COVID-19 Update

We are so excited to welcome students back for the 2021-2022 school year. With this excitement, however, comes concern about the rise of COVID-19 cases in our community. Conroe ISD is currently at a Safety Alert Level 4 (out of 5), and we ask you to give strong consideration to mask usage during this COVID-19 spike. We know how vital in-person instruction is for our students, and the coming days are critical. Our promise has been to keep our community safe, our schools open, and our UIL events in play. To keep this promise will require the entire Conroe ISD family to unite behind this important and worthy purpose – the education of our children in a safe environment so they can all reach their potentials and be productive citizens. Superintendent Dr. Curtis Null discusses this further in the video linked below.

Message from Dr. Null

COVID-19 Testing Opportunities

Conroe ISD offers COVID-19 testing for current employees and students on weekdays and some Saturdays. Learn more at bit.ly/CISDTEST.

Buckalew Families,

We have had a wonderful 5 days with your children in our building! With our goal of safety being our first priority, and our precious Buckalew Elementary remaining open, I wanted to share with you the following information as we strive to provide a safe environment for our staff and students as COVID cases in Montgomery County continue to rise.

What does this mean for Buckalew?

• Our grade-level orientations scheduled for September 9th, will be held by each grade level in a virtual pre-recorded presentation and will be sent home on September 9th. Homeroom teachers will be scheduling zoom or phone conferences with you following orientations as they get to know your child. Look for more information on scheduled conferences between 9/9-10/8.
• Parent Meetings, including PTO, will be held virtually or through phone conference.
• Volunteers will be on hold and/or arranged to assist off-campus.
• We ask that you can call in advance and/or patiently wait at our call box outside when coming to campus. We strive to meet everyone's needs from the front doors and phone as we did all year last year.
• In addition to our campus being emisted nightly, our campus is practicing hand sanitizing, hand washing, and disinfecting work spaces throughout the day and between transitions, as well as reinforcing proper mask usage for those who are wearing a mask.
• While we share a gym and cafeteria space, we have altered our master schedule to allow for one grade level eating in the cafeteria at a time so they are spread out, versus 2 grade levels overlapping continually as we have in the past.
• General Campus Notifications- if you receive an email titled "General Campus Notification", that indicates that a positive COVID case has been identified in our building and district recommendations are stated in that email.
• Classroom Notification- if you receive an email titled "Classroom Notification", that indicates that a positive COVID case has been identified in your child's homeroom and district recommendations are stated in that email.
• Contact Tracing- we no longer contact trace and quarantine as we did last year. It was determined based on data that the students who were being sent home and identified as a close contact, were not testing positive, so at this time, contact tracing is not being recommended. This is consistent with TEA guidelines.
• In addition to the encouragement of wearing a mask, we kindly ask that you pre-screen your child each and every day for:
  • fatigue
  • cough or shortness of breath
  • sore throat
  • congestion or runny nose
  • significant muscle pain or body aches
  • loss of taste or smell in the last 10 days
  • diarrhea, vomiting, or abdominal pain
  • feeling feverish or a measured temperature greater than or equal to 100.0F
  • and that you keep your child home if they are awaiting COVID test results.

• Visit the Roadmap for Remaining Open regularly to find guidance. You can find COVID-19 Testing information and COVID-19 Vaccine Resources as well.
• Visit the COVID-19 Impact Dashboard for Updated Information on CISD and Buckalew

As we have all "Geared-Up" for an amazing year ahead, we continue to appreciate your due-diligence in helping our entire community of Bears, remain in school. We also appreciate your patience and understanding as we pivot and continue to shift around this pandemic. While schools are not able to enforce mask wearing, you will see me wearing a mask when around others on campus.

Looking forward to a great year ahead,

Jill Price, Principal

Each year at Buckalew, we teach and recognize great character in our students. The following list highlights our social and emotional learning focuses for this school year.

August I can understand my emotions.

September I can manage my behavior.

October I can be respectful.

November I can be trustworthy.

December I can resolve conflicts.

January I can set goals and achieve them.

February I can be honest.

March I can make wise decisions.

April I can be an upstander.

We have 2 great ways to shop the book fair and support our school.

You may shop online at the virtual fair beginning September 12-25. Enjoy hundreds of titles, free shipping on book-only orders of $25.00 or more and 25% of proceeds go directly to our school.

Students may shop in-person at the book fair beginning September 20-24. Students will be able to purchase books from our fair when they come to their library and lab classes during book fair week.

This year our in-person book fair will be a “books only, kids only” fair due social distancing. This will be a “cases only” book fair: posters and school supplies will be offered ONLY through the online virtual book fair.

More information to come!

Children are encouraged to bring water bottles each day. Please clearly write your child's name on the bottle with permanent marker.

Lunches/Recess- To begin our year, we have limited our lunches to one grade level at a time eating in the cafeteria together (as opposed to 2 grade levels). This allows us to spread kids out further during lunch with 6-8 students at a table. At this time, this is what our lunch schedule will be for your child to start the year.

K 10:45-11:15

1 11:15-11:45

2 11:45-12:15

3 12:15-12:45

4 12:45 - 1:15

We are working with our students on understanding the lunch-buying process. It can be quite confusing for our elementary students. We are currently speaking with our students and explaining to them, if they bring a lunch, they should eat their lunch before going through the line and purchasing the "free" lunch. For some students, they are eating the "free" lunch and then getting a second lunch, which costs $3.85. As we try and navigate each student through the lunch line, every child has a different need, and we never want to deny students from going through the lunch line. We encourage you to communicate with your child your expectations in either: eating the lunch you are providing/packing; buying the "free" lunch only and going through the line one time; or explaining that if they go through the line a second time, their account is charged $3.85. If you are providing a lunch/snack and want your child to take advantage of the "free" lunch, a note would help the staff on duty make sure your child is eating what you expect, as there are different staff on duty each day. We also encourage you to check your child's account, by going to the link below and you can check and monitor your child's purchase history, including the "free" breakfast or lunch, and if necessary put a limit on the account by contacting our cafeteria directly. It is a blessing that all students are provided a "free" breakfast and/lunch again this year, however it does become confusing for our elementary students.

Breakfast

Meal Includes Entree, Fruit, and 1% or Skim Milk Daily

There is no charge for student breakfast meals during the 21-22 school year

Non-Student Meal/2nd Meal $2.60

Lunch

Meal Includes Entree, Vegetable, Fruit and 1% or Skim Milk Daily

There is no charge for student lunch meals during the 21-22 school year

Non-Student Meal/2nd Meal $3.85

Entree A la Carte $2.25
Fruit/ Vegetable/ Juice/ Bread A la Carte $1.10
Milk A la Carte $.90

If your child will be purchasing a second meal or extra items, you may prepay by using My School Bucks. You will find a link to this service, lunch menus, and other helpful information by clicking on the child nutrition resource button below. If you would like to put a cap on your child's spending on your lunch account, then please notify our cafeteria manager by calling 281-465-3467.

Dreambox for Math can be found on your child's "SSO" and is online and can be done at home, without parent support. We recommend no more than 7 lessons a week at home, independently. Parents assisting their child with Dreambox will alter their path and not provide independent pathways for your child.

Reading either with your child, or your child independently reading is one of the best things you can do with your child in their absence from school. Ask comprehension questions: who, what, where, when, why?

1. Bus rider (eligible if home is 1 mile or further from school) Bus routes are posted online on and you can check the link below in "what bus do I ride". You can also register your child for the bus by clicking the link below.

2. Car Rider Signs. The car rider line will be at the rear of the school and the bus line will be at the front of the school. ALL Parents will receive TWO car rider signs (orange) at Meet the Teacher night. If you have multiple children, you family car rider signs will be found in your youngest child's homeroom. Please display the car rider sign in your front passenger window so our staff can read your card. See below to help you navigate our car rider line if you are new.

3. Day Care. Day care vehicles drop off and pick up students in the front of the school with the buses. If your child will not be riding the day care bus due to an early pick-up or transportation change, please notify the day care so they know your child will not be riding that day.

4. Biker/Walker. Kindergarten students must have a parent/guardian/designated adult present at the Biker Walker doors (under the patio) at dismissal in order to walk or bike home. Our Biker Walkers will exit the school near the bike racks. All other biker/walkers are released at dismissal to ride or walk home independently.

On severe weather dismissal days, students will not walk or bike ride home. If your child is a biker/walker as your primary mode, then you will be a car rider on severe weather days.