Welcome to Brookside Elementary (PK-5)
Welcome and thank you for choosing GRPS and Brookside Elementary. It is my honor and privilege to serve as the principal of Brookside. Our staff is dedicated to helping each child reach their fullest potential in a nurturing and equitable environment that celebrates and honors the diverse races and cultures of our scholars, families, and staff. We are fortunate to have an outdoor classroom and an amazing green space that includes Plaster Creek, allowing our students and staff to explore more learning outside.
If you would like more information about Brookside Elementary, please call us at 616-819-2242.
Principal
Benjamin Garlets
Brookside Elementary
School Hours
Breakfast 8:10 a.m.
Start Time 8:30 a.m.
Dismissal 3:28 p.m.
Half Day Dismissal 11:40 a.m.
School Transparency
At Brookside, we pride ourselves on positive relationships and academic growth.
Beautiful, walkable, and surrounded by green space, Brookside Elementary combines a strong academic program with a consistent focus on restorative practices in a safe, vibrant learning community.
Located on the southeast side of Grand Rapids next to the Gerald R. Ford Nature Center and the Ray and Joan Kroc Corps Community Center, our scholars benefit from learning in their own neighborhood. At Brookside, we are committed to ensuring all scholars experience an engaging curriculum and high achievement. Our staff work with each scholar to identify their needs and help them take their learning to the next level. We also partner with local organizations to ensure that our scholars can bring their learning to life.
The partnership between school staff and caregivers at Brookside Elementary builds a positive, collaborative learning environment. Families are welcomed and encouraged to be involved in various aspects of their scholar’s growth, resulting in a partnership that benefits the Brookside community.
Brookside is proud to offer:
- Parent Teacher Community Council
- Community-based Mentoring
- English as a Second Language (ESL) Services for PK through 5th grade students
- A partnership with the Kroc Center that includes:
- Fine Arts and Movement Education
- Swim Lessons
- A Brookside Community Garden Plot
- A partnership with Groundswell, LGROW, Plaster Creek Stewards, and EGLE, resulting in a student-cultivated rain garden
- Recipients of the Green Schoolyard Grant, resulting in the addition of natural play structures and an outdoor classroom
We have incorporated distance learning for years and are poised to be a leader in the district as a blended model of new technologies and old practices, giving our students the best of both worlds. Our 1-to-1 student technology device approach ensures that every student has the opportunity to learn inside and outside the classroom.
Our newly modernized building is a hidden gem on the west side of Grand Rapids featuring updated entrances, classrooms, air conditioning, and an athletic wing, surrounded by sprawling green space for outdoor education and athletics.
- Click to see a larger version Skip to end of gallery Skip to start of gallery
- Click to see a larger version Skip to end of gallery Skip to start of gallery
- Click to see a larger version Skip to end of gallery Skip to start of gallery
- Click to see a larger version Skip to end of gallery Skip to start of gallery
-
2 Oct
-
Fall Count DayDate: Oct 2Calendar: GRPS District Calendar
-
-
5 Oct
-
GRPS Middle School Volleyball Invitational (City High Middle School)Date: Oct 5Calendar: GRPS District Calendar
-
-
15 Oct
-
MHSAA Middle School Cross Country Regional Meet (GRPS University)Date: Oct 15Calendar: GRPS District Calendar
-
-
18 Oct
-
End of 1st Marking PeriodDate: Oct 18Calendar: GRPS District Calendar
-
-
19 Oct
-
West Michigan Middle School Cross Country Championship (GRPS University)Date: Oct 19Calendar: GRPS District Calendar
-
-
21 Oct
-
No School; No LOOP ProgrammingDate: Oct 21Calendar: GRPS District Calendar
-
-
22 Oct
-
Beginning of 2nd Marking PeriodDate: Oct 22Calendar: GRPS District Calendar
-
-
31 Oct
-
Half Day for Scholars; No LOOP ProgrammingDate: Oct 31Calendar: GRPS District Calendar
-
-
5 Nov
-
No School; No LOOP Programming | Election DayDate: Nov 5Calendar: GRPS District Calendar
-
-
27 Novthru Nov 29
-
No School; No LOOP Programming | Thanksgiving BreakDate: Nov 27 - Nov 29Calendar: GRPS District Calendar
-
Previous September 2024 Next | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
S | M | T | W | T | F | S | ||
1 |
2
|
3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | ||
8 |
9
|
10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | ||
15 | 16 | 17 |
18
|
19 | 20 | 21 | ||
22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | ||
29 | 30 |
The GRPS community is invited to sign up for GRPS Safety & Security training sessions.
Buchanan Elementary School Principal Michael Thomasma was inspired to become an educator by his very first teacher: his mother.
For Brittany Speck, a first-grade teacher at Palmer Elementary, the passion for teaching goes beyond the classroom—it’s the small, everyday moments that make her work so fulfilling.