10/17-Monday, NO SCHOOL!...Get your all-color hardcover yearbook for $30 now before prices go up to $35 until 12/31; after that date prices go up to $40. Yearbooks sell out so make

OCTOBER 16, 2016 TIGER TIDBITS

You have no doubt heard it said that Brookside Elementary School staff aims to make

learning as meaningful and engaging as possible for all students. To that end, our teachers

work diligently each day to ensure that students are exposed to opportunities not only for

academic learning, but to opportunities to develop strong social-emotional aptitude as well.

In this light, I firmly believe that the acquisition of strong academic skills is absolutely

essential. Nevertheless, and perhaps even more important, I also believe that it is of the

utmost importance that we allow children ample time to live a balanced life beyond the

school day. In short, I would argue that children need adequate time to play, time to rest, and time to be an engaged and contributing members of the family unit. You might agree with my belief that as a society we have work to do in this area, in

large part because we are confronted with a culture that is highly competitive. We all want our

children to be successful in the world of college and career and it is our duty to properly

prepare them. Oak Park teaching staff is confronting this challenge through professional

learning and ongoing dialogue, and I hope that many of you are also interested in this topic

and will be able to attend the session being presented for parents by the Challenge Success

project out of Stanford University (click here for more information about Challenge Success).

The concept of ‘’PDF’’ (Play Time, Down Time, Family Time) comes from this Challenge

Success theme of creating well-balanced children in preparation for successful lives as adults.

Being both an educator and a parent myself, it is clear to me that we will all need to work as a

team to confront this complicated challenge to ensure healthy and balanced young lives for

our children. See below for the description of the parent session and I will hope to see you

there on Monday, October 24 at 7pm in the OPHS Pavilion!

10/17-Monday, NO SCHOOL!

FROM THE OFFICE

FROM PRINCIPAL AHL


10/20-The Great California Shake-Out! On the third Thursday of October each year, you can join the millions of

Californians, who will “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” in The Great California

Shake Out, the largest earthquake drill ever! On October 20th, Brookside

students will participate in this drill. As with anything, to act quickly takes

practice. During an earthquake, you may only have seconds to protect

yourself before something knocks you down or falls down on you. Find

preparedness information online at www.earthquakecountry.org

Registration Now Open! Conference Week Camp by Growing Outdoors is Returning 10/31-11/4! Click HERE to register by 10/28! We’re thrilled to announce that Growing Outdoors, our After-

school Enrichment provider, will be bringing Conference Week Camp back to Brookside! On five of our early release days (12:15pm dismissal K-5), from Monday, October 31 through Friday, November 4, Growing Outdoors will offer fun, activity-based programming from dismissal until 3:00pm. Parents can register their students for 1, 2, 3, 4 or choose all 5 days at

a discounted rate. After eating their home-packed lunch, students will be grouped by grade

to participate in games, sports, arts & crafts, drama games, gaga, and much more, all with

Growing Outdoors signature touch of 21st century skill-based learning and team building

wrapped in fun! If you aren't already on their email list, go to growingoutdoors.com/brookside

and join at the brown box at the bottom of the page.

UPCOMING EVENTS

10/17 NO SCHOOL (Elementary only, Secondary in School) 10/19-20 PTA Reflections Submissions Due 10/20 The Great Shake-Out! 10/21 PTA BINGO NIGHT! 10/24 OPUSD Parent Seminar w/Challenge Success 7pm at OPHS Pavillion 10/26 PTA General Association Meeting (8:30 a.m. MPR) 10/27 PTA Reflections Gallery Night/Awards 10/23-31 Red Ribbon Week 10/28 Brookside Night at OPHS Football v. Royal High School 10/28-31 CONFERENCE WEEK through 11/4 (12:15 P.M. dismissal) 10/31 Annual Brookside Halloween Parade - 8:30am


10/20 World Food Day: Food Waste Reduction Initiative

World Food Day is October 16th. Food is a vital part of our daily lives, and

worldwide, we are wasting more than 30% of it, according to a report from the

UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. OPUSD’s Environmental Education and Awareness Committee believes the topic of food waste is important to explore with

students, and the discussion should continue outside the classroom with friends and family.

To raise awareness of this issue and hopefully to reduce the amount of our personal food

waste, the EEAC invites you and your family to watch this informative short clip about food

waste and then take this quiz to find out what kind of food waster you are!

In high-income countries such as America, a combination of consumer behavior and a lack of

communication in the supply chain triggers high levels of food waste. Something is not right

with our food system when close to 50 million people live in food insecure homes in the U.S.,

while 40% of the American food supply ends up in a landfill (NRDC Report).

Food waste also has a huge negative impact on our climate, our scarce water supply,

agricultural land and biodiversity. Here are some startling facts:

• More than 6 billion pounds of fresh produce go un-harvested or unsold each year. All the

energy and cost put into that land is wasted.

• Each year, food that is produced but not eaten is responsible for adding 3.3 billion tons of

greenhouse gases to the planet’s atmosphere, which is equivalent to twice as much as ALL

of the world’s air traffic.

• Each year, food that is produced but not eaten guzzles up a volume of water equivalent to

the annual flow of the Mississippi River.

• All of the world's nearly one billion hungry people could be lifted out of malnourishment on

less than a quarter of the food that is wasted in the US, UK and Europe.

What you can do to help: • Plan grocery shopping efficiently and avoid over-purchasing

• Freezing surplus items

• Do not over-react to “best-before dates”

• Pack lunches you know your children will eat in the right portion sizes

• Put pressure on retailers to sell imperfect (yet entirely edible) fruits and vegetables

• Take this Food Waste Challenge to learn more!

FROM OPUSD


For more information and resources about food waste and what’s happening in all of our

schools this week click HERE.

For questions, please contact EEAC Chairperson Keyla Treitman at [email protected]

10/24 Challenge Success: The Well-Balanced Student 7pm at OPHS Pavilion Everyone is invited to a special presentation by Stanford University Challenge Success

speaker, Margaret Dunlap on Monday, October 24 at 7:00 p.m. at Oak Park High School

Pavilion. The program is entitled, The Well-Balanced Student. Today’s high-pressure, fast-paced culture can interfere with healthy child development. When

we are too focused on test scores, performance, and grades, we may deny kids the time and

energy they need to effectively tackle the demanding work of growing up. This workshop

examines the tensions that can occur between students, parents, and educators over issues

such as homework, grades, and the culture of competition. We’ll offer parents research-based

strategies to create healthier home and school environments.

In this presentation, you will learn:

• How students today are coping- or not- with the academic pressure they face

• Ways you can reduce academic stress without sacrificing achievement or engagement

in school

• Strategies to increase resilience, creativity, and well-being for your child

Target Audience: Parents of kids in grades pre-k through high school

Margaret Dunlap, M.A. is Schools Program Director for Challenge Success. She oversees the

operation of the schools program, providing coordination, resources, and management to

Challenge Success schools. Additionally, she plans the bi-annual Challenge Success school

conferences and supports coaches and school site teams to promote best practices and

policy reform. She has extensive experience in professional development, supervision,

evaluation, and intensive coaching for teacher leaders, coaches, and novice

teachers. Margaret has held various roles in education leadership and program management

within public and private education for over 20 years.


10/19 & 20- PTA Reflections Submissions Due THIS WEEK in Front of School! Please Read the Entry Rules and Rules for Each Category

Carefully! Rules and Entry Forms for each category can be

found HERE. There are very SPECIFIC rules about

what is permitted for each category and how entries

are to be turned in. PLEASE NOTE: any entries received that do not meet the criteria specified in the rules will be returned. Our volunteers/teachers do not have the capacity to print any documents/photos the morning entries are due. If there is an issue of hardship, please contact the

Office Manager, Virginia Standring, who will then let us know if certain arrangements need to

be made.

ALL submissions MUST be COMPLETE and ready when turned in on 10/19 or 10/20. PLEASE FOLLOW THE RULES SPECIFIED ON THE FORMS. Thank you!

• 3D art work should be submitted via pictures, not the actual artwork.

• Three copies of Film, music and dance artworks should be submitted via CD or flash drive

• If you are videotaping, please note that you must obtain a release from those in the video.

All submissions will be collected the mornings of 10/19 and 10/20 before school in front of

the school. For more information, contact PTA Reflections Chair, Bhavya Singh at

[email protected]

Bingo Night (Bin-Glow) is SOLD OUT! Important Reminders for Those Attending This Friday

• EARLY BIRD IS FROM 5:00-6:30 p.m. and LATE BIRD IS FROM 7:00-8:30 p.m. • Please arrive at least 35 minutes before your seating time to pick up any pre-ordered

food and your bingo packets.

• You can buy directly from Two Doughs on the night of the event, but those who pre-paid

their order will be served first.

FROM THE BROOKSIDE PTA


• Raffle Tickets Will Be Sold: $5 for 10 tickets or $10 for 20 tickets. Our amazing teachers,

Mrs. Strong and Mrs. Powers will be calling out numbers at the early bird session and Ms. Landis and Mrs. Lockrey will be calling out numbers at the late bird session!

What to Wear: All in attendance are encouraged to wear a white T-shirt. Students are

welcome to decorate their T-shirt. The two “most creative” T-shirts will win a prize. Mrs. Ahl

will select the winning shirts. Highlighters work great under the black lights on the T-shirts.

Please remember: no gory, bloody, violent, or scary-themed T-shirt décor.

➡ All Bingo Information can be found on ParentSquare HERE.

RAFFLE PRIZES NEEDED! The PTA is in need of raffle prizes for the event. If you are able to

donate a raffle prize, please take the item to the office workroom and place it in the bin

labeled Bingo Raffle Prizes. If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact us at

[email protected]

Yearbook Prices Go Up on 10/31! Get your all-color hardcover yearbook for $30 now before prices go up to $35 until 12/31; after that date prices go up to $40. Yearbooks sell out

so make sure you have your orders in now at the early bird rate. Our

awesome yearbook chairs, Karen Pemberton and Stephanie Boggs, do a

fantastic job to create an incredible keepsake for our staff and students to

commemorate the school year. How to order: Print out the yearbook order form available

HERE and turn in with payment via your child’s homework folder or to the PTA box in the

office workroom.

Sign-Up to Phone Bank! There is a NEW Measure S Website! Please be sure to check out the new Measure S website at

http://www.yesonsforopusd.com and like us on Facebook!

We Need MORE Help to Get Measure S Passed! It’s super easy and most calls last only 20

seconds. We will need everyone’s help this November to support the passage of Measure S to

ensure safe and quality Oak Park schools. Don’t delay and SIGN UP HERE. For more

information and FAQ, please refer to the original ParentSquare post HERE.


Sign-Up for Run Club! Starts in November! Waivers Now Available! Our AWESOME PE Coaches, Coach Christa and Coach Gretchen, will be

advisors for the Brookside PTA’s Run Club again this year. The program is

sponsored by your generous support and is FREE for all participants. It will be

four months in duration and will begin in November and conclude the last week of February. Run Club will be on Wednesday and Friday mornings from 7:45-8:15am.

Students may run one or both days. A signed hard copy will need to be turned in via homework folders to the Run Club bin in the office workroom in order to participate.

Waivers are available in Coach Christa’s ParentSquare post HERE.

Box Tops Due by 11/1! Box Tops Chair, Gale Saul, will need to remit box tops by November 1st. Please submit all collections so they will be included. Submit forms by October 21 to ensure adequate time to prepare the box tops for remittance. Thank you!

Corporate Matching THANK YOU to all who have been submitting their corporate matching requests! Please verify with your Human Resources department if your

company offers corporate matching. They will have an online process or a

manual form you will need to complete and have us verify the amount. For the verification

process, please direct all correspondence to Tina Wang at [email protected] The

organization name: Brookside Elementary PTA and our tax ID is: 95-6203985

Get Involved! Be a PTA Volunteer! Please take a look at all of our programs and fundraisers and JOIN a

group HERE on ParentSquare! If you would like more information,

please feel free to contact any of our board members or committee

chairs listed HERE or contact Kim Kavett-Moore, VP of Volunteers at

[email protected]


National Principals Month Did you know that October was National Principal’s Month? Our Brookside Tigers,

teachers and PTA honored our beloved

head tiger, Mrs. Ahl, this past Thursday and

presented her with buckets filled with notes

of appreciation and she was officially

crowned, “BEST PRINCIPAL!” We are so

appreciative of the tremendous leadership

Mrs. Ahl has shown Brookside, and for the way she leads our Tigers

with kindness, empathy, and compassion. WE LOVE YOU MRS. AHL!

Socktober! A huge thank you to all of our Brookside families who contributed socks as

part of Student Council’s Socktober event!!! THANK YOU to our Student Council and our amazing Student Council advisors, Cindy Stephens and Sarah Landis, and our incredible teachers who got their groove on this past Thursday at our assembly, adorned in their

CRAZY SOCKS, and led by our incredibly talented 2nd grade teacher, Mrs. Powers! BES teachers ROCK!

TIGER SHOUT-OUTS!


All Climate Roofing “Quality That Endures”

Family Owned & Operated - Over 20 Years

Advertise in Tidbits! The Brookside Tiger Tidbits e-Newsletter is a very cost-effective way to reach over 600 local

families. Pricing Options:• $50 for 1 week/ad, $100 for 2 week/ad, $150 for 4 week/ad.

Interested? Please contact Tim Fontenette at [email protected]

Fall Music Concert at OPHS! Please join the Music Program for their Fall Concert on October 25th,at 7pm

in the Oak Park High School Pavillion. The music program will feature

performances by the Concert Band, Wind Ensemble, Jazz Band and String Orchestra. This

event is free and there will be a bake sale and food for sale to benefit the music program.

BROOKSIDE TIDBITS COMMUNITY ADVERTISEMENTSThe Oak Park Unified School District and Brookside Elementary School

do not endorse any advertised products or services

OAK PARK COMMUNITY INFORMATION


Oak Park Community Center Events! • 10/6-10/27: Fundamentals of Finance Series 7pm-8pm • 10/31: 11th Annual Halloween Carnival! 5:30pm-8:30pm Visit www.rsrpd.org for More Information!

Mathnasium Annual Trimathlon on November 6!

Documents

10/17-Monday, NO SCHOOL!...Get your all-color hardcover yearbook for $30 now before prices go up to $35 until 12/31; after that date prices go up to $40. Yearbooks sell out so make