Buckalew Buzz- 20-21 School Year
August 6, 2020
Connect With Us!
"Today I choose to BE Kind, Work Hard, and Do My BEst!"
*disclaimer that items published in this newsletter may change due the COVID-19 pandemic*
Email: contactbuckalew@conroeisd.net
Website: https://buckalew.conroeisd.net/
Location: 4909 Alden Bridge Dr, The Woodlands, TX, USA
Phone: 281-465-3400
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BuckalewCISD/
Twitter: @buckalewbears
From Mrs. Price
Buckalew Families,
It was a great day yesterday welcoming our teachers for their first day back in the building! With masks on, and socially-distanced air hugs, we welcomed each other back to Buckalew as one big family. We have been busy planning, planning, and planning through zoom meetings and zoom meetings, to be the very BEst for our Buckalew community. We can't wait to get the remainder of our employees back full time on Friday. As a Buckalew family, we are committed to taking care of each other, so we can protect our school year for teachers to teach and students to learn!
The first day of school is Wednesday, August 12th, 2020. The staff and teachers at Buckalew are looking forward to working with you and your children. On Monday, August 10th by noon, please look for an email from your child’s new teacher. In that email, you will be gaining information about the first three days of school. If you do not receive an email by noon Monday, please call our front office between noon and 3:30pm. Computer servers have been known to deliver emails at various times even when they are sent from school at the same time. Please understand that Buckalew staff spend an incredible amount of time placing each and every single child for your child's success. This year in particular, we have placed children based on your selection of "online" or "in person" instruction for the first 9 weeks and beyond to best meet all student and family needs. We ask that you respect our decisions at this time and do not request placement changes. Each and every move creates a domino effect for all classes campus-wide. Please know that we take in consideration your child's emotional, academic, social, and structural needs as well as try to balance overall class dynamics while even balancing boys and girls in each class up until the very last possible moment prior to the welcome email you will receive from your child’s new teacher. We thank you in advance for putting faith and trust in our staff, and ask as parents, that you communicate excitement and joy for your child's school year to begin. As a community at Buckalew, we work extremely hard to be consistent across grade levels so all students are receiving the same high expectations.
We would love it if all students could engage in LIVE meet the teacher and meet their classmates at 8am as if we were all sitting in a classroom on the first day of school on Wednesday August 12. We understand if your child can't make it. Your teacher will be reaching out to each parent through a sign up genius after the first day to know you and your child. On Friday August 14, you will be sent the week's plans through August 21, and then every Friday thereafter for the upcoming week.
We want to give a very sincere thank you to our amazing PTO's hospitality committee for providing a grab-and-go Chic-fil-A box lunch for our teachers as they returned yesterday. Thank you all for your continued kindness, as we navigate uncharted territory during this pandemic.
We appreciate your continued support and look forward to working together. For questions, please make sure to visit CISD's Roadmap to Reopening, watch Dr. Null LIVE on Conroe ISD YouTube TONIGHT, call our front office at 281-465-3400, or email contactbuckalew@conroeisd.net
Virtual Hugs,
Mrs. Price
Buckalew Check List
August 10: 8-noon, look for an email from your child's teacher
August 10: Drive By, Wave Hi - Meet the Teacher Event- see times for each grade level below
August 11: Technology, Spirit Wear, and Supplies Pick Up-see times below
August 11: Load Parent Access, K-2 Seesaw, 3-4 Canvas (directions coming)
August 12: First Day of School - Meet Your Classmates and Teacher online, 8am if you can!
August 13: Food Distribution at Buckalew- see below for details
August 14: Plans for the week of August 17-21 will be communicated by homeroom teacher
August 21: Plans for the week of August 24-28 will be communicated by homeroom teacher
Please remember that you help create your child's attitude about the school year. Please help your child's success and our partnership by staying positive, modeling perseverance, and making the best out of a pandemic. While we are all looking for ways to re-create our old normal, you can be certain that the teachers at Buckalew are ready to make a new-normal way to kick-off our 20-21 school year! We know that there is no perfect way to do this, but we hope you get excited with your child and drive on by!
We want to excite our incoming kindergarten students, new to Buckalew students, and ALL of our elementary students in an intimate grade-specific "Drive By and Wave Hi" to meet your teacher! If we are excited, you are excited, our kids WILL be excited!
Tuesday August 11th- Contactless Pick Up Drive Through for Spirit-Wear, Supplies, and Technology
LAST NAME
8am-8:45am- A-D
8:45am-9:30am- E-L
9:30am-10:15am- M-R
10:15am-11am- S-Z
11am-noon A-Z
For PTO Spirit Wear and School Supplies drive through the back car rider line.
For Campus Technology Check-Out, drive through the front drive.
Technology-If you requested technology through the registration when selecting the online platform, or completed our survey by 7/31 sent out by Buckalew, we will have your technology ready to go in the front drive. If you missed the opportunity to request technology and you need it for the success of your child's education, please submit the survey HERE by this Friday August 7th to be picked up this Tuesday. If a request is made after August 7th, we will make other arrangements with you to pick up a device.
Spirit Wear
Pre-Ordered PTO Spirit Wear (t-shirts, bottles, masks, etc) will be in the back of the school for car rider distribution.
School Supplies
As a convenience for your family, we would love to hold onto your school supplies on campus as our goal is for in-person instruction and so the students do not have to carry the bulk supplies by themselves for in-person instruction as we approach September 8th. PTO purchased supplies will be delivered to the child's homeroom teacher, and the teacher will hold onto the supplies for in-person (or online students).
Online Curriculum Access Videos – COMING SOON
In the next few days, families will receive links to videos on how to login to Canvas, the learning management system for students in grades 3-12, or Seesaw, the learning management system for grades PreK-2. Students and course information are currently being uploaded into the systems.
Food Distribution at Buckalew starting August 13th
Beginning Thursday, August 13, curbside meals will no longer be free for all students. Breakfast and lunch meals will be available curbside for students to purchase or free to students who qualify.
- Families are asked to pick up/purchase meals for all of their children at the campus of their oldest child.
- Meals will be available curbside at all campuses on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 AM - 12 PM.
- Multiple meals will be distributed at a time.
- Tuesday: 2 breakfast meals/2 lunch meals
- Thursday: 3 breakfast meals/3 lunch meals
- A student meal card must be presented to scan and identify the student when meals are picked up.
- This card is located in Parent Access and can be printed on paper or presented electronically on a phone.
- Any change from a cash transaction will be applied to the student's meal account.
- Pre-payments can be made at www.myschoolbucks.com.
- Meal prices and the free and reduced meal application are available on the Child Nutrition website.
Questions? Please contact the Child Nutrition Department at (936) 709-8185.
From Mrs. Points, our Campus Counselor
Hi Buckalew Bears! For those new to our family, I'm Mrs. Points, your school counselor. With each Buzz, I will have resources to support the social and emotional learning of our students. If your family has a specific need you would like to contact me about, please don't hesitate to email me at kpoints@conroeisd.net.
Starting in September, I will be offering small group counseling for students. This year, both socially distanced in-person groups and virtual Zoom groups will be offered. If you are interested in your child participating in a fall group, please fill out the below Google Form HERE by August 28th.
Counseling Resources
Wearing Masks- UPDATE
According to CISD's 2020-21 Elementary and Intermediate Student Handbook, page 14, students in grades 3 through 12 are required to wear face coverings while at school, in accordance with campus and District rules. (See COVID-19 Requirements) Students should provide their own face covering. Students who arrive at school without a face covering will be provided a face covering before they are admitted to class. Students who cannot wear a face covering due to a medical condition or disability must provide documentation from a physician to the campus principal prior to the student attending school in-person, so that options to protect the health and safety of staff and students at the school can be determined. Remote instruction will be provided for students who are unable to wear a face covering. Face coverings include cloth face masks and non-medical grade disposable face masks that cover the student’s nose and mouth. The CDC has indicated that it is unknown if face shields provide any benefits as a source control and are not recommend for normal everyday activities or as a substitute for cloth face coverings. The CDC recommends that if face shields are used without a mask, they should wrap around the sides of the wearer’s face and extend below the chin. Because TEA has indicated that students can wear face shields in lieu of face coverings, students wearing face shields will be admitted to school.
COVID-19 Requirements Students in grades 3 through 12 are required to wear face coverings while at school, in accordance with campus and District rules. (See COVID-19 Requirements) Students should provide their own face covering. Students who arrive at school without a face covering will be provided a face covering before they are admitted to class. Students who cannot wear a face covering due to a medical condition or disability must provide documentation from a physician to the campus principal prior to the student attending school in-person, so that options to protect the health and safety of staff and students at the school can be determined. Remote instruction will be provided for students who are unable to wear a face covering. Face coverings include cloth face masks and non-medical grade disposable face masks that cover the student’s nose and mouth. The CDC has indicated that it is unknown if face shields provide any benefits as a source control and are not recommend for normal everyday activities or as a substitute for cloth face coverings. The CDC recommends that if face shields are used without a mask, they should wrap around the sides of the wearer’s face and extend below the chin. Because TEA has indicated that students can wear face shields in lieu of face coverings, students wearing face shields will be admitted to school. Families may be required to complete a weekly/daily COVID-19 symptoms screener for each of their children, as well as take their child’s temperature before sending them to school each day. The screener will ask if a child has experienced COVID-19 symptoms within the last 10 days or had close contact with a person who is lab confirmed to have COVID-19. Close contact is defined by the Texas Education Agency as: (a) being directly exposed to infectious secretions (e.g., being coughed on); or (b) being within 6 feet 15 for a cumulative duration of 15 minutes, if either occurred at any time in the last 14 days at the same time the infected individual was infectious. Students will not be admitted to class until the screener is completed. More information regarding screen requirements will be provided by the student’s campus.
School Messenger
Get Connected!
Stay in touch with CISD by downloading our new mobile app!
Download the app on your mobile device today and select ‘yes’ to receive push notifications with the latest news and updates from the District.
Key Features:
- Push Notifications - Select ‘yes’ when you download the app to receive the latest push notifications from the District.
- Calendar Events - Add events to the calendar on your personal mobile device directly from the calendar section on the app.
- News - Check out the latest District-wide and school news all in one place!
Parent Access Login
To access your child’s information online you must register for an account.
Please go to the following link and follow the directions below:
Click the “Student/Parent” tab
Click on “Parent Access Center”
Click “Register”
Connect with Buckalew's PTO!
Website: http://buckalewbearspto.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Buckalewbearspto/
The purpose of the 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.
President- Paige Perry
VP Fundraising- Amy Kemp
VP Parent Involvement- Heather Lozinak
VP Communications- Jackie Berry
Treasurer- Elizabeth Kutka
Secretary- Janelle Ray
Parliamentarian- Natalie Ha