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Dear Bridgewater FamiliesConferences
Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held this month on March 17 and 19. Please make sure
to connect with your child’s teacher if you are unable to attend at your scheduled time. You
will receive a conference report at this time and a report card at the end of the school year.
Your involvement is critical to the success of your child and this conference. I look forward
to seeing you when you are in the building.
March 2015
Newsletter
Nancy Antoine,
Principal
507.664.3300
Attendance Line
507.664.3306
Spring Break
Spring Break for students will be on March 21-30. Information on the Spring Break Read-athon will be sent home later this month encouraging students to read over the break.
Fifth Grade Parents
Unfortunately, the D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) will not be held this year for
our fifth grade students due to an injury sustained by Officer Borchardt. We wish her a
speedy recovery. I will be working with the fifth grade team to plan a replacement activity
with the students.
Kindergarten Information Meeting
The Kindergarten Information Meeting was held on Monday, March 2nd at Bridgewater. We
discussed our kindergarten program and what to expect as an incoming kindergarten student
and parent. We would be happy to speak with anyone who did not have time to attend.
Recognition
March 1-7, 2015, is National School Social Worker Week. We appreciate all the work that
Jamie Wiebe does for Bridgewater students and families. Thank you Mrs. Wiebe!
Read Across America Day
Along with other schools and libraries across the nation, we celebrated Read Across America
Day on Monday, March 2nd. NEA’s (National Education Association) national reading celebration takes place each year on or near March 2nd, which is the birthday of Dr. Seuss. The
theme for this year is Grab Your Hat and Read with the Cat. This year, the book is the Seuss
classic, Oh, The Places You’ll Go. On March 2nd, we were joined by many high school students
who volunteered to read with our students. We are so fortunate to have close guests who
are willing to walk over and read with us.
Celebration
March is Women’s History Month, and our students will be learning about famous women
and how they opened doors that many of us now take for granted. The theme for 2015 is
Weaving the Stories of Women’s Lives. “This theme presents the opportunity to integrate the diverse and compelling stories of women’s lives into a colorful tapestry highlighting the intricacies and interconnection of these stories.” (www.nwhp.org) Not long ago, women did not
even have the right to vote, much less speak one’s mind in public. We have come a long way
in our country with a significant journey ahead. It is 2015, and yet women continue to experience first time events that should have happened decades ago. Title IX played a crucial role
in providing equal opportunity for all women to learn and receive an education. The concept
that educating women meant educating mothers endured in America for many years, at all
levels of education. “How important is it for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she
-roes!”—Maya Angelou “I must admit that I personally measure success in terms of the contributions an individual makes to her or his fellow human beings.”—Margaret Mead
First Grade Options
A letter was sent home with current kindergarten students about choice options for first grade. Please look for this letter and
don’t forget to return it by the deadline. A separate meeting will be scheduled and held for parents wanting the Compañeros
option for next year.
I Love to Read Month
Thank you to everyone who made I Love to Read Month a success! It was great to see all of the visitors and guest readers at
Bridgewater. Thank you also to Just Foods Coop for the donation of the many delicious apples!
Sincerely,
Nancy Antoine
Queridas familias de Bridgewater,
Reuniones con los maestros
Las reuniones de padres y madres con los maestros serán este mes el 17 y 19 de marzo. Pónganse en contacto con la maestra
o maestro de su hijo/a si no pueden ir a la hora y día que les den. Recibirán un informe en la reunión y las notas al final del
año escolar. Su participación y asistencia a las reuniones es crucial para que su hijo/a tenga éxito y para que las reuniones
cumplan su meta. Tengo ganas de verlos cuando vengan a la escuela para las reuniones.
Vacaciones de primavera (Spring Break)
Las vacaciones de la primavera para los estudiantes serán del 21 al 30 de marzo. Información sobre el maratón de lectura para
las vacaciones de la primavera se enviará a casa más adelante este mes para animar a los estudiantes a que lean durante las
vacaciones.
Padres y madres de quinto grado
Desgraciadamente el programa de D.A.R.E. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education- Educación sobre cómo resistirse a tomar
drogas) no se podrá hacer para los estudiantes de quinto grado este año debido a unas lesiones que ha tenido la agente de
policía Borchardt. Le deseamos que tenga una rápida recuperación. Voy a trabajar con el equipo de quinto grado para planear
una actividad alternativa con los estudiantes.
Sesión informativa de Kindergarten
La sesión informativa para Kindergarten tuvo lugar el lunes 2 de marzo en Bridgewater. Se habló del programa de kindergarten y cuáles son las expectativas como un/a estudiante de kindergarten y padres y madres de estudiantes de kindergarten. Si
no tuvieron tiempo de venir nos agradaría mucho poder hablarles del programa.
Reconocimiento
La semana del 1 al 7 de marzo, 2015, es la semana nacional dedicada a los trabajadores sociales de las escuelas. Apreciamos
todo el trabajo que Jamie Wiebe hace para los estudiantes y las familias de Bridgewater. ¡Gracias Sra. Wiebe!
Día de la lectura por todo Estados Unidos
El lunes 2 de marzo celebramos el día de la lectura por todo Estados Unidos, algo que también hacen otras escuelas y bibliotecas por todo el país. Ese día organizado por la Asociación nacional de educación (NEA) se hace cada año el día o uno de
los días cercanos al que fuera el día de nacimiento de Dr. Seuss, el lunes 2 de marzo. El tema de este año ha sido ¡Agarra tu
gorro y lee con el gato! Este año el libro es el clásico de Seuss “Oh, The Places You’ll Go” (La de lugares a los que vas a ir). Muchos
estudiantes del high school vinieron de voluntarios para leer con nuestros estudiantes. Tenemos mucha suerte de tenerlos
cerca y que quieran venir caminando para leer con nosotros.
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Celebración
Marzo es el mes de la historia de las mujeres, y nuestros estudiantes van a aprender algo sobre famosas mujeres y cómo
abrieron las puertas que muchas de nosotras hoy tomamos como algo normal. El tema para 2015 es Explorando y tejiendo las
historias de las vidas de las mujeres. Este tema presenta la oportunidad de integrar diversas e importantes historias de las vidas de
las mujeres en un tejido lleno de colores y que muestra las intricadas interconexiones de estas historias.” (www.nwhp.org) No
hace mucho tiempo las mujeres ni siquiera tenían derecho a votar y mucho menos opinar en público. Hemos recorrido un
largo camino en nuestro país con gran parte del camino todavía por recorrer. Es el año 2015 y las mujeres todavía siguen
experimentando circunstancias que deberían haberse resuelto hace décadas. El Título IX jugó un papel crucial al ofrecer
igualdad de oportunidades para que todas las mujeres aprendieran y recibieran una educación. El concepto de que educar a
las mujeres significaba educar a las madres perduró en Estados Unidos por muchos años, en todos los niveles educativos.
“¡Qué importante es que reconozcamos y celebremos a nuestros héroes y heroínas!” —Maya Angelou. “Tengo que admitir
que personalmente mido el éxito en términos de las contribuciones que cada individuo hace para el resto de los seres humanos.” —Margaret Mead
Opciones para primer grado
Se enviará una carta a casa de los estudiantes que están en kindergarten sobre opciones para primer grado. Por favor, estén
atentos a esa carta y no se olviden de entregarla antes de la fecha límite. Se hará una reunión aparte para los padres y madres
que quieran la opción de Compañeros para el próximo año.
Mes de “Me encanta leer” (I Love to Read Month)
¡Gracias a todos los que hicieron que el mes de “Me encanta leer” fuera todo un éxito! Fue estupendo ver a todos los visitantes y a los invitados a leer en Bridgewater. ¡Gracias también a Just Foods Coop por donar tantas deliciosas manzanas!
Atentamente,
Nancy Antoine
Traducción: Mar Valdecantos
Physical Education News….
Paul Bernhard & Tony Mathison
Physical Education and Lifetime Wellness Instructors
March brings our annual American Heart Association Jump Rope for Heart event. This will be the 17th consecutive year
Bridgewater has participated in this heart healthy event that brings awareness to heart related illness and disease. Bridgewater has raised over $110,000 for cardiovascular research participating in it. Your child will bring
information home for this voluntary activity in the near future. You are encouraged to go on-line and look at
the simple way of collecting donations with the click of the mouse. All students will participate in jumping
rope, which will take place the week of March 9th in physical education classes. Take a moment to look at the
information at www.heart.org/jump to check out facts and information about the heart.
Spring fitness testing will begin once students return from spring break. We have been encouraging students to begin preparing for the tests by exercising at home before bed time, during television commercials, or as a family. We also have encouraged spending 30 minutes less with computer, video games, or other technology and turn that into activity time instead. It is
always exciting for us to see the improvement in scores from the fall to the spring. We hope to be outside shortly after
spring break. Continue to encourage your child to eat right and exercise regularly.
As always. "Fit Kids Are Healthy Kids!"
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Bear Tracks…
News from your BW PTO
April Meeting
Our next PTO meeting will be held on April 14th, at 6:30 p.m. in the Media Center. Free childcare will be provided and the
kids will be playing games! We hope you can join us.
Thanks All Around
KUDOS to all the Bridgewater students for doing such an amazing job bringing in Trash for Cash items! Thanks to Lianne
Kleiner and all the volunteers that counted box tops, milk caps, bag tops, and ink cartridges. The popcorn party winning
grade level and collected dollar amounts will be announced soon.
HUGE thanks also go out to Student Council and 2nd grade students and families for helping with Movie Night! Special
thanks to Brent Rauk for getting the equipment set-up and running, Kate Woodstrup and Darren Lofquist for organizing
Student Council support and the food drive, and to Nutrition Services and the Phy Ed Team for providing popcorn for the
movie. You are ALL appreciated!
Getting Ready to Rock with Boosterthon
Spring is almost here which means BW is gearing up for Boosterthon! Interested in being part of the event? Visit
www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0844A9A82EA0FF2-boosterthon1 or contact Shari at [email protected] or Sarah at [email protected] to find out how to get involved. Thanks for your support!
SCRIP Program Update
Due to a lack of interest the SCRIP gift card program is being put on hold. At this time we will no longer be stocking gas &
grocery cards in the main office. Thanks for your past support of this effort!
Be part of the PTO Officer Team
At our April PTO meeting we’ll be taking nominations and voting for next year’s PTO officers. Being part of the leadership
team is incredibly rewarding and lots of fun so we hope you consider an office!
Hat & Pajama Day: Friday, March 20th. $1 to wear a hat or pajamas or $2 to wear both!
Your Bridgewater PTO Officer Team:
Co- Presidents: Shari Sneary ([email protected]) cell: 952-303-1850
Sarah Lombardi ([email protected]) cell: 507-291-4863
PTO Treasurers: Angie Gonzales ([email protected]) cell: 651-226-5024
Kathy Sopa ([email protected]) / Kim Norton ([email protected])
*finance advisor: Lonnie Schuster ([email protected])
Co-Secretaries: Dana Holden ([email protected])
Anna Rubin ([email protected])
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Orchesta Update….
Natalie Kruger
The All-District Orchestra Concert on Thursday, March 19 is approaching quickly! This should be a fantastic experience for your child. This performance will consist of each group playing separately (4th grade, 5th
grade, 6th grade, 7th grade, 8th grade, Concert Orchestra & Symphony Orchestra) as well as a combined
piece to finish out the evening. We hope you are looking forward to hearing approximately 360 Northfield
orchestra members playing together!
4th Graders need to arrive at the High School by 5:15 p.m. to unpack and be tuned. We have a special practice at 5:30 p.m.
to run through their pieces with 4th Graders from the other two elementary schools before being joined by students in
grades 5-12 for the grand finale rehearsal.
5th Graders need to arrive at the High School by 5:25 p.m. to unpack and be tuned. 5th graders will participate in the grand
finale rehearsal at 5:40 p.m.
After the combined rehearsal, we will have pizza & cookies available for dinner in the upper cafeteria. The cost for this meal
is $3 per student. Students should bring their own beverage. An information sheet with pizza sign-up and a schedule for the
evening was sent home with students earlier this week.
Music Notes….
Kristen Hummel
Music Programs are coming up soon - please note schedule! Our program themes this year make cross curriculum connections as indicated below. We have had fun singing songs while learning about visual art, language arts, and science in preparation for this special concert. Hope to see you there!!! All take place in the
Bridgewater cafetorium and run for approximately 30-45 minutes.
Tuesday, March 10
2:15pm 1st Grade (Mother Goose nursery rhymes)
Wednesday, March 11
2:15pm 2nd Grade (Grimm tales)
Thursday, March 12
8:45am 4th Grade (visual arts)
2:15pm 5th Grade (language arts)
Friday, March 13
8:45am 3rd Grade (science)
2:15pm Kindergarten (alphabet songs)
** NOTE: The 4th/5th Grade Choir concert is scheduled for MAY 5! **
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Band Notes…
Stefanie Bothun
Congratulations to all 5th grade band members for an outstanding concert on February 26! All the students worked very hard
and put on a great night of music making.
Tuesday morning rehearsals will continue in the month of March on these dates: March 3, 10, & 17. Rehearsals begin at
7:15 a.m., so students should be ready to go with their instruments at the beginning of rehearsal. We will begin preparing for
our next concert on May 12, which will be held at the middle school with the 6th, 7th and 8th grade bands. This will be a good
chance for all 5th graders to experience and see what middle school band will be like if they continue playing their instruments in middle school. More details about this performance will be sent out closer to the date.
Art News…
Kate Woodstrup
Congratulations to the Bridgewater artists selected for the 2015 Northfield Art Guild All School Art Show! The theme this
year is “Art Floats My Boat”. Gold colored letters and postcards where sent home with students last week if they have their
artwork selected for this exhibition. The artwork will be displayed from Wednesday, Feb. 24th through Thursday, March 19th
at the Northfield Arts Guild on Division Street. The Arts Guild is located across the street from the Northfield Public Library. More information can be located on their website:
http://northfieldartsguild.org/galleries/main/
I hope that you can attend this event to see the outstanding display of talent by Northfield’s young artists. You may view
the show during regular gallery hours on Monday- Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturday, 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Again, congratulations Bridgewater artists on your great work!
Artfully yours,
Ms. K. Woodstrup
No School Reminder:
Spring Break
Monday, March 23 to Friday, March 27, 2015 (no school)
Teacher Workshop:
Monday, March 30, 2015 (no school)
School will resume on Tuesday, March 31, 2015
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Community Services….
Community Services has some great youth recreation and enrichment programs in March and early April 2015. For more
information or to register for these great programs visit us online at www.nfld.k12.mn.us (follow the Community Services
link), call 507-664-3649, or visit our office on the first floor of the Northfield Community Resource Center at 1651 Jefferson
Parkway, Northfield. Scholarships are available for all programs.
Home Alone Kids Safety Course
Ages 8 – 10; Middle School FACS Lab 221
Sa, March 14; 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. $34 Class #: 4354-W15A
Elementary Tennis Program
Grades 2-5; Sibley Gym
T, April 7 – May 5, $25 Class #: 1204-W15SA
NEW! 4-H Grubby DayCamp!
Grades K-5; Middle School FACS Lab 221
Sa, April 4; 9 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. $45 Class #: 4345-W15A
Tae Kwon Do For Kids
Grades 2 - 12; Sibley Cafeteria
T & Th, April 7 – May 19 (no class April 9); $74
6 - 7 p.m. (white, yellow & orange belts) Class#: 4165
-W15C
7 – 8 p.m. (green – black belts) Class #: 4165-W15D
Youth Floor Hockey
Grades K – 5; Middle School Gym
Sa, April 4 – 256; $20
9 – 9:45 a.m. (Grades K – 2) Class #: 1054-W15AK-2
10 – 10:45 a.m. (Grades 3- 5) Class #:1054-W15B3-5
New! Extreme LEGO®: Clowns and Cranes (6wks)
Grades K-4; Bridgewater Media Center Classroom 311
T, April 7 – May 12; 3:25 – 4:25 p.m. $75 Class #: 4442W15BA
Grandmasters of Chess: Spring Season (6wks)
Grades K-5; Bridgewater Media Center Classroom
311
Th, April 9 – May 14; 3:25 – 4:25 p.m. $65 Class #:
4342-W15BA
Watch Me Draw: Spring Art Studio! (6wks)
Grades K – 5; Bridgewater Media Center Classroom
311
M, April 13 – May 18; 3:25 – 4:25 p.m. $79 Class
#:4387-W15BA
Lost and Found….
Friday, March 20, 2015 marks the end of the third quarter. After Friday, March 20, any items left in
our Lost and Found area will be donated to charity on that date. Please encourage your child(ren) to
check this area for anything they may have misplaced or while your are here for Spring Conferences
check out the area. Also, it is very helpful if your child’s clothing and personal items are marked with
their name so that we can return the lost items to their owner.
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Scheduled Events for
March 2015:
March 2015
Sun
1
Mon
2
Tue
3
Wed
4
March General Music Programs:
March 10—First Grade @ 2:15 p.m.
March 11—Second Grade @ 2:15 p.m.
March 12—Fourth Grade @ 8:45 a.m.
Fifth Grade @ 2:15 p.m.
March 13—Third Grade—8:45 a.m.
Kindergarten @ 2:15 p.m.
Thu
5
Fri
6
Sat
7
March 16—Student Council Meeting
March 16—Holden’s class to Senior Center
(10:30-11:30)
March 17 & 19—Bridgewater Parent/Teacher
Conferences
March 19—All District Orchestra Concert
March 20– First Grade “Dad and
DEAR” (2:30-3:00)
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9
10
11
12
13
14
March 23-27—No School (Spring Break)
March 30—No School (Teacher Workday)
Upcoming Events for
2014-2015:
Music
Programs
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April 3—Spring Pictures
16 Student 17 Bridge- 18
19Bridge-
20First
Council
Meeting
water
Parent/
Teacher
Conferences
Grade “Dad
and
DEAR” (2
:30-3:00)
Holden’s
class to Senior Center
(10:30-11:30)
22
23
water
Parent/
Teacher
Conferences
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April 10—Mill City Museum Field Trip
(Second Grade)
April 14—PTO Meeting (6:30 p.m., Media)
April 20—Holden’s class to Senior Center
(10:30-11:30)
April 22—Band Instrument Display Night
(BW Band Room, 6:00-7:30 p.m.)
24
25
26
27
28
April 23—MN Zoo Field Trip (First Grade)
April 27—Student Council
May 5—Fourth & Fifth Grade Choir Concert
Spring
Break
(no school)
29
May 5—Boosterthon Kick-off Rally (2:15
p.m.)
May 12—Elementary & Middle School Band
Concert
30
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May 15—Boosterthon Fun Run
Teacher
Workday
(no
school)
May 22—Science Museum Field Trip (Second
Grade)
May 22—Fourth & Fifth Grade Choirs to
District Choir Festival (11:00-3:00 @ MS)
May 25—No School (Memorial Day)
June 1—Espectaculo Dress Rehearsal (12-3:00)
June 2—Espectaculo Show (9:30-12:30)
May 29—Track & Field Day (Grades 4 & 5)
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