Buckalew Buzz
April 30, 2018
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...
Happy Monday!
It is hard to believe that the month of May begins this week! We have less than 30 days of school, WOW! We have a lot to still do to finish out this year, so please read the BUZZ in its entirety.
First off, thank you to all of our volunteers all year long! We couldn't do this without you as involved parents. Thank you to the volunteers who took the time to eat with us on Friday. We truly can't thank you all enough! Our last PTO meeting of the year is this Friday May 3 at 9:30 in the Bistro. We'd love to see you there!
Information regarding next year's school supplies, upcoming school-wide events and activities, and our last fundraising push are all below. We are truly hoping to reach this goal so we can all move forward into upcoming years with new playground fundraising behind us, as we know it's been outside of the norm for fundraising. We look forward to installing personalized pavers and giving a reward to our students with FREE Kona Ice and a Magic Show, the afternoon of May 25, with the sale of 250 bricks by May 23. Leave your legacy outside the biker-walker doors of Buckalew so we can install a new playground over the summer.
Thank you for all you do and have a great week,
Mrs. Price
Important School-Wide Dates:
Please see your teacher's communication for grade-level and class-specific events.
May
5/3- 2nd Grade Music Program 6pm
5/4- 9:30 PTO Meeting, Bistro
5/10- Choir Concert 6pm
5/14-5/18- CLOSED CAMPUS due to testing
5/14- STAAR MATH (3rd and 4th Grade)
5/15- STAAR Reading (3rd and 4th Grade)
5/22- 4th Grade Choir Sings at TWHS Choir Festival
5/28- Holiday
5/31- Early Release 12:10/Last day of school
5/31- 8:30 Kinder Program
5/31- 10:00 4th Grade Graduation
Kindergarten Round Up and New Student Registration NOW OPEN
Kindergarten registration for children who are 5 years old on or before September 1, 2018 will take place at at Buckalew NOW! Please register your child as an incoming kindergartner during this time or any new students for the 18-19 school year!
See the attached PDF for more details on required registration documents and registration process.
GT NOMINATIONS FOR SUMMER TESTING – Nominations are Due Monday, April 30
The window is now open for parent nominations for GT Screening and will continue through April 30. Parents may nominate their student for Summer GT Testing by completing the District Nomination Form, available through any 2nd, 3rd or 4th grade teacher, or by asking Belinda in the front office. Parents may now nominate, one time per level of test. In other words, students may test once each school year to see if they meet district requirements and /or qualify in other subject areas. GT testing will be held at Bush Elementary on June 5-7 (exact time TBD). Nomination forms may be returned to your student’s 2nd, 3rd, or 4th grade teacher OR to Belinda in the front office. ALL NOMINATION forms are due NO LATER THAN April 30!
Keys to Success Awards
For the week of: April 23rd
Kinder: Natalie Novak
1st Grade: Isha Kadam
2nd Grade: Jackson Karamath
3rd Grade: Youssef Haidar
4th Grade: Natalia Cruz
For the week of: April 30th
Kinder: Valentina Medina
1st Grade: Sammie Jo Whitten
2nd Grade: Brayden Kirkconnell
3rd Grade: Fatema Fakhri
4th Grade: Chloe King
Financial update -Update April 2018:
We have taken on the task to fund two new playgrounds along with our annual operating budget and our school is making this year such an achievement. The grade level parties and carnival were a huge success raising $37,000, a 39% increase from last year! This $200,000 financial challenge has been met with tremendous support by our entire community moving us closer to our final goal, purchasing the 3rd-4th grade playground. We have approximately $21,000 to raise to meet our summer installment deadline for the new playground. With the variety of fundraising events offered this year, your continued support has been vital to our students’ progress. We would like to encourage our families, friends, past graduates, teachers and staff to commemorate the upcoming 20th anniversary of Buckalew by purchasing a brick to pave the pathway for our playgrounds. This celebration gives the only opportunity to leave a dedication honoring the community we have created for our children and school.
When 250 bricks are purchased the celebration continues by rewarding all our students with FREE Kona Ice and a magic show! These bricks will beautify the school grounds and will also give a safer playground for our students. Together, we can make this year a complete success!
· TO ORDER:
· Go online to:
HELP US PAVE THE WAY FOR A NEW PLAYGROUND!
Leave a legacy commemorating Buckalew's 20th anniversary! Adopt a customized brick in Buckalew's schoolyard, and show your Buckalew Bear spirit! Your legacy brick will bring smiles to children for many years by funding new playground equipment and essential enrichment programs. The permanent installment will be outside the biker/walker door, replacing gravel with a safety and cleaner school path. Visit your brick anytime for years to come! Whether you have a current Buckalew Bear or a Buckalew graduate, this would make a perfect gift. You will always be a part of our Buckalew family!
TO ORDER:
Go online to:
http://www.fundraisingbrick.com/buckalew
See attached 2 flyers for more
Kindness Rocks!!!!
Buckalew Bears have been hard at work painting rocks this year to decorate the front of our campus! It has been a great collaborative effort between the Garden Club mothers, the Art Department, and every student on campus!!
Starting May 4th, we will begin adding our school of rock fish to the front garden! Each rock fish is unique, just like us and many have words of wisdom to share with future generations on the bottom. I am so excited to see the efforts of your hard work pay off in our first school wide art collaboration!!
-Mrs. Doak
STAAR TESTING DATES and VISITATION/VOLUNTEERS
STAAR TESTING for our students is very important! In order to ensure security and minimize distractions during the testing, visitors and volunteers will not be allowed on campus during our STAAR testing week(s). Please make sure to plan accordingly as this includes no visitation during lunch time. If your child has a birthday on these dates, please choose an alternate date and arrange any plan with the teacher. We will have altered lunch and specials schedules on the following days and all areas and offices, including the bistro will be used as testing areas. Please minimize any changes to dismissal and/or lunches during this time.
Our campus will be closed to all visitors and alternate arrangements should be made during the following dates:
- · The Week of May 14 - 18: 3rd AND 4th Graders will be taking STAAR Math/Reading May 14th and 15th with the possibility of makeups throughout the week.
If you have a 3rd or 4th Grader, please make sure these dates are on your calendar and that you have them in attendance with plenty of rest and a nutritious breakfast each day.
Thank you for your understanding!
2018-2019 School Supplies
You may order your school supplies for the 2018-2019 school year now through June 18th. Please go to https://www.educationalproducts.com/shoppacks/ and enter school ID, BUC015. Online ordering only. Buckalew branded binder and pencil bag are included in the 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade packs. School supplies will be distributed to your child’s homeroom teacher before Stop and Drop. For questions, please contact Dana Basconi at danabasconi@yahoo.com.
A Note from Our New School Counselor:
Hello! My name is Kathleen Points, and I have the privilege of working as your new school counselor beginning the 2018-2019 school year. These past ten years as a Buckalew fourth grade teacher have taught me the value of teamwork, and I look forward to working alongside you to support your child's emotional, social, and academic needs.
After graduating cum laude from the University of North Texas, I taught both second and third grade in a Dallas private school for three years. From there, I began working for Arlington ISD teaching fifth grade and fourth grade during my five years with the district.
My family moved to The Woodlands in the fall of 2008, and I have been teaching at Buckalew ever since. My two children, Robert (9th grade) and Diana (8th grade), are both proud, former Buckalew Bears. My husband, Gerald, works for Spring ISD in administration as a Career and Technology Education specialist.
In the winter of 2014, I received my Master's of Education in School Counseling. Along with teaching fourth grade, I have worked as a fourth grade small group counselor, coordinator of our Always There Bears program, and have led our Keys to Success guidance counseling initiative. I strive to reach the whole student emotionally, socially, and academically. As the old saying goes, “No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.” This motto inspires me daily.
If you have any questions, needs, or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me at kpoints@conroeisd.net. I genuinely look forward to working towards the positive growth of your child.
Warmest regards,
Kathleen Points
Thinking of becoming more involved in our wonderful school? Buckalew PTO Wants you!
Buckalew PTO nominating committee is currently looking for volunteers to fill the positions below for the 2018/2019 school year. Executive Board officers and Committee Chairs are both considered part of the PTO Board of directors, which convenes monthly to report and communicate on all activities of the PTO.
General PTO Members meet twice a year.
Executive board positions are elected positions. We have noted where we have at least one candidate for the executive board positions, but anyone is welcome to run for election. Committee chairs are selected by the board from among those expressing interest in holding the position.
If you are interested in joining us next year in one of these positions, please contact
Tera Turnbull at:
teraturnbull@comcast.net 281-705-7721
Executive Board
(Election will take place at the next general membership meeting)
President - Nina Neal
VP Fundraising – Incumbent/Shelley Alexander
VP Communications – Incumbent/Natalie Ha
VP Parent Involvement – Heather Lorzinak
Treasure – Melissa Tattoli
Secretary – Janell Ray
Parliamentarian – Jill Gordley
Committee Chairs Needed
Community Partners: Shall be responsible for obtaining business sponsors for Buckalew Elementary.
Community Outreach: Shall be responsible for working with the Buckalew Elementary counselor to organize community outreach programs such as food drives, Adopt-a-Student, book drives and other identified needs.
Carnival Committee: Class booths & Baskets: Plan and communicate all needs for the carnival to room moms. Coordinate class baskets for the silent auction and class booths including prizes. Work with the Silent Auction Committee Chair, Outdoor Fun Committee Chair and Volunteer Committee Chair.
Web Site Liaison: Shall maintain the PTO website.
Yearbook: Committee Head: Shall be responsible for the publishing and sale of an annual yearbook for Buckalew Elementary. Shall compile, record and maintain a history of school activities and achievements.
Editor: Shall be in charge of editing the yearbook 2 people needed for tagging: Identifying student’s names and faces for the yearbook.
Community Partners
We would like to thank Mathnasium for their continued support to our school.
Mathnasium-We make math make sense. Visit their website to learn more: http://www.mathnasium.com/thewoodlands
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ExxonMobil Grants
To all ExxonMobil Employees and Spouses that would like to participate in the volunteer grant program for Buckalew, please remember to complete the following: Complete the online application on the employee domain for ExxonMobil Foundation. Applications can be submitted anytime. Payouts to the school are made on a quarterly basis. Don’t forget to start recording your 2018 volunteer hours. You are able to submit your volunteer time after 20 hours. We greatly appreciate your contributions. Our Exxon grants have helped us fund so many things here at Buckalew over the years.
Lost and Found
Please check Lost and Found for any items you think your child may be missing. There are lots of jackets, sweaters, water bottles, bike helmets, etc. Lost and Found is located outside of the cafeteria/gym. If you are at the school, swing by and have a look. There may be something of your child’s that you did not even realize was missing. If you have any questions, please contact Kalyn McQuain at kalyn@mcquainagency.com
2018-19 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!
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!
Buckalew Visitors and Volunteers
For the safety of ALL students, we ask that any person entering Buckalew be approved through the CISD volunteer website. This includes classroom events, parties, classroom readers, volunteers, lunch visitors, etc. In other words, if you are visiting a classroom and/or are around children, you must fill out the online CISD Volunteer Application. It takes less than 5 minutes to complete the application. We thank you for your understanding and cooperation for this added layer of protection.
TRANSPORTATION CHANGES
Parents just a reminder to send all transportation changes to school with your child in their backpack. E-mail changes are for emergency changes only and must be made before 2:00 p.m. Please note weather is not considered an emergency. For emergencies only, e-mail brobinson@conroeisd.net and make sure you get a confirmation that your change was received. 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.
Community Outreach Parent Workshops
April 26th 6:30-8pm Love and Logic and Anxiety
Kate Turner Licensed Professional Counselor
Buckalew Elementary School
A must attend for parents who wish to help their children with anxiety.
Buckalew PTO
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.
Yearbook
Thank you all for sharing your wonderful photos on replay it! The Yearbook is in the prints! If you have not ordered yours yet, there is still time to place your order online, please note: only a limited amount of extra copies are being sold while supply lasts! So many memories, so little time!
Today is the last day to order your yearbook online at www.Josten.com for $40.00. Online sales are closing tomorrow May 1st.
If you have any questions regarding your order contact Jenna Simpson at ysimpson@att.net.
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.**********************************************
Safety Reminders 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.
Parent Access Login
Canvas Login
Lunch Information:
A Full Price student meal is $2.85 and for a 2nd meal is $3.55. “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.
You can also limit your daily expenditures or snack choices or ala carte by calling our cafeteria at 281-465-3467.
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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.