September 20 , 2018

Dates to Remember

Sept. 25

CRP Begins Sept. 21

Peace Day Sept. 26

Interim Reports Sept. 27

Parent Education: “Modern Montessori Family” 6:00-7:15 pm

Sept. 28

Lifeskill Tea for Honesty Oct. 1

Parents can begin observations and join their child(ren) for lunch

Oct. 3

Picture Day—Bring your smile! Oct. 20

Brockman Bash Oct. 22

FUNd Run Kick-Off

Volume 19 , I ssue 03

Principal’s Message

When the children filled the halls of our school in late August, I marveled at how

different our school is in comparison to the other schools that I have led. I first

noticed the quiet throughout the building, and then I noticed the environment.

Teachers had carefully prepared it, but children cared for the materials with

care and attention. I was most impressed when I saw how children persisted in

their lessons with great independence and self-motivation. Encouraging order,

independence, and self-motivation are fundamental to the Montessori

approach and build a sense of pride that builds confidence. You can bring

these same Montessori principles into your home and develop a valuable bridge

to what your child learns at school. Please join us for the Parent Education Night

on September 27th from 6:15-7:15 p.m. This session will focus on skills that adults

can use to help free children from self-limiting roles in which they often cast

themselves. Adults will meet in the music room. Brockman students will

participate in a community meal facilitated by Brockman teachers

and PTO beginning at 6:00 p.m. in the café. RSVP today to

Susan.Watts@richlandone.org or call the school office by September 24th. Don’t

miss this important opportunity to bring the strength of the Montessori method

into your home!

Health & Wellness

Activites That Promote Family Exercise Here are some activities that the whole family can do:

Bowling

Hiking

Miniature Golf

Fly a kite on a grassy field

Go on a family bike ride through the

neighborhood

Take a family walk after dinner

a couple times a week

Create sidewalk art with chalk and

play hopscotch

Enjoy a playground at a school or a park

Limit time spent in sedentary activities, such as watching TV, playing on the

computer or playing video games to no more than one hour a day.

Children need physical activity to build strength, coordination and

confidence. All of these characteristics lay the groundwork for leading a healthy

lifestyle in the future. Studies show that children who are

exposed to various sports and exercise tend to stay active throughout their

adults lives. Also, children who are more physically active tend to get sick less

often than children who are inactive. So remember, when it comes to physical

activity, every little bit counts!

Reading at Home

Make Reading a Part of Your Family Time!

Family time is so important… Why not make reading part of this valuable time

with your kids? Here are some tips for integrating reading into our daily family

activities:

Read bedtime stories

Play a board game

Visit your local library

Put your child in charge of reading the grocery list at the store

Read a recipe and cook something yummy together!

Create a comfy reading space in your home

Reading with your child is of upmost importance no matter your child’s

age. You are doing amazing things for your sweet kiddo when you pick up a

book and she climbs on your lap to snuggle in close with a good book! If your

lap is getting too small for that UE child, remember now is the time to create

family bonds through traditions that will unify you all in the years ahead. Reading

together can be that unifying tradition! Reading aloud builds many important

foundational skills, introduces vocabulary, provides a model of fluent, expressive

reading, and helps children recognize what reading for pleasure is all about. If

that’s not enough, here’s what the research says: “The single most important

activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is

reading aloud to children.”

Brockman PTO

New to Brockman? Here's the

link so you can complete a

background check to volunteer

at: https:/www.richlandone.org/

Page/5210

Thursday, October 4 - Family

Meal Night at PDQ! Stop by PDQ

for an easy dinner and fellow-

ship with Brockman friends.

A portion of the proceeds go to

support Brockman PTO.

PTO Membership Drive - Please

turn in your membership form (or

fill out online) and help support

the PTO this year. We need eve-

ryone to give either a little of

their time or money to keep our

school going strong. More info

at: https://www.brockman

pto.org/membership-form/.

Park Playdates (weather permit-

ting) - Join your Brockman

friends at Citadel Park on Fridays

after school and Saturday

mornings at 8:00 a.m. for fun

and fellowship.

School Sponsorships - We are still

in need of corporate sponsor-

ships. It is a great way to

promote your business while

giving back to the school. Thank

you to Jack Oliver's, Sims

Tompkins and Reeley's Body

Shop who are sponsoring us!!

More information at: https://

w w w . b r o c k m a n p t o . o r g /

sponsorship-form/

Page 2 Bear Tracks

Brockman Elementary A National Blue Ribbon

School

Primary

Primary students have spent the

first weeks of school getting

to know each other and

learning the “ground rules.” So

what are “ground rules?” These

are the rules that help the class-

room community run smoothly.

They maintain a peaceful, happy

learning environment. There are

three main ground rules of the

Montessori classroom, from which

all other rules stem.

1. Respect for oneself

2. Respect for others

3. Respect for the environment

“The liberty of the child ought to have as its limits the collective interest of the community in which he moves; its form is expressed in what we call manners and good behavior. It is our duty to protect the child from doing anything which may offend or hurt others, and to check the behavior which is unbecoming or impolite. But as regards all else, every action that has a useful purpose, whatever it may be and in whatever forms it shows itself, ought not only to be permitted, but it ought to be kept under observation, that is the essential point.” Maria Montessori, Discovery of the Child

Guidance

Join Brockman’s Walk for Life

team: On Saturday, October 13th,

our staff team “Richland 1 –

Brockman Bears” will walk in the

annual 5K to raise funds to support

Palmetto Health Breast Center.

Parents and families are more

than welcome to join us for

this important service opportunity.

Click on the link below to

register for the team or make a

donation. Registration is open until

September 27. Thanks for your

support!

http://events.palmettohealth

f o u n d a t i o n . o r g / s i t e / T R /

E v e n t s G e n e r a l ? t e a m _ i d =

10215&pg=team&fr_id=1140

Upper Elementary

Fifth level students are currently

participating in D.A.R.E. D.A.R.E.

is a Sheriff's Deputy-led series

of lessons that teaches

children how to resist peer

pressure and live productive drug

and v io lence- f ree l i ves .

Deputy Enzor and Deputy Friels

are teaching students about

decision making for safe and

healthy living.

Upper Elementary students have

also started Drama. Instructors

from Town Theatre are working

with students on a weekly basis in

order to prepare for a Fall

production.

Lower Elementary

Breaking News in Mrs. Johnson's

Class! By Bess Lyon

My class has been working

hard to follow all of the I-Care

Rules and all the directions

which helps our class to be

successful. So we got a Betta

fish to take care of as a class

pet! We are really excited

about our class pet. Fun Fact:

Betta fish are the most common

pet fish in the world.

In Lower Elementary we

are practicing review lessons

and learning new ones. All the

students in Mrs. Johnson's class

hope that all the other classes

are having a great new school

year!

Corporate Sponsors!

Order your

Spiritwear NOW!

Thursday is the final

deadline to order

Brockman spiritwear!!

Order online today!!

https://

www.brockmanpto.org/

shop/

Arts Corner

Students are preparing for Peace

Day and expressing them-

selves in artistic ways. The

Brockman Peace Day Chorus has

been preparing to perform at

the celebration and upper

elementary students have been

designing and creating "Pinwheels

for Peace." If the weather

permits, you may see them

on our hillside! Thank you for

supporting artistic expression. As

an Arts in Basic Curriculum school,

we believe that arts are an

indispensable part of a complete

education, because quality

education in the arts significantly

adds to the learning potential of

children.