Brookwood Elementary

2980 Vaughan Drive ~ Cumming, GA * Telephone: 678-965-5060 Fax: 678-965-5061

Principal: Kathie Braswell * Asst. Principal: Gina Burns * Asst. Principal: Greg Singleton

January 8, 2016

Dates to Remember

Plan Your Year In Advance: Click 2015-2016 Student Calendar

January 18, Dr. Martin Lurther King Jr. Day – No School

January 21, Honoring Our Heroes

January 30, Tech Fair @ Whitlow Elementary

February 6, Daddy/Daughter Dance

Ongoing Announcements At A Glance

Like the PTA on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brookwoodpta

Check out the PTA website: www.brookwoodpta.org

Follow the PTA on Instagram: Brookwoodpta

Submit Pictures for the Yearbook: www.images.balfour.com (Project #: 624273 / Password: yearbook)

Upload photos from your phone by downloading Balfour’s new app: Image Share (Project #: 624273 / Password: yearbook)

Yearbooks Still For Sale: http://brookwoodpta.org

Specials Schedule for January 11-15

Monday, January 11 C Tuesday, January 12 D Wednesday, January 13 E Thursday, January 14 F Friday, January 15 G

Message from Mrs. Braswell

Happy New Year! It was certainly an extra special start to the new year on Monday for our staff thanks to the

Brookwood parents. The PTA members treated our staff to healthy treats to start off the new year. We

enjoyed fresh fruit, granola bars and lots of other yummy goodies. A special thanks to Michelle Lockwood and

Katherine Feeney for their shopping expertise and thoughtfulness.

Kathie Braswell

Principal

Cold Weather

Dear Parents,

The cold weather has arrived! Please be mindful that students will still have outside

recess and brain breaks. They need to be dressed accordingly, including warm

layers, hats, gloves and sneakers. We do not have staffing for students to stay in

when they come to school in nylon shorts and flip flops on cold weather days.

Thank you for your support in making sure your child is dressed for the weather.

Brookwood Administration

GA Milestones Parent Meetings: 1/12 or 1/19

If you have questions about our student’s Georgia Milestones score report, please contact your school or plan to attend one of three

parent sessions that will be held across the county in January. Translators will be available.

January 12: Piney Grove Middle School, 6:30 pm

January 19: North Forsyth Middle School, 6:30 pm

Parents may view the presentation below to help understand the scale score and its relationship to your child’s achievement level:

Scale Score Explanation Presentation or http://sml5.forsyth.k12.ga.us/sml/play/smaccount_snorce/293-recording

New! PowerPoint Presentation

2015/2016 Brookwood Spelling Bee

“Sishnu blandished his teacher into giving him no homework for the weekend!”

Congratulations to Sishnu Balamurali, from Mrs. Agramonte’s 5th grade class, Broowkood’s

2015-2016 Spelling Bee Champion! Sishnu’s championship word was blandishment, which

can be defined as coaxing or influencing by gentle flattery; or a pleasing statement or action used to persuade someone gently to do something.

Sishnu will have the opportunity to represent

Brookwood in the Forsyth County Spelling Bee

on Monday evening, January 25 at the South Forsyth High School Auditorium. We wish

Sishnu the best of luck! Also, congratulations to our two runner-ups - Sahil Sood, from Mrs. Agramonte’s 5th grade class, Aneesh

Seemakurthy, from Ms. Fingerle’s 5th grade class, and all of the 4th and 5th grade classroom champions.

Everyday Heroes

We are excited to be celebrating the 2015-2016 Honoring Our Heroes Essay program on January 21. Honoring

Our Heroes is a writing program that encourages students to discover, honor, and write about real-life heroes

and role models. Students are asked to redefine media-hyped and cartoon heroes and instead recognize

someone who has made a more personal impact on the student’s life such as a family member, doctor, public

safety officer, soldier or teacher. What a great opportunity to honor someone who may not even know what a

difference they are making in your student’s life! Classroom winners will be chosen as well as one winner per

grade level. You are invited to come to the Brookwood cafeteria on January 21 at 6:00 p.m. to celebrate these

students and their heroes. The students will each receive a booklet with all winning essays. Drinks and

desserts will be provided. Bobby the Bobcat will also be in attendance to honor both the writers and their

heroes.

Reading Incentive Program from Six Flags

Brookwood is participating in the Six Flags Read to Succeed Six Hour Reading Club Program again this year. Each

student, grades K-5, should have received a reading log. On the back of the reading log is a parent information sheet

highlighting the program. Each child that reads a total of 6 hours and returns the completed reading log to their

homeroom teacher by the morning of Friday, February 19, 2016, will receive a free admission ticket to Georgia’s Six Flags

Theme Park at the end of the 2016 school year. No late entries will be accepted.

School Store

The school store will be open every Wednesday from 7:10 – 7:30 a.m. This is one of the kids’ favorite events. We need volunteers every week to keep it running. If you can volunteer or would like more information, please email Kim Smith at community@brookwoodpta.org.

Yearbooks

Yearbooks are still for sale at www.brookwoodpta.org for only $35. Get yours while they last! Spirit wear can be purchased through the website as well.!

Daddy/Daughter Dance

The Daddy/Daughter Dance will be held on February 6 at Brookwood Elementary. Anybody who is interested in volunteering, please sign up at www.brookwoodpta.org.

Family Science Night --- VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!!

Mark your calendards for Thursday, February 25. This is an evening full of family fun exploring science. Look for registration forms in next week’s Friday folder. Volunteer to help plan this fun and enriching event. Join our first committee meeting on Friday, January 15 at 1:00 p.m. or email vpstudentenrichment@brookwoodpta.org for more volunteer opportunities.

Kid Chess

We loved having the young players in our class. Here is the list of all the players and their

trophy titles from our Fall Semester:

TROPHY TITLE GRADE NAME

Chess/Blitz Champion 1st Grade Shashwat Balamurali Chess Champion 1st Grade Baratth Pillay Chess Champion 1st Grade Saicharan Chowdarapu Bughouse Champion 3rd Grade Nicolas Echeverri Chess Champion 5th Grade Sohan Nalamati Chess Champion 5th Grade Steven Hao Chess/Blitz Champion 2nd Grade Sanjay Jagadeesh Chess/Blitz Champion 1st Grade Akshith Chennakesavapura Chess Champion 1st Grade Kushal Maringanti Bughouse Champion 1st Grade Baratth Pillay Bughouse Champion 1st Grade Jonathan Nagano Bughouse Champion 1st Grade Ananya Agarwal Chess Champion Kindergarten Nishan Shah Blitz Champion Kindergarten Andrew Kim Chess Champion 3rd Grade Neeva Gokhale Chess Champion 3rd Grade Rahul Balasubramanian Blitz Champion 2nd Grade Sanjay Jagadeesh Points Champion 2nd Grade Akshar Kothapalli Chess/Bughouse

Champion 5th Grade Steven Hao Chess Champion 4th Grade Luke Michaelsen Blitz/Bughouse

Champion 4th Grade Nithish Sabapathy Bughouse Champion 4th Grade Luigi Fernandez Bughouse Champion 4th Grade Luke Michaelsen Chess/Bughouse

Champion 4th Grade Ethan Kong Points Champion 5th Grade Pranav Batchu Blitz Champion 5th Grade Akshur Kothapalli Sportsmanship Award 4th Grade Jeana Lee Sportsmanship Award 5th Grade Sanjay Kumar

Spring Registration is now open! For more information about Kid Chess at Brookwood

Elementary School, please call 770.575.5802 or visit www.kidchess.com.

PARTNERS IN EDUCATION

If you are a business owner or you know one who would like to support our PTA and their efforts,

please email VPFundraising@brookwoodpta.org for further information.

Please patronize these businesses who have donated to our school:

Platinum Partners $1000+

Golden Partners $500+

Green Partners $250+

General Partners $50+