Bridges Community School

To Our Wonderful Bridges Families,

I hope this message finds you well and that you're all enjoying a wonderful summer break! It seems like just yesterday we were saying goodbye for the school year, and now, believe it or not, the new school year is just around the corner.

We're incredibly excited to welcome back our returning students and to greet our new families joining the Bridges community. Our staff has been busy preparing for a fantastic year of learning, growth, and fun. We're looking forward to continuing to build on our strong foundation of academic excellence and fostering a supportive and engaging environment for every child.

While we're all eagerly anticipating the start of school, please do take advantage of these last few weeks of summer. Spend quality time together, make lasting memories, and recharge for the exciting year ahead.

A huge thank you to the parents who worked hard this week getting our school supplies to our classrooms! Enjoy the remainder of your summer! We can't wait to see all our students back in the halls of Bridges soon.

Families will have access to class list information in infinite campus starting Monday, August 11. Our entrance conferences will be Monday, August 25th and Tuesday, August 26th from 8:00am-3:00pm. 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).

Together in Learning! Mrs. Rittmiller

Thank you to all the families and BAC for separating, sorting and delivering school supplies to all of our classrooms on Wednesday, July 30th! Your support is so appreciated!

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!

Employment opportunities at Bridges! We are looking for an eager staff member for 1.5 hours in the cafeteria and another for 2 hours of outdoor recess 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.

We hope this letter finds you well as you begin to enjoy the summer break. As we continue to enhance our communication and streamline access to important information, we are pleased to inform you of a significant update regarding your child's academic progress.

As our data is updated throughout the year, we work to inform you when recent data has been updated in the Infinite Campus parent portal. Your child's Spring Progress Reports are now available for you to view under the “Documents” tab.

To access your child's Spring Progress Reports in Infinite Campus, simply log in to your parent portal account using your credentials. If you encounter any difficulties or have questions about accessing or interpreting the data, please don't hesitate to reach out to your child's school administrator or secretary via email.

We believe that by making Progress Reports readily available on Infinite Campus, we can strengthen the partnership between home and school, working together to ensure the academic success and well-being of every student. Thank you for your continued support and involvement in your child's education.

Wishing you a continued restful and enjoyable summer, and we look forward to a successful academic year ahead!

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

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