Bennett Elementary
Tiger Tracks Newsletter
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**Be advised that all information below is subject to change in accordance with Bennett 29J District Policies and Governance as set forth by the Board of Education. This information is updated as of 08/14/22.
Week of Aug 14, 2022
IT'S THE WEEK WE'VE ALLLLLL BEEN WAITING FOR..... Assessments and The FIRST DAY of SCHOOL!!!
Can you all believe it?? Kids are back in our building this week! We are all so excited, a little jittery, and absolutely ready to do what we do best- teach and love kids. Last week was filled with lots of learning and planning for staff, some bonding and team building and of course, getting to meet you all and their new students for the year! The energy in our building for Back to School Night was contagious and it was so amazing to finally meet many of you and your families! The highlight of this week will be the First Day of School and we hope you'll share your most adorable pics with us!
ASSESSMENT DAY SCHEDULES
ASSESSMENT DAYS 8/15 and 8/16
DROP OFF/PICK UP SAFETY UPDATES
BUILDING ENTRY
Because the safety of your students is our utmost importance, we will be modifying entry into our buildings in the morning:
To begin each day of school, we will follow what we have done for Assessment Days- greet students at the front doors and have them wave goodbye from their cars or from the front sidewalks. This will keep down the amount of people in our building at any given time, but more importantly, with prescheduled and screened entry of adults, we will have an accurate account of who and where people are. Please know this is for the safety of all of our kids and may seem new or odd, but we promised ourselves, as a staff and faculty, that safety and learning would be our top priorities.
For students bringing in their school supplies, those that may not remember who their teacher is or where the classroom is- we have stationed multiple staff around the building to help escort and carry items for students and carry a whole-school roster to quickly identify a students' teacher and help them get to their classroom.
END OF DAY ROUTINES
Each grade level will be releasing students at the end of the day, "Hand to Hand:"
For CAR RIDERS- We will still have our Car Card System for students who are picked up by car. Families will receive a large card with a number printed on it. You will put this in your front visor and as you pull up, we will match the number that is registered with your family to your student.
******IF you have intermediate, middle or high school students, you will need to pick them up at their respective schools. ***Due to major traffic congestion, we cannot load older students during our dismissal******
For WALKERS- We have a staff member that will walk our students across the street outside the middle school doors (so that they do not get caught in the car and bus traffic) to wait for older siblings/family members to walk home.
For BUSSERS- Students will convene in the cafeteria/gym and be hand walked to the busses. Please make sure your students know which bus they will ride. If you do not know your child's bus, you can email transportation ( jerrij@bsd29j.com ) and she can help you. A suggestion may be to write your students first and last name & bus number on their backpack shoulder straps, so we can easily see who they are from behind and identify the bus number if the student is unsure.
Please note we will NOT release any student to any person that is not listed on the Emergency Contact List in Infinite Campus (if you log on to your IC account, you can update this information) and will NOT release any of our students to siblings, relatives, etc that are younger than 16, even if they are listed on the IC Emergency Contact List.
Throughout the year, we know things in your daily schedule will happen and family emergencies will arise. If your child's way home is to change last minute, PLEASE CONTACT THE OFFICE BEFORE 2:30pm. While we appreciate you emailing your child's teacher, we cannot guarantee that they will be checking email before the end of the day. Our office is always answering phones and this is the best and most secure way to get a change of end of day to your student and their teacher. If we do not hear from families about a change via phone, email, or written note, it will be business as usual
and students will be sent home the way they typically would.
We fully recognize that until everyone is in the school routine, that nerves and forgetfulness will happen. We are prepared to help everyone through the next several weeks and appreciate any and all grace you can give us as we strive for safety and smooth transitions!
Please See The Attached Maps to Help Drop Off and Pick Up Run Smoothly
PHOTOS for SOCIAL MEDIA, our WEBSITE, and NEWSLETTERS
I am a huge fan of advertising and sharing how amazing our little building is! Throughout the year, if you are so inclined, please share any and all photos you snap (1st day of school, school spirit days, etc) with me so that I can include them on all our platforms. We love our families and students whole-heartedly and absolutely want the world to know how cool they really are!!! Email is the easiest- btravis@bsd29j.com
We NEED YOU!
There are multiple elementary groups that we need parent/community volunteers for! Please let the office know if you (or a family member) would like to volunteer time!
BES School Accountability Committee- This Committee will examine academic topics as well as student achievement and growth. Exploring school resources and building our student recognition programs will also be on our agenda this year.
Parent Teacher Student Association- This association supports our educational system through fundraising & organizing and sponsoring multiple activities for students and our community. The BES PTSA also promotes student/teacher appreciation throughout the school year.
UPCOMING DATES
PTSA Meeting- Wed, Aug 17th 5:30-6:30pm @ BES
29J School Board Meeting- Thurs, Aug 18th 6-8pm BHS
PTSA Back to School Carnival- Sat, Aug 27th 10am-1pm
Labor Day-No School- Mon, Sept 5
K-2 Picture Day- Mon, Sept 12
**Be advised that all information below is subject to change in accordance with Bennett 29J District Policies and Governance as set forth by the Board of Education. This information is updated as of 08/03/22.
Weeks of Aug 1st and Aug 8th, 2022
WELCOME BACK BENNETT FAMILIES!!
To say the summer has flown by is a complete understatement, but we do hope you all found time to rest, relax, and enjoy special times with your family. We want to be the first to say, whether you are a returning Bennett Tiger, or beginning your journey with us for the first time, “Welcome” and we can’t wait to see you all very, very soon!
Below you will find quite a few updates, new information, and hopefully put your minds at ease as the new school year approaches. We are working diligently to keep our district calendar and elementary website updated, so check there frequently (https://elem.bsd29j.com).
As always, please reach out if you have any questions and we are very much looking forward to welcoming your little Tiger Cubs into the building!
~Mrs. Travis
WELCOME NEW STAFF
Ms. Aaryn Coleman- Kindergarten
Ms. Alexis Pocock- Second Grade
Mr. Hunter Headley- PE
Ms. Sarah Prado- Literacy/Library
Ms. Bay’lee Purdy- Special Education
Ms. Amber Rall- First Grade
Ms. Hannah Vaughn- Kindergarten
BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT
Back to School Night will be Wed, Aug 10th 5:30pm-7pm
Bennett’s Back to School Night purpose is to put a name with a face for teachers, parents, and students alike. During this time, school supplies may be dropped off and desks set up within the classrooms. To limit the amount of time and space within classrooms and give teachers the opportunities to meet all of their families, especially their new students during this time. Should you need a time to discuss your student’s needs, please use your teacher’s sign up sheet to schedule a phone or zoom meeting-this will ensure proper attention and time is given to the conversation.
***For families that cannot attend the event, simply contact your child’s teacher (see below on how to find out their teacher) and they will be happy to share all information with you***
ASSESSMENT DAYS
For the complete Assessment Day Schedule, please click HERE
SCHOOL SUPPLY LISTS
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SCHOOL HOURS 7:50am-3:55pm
We will resume Bennett’s Slow Start, where school doors will open at 7:35am. Busses will drop students off and parents can drop students off at this time as well.
The official start of school is at 7:50am, and any student arriving after 7:50am will be considered tardy.
Our hope is that this plan will free up congestion in our drop off zone, providing a wider window for drop off, but also allowing quality time for students to enjoy their peers, eat breakfast, and not be rushed to settle in for the learning day.
**It is important to note that our playground will be closed before and after school, as there will not be staff on duty for supervision.
BREAKFAST/LUNCH FEES
Unfortunately, this year, due to Federal funding, school districts will not be able to offer free breakfast or lunch to all students. There is still an option for FREE LUNCHES, you will just need to fill out the form below to qualify.
There will be 2 options for payment:
- Completing the Free/Reduced Lunch Application. Simply copy and paste this link to get English or Spanish instructions and forms: https://elem.bsd29j.com/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1305353&type=d&pREC_ID=2206976
OR
- Cash/check option (pricing below) Breakfast will be $2.20
Lunch will be $3.30
**Milk only will be $.40
TEACHER ASSIGNMENTS
At Bennett, we believe in all of our teachers and value what each offers to our students. Teacher Assignments are slated to be released by noon on August 10th and can be accessed through Infinite Campus Parent Portal. At this time, we will not be accepting teacher requests or moving students into other classrooms. Should you need access to your child’s Infinite Campus information, please contact our Administrative Assistant, Ms. Miranda Hill at 303-644-3234
PARENT VOLUNTEERS
We would absolutely love for parents to volunteer in classrooms and around the school this year! We ask that all volunteer sessions are pre-planned and scheduled with your child’s teacher, so that we can minimize the amount of adults working in classrooms at once. Additionally, we ask that youngers siblings not attend volunteer sessions, as we seek for minimal classroom disruptions.
At this time, due to space limitations, with ever-growing enrollments, we cannot accommodate visitors coming in and eating with their child in the cafeteria. Parents are certainly welcome to continue to bring in lunch and drop it with our office staff and we will see to it that your child receives it on their way to their lunch time. For specific lunch times, please check with your child’s teacher and their Back to School Information Packet at Back to School Night.
**Be advised that all information is subject to change in accordance with Bennett 29J District Policies and Governance as set forth by the Board of Education. This information is updated as of 08/03/22.