

Bridgewater Bear Tracks
Be Responsible, Be Respectful, Be Safe, Try Your Best

December 15, 2023
Get ready for December’s Spirit Day!
Join us on Thursday, December 21st for Hat and Pajama Day with a holiday twist! Slip into your festive PJs and top it off with a fun holiday or Santa hat. Don’t forget to bring in your contributions of $1 – 100% of the collected money will go towards supporting our amazing teachers and enhancing our classrooms.
Operation Joy
The Student Council did a great job with the gift wrap drive! Here is a picture of ALL of the wrapping paper supplies that were donated from BW families.
Roller Skating Unit for Grades 3-5
This is the sixth year Bridgewater Physical Education classes grades 3-5 will be participating in our roller-skating unit 1/10/2024-1/29/2024. This is a very exciting and educational unit that the students participate in. Thanks to the Bridgewater Booster Club, we have enough funds to cover approximately 50% of the cost. We consider this an in-house field trip, and the cost for the unit will be $7.00/Student. This covers skate rental, and any safety equipment. All students will be expected to wear a helmet and wrist guards. We disinfect the helmets, and we encourage students to bring their own. If you have a financial hardship for the cost of the unit, please let Mr. Bernhard or Mrs. McCabe know. Permission and payment will be done online. Please use the link below.
Lost and Found - LAST CALL
All items that remain in our lost and found will be donated over winter break. If your child is missing anything, please come over next week to look for them in our main entryway. Thank you!
Label Winter Gear Please
We have numerous mittens, hats and sweatshirts in the lost and found. Labeled items are so much easier to return to the owner. Keep in mind that many of us shop at the same stores, so you can imagine how many pairs of black snow pants we have.
Student Illnesses
We are seeing a higher number of students out due to illness. The most common diagnoses are influenza A , strep throat and pink eye. We don’t like to encourage students to stay home longer than needed, but we are seeing secondary infections and relapses when students return to school before they are well enough.
Here are some guidelines to help with your decision if you are not sure whether you should send your child to school; students in these situations should stay home:
If your student has had a temperature of 100.0 degrees or higher in the past 24 hours
If your child has vomited within the past 24 hours
If having your student at school would significantly put others at risk for catching your student’s illness
If your student will not be able to participate or focus on academics
If you have questions about when to send your child to school, please call our school nurse. Thank you for cooperating to keep our students healthy at Bridgewater Elementary.
Winter Break
Winter Break is December 22nd-Jan 1st with no school for students. The Bridgewater Office will also be closed. Please remind your child to bring home their winter gear over break so they can play outside.
Author Visit
Erin Soderberg Downing is coming to Bridgewater Elementary on January 26th, 2024! See order form below, and please note that her new book Just Keep Walking is a preorder (it won't be out until two weeks after she comes). Order forms are due DECEMBER 21.
St. Olaf Volleyball Youth Clinic for 4th-5th Grade
Click here for digital sign up. Please contact Emily Foster at foster5@stolaf.edu with any questions!
December Orchestra Concert
Please join us for our upcoming musical performance!
December 19 - Elementary Orchestra Concert
Northfield Middle School, 7 - 8 pm
Upcoming Holiday Programs at the Northfield Y
The holidays and winter break will be here before we know it! We want to spotlight a handful of offerings for families and students that are great ways to celebrate the most wonderful time of the
year:
Jingle Bell Bash: TOMORROW, December 16th , 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
o Families and kids of all ages are welcome to join us at the Northfield Y for our
Jingle Bell Bash, a day dedicated to celebrating the winter season and being
together! The Northfield Y will be hosting a Jingle Bell run, Cookie Decorating,
holiday-themed activities in the gym, and more! Families are encouraged to
explore, eat snacks, and participate in all planned activities. Registration is
required for the Jingle Bell 5K, but the Jingle Bell Bash is free to enter!
School’s Out Days: Thursday, December 28th and Friday, December 29th
o Looking for a spot for your students to hang out after the holidays are all wrapped
up? At the Northfield Y, all students grades K-5 are welcome at our School’s Out
Days, a program full of swimming, crafts, gym-time activities, time playing in the
snow, and more! This program is an excellent care option for busy or working
parents when your kids are looking for things to do over the long break!
Winter 1 Programming: Registration Opens Soon!
o Our new slate of youth program offerings will open in December for registration!
From a Spanish Language Club to Basketball, Volleyball, and more, we want to
see your students participating in afterschool programming at the Y. Registration
for members opens on December 18 th and for the community on December 20 th .
Keep an eye out for more program details to come!
For more information and to register, visit our website or connect with our Member Services
team in person or by phone: 507-645-0088. We hope to see you very soon!
December Lunch Menus
Attached are the lunch menus for December.
Activities
There are many activities that children and adults may access during the course of the year. Don't forget to check the numerous opportunities from the Northfield Community Education Program: https://northfieldschools.org/communityeducation/
Upcoming Events
Dec. 19---Gingerbread House Day-Kindergarten, 9:30-10:30
Dec. 19 --- Elementary Orchestra Concert @ Northfield Middle School, 7-8PM
Dec. 21---BBC Spirit Day: Hat & PJ
Dec. 22-Jan. 1---Winter Break
Jan. 15---Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day-No School for Students and Staff
Jan. 21---BBC Spirit Day: Jersey/Sports
Jan. 22-23---No School for Students-Teacher Workdays
Jan 26---Erin Soderberg Downing Author Visit
School Calendars 23-24
Bridgewater Elementary School
World-Class Learning for Elementary Students, Bridgewater Elementary School, situated on a 14-acre campus just south of downtown Northfield, is a K-5 public school serving approximately 560 students. It serves the neighborhoods on Northfield's southern side, Dundas, and the rural area south of Highway 19 and west of Highway 246. Students benefit from an active parent-teacher organization, Bridgewater Booster Club (BBC) and many parent volunteers.
The staff is intensely dedicated to offering a high-quality, well-rounded education that strives to meet the specific needs of each student. We focus on empowering our students in their academic and social emotional learning along with building a solid foundation for their educational journey in partnership with families.
Main Office Number: 507-664-3300
Attendance Line: 507-664-3306
Address: 401 Jefferson Parkway
Web page: northfieldschools.org/schools/bridgewater-elementary/