Brookside Blast

We made it through the first five-day week and we were very busy learning and practicing new routines, procedures and strengthening our classroom and school community! We hope you had a positive and bucket-filling long weekend. We look forward to welcoming everyone back tomorrow morning!

Please remember to remain in your vehicle in the pick up/drop off loop during arrival and dismissal. This ensures safety for all and efficiency in transitioning students. If you feel you may need to exit the vehicle to support your child, please pull around to the back lot and park. Thanks in advance for your support with this.

If you are interested in joining our PTO, please consider attending the first meeting of the year on Thursday, 9/17 at 6pm at BPS. You will get a chance to meet some awesome folks and join in on the fun planned for this year! Please reach out to bpsparentteacherorganization@gmail.com if you have any questions!

In Partnership,

Sarah & Chris

Brookside Primary School is again sponsoring, free of charge, a "weekend of food" for your child through our Backpack Program. We are able to offer a supply of nutritious meals and snacks for children of the weekends and extended breaks no cost.

Any child enrolled at Brookside Primary School is able to receive these weekly bags of food for themselves and each child in their family. If you believe your child could benefit from this program, please complete the form linked below.

If you have questions or concerns or need help with this form, please email Eliza Chittenden at echittenden@huusd.org or call BPS at (802) 244-7195.

https://forms.gle/vbkSNVD97qepJ4zu6

Bus route information can be found here: https://huusd.org/bus-routes. Please take a moment to review your child’s route so that the first days of school run smoothly. Additionally, please familiarize yourself with Pick Up Patrol, as it is the system we use to manage absences, tardies and dismissal plans. Please ensure your child has adequate default plans!

We are delighted to remind families that both breakfast and lunch are provided free of charge every day for all students. This ensures every child is nourished and ready to learn. The August/September menu can be found here.

Are you interested in volunteering this year? There is a formal process that must be complete before you are able to volunteer with our students. Please follow the link below to get started!

https://huusd.org/apply-to-volunteer

Four Winds Nature Education Program @ BPS: Volunteers needed for 2026-27 school year!

Calling all parents, grandparents and community members! Do you enjoy the outdoors and want to get involved in the classroom? Brookside Primary School's Four Winds Nature Education program is seeking volunteers to help teach students about our natural world in the 2026-27 school year.

The theme for the year is “Patterns in Nature” and we will be teaching 6 different lessons over the course of the academic year. Curriculum materials including background information and activity descriptions are provided by the Four Winds Institute and are accessible online. We have an in-person training session prior to teaching each of the 6 lessons. The training sessions are led by a professional environmental educator and naturalist. There are a variety of different activities for each lesson, including an informative puppet show, hands-on experiments, games, crafts, dances, songs, examination of provided specimens, and observations in nature.

Our training sessions are on Thursday mornings, and if you can’t make the in-person meeting you can study the materials at home to prepare for teaching the lesson. Ideally each class is taught by a team of two or more volunteers.

The classroom teacher is always there to help with managing students as well. Applying to be a volunteer in the HUUSD district and getting your background check complete is the first step, which sometimes takes a while, so start now.

Please email Heather LaRocca at fourwindsbps@gmail.com to let us know if you are interested in volunteering this year or if you have any questions about the program.

Please note that the opportunities/events listed below are not specifically endorsed or screened by school staff. As always, families should use their own standards and review processes to determine appropriate activities.

When: Sep 30, 2026, 6 to 8 PM

Where: 28 North Main Street, Waterbury, Waterbury, Waterbury, VT

URL: http://bit.ly/planWTB

The Waterbury Planning Commission is seeking your feedback on the Draft 2026 Town Plan.

New StoryWalk® on the Moretown Recreation Field by the school, entitled Nell Plants a Tree, written by Anne Wynter and illustrated by Daniel Miyares. See details here.

Everybody Wins! Vermont is hiring a site coordinator for our popular literacy mentoring program at Brookside Elementary. This is a fun, rewarding, and flexible position!

The Waterbury Site Coordinator Position is an average of approx. 10 hours per week including onsite at Brookside Elementary midday on Tues and Thurs (Oct-May.) Other time is flexible and can be remote. The position follows the school schedule with minimal summer hours. It is a great way to make a difference in the community while fostering inter-generational relationships.

This is a great position for a parent who wants to work a few hours while their kids are in school and be available after school.

Mentors and mentees often say their Everybody Wins! reading days are their favorite part of their week. Help make that magic happen!

For more information please visit our website:
https://everybodywinsvermont.org/about-us/openings/ or email progmgreast@everybodywinsvermont.org

Website: https://bps.huusd.org/

Instagram: BrooksidePrimarySchool

Facebook: HUUSD

Phone: 802-244-7195

Location: 47 Stowe Street, Waterbury, VT