Welcome to Brant Elementary!

It is my great pleasure to begin another new school year at Brant Elementary. 

It is a joy and privilege to work in a school with supportive parents, dedicated and knowledgeable teachers and staff, and of course our students who put forth their BEST efforts every day.   It is no surprise that our students are able to perform well academically because of the collective teamwork of parents, teachers, staff, and students here at Brant Elementary.  

Plan for Success -

In this year's Welcome Back assembly, I asked students to tell me what I must have if I wanted to build a house.  I loved all the "big" words - instructions, directions, blueprints - they gave me.  They agreed that without a plan, I'm not likely to build a very good house.  The same is true when it comes to building a future.  In order to have a great future, they need to have a plan.  By choosing to focus on a weak area and make it stronger, students can build a better future.  It's not enough to have a goal, you have to have a plan too.    We watched a short video clip of a boy named Lewis who had a goal and lots of plans, but when things didn't go right, he got discouraged and tore up his plans.  Our children offered good advice for Lewis about not giving up and remembering that sometimes things only need a little bit more work to make it right.  The message to believe in yourself and don't give up is perhaps the most important message of all.  Throughout the year, parents can make a huge difference for a child by reminding them to persevere.  No one climbed a mountain because it was easy, they climbed it because of the challenge.  Our assembly finished with each class saying "We can do it!" with conviction and enthusiasm.  And Yes we can and we will surpass ourselves again this year!

Access from Home -

In addition to helping your child maintain a positive attitude toward learning, there are activities your child can do at home on the computer.  Our libraries now have upgraded to a new software that allows students to "browse" the bookshelves at Brant Elementary.  This can be a great way to learn your child's interests and encourage reading.  Last year, our students doubled the number of books signed out of the library and our student performance leaped higher.  Keep your child curious by going to the Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia online.  This is available to Lake Shore parents and students and has a variety of themes and reading levels that will reach any age child.  (I love to look at the pictures!)  Our math series enVisionMath has online math games and activities that are fun and reinforce the skills taught in class.  For grades 3 through 5, there is also Castle Learning.  This program is a review tool to help students, parents and teachers gauge individual academic progress.  Check with your child's classroom teacher for access information. 

Across the District -

We continue to examine areas where we can improve as a District to recognize our numerous successes across all buildings and grade levels.  As we go through the school year, I encourage you to help us celebrate and stay informed about the initiatives we are implementing on our path to continuous improvement.

I look forward to working with the teachers, students and parents again this year to continue to make Excellence the attainable academic goal for all students.

Susan Ciminelli,

Brant Principal