Bridgewater Bear Tracks

Kindergarten Music

Students and Teachers Learning

Fourth graders took part in a Kindness Retreat today, hosted by Youth Frontiers. Students learned how to make and build positive connections with peers, and that when we throw out kindness, it will come back to us. This special day is a favorite among students and we send a special thank you to our Bridgewater Booster Club for sponsoring this important event!

Community School starts Monday, September 29th! To be added to the waitlist, please email gswanson@northfieldschools.org or send a message via TalkingPoints to Grace Swanson.

We look forward to the Northfield High School Homecoming Spirit Bus stopping at Bridgewater on Wednesday, October 1st to lead the Bridgewater Bears in cheers and songs! Students are encouraged to show their school spirit by wearing maroon and gold and/or Northfield attire on Wednesday. Go Raiders!

The SSIS Brief Universal Screener are short rating scales that are completed by a student (grades 3-12), and their teacher (grades K-5). Each assessment takes between 5 and 8 minutes to complete. The focus of the scales is a student’s social and behavioral health (SBH) (including self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making) and emotional behavioral concern (internalizing and externalizing). The purpose of these online assessments is as a universal screener given to all students that will identify areas of strength and behavioral concerns in order to inform teachers and school leaders in planning SBH instructional and programmatic supports for students.

Please be sure to communicate your child's updated, routine end of day plans with their teacher if they have changed since Family Conferences. This is especially important if they have been added to a bus since the first day of school. We do not get notified when a student is added to a bus, nor do we know which days they would ride the bus if it is not directly communicated from parents. Thank you!

If your student’s end of the day plans is going to differ from their normal routine (ie. your child will be picked up by mom/dad instead of riding the bus home), please call the main office number (507-664-3300) no later than 2:00 p.m.

*Please do not leave messages on the attendance line for changes to the end of day pick up routine.

While we understand other schools in the district have received their pictures/proofs, Strawbridge has assured us ours are on the way! Our Picture Retake Day is later than some other schools, and that could be one cause for the delay.

School pictures were taken during Family Conferences. Orders placed prior to Family Conferences or at the time the pictures were taken will be delivered to school. Orders placed after the picture day will be delivered to your home.

To place an online order for pictures, please visit the Strawbridge website and enter Bridgewater’s code: FM475291 under “Order Pictures & Yearbooks.” If your child's "proof" is not yet showing up, we are told they will show up soon.

Picture retakes are scheduled for November 7th. More information will be coming.

Feeling creative? The Northfield VFW Auxiliaries is holding a contest this Fall, giving students the opportunity to express their creativity through coloring or words. All entries should be on standard copy paper size, and include the student's FIRST NAME ONLY, teacher, and grade level on the back. Entries can be handed in to the office. The deadline to enter the contest is October 1st.

Kindergarten-1st Grade

Color a picture of the American flag! Pictures can be hand drawn, from a coloring book, or using the attached outline.

2nd-4th Grade

Have you seen the American flag on a flagpole at a sporting event, on a farm, or in front of a store? Draw a picture of a place you have seen the flag flying and be sure to include the flag in your picture!

Grade 5

Write a short essay (250 words or less) using the prompt, "How and Why I Show Respect for the American Flag."

All absences should be reported by 9:00 AM each day a student is absent.

• Call the attendance line and leave a message (507-664-3306) OR

• Email: bwattendance@northfieldschools.org

• Student’s full name
• Classroom teacher
• Reason for absence and symptoms if it is illness related
• Phone number to reach you if there are any questions

Please do not leave messages on the attendance line for changes to the end of day routine. Please call the office at 507-664-3300 by 2:00 p.m. instead.

While documentation is not required until after 10 illness absences, it is recommended that parents/guardians provide the school with documentation each time their student misses

school and visits the doctor due to illness or for an appointment. After 10 illness-related absences, medical documentation will be required to excuse any additional illness/appointment related absences.

Personal days include vacations, family events, or non-school sponsored sports or academic activities, etc. After 5 personal absences, a request must be submitted via Google Form (link below) for any additional personal absences to be excused. Additional absences will be considered unexcused unless approved by the school administration.

Project Friendship fosters lasting connections between young students in grades 2 through 7 and college student mentors from Carleton College or St. Olaf College. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, we are dedicated to providing impactful mentoring relationships that span two to four years, nurturing growth and support for both mentors and mentees.

Attendance Line

507-664-3306

Benjamin Bus

507-645-5720

BW Main Office

507-664-3300

Office Hours: 7:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Nurse

507-664-3305

• School starts each day at 8:20 a.m. (except Wednesdays) and dismisses at 3:20 p.m.

• On Wednesdays, students start at 9:20 a.m.

• Students are allowed to arrive between 8:00-8:20 a.m. (9:00-9:20 a.m. on Wednesdays) if not eating breakfast at school. Supervision will be in place during that time on the playground.

• Please do NOT park in the drop off lane. If your child isn't exiting your vehicle right away, please park in the lot and walk them to the building at the appropriate time.

• Breakfast (optional for all students) begins at 7:50 a.m. (8:50 a.m. on Wednesdays). Once they are done eating, students will go outside until 8:20 a.m.

The safety of our students is always our top priority. Each year, we practice a variety of safety drills so students know what to do in case of an emergency. This year, our elementary schools will be using the Standard Response Protocol, which includes five simple actions that give everyone a shared language and clear steps to follow. These drills are designed to help students feel prepared, not scared. Families will always be notified at least 24 hours in advance before we hold a lockdown drill.

All volunteers in our school buildings are required to complete a confidentiality acknowledgment, plus an informed consent form that grants permission for the district to conduct a criminal background check. A background check needs to be completed each year in order to volunteer in the schools or chaperone field trips. Please click the link below to complete a background check for the 2025-2026 school year, and allow processing time of 24 hours prior to your event. You can call the Bridgewater office at 507-664-3300 if you have questions.

There are many activities that children and adults may access during the course of the year. Click the "button" below to check out current event, activity, and resource opportunities.

Current opportunities include girls lacrosse clinic, basketball registration, community youth orchestra, girl scouts, and more!

Oct 1--NHS Homecoming Spirit Bus-Wear Maroon and Gold

Oct 3 --First Grade Field Trip to Bell Museum

Oct 10--Kindergarten Field Trip to Windy Willow Farm

Oct 14--Bridgewater 5th Grade 5K (8:35)

Oct 16 & 17---MEA Break-No School for Students

Oct 30---End of 1st Quarter

Oct 31 & Nov 3---No School-Teacher Preparation Day

Nov 6--Fall Conferences (3:30-7:30)

Nov 7--Picture Retake Day

Nov 11--Veteran's Day Assembly

Nov 13--Fall Conferences (3:30-7:30)

The Northfield School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, familial status, status with regard to public assistance, sexual orientation, including gender identity or expression, or disability and prohibits discrimination in any education program or activity that it operates, as required by Title IX, including in employment. You can learn more at: https://northfieldschools.org/about/departments/human-resources/ under the Title IX tab.

World-Class Learning for Elementary Students, Bridgewater Elementary School, situated on a 14-acre campus just south of downtown Northfield, is a K-5 public school serving approximately 560 students. It serves the neighborhoods on Northfield's southern side, Dundas, and the rural area south of Highway 19 and west of Highway 246. Students benefit from an active parent-teacher organization, Bridgewater Booster Club (BBC) and many parent volunteers.

The staff is intensely dedicated to offering a high-quality, well-rounded education that strives to meet the specific needs of each student. We focus on empowering our students in their academic and social emotional learning along with building a solid foundation for their educational journey in partnership with families.

Main Office Number: 507-664-3300

Attendance Line: 507-664-3306

Address: 401 Jefferson Parkway

Web page: northfieldschools.org/schools/bridgewater-elementary/