGMS this spring as well. We are working to facilitate a smooth transition for our fifth grade class.

Eastman Nature Center was at Basswood this week. Second graders enjoyed an indoor lesson about mammals. They had a chance to examine a variety of animal skulls to determine if the animals at plants, meat, or both. They also saw a variety of animal furs.

Kindergarteners went on a fieldtrip to Stages Theater, where they enjoyed a production of Giraffes Can't Dance. I heard it was a great show and that the kids loved it.

Lastly, we had a wonderful PTO meeting last night. It was great to connect with everyone as we heard from our community. I had a chance to share about the protocols we use at Basswood and system leaders also shared about district-wide structures. Thank you to everyone that attended.

Have a wonderful long weekend!

Steven Schwartz
Basswood Principal

#WeAreBasswood!

Basswood conferences will take place on February 4, 10, and 12 with before and after school options. You can begin scheduling your conference on Monday, January 26. A letter went home on Wednesday, January 21, with details on how to schedule your conference. If you need assistance with scheduling a conference or if you need an interpreter during your scheduled conferences, please call the Basswood Office at 763-494-3858.

Scholastic Book Fair will begin on February 4 and run through February 10 with evening options on February 4 and February 10 during conferences.

Basswood Elementary School 2025-2026’s yearbook is available for sale! Order your yearbook by 04/09/2026.

• February 2 - No School
• February 4 - Conferences
• February 4-10 - Scholastic Book Fair

• February 4-10 - Scholastic Book Fair
• February 10 - Conferences
• February 12 - Conferences
• February 16 - No School / Presidents' Day Holiday
• February 19 - Group Activity Pictures
• February 24 - Classroom Pictures

• 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