Hello Parents!  This year BRPS is very excited to start a new program called Refreshing Recess. We are focusing on recess for three important reasons: 1) Research has shown there are academic benefits to children being active, 2) Recess gives children a great opportunity to work on improving friendship and social skills, and 3) Recess gives children a break from academic tasks and a time to have fun and recharge.  Basically, Refreshing Recess aims to help our children improve their mental health which can lead to greater success in the classroom.

So, what is Refreshing Recess?  There are three basic components to the program:

1. Opportunities for Structured Activities

Every day at recess our children will have the opportunity to choose between unstructured play or a planned activity.  The planned activity is great for children who prefer more structure, are not sure who to play with, or struggle with social skills.  On Monday’s, Wednesday’s and Friday’s Mr. Bruce will lead the kids who want to participate in a game/activity.  On Tuesdays and Thursdays, we will offer a run/walk club where students can earn things like foot charms, medals, and water bottles for total miles finished. 

2. Classrooms Lessons

The school social worker will be teaching lessons to help students improve positive recess behaviors.Topics of lessons include friendship skills, including others, being respectful, learning how to work out conflicts/problems with peers, and how to handle bullying.

3. Recess Supervision

Recess supervisors will not only work to ensure the students are being safe, they will also build positive relationships with the students, encourage/guide healthy positive social interactions between students, and get students involved in active play.

The Refreshing Recess Program will start on Monday, September 10 for our 1^st-5^th grade students.  Once we get those grades up and running we will work on getting it started for our kindergarten students. As we work to help make recess a positive and healthy experience for all of our students, there are also some things you could do to help this program be successful:

• Please make sure your child has appropriate footwear at school for these recess activities
• Ask your child about recess:  what fun activities they participated in, how they were kind or respectful, how they were able to work out a problem themselves, how they are being a good friend, etc.

Thanks for your support! We look forward to having a great year with your child at BRPS.