Please see the communication from your child's teacher for specific classroom calendar activities. Below are school-wide:

January

24th - Class Photo Day

24th - Second Grade Playdate 3:00 - 4:45 pm

31st - PTO Meeting- 9:30 a.m.

February

6th - Book Fair Late Night Sales

PTO Spirit Night @ Chick Fil A (Alden Bridge)

10th - 13th Book Fair

10th - 14th Second Grade Book Drive

13th - Kindergarten Playdate 3:00 - 4:30 pm

14th - Progress Reports

17th - School Holiday

25th - PTO Spirit Night Gringos Mexican Kitchen

27th - First Grade Art Night -6:00 pm

28th - Pto Meeting- 9:30 am

28th - Spring Photos

March

2nd, 4th & 5th - First Grade Reading Restaurant

3rd - Primary Elections

6th - Field Day

Early Release

7th - 15th - Spring Break

20th - Field Day Raindate

24th - Report Cards

26th - Fourth Grade Music Program

28th - Carnival

As with most elementary schools, Buckalew has had several cases of reported head lice. We ask you as the parent/guardian to familiarize yourself with the signs and symptoms of head lice. Please check and monitor your child.

The following information is provided for you about head lice. Additional information can be found on the CDC website. www.cdc.gov/parasites/lice/head/index.html Please keep this for reference.

• Lice are tiny insects that do not jump or fly. They spread from one student to another by crawling from head to head. They can be spread by sharing combs, brushes, clothing, hats and bedding.
• Their eggs (nits) are tiny, pearly white or tan and are attached firmly to the hair shaft near the scalp.
• They can only be removed manually by pinching between two fingernails and pulling it off the hair shaft or by using a “nit comb”. Nit combs have teeth that are very close together. They are available in most pharmacies. There are many lice treatments on the market as well as other mechanical and manual methods of controlling lice.
• If you find your child has head lice, all members of the household need to be checked and monitored.
• It is important to remember that head lice do not spread disease and are not a sign of poor health or poor hygiene.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact our campus nurse Pat Eudy, RN.

The 4th Grade Choir is open for enrollment for the Spring 2020 semester! This ensemble is open to all 4th graders and is considered a group of leaders on the Buckalew campus. In rehearsals, we sing, laugh, and learn. We also have the opportunity this semester to perform several times both on and off campus. I hope your student will consider joining! We meet Tuesdays after school from 3:05-4:05 in the Music Room beginning January 14th. Sign up will be online via Google Form. Please click the following link to sign up: https://forms.gle/YmcyMJQKQsu4fsG68

If you need a physical copy of the form, there will be some place in a folder outside the music room. The deadline to sign up for this semester is January 28th. If your student was enrolled in choir last semester, you do not need to sign up again. If you have any questions regarding choir membership, please contact me at sdramirez@conroeisd.net.

Musically yours,

Mrs. Ramirez

Ride Elementary, which opened in 1983, is located at 4920 West Panther Creek Dr. It currently has 751 active students and a building capacity of approximately 575 to 600 students. The school now requires the use of 12 portable classrooms to accommodate the student population. Lamar Elementary, which opened in 1971, has a current enrollment of 800 students and utilizes 6 portable classrooms. In 2019, the legislature implemented full day Pre-Kindergarten which will also create an additional demand for classroom space on those campuses that have Pre-K programs.

To address these challenges, an Attendance Boundary Committee (ABC) has been established. The committee is composed of parents and principals of elementary and intermediate schools serving the Woodlands and College Park feeder patterns along with CISD administrators. This committee will soon begin the process of developing zoning scenarios for the elementary schools for the primary objective of reducing the crowding at Ride. It is important to the District to obtain the input of the parents and community on these various zoning scenarios. Therefore, the District is providing multiple opportunities for anyone interested to attend the Zoning Information Overview and Community meetings. Each meeting is offered three times for convenience. Much of the information to be presented at the Zoning Information Overview will be available on CISD’s website at https://conroeisd.net/.

A letter was sent out December 2nd to your email with more specific dates and times that can also be found on the above website.

Each Friday we play a "Picture Perfect Friday" video on our announcements to capture our week. We hope you enjoy!

Friday 12/18

Friday 1/10

Friday 1/17

·2nd Grade- January 24th- Snow Much Fun- Activity Choice

The 2nd Grade Playdate is the ultimate winterfest with themed games, crafts, robots, movie and a winter photo booth! Join the fun frenzy with your friends.

January 24. 3:10-4:45. Deadline is January 24 at 12pm.

·Kinder- Feb 13th- Valentine Theme

Sweet Time Together! It’s your turn to gather with all your Kindergarten friends at this exclusive after school playdate! This event is specifically planned for you by the Kindergarten teachers and will include a Valentine’s dance party, crafts, and a yummy treat!

February 13. 3:10-4:30. Deadline is February 13 at 12pm.

Dismissal will be at car line. $25 per student. Register at buckalewbearspto.com

February 6: Family Night, 3 – 6 pm

February 10 – 12: Student shopping, 7:30 am – 3 pm

February 13: Student shopping, 7:30 – 11 am

Students may shop before school and during their library and recess time.

All purchases benefit our school.

Give your student a secure, cash-free way to shop using E-Wallet!

To set up E-Wallet, go to:

https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/buckalewelemsch3

Every year each 4th grade class designs their own t-shirt unique to them. Exciting news! Our shirts are here and available for purchase! Orders will be taken online through School Cash Online. If you do not yet have an account, setup is easy and will be utilized next year at Mitchell as well. See attachment below for more details.

T-shirts are available in youth and adult sizes. Prices start at $14 each. The deadline to order is January 31st. Students can wear these on their field trip, end of year 4th grade graduation party and whenever else they please.

Class of 2020 T-shirt

Kinder - Mrs. Mader's Class

1st Grade - Mrs. Wilson's Class

2nd Grade - Mrs.Sengers Class

3rd Grade - Mrs. Garrett's Class

4th Grade - Mrs. Lunsford's Class

Thank you for your hard work and commitment to school attendance!

Monthly Character Strength: OPTIMISM

Our Partner Schools will be discussing optimism this month! Optimism is a future oriented character trait. Optimistic people find meaning in hardship and can create a vision for the future. They look at potential obstacles as opportunities, rather than threats.

The friends. The classes. The teachers. Safeguard the memories, big and small, by ordering a 2019-2020 yearbook for $35 until January 31. Price will increase to $40 until sale ends on Feb 28. Click here to purchase

Our yearbook includes a space for family and friends to place a dedication to their kids and includes a photo for $25. Purchase a recognition ad by February 13th! Click here to purchase

Show your school spirit and wear your active tshirt on Field Day (March 6). Every year our students look forward to this fun filled day with over 50 games to play with their friends. Sale

will end January 24. Please visit buckalewbearspto.com

We have a selection of T-shirt’s and bows available still. They can be purchased from Belinda in the front office. Shirts are $15 each and bows are $8 each. Please have cash or check with you for payment.

For enquires please contact Taryn Andersen at Taryn.andersen@gmail.com

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!

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.

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.

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 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.

• 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.

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

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

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