Bulldog Bulletin
All things happening at Butternut Creek Elementary School!
Message From the Principal
As we end November, and usher in December, I am immensely grateful. I am grateful for our community, including staff, students and our families! We have had a great fall, with many activities and smiling faces. Some of those activities include our Bulldog Block Party, our dance, our first assembly, and our partnership activity with Clean Water Services (video included below)! At many of our activities, our Bulldog Store has collected food, clothing, and other necessities, which we will provide to families during the school year. My heart is full of gratefulness for our community's heart - Thank you so much!
As we continue into the season, I do hope you have patience, kindness, and continue with that giving spirit, as you enjoy your loved ones and (hopefully) some time off.
I truly hope you are doing well, and feel free to reach out if you have questions, comments, and/or needs.
Happy November/December!
Amanda Bethune
Principal
bethunea@hsd.k12.or.us
Helpful Links
22-23 HSD Calendar Link
Clean Water Services Project
Here is the video! Our creek has never looked better :)
Note From Mrs. Stuve!
Pull out the sequins, magic wands, gym mats, and instruments! Our first talent show auditions will be during music class January 30 through February 2. More information will come in January.
Volunteer Opportunity!
We plan to have a some more after school STEAM (Science Technology Engineering Art Mathematics) clubs beginning in January 2023. Are there any parents that have backgrounds in these fields that would like to volunteer for a 4 to 6 week session or just help out during one meeting? We plan to have clubs focused on art, coding, recycling, and nature. Do you have other ideas? Please email STEAM coach, Jessica Miller at
millerj@hsd.k12.or.us if you have ideas or want to help.
Friendly Reminder
I am a huge dog lover, but unfortunately (regardless of size/breed and whether or not they are on a leash), we can't have dogs on our grounds during drop-off, dismissal, or at any time during the day when students are here. This is due to liability (in case a four-legged friend gets spooked and bites). Thank you so much for undestanding!
Social Emotional Development - Tips, Tricks, and Events!
Tech
An important piece of what we teach is to be a good digital citizen. That said, there are quite a few websites that can be scary and even turn very dangerous. Our fantastic Student Success Coach, Jennifer Ranger, put together a slide show that has some extremely valuable links! You can learn about a variety of websites, as well as learn research-based guidelines around technology use and age. We want our kids to stay safe while they are learning to navigate technology in their digital world!
CASEL
CASEL is our Social Emotional Framework! Linked below is their website. It has a description of each competency, and helpful language for your families. These competencies are special because we have received input by industry partners in our area that students graduating and going into jobs needing support in these areas. Any additional support you can lend when it comes to Self Awareness, Self Management, Responsible Decision Making, Relationship Skills, and Social Awareness! It will also help with their career moving forward!
Attendance
Attendance Works Link - Regular attendance is so important! We miss your child when they are gone, and they are missing out on valuable learning opportunities. There are many studies in the research section of this website that outline just how important regular attendance is.
Here is a great flier (link) that outlines some best practices around attendance. If you need any support, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us!
Remember, nine absences per year (or less) is best!
Family Connections
BCES Walking Parent Group:
Please join BCES parent and staff member Paola Gust for the BCES Parent Walking group. We will meet at the school front doors right after drop-off at 8:15 am. BCES parents, grandparents and aunties and uncles welcome! Babies/ toddlers in carriers also welcome. Please email Paola (gustcorp@hds.k12.or.us) for details. The group will meet in the front doors of school. We are looking forward to walking and building community with you!
Walking Group Dates:
December 8 - Guest Walker - Jessica Miller! Learn all things library related at BCES AND HSD!
Donations
December always feels like a fantastic time to support families with needs. We will have several opportunities to donate to Butternut Creek families this December!
This year is the first year students need to pay for lunches since the pandemic. One way you can help our families is through lunch donations. It's called "feed it forward." Families can donate directly to the school's lunch donation account online at https://family.titank12.com/ - Feel free to share with friends/family who may want to donate! This will go to paying down some of our high balances!
Finally, see the flyer below for another way to donate to our Bulldog Store! Items we can use are: boys shoes, winter coats, and pants - all sizes, snacks (easy to prep for when adults aren't home), beans and rice, breakfast items (oats and cereal). At this time we can't accept expired food.
Thank you so much for your continued support!
PTC Meetings
We would LOVE to have you join us at a meeting for our parent teacher club! Our monthly meetings will be:
December 14th (more details will come on this one)
January 25th
February 22nd
March 22nd
April 26th
May 31st
The link to our PTC calendar of events is below!
Important Dates
No School Days
District Calendar Link
December 1st - 5:30 - 7 PM Family Engagement Night at the Hillsboro Administration Center (see flyer below)
December 3rd - 1-2:30 Black Village Culture Book Reading Day (see flyer below) at the Library
December 5-9th - Polar Express Food Drive!
December 16th - Last day of school before break!
January 3rd - First day back!
January 16th - No school in observance of MLK Day
February 2nd - End of Semester 1
February 3rd - No school for students; teacher grading day
February 6th - Teacher Prep Day
February 20th - No school for students in observance of President's Day
Butternut Creek Elementary School
