Brookside Elementary news & events
October 9th 2026
Upcoming events
October 9 - Storm Chaser Fun Run
October 13 - Picture Day
October 15-16 - No School MEA
October 26 - No School -Parent/Teacher Conferences (1:00-8:20pm)
October 29 - Parent/Teacher Conferences (4:20-8:20pm)
November 3 - No School
November 11 - Veterans Day
November 12 - Picture Retakes, PTO Meeting
November 13 - Student Council Pop-Up Shop, PTO Fall Family Night
November 25-27 - No School
A Message From The Principal
Regular attendance in school is essential to the success of our students. Students who are well should be at school every day that school is in session. Students who are ill should not be in school. Generally, students don’t miss more than six days of school a year from illness. If there are chronic health concerns, consult the school nurse.
If a student is not at school and the school has not received notice of an absence, the school will call a parent or guardian. If the school does not hear from the parent or guardian, the student’s absence will be recorded as unexcused. Absence due to weather concerns will be excused only if reported by a parent or guardian.
A student is considered tardy if he or she arrives up to 60 minutes late.
A student is considered absent for a half day if he or she arrives more than 60 minutes late up to half of the school day.
A student is considered absent for a full day if he or she arrives at school and is picked up within 90 minutes.
A student is considered absent for a full day if he or she misses four or more hours of the school day.
If an elementary student is absent three days within a single school year without an excuse the student is considered a “continuing truant,” according to state law (section 260A.02). The school is required by law to notify a parent when a child is a “continuing truant.” Once a student is considered a “continuing truant”, parents and guardians are given an opportunity to explain their child’s absences.
When an elementary student is absent seven or more days within a single school year without an excuse, that student is considered a “habitual truant,” according to state law (section 260C.007). Anoka-Hennepin schools refer “habitually truant” students to the county attorney.
Attendance letters will be sent home when absences or tardies become excessive so families can take corrective action and address the issue. If a student will not be attending school due to cold weather or other concerns, a parent or guardian must call the school to report the absence. Absence due to weather or other concerns will be excused if reported by a parent or guardian.
Fun Run
A BIG shout out to the Fun Run Committee and all the volunteers for putting together such a fun filled event for our students. This is our major fundraiser for the school year. The generosity of our school community blew us away!! At this time we have exceeded our goal of 28,000...we are currently over 30,000 and still have a day to go! These funds will be used for playground and school enhancements.
Grade Level Shirts
Grade level shirts will not be for sale this year as they have been in the past. Instead, due to the generosity of our Fun Run sponsors, each student will receive a free t-shirt in the color that represents their grade; Stormy will be on the front. The students will receive their shirt on the day of the fun run and will be encouraged to use it throughout the school year when they go on field trips and during track and field.
Thank you PTO and to the generous sponsors for providing every student with a free t-shirt this year!
Student Ambassador from Brookside
Our very own Holli Harter, 5th grader at Brookside, was the Ambassador for the Gillette’s Walk and Roll event on Saturday, September 19, 2026. She was interviewed by KS95’s Crisco in front of the whole crowd. Pretty amazing student!
School Highlights
Community Education
Hello, Brookside families!
A few things to know about Community Ed classes at Brookside:
If you sign your child up for an after school class (4:05 pm start time), please let their teacher know they'll be staying after school for Community Ed. We'll also send a reminder email to teachers on the day of the class.
At dismissal, students will meet in the hallway between the Main Office and Community Ed office (hallway to the Art and Music rooms); Community Ed staff will be there by the office to check students in for classes.
You're welcome to send a snack for your child to eat before class. We also recommend a water bottle for any sport or active classes.
Parent pickup is at Door 1 (main doors on the South side of the building) at the end of class. You can pull up alongside the curb/sidewalk and your student will come out to you (if the car line is long, please keep pulling forward as other cars leave). If you prefer to park, please walk up to get your student, we do not want students crossing the traffic lane without an adult. Students in the Adventures Plus (A+) program will be returned to A+.
You are welcome to sign up for classes at any district location - just make sure you can provide transportation!
Check out some of our upcoming classes at Brookside:
Evening classes at other locations:
*NEW* Lincoln Lions Band and Orchestra (Grades 3-5, Tuesdays 5-6pm at Lincoln Elementary)
You can find a full list of classes and register here: All Current Youth Classes
Have questions about Community Ed? Please contact Tricia Josephs at tricia.josephs@ahschools.us or 763-433-5212.
Need help with online registration? Please contact April King Von Mende at april.kingvonmende@ahschools.us or 763-506-5144.
Financial assistance is available if needed; please call to inquire.
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Tricia Josephs
Community Education Programmer
Brookside Elementary 763-433-5212
Library News
We’re excited to invite you to our upcoming Scholastic Book Fair. Hosted by our staff, this event is an opportunity for students of all ages to build their home libraries and further their love of reading. As always, all purchases benefit our school. Here’s what you need to know about the Fair, which will take place from October 22nd - October 29th during media classes and conference times (Oct. 26th 1:00-8:00 and Oct. 29th 4:20-8:00).
Our Book Fair offers eWallet, a safe and secure alternative to cash. Simply create a free account to add funds and/or invite family and friends to contribute so your child can select their own books. Any unused funds can be spent at The Scholastic Store Online or to fund a future eWallet. When you fund an eWallet, you can also contribute to Share the Fair, the giving program that benefits kids in our school who need help buying new books.
If you can’t make it to the Fair, then shop at our school’s Online Book Fair. All orders ship directly to your home, and shipping is free for book orders over $25. Your online orders will also benefit our school. Visit our Book Fair homepage to learn more and get started with eWallet and online shopping:https://www.scholastic.com/bf/brooksideelementary
We’re excited to celebrate our love of books together at the Book Fair. We look forward to seeing your child there!
Volunteer News
We would love to have you volunteer at Brookside! If you are interested in helping out in the classroom, on field trips or with any of the upcoming activities listed below, please fill out a Volunteer Application. Once you are an approved volunteer, you may click the links below to sign up for an activity. You may also contact Ashley.Johnson@ahschools.us to see how you can help out in our school.
Art Help 10/5-10/19
Volunteers needed to help hang artwork on the walls. Sign up here.
Conference Meal 10/29
Volunteers needed to help PTO provide a conference meal for staff. Sign up here.
Book Fair 10/22-10/29
Volunteers needed to help out with our fall book fair. Sign up here.
Watch D.O.G.S
We are excited to be running the Watch DOGS (Dads Of Great Students) program at Brookside again this year.
Fathers, stepfathers, grandfathers, uncles, neighbors and other father figures are invited to volunteer at Brookside to support the school. Watch DOGS actively engage with not only their own students, but the whole student body. Working in small groups or one on one with students, assisting in classrooms, helping with homework, refereeing or participating in games at recess, being a listening ear at lunch, etc...
If you are interested in participating in this program or would like additional information please reach out to Ashley.Johnson@ahschools.us
Student Council
30 student leaders have been selected to serve on the 2026-2027 Brookside Elementary Student Council. Congratulations to those selected. Leaders meet once per month before school and are always looking for ways to lead by example. We are excited to begin our work on October 23.
Child Nutrition
Just an update that the USDA has increased the adult/guest prices for the 2026-27 school year.
Breakfast meal $2.60
Lunch meal will be $5.50 for guest
Milk has stayed the same cost .50
Payment must be cash or check only. If paying in cash, you must be the exact amount. No change will be given.
Payment can also be made on parent view cafe, but takes up to 24 hours for the payment to show on your child's lunch account.
Please keep student barcodes attached to your students backpack if they eat breakfast
and help your child in remembering their lunch number
PTO
Happy Fall Brookside Families,
🥳HUGE SHOUT OUT to all who have made Storm Chase Fun Run Fundraiser so successful! We are still calculating the final amount raised but we had so much fun at our Fun Run! The weather was amazing and we had a great celebration of our fundraising efforts! Special thanks to DJ Sam and our teachers/staff for stepping up to get pied in the face for our students. Even Stormy made an appearance! And of course our administration made it extra special by letting us SLIME them for the cause! 😍What an amazing staff and community we have! Still want to contribute? Donations can still be made until the end of the day Sunday, October 11th.
Our Fun Run Fundraiser Next Steps:
Join us on November 12th at the PTO meeting for more updates and to share your thoughts as we think about how to improve our Storm Chase Fundraiser in the future. Have feedback that you would like to share with our team? Fill out our Feedback Form.
We are in need of more team members to join our team for next year’s event. Please reach out to brooksidepto.events@gmail.com if interested. Please note that commitment for this team is temporary. We work on a schedule decided by the team and only meet 5-6 times from early August to late October with our main event in early October. Communication is mostly done via email.
📅 MARK YOUR CALENDAR: Our next PTO MEETING is Thursday, November 12th from 5:30-7:00 pm in Art Room 112 at Brookside! We would love for you to join us and learn more about how you can get involved in our school! We are always looking for new ideas and ways we can support our school community!
⭐Join us for our first Fundraising Dine Out Night on Tuesday, October 27th at Texas Roadhouse - Coon Rapids from 3:00-10:00 pm. Enjoy a great meal and help us raise money for our Brookside students and staff.
📢Don’t forget to mention the fundraiser and Texas Roadhouse will donate 10% of your food purchases to Brookside. Watch for the flyer to be sent home with students after MEA Break. 🔗Flyer Link HERE
⭐We are excited to host our first PTO Family event in November!!
Mark your calendars! November 13th from 6-7:30 pm we will be having a Fall Festival! Information to follow in the coming weeks.
⭐Our annual Brookside Craft Show will be held on Saturday, December 5th from 9:00 am-2:00 pm!
Do you like to shop? Check out this great event! Grab some friends to come and shop!
Concessions will be available for purchase to help support Brookside students’ field trip funds.
Are you a vendor that would like to have a booth at the craft fair? Do you know someone who makes or sells some pretty cool things? It is not too late to join us. Please contact us at brooksideelemschoolPTO@gmail.com and we can send you some more details!
Want to connect with us? Join us at a PTO meeting whenever you are able or email us at brooksideelemschoolPTO@gmail.com.
Lunch Sign Up
Lunch Sign Up
Listed below are the instructions to sign up to have lunch with your child:
- Go to the Brookside Elementary Home Page: https://www.ahschools.us/brookside
- Click on "Menu" (upper right corner)
- Click on "About Us"
- Click on "School Calendar"
- Click on the link "Sign up to have lunch with your child in (choose the month)"
- Please list all attendees (adults and children requiring a seat) as guests when signing up. Due to space constraints, seating is strictly limited to six guests maximum.
* FYI, due to field trips and other events, we will not be having lunch guests in June.
Directions to Add Funds to Your Student's Meal Account
- Log in to your A-H Connect parent account at ahschools.us.
- Click on the My Student Information/Synergy icon.
- Once in ParentVUE, click on the "Fee" tab.
- Click on "Pay Fees" to enter the SchoolPay payment system.
- Click on "Food Services" to add funds to your student's meal account.
LUNCH GUESTS PLEASE READ
When coming for lunch we ask that you help support the following expectations:
Be Respectful
Please use an indoor voice when talking to others
Be polite and use good manners
Encourage your child to follow the posted cafeteria rules
Students can ask one fellow student to join them for lunch
We ask that cell phones be put away and turned off or on mute during lunch.
NO PHOTOS due to student photo restrictions and data privacy
Be Responsible
Choose a seat and remain seated
Raise your hand if you need something
Clean up after yourself
Be Safe
Be a leader!
Keep hands and feet to self
Please do not share your food with others
If you bring an outside meal, please remember we encourage good choices of beverages while in the lunchroom. Milk, juice or water are good healthy choices.
Please do not bring outside treats to share with other students due to unknown allergies and absolutely NO candles.
We also ask that when you are having lunch with your student that he/she chooses ONE student to have lunch with you.
Thank you and have a wonderful lunch!