💙 Kindness Week at BMS! 💙
During Kindness Week, BMS focused on how we let others know they matter. “Mattering” is the feeling of being seen, heard, and valued — something every person deeply needs.
Throughout the week, we emphasized that small, everyday actions can make a big impact.
On Monday, BMS started with “You Matter” by focusing on self-care and positive self-talk. Students were able to pick positive affirmations that they connected with and discussed ways to show themselves kindness, including:
✨ Using positive affirmations
💧 Staying hydrated
🥗 Fueling their bodies with healthy food
🧠 Practicing positive self-talk or affirmations
🧘 Taking mindful breaths or quiet moments
👏 Celebrating growth and encouraging themselves
When we take care of ourselves, we’re better able to care for others. 💛
#KindnessWeek #YouMatter #BMS
During Kindness Week, BMS focused on how we let others know they matter. “Mattering” is the feeling of being seen, heard, and valued — something every person deeply needs.
Throughout the week, we emphasized that small, everyday actions can make a big impact.
On Monday, BMS started with “You Matter” by focusing on self-care and positive self-talk. Students were able to pick positive affirmations that they connected with and discussed ways to show themselves kindness, including:
✨ Using positive affirmations
💧 Staying hydrated
🥗 Fueling their bodies with healthy food
🧠 Practicing positive self-talk or affirmations
🧘 Taking mindful breaths or quiet moments
👏 Celebrating growth and encouraging themselves
When we take care of ourselves, we’re better able to care for others. 💛
#KindnessWeek #YouMatter #BMS
BMS March 7/8 Band & Choir Concert on March 11 at BMS 6:30-7:30pm
4th Grade to Seno Conservancy on March 13th.
For more information, please contact your child's teacher.
For more information, please contact your child's teacher.
Saturday Morning Basketball Sign-Up Form
Saturday Morning Basketball is back! Saturday Morning Basketball is open to our Mustangs in grades K-5th.
Saturday Morning Basketball will meet March 7th and March 21st.
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!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScLZBHbQTAV4JbJpUCt3BR54djel1ZbIw-9Jnlcn-vy3OnRbA/viewform?fbclid=IwY2xjawQT8FJleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETE0dVl0dTFxTXFXbndKOWdJc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHrxenuEE8FL4cI5qREsXc17K_zMj5KPl3u7eN2sgH1vQb4YDHMAhGXOgy-1-_aem_GpXwk9gfW3EQLkIMfrxhwg
Saturday Morning Basketball is back! Saturday Morning Basketball is open to our Mustangs in grades K-5th.
Saturday Morning Basketball will meet March 7th and March 21st.
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!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScLZBHbQTAV4JbJpUCt3BR54djel1ZbIw-9Jnlcn-vy3OnRbA/viewform?fbclid=IwY2xjawQT8FJleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETE0dVl0dTFxTXFXbndKOWdJc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHrxenuEE8FL4cI5qREsXc17K_zMj5KPl3u7eN2sgH1vQb4YDHMAhGXOgy-1-_aem_GpXwk9gfW3EQLkIMfrxhwg
We are excited to welcome our incoming 4K and 5K families!
Please join us for 4K & 5K Family Registration Night on:
📅 March 4, 2026
⏰ 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
This special evening is a great opportunity to:
Tour our classrooms
Meet our teachers
Learn more about our school community
Submit your required enrollment paperwork
More information can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1C1iy-eNLi0Aeih6-DIZMCUvlMeNoKPDU/view?usp=sharing
Please join us for 4K & 5K Family Registration Night on:
📅 March 4, 2026
⏰ 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM
This special evening is a great opportunity to:
Tour our classrooms
Meet our teachers
Learn more about our school community
Submit your required enrollment paperwork
More information can be found here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1C1iy-eNLi0Aeih6-DIZMCUvlMeNoKPDU/view?usp=sharing
We are excited to offer Yearbook Ads to our eighth-grade families. What an exciting way to celebrate your eighth grader's accomplishments by leaving a special message in the yearbook. Ads are offered in 1/2 page ($50) or 1/4 page ($25). You will write t h e text message and can digitally send in up to 4 photos you'd like to have included in the ad. All ads will be designed with the yearbook theme. Don't delay on ordering your ad! Ads are limited and based on submission date -- all items due by March 20th. Ads can be purchased at yearbookforever.com or by completing the attached order form and submitting with a check payment to Brookwood Schools.
Any questions, please contact Mrs. Garrett at kim.garrett@gcj2.k12.wi.us
Any questions, please contact Mrs. Garrett at kim.garrett@gcj2.k12.wi.us
Here is the March Mustang Minute! Make sure to click on the grade levels to view grade level newsletters! BMS & BES calendar links are also linked and available to view via a QR code. This month is filled with a lot of individual activities at both buildings that we could not list out on the Mustang Minute, so please check out the school calendars! Enjoy:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1c3RErbWcvePijJjVrIr-8KD91z5sM2su/view?usp=sharing
Eighth-grade students will attend a field trip to the First Division Museum in Wheaton, IL. on March 4th. Outside of the museum, students are able to explore a collection of tanks and artillery pieces dating back from World War 1 to Desert Storm. Inside the museum, students will participate in a veteran-guided tour of the First in War gallery. This gallery follows the 1st Infantry Division from World War 1 to the Vietnam War. In the museum, students walk through a recreation of a WW1 trench and exit a landing craft to walk up a beach from D-Day. Along the way students will learn from their guide about each war, providing an interactive experience of the content learned in 8th grade Social Studies. Finally, students will participate in hands-on activities that range from learning which U.S. general would be most similar to their personality, to holding and learning about various primary source objects from WW2.
At this month's school board meeting, the school board accepted the retirement letter of MaryEllen Kanthack for the end of this school year.
Mrs. Kanthack has devoted her life to education and to shaping the leaders of tomorrow while supporting current and future teacher leaders at Genoa City and beyond.
Throughout her career, she has been a steady, compassionate presence—always believing in the potential of every student and working tirelessly to help them grow in confidence, character, and knowledge.
Her impact reaches far beyond the classroom. She has inspired students, supported families, and been a trusted colleague and leader within our school community along with her professional teacher networks she is a part of. Throughout her career, she has been a steady, compassionate presence—always believing in the potential of every student and working tirelessly to help them grow in confidence, character, and knowledge. MaryEllen has also played an important role in strengthening our staff. She has mentored new teachers, collaborated generously with colleagues, and consistently shared her expertise through the professional networks she is a part of.
As she prepares to close this chapter, we celebrate her remarkable dedication and the countless lives she has touched. MaryEllen’s legacy will live on not only in the students she has helped guide toward bright futures but also in the educators she has supported and inspired along the way.
Thank you, Mrs. Kanthack, for your work and dedication toward all things Brookwood!
Mrs. Kanthack has devoted her life to education and to shaping the leaders of tomorrow while supporting current and future teacher leaders at Genoa City and beyond.
Throughout her career, she has been a steady, compassionate presence—always believing in the potential of every student and working tirelessly to help them grow in confidence, character, and knowledge.
Her impact reaches far beyond the classroom. She has inspired students, supported families, and been a trusted colleague and leader within our school community along with her professional teacher networks she is a part of. Throughout her career, she has been a steady, compassionate presence—always believing in the potential of every student and working tirelessly to help them grow in confidence, character, and knowledge. MaryEllen has also played an important role in strengthening our staff. She has mentored new teachers, collaborated generously with colleagues, and consistently shared her expertise through the professional networks she is a part of.
As she prepares to close this chapter, we celebrate her remarkable dedication and the countless lives she has touched. MaryEllen’s legacy will live on not only in the students she has helped guide toward bright futures but also in the educators she has supported and inspired along the way.
Thank you, Mrs. Kanthack, for your work and dedication toward all things Brookwood!
Today at BMS we had our monthly assembly! We celebrated our Be Brookwood Students of the Month, recognizing leaders who consistently model what it means to be part of our Brookwood community.
We also pulled our monthly winners for showing the trait of Honesty and they each earned a free meal from Lake Geneva Culver’s! 🍔🍦 Huge shout-out to Culver’s for supporting our students and celebrating positive character!
To wrap things up, our students jumped into some high-energy games to preview next month’s trait: Cooperation! 🤝
Lots of teamwork, laughter, and learning filled the gym today.
Proud of our Brookwood students for growing in character each and every month!
The Lake Geneva Symphony Orchestra is celebrating their 25th Anniversary this year. The group is composed of amateur musicians from Wisconsin and northern Illinois. The mission of the LGSO is to provide music education. This is accomplished with audiences at all ages. Each year, the Symphony performs at six schools. The Symphony has performed at every school in Walworth County through a grant with the Walworth County Arts Council. Tickets to see the LGSO in concert are free to students, and there are free concerts in Lake Geneva and Delavan this summer.
Our music teacher, Ms. Bullock, also serves as the Symphony's Executive Director. She was very proud to have the Symphony perform for the Brookwood students. Her favorite part was when the students sang the patriotic songs with the Orchestra since that is something she taught them. She also loved how amazed the children were over the size of the tuba and string basses. Even though the students learned about that in class, pictures and videos were no substitute for seeing and hearing the symphony live. Everyone really enjoyed the performance; the students loved singing along and getting to walk through the Symphony as they were playing at the end of the concert.
https://spectrumnews1.com/wi/milwaukee/news/2026/02/22/walworth-county-lake-geneva-symphony-orchestra-brookwood-elementary-school
Our music teacher, Ms. Bullock, also serves as the Symphony's Executive Director. She was very proud to have the Symphony perform for the Brookwood students. Her favorite part was when the students sang the patriotic songs with the Orchestra since that is something she taught them. She also loved how amazed the children were over the size of the tuba and string basses. Even though the students learned about that in class, pictures and videos were no substitute for seeing and hearing the symphony live. Everyone really enjoyed the performance; the students loved singing along and getting to walk through the Symphony as they were playing at the end of the concert.
https://spectrumnews1.com/wi/milwaukee/news/2026/02/22/walworth-county-lake-geneva-symphony-orchestra-brookwood-elementary-school
4th graders went back in time and had firsthand experience in what trading was like back in the day. Students worked in fur trader groups and traded different types of furs to European groups that traded metals, tools, cloth, etc. Students had to trade things for the same (point) value while they were silent. They had to be silent to pretend how it was during the fur trade when they could not speak the same language. They had to keep track of what they were trading and only use facial expressions and hand gestures. They had to be fair and trustworthy, just like how it was during the original fur trade!
At Monday night’s school board meeting, the school board welcomed a handful of 5th graders who presented about their Ecosystem project!
5th graders learned about ecosystems and studied how organisms survive in different environments. They were tasked with researching eight different research questions - ranging from plants and animals to threats to the ecosystem itself. After the research was completed, students were to produce a final project and were able to choose from producing a scripted podcast, a tri-fold poster, or a Google Slides presentation related to the ecosystem that they had chosen.
These 5th-graders did an amazing job presenting their projects to the school board and all those in attendance! Way to make us #MustangProud!!
5th graders learned about ecosystems and studied how organisms survive in different environments. They were tasked with researching eight different research questions - ranging from plants and animals to threats to the ecosystem itself. After the research was completed, students were to produce a final project and were able to choose from producing a scripted podcast, a tri-fold poster, or a Google Slides presentation related to the ecosystem that they had chosen.
These 5th-graders did an amazing job presenting their projects to the school board and all those in attendance! Way to make us #MustangProud!!
At Monday night’s school board meeting, Bill Erickson, Facilities Manager, was awarded the Children First Award. He was nominated by community member Pat Sherman for Bill’s tireless work after the snowstorms this past winter. Pat Sherman stated, “Bill arrived at 9:00 p.m. at elementary school on Nov. 29th in the heart of the 12-inch snowstorm to try to get a head start on the cleanup and worked 5 hours. On Nov. 30, Bill worked over 10 hours, finally leaving at 10:30 p.m. I feel Genoa City Jt. 2 is very lucky to have such a dedicated employee so that our community's children will have a safe and secure school day tomorrow.”
Congratulations, Mr. Erickson!! Way to make us #MustangProud!
Spring is almost here and it is time for tree planting. To help decide which species of tree would work best for advancing the diversity of our school forest without compromising the hardwood status, students in 7th & 8th grade forestry have begun marking and cataloging the existing trees. They have a LOT of work ahead of them!
#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 excited to share with you about is Avalyn Sereno, who is currently a Freshman at Badger High School. We are thrilled to announce that she was recently selected to play volleyball in Spain this July, representing Team USA for a week!
Avalyn has been a dedicated setter for the past three years. She began playing volleyball in 7th grade at Brookwood after undergoing knee surgery at age 12 — an incredible testament to her resilience and determination. In addition to playing for Brookwood, she competed with Club W out of Burlington. She currently plays for Lakes Juniors in Lake Geneva and has also played for Badger High School.
Avalyn loves attending volleyball camps, and after participating in an Exact Sports Camp at MSOE, she was selected to the All-American Team — the team she will compete with this summer in Spain.
We are so proud of Avalyn’s hard work and dedication. Congratulations on this amazing accomplishment!
We are so #MustangProud of you, Avalyn!
Are you an alumni and have something to share? Send it to Mrs. Xiong at helen.xiong@gcj2.k12.wi.us
7th and 8th Grade Fix & Flow class is discovering that not all water/precipitation is the same. In this lab, groups investigated how much water is actually in snow. They collected, measured (volume & mass), and then melted snow. This data will be compared to other groups to build an understanding of the value of all types of precipitation.
They also examined water from Powers Lake and the faucets at school under magnification on the microscopes. This will be used to build an understanding that not all fresh water is consumable.
They also examined water from Powers Lake and the faucets at school under magnification on the microscopes. This will be used to build an understanding that not all fresh water is consumable.
Bring your child for a FREE celebration! Once registered, parents fill out a screening questionnaire online and return it before their scheduled time. Our certified staff will have exciting games and activities targeting specific developmental areas: fine motor, gross motor, speech & language, social emotional, and pre-academics. Parents will also join their child and ask questions to make sure everything is on track for success!
Who: Children 18 months-5 yrs old (that aren’t currently attending 4K/5K)
Where: Brookwood Elementary School
When: February 19 from 12:15-2:30
RSVP: Mrs. Sponenburg - sarah.sponenburg@gcj2.k12.wi.us // 262-279-6496
Who: Children 18 months-5 yrs old (that aren’t currently attending 4K/5K)
Where: Brookwood Elementary School
When: February 19 from 12:15-2:30
RSVP: Mrs. Sponenburg - sarah.sponenburg@gcj2.k12.wi.us // 262-279-6496
Yesterday, we celebrated our 100th day of school, and man....was it back-breaking! Due to the exhausting day of hard work at a fragile age....to all the 100 days activities at both buildlings and "6-7" juggling at the middle school.....bring on the rest of the school year!!
Transition to High School: Hands-On Registration Night for 8th Grade Students & Families
Monday, February 16, 2026 | 5:00–5:45 PM | BMS Library
Join us for a supportive evening focused on high school registration. During this session,
families will learn about high school course options, graduation requirements, and important information to help students make thoughtful decisions about their high school plans. You will
also receive hands-on assistance completing the high school registration process. Denise Ocker, Brookwood Middle School Counselor and Sheri Thoreson, Badger High School
Counselor, will be available to guide you through the process and answer any questions you may have.
Please bring:
Red high school registration folder (students received February 4, 2026)
Charged device (we will have some available as well)
PowerSchool username and password information found on the bottom of the
Network Agreement (in the red registration folder)
Monday, February 16, 2026 | 5:00–5:45 PM | BMS Library
Join us for a supportive evening focused on high school registration. During this session,
families will learn about high school course options, graduation requirements, and important information to help students make thoughtful decisions about their high school plans. You will
also receive hands-on assistance completing the high school registration process. Denise Ocker, Brookwood Middle School Counselor and Sheri Thoreson, Badger High School
Counselor, will be available to guide you through the process and answer any questions you may have.
Please bring:
Red high school registration folder (students received February 4, 2026)
Charged device (we will have some available as well)
PowerSchool username and password information found on the bottom of the
Network Agreement (in the red registration folder)
