Bridges Community School

Bridges Office Phone Number 507-387-2800

Secretary (Amanda Robinson)

Health Assistant (Holly Kelly)

Principal (Jody Rittmiller)

• To Our Wonderful Bridges Families,

  
  

  The school year is hear and all staff will start back on Monday, August18th with our all school kick off! We are extremely excited to welcome each and every student and family back for our 2025-26 school year!

  
  

  A huge thank you to the parents who have worked hard to get ready for our ice cream social on Wednesday, August 20th at Bridges from 5:00-7:00 pm. Please park on Garfield Ave., the Bridges parking lot behind the building, or the Monroe parking lot. It is a come and go but you will want to sign in and have your student/s pick up colored beads so they are aware of who else is in grade level. This is a great time to meet staff and connect with friends!

  
  

  Just a reminder that families will only need to provide a backpack, gym shoes and headphones for school supplies. Our BAC will be collecting suggested donations for all of the school supplies ($35.00) and snack cart ($70.00) at our upcoming conference dates.

  
  

  This year our building goals tie directly to achievement, attendance and the social and emotional health of our students. Thank you for communicating anything that would be helpful when you have pre-entrance conferences. Also, if your child is absent, please call and let Amanda and Holly know. All visitors should register in the office during school hours.

  
  

  Here is our updated student handbook - please take a moment to look through it and bookmark it so you have it available. Click here

  
  

We look forward to a great year of learning together!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Rittmiller

*7:55-8:10 - Parents and busses will drop students off at Door 2.

*Students will have supervision ourdoors and can head down to the cafeteria for breakfast.

*8:10 - Students will line up on their lines when staff blows the whistle and head inside to their classrooms.

*8:20 - All students should be in classrooms (students will be marked tardy if not in classrooms at this time).

2:50 - Teachers will walk classes outdoors to line up on their designated lines on the playground.

*Students that ride the bus home, the YMCA, or My Place will get on the bus or van transportation.

*Students that go to ACES will head down to the cafeteria.

*Students that get picked up will let their teacher know when they see their parent and teachers will send them with parents.

*If your after school pick up changes, please notify the office before the end of the day so we can ensure staff and students know the plan.

Want to review the entire calendar for next year? Find what need here 2025-26 calendar

The first day of school will be Wednesday, August 27, 2025. Outdoor supervision begins at 7:55 as well as breakfast. School begins at 8:10 am. See you soon!

This space will be used for multiple classrooms to use at one time to co-teach, Spanish, parent meetings, etc! We are excited to have a flex space.

Employment opportunities at Bridges! We are looking for an eager staff member for 1.5 hours in the cafeteria Monday-Friday! If you are interested, please go to our District website and down to Non-classroom (playground/lunchroom) paraprofessional and apply! Please also send jrittm1@isd77. org an email so I can pull your application for Bridges! We would love to have you join our team!

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. We are asking that you complete your family's census verification online through your Campus Parent account.

Below are the steps to complete the Census Verification process.

Step 1: Log into your Infinite Campus Parent Portal account.

Step 2: Select MORE from the menu along the left side of the screen.

Step 3: Select CENSUS VERIFICATION

Step 4: Select Begin Registration

Click here to view the Help Guide for Census Verification

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.

For assistance logging into your Infinite Campus Parent Portal account, please send an email to: icsupport@isd77.org

If you're unsure whether your student qualifies for transportation, you can check eligibility here. If your student does qualify, please complete the registration form by clicking this link.

Families can visit the Central Registration Office at the Intergovernmental Center (10 Civic Center Plaza) to complete the form in person. Transportation for students receiving special education services will be arranged separately by the Special Education Office and your child’s case manager.

Have transportation questions? Contact Tricia Ries by email tries2@isd77.org or call (507)507-387-5949.

*** Bus passes will be available for pick up at Entrance Conferences with the classroom teacher.

Pampered Chef Fundraiser – Now Through August 31st!

We’re thrilled to kick off our Pampered Chef Fundraising Event to support our school—and we need YOUR help to make it a success!

Why Shop Pampered Chef?

• High-quality kitchen tools and cookware
• Perfect for everyday use and make fantastic gifts
• Orders ship immediately and can be delivered anywhere in the U.S.

Special Deals Alert! Check out the Last Chance section for amazing deals on items that will be gone after August 31st—don’t miss out!

How You Can Help:

• Shop using our special link https://www.pamperedchef.com/go/bridges2025
• Share the link with family, friends, and co-workers
• Every purchase helps support our school’s programs and initiatives!

Let’s come together and make this fundraiser a huge success. Thank you for your support!

Minnesota Free School Meals Program

Families will still need to apply to qualify for more educational benefits.

The Minnesota Free School Meals program will cover the cost of one breakfast and one lunch for every student on school days; however, the cost of à la carte items such as an additional milk, other drinks, or extra meal items will not be covered. Students will need to have funds in their meal accounts to purchase any additional food items.

If you believe your household may qualify, please complete and return the application for educational benefits to the nutrition services office or to your child’s school. You can also apply in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal by clicking on the "More" tab, then the "Meal Benefits" tab.

If you need a separate electronic copy follow this link:

https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1753105907/isd77org/tjwxryjjobr7q3yywo3h/EducationalBenefitsApplication.pdf

We are adding more natural pieces to our playground. If you happen to know of anyone looking to get rid of tires and a spool, please let Bridges office know or drop them off on the South side of the playground!

Our time together as teams in June provided time to create our first of our Global units of study for the fall of 2025-26. Teams have worked hard to incorporate our social studies and ELA standards into the units while also using our Core Knowledge topics.

We can't wait for our students to learn more about:

Kindergarten - Continents

Grade 1 - Mesopotamia, Importance of Rivers in a Civilization

Grade 2 - Ancient India

Grade 3 - World Rivers "Rivers and Us: The Flow of Life"

Grade 4 - Europe and the Middle Ages

Grade 5 - US Regions

Specialists - Central America

All of our units of study will make Connections to:

Places

Our Community

People

The Global World

The Past

Our Environment

***Welcome to Julie Olsen! She will be teaching Spanish to our K-5 students this school year!

***A huge thank you to the families that have helped to create our slideshows for our 14 home languages here at Bridges! This will be a wonderful way to connect, learn, and grow together!

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

Does your child have medical needs that require a special plan at school?

If your student already has a medical or health plan in place, you can view/update it by logging into your Infinite Campus Parent Portal and clicking on the “Documents” tab. If you have a new medical plan need, the links below will get you what you need for your school plan.

Allergy Plan & Med Consent
Asthma Plan & Med Consent
Diabetes Emergency Plan
Generic Emergency Plan
Health Census Form
Immunization Form
Medication Consent Form
Seizure Plan & Med Consent
Self Administration of Non-Prescription Pain Med

Please return to the school nurse when completed.

*If you choose to fill out the form and email to the school, please download and save the form before filling in the fields.

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