Buckalew Buzz
August 26, 2019
Buckalew Elementary School
Buckalew Bears Motto:
"Today I choose to Be Kind, Work Hard, and DO MY BEST!"
Email: donotreply@conroeisd.net
Website: www.buckalew.conroeisd.net
Location: 4909 Alden Bridge Drive, The Woodlands, TX, United States
Phone: 281-465-3400
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BuckalewCISD/#
Twitter: @buckalewbears
From the Principal
Welcome Buckalew Families to our 19-20 School Year where #youcanBEanything!
I hope everyone had a smooth first 8 days of school, as I know the staff at Buckalew sure did!
These are just some of the ways to continue to BE-Informed:
The BUZZ is our bi-monthly communication tool with information from both the school and PTO. Please stay up-to-date on information by reading the BUZZ. The bottom half of the BUZZ is referenced all year long "In Every BUZZ" so you don't have to re-read unless you want to.
Severe Weather can be called as late as 3:05. This is when we are under a severe thunderstorm warning or watch, or lightening is spotted on our radar approaching 3:05. This simply means that if Severe Weather is called, we will move our biker-walker dismissal lines to the car rider lines, so please make sure you keep your car rider signs in your car at all times, to avoid having to be sent to the front and have your id verified. We will notify you via phone, text, and email when severe weather is called. For more information, please reference the addendum below.
We are also in the transition of a new district messenger system. My apologies for the last week of school-wide emails that have been inconsistent in appearance. We are learning this new system and hope to become "experts" very soon!
Last, we always hope to have outdoor recess, however unpredictable weather in Texas will always make for potential inconsistent recess plans even when the best laid plans are in place. We call indoor recess for many reasons: when the "feels like" (temperature+humidity) temperature is higher than our district set points; when it is raining; when there is no rain but lightening; or when grounds are too wet/muddy. These variables can happen to one grade level or one playground, and not the other. Please know that your child's safety and needs are the first priority, but it may look different each time depending on each situation. When we know in advance that recess will not be outdoors, we do several things that are age appropriate for each grade level which may include having recess earlier or later in the day. We thank you for understanding that we have activities planned including modified activity/movement and student choice, however we are limited by physical space, noise levels, and 5 different grade levels on differing schedules. Movement is also provided throughout the day with brain breaks and outstanding teaching practices. At Buckalew, we do value recess and the physical, social, and emotional benefits for each child and try to replicate those same benefits when we have to go indoors.
We look forward to seeing all of our 1st - 4th grade parents at grade level Orientations next week on Thursday September 5th (see schedules below).
Have a great week,
Mrs. Price
Buckalew's Student Addendum
Important School-Wide Dates:
Please see the communication from your child's teacher for specific classroom calendar activities. Below are school-wide:
September
2nd-School Holiday
5th- Grade 1-4 Orientations (see schedule below)
6th- PTO Meeting 9:30
6th- Kona Ice Spirit Event- 3:10 p.m. at Lakeside Park
7th-District Art Show
13th-Progress Reports Home
18th- Read for a Better Life
20th-Fall Student Photos
October
3rd- Book Fair Late Night- 3:00- 6:00 p.m.
4th- Walk to School Day
4th-PTO Meeting 9:30
7th-10th- Book Fair
11th- 1/2 Day for Students (dismissal 12:10)
11th- Storybook Parade (more to come)
11th-Vendor Day (more to come)
14th- School Holiday
Returning Students-Registration SnapCode
Starting Monday, July 8th, CISD began sending out emails and letters containing snapcodes for returning students to fill out to replace some of the paper packets at the beginning of the year.
Returning parents should have been receiving reminders to complete this process on a weekly basis if you have not started your forms or completed your forms. If you have not completed this process, please search your email from Conroe ISD, and complete this process. If you have trouble, please contact our campus. You can also click the following link if you have your snapcode information. Click HERE to complete SnapCode.
Destination Imagination
We are so excited to offer Destination Imagination again this year. Our goal is for as many students to participate in DI as possible. To achieve this goal, we need parent volunteers to serve as team managers. DI runs from the end of September though the beginning of March with the possibility of the team continuing to the State Competition in April and Global Finals in May. Teams will meet after school at Buckalew at least one day a week. Feel free to access the Destination Imagination website to learn more about DI: https://destinationimagination.org/# .
I you are interested in managing a second, third, or fourth grade Destination Imagination team this year, please contact Mrs. Smith tonsmith@conroeisd.net by Friday, August 30.
Show your Spirit with your Spirit Shirts!
The Perfect Shirt to Wear on Monday or Friday...or any day of the week!
You Can BE Anything - Join our staff and Wear it Wednesdays!!!
Active T-shirt! Wear Anytime, especially for Boosterthon and Field Day!
4th Grade Choir Information
WANTED:
Singers to join Buckalew Choir
Do you like to sing?
Do you like to try new things?
Do you like to learn new things about music?
Then the Buckalew 4th Grade Choir is just for you!!
Choir is open to ALL 4th grade students at Buckalew no matter your musical background! No audition required, just bring yourself, and you are welcome.Choir starts next Tuesday, September 3, after school from 3:05-4:05 and continues each Tuesday unless otherwise noted. To join, please complete the form on this link
BEFORE Sept 3.:Choir Sign Up Form (click on this link)
Only students who complete Online Sign Up BEFORE Sept. 3 will be allowed to stay.
NOTE: Adults MUST use PARENT ACCESS in CANVAS for all Choir Announcements.
1st-4th Grade Orientations September 5th
Below are the dates and times to receive important teacher insight into each grade level. We are often asked if it is appropriate for children to attend the orientations. A lot of information about the school, curriculum, homework, grading, and a variety of other topics geared toward parents will be discussed. Most parents find it a little easier to attend the orientations by themselves, but we certainly understand if that is not a possibility for your family. We do want all parents to be able to attend if at all possible. Times are staggered to enable parents with multiple students to attend each grade level orientation.
KIndergarten- Aug. 12th, 4:00-5:00 p.m.
o First Grade – September 5, 1:45-2:15 pm and 5:30- 6:00 pm
o Second Grade – September 5, 10:30-11:00 am 6:00-6:30 pm
o Third Grade – September 5, 9:30-10:00 am and 6:30-7:00 pm
o Fourth Grade – September 5, 8:30-9:00 am and 7:00-7:30 pm
Positivity Project 2019-2020 #OTHERPEOPLEMATTER
THE POSITIVITY PROJECT'S MISSION IS TO EMPOWER AMERICA’S YOUTH TO BUILD POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS AND BECOME THEIR BEST SELVES.
The Positivity Project is Buckalew’s Study of Character Strengths, School-Wide Education & Positive Weekly Recognition Program. Feel free to ask your student about their journal or instruction by Mrs. Points through the specials rotation on Fridays.
Staff nominate students each week for being "Pawsitively Awesome".
August Curiosity
September Integrity
October Creativity
November Gratitude
December Humility
January Optimism
February Perseverance
March Fairness
April Humor
May Purpose
Picture Perfect Friday Videos!
Each Friday we play a "Picture Perfect Friday" video on our announcements to capture our week. We hope you enjoy!
Art News
Share yourSummerArtventures!!!
Welcome back Buckalew Artists!!! I would LOVE to see and share anything that you have done with art this summer!! I have a bulletin board ready and waiting for photos of YOU and YOUR ARTventures!!
If you have photographs of you making art, you holding art that you’ve made, you visiting art museums, sculptures, murals, etc… I’d love to see them and share them!! Please bring them to class with you or have a parent email them to me and I will add you to our Bulletin Board! I love what I’ve seen so far and I can’t wait to see the rest of your artventures!!
Mrs. Doak
TWHS FEEDER SHIRT
This is the first Woodlands High School Feeder shirt EVER, designed by one of the feeder schools. Don't miss out if you want one for you and your family! We feed into both TWHS and TWCP and at this time there is not a CP feeder shirt.
Order by September 7th.
Picture is the front of the shirt with nothing on the back.
School Directory
If you would like to opt out of being included in the directory, please email natalieha711@gmail.com by September 16th. Please be sure to email Natalie by the due date to ensure you will not be included in the directory. Unfortunately, requests after September 16th will not be accepted.
Volunteers
YOU CAN BE ANYTHING,
WE CAN BE PRETTY AWESOME,
LET'S MAKE IT A GREAT YEAR!
To learn more about volunteer opportunities, click the Volunteer PDF below.
PTO Treasurer Needed
The Buckalew PTO needs YOU!
Our PTO believes in the students, staff, and families at Buckalew. We need you to continue elevating Buckalew to greater achievements. PTO is in need of a
treasurer with computer know how, organizational skills and checkbook smarts. Specific duties will be: processes check requests and deposits; provides monthly and annual budget reports at meetings; keeps accurate records of income and expenses; files appropriate government forms; regularly attends Executive Board meetings and supports PTO function; and facilitates annual financial review. Please contact Nina Neal at president@buckalewbearspto.com
++++++++ IN EVERY BUZZ +++++++++
Need Translation of the BUZZ?
Did you know you can scroll to the bottom of this newsletter and a bar will appear at the bottom. You will be able to translate your newsletter to your desired language. Check it out!
Buckalew Visitors and Volunteers
Safety is our top concern, and surveillance cameras are placed at all doors and in the hallways of our school. Each camera records all activity. All outside doors are locked including the front doors. Please be sure to have your driver’s license with you during every visit to the campus.
Upon arrival, please see the receptionist for a visitor’s tag. The receptionist will ask for your driver’s license. It will be scanned using a system that is connected to the database that provides an alert of any person who may jeopardize the safety of our campus. If no such alert is discovered, the receptionist will then electronically permit entrance into the building.
Each time you enter the school, please remember to bring your license. The nametag given to you on each visit will show the date and the purpose of your visit. Please know that every visitor must have a name tag, and anyone without it will be stopped. Even though this is time consuming, it is essential to our children’s safety. For your child’s protection, parents and visitors are not allowed to go to their child’s classroom to pick him or her up during or at the end of the day. All check out is through the front office. Please allow students to walk to classrooms independently in the mornings and to go to the designated areas for dismissal in the afternoons.
If you need to pick up your student, you will be asked for your driver’s license. Students will only be released to parents with ID, unless we have written correspondence or an email to brobinson@conroeisd.net with identifying information on who will be picking up the student.
If you plan to be in the building during the school day at any time during the school year, please fill out the volunteer application on the CISD website: https://apps.conroeisd.net/volunteer/. This must be done yearly and will be necessary in order to volunteer in any position on campus.
Attendance is Important
In the event your child will be absent from school, please call the attendance line at 281-465-3410. To insure the accuracy of your child’s ‘excused’ and ‘unexcused’ absences, please call the attendance line EACH DAY your child is absent.
Following an absence, please send a note explaining the reason for your child’s absence. If your child will be out for an extended period of time, please let his/her teacher know, as well as our attendance clerk.
School hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. The tardy bell rings at 8:00 and students will be counted tardy if they are not in their classroom at that time. Attendance is taken at 9:00 a.m. each day. If your child is absent at 9:00 a.m. due to a doctor’s appointment, he/she will be counted present if you bring your child back to school on the same day with a doctors statement that verifies the appointment.
When students are absent, they are expected to make up all worked missed. Students will have the same number of days to complete assignments, as they were absent. The student handbook states that make up work cannot be given in advance of absences.
Please avoid scheduling vacations while school is in session. State law requires that children miss no more than 10% (18 days) of the school year. If a child misses more than 10%, they do not have the required attendance to be promoted to the next grade.
Additionally, Attendance is a major component of our state’s accountability system. Our attendance percentage is factored into every measure of our accountability, which impacts our school ranking.
Regular attendance is very important. Every day is packed with valuable instruction that cannot be reproduced at home. Attending school regularly has a huge effect on your child’s academic success, and success later in life. Parents play a key role in setting an example as to the importance of regular attendance and arriving to school on time.
Please feel free to direct all questions or concerns to Jayne Bull at 281-465-3410 or jbull@conroeisd.net.
2019-20 School Calendar
We appreciate your support of public education and the value of attendance. Because of YOU and our amazing staff, Buckalew continues to rank among the best in the state and we are very proud of that and want it to continue!
CAR RIDER INFORMATION
Car Rider LINE Do's and Don'ts:
Buckalew takes pride in the organization and efficiency of our car rider line. We have tried various ways entering and exiting our students over 20 years. Please note the following if you are a car rider:
DO follow these directions for morning drop off and if applicable, for afternoon pick up.
DO pull all the way up to the letter "A" labeled on the pillars along the back patio. If a car is already at A, please create a steady stream behind "A", "B", "C", "D" and "E". We can safely load and unload 5-7 cars at a time by following this method.
Do NOT pull up and stop by the doors. This slows every car down behind you and we have this designed for safety to pull all the way up to A. If you are concerned about your child not getting into the building, please know that is why we have safety kids and staff outside at morning duty.
DO NOT GET OUT OF THE CAR. If your child requires extra kisses, assistance getting out of his or her car seat, a note written, a walk up to the door, then we ask that you park and walk your child from Lakeside Park.
- DO move quickly through the car-rider line.
- DO NOT confuse quickly with fast. If you are in an extreme rush, the car-rider line may not be your best option. Park and escort your child from Lakeside Park.
- DO NOT pass other cars in the car rider line. This is extremely dangerous. If there is a car who is regularly not following the rules and safety is a concern, please call the front office and let us know.
- DO put safety first. Make your kids wear their seat belts in the car-rider line. Don’t be on cell phones in the car-rider line. Put your car in park before your children get out of the car in the car-rider line. Watch for others crossing the parking lot in the car-rider line.
- DO NOT expect others to be safe. Every parent uses the car-rider line for the first time at some point. This may include families who just moved into the area, relatives, nannies, and older siblings.
- DO have all of your child’s school items prepared and placed carefully inside of their sturdy backpack before entering the car-rider line. This includes water bottles.
- DO NOT allow your child to attempt to exit your vehicle with their backpack gaping open. All of their items could easily spill out onto the ground, forcing you to put your vehicle in park, run around to the other side, or worse, have your child crawl under a car without you realizing it.
- Do make sure your children exit the car on the passenger side doors. There is a RED line on the dismissal patio. Please reinforce to your children that they need to go straight across the red line to the area away from the car traffic.
- DO NOT allow your child to exit the driver's side or the back of the car. Someone behind or in front of you may not see your child and accidentally reverse or move forward. Exiting the passenger side ensures your child will not be in another vehicles path.
- DO have your CAR RIDER SIGN OUT AND DISPLAYED for the person calling names to see it vividly even if they know you during pickup. Sometimes it is hard to see into windows and anticipate who is inside the car.
- DO NOT make U Turns coming or going into the car rider back parking lot. Montgomery County police did a evaluation of our car rider line to most safely and efficiently run our arrival and dismissal. This has improved the safety of not only our car riders, but our biker walkers and bus riders. This has also improved our dismissal time from approximately 45 minutes in the past, to under 20 minutes.
- Do understand our line runs efficiently at dismissal and can be done in 15 minutes on most days. Do not assume it will run long and wait to pick up your child when there is no line. This is both embarrassing and scary for your child as we do bring them to the front office to make a phone call to make sure you are okay.
- AGAIN, If you need more time and are holding up the line during drop off or pick up, we ask you to please park at Lakeside Park and walk your child up to school.
- Thank you.
TRANSPORTATION CHANGES
Parents just a reminder to send all transportation changes to school with your child in their backpack.
For emergencies only, e-mail brobinson@conroeisd.net PRIOR TO 2PM and make sure you get a confirmation that your change was received. Please note weather is not considered an emergency.
Classroom teachers do not always check emails throughout the day or may even be absent and that request would not be received in time. If you have sent a note with your child it is not necessary to e-mail the note to the front office. Thank you.
From our Police Department:
- Please remember to remind your children NOT to cross until the crossing guards are at their posts in the morning. The building is not open until 7:30.
- Please remember if you are in your car, to wait for the crossing guards not only to cross the children, but for the crossing guards themselves to make it back to the sidewalk.
- Please remember to stay off your cell phones when driving in school zones.
- Please remember their are NO DOGS allowed on school property. This is for your personal liability and the safety of all of our students.
- Please remember there are no U-Turns in front of the school.
- Lakeside Park- if you are dropping your kids off or picking them up from Lakeside Park please park your vehicle to do so. It becomes a safety issue to just drive up and let your kids out or have them get in without parking. Please use our car line in the back of Buckalew if you want just drop off your child.
Student Handbook
Buckalew and CISD Bullying Information
The policy of Conroe ISD is that all students be free from bullying, discrimination, harassment, and retaliation. All charges of bullying, discrimination, harassment and retaliation are taken very seriously. If you believe your child is a victim of bullying, discrimination, harassment, and/or retaliation, please contact Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Price, or Mrs. Points, immediately as we do take any complaints very seriously.
Click below to read more:
Give the Gift of a TAE "Teacher's Achieving Excellence"
Log Into "Parent Access" by clicking:
and click on the "Teachers/Staff Excellence" Tab.
Feel free to type your own message and send any staff a positive message!
Calling All Bears!! Big-Bear, Little-Bear Program
We are excited to start our new program for the 2018 - 19 school year called Big Bear/Little Bear. This program is for new families entering Buckalew to be placed with a veteran Buckalew family. If you are new to the area or new to Buckalew, please contact Mrs. Lozinak and she will connect you with a "Big Bear" family who will help you navigate for an easy family-friendly Buckalew start.
Heather Lozinak: havillano@yahoo.com or 402-661-0547.
PTO DOES THAT!
Our PTO believes in the students, staff, and families at Buckalew. By becoming a PTO member you have the voting power to affect the enrichment and lives of our students. Also, by contributing to our fundraisers, you are making all kinds of quality programs and events available to ALL of our students! Become a PTO member for $25 and see how your PTO dollars are benefiting your child.
http://buckalewspiritstore.com/product/buckalew-elementary-pto-membership/
Click to see what's going on in Buckalew's PTO!
The purpose of the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is to:
(a) promote the welfare of children at Buckalew
(b) to foster cooperation between parents and teachers in the education of children at Buckalew
(c) to unite school and community efforts in securing for all children the best education
(d) to engage in fundraising activities for the educational and recreational benefit of Buckalew, its children, teachers, and staff as determined by the PTO and in accordance with the PTO by-laws.
Parent Access Login
Canvas Login
Lunch Information:
A Full Price student meal is $2.85 and for a 2nd meal is $3.60. “Extras” range from $.50-$2.00.
Did you know you can put limits on your child’s account? You can limit your child to one complete lunch so your child is getting the complete lunch on the menu. We encourage you to keep track of your child's purchases online.
You can also limit your daily expenditures or snack choices or ala carte by calling our cafeteria at 281-465-3467.
Lost and Found
A friendly reminder to please label your child's belongings. **Water bottles, lunch boxes, hats, and especially outerwear such as hoodies/jackets/sweaters are all great things to label as these items tend to pile up quickly in the Lost and Found.
Lost and Found is located outside of the school gym.
If you have any questions, please contact Joanna Altimas at jaltimas@gmail.com
---------Easy Ways to Donate Money to Buckalew PTO-----------
Kroger Community Rewards
Kroger Community Rewards makes fund-raising easy by donating to Buckalew based on the shopping you do everyday. Once you are registered, every time you shop at Kroger you will be earning money for Buckalew! Link your Kroger Plus Card to your Kroger account. Then, go here to select Buckalew.
How do I select Buckalew to support?
Selecting Buckalew is as simple as updating the Kroger Community Rewards selection on your digital account.
- Sign in to your digital account.
- Go here to search for Buckalew Elementary
- Enter the school name
- Select Bucalew from the list and click “Save.”
Buckalew will now display in the Kroger Community Rewards section of your account.
Remember you have to swipe your Kroger plus Card or use your Alt ID when shopping for each eligible purchase to count.
Box Tops for Education
To take part, simply clip Box Tops off the package of participating products, and turn them into your child’s class during Box Tops collection twice a year. Participating companies and product lines include General Mills, Green Giant, Totino’s, Pillsbury, Old El Paso, Ziploc, Hefty, Juicy Juice, Betty Crocker and many more.
Here are some actual products to keep an eye out for:
- Annie’s Organic Popcorn
- Nature Valley XL Sweet & Salty Bars
- Apple Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cereal
- Ziploc Freezer Bags
- Totino’s Pizza Rolls Snacks
- Lysol Bathroom Cleaners
- Hamburger Helper
- Kleenex Tissue Bundles
- Green Giant Fresh Vegetables
- Land O’Lakes Butter Products
- Boise POLARIS Premium Color Copy Paper
- Chex Mix
- Hefty Deluxe Plates and Platters
- Hefty Cinch Sak Large Trash Bags and Lawn & Leaf Bags
Get the full list of participating products here.
Amazon Smile~ You shop. Amazon gives.
Select Buckalew Elementary School as your charity!
What is AmazonSmile?
AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support your favorite charitable organization every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to your favorite charitable organizationHow do I shop at AmazonSmile?
To shop at AmazonSmile simply go to smile.amazon.com from the web browser on your computer or mobile device. You may also want to add a bookmark to smile.amazon.com to make it even easier to return and start your shopping at AmazonSmile.How do I select a charitable organization to support when shopping on AmazonSmile?
On your first visit to AmazonSmile smile.amazon.com, you need to select a charitable organization to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping. We will remember your selection, and then every eligible purchase you make at smile.amazon.com will result in a donation.ExxonMobil Grants
Calling all ExxonMobil employees, their spouses, children or retired employees.
You can help Buckalew Elementary receive a grant by doing what you love, volunteering. ExxonMobil Volunteer Involvement Program is a program that encourages its people to get involved within their community. It is as simple as doing what you are already doing, volunteering. By volunteering at our various school events (IE: Library, Carnival, workroom helper etc.) you can earn Buckalew a sizable grant. All we need is your 20 hours of individual or team (not to be combined) volunteer hours recorded. If you are interested in this program, please email Tracy Kumin at volunteers@buckalewbearspto.com
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The Conroe Independent School District (District) as an equal opportunity educational provider and employer does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, or disability in educational programs or activities that it operates or in employment matters. The District is required by Title VI and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Americans with Disabilities Act, as well as Board policy not to discriminate in such a manner. For information about Title IX rights or Section 504/ADA rights, contact the Title IX Coordinator or the Section 504/ADA coordinator at 3205 W. Davis, Conroe, TX 77304; (936) 709-7752.