Buckalew In Person Updates
Buckalew Elementary for January 6 Start
School-wide Practices
ALL students sit 6 feet apart awaiting dismissal.
ALL students attend recess with their homeroom or defined "cohort" classes only.
ALL students attend specials with their homeroom or defined "cohort" classes only.
Our entrances for arrival and dismissal have been separated for socially distant arrival and dismissal to help alleviate crowding.
Regular or Close Contact Clarifications
- Individual who has had close contact (within 6 feet for 15 minutes or longer) with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 up to 48 hrs prior to symptom onset.
- Individual who has had close contact (within 6 feet for 15 minutes or longer) with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 within 2 days prior to the person developing symptoms and/or testing positive.
- Individual who provided care at home to someone who is sick with COVID-19.
- Individual who had direct physical contact with someone who has COVID-19 including touched, hugged, or kissed them, shared eating or drinking utensils, or were sneezed or coughed on by the sick person while they had symptoms or within 2 days of the sick person developing symptoms and/or testing positive.
- The identified individuals may be required to quarantine at home for 14 days from the date of last contact with the positive person.
- The current pattern across the district is those who do not wear a mask consistently during class are being quarantined.
- Face Shields alone are NOT CONSIDERED a mask or cloth face covering.
You can still ENGAGE from home and get counted "HERE" in the event you are home sick
One of the advantages to having the remote learning option is that an in-person learning student may be out for a short time period for an illness unrelated to COVID. Let's say, for example, your child was diagnosed with strep throat. During the time your child is recovering from that illness, she/he can continue to learn (and be marked present) by engaging with online content in Seesaw or Canvas. Please communicate this information to your child’s teacher so they are aware of the days your child will work remotely. In addition, please call the attendance line to report the absence each day your child will out.
Attendance Line: 281-465-3410.
If children who are in-person learners are not physically in the building at 9:00 AM (when attendance is taken), they will be marked absent for the day. If the student engages in Seesaw or Canvas, they will be marked as attending remotely.
• Should they arrive at school after attendance time without a doctor's note, they will be counted absent.
• Should they arrive at school after attendance time and have a doctor's note for that day, the absence will be taken away.
If children who are in-person learners are absent from school due to COVID-19 symptoms and do not engage on Seesaw or Canvas, they will still be marked absent. If these students engage in Seesaw or Canvas, they will be marked as attending remotely. An email will still be sent indicating the absence, because remote attendance is not verified until the next school day.
1. COVID Screener Forms
Our parents are valued partners in our Roadmap to Reopening Plan. In addition to wearing cloth face coverings, social distancing, washing hands, and regular cleaning and disinfecting of frequently touched surfaces, an essential element in helping slow the spread of COVID-19 at school is each parent’s commitment to screening their child daily for symptoms. Parents are also asked to keep any student exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 at home and to notify the campus. Attached is a copy of the current screening process which outlines the symptoms. Please review the information and be sure to keep your child at home if he/she is exhibiting any of the symptoms described. We do not need a copy of this form sent in with your child. Below is a copy of the screen for you to screen your child daily.
2. Face Coverings
Personal Face Coverings as defined by TEA, include non-medical grade disposable face masks, cloth face coverings (over the nose and mouth), or full-face shields to protect eyes, nose, and mouth. Personal face coverings must cover the nose and mouth to maintain effectiveness. Personal face covering must be school appropriate, non-offensive, not considered derogatory or otherwise disrespectful to staff, students, or visitors.
Students in grades 3-12, are required to wear face coverings in all areas, including classrooms, and when social distancing of at least 6 ft. is not possible. Students in grades PreK-2 are asked to wear face coverings. All students (PreK-12) will wear face coverings, as developmentally appropriate and feasible, on buses, during transitions, and in school common areas. (updated 8-21)
Please send an extra mask in your child's backpack, in case of spill or other circumstances that would necessitate a mask change. Please put your child's initials or name and grade level inside mask if at all possible.
Question: Will children whose parents don't want them to wear masks be allowed to participate in Traditional In-Person Instruction? (Updated 8/21) Students in grades 3-12, as developmentally appropriate, are required to wear a cloth mask/cloth face covering or non-medical grade mask while at school unless they provide a written medical exemption from a physician. Students in grades PreK-2 are asked to wear face coverings. All students (PreK-12) will wear face coverings, as developmentally appropriate and feasible, on buses, during transitions, and in school common areas. The CDC has indicated that it is unknown if face shields provide any benefits as a source control and are not recommended as a substitute for cloth masks/face coverings or non-medical grade masks. However, TEA has indicated that students can wear full-face shields in lieu of masks. Students whose families do not want their child to wear a cloth face mask/cloth face covering, non-medical grade mask, or face shield for any reason other than a medical reason should select the Remote/Online Instruction option for their child.
Buckalew has provided breakaway lanyards to hold masks on our students.
3. Arrival and Dismissal
Dismissal: A staff member will be posted at each exit door to assist students with hand sanitizing as they exit the building. This early dismissal practice will take place until further notice as we safely and efficiently run our dismissal routines.
4. Biker Walkers
Arrival : Kinder and 1st Grade Bikers and walkers will enter through the doors outside of our
Biker Walker gate facing Alden Bridge (see map below). 2nd-4th graders will enter through the bike racks into the gymnasium. We ask that all parents wear masks on school property and socially distance themselves. Saying goodbye to your child and leaving as they are en route to their doors will help with crowding.
Parents will not be allowed inside the back racks. We will have staff to assist.
Dismissal: Kindergarten students must make contact with a parent. Please maintain social distancing and we encourage the use of a mask as you wait for your children to be dismissed.We will begin biker walker dismissal at 3:05 while we practice social distancing dismissal.
If you are uncomfortable with the crowding or parents not wearing masks outside of our biker walker sidewalks, we encourage you to utilize the car rider line for both drop off and pick up.
5. Car Riders
Arrival: Car riders will follow the traffic flow as pictured below. Kinder, 1st, and 2nd grade will enter the main doors by the gymnasium. 3rd and 4th graders will enter the doors associated with their grade level hallway. Staff will be outside and in hallways to assist all children.
Please do not get out of your car.
Dismissal: All students will be given a transportation sign on their first day of school. In order to pick up your child in the car rider line, you will keep this sign in your car.
If you are picking up multiple children, please layer the signs so that each name can be seen. , you will be assigned a number and your child will come to the sign with that number. If you do not have a sign , you will be asked to pull around to the front parking so we can assist you further with signage.
Car Rider LINE Do's and Don'ts:
Buckalew takes pride in the organization and efficiency of our car rider line. We have tried various ways entering and exiting our students over 20 years. We are now implementing a new layer of our car rider dismissal with a specific bar code. Please note the following if you are a car rider:
DO follow these directions for morning drop off and if applicable, for afternoon pick up.
DO pull all the way up to the number "1" labeled on the pillars along the back patio. If a car is already at "1", please create a steady stream behind "1", "2", "3", "4" and "5". We can safely load and unload 5-7 cars at a time by following this method.
Do NOT pull up and stop by the gym doors. This slows every car down behind you and we have this designed for safety to pull all the way up to "1". If you are concerned about your child not getting to the right place, please know that is why we have kids staff outside at morning duty.
DO NOT GET OUT OF THE CAR. If your child requires extra kisses, assistance getting out of his or her car seat, a note written, a walk up to the door, then we ask that you park and walk your child from Lakeside Park.
- DO move quickly/safely through the car-rider line.
- DO NOT confuse quickly with fast. If you are in an extreme rush, the car-rider line may not be your best option. Park and escort your child from Lakeside Park.
- DO NOT pass other cars in the car rider line, unless directed by a staff member. This is extremely dangerous. If there is a car who is regularly not following the rules and safety is a concern, please call the front office and let us know.
- DO put safety first. Make your kids wear their seat belts in the car-rider line. Don’t be on cell phones in the car-rider line. Put your car in park before your children get out of the car in the car-rider line. Watch for others crossing the parking lot in the car-rider line.
- DO NOT expect others to be safe. Every parent uses the car-rider line for the first time at some point. This may include families who just moved into the area, relatives, nannies, and older siblings.
- DO have all of your child’s school items prepared and placed carefully inside of their sturdy backpack before entering the car-rider line. This includes water bottles.
- DO NOT allow your child to attempt to exit your vehicle with their backpack gaping open. All of their items could easily spill out onto the ground, forcing you to put your vehicle in park, run around to the other side, or worse, have your child crawl under a car without you realizing it.
- Do make sure your children exit the car on the passenger side doors. There is a RED line on the dismissal patio. Please reinforce to your children that they need to go straight across the red line to the area away from the car traffic.
- DO NOT allow your child to exit the driver's side or the back of the car. Someone behind or in front of you may not see your child and accidentally reverse or move forward. Exiting the passenger side ensures your child will not be in another vehicles path.
- DO have your CAR RIDER SIGN OUT AND DISPLAYED for the person calling names/scanning bar codes to see it vividly even if they know you during pickup. Sometimes it is hard to see into windows and anticipate who is inside the car.
- DO NOT make U Turns coming or going into the car rider back parking lot. Montgomery County police did a evaluation of our car rider line to most safely and efficiently run our arrival and dismissal. This has improved the safety of not only our car riders, but our biker walkers and bus riders. This has also improved our dismissal time from approximately 45 minutes in the past, to under 20 minutes.
- Do understand our line runs efficiently at dismissal and can be done in 15 minutes on most days. Do not assume it will run long and wait to pick up your child when there is no line. This is both embarrassing and scary for your child as we do bring them to the front office to make a phone call to make sure you are okay.
- AGAIN, If you need more time and are holding up the line during drop off or pick up, we ask you to please park at Lakeside Park and walk your child up to school.
- Thank you.
6. Bus Riders
Buses will load and unload at the front of the school. Cars may not enter the front loop from 7:25-8:05 a.m. and 2:45-3:30 p.m. unless your child has special circumstances and have been given a special dismissal card.
If you have chosen for your child to ride a bus, please be sure you have registered on the CISD website. Please follow the link here to register. Your MUST register your child in order for him/her to ride the bus.
If your child is in Kindergarten, a parent or designated adult must be at the bus stop in order for your child to exit the bus.
7. Yellow CAR rider dismissal CARDS for all students
If you do not have your yellow sign ready for pick-up in the afternoon after the first week, we will ask that you pull around the front drive so we can provide you the correct dismissal information.
8. Severe Weather Dismissal
8. Breakfast, Lunch and Water Bottles
If your child brings a lunch from home, please pack it with items that can be opened independently. Staff members are on duty and will assist as needed, but to minimize contact, we ask that you assist us with this lunch process.
Every student is encouraged to bring a full refillable water bottle each day . Please clearly write on the bottle your child's first and last name with permanent marker. We have one bottle re-fill station that has been installed and have covered the remainder of our regular water fountains for sanitation reasons. We do have bottled water provide to students if they forgot their water bottle. If you would like to donate bottled water until our fountains are all retrofitted, you may do so by dropping them off at our front doors.
9. Breakfast and Lunch Available
Cafeteria Information
The cafeteria menu is available online and will be updated monthly. Buckalew will now have breakfast and lunch. For menus and prices please visit the Buckalew menu site here.
Child Nutrition will continue to provide Free Breakfast and Lunch meals to students at all schools for the remainder of the school year. Free curbside meals are offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays at all Junior High Schools for anyone 18 and under in the community. This program was extended by the United States Department of Agriculture.
To load money on your student's meal account, please visit www.myschoolbucks.com, where you can set up your account, add money, and check your balance.
10. Drop Off Table/Forgotten Items
If a student forgets their lunch, they may purchase one in the cafeteria, and will be allowed to charge that lunch to their account if needed.
11. Backpacks
12. Medication Administration and Covid-19
13. Library News
CISD has modified their library guidelines and now all students will be able to find books and check out during their library class! 🙂 Students in 4th, 3rd and 2nd grade can also put holds on books that are currently checked out. 4th grade students can check out up to 4 books, 3rd grade students can check out up to 3 books, 2nd and 1st grade can check out 2 books and kinder students check out 1 book.
Overdue notices are sent weekly - we don't charge fines for overdue books; we just want the book returned. If a book is damaged or can't be located, we do ask that you be responsible and pay for the cost to replace the book.
We have several books checked out from last school year that need to be returned ASAP. Overdue books from last year will need to be either returned or paid for before any books can be checked out this year.You can make your check payable to Buckalew Elementary; please include your driver's license number and date of birth on the check per CISD policy.
Please feel free to bounce back with any questions 🙂 jgwest@conroeisd.net
Jennifer West
Librarian/Media Specialist
14. Technology Devices Checked out to In Person students
At this time, we would ask that you hang onto your device if your student is returning to school.
We will communicate when we are ready to collect devices. Most likely, this will be at the end of the 9 week grading period.
15. Watch Dr. Null's LIVE Update from August 24
- 19:25 – Mental Health & Safety Resources
- 41:20 – What is a social contract?
- 45:00 – What do I need to know about masks?
- 50:30 – How will quarantine work?
- 1:04:55 – Can my student bring a water bottle? How will my student get water at school?
- 1:05:55 – What is the status of the District’s PPE supply? What about cleaning protocols?
16. Sign up for Parent Access
New families, please take a few minutes today and register for Parent Access (click here) so that you will receive our parent newsletter, the Buckalew Buzz. The newsletter is emailed to you weekly and is filled with important information and events that are happening at our school. In addition, Parent Access enables you to check your child’s attendance, cafeteria balance, grades, and other important information. Returning CISD families will not need to re-register for Parent Access.
17. Sign up for Emergency Alerts
18. CISD Student Handbook
19. PARENT Frequently Asked Questions
20. Join Buckalew's PTO
The purpose of the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is to:
(a) promote the welfare of children at Buckalew
(b) to foster cooperation between parents and teachers in the education of children at Buckalew
(c) to unite school and community efforts in securing for all children the best education
(d) to engage in fundraising activities for the educational and recreational benefit of Buckalew, its children, teachers, and staff as determined by the PTO and in accordance with the PTO by-laws.
If you would like more information on how you can be involved, please visit Buckalew's PTO site here.