Bulldog Bulletin Weekly eNews
Here's What's on Top at Buena Vista - October 19, 2022
Red Ribbon Week --- Next Week --- Here are our spirit days! 10/24-10/18
Note from the Principal
Greetings Buena Vista Parents,
I have been loving the fall weather change and I hope you are enjoying it as well. Crisp, cool mornings and sunny afternoons definitely make it feel like change is in the air and there is an opportunity for new sparks and interest. I hope you take time to enjoy this season with your children, there is something special about fall that promotes family time.
Student Learning
I always love the time that I spend in classrooms. Recently, I have had the opportunity to visit Mrs. Butler's kindergarten class. They are learning about all the different ways we can represent numbers...written numerals, tally marks, and tens frames are just a few ways to do this. They practice reading their different representations through the Math Work Place centers...then...they played Bingo as they had more practice representing numbers different ways! They are working hard at building their number sense.
Mr. Haller's SDC class was working on Life Science. Students in his class were practicing listening to a song and reading a story about how to grow a garden. Then they checking their listening and understanding about identifying the tools they would need and the steps they would take to build their own garden. They are gearing up to help add beauty to Buena Vista School, I can't wait to see the garden that they are going to build.
Mrs. Wherritt's second grade class is learning about the different properties and states of matter, they were collaborating in pairs to define the important science vocabulary in their science reading. They worked together to come up with answers and then draw models to demonstrate what they were learning. Their use of academic language during this lesson was amazing. Their discussion about how to draw a model of matter even garnered some chuckles as they realized they could draw anything on earth to demonstrate matter...just anything.
October Highlights:
WCSD October Health Newsletter- Here is the link
Thank you to those who joined me for Coffee with the Principal this morning. I will be sharing some of the work that our School Site Council is doing including sharing our school site goals and our CAASPP data from last spring. For those of you who attended and wanted to have access to my slide show I will be sharing it shortly.
Red Ribbon Week is October 24th-28th--Our 2022 Theme is "Celebrate Life. Live Drug Free." Our student leadership group is planning some fun spirt days along with teacher and PTA support.
Our Halloween Parade is Friday, October 28th at 8:30 am on the track around our school field. PTA will have coffee and donuts for parents.
If you have a TK or Kindergarten student that day their schedule will be 8:10-12:55. The whole class will be early start on that Friday, please plan ahead.
If you are already thinking about costumes here are the guidelines to follow:
Halloween Costumes
- No masks that cover one’s entire face. We must be able to identity students
- Face paint is acceptable as long is it not gory (ie no blood)
- No weapons, even fake weapons made of plastic, foam, etc.
- Inflatable costumes are okay for the parade only
- Students must be able to remove their inflatable costume for class time
- Costumes must not reference weapons, drugs, or alcohol.
For those students that chose not to celebrate Halloween for religious or personal reasons, they will have the option to participate in alternate activities in the Paw Patch or Library.
Coming up! Our PTA Bulldog Fun Run. This is our PTA's only fundraiser this year. It is a great way to support our school and the students have a blast participating. It is great fun had by all...I also heard that our very own BV Bulldog might make an appearance! Information has already gone out, if you have questions please reach out to us!
Wishing a very happy Diwali to all of our families who will be celebrating next week!
Respectfully,
Angela Gramlick
Principal
Save the Dates!
- Wednesday, October 26th-School Site Council- 3:00pm Room 48
- Friday, October 28th-Halloween Parade- 8:30am
- Monday, October 31st- Staff Development Day- NO SCHOOL
- Friday, November 4th-End of Trimester 1- Shortened Day Schedule
- Friday, November 11th - Veteran's Day -NO SCHOOL
- Friday, November 18th - Trimester 1 Report Cards Available
- November 21-25--NO SCHOOL--Thanksgiving Break
- Thursday, November 24th- Thanksgiving Forma Turkey Trot. Forma gives $10,000 to WCEF this year!
School Safety
Safety Drills
Each month our school participates in safety drills. Our Bulldogs have been outstanding these past two months during our scheduled fire drills. Our next planned drill will be an Earthquake Drill in conjunction with "The Great Shakeout" tomorrow morning. Students and staff will practice the Drop, Cover and Hold for 60 seconds and then evacuate the building. With every drill, we remind students to be quiet and listen to adult directions.
Safety is extremely important to us. These drills are mandated by the state (Education Code) and our school district. The following drills occur every school year:
Fire Drills (E.C. 32001): All schools must sound the fire alarm monthly and conduct evacuations at least four times during the school year.
Intruder Drills: Schools will conduct an intruder alert drill 2 times a year: one time in the Fall, and one time in the Spring. Staff are trained how to respond to this drill to address staff/student safety. We only share information with students that is age appropriate in how to respond to this situation.
Earthquake Drills (E.C. 35297): Two earthquake drills are conducted during the school year, where staff and students practice how to stay safe during an earthquake and then how to evacuate the building afterwards. One of those drills is in October as part of the Great California ShakeOut-October 20, 2022.
Shelter-in-Place: Once during the school year we practice how to ensure all students and staff are secured within the classrooms/school buildings should something unsafe be in the air/environment.
These drills enable us to be more efficient in our practices to increase our response rate to such incidents, which maximizes student/staff safety. Should an actual emergency ever occur, you will be notified immediately once we have access to communication devices.
Buena Vista Walking Audit
We have been lucky enough to partner with the City of Walnut Creek and Safe Routes to School to evaluate the safety needs we have in our community for the drop off and pick up of students. You may have noticed a team observing the various areas surrounding our school that are used for drop-off and pick up of students. The information gathered will be used to create a plan of recommendations to share with our city and county officials. We will keep you updated as we work through this process.
Here is a current Fun Run Update!!
We're at 11% participation with Pledgestar registration. If you haven't already done so, register your student here: https://pledgestar.com/buenavista/ and share with your network of friends & family.
Mrs. Fairholm's Second Grade class has taken an early lead with $500 in donations in only 3 days! Who will top the leaderboard next week?
Real Estate Partner Spotlight: Amy Imhoff
Whether you’re buying or selling, Amy has 20+ years of experience to put behind your real estate needs. Reach out to Amy at goamyimhoff@fastagents.com, (415) 307-9629, or visit her website.
The Turkey Trot is back on Thanksgiving!
Home for Thanksgiving? Add Forma Gym’s 30th Annual Turkey Trot to your holiday plans. Start the morning off right – gather your friends and family for a morning run through downtown Walnut Creek! The Turkey Trot donates $10,000 to WCEF and is a big supporter of The Contra Costa Food Bank. Register here today!
Turkey Trot volunteers needed!
Man a water station, or cheer on racers, we need 280 volunteers! It seriously takes a village. Grab a friend or family member (or 10!) and sign up today here. You can also email contact@wcefk12.org for more info!
Support WCEF with Corporate Matching!
Does your employer offer corporate matching? You can DOUBLE YOUR GIFT with corporate matching! Almost 15% of WCEF's budget comes from employer matching. Visit wcefk12.org/match to see if your company will double or triple your donation.
Community News
WCSD Flyers
Important Links and Resources!
Is your child home from school?
Parents, please remember to call the attendance line if you student will not be coming to school: (925) 944-6822 ext 3801
Thank you!
It's a great day to be a bulldog!
Angela Gramlick-Principal
Email: agramlick@walnutcreeksd.org
Website: https://www.walnutcreeksd.org/Subsite001
Location: 2355 San Juan Avenue, Walnut Creek, CA, USA
Phone: 925-944-6822