Banta Unified School District
August Update
Superintendent's Corner
Welcome Back Mustangs! We are so excited that you are joining us for the 2021-2022 school year! I had a wonderful summer, from hiking, and camping to a few trips to Nevada City, it was nice to spend time with family and friends. I hope all of you also had a wonderful summer and were able to spend time with your families!
When I was a little girl a new school year was always marked with new school clothes, all in fall colors, and a picture with my sister on the front steps of our house. The excitement of a new school year would swirl around campus as we found out who our new teachers were, and which friends were in our classes. In my neighborhood, we all walked to school together, and loved the trek to school, as it was all downhill. Coming home was a very different story as three hills had to be scaled in order to make it home. Once home, we had 21 stairs to climb to the front door– we definitely earned our after-school snacks!
My hope is that the excitement and spark of a new school year is a welcome return to a bit of normalcy for you. I am sure there will be some new school clothes, and shoes, and I know that many of you will take the traditional first day of school picture! I hope you feel the joy of a new school year radiating through our school community, as our teachers are working hard to create a magical experience for all of our students!
This year our theme is "Small School, Big Pride"! We are proud that we work in a community that values education, and the traditions that our small district is built upon. We work with a proud community, remarkable teachers, and we are striving for excellence in all that we do!
Welcome back to school, and I know that you and your children are going to have a wonderful school year at Banta Unified School District! Maybe you’ll even get in the back-to-school spirit, put on your fall corduroys, and take a walk past the school
Welcome Back!
Mrs. Pearlman
Important Dates for August
3rd-Kinder Orientation
8th- First Day of School
10th- Back to School Night
17th- PFA Community meeting 6:00 PM
BACK TO SCHOOL!
Hello Banta School families,
We hope you are enjoying your summer break. As a reminder, the first day of school is Monday, August 8th. The campus doors will open at 7:50 am.
The first day of school will also be an early release day. Students will be released at 1:15 pm.
Breakfast will be served daily from 7:50 am – 8:15 am. The bell rings at 8:20 am.
This year, every Wednesday will be an early release day – it will no longer be on Mondays.
We look forward to seeing you back on campus. If you have any questions, please contact the school office at 209-229-4650.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Maxie
Kinder and TK Registration is Open!
We are registering incoming TK and Kinder students! Please call the school office if you have any questions at 209-229-4650.
TK and Kindergarten Orientation
Good morning, Banta TK and Kinder families,
Next week on Wednesday, August 3, we will host our TK and Kindergarten Orientation at 2 p.m. During this time, you will have the opportunity to meet your classroom teacher and ask any questions you might have. Class lists will be posted by Room 4. If you have any questions, please contact the school office at 209-229-4650.
Sincerely,
The TK Kindergarten Team
Back to School Donations
Thank you so much for being so generous with our teachers and our classrooms. Your donations make a world of difference for our school. Remember that classrooms can always use things like markers and crayons, Kleenex, gallon-sized Zip locks, wipes, and of course pencils!
Character Counts -Pillar of the Month- Trustworthiness
Be honest - Don’t deceive, cheat, or steal
Be reliable — do what you say you’ll do
Have the courage to do the right thing
Build a good reputation
Be loyal — stand by your family, friends, and country.
Each month a different Pillar of Character will be emphasized in the classrooms through Character education
Summer School Fun!
Summer School at Banta Elementary was fun for everyone as students enjoyed lessons on Reading, Writing and Arithmetic, as well as lessons in art and hands-on science projects.
Keep updated and go to the Banta Elementary School Facebook page!!!!
Banta Elementary School has so many fun activities going on inside our classrooms. To keep updated on all the fun on our campus - go to our Banta Elementary School Facebook page online!
It's Time for Back to School!
7th Graders It's Time for the Tdap!
Dear Parent/Guardian:
As your student prepares to enter 7th grade in the upcoming school year, it is important that they are up to date on all of their immunizations. As required by the state of California, your child will need to provide proof to the school that they have received their Tdap Booster immunization prior to entry into 7th grade.
If we do not have documentation of this immunization, unfortunately, we will not be able to place your child on a class list come the start of the 2022-2023 school year. Please note, there have been no extensions granted by the state due to COVID-19 and the TDAP requirement remains in place.
Please provide proof of your child’s Tdap immunization to the school no later than June 6, 2022.
DOES YOUR CHILD HAVE COVID -19 SYMPTOMS?
If Yes:
- Keep the sick student and siblings' home from school
- Notify the school office of the illness
- If you would like, test the student for COVID-19 (Link to places to receive COVID -19 test:
https://sjready.org/events/covid19/testing.html)
- If you decide to test for COVID-19, notify the school of the results
- Follow distance learning schedule
- Return to school on the return to school date given to you by the school nurse or office
COVID-19 SYMPTOMS
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore Throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
Nurse's Corner
Medications at School
If your student is returning to campus and will need to take medications while on campus, please ensure that you have the paperwork completed and returned to the school office as soon as possible. The Medication Form must be renewed each year, please contact the school if you are unsure if you have submitted the form for this school year
Food Services
Banta chicken eggs offer lunch time treat
Banta Elementary School Ag Center chickens are laying eggs that the lunch ladies have transformed into edible delights. Students are enjoying fresh hardboiled eggs for their salads and snacks during Summer school lunch time.
Power of the sun!
Solar power is a popular method of energy in California and during a Summer school lesson, the students of Teacher Shelby Cradick learned how that power of the sun can also be used to create a sweet treat. Students made s'mores using graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows, and then cooked them in a Sun Spot Solar Oven on the school playground. Within 20 minutes the students were all smiles as they ate their gooey s'mores.
The Librarian's Corner
Ciao tutti! I spent the first part of June in Italia…here is a picture of a bookshop that we encountered in Rome. It was wonderful to be there to see tourist attractions, the colosseum, the Vatican, learn Italian at la scuola de Italiano and then travel to Sorrento, Pompeii, Napoli, Capri and finally to Genoa to Favale di Malvaro to see mi cugina (cousins)!
Alas, it back to the library working on the renovation that has been in the works for some time here at Banta. During the 2022-23 school year, you will see many new additions to the library, brightly colored furniture, a vending machine, and a plethora of new books both picture books and additions to the Dewey Decimal System.
We hope to have our Read-to-a-Dog friends back with us sometime in late August as we will continue the tradition of offering this program to each grade level throughout the year. We will also continue to bring book reviews from our own students so we can keep in touch with what they are reading throughout the school year.
Our birthday club is back with each child receiving a book on their birthday as well as having the option to donate $5.00 to our birthday club fund so that we have updated books for each grade level to pick from when it is their special day.
We also welcome back any parent volunteers who would like to help in the library, as with the expansion there is much to do from weeding, cleaning, stamping and processing books. Please feel free to contact me at emcdaniel@bantasd.org or via telephone at (209) 647-0774.
Please enjoy these last few weeks before school starts and we will see you on August 8th!
Happy Summer Reading,
Dr. McDaniel
Student Book Reviews ~
This month we are introducing a new column where our students will review books from our school library. This gives us an insight on what our students enjoy reading.
Look Who's At Banta
This month's Look Who's At Banta profile features our new Principal Tabatha Ann Maxie. Each month "Banta Bios" will highlight a Banta Elementary School staff member's educational background, training and what they like to do outside the school.
Principal Tabatha Ann Maxie, 48, originally from Brooklyn, New York
Family:
Husband Edward, and adult children Tyrah, Jeremiah and Isaiah, and 5-year-old granddaughter Scarlett.
Educational background:
Business Management Bachelors and Elementary Education Masters, both from University of Phoenix; Masters in Administration Leadership from Concordia University Irvine. Prior to working in education for 12 years, she was also a member of the United States Marines for 11 years. She worked at Banta for four years as a seventh and eighth grade teacher before leaving to become the assistant principal of STEAM Academy at River Islands. She considers her return to Banta as a homecoming.
Hobbies:
Making a variety of crafts is among the activities that she enjoys, and the Christmas holiday is filled with the creation of fun decorations. She also enjoys the creative tradition of scrapbooking, which has resulted in photo keepsakes being made for each of her children. An avid baker, she also loves to spend time in the kitchen. The former owner and operator of a baked goods catering business, Lovey Dovey Custom Creations, she developed her own candy bars, cakes and cupcakes, but her favorite was making decorative cake pops. Vanilla, chocolate and peanut butter were her go-to flavors. To relax she enjoys a good mystery book, as well as reading young adult themed books to find novels that would be appropriate for the school library. When it comes to travel, Hawaii is her preferred destination, but this year her weekends will be filled traveling to see her son play football for his college team. High on her list is also spending time with her granddaughter Scarlett, which usually includes trips in the family RV, Chuck E. Cheese and an occasional trip to the park.
Child Find
Consistent with Federal and State regulations, the Banta Unified School District engages in ongoing “Child Find” services to locate, identify, and evaluate all students with disabilities residing within its jurisdiction. We will provide appropriate special education services to students who qualify. If you know of a child who is 2 through 21 years of age who may have individual needs that result from disabilities or developmental delays, and who is not enrolled in a school program, please contact NelLaine Kilgore, Special Education, at (209) 541- 9992.
Parent Club
Welcome Back! We are excited to start a school year where everyone can enjoy being on campus! In the new school year, we look forward to your continued support. With you, we can create family fun events to celebrate our community; and, we can raise necessary funds to support classroom activities.
In our monthly meetings, we actively share ongoing academic successes and needs for all students, especially those learning English as a second language.
Please join us this year as we continue to honor Banta’s rich history and community involvement.
Meeting Days and Time Wednesdays from 6:00-7:00 p.m.
● August 17, 2022
● September 14, 2022
● October 19, 2022
● November 16, 2022
● January 18, 2023
● February 15, 2023
● March 15, 2023
● April 19, 2023
Summer Work
Our custodians, Tech department, and construction crews have been extremely busy this summer, and I want to point out to you a few of the projects that they have worked so hard on!
- Our Fields! The fields are open this school year, and we have worked this summer to refine the watering, in conjunction with the new well pumps.
- We have had an overhaul on our landscaping; trees were trimmed, leaves and debris were raked and everything was cut, trimmed, and shaped! Our grounds are really shaping up!
Our tech department has worked hard this summer to clean each device, update student devices, and get all technology ready for the first day of school!
New tables have been ordered and flexible seating for k-1 is on it's way!
Every classroom has been deep cleaned
New tile was laid in our main hallway
The whole school is currently being painted!
We still have many little projects to work on but be sure to compliment this team when you see them, they have done amazing things for our students and staff!
Hawks make Banta their home
A family of hawks have made Banta their home, nesting in a large pine tree at the rural Tracy campus. Their flight was captured recently by Banta Unified School District Public Relations Consultant Denise Ellen Rizzo.