Middle Matters

Highlights from this week's Middle Matters:

• Important Upcoming Dates
• SY23-24 School Calendar
• Welcome Associate Principals and Student Success Coaches
• Student Council Spirit Week
• Brooks Spirit Wear

• In-Person Curriculum Night: Thursday, September 7th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm

• How to Report Student Absences
• Stay Home When Sick
• Office Phones and Dropping off Items at Brooks
• Technology Exchange
• School Day (Bell Schedule and A/B/C rotation)
• Allergy Safe School Information - No Nuts
• School Lunch Options
• Cell Phone/Mobile Devices Away for the Day
• Backpacks and Lockers
• Tardies to Class
• Water Bottle Reminders
• Clubs and Sports Information
• BRAVO Information
• Student Announcements

Highlights from GBMS PTO

• PTO News

Community Partner News

• NAMI
• Leyden Family Services
• YEMBA
• Thrive

If you have questions about the upcoming school year, please don’t hesitate to contact me at acapuder@op97.org. You can also contact my Executive Coordinator, Ms. Angel Banks, at abanks1@op97.org or (708) 524-7636.

Our Administrative Team

April Capuder, Principal (acapuder@op97.org)

Dr. Denise Gildon, Associate Principal for Teaching & Learning (dgildon@op97.org)

Roshaun Bowens, Associate Principal for School Culture, Climate and Sports/Clubs (rbowens@op97.org)

Student Success Coach Team:

6th Grade: Josh Rodgers - jrodgers@op97.org

7th Grade: Nichelle Stigger - nstigger@op97.org

8th Grade: Bernard Starks - bstarks@op97.org

• Monday, August 29 is an A Day; Tuesday - B day; Wednesday - C Day, Thursday - A Day and Friday - B Day

• No School: Monday, September 4th, 2023

• In-Person Curriculum Night: Thursday, September 7th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm

• No School: Monday, September 25th, 2023

• No School: Monday, October 9th, 2023

• Conferences: Thursday, October 26th from 12:45pm to 8pm

• School Pictures: Wednesday, November 1, 2023

• No School: Friday, November, 10th, 2023

• End of Trimester 1: Friday, November 17th

We welcomed two new associate principals as part of the restructured middle school administrative teams. Dr. Denise Gildon will serve as associate principal of teaching, learning and arts and Roshaun Bowens will serve as associate principal of climate, culture and athletics/clubs at Brooks. The district's new assistant superintendent of middle schools, Dr. Luis Fernando De Leòn, will be leading both Middle School teams in their work toward universal student success.

This year, every middle schooler in District 97 will also have a student success coach, with six total coaches across our two middle schools. Their coach is their “go to” person for help and support throughout their time in middle school. At Brooks, the student success coaches are Joshua Rodgers (sixth grade), Nichelle Stigger (seventh grade) and Bernard Starks (eighth grade).

Watch the Brooks Welcome Video to get to know the 2023-24 middle school team and hear how they are working to ensure a great middle school experience for all students.

Link to order: https://1stplace.sale/30601

We will be hosting an In-Person Curriculum Night on Thursday, September 7th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. You will be following your student's C Day schedule. More information to come next week.

Attendance will be taken every day for each class period by each of your child's teacher and it will be denoted in PowerSchool. Student's are expected to attend each of their classes at their scheduled time and day. If your student will be absent from school, please call the attendance number 708-665-3074 or email brooksattendance@op97.org

Please contact the Brooks Health Office and speak with Nurse Tracy Biggerstaff if you have questions or concerns regarding your student's health.

(708) 524- 3058 or tbiggerstaff@op97.org

Office Phones

Please note that our office staff sets the phone to go to voicemail from 8:30am to 9:15am daily. Please leave a message of your student's absence or you can email brooksattendance@op97.org. Our office staff will listen to voicemails to call back or direct calls as needed after 9:15am daily. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

Dropping off Items at Brooks for your Student

You may drop off forgotten items for your student in the main office. Please note that we will not call into your student's classroom, as it is a disruption to the learning for other students and the teacher in the classroom. Your student should plan to stop by the main office on their way to lunch or between passing periods, if they think you may have dropped off the forgotten item for them to retrieve. We appreciate your understanding.

If your student wasn't able to attend our OPEN House or the alternate dates, we worked last week to swap out your child's district device with an updated Chromebook. However, we know there are still student who haven't completed this exchange.

Please have your student ask their SOAR teacher to contact our technology department to make arrangements for them to go to the Media Center to make their technology exchange.

We will be following a block schedule again this school year. Students will attend their classes following an A/B/C schedule. Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Friday following an A/B Schedule and on Wednesdays following C Schedule. On the weeks where there is a day with no school, students classes will follow A and B days only.

• Here is the link to our A/B/C Day Rotation and the Bell Schedule.

Nuts and nut products are not allowed in any District 97 schools during the 2023-24 school year. This includes products that are labeled “processed in a facility that shares equipment with nut products.” Our schools have been nut-safe for the past two years—helping to create safer, more inclusive environments for all of our students.

Hot lunch will be available to students who wish to participate and have a funded or an approved lunch account, starting the first day of school. If you have questions regarding your student's lunch balance, you may contact the Lunch Manager, Shetrice Baker at Sbaker2@op97.org. To make payments on student lunch accounts please visit, https://www.mymealtime.com/signin.aspx

Breakfast and hot lunch menus and other information

PTO Tuesday STARSHIP Lunch Options will be available.Sign up for Starship lunches!

• Take a break from packing or buying lunch every Tuesday! The Brooks PTO is once again pleased to offer a fun lunch option for students on Tuesdays from Starship Restaurant.

  More information is available here. Sign up here by September 12. Everyone who wants a lunch must sign up - we do not order extra lunches.

• Looking for a fun & easy volunteer opportunity at Brooks? Starship Lunch is a great way to touch base with your child at lunch as well as get to know new families. We rely on volunteers to help distribute food and keep this program going, so please consider donating your time. We can't do it without you!!! Sign up to volunteer on Tuesdays here

****CASH ONLY ON Friday September 8th****

Domino's Pizza Lunch on Fridays from September 15 - May 31: SIGN UP TO PARTICIPATE IN FRIDAY PIZZA LUNCH

>> Students MUST have a Brooks Student ID EVERY FRIDAY to receive pizza <<

Pizza Lunch Volunteers Needed!

Looking for a fun & easy volunteer opportunity at Brooks? Pizza Lunch is a great way to touch base with your child at lunch as well as get to know new families. We rely on volunteers to help distribute food and keep this program going, so please consider donating your time. We can't do it without you!!! Sign up to volunteer on Fridays: Please Sign Up to Volunteer

Cell phones/Mobile Devices are not to be used during school hours. This includes calling parents/guardians due to illness, requesting items to be dropped off, etc.

• Students can ask a teacher to use the classroom phone or the phone in the main office, if needed.

Cell phones are to be turned off/on silent upon entering the school building, stored in the student’s locker, and not used until the dismissal bell rings.

More Information can be found here. This will also be shared with students during the first week of school.

Backpacks are permitted to be carried in the hallways and brought into classrooms, although we are strongly encouraging students to use their locker as all have been distributed to students.

Students must minimally store their cold weather coats and garments as well as any lunch boxes/bags and their cell phone/mobile device on silent in their lockers each day to support the away for the day policy.

Each grade level have designated times for students to visit their lockers to support the development of executive functioning skills connected to planning and organization.

6th Grade-4th floor

7th Grade-3rd floor and 2nd floor B wing

8th Grade-1st floor and 2nd floor C wing

If your child need to purchase a lock at anytime during the school year, please do so online HERE.

Being on time to class is essential for optimal learning for all students. This school year when a student reaches 15 tardies within a trimester, they will meet with their SOAR teacher to develop a strategy to ensure the student will get to all their classes on time. At 25 tardies within a trimester, the student will be assigned a time during their social time to meet with their grade level Student Success Coach to reflect on root causes of tardies and develop a plan, additionally, parents/guardians will be contacted. At 35 tardies within the trimester, parents/guardians will be contacted to meet with their student and an administrator or Student Success Coach to develop a tardy contract.

We ask that if possible to please send your student to school with a filled water bottle. There are no drinking fountains open, but we have water bottle filling stations in the school for our students to refill their water bottles when needed.

Technical support will be available from school and district technology staff by accessing the Help Desk through email, helpdesk@op97.org. When an email is submitted, a Help Desk ticket is created and assigned to technology staff, who will be working throughout the day to address technology concerns. Our technology team can support District 97 devices and student online programs.

BROOKS SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY 2023

Students in grades six through eight are welcome to join the cross country team. The Cross Country coaches for 2023 are Tom Rocco (trocco@op97.org), Lary Grimaldi (lgrimaldi@op97.org) and Kim Beader (kbeader@op97.org).

Cross Country is a no-cut sport at the middle schools. Students who have all the necessary paperwork completed (sports physical-the Interscholastic Sports “yes” box needs to be checked, sports permission slip and concussion form) and turned in will be accepted onto the team through Friday, August 25th, or once the 75 available spots have been filled.

All students must have a copy of an updated physical to hand to the coach (we will not have access to nurse's files) before practicing for the 2023-2024 cross country season. Please see the linked information from the coaches which outlines what is needed each practice and the calendar of practices for the month of August.

Students will not be permitted to start with the team prior to all necessary paperwork being turned into the coaches.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the coaches, Sam Fishman-Strait, sfishman-strait@op97.org (Junior Varsity) and Dr. Kina Brown, kbrown@op97.org (Varsity).

More information regarding clubs will be forthcoming.

SIGN UP TO AUDITION FOR FROZEN, JR!

Open to ALL 7th & 8th Grade Brooks Students!

Frozen, Jr. is based on the 2018 Broadway musical, and brings Elsa, Anna, and the magical land of Arendelle to life, onstage. A story of acceptance and love between two sisters. When faced with danger, the two discover their hidden potential and the powerful bond of sisterhood. With a large cast of beloved characters and loaded with magic, adventure, and plenty of humor, Frozen, Jr. is an amazing way to kick off BRAVO's fall season and will thaw even the coldest heart!

Open to ALL Brooks 6th, 7th & 8th Graders

INTERNATIONAL DANCE

Wednesdays, 3:30pm-5:15pm

BEGINNING DANCE

Mondays, 3:30pm4:45pm

STAGE CREW

Starts September 19 - Crew Club meets every other week (dates TBD)

Students can find announcements in each Student's Lunch (Green) or Lunch (Yellow) course in Canvas as well as on a button along the left side of our Brooks homepage.

Connect with PTO

Follow us on FaceBook at @gwendolynbrookspto, or email us at gwendolynbrookspto@gmail.com.

Distribution of information by a community group in accordance with District 97 policy does not imply, directly or indirectly, that the group's program(s), event(s) and/or services(s) is sanctioned, sponsored or endorsed by the district, the Board of Education or the superintendent.

SUPPORT4U is a mental health resource for our students to anonymously text licensed mental health clinicians any time of the day for assistance or guidance. Students can text for any issue; typical reasons might include social issues, anxiety, depression, substance use, suicidal ideation, eating disorders, bullying, abuse, or any other mental health-related topic. The clinician’s goal is to steer the student to available resources in the school and community. To use, students just need to go to Support4U.live on their phone, click on the Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School logo and hit send. Help is just a text away.

PHONE-BASED COUNSELING

Thrive is offering phone-based counseling, 24/7 crisis intervention services, medication management and, a free Thrive Check-In phone support line (Ext. 8) to address our community’s needs during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Call us at (708)383-7500. Our Front Desk team is also ready to assist you Monday-Friday, 9am to 2pm, with requests for referrals or new services and to reschedule or cancel an appointment.

Mental Health Resource, "Call4Calm"

Thrive is also a proud partner of the Illinois Call4Calm Text Line Service. Text “TALK” TO 552020 (or “HABLAR) for Spanish. The Illinois Call4Calm Text Line is not a crisis hotline, but is a source of support for anyone experiencing stress and in need of a listening ear.

And we know the COVID-19 pandemic can wear on every resource—from food and shelter to our emotional bandwidth and mental health. Fortunately, the Illinois Department of Human Services has launched a support line called Call4Calm that is reachable via text. Individuals who want to speak with a mental health professional can text the word “TALK” or “HABLAR” (for Spanish speakers) to 552-020. Within 24 hours, that individual will receive a call from a mental health professional employed by a local community health center.

People can also text other terms, like “unemployment” or “food” or “shelter” to the same number to receive information on how to navigate and access supports and services. Call4Calm is free, and individuals who use it can remain anonymous. We encourage you to share this resource with your students, families, and staff.