Bridges Community School

Sept. 4, 2026

School Hours 8:10 am-2:50 pm

Students are marked tardy at 8:20 am

Dear Bridges Families,

Welcome to the start of a wonderful new school year! Next week is such a big, exciting milestone as we host our entrance conferences and welcome our students back for our first two days together. We are truly thrilled to open our doors and see all of your bright, familiar and new faces back in our halls.

📅 Upcoming Dates & Details

• Sept. 2: Ice Cream Social from 5–7 PM on the Bridges playground.

• Sept. 8–9 — Entrance Conferences: A great chance to connect and meet your teacher before school begins.

• Sept. 10 — First Day of School!

🎒 School Supplies Made Simple To keep things simple for you, families only need to provide gym shoes, a backpack, and headphones.

Please stop by the BAC table by the office to make your donation payment to BAC.

☀️ Looking Ahead to Day One Thank you so much for your ongoing partnership in your child's education. We know how much strong attendance, good sleep, and meaningful friendships matter to their growth and happiness, and we are so grateful to share this journey with you. Thank you for being such a vital part of our Bridges community!

Warmly,

Jody Rittmiller

Principal, Bridges Community School

All visitors must check in through the office - door 1.

Bring a license, passport or ID to be scanned at the kiosk and a visitor badge will be printed for you before you enter the building.

You will not be able to park on the South Side of Garfield Ave. between these signs during the hours above. There should be no double parking to ensure safety of our students and families as well as a path for busses and cars to get through Garfield Ave.

If you are dropping off between 8:10-8:20, please come through door 1. Door 2 will be locked.

Thank you for continuing to keep Bridges safe for all students and staff.

If you have any individual concerns regarding student safety, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/AG47V16VjkVqQqf76

Mankato Area Public Schools is implementing Raptor VisitorSafe to create a consistent daytime visitor check-in process. Visitors entering Bridges will use a kiosk in the secured vestibule (door 1 and our main entrance) and should bring a driver's license, passport, student ID or employee ID. Manual entry is available without ID. After office staff review the check-in, approved visitors receive a printed badge to wear while in the building. The kiosk offers English, Spanish and Somali, and staff are available to assist. Visitors who are only dropping off an item and leaving do not need to complete check-in.

Welcome to the new school year! We are thrilled to launch Arts & Letters, our new English Language Arts curriculum designed to build deep knowledge, vocabulary, and reading and writing skills through high-quality literature, history, and science.

Because Arts & Letters builds cumulatively—with each daily lesson directly feeding into the next—consistent attendance is critical. Unlike traditional programs, missing a day means missing rich classroom discussions, shared context, and guided writing practice that cannot be replicated with a makeup worksheet.

Please help your child succeed by prioritizing daily attendance and scheduling appointments outside of school hours whenever possible. If an absence is unavoidable, notify us early so we can support your family. Thank you for your partnership in making every day count! Bridges Staff

To ensure the safety of our MAPS students and staff some changes have been made to the Volunteer background check policy.

MAPS volunteers are required to complete a BCA background check prior to volunteering with students. Once an individual has paid for and completed a BCA background check then going forward an annual criminal history search is required and will be done at no charge.

What this means for you:

If you have completed a background check with Bridges Community School/MAPS in years past, you will still need to complete the form linked below so that we can verify you are eligible to volunteer or chaperone field trips in the current 26/27 school year.

If you have not completed a background check with Bridges Community School/MAPS please pick up a paper form from the Bridges office or the classroom teacher.

Completing the form below allows our Bridges office staff to check the status of your background check with the BCA. Once submitted, we will reach out if any further action is needed on your part.

Thank you for taking this step to keep our students safe and thank you for your willingness to volunteer with our Bridges Bears!

Bridges Parent Volunteer Background Check

Bridges has All School Meetings on most Fridays

"Bridges Connects: Celebrating Community, Culture, and Learning Together!"

What We Do: Celebrate student "Spotteds," honor our diverse cultures, share Global Studies and our Lifeskills, sing and perform together! Students can also sign up to share a talent in the office.

Family Reminders: Families are invited to attend from 8:30-8:50. Check the schedule below for when all school meetings are, students will sit with their classes unless the student/s parents/guardians are present, and we ask everyone to join us in singing or school song, saying the pledge and using active listening.

Each year, Mankato Area Public Schools asks our families to review and update census information through the online census verification. This ensures that student information is accurate.

Please make sure the below information is accurate for this coming school year:
Current Home Address
Household parent(s) /guardian(s)
Phone Numbers for household parent(s) / guardian(s)
Emergency contact person(s)
Phone Numbers for emergency contact person(s)

We are asking that you complete your family's census verification online through your Campus Parent account by Sunday, August 23, 2026.

Below are the steps to complete the Census Verification process.
Step 1: Log into your Infinite Campus Parent Portal account.
For assistance logging into your Infinite Campus Parent Portal account, please send an email to: icsupport@isd77.org
Step 2: Select MORE from the menu along the left side of the screen.
Step 3: Select CENSUS VERIFICATION
Step 4: Select Begin Registration
Important information to know before you get started:

• Only one parent/guardian per household will need to complete the Census Verification process.
  
• The Census Verification link is only active for one household per child. If your child has more than one household, the link will be active for the parent/guardian that lives in the household indicated at the time of registration as the child's primary household.
  

Please go to this website to register for ACES: https://mankato.ce.eleyo.com/child-care/1/aces-school-age-child-care

Bridges Morning ACES is from 6:30-8:00 am

Bridges Afternoon ACES is from 2:50-6:00 pm

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