The Mustang Minute

Season Greetings Mustang Families,

We hope that this issue of the Mustang Minute finds you warm and cozy despite this now chilly weather! This past week was another busy one. Our BES students enjoyed yet another fabulous musical showcase, and select BMS students have officially begun competing in boys basketball and cheer!

We are looking forward to some festive activities and fun dress up days in both buildings and a shortened week next week. As a reminder, there is NO SCHOOL on Thursday and Friday. We hope this will be a time where all of our Brookwood families can relax, recharge, and unwind as you all enjoy the magic of the holiday season and each other.

There will be no Mustang Minute next week, but we will resume publication on January 7th. Until then...

Happy Holidays everyone! Here is to sending 2021 on it's way and making 2022 a GREAT YEAR!!!

Mr. Braden and Mrs. Franz

• 12/20 - Boys Basketball Home Game @ 4pm
• 12/20 - School Board Meeting @ 6pm, BMS Library
• 12/23 - 12/31 - NO SCHOOL, Winter Break
• 1/4 - Boys Basketball Home Game @4pm
• 1/4 - BFO Meeting @ 6:30pm, BES Multipurpose Room
• 1/14 - Last Day of Semester I

Thank you to all that attended our BES concert. This includes our in person guest as well as our virtual. Thank you to the Staff that were instrumental in making this happen. Special thanks for Mrs. Bullock and Mr. Aulds for their part in guiding these children in putting on such a wonderful performance. Here are some pictures from that night.

Ho Ho Holy cow...it's December! And, we are officially in the holiday spirit at Brookwood! We invite all students and staff to join us in some fun dress up days and activities throughout the month of December. See the flyer below for details. Ho ho ho!

All 8th graders participate in a class with Mrs. Obry called “Career Exploration”. Within this class, students get to explore different career options based on their interests and skills, along with researching colleges that have their major of interest. Students also get a chance to work on budgeting skills, practice filling out a job application, create a resume, and practice interviewing skills.

Pictured are 8th graders who have found a college of interest and created a college pennant.

Christmas time is the perfect season for 4K students to explore their five senses. We learned about sight, touch, smell, taste, and hearing. We started the unit by exploring a gingerbread cookie. What does it look like? What does it feel like? What does it smell like? What does it taste like, and how does it sound when you eat it? Students came up with some great describing words!

Our taste testing was a good way to find out what foods we think are sour, salty, bitter, and sweet. Most students didn't like the bitter taste of baker's chocolate and their sour lemon faces were pretty funny. We did "thumbs up, thumbs down" to reveal what we thought about that particular taste. We also played "Guess that Smell." Students were in tune to their sense of smell while guessing peppermint, pickle juice, peanut butter, and soap. We had fun with touch bags and guessing what was inside each of the bags. Our sensory Christmas bin was filled with all sorts of sparkling treasures to touch. We use our fine motor skills to pinch tweezers to pick up small items from the bin.

As we prepare for the upcoming holidays, we often focus on the joy and excitement that our children will feel and forget that lack of routine and changes to routine can be stressful to any of us, but especially children. Here are some tips to help prevent your child from getting overwhelmed and reduce those unwanted meltdowns.

The Holiday Season is often coined as the “Most Wonderful Time Of The Year.” Yet, for many who are struggling with mental health issues and for families who are struggling with crisis or missing loved ones, the holiday season is anything but happy. Keep an eye on your family members, your friends, and neighbors. If you’d like to learn more about “holiday blues” and how to help yourself or a friend/family member experiencing the blues please use the following link for more information: https://www.namikenosha.org/holiday-blues.html.

Mrs. Springer is an essential part of our special education team. She has a huge heart and is always willing to help. She is also great at thinking outside the box during problem solving sessions with the IEP team members. When she works with students, you can see the compassion, understanding and love she gives them.

Check out the sample below of our new and improved "Be Brookwood BMS" posters. Our 6th graders banned together to revise the expectations. Select students then used the Canva app to pretty up the graphics. Way to take on a leadership role, 6th graders!

What an exciting first basketball game at Randall last night! Unfortunately, the Mustangs fell to the Wildcats, but the boys played hard. The cheerleaders were great as well! I hope to see everyone on Monday at our first home game against Salem.

Congratulations to 8th graders Andrew Braden, Jackson Buchanan, and Keith Nurnberg as they are the captains of the A squad and to 6th graders Brady Jargstorf and Ryder Derickson as they are the captains of the B squad.

Reminder - if you are ordering spiritwear, orders must be placed by the end of the day TODAY. PFI will not accept any late orders. Click the button to link up to the order site.

Keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming announcement regarding Saturday Morning Basketball, which will start at the end of January. This is an exciting opportunity for our younger Mustangs, grades 1st - 6th, to get involved and start learning the game.

Go Mustangs!

Coach Metcalf

Forensics is an extracurricular activity offered to students in 5th- 8th grade. The purpose of middle school forensics is to build self-confidence and oral competency by developing and practicing fundamental public speaking skills. We are currently in need of a Forensics coach at BMS. Meets are typically Saturday mornings in February. This is a paid position. If you are interested in learning more, please contact Mrs. Franz at: tori.franz@gcj2.k12.wi.us.

Guth Games are BACK!!! For those not in the "know", Guth Games are fun exercise activities, sports, and games hosted by Personal Wellness teacher, Mr. Guth, in the gym during the colder months of the school year. This is a GREAT way to get students moving right away in the morning to kickstart their day!

WHEN: (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, NOW until March 24th, 7:00 - 7:30am

WHERE: BMS GYM (enter building in FRONT doors)

WHO:

• Tuesdays: 4th & 5th Graders
• Wednesdays: 6th, 7th & 8th Graders
• Thursdays: 4th & 5th Graders

Questions? Contact Mr. Guth at: matt.guth@gcj2.k12.wi.us. Looking forward to seeing our BMS students there!