Bridges Community School

Bridges Office Phone Number 507-387-2800

Secretary (Amanda Robinson)

Health Assistant (Holly Kelly)

Principal (Jody Rittmiller)

Dear Bridges Bears Families,

As the seasons change and we approach a busy time of year, I'm delighted to share some important updates on safety, our exciting Walk-a-Thon fundraiser from today, and opportunities for global connections through learning about Día de los Muertos.

🎃 Halloween Safety Reminders

With Halloween fast approaching, please discuss these important safety points with your children to ensure a fun and secure evening:

• See and Be Seen: Encourage the use of face paint or makeup instead of masks that can obstruct vision. Add reflective tape to costumes and trick-or-treat bags, and have kids carry a flashlight or glow stick.

• Walk Safely: Remind children to walk on sidewalks (not in the street) and to cross streets only at corners or crosswalks. They must look left, right, and left again before crossing, and never dart out between parked cars.

• Accompaniment: A parent or responsible adult should accompany young children. Older children should stick to familiar, well-lit areas and only visit homes with a porch light on.

• Treat Check: All treats should be inspected by an adult before eating. Discard anything unwrapped, unsealed, or homemade from a stranger.

🚶 Walk-a-Thon: Getting Ready to Move!

Our annual Walk-a-Thon was today, and we are thrilled with the enthusiasm! This event is one of our largest fundraisers of the year, supporting "being here" and "being there" experiences, technology and opportunities for our classrooms.

🌎 Global Connections: Learning about Día de los Muertos

In our commitment to fostering global citizenship, our students will be learning about the Mexican tradition of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) in specials and Spanish this week.

• What it is: Celebrated primarily on November 1st and 2nd, it is a vibrant, joyous holiday where families honor and remember deceased loved ones. It is a celebration of life, remembrance, and the continuation of the family bond.

Promoting cultural awareness and understanding diverse traditions is a vital part of preparing our students to be thoughtful, engaged citizens in an interconnected world.

Thank you for your ongoing partnership in your child's education. Have a wonderful and safe week!

Mrs. Rittmiller

This fall all of our Bridges Bears have been learning about Latin American culture in their specials rotations. We are thrilled to be able to support this learning with a being here experience! Nieves del Norte is coming to share Norteño music with us! Norteño is a genre of music that developed in the northern border regions of Mexico and incorporates music of European immigrants (mostly German and Czech) alongside traditional Mexican rhythms, melodies, and instruments. Even more interesting, this father son duo is from Saint Peter! They are coming to share their music, their instruments, and to talk about Dia de los Muertos with us. It’s going to be a joyful learning experience for all!

I can’t wait! I’m sorry it took me too long to set up the times. I’m excited to make these connections with whoever can come though!

Key Dates for 2025-2026:

• October 1, 2025 Application Window Opened

• January 23, 2026 Application Window Closes

• February 13, 2026 The notification process to Families of elected seats through application lottery begins; Everyone in the lottery will receive either an offer or waitlist notification.

• Deadline to Accept or Decline Accepted Applications is one week from the date the offer notification is sent.

Please read this document for more information regarding the lottery process for Bridges Community School. Click here

Mrs. Gielsen (Media Specialist) and Ms. Holly (Resource Paraprofessional)

The critical importance at this age is threefold

1. Academic Foundation: Elementary years are when students learn to read, write, and master foundational math. Chronic absence during this period leads to significant learning gaps, which compound each year and are highly predictive of a student being unable to read proficiently by the end of third grade, a key indicator for future high school dropout risk.

2. Social and Emotional Development: Daily school attendance ensures students are present for structured social-emotional learning, building peer relationships, and developing essential skills like self-regulation, cooperation, and problem-solving in a stable environment.

3. Future Success Predictor: Consistent attendance in the early grades establishes a habit that is one of the strongest non-academic predictors of high school graduation and postsecondary success.

Please ask your student about the zones of regulation and what it looks like to be in each of the zones as well as what to do.

The Zones of Regulation is a framework using four colors (blue, green, yellow, red) to help individuals, from young children to adults, understand and manage their feelings and behaviors by identifying their emotional state and choosing appropriate strategies to return to a regulated state. It provides a common language and tools for building self-awareness and emotional control, fostering social-emotional development and creating a more supportive environment.

The Four Zones:

• Blue Zone: Low energy, down feelings like sadness, boredom, sickness, or tiredness.
• Green Zone: Calm, focused, happy, and feeling good—the regulated state optimal for learning.
• Yellow Zone: Heightened energy and emotions such as excitement, worry, frustration, anxiety, or feeling overwhelmed, but with some control remaining.
• Red Zone: Extremely high energy and intense, overwhelming feelings like anger, terror, or having an out-of-control reaction.

Please click here to sign up for conferences if you haven't already done so.

BAC will have the book fair set up on the gymnasium stage during conferences

Bridges conference date/times:

Tuesday, November 11th 3:20-8:30

Thursday, November 13th 3:20-8:30

Monday, November 17th 3:20-7:00 *Please note that the Book Fair will close about an hour early on the final conference night

Snow season is just around the corner! In preparation, here is an important resource that is available on the ISD77 website for your review:

Weather Related Information - includes details on where to find out about weather related closings and late starts. Please note the MAPS Notification Line: 507-387-6046.

Last week we were fortunate to learn about instruments and hear our storyteller - Nyttu Chongo from Mozambique. Our students did an amazing job learning, clapping and enjoying his message! Thanks Mrs. Chambers for arranging for this "being here" experience.

¡Hola!

In Spanish class students have been working hard to learn the alphabet, greetings and introductions. We have also been practicing counting from 1-20 and learning days of the week, months of the year, and how to say the date. Next week we will be learning about the Day of the Dead/Día de Muertos in preparation for the concert on Friday, October 31. If you are interested in connecting with the Google classroom here is a link.

Dear Families,

We want to remind you that our ACES School Age Child Care Program uses the school playground as part of its daily programming. To ensure a safe and structured environment for ACES students, the playground is reserved for their use until the program ends at 6:00 p.m.

After 6:00 p.m., the playground is open to the public. We appreciate your cooperation in helping us maintain a safe and supportive space for all students.

If you’re looking for alternative play spaces before 6:00 p.m., the City of Mankato provides a list of parks here, and a map of North Mankato parks can be found here.

Thank you for your understanding and support!

Find more information HERE.

Looking for a way to connect to MAPS? We strive to connect our community to our district and schools. Subscribe to this newsletter to get the current information and links to events.

Follow MAPS Facebook and Instagram for student celebrations:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ISD77MAPS

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/isd77maps/

MAPS Website: https://www.isd77.org/

Bridges BAC Website: BAC website link: : https://bridgesbears.weebly.com/faq.html