Bulldogs Newsletter October 2, 2023

Dear Basswood Families,

We had a great turn out at the PTO meeting last night. During out time together we discussed some key ideas from The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt. This New York Times Bestseller has a lot to offer those of us that care for children, and his research has driven a lot of changes in policy and practice related to children's use of technology. There will more opportunities for parents engage with this topic in the coming months. If you would like to know more now, check out Take Action for more information on Haidt's work.

To reduce distraction and other issues that can arise with phone use in a school setting, students are not allowed to use cell phones at school. We ask that smart watches and phones are kept at home. If students have these devices at school, they must be put away. Students are expected to be phone-free while at school. Students that need to reach a family member during the school-day, can make a phone call in the office as needed. This practice is based on board policy restricting the use of cell phones and similar devices during the school day.

Phone free schools provide opportunities for connection with peers, engagement in learning activities and freedom from the distractions inherent with technology use. We believe this is a wonderful thing for us to provide all students at Basswood.

Have a wonderful weekend!

In partnership,

Steven Schwartz
Basswood Principal

#WeAreBasswood

Student Picture Day is on Monday, September 28. Kemmetmueller Photography will take 3-4 images in multiple poses of your student. For ordering, you will receive a link to your student's personal gallery in your email 7-10 days after their picture day. You can order and choose their yearbook picture online. Once your order is placed, the pictures you order will be directly delivered to your home within 5-7 days. Questions? Please contact Kemmetmueller Photography at 952-473-2142 or info@k-photography.com.

A flyer went home this past Wednesday with ordering details.

Parent/Teacher conferences will be held on Monday, October 5; Wednesday, October 7; and Monday, October 12, between the times of 7:30-8:30am and 3:40-6:40pm. The window to schedule your conference will open on Monday, September 28, and continue open until Saturday, October 3. A letter will be coming home on Wednesday, September 23, with all the details.

New This Year: we will be having a Book Fair during all conference evenings! Please stop by the Media Center to shop the Book Fair.

Fun Run will be on Friday, October 2. If you choose to come watch your student, you can walk around the outside of the school to the back field. Please know it is about a five minute walk. Here is the schedule for Friday's Fun Run:

9:15-10:15am Kindergarten & 4th grade

10:35-11:35am 1st and 3rd grades

12-1pm 2nd grade

1:30-2pm 4 Star Preschool

2-3pm 5th grade

• September 28 thru October 2 - Bus Safety Week
• September 28 - Student Picture Day
• September 28 - Conference Window Opens for Parents to schedule
• September 29 thru October 1 - Vision & Hearing Screening for 1st, 3rd, and 5th grades
• October 2 - Fun Run Event

• October 5, 7, 12 - Conferences
• October 14 - Lockdown drill 10:05am
• October 15 & 16 - No School

9:15-10:15am Kindergarten & 4th grade

10:35-11:35am 1st and 3rd grades

12-1pm 2nd grade

1:30-2pm 4 Star Preschool

2-3pm 5th grade

• 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, Basswood Bingo, Book Fair, etc.) along with numerous other opportunities. We continue to follow state guidelines and adjust our volunteer program accordingly.

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

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!

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.