Buffett Bulletin Special Edition
September 26, 2018
Student Led Conferences Coming Soon!
This year's Student Led Conferences are being held earlier than last year. Student Led Conferences will be held Wednesday, Oct. 17 from 3:30-7:00 and Thursday, Oct. 18 from 12:00-7:00. There will be no school for students on Thursday, Oct. 18 and Friday, Oct 19.
Please use the team links at the bottom of this newsletter in the "Important Links" section to sign up for Student Led Conferences.
After signing up, you will receive an email letting you know the spot you chose. If you need to change your time, you can re-click on the link within the email you receive or on these links.
A few days before Student Led Conferences, you will receive an email reminder of your upcoming appointment.
Our goal is to have 100% of our families take part in Student Led Conferences. We appreciate you setting aside time in your busy schedule for this school event.
Thanks For Coming To Open House
7th Grade Parents - Important Message from Nurse Boyer
Hello 7th grade parents,
The state of Nebraska requires all incoming 7th grade students to have a complete physical done after March 1st, 2018 and before the entrance into 7th grade. The state of Nebraska also requires that students receive the Tdap (tetanus and whooping cough) vaccination prior to entering into 7th grade. Parent Portal has been updated with the immunization records that I have received, this is an easy way to verify if your student is in compliance. After September 11th students can be excluded from school unless this is received per the state of Nebraska guidelines. Letters have been mailed home for students who are not in compliance and if paperwork is not received on or before Oct 1st, these students are likely to be excluded from attending school. I enjoy seeing our Bobcats every day so please get these in as soon as possible. As always, it is an absolute pleasure to care for all our Bobcats!
Quiz Bowl Series Kicks Off
Shakespeare Coming To Buffett
The Buffett Drama Department is excited to host Nebraska Shakespeare as they present,
A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
The On Tour program takes Shakespeare's plays and adapts them into 75-minute productions to fit perfectly into a school-day schedule. Each professionally acted and designed performance concludes with a post-show discussion with the company to allow further critical thinking about Shakespeare and his works. This experience is an accessible, exciting, and thought-provoking theatrical event that any middle school student will enjoy regardless of previous experience with theater or Shakespeare.
This performance will be on Monday, October 15th, in the Buffett Cafeteria. It will begin at 3:10pm and finish at 4:45pm. There is no cost. Seating is limited to the first 100 students to sign up, so please do not wait until the last minute. Sign up today!
Art Students Organize Dot Day Celebration
The 5/6 Art Club celebrated International Dot Day on Friday, September 21st along with many other creative students around the world. They celebrated by creating dots of various sizes and styles for the staff of Buffett.
International Dot Day is a global celebration of creativity, courage, and collaboration. This celebration began on September 15, 2009. The Dot Club says,"The Dot is a story of a caring teacher who dares a doubting student to trust in her own abilities by being brave enough to make her mark. What begins with a small dot on a piece of paper becomes a breakthrough in confidence and courage, igniting a journey of self-discovery and sharing, which has gone on to inspire countless children and adults around the globe." International Dot Day has a goal of transforming teaching and learning around the world as individuals of all ages and backgrounds discover the possibilities when creativity is added in all they do.
Dream It, Do It Manufacturing Trailer Visits Buffett
5th Grade Field Trip to Lauritzen Gardens
Buffett Night at Lancers Hockey
Join us for the Alice Buffett Magnet Middle School night at the Lancers with a special discounted ticket rate of $10.00!
Enjoy a night of hockey with your friends and family!
• Game Date: Friday, October 12th
• Opponent: Fargo Force - Fortnite Night
• Location: Ralston Arena (7300 Q Street)
• Doors Open @ 630pm | Puck Drop @ 7:35pm
• FREE Parking at Ralston Arena
Want to avoid traffic? Use the Free Shuttle Service from Horseman's Park (6303 Q Street)
Deadline to Order: Thursday, October 11th @ 5:00PM
Order Here: https://lancers.sportngin.com/register/form/761909575
Alice Buffett Outstanding Teacher Award
Recognizing Those Who Make a Difference Everyday
The Alice Buffett Outstanding Teacher Award recognizes the achievements of skilled and dedicated educators in the Omaha Public Schools (OPS). Given to 15 teachers annually, the Award has recognized and rewarded nearly 300 teachers over the past two decades. Any Omaha Public Schools teacher or counselor (Pre-K through 12), with a minimum of two years experience, is eligible for nomination.
Each year we receive nominations from students (current and former), parents, other teachers, administrators, and the general public. Our deserving winners are publicly recognized and awarded with the following:
- $10,000 gift
- Alice Buffett Outstanding Teacher Award Medallion
- $500 in McDonald's gift cards
Student Attendance Matters-Strive for 95!
Like you, we want students to get as much education as possible. OPS and Buffett Magnet are committed to making sure that students attend school regularly. As a matter of fact, our new Superintendent, Dr. Logan has started an initiative called Strive for 95. This is a district plan to increase student success through regular attendance to school. Strive for 95 seeks to encourage students to be in school 95% (no more than nine days absent) or more of the time. The higher the attendance rate, the more successful the student.
Look for Buffett Magnet to find fun and unique ways to celebrate students who have excellent attendance rates this year. We want every student to Strive for 95!
PTO Fundraiser Runs September 25th - October 12th
Our annual PTO Fundraiser kicked off on Monday, September 24th! We hope you are having some fun while raising money for our school! Sales for the fundraiser started on Sept. 25th. Students can pick up boxes of chocolate during their homeroom class from the PTO office on the garden level of the building. The fundraiser ends on Oct. 12.
Join Safety Patrol!
Attention 8th graders!
B.I.G. Rehearsals
Students involved in the music group BIG (Buffet in the Groove) will practice every Tuesday after school. One exception is Oct. 9; that week students will practice on Wed., Oct. 10.
Any questions can be directed to Ms. Taylor Arvie, taylor.arvie@ops.org.
Fall Play Practice
Students taking part in the fall play will rehearse every Tuesday and Thursday on the stage through Oct. 25.
The fall play crew will on Wednesdays through Oct. 25 on the stage as well.
Please email Mr. Miller with any questions (thomas.miller@ops.org).
Youth Frontiers Kindness Retreat
Buffett 5th grade students will be taking part in a Kindness retreat facilitated by Youth Frontiers on Sept. 26 (5A) and Sept. 27 (5B).
Click the link below to find out more about this extraordinary event for our 5th grade students.
Meet Officer Hall
Fall Athletics
Football
Buffett's football teams are crushing it on the football field! The JV team is 1-1 and the Varsity team is undefeated! Pride runs deep and Buffett and our players demonstrate it on the field and at practice. Congratulations to the coaches and players on their season so far.
Volleyball
Both JV and Varsity teams have been doing great work on the court and both are undefeated. We are so proud of our Bobcats! We have a couple more volleyball games remaining in the season and then we have the city tournament on October 11 and 15th. GO, BOBCATS!
Cross Country
The Boys' Cross Country team has had challenges with weather this season. Of three meets, we have had the opportunity to compete in one meet. 8th grade boys ran outstanding at Norris placing 1st and the 7th grade boys had an awesome start to their season finishing 3rd. We have two more meets to prepare for the City Meet, October 10th! Buffett boys are strong and ready to compete!Girls' Cross Country updates will be featured next week!
Homework Hideout Schedule
Team 5A: Tuesdays and Wednesdays
Team 5B: Tuesdays and Wednesdays
Team 6A: Tuesdays and Thursdays
Team 6B: Wednesdays and Thursdays
Team 7A: Wednesdays and Thursdays
Team 7B: Tuesdays
Team 8A: Tuesdays and Wednesdays
Team 8B: Tuesdays and Thursdays
Tips for Success
Instructional Tip: Productive Struggle in Math
Productive struggle in math occurs when students are given the opportunity to grapple with problems, using resiliency and purposeful effort to lead them to gaining a deeper understanding of content.
Have you ever failed at playing a game? Do you quit? Do you find a new strategy to win the next time? Do you keep practicing? Do you say, "I'll never play that game again."
When talking to your child about struggling with math, use the analogy of playing video games. Many students can relate to this. When they fail, they look up YouTube videos for new ways to get better. They ask their friends for tips. They keep playing until they get better. This same effort to work through the tough concepts will not only create a deeper understanding of content, it will build confidence.
Here are some things to try when your child is struggling with a math problem:
- use all the will power you have to not give them the answer
- praise them for effort, not for being smart
- praise the process of finding the answer, not the answer itself
- use growth mindset language
- create an environment where mistakes are acceptable
Technology Tip-Is Your Child's Device being Repaired?
In order to remain in compliance with the accidental warranty coverage on student laptops, all laptops that are damaged have to be sent in to be repaired. This process can take 2-4 weeks. We, along with you, wish it were a little faster. We also would like to have enough extra laptops to be able to allow a student to have a different device to use while theirs is being repaired. The reality is, we just don't.
Students laptops are sent in for repair when:
- screens are broken as a result of being dropped, hit, stepped on
- keys are missing
- moisture damaged the keyboard
- hinge is cracked as a result of being dropped, hit, stepped on
- any other accidental damage or intentional damage (keys picked off)
Students will be assigned a different laptop when:
- keys are malfunctioning (moisture is not the cause)
- hard drive crashes
- battery problems
- any other malfunction that is not purposeful in nature or not caused by neglect
How does my student keep up with homework without their device?
- stay in Homework Hideout and use a classroom desktop machine
- be upfront and forthcoming when asked by a teacher where a missing laptop is
- ask teachers for paper copies
- everything accessible at school is accessible at home through O365
- login to O365 on a home computer with the student's school login (students have been taught how to do this)
If your student's laptop is damaged, they should fill out a form (link in on the website or in the important link section of every Buffett Bulletin). They then should ask a teacher for a pass to turn the laptop into Mr. Cleaver's office or visit him in the commons on Friday mornings.
Important Links
Upcoming Events
PTO Fundraiser Sales
Tuesday, Sep 25, 2018, 07:00 AM
Alice Buffett Magnet Middle School, Larimore Avenue, Omaha, NE, USA
Cross Country Bryan Middle Invitational
Wednesday, Sep 26, 2018, 03:30 PM
Bryan Middle School, South 42nd Street, Bellevue, NE, USA
Youth Frontiers Kindness Retreat for Team 5A
Wednesday, Sep 26, 2018, 08:00 AM
Alice Buffett Magnet Middle School, Larimore Avenue, Omaha, NE, USA
Youth Frontiers Kindness Retreat for Team 5B
Thursday, Sep 27, 2018, 08:00 AM
Alice Buffett Magnet Middle School, Larimore Avenue, Omaha, NE, USA
Volleyball vs Morton @ Buffett
Thursday, Sep 27, 2018, 03:30 PM
Alice Buffett Magnet Middle School, Larimore Avenue, Omaha, NE, USA
JV Football vs Morton @ Buffett
Friday, Sep 28, 2018, 03:30 PM
Alice Buffett Magnet Middle School, Larimore Avenue, Omaha, NE, USA
Varsity Football vs. Norris @ Norris
Friday, Sep 28, 2018, 03:30 PM
Norris Middle School, South 46th Street, Omaha, NE, USA
Varsity Volleyball vs. Marrs @ Marrs
Tuesday, Oct 2, 2018, 03:30 PM
Marrs Middle School, South 19th Street, Omaha, NE, USA
JV Volleyball Triangular vs. Norris & Bryan @ Buffett
Tuesday, Oct 2, 2018, 03:30 PM
Alice Buffett Magnet Middle School, Larimore Avenue, Omaha, NE, USA
School Picture Retakes
Wednesday, Oct 3, 2018, 08:00 AM
Alice Buffett Magnet Middle School, Larimore Avenue, Omaha, NE, USA
Cross Country - Davis Invite @ Standing Bear Lake
Wednesday, Oct 3, 2018, 03:30 PM
Standing Bear Lake, Omaha, NE, USA
Student-Led Conferences
Wednesday, Oct 17, 2018, 03:30 PM
14101 Larimore Avenue, Omaha, NE, USA
Student-Led Conferences
Thursday, Oct 18, 2018, 12:00 PM
14101 Larimore Avenue, Omaha, NE, USA
Connect with Us!
Website: buffett.ops.org
Location: 14101 Larimore Avenue, Omaha, NE, United States
Phone: 531-299-2320
Facebook: facebook.com/OPS.Buffett.Magnet
Twitter: @BuffettMagnet