Friendly March reminder: we live in Wisconsin. What’s your favorite activity to do when it’s snowing? 💙
Important Reminder: Upcoming Referendum on April 1
Brookwood Schools are at the heart of our community, shaping the future for our students every day. As we approach the upcoming referendum on April 1, we want to take a moment to celebrate the great things happening in our schools.
This video: https://youtu.be/gPR3MJI_5Vw is a reminder of the incredible students, dedicated staff, and supportive community that make Brookwood special. The referendum will have an impact on our schools - one way or another - and we encourage everyone to stay informed and make their voices heard at the polls. More information on the referendum can be found on the district website: https://www.genoacityschools.org/page/referendum-2025
Watch, share, and remember to vote on April 1!
Our BES Tournament of Books is heating up! We started with eight amazing books, and our students have been voting for their favorites. Now, we're down to the Final Four, which will be revealed soon!
The excitement continues as we get closer to crowning our 2025 Brookwood Book of the Year the week of March 17th! Ask your child about the books they’ve voted for and what made them their favorites. Who do they think will win it all?
In celebration of National Reading Month, BMS Advisories are competing to Read Across America! Each Advisory needs to read 3,580 minutes to make it from the western-most point of the contiguous US to the eastern-most point. Each minute read = 1 mile. Encourage your student to keep track of their at-home reading and turn in their reading logs each Monday. Follow along as we update their progress using road-trip vehicles and this US map!
Congratulations to the 3 artists who will be published in the Southern Lakes Anthology book for 2025!
Mateo - Artwork "Lion & Mouse"
Brynn - Artwork "Imagination"
Veronica - Artwork "Music's Expression"
We would also like to congratulate the following students as their work was chosen for judging!
Noah C., Avery S., Chespin P., Gideon T., Raie G., Maven B., Klaire C., Nolan N., Angelica C., Emileigh G., Stella D., Monserrat M., Ryder B., Oliver W., Hailee K., Everett W., Talon F., Mia H., Eric d.H., & Ezra G.
Way to make us #MustangProud!
Please join us in celebrating Read Across America Week with these themed dress-up days! 3/17-21
Monday: Lucky to be readers: Wear green
Tuesday: Reading knocks our socks off: Wear silly socks
Wednesday: Wordy Wednesday: Wear a shirt with words on it so everyone has to read it!
Thursday: Snuggle up with a good book: Wear pajamas to school!
Friday: Brookwood Loves Books! Wear your Brookwood gear!
Here is the March Mustang Minute: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1thSnquLLb7N6AbN_QffXievPwzaLtSGU/view?usp=sharing
The 5th graders wrapped up the Ecosystem Unit with some amazing research presentations! Students chose an Ecosystem and researched the climate, plants, animals, location, and threats. They then created a diorama, poster, or a podcast and presented their information to the class. They did a fantastic job! Way to go, Mustangs!
At last month's school board meeting, these Brookwood Elementary students were recognized by the school board for their outstanding dedication to reading! Students earn one reading step for every 15 minutes of reading. These exceptional readers have gone above and beyond, surpassing expectations for this point in the year with nearly 300 reading steps - that’s an incredible 75 hours of reading!
*not pictured but recognized: Liam
Last week, BES celebrated Kindness Week starting with a lively kick off assembly full of singing, dancing, minute-to-win it games and of course learning about what it means to be kind. They had fun dress up days, daily lessons of kindness and compassion in their classrooms and guidance class. There were activities related to kindness in art, music and PE as well.
There were 41 families who participated in the Random Acts Of Kindness Family Challenge - if you think about how many students are within 41 families, that was a lot of students doing random acts of kindness at home and out within the community last week! Way to go!! Each day we got to hear about each of those acts of kindness during morning announcements. The last component of kindness week was the students in each grade level planned, participated in and carried out a community service project.
One of our favorite parts of BES Kindness Week is the student's excitement to work on and complete a community service project! This year our students definitely sprinkled our community with kindness - Read on to see what each grade level level decided to do for a community service project.
4K - students worked together to make a trail mix for the library staff. In art class, all BES students had the opportunity to make bookmarks for community members visiting the library.
5K - The students and their teachers worked together to create pocket hugs for community members visiting the bank. If you need a hug, stop in the bank and grab a pocket hug for when you need it.
1st grade - Students held a food drive for Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry in Genoa City. Students found out what items were most needed at the food pantry and collected those items. They took all their food donations to the pantry, helped stock the shelves and were able to learn a lot about the food pantry and community service.
2nd grade - Students focused their community service project as a random act of kindness. Students collected laundry supplies, packed it into single load packages, each, with a message of kindness. They left them at the laundromat as a way to brighten someone's day.
3rd grade - Students collected individually wrapped snacks and created labels of kindness and encouragement for our police officers and firefighters. Each time one of our hero's grabs a snack, they will be greeted with a message of kindness/encouragement.
Way to go Mustangs! Way to work together to show kindness to others in our community!
4th and 5th grade celebrated the end of Kindness Week with a good read. The BookTrust and Scholastic program gave each student a free Dog Man book.
4th grade are studying rocks and minerals in science. Students have been learning about the layers of the earth and how they connect to states of matter. For example, the crust is a solid, the mantle is a solid, the outer core is a liquid, and the inner core is a solid. Liquid magma is inside a volcano and as it travels upward and turns into lava. That is when it hits the invisible air or gas.
Yesterday, our first grade students had an amazing time at Traxside exploring sound, wavelengths, gravity, and friction in such an interactive and hands-on environment. Even though some students had a few falls along the way, they kept pushing through, practicing, and showing their determination. It was incredible to see their personalities shine as they supported one another, had fun dancing, and sang along to the music. It was a day full of learning, laughter, and teamwork, and we couldn’t have asked for a better experience.
Calling all Kindergartener-5th Graders!! Saturday Morning Basketball is BACK!!
Saturday Morning Basketball Sign-Up Form:
https://docs.google.com/.../1FAIpQLSfGtU0C-2w8E.../viewform
Saturday Morning Basketball is back! Saturday Morning Basketball is open to our Mustangs in grades K-5th.
Saturday Morning Basketball will meet March 8th, March 15th, and March 22nd.
This year, Saturday Morning Basketball will operate with an open-gym format. You may bring your Mini Mustangs to the BMS gymnasium any time between 8am-11am on these Saturdays and stay for a short period of time or the whole morning.
All Saturday Morning Basketball will take place in the BMS gymnasium. Please use the side parking lot (by the playground) and enter through Door 5. Parents are welcome to stay - we will have seating set up - or you can drop and go.
This form is to ensure we have contact information on file for any children who show up. You are not obligated to attend every Saturday.
Please fill out a separate form for each student you are signing up.
If you have any questions, please contact Jess Metcalf (jessica.metcalf@gcj2.k12.wi.us).
Go Mustangs!
On February 19, as part of Kindness Week, Brookwood Middle School had the incredible opportunity to welcome the K-9 Comfort Dogs and their handlers from the Lutheran Church Charities (LCC) for a special visit. The event, centered around “community kindness,” allowed students and staff to experience the warmth, comfort, and joy these specially trained dogs bring.
The visit provided a calming presence for our school community and lots of smiles and hugs. Comfort dogs provide many benefits-they help children learn compassion, empathy, responsibility, respect, and self-discipline. They provide non-judgmental love, acceptance, and emotional support and studies have shown that even a short time with a comfort dog can decrease levels of anxiety and increase emotional well-being. Students also had the chance to interact with the dogs, learn about their training, and gain valuable lessons about kindness, empathy and the impact, benefits and the power of giving back through volunteerism. The handlers highlighted the importance of volunteerism, explaining how their dedication to training and working with the dogs has made a big difference in the lives of others.
Throughout the visit, students met with the dogs in small groups, ensuring a peaceful and positive experience for all. The handlers shared insights about each dog’s personality and responsibilities, teaching students about the important role these animals play in providing emotional support during times of crisis.
The LCC K-9 Comfort Dog Ministry is a national, volunteer-based program that deploys over 130 comfort dogs across 26 states. These dogs work in schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and disaster-stricken areas, offering emotional support and relief to those in need. Each dog undergoes 18 months of rigorous training before being placed.
The visit was a huge success, leaving smiles on faces and love in hearts. As a school, we are grateful for this experience and look forward to future opportunities to visit with the LCC K-9 Comfort Dogs and their handlers. We extend a heartfelt thank-you to the handlers and volunteers who made this special day possible-your kindness truly made an impact.
This past week, we honored our 6th-8th graders and their families who finished the first semester with a 3.5 GPA or higher with a light breakfast celebration. Way to go, Mustangs!!
We ask our Brookwood families to share with us what our Brookwood students are doing outside of school so we can share in your greatness and how #MustangProud we are of your accomplishments!! If you have something to share....email it to Mrs. Xiong at Helen.Xiong@gcj2.k12.wi.us
Our next sharers of greatness are four BMS students that competed in the 2025 Wisconsin State USBC Youth Championship Tournament in Madison, WI this past weekend. Members competed in 3 divisions including Singles, Doubles, and the Team event. To represent their Brookwood pride, the boys competed under the team name of Mustangs.
Way to go to Elijah, Gage, Griffin, and Reed on a great showing at Youth State this weekend! We are SO #MustangProud of you all!!!
#BrookwoodFamily #GCJ2Alumni
Once you are part of the Brookwood Family....you're always a part of the Brookwood Family. We love being able to share what our Mustangs are doing beyond Brookwood and as they continue to Grow into their Greatness.
Our next alumni of Greatness that we are SUPER excited to share with you about is Emilee Booker!! Emilee is currently attending UW-Eau Claire and is on the Track and Field Team.
Check out her stats and Track and Field awards and honors write up here:
https://blugolds.com/sports/womens-track-and-field/roster/emilee-booker/19026
Way to make us #MustangProud, Emilee!!
