Dress-Up Days: March 16-20: We are wrapping up our month-long celebration of Read Across America with themed dress-up days!
Monday: Brookwood Loves Books! Wear your Brookwood or blue & white gear
Tuesday: Lucky to be Readers! Wear green
Wednesday: Wordy Wednesday! Wear a shirt with words on it that others have to read
Thursday: Reading is Timeless! Dress up in your favorite decade
Friday: Snuggle Up with a Good Book! Wear your cozy jammies
Monday: Brookwood Loves Books! Wear your Brookwood or blue & white gear
Tuesday: Lucky to be Readers! Wear green
Wednesday: Wordy Wednesday! Wear a shirt with words on it that others have to read
Thursday: Reading is Timeless! Dress up in your favorite decade
Friday: Snuggle Up with a Good Book! Wear your cozy jammies
BES Classrooms can earn Be Brookwood tickets when they demonstrate what it means to Be Brookwood by being kind, safe, and responsible throughout the school day. Tickets can be earned from any staff member who notices classrooms making great choices TOGETHER!
Each month, one classroom is randomly selected as the Be Brookwood Classroom Winner of the Month. The winning class earns the honor of keeping the Mustang Trophy in their classroom for the entire month as a reminder of their positive behavior, teamwork, and school pride.
Way to go -- students in Mrs. Love's class!
Keep up the amazing work, Brookwood! 💙
Each month, one classroom is randomly selected as the Be Brookwood Classroom Winner of the Month. The winning class earns the honor of keeping the Mustang Trophy in their classroom for the entire month as a reminder of their positive behavior, teamwork, and school pride.
Way to go -- students in Mrs. Love's class!
Keep up the amazing work, Brookwood! 💙
BES Adventure Club is an opportunity for students to explore additional interests after school. **Space is limited**
After School Adventure Club will be held on the following dates:
April: 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 23, 28, 30
May: 5, 7
Adventure Club will be held after school until 4:15 pm. Students need to be picked up at 4:15 pm at Brookwood Elementary School.
Positive behavior and attendance is an expectation during After School Adventure Club. Please make sure your child has an interest prior to signing up.
**Forms were passed out earlier this week and many classes are full. If you have any additional questions, please contact the front office or your child's classroom teacher**
After School Adventure Club will be held on the following dates:
April: 7, 9, 14, 16, 21, 23, 28, 30
May: 5, 7
Adventure Club will be held after school until 4:15 pm. Students need to be picked up at 4:15 pm at Brookwood Elementary School.
Positive behavior and attendance is an expectation during After School Adventure Club. Please make sure your child has an interest prior to signing up.
**Forms were passed out earlier this week and many classes are full. If you have any additional questions, please contact the front office or your child's classroom teacher**
Thank You, Mustang Community!
We want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who attended, donated, prepared food, created art, and helped serve at this year’s Empty Bowls fundraiser for the Genoa City Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry. Thanks to your generosity and hard work, we raised $735 to support families in our community.
This event was truly a success because of you. We are so grateful for the incredible support, participation, and spirit shown by our Mustang community. The turnout was wonderful, and the impact will be felt by many.
Thank you for making a difference!
We want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who attended, donated, prepared food, created art, and helped serve at this year’s Empty Bowls fundraiser for the Genoa City Loaves & Fishes Food Pantry. Thanks to your generosity and hard work, we raised $735 to support families in our community.
This event was truly a success because of you. We are so grateful for the incredible support, participation, and spirit shown by our Mustang community. The turnout was wonderful, and the impact will be felt by many.
Thank you for making a difference!
BES will be celebrating another fantastic year of the Kids' Heart Challenge! Students who raised over $250 will get a turn to throw a pie at a staff member of their choosing on 3/20. After the Pie Event, there will be a video shared of all of our Kids' Heart Challenge events and celebrations!
4K Safe Splashers Water Safety Day at YMCA
4K Outreach Day - March 18th
Safe Splashers Water Safety Day
There is no regular 4K programming on this day
For more information, contact your child's 4K teacher.
4K Outreach Day - March 18th
Safe Splashers Water Safety Day
There is no regular 4K programming on this day
For more information, contact your child's 4K teacher.
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 sure you've seen him around at BES.....but here is his official post as our long-term substitute physical education teacher at our elementary school! Welcome to the Brookwood Family, Mr. Diedrich!!
Welcome to Brookwood! Kyle Diedrich is from Twin Lakes and just moved to Genoa City. He graduated from Whitewater and was student teaching at Randall last semester. Majoring in Physical Education, it's no surprise he coaches cross-country, basketball, track, and volleyball. Very sports-minded, he enjoys playing basketball and volleyball, loves to run, and has been known to enjoy movies and concerts, with golf thrown in for fun. He's the youngest of 3, and his older sister is also a teacher (at Randall). He was at Brookwood a couple years ago, working with Briana doing Observation & Participation. Kyle wasn't even planning on attending college, but he got into coaching and decided to give teaching a try. Kyle looks forward to being able to take a breather this summer, but will probably still help at his family's dairy farm in Twin Lakes, milking about 120 cows.
Welcome to Brookwood! Kyle Diedrich is from Twin Lakes and just moved to Genoa City. He graduated from Whitewater and was student teaching at Randall last semester. Majoring in Physical Education, it's no surprise he coaches cross-country, basketball, track, and volleyball. Very sports-minded, he enjoys playing basketball and volleyball, loves to run, and has been known to enjoy movies and concerts, with golf thrown in for fun. He's the youngest of 3, and his older sister is also a teacher (at Randall). He was at Brookwood a couple years ago, working with Briana doing Observation & Participation. Kyle wasn't even planning on attending college, but he got into coaching and decided to give teaching a try. Kyle looks forward to being able to take a breather this summer, but will probably still help at his family's dairy farm in Twin Lakes, milking about 120 cows.
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
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!
Our 4K students proudly showcased their creativity at our Art Show held at the local public library! Families were invited to walk through the display and admire their child’s artwork, celebrating all of the hard work and imagination that has been growing in our classroom. The students were so excited to share their masterpieces and point out their special creations.
During the event, the youth librarian read a story to our families, making the experience even more special and highlighting the joy of reading together. Families also had the opportunity to sign up for their very own library cards, encouraging continued learning and visits to the library. It was a wonderful evening of art, literacy, and community connection!
During the event, the youth librarian read a story to our families, making the experience even more special and highlighting the joy of reading together. Families also had the opportunity to sign up for their very own library cards, encouraging continued learning and visits to the library. It was a wonderful evening of art, literacy, and community connection!
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
As part of the BES Kindness Week, the students in Mrs. Deephouse's and Miss Flood's 5K classes made bird feeders to help our feathered friends. They rolled up their sleeves and slathered paper tubes with peanut butter and rolled the tubes in bird seed. Then they went around our school grounds and tied the homemade bird feeders to fences, trees, and bushes to help the birds find some food during these final weeks of winter. Some of the students did their best bird calls, trying to entice the birds to the feeders. They're very excited to check their bird feeders in the coming weeks to see how much the birds have eaten!!
1st-grade did a Kindness Service project for the Genoa City Public Library. Students made bookmarks for kids that visit the library and brought some tasty treats for the wonderful workers there. Students enjoyed getting a library tour, listening to a few books, and learning all that our local library has to offer. Way to go, Mustangs!
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!
#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
Kids Heart Challenge is Wrapping up Soon!
Brookwood Elementary School families,
It’s almost here! It’s our final week of Kids Heart Challenge! BES students are having a blast learning how to keep our hearts and minds healthy and happy. I’m so proud of our students and families. Together, our efforts will help to save lives!
By signing up and raising funds, you can help us earn gift certificates for physical activity and recess equipment to support the health & wellness of our school community.
Here’s how you can help:
Sign Up for Kids Heart Challenge by downloading the free “AHA Schools” app for Apple or Android or by clicking https://www2.heart.org/site/TR?fr_id=12398&pg=company&company_id=528972.
Be a hero: Send 10 texts TODAY to help save lives.
Complete Finn’s Mission: Complete all 7 steps, learn Hands-Only CPR, and be entered to win two Super Bowl tickets!
BONUS INCENTIVES:
If you raise $250 you get to pie a staff member!
If you raise $100, you’ll be entered to win a Warmie!
Donations are due on 2/20/2026. THANK YOU for supporting the Kids Heart Challenge - your family is helping save lives and spread heart health!
Thank you,
Mr. Diedrich & Mrs. Brenek
Brookwood Elementary School families,
It’s almost here! It’s our final week of Kids Heart Challenge! BES students are having a blast learning how to keep our hearts and minds healthy and happy. I’m so proud of our students and families. Together, our efforts will help to save lives!
By signing up and raising funds, you can help us earn gift certificates for physical activity and recess equipment to support the health & wellness of our school community.
Here’s how you can help:
Sign Up for Kids Heart Challenge by downloading the free “AHA Schools” app for Apple or Android or by clicking https://www2.heart.org/site/TR?fr_id=12398&pg=company&company_id=528972.
Be a hero: Send 10 texts TODAY to help save lives.
Complete Finn’s Mission: Complete all 7 steps, learn Hands-Only CPR, and be entered to win two Super Bowl tickets!
BONUS INCENTIVES:
If you raise $250 you get to pie a staff member!
If you raise $100, you’ll be entered to win a Warmie!
Donations are due on 2/20/2026. THANK YOU for supporting the Kids Heart Challenge - your family is helping save lives and spread heart health!
Thank you,
Mr. Diedrich & Mrs. Brenek
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
