Bridges Community School

Dear Bridges Bears -

I want to take a moment to acknowledge the dedication and passion of our families and staff in advocating for our students at Bridges. As principal, my priority is to listen, understand, and guide our school forward—balancing site-based decision-making with our role in Mankato Area Public Schools.

I recognize that there have been differing perspectives as we have talked about increasing enrollment for the Fall of 2025. There has been space that has allowed many viewpoints to be shared and we heard both at the school and district level. At the conclusion of these opportunities, we have landed on serving our families and increasing enrollment to expand our Bridges family. My commitment remains to ensure our school has what it needs to support students and staff effectively.

On December 19, 2024, Bridges staff learned that we would be welcoming more students and that class size alignment across all 10 buildings would be considered. In the Bridges Breeze on January 3, families were informed: "Class sizes will be consistent throughout all 10 buildings, and we will continue to review data to ensure adequate staffing support in our classrooms."

District leadership supported our site council working through the actual lottery numbers at the January 29th site council meeting. Our Bridges leadership team also examined these plans on January 30th to assess needs and align priorities. On February 4, I met with district leadership, who affirmed the collaborative work of our site council and leadership team.

Below is the chart presented to the site council on Monday, February 10 and this is our plan for enrollment for 2025-26. We look forward to accepting 20 more students into Bridges Community School.

Please continue to keep the excitement for what Bridges is and will always be. Bridges is a fabulous place for our students and staff!

Working Together, Mrs. Rittmiller

We are in need of judges! If you are willing to judge our Bridges Science Fair, please email ccopel1@isd77.org and/or jrittm1@isd77.org. Judges are needed from about 9:15 am-11:30 am on Thursday, March 13.

Bridges students will be working on their gymnastics skills in Phy Ed for the next few weeks. Due to the gymnasium space being taken up by gymnastics equipment, Bridges will not be holding an All School Meeting until Friday, March 21st.

Sylvie N. - K, Ethan W. - K, Eila M. - 1, Caden W. - 1, Harmon P. - 2, Madi B. - 2, Noah G. - 3, Tanner B. - 3, Jaxon K. - 4, Eli D. - 4, Charlotte R. - 5, Mollie M. - 5

Carter S. - K, Savannah G. - K, Eden T. - 1, Crawford K. - 1, Lucy R. - 2, Cooper C. - 2, Oceans L. - 3, Lukas D. - 3, Sarah P. - 4, Brooks T. - 4, Izabella L. - 5, Keileigh C. - 5

Mrs. Boone is excited about how she can help make the learning experience at Bridges more engaging and supportive for students. Whether it’s assisting with individual projects or helping with group activities, she's eager to provide guidance, answer questions, and offer creative solutions. It’s all about fostering an environment where everyone feels encouraged to grow and take on new challenges! Outside of school, she loves staying active with a good game of volleyball. She enjoys baking, experimenting with new recipes, and sharing them with loved ones. She finds it rewarding to volunteer and give back to the community to make a difference. When she needs some fresh air, hiking is her way to unwind and explore nature. Traveling is always exciting too, as she loves discovering new places and cultures. And of course, nothing beats spending quality time with family and friends, whether it’s a cozy night in or an adventurous day out.

Mrs. Reichel loves collaborating with her students, families, and all staff at Bridges to best support our students as a team. It is a joy for her to watch all the growth and progress throughout the year. We truly can build bridges together at Bridges! Outside of school, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, biking, going to concerts, reading, and so much more! Her husband, Jason, and her have three kids, Wyatt, Grant, and Charlotte (all three are Bridges Bears too!)

Mrs. Zarn absolutely loves her role as STEM teacher! She gets to see every student "figure it out".

When not hanging out in the STEM Lab/Media Center; you can find her outside fishing, walking, or kayaking.

Student Reports are live in Infinite Campus. What does this mean? You can access your student's test data from the parent portal anytime you log in. Data is updated throughout the year as testing windows close and data is final. Local and State Assessments that your child has taken throughout their time MAPs, are readily accessible as well as available for you to download.

To access your child's scores:

1. Log in to Infinite Campus Parent Portal

2. At the bottom of the navigation bar in the portal, click on "More"

3. A drop-down menu appears: click on "Student Reports”

4. A drop-down menu appears: click on "Select a Student”

5. Then select the report you wish to view:

1. To View MCA scores select MCA

2. To View ACCESS scores select ACCESS

3. To View DIBELS or NWEA select Student Test Detail

1. CogAT - mid-year 2nd Grade & new to the school district 3rd, 4th, & 5th grade students

How to Video of the Directions

The Bridges Spaghetti Dinner is approaching quickly and we will be discussing details at the All School BAC meeting on Monday, February 24th and we are in much need of anyone willing to help out with the planning.

If interested or have any questions they can reach out to the BAC email or come to the BAC meeting.

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

Update on Global Studies and Our Dream Team:

• Discussion of how and when Spanish will be delivered and co-taught.

• Decision making around the order of 14 home languages at Bridges and how we will greet each other so students can learn new "hello" and "welcome" in languages represented by students and families.

• Continued work on our Social Studies and ELA crosswalk with Standards and Core Knowledge.

• Discussions around partnerships with local Universities and the potential learning virtually with VR headsets.

The Greater Mankato Mental Health Hub has launched! This hub was developed by Greater Mankato Area United Way's Youth Mental Health/Suicide Prevention Committee and is hosted by the Center for Rural Behavioral Health at Minnesota State University, Mankato.

The hub is meant to be a tool for parents and caregivers to easily find information on crisis support, local mental health services, parent education, and more.

Find more information HERE.

February:

Feb. 14 - Bridges Lottery Day

Feb. 14 - Children’s Theatre (Grades K-1)

Feb. 17 - No School/Presidents' Day

Feb. 20 - Children's Theatre (Grades 2-3)

Feb. 24 - BAC Meeting (6:30)

March:

Mar. 3-7 - School Social Worker Week

Mar. 5 - Young Writers & Artists Conference (Grades 3-5)

Mar. 7 - Mankato Ballet Performance (2nd Grade)

Mar. 7 - Bridges Showcase (1:30-2:30)