Principal's Newsletter
Welcome Back to School - August 11, 2021
Message From Mrs. Gramlick
August 4, 2021
Dear Buena Vista Parents and Guardians,
Welcome to the 2021-2022 School Year! I hope your summer has been restful, relaxing, fun, and most importantly rejuvenating. I am eager to begin this new school year with all of you and look forward to getting to know you and your children as we begin a school year that will hopefully feel a little more normal despite the continued cautionary and safety measures that will still be in place. Over summer our staff has been preparing classrooms and getting things ready for your children’s return. Teachers have also been buzzing around campus getting classrooms ready and we are all excited to have happy children back on site ready to learn.
I want to reassure you that our Buena Vista Staff will be implementing all of our district's policies regarding a safe return to in person learning. The most important thing to know is that face masks will be required for all people (staff and students) while learning indoors. In addition, teachers will be facilitating and encouraging frequent hand washing/sanitizing. If you have any questions regarding this policy, please refer to our district's WCSD Health and Safety Plan.
One last thing regarding our school safety procedures that I would like to share. I was working in a school district last year that began in person instruction in the middle of September. We followed our county health procedures and additional precautions that were put in place by our school board. We stayed open the whole year, hybrid in the beginning, moving to full in person by spring. The consistent safety measures that we used and enforced were the morning health screenings, mask wearing for all staff and students and frequent hand washing/sanitizing. The additional piece was open and honest communication between the school and parents. With these measures we were able to stay open all year and we never had any on campus transmission of COVID-19. I know there are many mixed feelings regarding the utilization of face masks, my goal as your principal is to provide safe and healthy learning for our students and staff. Your partnership in this is truly appreciated.
Below is important information to help you get off to a smooth start for the school year. If you do have any questions regarding any information in this newsletter, please feel free to reach out to me directly at agramlick@walnutcreeksd.org.
Looking forward to a fabulous year! Go Bulldogs!
Respectfully,
Angela Gramlick
Welcome Back Social!!!
PTA is organizing The Kona Ice Truck (20% of your purchases go back to the school), fun, music and information tables. Come meet our new principal and see your friends again! We will have our veteran students give guided tours of our school and information from the Boy and Girl Scouts, PTA, and WCEF...but we mostly just want to celebrate our return to school!
Data Confirmation
You should have received a district email for data confirmation for your Buena Vista Bulldog student(s) in July. This online data confirmation is in lieu of the in person Welcome Back Day from previous school years. This must be completed prior to August 9th to get your child’s classroom assignment. If you did not receive the email I have included the directions below.
Data Confirmation
We will be using the Aeries Parent Portal to update student information online, including incoming TK/Kindergarten families and families new to WCSD. The annual data confirmation process is required for all students in grades Transitional Kindergarten - 8th. The data confirmation and residency re-verification process must be completed in order for your student to receive his/her teacher assignment next week. Please contact our office manager, Shelley Purcell, ASAP if you plan to dis-enroll your student.
All parents should visit the Aeries Parent Portal and confirm your student’s data. Click HERE for details on each step. If you have more than one student enrolled in the district, it will be necessary to repeat the steps for each student.
Residency Re-Verification
WCSD requires annual re-verification of residency for ALL returning students. For the 2021-2022 school year, residency re-verification is required for returning students in grades Kindergarten - 8th. If you have multiple students enrolled in the district, you will need to upload your residency documents to each student's online portal. If you have enrolled a new student in WCSD since January 2021 you do not need to complete the re-verification process. Click HERE to view information regarding acceptable documents for residency verification.
All required documents may be uploaded to the online parent portal in Step 7 . The parent portal opened on Wednesday, July 21st. You may access the parent portal via this link.
Please note, we are not able to distribute class assignments or allow a student to attend class without proving residency.
Teacher Assignments
Staff Changes:
I am excited to support this amazing staff and student body as their new principal this year. In addition to myself, we have a few other new faces and position shifts to welcome to the Buena Vista School Family. Shelley Purcell, our librarian, will now support our school in the very important role of Office Manager. Supporting her in the office will be Casey Miller as our Attendance/Clerical Clerk. I am happy to have some familiar faces who care deeply about our school working to support our families in the main office. We also have been lucky to bring on some amazing teachers to our staff as well:
- Hollie Stessel, Grade 1 Teacher
- Sarah Sumnicht, Grade 2 Teacher
- Sarah Yorkey, Grade 5 Teacher
- Gigi Gikas, Resource SpecialistTeacher
- Samuel Haller, Inclusion Specialist
We are still looking to fill some positions. We are looking for a Science Specialist and Librarian Specialist if you know of anyone who may be interested please forward them my contact information and have them reach out: agramlick@walnutcreeksd.org
In addition, we are in desperate need of lunch duty supervision monitors. This is a paid, part-time position, if you are interested in helping our students during their lunch and recess time (or know someone who is) please reach out to me directly. This is a great way for parents to be part of our BV family during the work week since we are not able to allow volunteers inside classrooms yet.
Volunteer Interest Survey
Important Dates!
To help you and your child get off to a good start for the school year please mark your calendar with these important dates:
- School office is open 7:30am-4:00pm Monday-Friday
- Monday, August 9th: Teacher Assignments Aeries Parent Portal opens so that you may view your child's classroom assignment.
- Monday, August 9th: Back to School Night for TK/K PARENTS 6:00pm - 7:00pm --PARENTS ONLY - please leave all children at home
- August 10th Sneak Peek - TK/Kindergarten students--Meet your Teacher 2:00 - 3:00pm (drop in).
- August 10th- Welcome Back Social 3:30-5:30 pm--BV Courtyard, second breezeway outside the MUR (Multi-Use Room)
- August 11th: First Day of School! Remember, the first day of school is a Wednesday and so it is a “Late Start” day with arrival at 8:55am for everyone.
- August 12th: First day of “Slip” schedule for Kindergarten
- ****CHANGED*****August 25th: Back to School Night (Grades 1-5) 6:30-8:15 p.m. No children please. Report to your child’s classroom. (This was originally scheduled for August 26th but it conflicted with Las Lomas Back to School Night!)
- Friday, September 3rd- Short Day for TK-5th Grade (Bell Schedule)
From Our WCSD Nurses
Health Conditions Reminder: Any students who have health conditions that require medication or accommodations while at school must submit orders from their healthcare provider for the incoming school year. New orders are required every year. Bring completed forms and medication to the school office before or on the first day of school. Medication should be labeled and in the original container. Below are links to our forms that can be given to your provider to fill out and sign. Medication Administration Form Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Emergency Care Plan For Any questions or concerns regarding this, feel free to contact either of our district nurses. Molly Dowd, Email: mdowd@walnutcreeksd.org, Phone: (925)-330-8239
Also a reminder about Oral Health Assessments and 1st Grade Physicals.
Report of Health Examination for School Entry (AKA First Grade Physical) are required to be completed 18 months before or up to 90 days after enrolling in first grade. Due 11/11/21.
Oral Health Assessment are required to be completed no later than May 31 of their first year of school enrollment. Due 5/31/21 of the TK/K school year.
WCSD Wellness Program
WCSD is proud to announce a new Wellness Program! To kick off the new program, the WCSD Governing Board has adopted our new WCSD Social and Emotional Learning Standards. These standards will guide our community in supporting the Emotional Wellness of all our students. This fall, we will be opening Wellness Centers at each of our school sites! Stay tuned for more information on this and other aspects of the WCSD Wellness Program.