September 8 @ 5:00 p.m.

PK, 1, 3, 5

September 15 @ 5:00 p.m.

K, 2, 4, Ms. Pusparani, Ms. Phillips, and SLL

Parents' Night is an important event for all parents. The evening starts in the Multi-Purpose with Ms. Rose. She will provide a "State of the School" overview to parents and will introduce the teachers in attendance. Our PTO President will briefly speak about this school year. Then, parents will be dismissed to the teachers' classrooms to see and hear about their child's classroom and instruction.

This event is designed for parents only.

Please be advised that walker numbers are finished being inputted at 3:10 p.m. Walker parents will need to go to the front office to pick up their child starting at 3:10 p.m.

An absence from school, whether an excused absence (for illness or doctor's appointments) or an unexcused absence (taking an extending vacation, visiting relatives, going on a cruise, etc.) means your child was not at school. Children get sick and need to stay at home when they're sick. However, extra days off for family trips or for a relaxing day at home add up to the times a child is not in school learning. All absences represent lost time in the classroom and a lost opportunity. Children struggle to master the daily learning objectives when not in school.

Good attendance is a good habit to start in elementary school. This is a life long skill that will prepare your child for a successful life by knowing the importance of showing up daily for a commitment whether school or work.

The Texas Education Agency (TEA) sets the elementary school attendance goal at 98%. Before COVID, Bush Elementary was either right at 98.2% or just below 97.9% this state goal. Last year our attendance rate was 95.8%. There are many factors that contributed to our far lower attendance rate and first and foremost was required quarantines for positive COVID results and exposures.

If your child is sick, has a fever at or above 100, or is vomiting or other intestinal issues, then your child must be at home. Please send your child to school with a note to excuse the absence for illness.

If your child is healthy, then your child must be at school.

Every day your child is healthy and not in school is a lost day of instruction and learning. There are days built into the calendar along with a long summer break for family time and trips. Please look at the school calendar that is in a link below and plan your family time around the breaks.

Did you know just missing 2 days a month of school will add up to missing about 17 days and approximately 10% of the instructional days? Every day counts and attendance matters.

Turn in your summer reading list to receive an award. Lists should include your name, teacher name, titles and total number of books read. Numbered lists can be hand-written on plain paper. All lists are due to teachers by this Friday, 9/16.

Grades 1-2 Name That Book is a five-member competition team. Interested students must request a permission form from the library and return it with a parent signature by September 30 giving students permission to take the qualifying test in October. Students must score high enough on the test to qualify for the five-member competition team. This challenging test is designed for students who have read and reread the 25 books on the required list. Team meetings will be on Thursdays after school.

Grades 3-5 Name That Book Club is for students who have read the 25 required books and are interested in trying out for the Name That Book Team in December. The purpose of the club is to prepare students for competition. Applications are available in the library and are due by September 30. The club will meet on Tuesdays after school beginning in October. A qualifying test will be given to club students December 6 to determine the six-member competition team. Only team members will continue to meet in January.

For more information, visit the Houston ISD Library Services page.

Drama Club Auditions for Treasure Island are happening after school on Monday, September 12th. Pick up will be at 4pm. Drama Club will take place on Mondays after school. If your fourth or fifth grade child is interested in auditioning for Drama Club, please have them pick up a permission slip from Ms. Miles.

If you have any questions about Drama Club please email Ms. Miles at eileen.miles@houstonisd.org

Throughout the school year, this section of the newsletter will highlight key points from the Bush Parent Handbook. School begins at 7:30 a.m. Students arriving after 7:40 a.m. are tardy. Students arriving after 9:00 a.m., without a doctor's excuse, are marked absent.

Vacations

Please remember to plan your family vacations and trips during regular school holidays like Thanksgiving, Winter and Spring Break. Family vacations cannot be considered excused absences by the State of Texas. As a result, they are recorded as unexcused absences. All students must have a 98% attendance rate. Every day at school is important. All students must attend school up to and including the last day on May 31, 2023.

Early Pick Ups

Please do not plan to pick up your child after 2:30 p.m. from the office. To ensure a safe dismissal, students will not be called to the office to be picked up after 2:30 p.m. Thank you for helping to make dismissal safe for all our students.

Nurse's Rule

Please do not send your sick child to school. If your child has a fever, pink eye, or upset stomach, please keep him/her at home. We have lots of folks under our roof every day. For the health and safety of ALL students, it is very important that children stay home when they are ill. Students who have thrown up during the night or who are running a fever cannot be sent to school. Students must be fever free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication before returning to school. When your child returns to school, please send a signed note stating the days your child was absent and the reason for the absence.

Please make sure all bikes are locked at the bike rack. Last week we had a sad incident when a student's bike was not locked and it was stolen during the day.

Safety is our number one core value. We must be safe before we can teach, learn, and grow. Safety

policies and procedures are constantly reviewed and revised as needed. ALL adults entering

the building MUST show a government issued photo identification at the front office every time entering the building.

The identification will be run through a background check device before an adult may receive a visitor’s

pass. If parents are coming into school to volunteer and/or to attend field trips, then they must be VIPS approved. Information about being VIPS approved is available on the HISD website, in the Parent Handbook, and will be available in the first few weeks of school.

View the 2022-2023 Back To School Guidelines

Bush Elementary is not responsible for patrolling the streets in the Bush Elementary zone. However, we can ask for parents to "Be Kind" while waiting for the carpool lane to start moving and once the cars starting moving up in the carpool lane.

Please "Be Kind" when navigating around parked cars. Have your carpool number displayed so the other cars will know that you're not one of the parked cars and won't attempt to pass you. Please stay in your car and be prepared to move once the line starts moving.

Please do not block any entrances to parking lots while stopped and waiting for the carpool lane to begin moving. Also, please allow the cars attempting to enter or exit the West Briar parking lots to do so.

Thank you for doing your part to keep the streets around Bush Elementary safe.

Hello, my name is Crystal Jones and I will be the Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Liaison this year at Barbara Bush Elementary. This year I look forward to sharing encouraging words, resources, weekly printables for parents, and providing teachers with resources on how to incorporate SEL into academics. Social and emotional learning (SEL) is how children learn to understand and manage their emotions, set goals, show empathy for others, establish positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. These skills are based on five strategies: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. I will work closely this year with our school counselor and wrap-around specialist to ensure that the social emotional needs of our students and community are being met daily.

Wraparound wants to THANK everyone who brought donations at the end of last week. It was amazing to see the donation cart filled with food and hygiene products. Our families in need will forever be thankful. We will be accepting donations throughout the next weeks until further notice.

If you are able to help us stock our Wrap Around shelves, please consider donating the following items to help our families in need:

Food

Cereal

Oatmeal

Noodles

Juices

Grains

Canned veggies and fruit

Soup

Toothbrush

Toothpaste

Shampoo

Soap

Toilet paper

Deodorant

Hand sanitizer

Feminine Hygiene Products

You can drop these donations at the front office on a black wagon at any time.

Thank you SO MUCH in advance.

Parent's Night: Our Wraparound Specialist will be here for Parent's night this upcoming September 9th and 15th . Please make sure to come by my table to learn more about our resources.

The Spectacular Science Word for the week of September 5th is balance.

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

Veera V. who turns 8 years old on September 11 and is a second grader in Ms. Brown's class.

Amina R. who turns 7 years old on September 10 and is a first grader in Ms. Baldwin's class.

Pedro P. who turns 10 years old on September 8 and is a fourth grader in Ms. King's class.

Happy Birthday and Welcome to the Bush Birthday Book Club!

Our PTO membership is open! Paw and Bobcat levels are only available through September 23rd, and will not be offered after this date. Need based financial assistance for membership is available via PTO Pals, no questions asked (this will provide a Cub Level membership).

Donate by September 23rd to help the school reach our membership goal for a school-wide FREE DRESS DAY!

Donate to the PTO today and enjoy all the benefits of membership! A Cub level donation gives you the opportunity to vote on the PTO budget and elections, and you will receive a copy of the Bobcat Calendar available exclusively to PTO members. A Paw level donation gives you all the benefits of the Cub level, PLUS an adorable paw print magnetic clip. A Bobcat level donation gives you all the benefits of the Paw level, PLUS an included adult size BBE Spirit Shirt (and the opportunity to purchase additional adult shirts) AND your children’s name and age printed in the Bobcat Calendar on their birthday. A portion of Paw and Bobcat level donations go to support PTO Pals, a no-questions-asked program for any family wanting to join the PTO but who needs financial assistance to do so.

Joining the PTO does not obligate you to help with any PTO events or activities, attend meetings, or participate in any way– it is simply a way to invest in the success of all our students at BBE (but of course we welcome all those who would like to give of their time as well).

For any questions related to membership, please contact bushpto.vp@gmail.com.

School Store OTG is a time for the students to put their money skills to use and pick out a fun item or two to use in the classroom or take home.

School Store OTG will be set up a little differently than last year. We will only be open for ONE grade level each week, so be sure to check the calendar so you know when your student will be able to shop.

The store will be open in the afternoons (not during lunch) on the following Fridays:

• September 16 (next week!)- 5th grade
• September 23- 4th grade
• September 30- 3rd grade
• October 7th- 2nd grade
• October 14th - 1st, Kinder and PK

If you choose to send money with your student on their given day, please be sure it is in a safe location, such as their backpack, until the end of the day. The PTO and staff are not responsible for any lost money. Also discuss with your student how to act appropriately with money and be considerate of those who may not have as much or any money that day. Remember to always BE KIND.

Families can also shop our school store online or visit us in person every Wednesday morning from 7:30 to 8:30am.

Purchase apparel and select school supplies such as agendas, zipper pouches, notebooks etc. Items purchased online by Thursday at 5:00pm will be delivered to your child’s classroom on Friday.

Be sure to follow @bbepto on Facebook or Instagram for the latest updates when we get new stock!

Anyone entering the building will need to present a photo ID at the main office.

Please help us to continue improving the volunteer support that we give our students, school and teachers, by completing this quick survey. If you complete the survey you can choose to be entered in a drawing for a $25 gift card! This survey will close on September 15th.

Join us at the Nature Center!

We’re looking for students (and families!) to help us in the Nature Center. Please see below regarding our upcoming events. All students must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Events are weather permitting and space is limited. Sign up soon!

• Friday, September 16th from 3:15pm-4:30pm Rainbow Rock Garden + Nature Center Clean Up
• Friday, September 23rd from 3:15pm-4:30pm Rainbow Rock Garden + Nature Center Clean Up
• Friday, October 7th from 3:15pm-4:30pm Pumpkin Painting + Planting
• Friday, October 14th from 3:15pm-4:30pm Pumpkin Painting + Planting

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

We are looking for 2022-2023 Room Parents!

Room Parents help facilitate communication between the classroom and families at Bush. Please let your teacher know if you would like to volunteer, and get your background check completed now so you're ready to roll!

Please consider volunteering as a Room Parent for other teachers in need. In the past, some of our fabulous teachers have not had this type of help.

By volunteering your time, you make the experience for every student at Bush extraordinary!

Please contact bushpto.vips@gmail.com with any questions about becoming a Room Parent.

We would love for families to send in any photos from the first day of school or other events happening in your child’s classroom. If you have any, please share them with us! Please send no more than 5 photos to bushptoyearbook@gmail.com and label pictures with your child's grade.

Please contact bushpto.partnerships@gmail.com for more information on becoming a business sponsor.

Subscribe to the PTO Events Calendar through iCal or Google

For any questions related to PTO please contact Amy Gnau, presidentbbepto@gmail.com

Families, we’ve brought back Bush’s twitter account! Please follow us for updates and peeks into learning @BarbaraBushElem.

22-23 Faculty and Staff

Counselor - Jewell Quinonez

(P) 281-368-2150 (ext: 275212)

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. 275105)

maria.quevedo@houstonisd.org

FOR ATTENDANCE -

Registrar - Adriana Rosales

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

arosale3@houstonisd.org