Bush Elementary is celebrating college and career awareness week from January 23 - 27. Students will learn about different colleges and universities and the type of programs that can be studied. Students will create a pennant for a college they're interested in attending and share their future career aspirations. The pennants will be displayed in the hallways. On Friday, January 27, students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to wear their college shirt, a college shirt someone in their family attended, or a shirt from a university that interests them.

The Teacher Assistants are responsible for supervising the students in the cafeteria during lunch time. The Teacher Assistants are asking for parents' help in keeping the cafeteria calm and safe. Parents must follow these guidelines when visiting at lunch to pass out a birthday treat to their child's homeroom class and have lunch with their child.

• Only hand out the birthday treat to the students in your child’s homeroom class at the last 5 minutes of your child’s lunch.
• Birthday goodie bags are not handed out at lunch.
• Do not hand out any extra treats to any students in other class(es).
• Only take your child (no other students may go) to eat at the hallway birthday table or at the courtyard table and understand that you will not be able to eat lunch in the cafeteria.
• Do not take pictures or videos in the cafeteria during lunch.

Parents not following these guidelines directly affects student behaviors in the cafeteria.

Important Notice – If you requested GT testing for your child through the HISD online School Choice website, you must also print out a paper copy of that application and hand it to Jessica Ayala in the front office. We are not able to access your applications from the website and will not know that you are requesting testing without the paper application.

Please make sure your child is following Bush Elementary's dress code guidelines. Bush Elementary's colors are red, navy, and white. Khaki pants, shorts, and skirts may also be worn. If a jacket, sweater, or sweatshirt are worn in the building throughout the day, then those items must follow dress code.

We're seeing many students wearing jeans with purposeful holes and/or tears and these type of jeans are not part of dress code. Only jeans that are a plain blue may be worn.

Please contact our Wrap Around Specialist, Maria Quevedo, if you're in need of dress code items. maria.quevedo@houstonisd.org

We have been informed by parents purchasing the class photo online that the price is stated as $15.00 and also $15.00 in the photo flyer from the vendor. However, the information page we sent attached to the flyer states $12.00 for the class photo price.

The vendor raised the price in January and did not notify us. The photo vendor, Inter-State Studio, will honor the $12.00 price since we weren't notified of the increase. If you have or will send in your child's class photo money in cash, then send $12.00. If you pay online, it will show $15.00, but the vendor states they will refund the price difference.

All classes will have a class picture taken on this day and this picture can be purchased using the link above.

Only students who have an individual picture preorder will be individually photographed on this day.

Students will be in dress code on this day.

HISD runs all pre-kindergarten lotteries through their School Choice site on the HISD portal at https://www.houstonisd.org/Page/177890

Parents are able to submit applications online for their child to attend PK at Bush Elementary through February 2, 2023. Parents will be notified if their child received a place in the lottery on April 5, 2023. Then, if the space is accepted, the student needs to be tested and paperwork checked to ensure the student qualifies for pre-kindergarten. Applications are only completed online and the Bush front office does not have any part in the PK lottery application process.

The pre-kindergarten program at Bush Elementary consists of one class of 22 students. Students must qualify for the program via a variety of means such as Limited English and Economically Disadvantaged. Students must also be 4 years old on or before September 1, 2023.

Lottery priority is given to siblings of students currently enrolled at Bush Elementary. Next, the students living in our school zone will be included in the lottery. Due to the limited space in our pre-kindergarten program, we are unable to have any students out of our school zone apply. Those applications will be removed from the Bush Elementary PK lottery.

We are planning a big party to celebrate every student who has perfect attendance for the fourth six-week marking period! Students will be invited to this party if they are at school every day between Monday, January 9th through Friday, February 24th. Let’s see how many Bush Bobcats we will have at our party! It is so important to be at school each and every day and we want to recognize our students who come to school every day and have perfect attendance.

I have noticed that children are quite observant of how other people do things differently ...they may ask things like:

Why does she go to sleep so early? Why do they prefer reading? Why do they get along so well?

These conversations with our children are an excellent opportunity to talk about personal and family values. Our values in our own family are a way to connect to other families as well despite our differences.

The “why” people act a certain way often connects to their personal or family values. Values give families an outlook on life, a way to view the world and their situation as well as an identity. Values can also add to relationships and influence judgments, behaviors, and parenting styles. Family values serve as the core of what family members do the opinions they have.

Next time you find yourself in a similar conversation with your child, brainstorm together what a person’s behavior might say about their values:

An early bedtime suggests...I value my health.

Reading teaches me about the world...I value curiosity.

My sibling deserves consideration...I value kindness.

This week’s Printable: “Personal and Family Values”

By Big Life Journal

It provides a great opportunity for your family to explore and identify values that can act as an inner compass guiding your daily decisions.

The Spectacular Science Word for the week of January 23 is pollination.

Ms. Rose would like to wish a very special birthday to:

Liana R. who turned 8 years old on January 23 and is a second grader in Ms. Brown's class.

Aiman T. who turns 8 years old on January 27 and is a second grader in Ms. Carlin's class.

Samuel S. who turns 7 years old on January 27 and is a first grader in Ms. Baldwin's class.

Jayda M. who turns 11 years old on January 28 and is a fifth grader in Ms. Mireles's class.

Happy Birthday and Welcome to the Bush Birthday Book Club!

West Briar Middle School is offering campus tours for interested parents and guardians on the following dates:

February 21st at 10am

No registration is required; please check in at the front office.

The PTO now has a new website! The URL is still the same: www.BBEpto.com. This website has a lot more to offer and it is where you will go to purchase school supplies, uniforms, event tickets and everything else! There is also an online Directory available to dues-paying PTO members. Each family will need to make an account on the site in order to purchase items, but this does not mean that you are required to become a PTO member. For more details on how to create an account, go to our homepage at www.BBEpto.com

How do you spell fun? B-I-N-G-O!

Bring your family and friends to the 2023 BUSH BINGO BASH on

Saturday, February 11th, 2:00-5:00pm (doors open at 1:30pm).

Join us for an afternoon of BINGO fun! Come win some fantastic prizes, like a STEM basket, Lego basket, Spa basket and much more! Also enjoy a photo booth, face painting, and delicious concessions all while raising funds for our Barbara Bush Elementary School PTO.

BY STATE LAW, ANYONE UNDER THE AGE OF 18 MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY A PARENT OR LEGAL GUARDIAN TO ATTEND BINGO BASH.

Pre-purchase your tickets on our brand new website and receive bonus tickets!

www.bbepto.com

Package #1: Buy 10 tickets/ get 1 ticket free!

Package #2: Buy 20 tickets/ get 3 tickets free!

$1/ticket: Tickets can be used to buy bingo cards ($2/card), food & drinks (1-5 tickets), and other entertainment (2-4 tickets)

Mark your calendar for a Spirit Night at iCode on Memorial on Friday, January 27th from 6:00 to 9:00pm! Your kids will have a blast playing their favorite games with friends in their decked-out gaming hub– they have Minecraft, Roblox, Vex Robotics, Drones, and VR! All students in grades 1 through 5 are welcome (no need to be currently enrolled in iCode).

CLICK HERE to sign up!

Cost is $35 per child – includes pizza and drinks,

and 40% of the event proceeds will benefit the BBE PTO

We are beginning our preparations to fill positions for the 2023-2024 BBE PTO Board, and our first step is to put together a Nominating Committee whose function will be to review eligible nominee applications and prepare a slate of nominees for next year’s PTO Board. The Nominating Committee is composed of General Members of the PTO, PTO Board members, and BBE administration. Members of the Nominating Committee are not barred from being nominees themselves, though they are required to recuse themselves from any discussion and voting for any positions for which they are nominees.

If you would like to join the Nominating Committee, please fill out this form on or before February 8th. Thank you for your interest!

School Store On the Go will Resume this week, Friday, January 20th. We will be combining the grades so the students have more opportunities to participate. See below for the schedule.

Prices range from $0.10- $5. Please help teach your child how to be responsible with their money and to also be kind to students who did not bring money.

1/27 - 2nd and 3rd Grades

2/3 - 1st Grade, Kinder, and Pre-K

2/10 - 4th and 5th Grades

2/17 - 2nd and 3rd Grades

3/3 - 1st Grade, Kinder, and Pre-K

The School Store has a new product for PRE-ORDER. Crew neck sweatshirts with a small paw logo on the upper left side will be $25, and will be available in red or navy in both youth and adult sizes. Product will be delivered approximately mid-February. Purchase on our new website: www.BBEpto.com. You must create an account on the website before ordering, but as always, you are not required to be a PTO member to purchase.

If you'd prefer to shop in person, the School Store is open for families on Wednesdays from 7:30-8:30 am. You must be VIPS approved to enter the school.

Be sure to follow @bbepto on Facebook or Instagram for the latest updates when we get new stock!

Please contact mybushstore@gmail.com with any questions about the School Store.

Join us at the Nature Center!

Planting in the Garden - Friday, February 3rd, 3 - 4pm

Join us to plant in the tire garden area. We'll be getting our hands dirty! Students are encouraged to bring garden gloves if they have them. We'll also spend some time making a nature themed Valentine craft. All students must be accompanied by a parent or guardian for the duration of the event. Parents will need to pick up their child after school and enter the Nature Center through the track gate.

Rainbow Rock Garden (Part 2) - Friday, March 3rd, 3 - 4pm

Join us as we build our second rainbow rock garden in the Nature Center. Students will be spray painting rocks and assembling them around the bird bath in the garden. It is recommended that students change out of their uniform and into "painting" clothes prior to arrival. All students must be accompanied by a parent or guardian for the duration of the event. Parents will need to pick up their child after school and enter the Nature Center through the track gate.

If you are interested in either of the events above, please sign up here.

Bobcat Families, order your 2022-2023 Yearbook now and enjoy the memories of this year at BBE. Please visit the BBE PTO website to purchase your yearbook at a discount of $30. On March 11th, the price will increase to $35, and yearbook sales will close on March 24th, so don’t delay!

Do you have a graduating 5th grader? Give them a shout-out in the yearbook! Dedications are $20 for 175 characters or less. Order on the website at www.bbepto.com by March 3rd. Log into the site, select the “My Account” menu, and choose “My Dashboard” from the drop down. (Dedications are available for 5th graders only.)

Join the Birthday Book Club and make your student’s day extra special! Your student will receive a personal birthday greeting from Ms. Rose during the morning announcements, and have their name printed in the weekly Paw Prints newsletter, in a book for the library, AND on the electronic marquee during the week of their birthday.

We would love for families to send in any photos that are school-related, such as photos you snapped at the Let’s Glow Wild Party on Friday, Pajama Day, Astros day, or any grade-specific event/project that we can include in the yearbook!

Please send no more than 3 photos to bushptoyearbook@gmail.com and label the pictures with your child's grade.

First Fridays and Second Saturdays with PTO will return next month! Our bi-monthly social hours will resume on Friday, February 3rd and on Saturday, February 11th.

We hope to see you then!

First Friday: February 3rd at 8:30 AM @ Minuti Coffee, 1275 Eldridge Parkway, Suite 200

Second Saturday: February 11th at 2:00PM @ BINGO Bash!, Bush Elementary School

Subscribe to the PTO Events Calendar through iCal or Google

For any questions related to PTO please contact Amy Gnau, presidentbbepto@gmail.com

22-23 Faculty and Staff

COUNSELOR

Jewell Quinonez

(P) 281-368-2150 (ext: 275212)

Jewell.Quinonez@houstonisd.org

Click here to visit the BBE Counselor Corner

FOR RESOURCES AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH -

Wraparound - Maria Quevedo

(P) 281-368-2150 (ext. 275105)

maria.quevedo@houstonisd.org

FOR ATTENDANCE -

Registrar - Adriana Rosales

(P) 281-368-2150 (ext. 275104)

arosale3@houstonisd.org