September 17, 2014

The Eagle Eye Brookdale Elementary School

394 Brookdale Drive

Orangeburg, South Carolina 29115

(803) 534-5982

http://bes.ocsd5.net

Vision-Working Together to Build a World Class School

Mission-Brookdale Elementary School Exists to Ensure Academic Success for All Students

Upcoming Events

September 15

Project Life Positeen

After School Program

Begins

September 17

Constitution Day

September 18

Interim Reports Issued

September 19

Picture Day

October 6

PTO Executive Board &

School Improvement

Council Meeting in Media

Center

5:00-5:45

October 6

5th Grade PTO Presentation

Cafeteria

6:00

Principal’s Corner

Principles of Learning

Children learn through different methods

and at varying rates of development. This

learning can be enhanced by utilizing

principles of learning. These principles can

be implemented by parents to help children succeed in school.

The basic principles listed below are each followed by

suggestions of how they can be used.

1. Nothing Succeeds Like Success-Emphasize the positive. Look

for opportunities to praise and reinforce school and learning

accomplishments, no matter how big or small they might be.

Success breeds success.

2. Children Are More Apt to Succeed When They Are

Interested-Find learning activities that excite your child. Make

sure the activities you select do not create pressure situations

for your child.

3. Learning Requires Action-Children need to be provided with

intellectual stimulation. Sitting in front of the television or

playing video games all the time only stagnates the mind. It is

important that your child takes part in activities that require

the use of thinking skills.

Title 1 School

Dr. Charlene Stokes, Principal

Mrs. Latonya Nelson, Assistant Principal

Ms. Yvette Brown, Guidance Counselor

School Hours: 7:45-3:00 (Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, & Fridays)

7:45-1:30 (Tuesdays)

Office Hours: 7:30-4:30

September 17, 2014

2014-2015

Title 1 Allocations

Parenting $7,631

Professional

Development $28,500

Student

Services $6,731

Instructional

Software $3,100

Instructional

Supplies $9,162

Brookdale Elementary Partners with HopeLab

On Tuesday, September 16 from 1:45-5:00, Brookdale Elementary faculty, staff,

and Superintendent Cynthia Wilson were actively engaged in discovering actionable

insight into how they can positively affect learning-readiness in students.

Brookdale Elementary School is only one of two schools in South Carolina to have

the opportunity to engage kindergarten through third grade teachers, school staff, and

administrators in a process that produces actionable and tailored approaches targeted

toward addressing learning readiness needs. The process empowers teachers as

researchers who identify problems, design and test solutions, analyze results, and

engage in continuous improvement cycles. The particular approaches teachers and

researchers co-design might be thought of as ingredients, with empowered teachers at

liberty to customize recipes for their particular classes.

Founded in 2001 by Pam Omidyar, HopeLab enacts core Omidyar family values: a

deeply rooted belief in humanity, the conviction that every person should be treated

with respect and dignity, and a vision for positive change powered by the individual.

As a result of the Brookdale HopeLab partnership, Brookdale faculty and staff

members will emerge with enduring benefits.

Brookdale Eagles Having Fun While

Learning!

Ms. Kati Knight & Ms. Kinyatta Seward are excited about the

2014-2015 school year ! Their students are participating in Drop Everything,

and Read (D.E.A.R)! D.E.A.R. is accomplished daily to build students’

vocabulary. Research states that students should be provided the opportunity

to read aloud and with guidance (National Reading Panel, National Institute of

Child Health and Human Development, 2000). It is their goal to read for

20-30 minutes daily. Once the reading activity is completed students write/

draw/color a response to demonstrate comprehension about the text read.

Parents please do not hesitate assisting them with their goal. D.E.A.R is a

reading activity that can be completed at home or during a road trip. So

please feel to Drop Everything, and Read on a consistent basis during your

family time together.

Page 4 The Eagle Eye

Reading is Fundamental by Ms. K. Knight & Ms. K. Seward

Mrs. P. Davis-Kindergarten

The Kindergarten students are having a blast

as they continue learning about classifying

objects into given categories during their

Math Center time. Students are continuously

learning how objects are sorted and

classified by their attributes through

technology and hands on experiences!

Our third graders are getting off to a wonderful

start! In math, they are learning about rounding

numbers and place value. In science, they are

strengthening their inquiry skills, learning all about

safety in the science lab, and making observations.

September 17, 2014

3rd Grade Math-Ms. Joanna Wallace

Hola! 1st Grade G & T-Mrs. Stephenson & Ms. Steinmetz

Page 5

The first grade G & T students have been having a fiesta every Friday

in Spanish class. So far they have learned to say their names, colors,

numbers, and how old they are. They even sing songs and watch videos.

They love the puppet friends that visit during lessons.

The second grade gifted and talented students at Brookdale Elementary have had a very successful start of

school. One the first week of school they did several “get to know you” activities that required the students to

share their likes, dislikes, and reveal their overall person to their classmates and teacher. Together they did

team building activities. The activity pictured above had the children to build a tower using 16 plastic cups.

The students had to use their team building skills and their creativity to build a sturdy structure. All groups,

after a lot of discussion among themselves, were VERY successful.

Welcome to 2nd Grade G & T-Ms. M. Williams & Mrs. J. Fanning

Pre-K-Mrs. Brunson & Ms. Innis

Welcome Back, Brookdale Eagles! We are excited about the new school year in the

Exceptional Services Department of Brookdale Elementary School. We have two new staff

members in our department—Miss Katie Knight, serving as the Developmentally Delayed

Preschool Teacher, and Mrs. Janice Jenkins, the Teaching Assistant in the Pre-K

Developmentally Delayed Classroom! We welcome them both to our school!

Our returning staff members are Mrs. Sylvia Armstead, who is now the teacher in our

Self-Contained 1st and 2nd grade classroom, along with Mrs. Dantzler and Mrs. Keys as

teaching assistants, Mrs. Moore, who is a teaching assistant in the Pre-K Developmentally

Delayed Classroom, Mrs. Kinyatta Seward, who is now our resource teacher and Mrs. Stella

Mitchell, Speech-Language Pathologist. We are glad to have them back!

Many of our students have spent the first two weeks of school learning the procedures

of the classroom and school environments and participating in MAP and STAR testing. The

purpose of this testing is to establish a baseline of current skill level for each individual

student. As the school year progresses, these tests will be re-administered at scheduled

intervals to allow for consistent meaningful monitoring of our students' progress. This

information will be used by teachers to guide instruction and ensure that skills that are not

mastered are re-taught until mastery is accomplished.

Your child’s first progress report will be sent home on September 18, 2014, but

please feel free to contact your child’s teacher at any time to discuss concerns or ask

questions about your child's academic progress. We appreciate your input and involvement!

We look forward to a successful year in the Exceptional Services department of

Brookdale Elementary School during the 2014-2015 school year!

Mrs. Stella Mitchell, MA CCC-SLP Lead Teacher

The pre-kindergarten students are very excited about school this year. The

children are developing their understanding of concepts by listening to stories,

participating in discussions, following directions, engaging in concept-related play,

and learning new vocabulary words.

Ms. Verlinda Gunter-Media Specialist

DISCUS & Accelerated Reader

DISCUS

If your child has access to the internet, a valuable resource to aid with homework is

just a mouse click away. DISCUS, South Carolina’s Virtual Library, provides links to the best

and most comprehensive subscription databases available.

DISCUS offers a virtual library of age

appropriate resources including:

Magazines and newspapers

Reference books

Encyclopedia and dictionaries

Images, maps and flags

Video and audio

Links to prescreened websites

And much more!

In order to access DISCUS at home, go to scdiscus.org. You will be asked for a

password and username. The Username is: dicus2014. The password is: learnhere

Accelerated Reader

All 1st –5th grade Brookdale Elementary students are required to pass at least 6

Accelerated Reader (AR) tests in their Zone each quarter.

AR is a computer program that helps teachers and media specialists manage and

monitor children’s independent reading practice. Your child picks a book at his own level

and reads it at his own pace. When finished, your child takes a short quiz on the

computer. (Passing the quiz is an indication that your child understood what was read.)

AR gives children, teachers, and media specialists feedback based on the quiz results,

which the teacher then uses to help your child set goals and direct ongoing reading

practice. Children using AR choose their own books to read, rather than having one

assigned to them. This makes reading a much more enjoyable experience as they can

choose books that are interesting to them. Teachers and the media specialist help

your child choose books at an appropriate readability level that are challenging without

being frustrating, ensuring that your child can pass the quiz and experience success.

Contact Ms. Gunter at 533-6476 for additional information.

Ms. G. Kennedy, Literacy Coach

The importance of literacy is obvious. Everywhere you look, you see words – in books, in

directions, on building, on signs, etc. That is why it’s so vital to get kids reading! The school

year has just begun and in the Eagle’s Nest we have the started the year off right. Literacy.

is our top priority! The ELA teachers are hard at work implementing the Common Core State

Standards, using a variety of instructional strategies to meet the needs of all learners, and

utilizing appropriate interventions to help struggling readers. It is clear that if Brookdale

Elementary is going to rise to the challenge of leaving no child behind, we must take steps to

ensure that all students are being taught the skills and strategies they need to be able to

comprehend grade level text. At Brookdale we are not just building a future for our youth,

but we are building our youth for the future.

*Literacy Parent Tip

Map it Out - It’s important to provide your child with a variety of fiction and non-fiction

reading. A fun way to do this is to get a map and show them the way from your house to the

grocery store or another familiar destination. Have your child write out the directions,

street by street, and then read them to you as you walk or drive to the store – like a living

GPS!

Important RemindersImportant RemindersImportant Reminders All morning carpool students must enter the cafeteria All morning carpool students must enter the cafeteria All morning carpool students must enter the cafeteria

before 7:40 in order to eat breakfast in the morning.before 7:40 in order to eat breakfast in the morning.before 7:40 in order to eat breakfast in the morning.

Carpool students should not be dropped off before 7:15.Carpool students should not be dropped off before 7:15.Carpool students should not be dropped off before 7:15.

Weekly grade level newsletters should be sent home Weekly grade level newsletters should be sent home Weekly grade level newsletters should be sent home

weekly. The purpose of the weekly grade level weekly. The purpose of the weekly grade level weekly. The purpose of the weekly grade level

newsletter is to provide parents with specific information newsletter is to provide parents with specific information newsletter is to provide parents with specific information

about what their child is learning each week.about what their child is learning each week.about what their child is learning each week.

New Brookdale Elementary Faculty & Staff

2014-2015

Name Role

Ms. Chantell Ham Attendance Secretary, Receptionist, & SIS Operator

Mrs. M. Isaac Kindergarten Teacher of Academically Gifted & Talented

Students

Ms. V. Hodges Kindergarten Teacher of Academically Gifted & Talented

Students

Ms. C. Watson 1st Grade Teacher

Mrs. K. Murray 1st Grade Teacher

Mrs. W. Stephenson 1st Grade Teacher of Academically Gifted & Talented

Students

Ms. K. Tarrance 2nd Grade Teacher

Mrs. J. Fanning 2nd Grade Teacher of Academically Gifted & Talented

Students

Ms. M. Williams 2nd Grade Teacher of Academically Gifted & Talented

Students

Ms. S. Holmes 3rd Grade ELA & Social Studies Teacher

Mrs. S. Grayson 4th Grade Math & Science Teacher

Ms. K. Knight Early Childhood Self-Contained Teacher

Mrs. J. Jenkins Early Childhood Self-Contained Teacher’s Assistant

Mr. R. Ott Art Teacher-Mondays & Tuesdays

Ms. J. Mintz Art Teacher-Wednesdays

Mr. C. Gladman Strings and Music Teacher

Ms. G. Kennedy Reading Coach

Ms. Ellis Media Center Assistant

Mr. D. Kelly Digital Resource Coach

Mrs. P. Hollington OCSD5 Advanced Academics Coordinator