May 3, 2023

The month of May is dedicated to show appreciation to our amazing faculty and staff. Bush Elementary has the hardest working faculty and staff. We are so grateful for everything all faculty and staff members do to make Bush Elementary a special place!

HISD cordially invites you to vote for your Fan Favorite educator of the year!

All campus-based Educators of the Year are eligible, and winners will be determined by who has the largest number of fans.

Anyone can vote—including colleagues, family, students, and former students.

Click here to cast your vote for our third grade teacher, Ms. Mayces - Bush Elementary's candidate. Voting ends Wednesday, May 10.

Registration will take place in-person at Bush Elementary. All adults entering the building must have a driver's license or government issued photo ID such as a passport to enter the building. Please make sure you bring all required registration documents listed on the Registration Check List.

*All dates and times are subject to change.*

Kindergarten Only

8:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. each day listed below.

May 3

May 5

May 11

May 16

May 17

Grades 1 – 5 Only

8:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. each day listed below.

June 2

June 6

June 7

Grades K – 5

8:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. each day listed below.

June 26

June 27

Grades K – 5

8:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. each day listed below.

August 15

August 16

August 17

August 22

August 24

Please see the Registration Check List below for the original items to bring to registration. We must have hard copies of the items and not images on a phone.

We're seeing some very unsafe and dangerous behaviors by parents during morning arrival.

• Parents walking through the small parking lot and then between the cars in the active carpool lane.
• Parents stopping their car on Westerloch Drive to let out their child in an active lane of traffic.
• Parents not using the sidewalks and crosswalks to get to school.

The carpool lane and Westerloch Drive are very busy in the morning. Please be a good role model for your child and all others watching you by taking a few extra minutes to be safe.

Please make sure your child is following Bush Elementary's dress code guidelines. Bush Elementary's colors are red, navy, and white. Khaki pants, shorts, and skirts may also be worn. If a jacket, sweater, or sweatshirt are worn in the building throughout the day, then those items must follow dress code. Please also remember that only the Bush plaid may be worn, other plaids are not part of our dress code.

We're seeing many students wearing jeans with purposeful holes and/or tears and these type of jeans are not part of dress code. Only jeans that are a plain blue may be worn. Also, sweatpants or athletic pants are not part of the Bush dress code.

Finally, students must wear shoes that are safe for school with closed toes and closed heals. Crocs and sandals are not appropriate shoes for school and are not part of our dress code.

Please contact our Wrap Around Specialist, Maria Quevedo, if you're in need of dress code items. maria.quevedo@houstonisd.org

The Teacher Assistants are responsible for supervising the students in the cafeteria during lunch time. The Teacher Assistants are asking for parents' help in keeping the cafeteria calm and safe. Parents must follow these guidelines when visiting at lunch to pass out a birthday treat to their child's homeroom class and have lunch with their child.

• Only hand out the birthday treat to the students in your child’s homeroom class at the last 5 minutes of your child’s lunch.
• Birthday goodie bags are not handed out at lunch.
• Do not hand out any extra treats to any students in other classes.
• Only take your child (no other students may go) to eat at the hallway birthday table or at the courtyard table and understand that you will not be able to eat lunch in the cafeteria.
• Do not take pictures or videos in the cafeteria during lunch.

Parents not following these guidelines directly affects student behaviors in the cafeteria.

The Spectacular Science Word for the week of May 1 is recycle.

The STEM Department is hosting a Summer STEM Camp this June for students in grades 2nd-7th. The camp will offer fun and engaging hands-on learning activities focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) using LEGO Spike Prime robotics. Students will have the opportunity to explore deep space exploration through a unique approach to LEGO's curriculum merged with design thinking and literacy.

The camp will last for nine days over three weeks, including a unique field experience day. The camp will be offered at no cost to current HISD students at eight middle school locations, and district instructional staff will lead the camp. To be eligible, students must be in good academic standing and complete the application process on a first-come, first-served basis. By the end of camp, students will have collaborated to program robots, completed design challenges, and gained a better understanding of how STEM concepts apply to the real world. Please spread the word about this exciting opportunity for students to learn and have fun this summer.

When: June 12-27 (3-week camp session); June 19 will be a holiday for staff and students

Where: Clifton Middle School, Edison Middle School, Hamilton Middle School, Henry Middle School, Mandarin Immersion Magnet School, Ortiz Middle School, Reagan K-8 Educational Center, and Revere Middle School.

How:

1. To apply for STEM Camp please visit: Academics/Summer School

2. Parent/Guardian complete the online application form before the

Deadline of May 19

At the Spring General Meeting on Friday, April 28th, the slate of nominees for the 2023-2024 BBE PTO Board was approved. Congratulations to all the newly elected members!

There are only a few openings on our Board for the next school year, and we need YOU!

Website Chairperson(s) - Maintains the PTO website, updates the site with events and new products for sale, and monitors the “contact us” mailbox. Requires basic software skills, with minor graphic/web design capabilities as a prerequisite.

Fundraising Events Chairperson(s) - Organizes at least two fundraising events (ideally, one in the Fall, one in the Spring) that bring the BBE community together and promote school spirit.

Staff Hospitality Chairperson(s) - Plans and hosts events throughout the year to honor BBE teachers and staff in a creative and hospitable way.

If you are interested in any of the above positions, or would like more information, please contact presidentbbepto@gmail.com

Thank you for all the generous snacks and school supplies for our amazing staff– our carts of goodies have been deployed for Teacher Appreciation Week!

PTO would also love to honor our amazing cafeteria staff– Happy Lunch Heros Day on Friday, May 5th! Thank you for all your work and commitment preparing meals for our children. We appreciate you greatly!!

If you are attending BBE next year, get a head start!

- Pre-register for dismissal tags

- Purchase school supplies

- Go to www.BBEpto.com

Dismissal tags are required for ALL students, and if you pre-register, you will be able to pick them up at the Meet the Teacher in August. School supplies will be delivered to your student's new classroom in the fall. If you have a new K or PK student attending in the fall, you must register them as a student on your account page before purchasing supplies for them.

Register a new student HERE.

Come join fellow BBE parents and guardians at First Fridays with PTO. Each month, we get together at a different location and time, just to chat and relax– come and stay for an hour, or 15 minutes, whatever fits your schedule!

First Friday: May 5th 11:00am @ Blue Agave Cantina, 14555 Grisby Road - Meet us for lunch on the patio! This is a self-pay event.

Please contact presidentbbepto@gmail.com with any questions.

Our annual Field Day will take place on Friday, May 12th! We need wonderful volunteers to help make it a fun and special day for the students! Please see the SignUp Genius for more information and to sign up to help. We look forward to having you join us!

This will be an active volunteer time and younger siblings will not be able to be with you at this time.

If you would like to have a tie-dyed shirt like the students will be wearing, you can drop off a plain, white t-shirt in a clear, plastic bag to the BBE front office for Ms. Orta - please label the bag with your name and contact information so the shirt can be returned to you!

Bobcat families are invited to the Bush Buddies Walk on Friday, May 19th at 6:45 am for a walk around the BBE track! Come together with our BBE community, boost your immune system, improve your mental health, and reduce stress with a morning walk before school.

All students must attend with an adult. Light refreshments will be provided.

School Store will be open each Wednesday morning from 7:30-8:30 for parents, guardians and students to buy apparel or school supplies such as notebooks, agendas, crayons, etc. You must be VIPS approved to enter the school. You can also shop online at www.BBEpto.com. You must have (or make) an account to shop.

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

The School Store is open for students to shop on Fridays and some select Thursdays.

We offer pens, pencils, erasers, fidgets and more. Prices range from $0.10- $4. Please send money with your student on the correct week if they would like to shop. See below for the schedule.

5/5 - 4th and 5th Grades

5/19 - 2nd and 3rd Grades

5/26 - 1st Grade, Kinder and Pre-K

Please contact mybushstore@gmail.com with any questions about the School Store.

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 May 26th.

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.

If your student will next celebrate their birthday in the 2023-2024 school year, please wait until then to purchase your BBC membership.

Subscribe to the PTO Events Calendar through iCal or Google

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

22-23 Faculty and Staff

COUNSELOR

Jewell Quinonez

(P) 281-368-2150 (ext: 275105)

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. 275250)

maria.quevedo@houstonisd.org

FOR ATTENDANCE -

Registrar - Adriana Rosales

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

arosale3@houstonisd.org