Ms. Trapp’s Weekly Address

If you are not receiving my email blasts and would like to be included, please email me or call and leave me a message with your email address. 

Brogden’s Showcase of Schools will be held February 1^st 9-12 and February 9^th 6-8. These are primarily events for prospective students and parents to visit and learn more about our school, but anyone is welcome to attend. Stop in anytime during the event hours.

All Brogden students are invited to attend our Sweetheart Dance this Friday, February 3^rd in our school gym from 7 – 9 p.m.  The cost is $5.00.  Refreshments will be sold at the dance.  Please have your ride here on time by 9 pm. 

The 7th Grade Panther science students are working at home to complete a project on Famous Black Scientist. The project includes a 2 page report and a creative diorama. The project is due: Feb. 6th and the Rough Draft is Due: Jan. 31st. If you have any questions see Mrs. Villines.

Our next School Improvement Team meeting is Thursday, February 2^nd at 4:30 p.m. Anyone is welcome to attend.

Mark your calendars for the 2^nd quarter Honor Roll Celebration which will be held Thursday, February 23^rd at 7:45 a.m. in the auditorium. Invitations will be given to students to bring home.

Lace up those tennis shoes and join us for the 1^st Annual BMS Dragon Family Marathon this spring! This event is structured to allow kids and their families to walk or run a full 26.2 mile marathon at a rate that is fun and safe for their growing bodies.  Families walk or run 25 miles between February 6^th and May 7th. Then, they join all participating students for the final 1.2 miles at school.  This is a FAMILY event!  That means parents, brothers, sisters, grandparents and friends are encouraged to join in.  Our goal is to support families in developing a regular exercise routine, as part of a healthy lifestyle.  Look for flyers with detailed information to come home with students soon.

Eighth graders are taking a field trip to Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia on Thursday, April 5th. Permission slips were attached to the January 26th report cards.  The cost of the trip is $50.00.  Space is limited to 150 students and will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.  Students must turn in their money and permission slip by Thursday, 2/23.  Students will need to bring $10.00 in cash on the day of the trip for lunch at Golden Corral. Please read the permission slip and flyer for additional details. 

There will be no school for students on Monday, January 23. This is a teacher workday.

Attention All 7th graders!  Money and permission slips are due Tuesday January 24th by the end of homeroom.  The cost is $15 for our trip to see Hillside’s presentation of Our Story:  African Americans Who Made a Difference.  Don’t miss this opportunity as we kick off the beginning of 7th grade’s Black History Month Activities.  The day of the trip, students will need additional money for lunch at Northgate Mall’s food court.

Please join us for the PTA January Dine Out event  at Golden Corral 3800 Roxboro Rd this Thursday night, Jan 26th from 4 to 8pm. Students are to show Dragon pride by wearing Brogden green & white or spirit wear. Families need to put their receipts in a box at the front of the restaurant before they leave. The PTA will get 10% of those receipts.

Report cards go home with students on Thursday, January 26^th. Eighth grade parents, look for an attachment with information about registration for high school and upcoming events of interest.

The next meeting of the Health & Wellness Planning Group will be Friday, January 27^th at 7:30 a.m. in the media center. Anyone who wishes to help plan for the March 1^st Health & Wellness Fair is welcome to attend the planning meeting.

Parents, did you know that there are several ways that you can check to see what your child has for homework?  Homework hotline can be accessed by calling the main school number and listening for your team’s extension. Homework is also posted on the team webpages, located on the Brogden webpage, www.brogden.dpsnc.net. Click on Academic Teams and choose your child’s team. Your child should also record homework assignments daily in his/her agenda book. Many teachers assign large projects with several due dates before the final project is due. Help your child to not wait until the last minute. Students should have homework in some class every night, even if it is just reading. Please contact me if you’d like parent resources for helping your child with homework.

School is closed tomorrow, Monday, January 16^th in recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

On Saturday, January 21^st the district is holding the annual Middle & High School Fair from 2-5 at Hillside High School.  All middle and high schools will be present to answer questions about our schools. This is a wonderful opportunity especially for our eighth graders to explore the high school options available for next year.  

There will be no school for students on Monday, January 23. This is a teacher workday.

Please join us for the PTA January Dine Out event  at Golden Corral 3800 Roxboro Rd on Jan 26th from 4 to 8pm. Students are to show Dragon pride by wearing Brogden green & white or spirit wear. Families need to put their receipts in a box at the front of the restaurant before they leave. The PTA will get 10% of those receipts.

Report cards go home with students on Thursday, January 26^th. Eighth grade parents, look for an attachment with information about registration for high school and upcoming events of interest.

The next meeting of the Health & Wellness Planning Group will be Friday, January 27^th at 7:30 a.m. in the media center. Anyone who wishes to help plan for the March 1^st Health & Wellness Fair is welcome to attend the planning meeting.

Our next PLC Early Release Day is Wednesday, January 11th. School will be dismissed at 12:20 p.m.

Students will take Cumulative Assessments Thursday (Reading) and Friday (Mathematics). These assessments let the teachers know how well students learned the material that was taught during the 2nd nine weeks. Encourage your child to do his/her best.

There will be no school Monday, January 16th in recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

The end of the 2nd nine weeks is Friday, January 20th.

There will be no school for students on Monday, January 23rd.This is a teacher workday.

The PTA is sponsoring an Arts Program entitled “What Diversity Means to Me” which is scheduled to kick off in January as we return from the break. Following classroom discussions of diversity,  students have the opportunity to express themselves in a written format as well as through visual arts to include photography, and other two dimensional visual art forms.

The PTA has enlisted the help of the residents of Croasdale Retirement Community to attend an event soon after final submissions of student written and visual art. They will provide recognition for each work of art submitted. Final submissions are tentatively planned for January 20th with this special event to enjoy the art and recognize participants to come soon after. All of our Dragon student participants will be recognized at this event for their contributions to this program. Look on the website in the coming weeks for additional dates, times and details.

Progress Reports will go home with students Thursday, January 5^th.

We will begin planning our annual Health and Wellness Fair on Friday, January 6^th at 7:30 a.m. in the media center. The Fair will be held on March 1^st and it takes a lot of planning to make this event a success.  If you are interested in volunteering your time, plan to meet with us on Friday morning. If you can’t make it to the meeting, but are still interested, please contact Deanna Branscom at (919)630-4251.

The Winter Band Concert & PTA Meeting will be held Tuesday, Dec. 6^th at 6:30 p.m. The PTA Meeting will  be brief and begin at 6:30 p.m. sharp and the concert will begin immediately following the meeting.  

We look forward to showcasing our band students’ talents.

Students will take a reading small goal assessment on Tuesday, Dec. 6^th in their language arts classes.

7^th graders are going on a fieldtrip on Friday, December, 9^th  to Chapel Hill.   Students will need to bring a bag lunch for the trip. 

Brogden Student Government and National Junior Honor Society are sponsoring an Angel Tree to help support members of our community during the holiday season. If you are interested in sponsoring a student, please take an Angel off the tree in the main lobby and sign on the list beside the Angel number you take. Unwrapped presents are due to Mrs. Walker in room 103 by Monday, December 12th. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Walker.

Mark your calendar for our next PTA DINE-OUT NIGHTon  DECEMBER 14 at Pomodoro’s Italian Kitchen on Hillandale Rd. – 10% of lunch/dinner proceeds go to Brogden’s PTA to support its programs.

 At the DPS Board of Education’s November 16 work session, a new student assignment and magnet school proposal was released. This proposal has the potential to bring many positive changes to education in Durham, but the Board of Education wants to gather your input on this proposal in order to make the best decision for children when they meet on December 15.

You can offer your input in a variety of ways. First, you can visit our student assignment website. There you will find maps and other important information along with an input box for your suggestions and feedback.

Additionally, the Board will hold a series of public input sessions. Please plan to attend one of the following:

Monday, December 5 at Jordan High

Thursday, December 8 at Southern High

All sessions will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Report Cards will go home with students on Wednesday, November 2^nd.  Report cards should be signed and returned to your child’s homeroom teacher. 

Congratulations our Volleyball Team who won 2^nd place in the DPS Athletic Tournament.

Workouts/Open Gym can begin Nov. 7th for Men and Women Basketball and Wrestling.  Try-outs will start on Nov. 14.  Everyone must have a current physical to participate. 

Mark your calendars for our next PTA Dine-Out Nights.  They will be 11/8 & 15th at Pizza Inn on 3906 N. Duke St.  Dine in 5 to 8pm & 10% bill goes to the school.  Wear your Brogden colors and be sure to tell wait staff you are from Brogden.

School will be closed on Friday, November 11^th in honor of Veteran’s Day.

The Athletic and Performing Arts Departments are selling Citipass fundraiser books. These books cost $25 but will pay for themselves when you visit two of the merchants. The fundraiser has started and will conclude on Nov. 10. The proceeds will help purchase much needed athletic equipment and help set up scholarships and reduce the cost for the Performing Arts spring festival trip to Kings Dominion. Please help support the athletics and performing arts!!

Fall pictures will be taken tomorrow Monday, Oct. 17th.   All students will take pictures to be included in the yearbook, but students must have order envelopes and money on the day of pictures in order to purchase. Students will take pictures with their  homeroom teachers and should give their money and order envelopes directly to the photographer.  Fall Sports pictures will be taken tomorrow afternoon during practices.

This week all of our Dragon 7^th graders will participate in the Gallup Student Poll. Our students are joining thousands of other students nationwide in taking this poll which measures the hope, engagement, and wellbeing of America’s students.  The Gallup organization has found that hope, engagement, and wellbeing are key factors that drive student grades, achievement scores, retention, and future employment. Our students’ participation in this important survey will provide crucial insight to help facilitate new conversations and solutions for student success in school and life. Please send your student to school rested on Tuesday morning so they can offer their best insights during the survey. If you have questions about the survey, you may contact Mr. Gaddy.

Brogden’s first dance of the year will take place on Friday, 10/21, from 7-9 pm. The dance is for Brogden students only and the cost is $5.00. Students may also want to bring money for concessions. Students may wear costumes but no masks are allowed.  Rides must pick up promptly at 9:00.

7th graders are planning a trip to Morehead Planetarium, Carrboro ArtsCenter, and the Ackland Art Museum for December 9.  Money and permission slips are due by October 27th 9:30 AM.  Students will not need additional funds, but are asked to pack a bag lunch.

We are proud to announce that  Brogden has earned designation from the state as an Exemplar School in the NorthCarolina Positive Behavior Intervention & Support (PBIS) Initiative Annual Recognition. Our school met all the requirements for this recognition and demonstrated the results that the school and PBIS school team have achieved by working together, using school data to implement research-based practices, and developing supportive systems to teach all students new behaviors.

Have a great week, Dragons!

Our next PTA dine out night is tomorrow night, Monday, October 10^th at El Rodeo Mexican Restaurant located at 3600 N. Duke St in North Duke Mall (behind Blockbuster. Dine in between 4 and 9 pm and 15% of bill goes to school. Just tell the wait staff you are from Brogden.

The sixth grade will be going on its annual Renaissance Fair fieldtrip this Tuesday. All students attending need to wear comfortable shoes and dress accordingly for the weather. Remember also to bring a brown bag lunch that can be discarded when finished so that students do not have to carry around their lunch boxes all day. Students may also bring money for souvenirs as well as food served at the fair. The bus will be leaving Brogden Middle School promptly at 7:30 and will not wait for any late students unless there is a late school bus. So be sure not to be late!

Mark your calendars for the next PLC Early Release Day on Wednesday, October 12^th. School will be dismissed at 12:20 p.m.

This Wednesday, October 12th is Unity Day, or Unite Against Bullying Day. It’s a national event whose ultimate goal is for schools across the nation to promote awareness, education, and support for those who have been or who may currently be bullied.  Brogden is going to participate in this national event by wearing orange: either an orange t-shirt, hair band, wrist band, orange socks, etc.  We will also sponsor a door decorating contest by homerooms that will be judged by administrators on October 12th.  Prizes will be distributed to the homeroom that shows the most support of Unity Day.  The motto of Unity Day is: Today, Bullying stops with me. 

Fall pictures will be taken on Monday, Oct. 17th.  Fall Sports pictures will also be done that afternoon. All students will take pictures to be included in the yearbook, but students must have order envelopes and money on the day of pictures in order to purchase. Students see your homeroom teacher if you have any questions. 

Don’t forget  to sign up your reward/loyalty cards for Brogden.  This is usually a simple matter of taking your card to the courtesy desk and telling them that you want to attach it to Brogden Middle School.  We have accounts at Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Kroger and Target.

The Encore! afterschool program is off to an exciting start and the program is currently enrolling! Our theme for this year is Excellence In Academic, Achieving Healthy Living, & Creating Outstanding Character One Child At A Time!!! You may pick up applications from the  main office.

Have a great week, Dragons!

Please continue to support our Annual Fall PTA Fundraiser.
Packets containing information, catalogs, and order forms were sent home
Friday. Proceeds from this fundraiser are used by the PTA in ways that will
directly benefit your student. If you prefer to make a donation instead of
purchasing products, your student will still be eligible for the top seller
cash prizes and the Fundraiser Finale party. Orders are due by September
27th.  Remember that safety comes first,
and we do not endorse door-to-door selling.

6^th grade parents—All sixth grade students are
required by the state to have the TDAP immunization. If your child still needs
this immunization, Brogden is holding a free TDAP clinic on Tuesday, September
20^th. The consent forms were sent home with students several weeks
ago. If you have not returned your consent form, please do so tomorrow. If you
have questions, contact Nurse Jordan.

The ENCORE Afterschool Program begins Monday, September 19^th.
It runs Mondays-Thursdays from 2:30-5:00 p.m. If you are interested in
registering, you may pick up an application in the main office.

Mark your calendars for a PTA dine-out night at Texas
Roadhouse on Wednesday, September 28^th. Flyers will be sent home
with students the day before the event. Have  a great dinner and support Brogden.

Have a wonderful week, Dragons!