Please be advised that the campus is closed to parents to visit for birthday lunches on the following dates:

March 21

March 27

March 28

We've shared this information with parents for many weeks to plan for these days that they can't be on campus. If your child's birthday lands on one of these dates, then plan to celebrate the day before or after since TEA requires our campus to be closed on the dates shown above.

The Bush Elementary Family Picnic is Friday from 10:45 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. on the school grounds. Every person will need a wristband on to enter the school grounds. Young children will need the wristband on a stroller or a child carrying device. Pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, Ms. Pusparani, Ms. Martins, and Ms. Phillips classes will be eating around the primary playground along Westerloch street. Family members wearing wristbands will enter through the small gate at the visitors' parking lot along Westerloch. First - fifth grade families wearing wristbands will enter via the track gate along Parkway Plaza.

We ask that families eat with the younger child's class. Parents should notify the older child's teacher to go to the younger sibling's class for lunch. For example: A family has a kindergartner and a third grader. The parent will tell the third grade teacher to send the older sibling to the kindergartner's class for the picnic. Please make sure your older child's teacher knows if you're coming for the picnic and you want the child to go to the younger sibling's class. This move will happen before the classes go outside for the picnic.

Parking will be difficult, so it's highly recommended to walk to the picnic if you live close by.

I'm monitoring the weather as there is a slight chance of rain. We will still have the picnic outside as long as it's not actively raining. Make sure you bring something to sit on in case the ground is wet.

Friday morning, I will send out an email if the picnic locations change due to continuous rain, but the Family Picnic will go on.

Every family member must wear a wristband to enter the picnic.

SEL4US and the Urban Assembly invite schools and communities around the globe to celebrate the importance of social emotional learning (SEL) on the fourth annual International SEL Day on Friday, March 10, 2023. The theme this year is Uplifting Hearts, Connecting Minds. Please use the following hashtags:

@sel_bbe

#SELday #BBEsel #upliftinghearts #connectingminds

We request you take photos of your family at Family Picnic this Friday and add them to our Barbara Bush Elementary SEL Twitter Page. I look forward to seeing everyone and celebrating another wonderful event to bring our community together.

In connection with International SEL Day, I would also like to request parents to please fill out the Parent Social-Emotional Learning Survey.

CLICK HERE: https://forms.gle/CYAZ1q1u2DNz1pXB8

The survey is important to help your child's teacher better understand the social-emotional needs of your child. In order to focus on learning, we first need to make sure student's social, emotional, and behavioral needs are met - and YOU know your child best. This form will help your child's teacher to better understand how they can continue to support your child in the classroom.

Thank you so much for your continued support this year!

Congratulations to all of the participants and winners in February’s UIL meet! Thanks to all of the parents for fighting rodeo traffic and coming out to Carnegie High School to support your children! The next meet is virtual on April 1st. Currently, all spots are filled. There are two more meets this year where all contestants who placed in the top 10 in their competitions will be invited to compete. Congrats again!

Daylight Savings time begins, Sunday, March 12. "Spring" your clocks forward one hour.

Enjoy your break and take time to rest, relax, and read a good book! Ms. Rose's goal is to read 2 books next week. How many books will you read? We'll see all students back at Bush Elementary on Monday, March 20 at 7:30 a.m.

Beginning Thursday, March 23rd all students will begin tie-dying white t-shirts in art class. These shirts will be worn for our fabulous Bush Field Day on May 12th. If you did not purchase a white t-shirt from the PTO, please send a laundered white t-shirt with your child's name written on the inside collar in a zip lock bag with their name on it before March 23rd. These shirts can be worn as part of dress code after field day for the remainder of this school year.

Tye-dye helpers are needed! Please come and help on your child's art day. You will have to be VIPS approved to participate. Click HERE to sign up. Please note that this is a new SignUpGenius - if you previously signed up to help, please check to see if you need to sign up again as the dates for several classes were changed. Due to limited space and safety concerns, please do not plan to bring siblings!

Timing might be changed on short notice depending on weather. The tie-dye cannot take place during heavy rain.

If you want to donate tie-dye color, please find the grade level color allocation below:

Pre-K - Royal Blue

Kindergarten - Purple

First grade - Fuchsia

Second grade - Red and Light Blue

Third grade - Green and Light Purple

Fourth grade - Blue and Neon Pink

Fifth grade - Any or all of the colors listed

Any questions, please get back to us at bushpto.vips@gmail.com

Registration dates for the 2023-2024 school year will be announced in April on our website and in the Paw Prints. Intent to Re-Enroll and Sibling Registration dates will also be announced in April.

Stay up to date by reading our newsletter, the Paw Prints, and the marquee.

Our third - fifth grade students will take the Texas required STAAR Interim Assessments in March. The days are shown above in the calendar. These assessments are treated like the real STAAR test meaning the campus is closed to all visitors in all grades on these days. There will be no parent conferences, lunchroom/cafeteria helpers, or birthday lunches on these days. Please mark your calendars for these important dates. Also, please try to avoid any early pickups, doctor, or dentist appointments on these days.

We have many many jackets here in our lost and found. If your child has lost a jacket or sweater on the playground, please feel free to stop by the office to sign in and look for the items. We have moved them up to the front to make it easier. The Lost and Found clothing will be out on tables for the rest of this week. All unclaimed jackets will be donated to charity over Spring Break.

We're seeing some very unsafe and dangerous behaviors by parents during morning arrival.

• Parents walking through the small parking lot and then between the cars in the active carpool lane.
• Parents stopping their car on Westerloch Drive to let out their child in an active lane of traffic.
• Parents not using the sidewalks and crosswalks to get to school.

The carpool lane and Westerloch Drive are very busy in the morning. Please be a good role model for your child and all others watching you by taking a few extra minutes to be safe.

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 classes.
• 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.

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. Please also remember that only the Bush plaid may be worn, other plaids are not part of our 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. Also, sweatpants or athletic pants are not part of the Bush dress code.

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

The Spectacular Science Word for the week of March 6 is rotation/revolution.

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

Jashwin D. who turns 10 years old on March 7 and is a fourth grader in Ms. King's class.

Brigid C. who turns 8 years old on March 9 and is a second grader in Ms. Carlin's class.

Sara G. who turns 9 years old on March 11 and is a third grader in Ms. Sherman's class.

Makenzie K. who turns 6 years old March 11 and is a kindergartner in Ms. Nguyen's class.

Happy Birthday and Welcome to the Bush Birthday Book Club!

DePelchin parenting classes will begin Thursday, March 23rd from 12pm to 2 pm in Wraparound Resource room.

It is not too late to sign up. Just email maria.quevedo@houston.org if you're interested, and forms will be sent your way.

For the parents that have already received the forms to be filled out by email, please have those done as soon as you can.

Also, Wraparound is in need of non-perishable food.

Please plan to join us TONIGHT Wednesday, March 8th at 8:00pm for a FREE legal webinar with AB Law. You’ll learn how to choose a legal guardian for your children, how to make and keep up-to-date a plan for your children’s futures, and more!

Click HERE to register for the webinar. For every person who logs in and completes the entire presentation, AB Law will donate $20 (up to $2,000) to the BBE PTO.

A huge THANK YOU to everyone who attended BINGO Bash! From LEGOs to science experiments, beach time fun, and staycation getaways, amazing prizes were won all around!

We would like to give an extra special thank you to all the Westside High School helpers, teachers, staff members and volunteers who made the entire event a success.

With your support, we were able to raise over $5,000 to help our students and staff continue to make Barbara Bush Elementary the top notch school it is!

And as always, we are so grateful for all of your support and look forward to great fundraising events to come.

The PTO is looking for helpers for next school year, and we need YOU! Nominations for the 2023-2024 BBE PTO Board are now open.

The PTO Board consists of over 20 different roles, all with a focus on maintaining and enhancing the quality of education at Bush Elementary. We welcome working and non-working parents and guardians from all different grade levels and backgrounds.

We encourage you to find a position which sounds interesting to you, and one in which you feel you can contribute your unique talents and skills towards the betterment of our school.

Please view the list of PTO Board positions and job descriptions, and then fill out this form to nominate yourself or someone else for a position on next school year’s PTO Board.

Director positions require onsite volunteering for events and attendance at monthly Board meetings. Chairperson positions have a minimal onsite volunteer obligation and no requirement to attend meetings.

The deadline to submit your response is Sunday, March 18th.

Please email presidentbbepto@gmail.com with any questions.

Save-the-Date for our next Spirit Night with BB’s Tex-Orleans!

On Wednesday, March 22nd, dine in or carry out at BB’s Tex-Orleans, 1275 Eldridge Parkway, and the BBE PTO will receive a portion of the sales that day. BB’s Tex-Orleans serves a traditional Southern Louisiana-style menu with a Texas flare.

Check out our SALE items online! Shirts are all school dress code approved and are vintage spirit shirts from previous years. Prices for T- shirts range from $5 - $10. Limited sizes available and ALL SALES ARE FINAL! If you would like to see sizes in person visit us Wednesday mornings at school from 7:30 am- 8:30 am. Must be VIPS approved to enter. Shop www.BBEpto.com. You must have an account to shop

The School Store is open for students to shop on Fridays and some select Thursdays.

We offer pens, pencils, erasers, fidgets and more. Prices range from $0.10- $4. Please send money with your student on the correct week if they would like to shop. See below for the schedule.

3/24 - 4th and 5th Grades

3/30* - 2nd and 3rd Grades (THURSDAY)

4/6* - 1st Grade, Kinder, and Pre-K (THURSDAY)

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.

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.)

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.

Join the Birthday Book Club and make your student’s birthday 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.

22-23 Faculty and Staff

COUNSELOR

Jewell Quinonez

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

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. 275250)

maria.quevedo@houstonisd.org

FOR ATTENDANCE -

Registrar - Adriana Rosales

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

arosale3@houstonisd.org