Principal's Message

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    Greetings Brader Families,

     

    Welcome back to the 2020-2021 school year!  We hope that you are healthy and well, and were able to enjoy special times with loved ones over the summer break.  We have missed our Brader Tigers, and we extend a warm welcome to new Tigers and families joining us for the first time this fall. It is an honor to serve you as I begin this school year as your Principal of Brader.  I am also pleased to introduce our new Academic Dean of Students, Dr. Eric Pugh.  Dr. Pugh and I look forward to a productive partnership with our families this year, as we believe that a strong home and school connection is paramount to each students’ academic and social/emotional success. 

     

    Our outstanding team of teachers, paraprofessionals, special/related services personnel, custodians, child nutrition personnel, counselors, school nurse, and administrative office staff have been working tirelessly in preparation for this school year, in order to meet the needs of our student population of almost 450 students. This year, we are delighted to welcome several new staff members to the Brader team.  Please visit our school website during the week of August 31st in order to review a complete staff listing. We are grateful to have such a knowledgeable and dedicated team to support our students and mission to help each and every child realize his or her full potential in order to become a responsible and productive citizen of the 21st century who appreciates the multi-cultural society in which they live. 

     

    Last spring, when first faced with the pandemic crisis, our Brader community rallied together and found new ways of supporting each other, like never before. Even from a distance, our focus on strengthening relationships and building community continued, with our core expectations of ROAR (Respect, Outstanding Attitude, Achievement and Responsibility) embedded throughout every experience. From school wide assemblies/slide shows, grade level zooms, virtual field days/field trips and class meetings, scavenger hunts, lunch bunches, parades, and move up ceremony, our community persevered.   We are committed to providing the same level of connectivity and care, along with the academic rigor that is necessary for our students to achieve at high levels this school year.

     

    As communicated recently within our district’s reopening plan, we will be launching the new school year with a six-week period of full remote instruction, (through October 16th ). Please visit the district website at Christinak12.org/reopening to review the full reopening plan. Our school staff have been busy preparing meaningful learning opportunities to support our children to ensure that our Tigers remain connected and challenged throughout remote learning.  Providing our students equitable access to high quality learning remains a high priority to us. As a result, we have developed a comprehensive remote learning schedule that includes a blend of daily live and pre-recorded lessons, with a mix of whole group and small group opportunities, social/emotional learning, and morning and afternoon office hours with extra support and coaching for students as needed.  Regular attendance in daily lessons will be required to ensure your child’s academic success. We invite you to visit our school website next week to preview The Brader Remote Learning Master Schedule.  

     

    Below are some preliminary details to get your student(s) ready for the new school year:

     

    UPCOMING DATES:

     

    Thursday, September 3rd – Virtual Meet and Greet the Teacher

    Tuesday, September 8th – First Day of School - Remote Learning (8-3:30 pm) – Schedules & Links TBA

    Thursday, September 24rd – Virtual Parent Advisory Council and Parent-Teacher Team Meetings – Time & Link TBA

    September 30th Open House: Expressive Arts, Kindergarten and First Grade: We look forward to seeing our families on Zoom tonight for Virtual Open House.  We will hold an admin presentation first at 6:00 pm, followed by presentations from Expressive Arts (6:15), Kindergarten (6:30) and First Grade (7:00).  The presentation times have been staggered to accommodate families with students in each grade.  Please refer to the Parent Link information for respective Zoom Links.

    Open House Presentations for Grades 2nd through 5th will be held virtually from 6:00-7:30 pm on Thursday, October 8th.

     

    TECHNOLOGY SURVEY:

    Thank you for completing the Brader Technology Survey by Wednesday, August 26th. You should have received the survey link via email yesterday morning.

     

     

    MEET AND GREET / HOMEROOM ASSIGNMENTS:

    To ensure the health and safety of all, we will not be posting homeroom assignments on the café windows this year. You will receive a notification from your child’s teacher on Friday, August 28th that will include a link to join a Virtual Meet and Greet the Teacher event on Thursday, September 3rd, and other pertinent items. Please be sure that we have your most up to date email address on file so that we are able to share important communications and updates with your family.

     

    FAMILY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT - PTT/PAC:

    We strive to uphold a school environment that is collaborative in nature and draws on the strengths of all stakeholders.  Many of our special events are possible when we have full parent and family involvement. We hope that you will consider joining our school created Parent-Teacher Team (PTT) so that you can share your ideas and support the mission of our school.  We will hold our annual parent Advisory Council (PAC) meeting following our initial PTT meeting virtually on Thursday, September 24rd via Zoom.  The purpose of the PAC meeting is to review Title I information with our families. The Zoom link for the PAC and PTT events will be announced via Parent Link in early September.

     

    HOME WORKSPACE:

    We suggest setting up a workstation or workspace for your child at home.

    • Establish a quiet place designated for the school day
    • Gather supplies such as paper and pencils that are easily accessible to the workspace
      • Note: Grade level supply lists were published earlier this summer and are posted on our website.
    • Ensure your technology device is fully charged and that you have the charger available
    • Make sure that your child gets enough sleep each night
    • Assist your child with selecting “school” clothes from the night before to help prepare them for the school day

     

    BACK TO SCHOOL PAPERWORK:

    Many of you may recall the blue “First Day Student Folder” that contains important papers that require parental/guardian signatures to ensure a successful start to the school year.  Please stay tuned as we work out the details associated with the dissemination and collection of such documentation in the remote setting. 

     

    SCHOOL WIDE COMMUNICATIONS:

    If your contact information has changed, please email our Administrative Secretary, Ms. Devonne Johnson at Devonne.Johnson@christina.k12.de.us.  Our primary method of communicating school information and news to families will be through Parent Link emails and phone calls. You can expect to receive weekly updates on Sunday evenings at 7 pm during the school year. We also share additional school spirit related news via Facebook, Schoology, YouTube, and Class Dojo.

     

    In spite of the uncertainties we face in the community and the world around us, I am confident without a doubt that our Brader spirit and positive energy, teamwork, and dedication to excellence for our Brader Tigers will guide us through another successful school year.   

     

    Warmest Regards,

     

     

    Ms. Jacqueline K. Gallagher

    Principal