Bulldog Bulletin- Weekly eNews
Here's whats on top at Buena Vista Elementary! Aug 18, 2021
Note from the Principal
I hope you are all well and are as caught up in the excitement of being back to school as we are. I have to say after my first six days here I am ecstatic to be part of the Buena Vista family. Hearing children learn and play at school is my favorite thing. Staff, students, and parents have all been so welcoming.
This week I began visiting classrooms so that your student can put a face and a name to their new principal. The highlight of my week has been reading to the students and sharing some of my favorite books (both current and from when I was in elementary school). If your child has not met me yet, they should have the opportunity over the next week or so.
I want to thank all of the parents who have been following our COVID-19 safety protocols. I appreciate your diligence and cooperation with our office staff. Our number one priority is keeping students safe and school open. There is more information regarding COVID-19 protocols below.
We are still hiring for two positions at Buena Vista.
- Science Specialist--Job description and application--Please, if you know any body with an interest in the sciences (Physical, Life, Earth) who loves children and/or wants to explore a teaching career, send the my way!
- Noon Duty Supervisor- Job description and application--We are still extremely short on support for lunch supervision. If you have any time available between 11:30-1:15 (or know of someone. who does), please reach out to me.
Please read this whole eNews letter to make sure you are receiving all of the important information. This one is lengthy....but well worth it!
Kind Regards,
Angela Gramlick
Principal
Important Dates and Events!
- Friday (8/20)-PE Specialists Start
- Monday (8/23)- All other Specialist Start
- Wednesday (8/25)-BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT- --1st-3rd 6:30pm AND 4th-5th 7:15pm\
- Thursday (8/26)-PICTURE DAY! (More information below.)
- Thursday (8/26)-Dine Out Night-Oke Poke (see below)
- Friday (9/3)-SHORTENED DAY!
- Monday (9/6)-Labor Day-NO SCHOOL!
- Tuesday(9/14)-PTA Meeting 7pm-(Zoom Link to follow.)
Back to School Night!
- Classroom Presentations Only --(We will not be gathering in a large group.)
- 1st-3rd--6:30-7:00pm
- 4th-5th-7:15-7:45pm
This year we are asking that only one parent attend back to school night to help us follow indoor social distancing protocol and keep everyone safe. We also want to remind you to wear your face masks when in attendance.
NO CHILDREN AND/OR STUDENTS ARE ALLOWED AT BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT THIS YEAR, and we will not be providing child care. (Not because we don't love having your children in our school, but we are trying to be thoughtful with COVID protocols and safety.)
For those of you who would like to remain distanced and/or who do not have childcare, teachers will be providing you with their complete presentation digitally and be available to answer questions via email.
Here is a map to help you navigate our campus on back to school night.
Quick Reminders from the Office:
A few safety reminders:
- All students should bring a filled water bottle to school daily. This is super important. Communal water fountains are currently shut off, students can fill up water bottles in their classrooms and at the hydration station in the MUR.
- Please do not park and get out of your car during drop-off and pick-up in the kindergarten circle. No stopping in front of kindergarten while exiting the drop-off circle.
- Dogs (even on leashes) are not allowed on campus during school hours. I realize 98% of the dogs are perfectly safe, however, I have to plan for that 2% and for children who can, at times, be impulsive. I appreciate your cooperation on not bringing your pets onto campus during the school day.
- Buena Vista is a closed campus, all visitors who are not staff must check in at the front office during the school day. (The exception is the before and after school). This is to help us keep strangers off campus and your children safe.
- Please remember to send your child to school with a face mask (a spare in the backpack is a great idea.) We always have extra to share, but often children prefer their own.
- Remember, if a student is late, they have to check in at the front office before going to class.
- Please no students on campus prior to 7:55 am. We do not have any adult supervision on the playground until 15 minutes prior to the start of the school day.
WCSD COVID-19 Back to School Information 2021-2022
WCSD has developed a COVID-19 Back to School Website where you can find answers to many of your questions. This week, you will find two new information items.
The WCSD COVID-19 Case Dashboard will be updated each day to reflect the most current information. We are committed to transparency with our community regarding cases.
The Student Close Contact Flowchart has also been added to the health page to help answer questions about how we will respond to reported cases and inform close contacts. If you are a close contact, we will work closely with Contra Costa Health Services to notify you as soon as possible.
This new graphic shares information about what to do if your child is in modified quarantine.
As a reminder, all WaLaMOrinda districts have partnered to offer community testing options Alison (updated link on Wed, 8/18/21 @12:30.) This updated version includes the links for all district locations to make it easier to schedule an appointment as well as expanded testing hours at TC.
We anticipate receiving ongoing updates from Contra Costa Health Services and will continue to update our website and communicate new information as it becomes available.
Physical Education Specialists Start this Friday!!
Dear Buena Vista Families,
Welcome to the new school year! We would like to introduce the elementary PE teachers: Victoria Palmer, Celia Argabright, and Stefanie Sosnowski. We are beyond excited to be back teaching PE this year and are looking forward to a fun year.
We have adopted a new program for elementary PE . The curriculum we will be using is called SPARK PE. SPARK PE is a unique program designed to help teachers lead activities that are inclusive, highly active, integrate academic and wellness concepts, and are fun for all students. Additionally, instructional units are designed to develop students’ motor, cognitive, and social skills.
Physical education will be on Friday each week. Please remind your student to come to school prepared with the following:
Sneakers suitable for physical activity
Clothing suitable for physical activity and the weather
A full water bottle (labeled)
A hat (if they wish)
Physical activity must be done regularly to achieve health benefits. Therefore, your child’s participation is very important. If your child is sick or unable to participate in any P.E. activities, please send a note to the office prior to the start of the school day.
We look forward to meeting your child(ren) and to getting outside and active each week.
With vitality and good health,
Your PE Teachers (Mrs. Palmer, Miss A., and Mrs. S.)
Air Quality
I wanted to keep you updated as we seem to be in the middle of an early fire season and the potential impact this has on our air quality in regard to our students and school. This is complicated with the tandem of the pandemic and air quality, and our priority continues to be focused on keeping our students and staff safe.
I know this was on many of your minds today, mine included, and I want to provide you with some information. As a school district we use AirNow to determine the current air quality/AQI. I had been monitoring this throughout the day. The air quality was around 58 AQI (Yellow) until about 2:00 PM. If we are in the Yellow tier (AQI 50-100), we will avoid heavy exertion during PE.
If we reach the Orange Tier (AQI 101-150), we will make further adjustments such as moving PE inside with no physical exertion. Should the AQI be in the Red Tier (Above 151), we would move lunch indoors into separate spaces with social distancing.
I will continue to monitor the AQI, and make the necessary adjustments to indoor and outdoor activities to keep our students and staff healthy and safe.
Thank you for your continued partnership during these challenging times.
Angela Gramlick
Find Your Match!
Thank you to so many parents and community members for the generous donations! It’s easy to double your gift
and have an even bigger impact—check with your employer about matching your gift. Nearly 65% of large
corporations will match!
Start at wcefk12.org/match to see if your employer has a program, or check in with your HR team. Matching is
an easy way to double, or even triple, your gift!
August Dine-Out—Oke Poke, August 26
Mark your calendar for our first Dine Out on Thursday, August 26, at Oke Poke on Locust Street! Order online
(add “WCEF” to the Special Instructions field) or in store (mention “WCEF” when you order), and 20% of your
order comes back to WCEF. Don't forget the Dole Whip!
Angela Gramlick-Principal
Email: agramlick@walnutcreedsd.org
Website: https://www.walnutcreeksd.org/Subsite001
Location: 2355 San Juan Avenue, Walnut Creek, CA, USA
Phone: 925-944-6822