Bulldogs Newsletter October 2, 2023

Dear Basswood Families,

Welcome to the 2026-27 school year! As your principal, I look forward to working with all of you this year. I hope you have had the opportunity to spend some time enjoying the summer with family and friends. Our staff is excited about the upcoming school year and is looking forward to seeing you at Open House.

The first day of school is Tuesday, September 8, which will be here before we know it! Students who are walking or being driven will meet in front of the school at 8:35am. Children should not arrive before 8:35am because there is no adult supervision prior to this time. Students who ride the bus will be dropped off at the back of the school and will go into school when the first bell rings. The first bell rings at 8:40am for students to enter the school and the second bell rings at 8:50am when classes begin. Our school day ends at 3:20pm.

ParentVUE

The familiar ParentVUE app used by Osseo Area Schools has gotten an updated look, and the previous version of the app no longer works. Please take a moment to download the new apps, which can be found under the names “ParentVUE (New)”. The developer is Edupoint Educational Systems. Switching to the new, updated app is simple – just delete the old version and download the new one. The new app will walk users through any setup steps to follow. If you need assistance, please reach out to the Basswood office.

Classroom Placement

Starting at 10am on Friday, August 28, you can access your child’s classroom information by logging into ParentVUE. We will not be mailing classroom placement postcards; however, if you have a kindergarten student, you will receive a letter with classroom information. If you have not used ParentVUE, you will need to call the office at 763-494-3858 to request your Activation Key. If you have used ParentVUE in the past but cannot remember your username/password, call 763-494-3858 and someone in the office will help reset your password.

Open House

Our Open House is scheduled for Wednesday, September 2, from 4:30pm-6:30pm. We will be splitting the schedule to help accommodate all our families. To help with parking, we are asking that families with the last names beginning with the letters A-L attend Open House from 4:30-5:30pm and families with the last names M-Z attend 5:30-6:30pm.

You are invited to come to the Open House to meet your child’s teacher, other staff members, and drop off school supplies. If your child will be receiving medication from the Health Specialist during the school year, you can drop off medication and other information in the health office. If you are enrolled in Kidstop, be sure to stop by Kidstop to meet the staff.

Food Trucks

We have invited two food trucks to our Open House on Wednesday, September 2! The Lookout and Brain Freeze will be serving delicious food and ice cream for purchase! Come early and grab a bite or stay after and enjoy dinner! We will share more details in the next Basswood Bulletin!

Kindergarten Families

PTO is sponsoring Kindergarten Popsicles on the Playground on Thursday, September 3, from 5:30pm-7pm on the Basswood playground. We hope you can make it!

Food Service

The Minnesota state legislature passed a Free School Meals for Kids bill into law. This allows all in-person K-12 students to receive a free school breakfast and lunch each day, excluding a la carte/special menu items. It is still important for households to fill out the Educational Benefits application (formerly free/reduced lunch application) on EduTrakConnect. Depending on income, families who apply may receive free/discounted prices for field trips, clubs, activities/athletics, band instruments, ACT, SAT & AP fees, home internet rates with certain providers, and Xcel Energy account assistance for electricity bills. Here is the link to apply: https://bit.ly/3hWdk7Q.

Transportation

Bussing information will be available in ParentVUE on Thursday, August 27. The Transportation department will also email bus information to families on Friday, August 28.

Conferences

Fall Parent/Teacher conferences will take place on October 5, 7, and 12. You will schedule your

Parent/Teacher conferences online using ParentVUE. Detailed information will go home in September.

If you have any questions or need my assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out. Working together, I know we will create a positive learning experience for all children at Basswood Elementary.

#WeAreBasswood!

Here is the school supply list for the 2026-27 school year:

• August 26 - New Family Event 11am
• August 28 - Class Placement Available in ParentVUE
• September 2 - Back to School Open House 4:30-6:30pm (Food Trucks available)
• September 3 - 2026-27 PTO Kindergarten Popsicles on the Playground 5:30-7pm
• September 8 - First day of the 2026-27 School Year

• September 8 - First day of school
• September 11 - All School Assembly
• September 21 thru 25 - Bus Safety Week
• September 24 - PTO Meeting 6:30-8pm
• September 28 - Student Picture Day
• September 29 thru October 1 - Vision & Hearing Screening for 1st, 3rd, and 5th grades
• October 2 - Fun Run Event

• 2nd grade: 10:45 - 11:10am
• 4th grade: 11:15 - 11:40am
• 1st grade: 11:45 - 12:10pm
• 3rd grade: 12:15 - 12:40pm
• 5th grade: 12:45 - 1:10pm
• Kindergarten: 1:15 - 1:40pm

First bell rings at 8:40am letting students into the school. Second bell rings at 8:50am letting students know they should be in their classroom ready to start the day! At 8:50am, the front doors are shut and student will need to come through the office to get a late pass.

We welcome and encourage volunteers at Basswood. You can complete an online volunteer form online at apps.raptortech.com/Apply/Nzg0OmVuLVVT and work with our volunteer coordinator, Lisa Yamaya. Volunteer information will go home the first week of school. Activities in a normal school year include being a classroom assistant, helping with classroom parties, helping with PTO sponsored activities (Carnival, Turkey Bingo, Book Fair, etc.) along with numerous other opportunities. We continue to follow state guidelines and adjust our volunteer program accordingly.

Yes! You will be able to follow us on Facebook. Please note that we are moving away from Twitter (@BWPrincipal279) for Basswood social media. Click here below to follow us.

If you are planning a family vacation or just time away from school, please remember to call your student's absence into the attendance line. You can call 763-494-3858 and press 1 to leave a message with your student's name, student's teacher, reason for absence, and dates that your student will be gone. We really appreciate your assistance!

Every parent or guardian of enrolled students of Basswood Elementary is an automatic member of the PTO. We encourage you to join one of our next general meetings - or just send us a note if you have a question. You can find more information on our PTO website: https://sites.google.com/view/basswoodpto/home?authuser=1 or on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BasswoodElementaryPto

Our district Community Education department offers a variety of after school classes. If you do sign your student up for one of these classes, please remember to let your student's teacher know about the class and when your student needs to stay after school.

The District Transportation department only allows students to ride their assigned bus to and from school. If you have questions, you can reach out to the Transportation Department at 763-391-7244 or transportationreques@district279.org.