Boone Bear Facts
September 28, 2017
News from the Principal
News from the Principal
The New Year continues to roll on!!! We have had such a tremendously successful first month of the school year, I can hardly wait for the excitement to continue in the months ahead. It is hard to say what the specific highlight of the school year has been for me so far, but I do have to say that the awesome turnout of over 200 Boone Bears and family members at our PTA meeting/ Bingo Night on September 13th, ranks near the top. We even had Darth Vadar in attendance!!! The evening was so much fun for everyone and I hope to see even more of you next time. You never know who might be there…
Boone CAC Vacancies
We do have two open positions on this year’s Boone Campus Advisory Council (CAC). One is for a Parent member. The other is for a Community (nonparent) member. The CAC is a group of parents, community members, and teachers who meet to review, discuss, and make decisions on issues impacting Boone Elementary School. It is a great way to get involved in our fabulous school without a huge time commitment. The CAC meets on the last Monday of every month from 3:15 – 4:15 in the school library. Please consider serving on this important campus group. If you know a community member who might be interested, it can even be a future parent, please share this information with them and encourage them to apply.
If you are interested in joining this group, I have attached the application form to this newsletter. Just complete the form and drop it off in the main office. When we meet at the end of October, we will review the applications and notify the new members selected.
http://tinyurl.com/AISDCACApplication
Breakfast at Boone
We are excited that we have a growing number of students joining us for breakfast in the morning before school. We are even more excited by the number of parents that are joining us as well. However, due to limited space, I need to ask our parents to please give students the priority in sitting at the table. We have had a couple of situations where students have not had a place to sit due to parents eating with their children. Since we have such a limited space to use, we cannot add more tables. Instead, we are asking our parents to please yield their seats to students if needed.
New Staff Members Joining the Boone Family
Some of you may have read in our last Boone Bear Facts the information from our Counselor, Ms, Lozo, announcing the arrival of Andy and Meeko to Boone ES. Andy and Meeko are trained therapy animals and will be working with Ms. Lozo and the Boone students. They will be starting with the students this coming Monday Oct 2nd.
Andy is a Corgi mix dog that loves to play and has a big heart for children. Meeko is a Guinea Pig and is about 1 ½ years old and adores time with others and eating his vegetables. Ms. Lozo has been working with all of the classes over the last week or so preparing the students for Andy and Meeko’s arrival.
Please know that both are registered therapy animals through Pet Partners, which requires extensive medical and behavioral evaluations. Ms. Lozo is also a graduate of Texas State’s Animal Assisted Academy which included over 120 hours of training.
I have worked on previous campuses that have had therapy animals and they truly have a magical effect on students. I am excited about these two trained specialists joining our staff and look forward to them working with our students.
Not fun, but necessary…
As many of you have experienced, lice in school classrooms is a long running issue. During the 2017 Legislative Session, Senate Bill 1566 passed into law and states the following:
The board of trustees of an independent school district shall adopt a policy requiring a school and/or nurse of a public elementary school who determines or otherwise becomes aware that a child enrolled in the school has lice shall provide written or electronic notice of that fact to:
(1) the parent of the child with lice as soon as practicable but not later than 48 hours after the administrator or nurse, as applicable, determines or becomes aware of that fact; and
(2) the parent of each child assigned to the same classroom as the child with lice not later than the fifth school day after the date on which the administrator or nurse, as applicable, determines or becomes aware of that fact.
The notice provided under Subsection (a):
(1) must include the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the treatment and prevention of lice; and
(2) if the notice is provided under Subsection (a)(2), may not identify the child with lice.
As part of these new policies, I am attaching a letter with general lice education and tips for parents in English/Spanish, along with a copy of the current lice protocol for campuses. Please feel free to call our school Nursing Office with any questions at 512-414-5318.
http://tinyurl.com/BooneParentLiceLetter
http://tinyurl.com/AISDLiceProtocol
It is going to be a great year!!
Has Your Child Lost a Jacket or Coat?
With cooler weather on the way, PLEASE write your child's name on jackets, lunch boxes, and water bottles. Also, please check lost and found for missing items. We have already collected several jackets and lunch boxes with no names. Thank you!
Boone Fun Run
Please join us for the 2017 – 2018 Marathon Kids Kickoff event!!
When: Saturday, September 30, 2017
Time: 9:00 – 9:30 A.M. – Boone Fun Run
9:30 – 10:00 A.M. – Raffle
Where: Boone Elementary Track
Bring your running shoes, and water bottles.
See you at the track!
Important Information about Attendance
If your child misses school please be sure to email our attendance clerk, Marisa Garza, at marisa.garza@austinisd.org within 3 days of the absence. This will ensure your child's attendance is coded appropriately. Parents may also turn in a handwritten note to the front office. If your child has missed school due to a medical appointment, please provide an excuse note from the doctor. All attendance notes must include the student's name, date(s) of absence(s) and reason.
Click on the links below for more information about attendance guidelines.
http://tinyurl.com/PreK3BooneAttendance
AISD Parent Cloud
Parents can access all their student's educational information in one place using the Parent Cloud! The most frequently used applications are:
Parent Self-Serve
Parents can view their child's schedule, attendance, and grades. In addition, parents can email teachers and set notification alerts when their child has been marked absent/tardy or has a missing assignment. The parent self-serve is available when using mobile devices like iPhone, iPad, or Android.
Student Registration
Beginning in March, online registration becomes available for parents to register new and returning students for the following school year. The online system is designed to accommodate parent's busy schedules and save time.
My Messages
School Messenger is the District's communication tool. Boone regularly communicates with parents using this system. It is capable of sending phone, email and text messages. Parents have the capability of customizing how school messenger communications with them using the my messages function.
To access the parent cloud go to my.austinisd.org. If you do not have a parent cloud account, you can register for one online. The links below have attachments on how to register and how to use the mobile version.
Box Tops for Education Contest Ends Tomorrow!
Just a reminder that the Box Tops for Education Contest ends tomorrow, Friday, September 29th. If you still have Box Tops you have not turned in please get them in tomorrow! The top three classes will win a Popsicle party.
Please continue to save Box Tops, we will have another collection drive in the Spring. Every ten Box Tops is $1 for our school!
PTA News
Paw Pride "FUN"RAISER"
October 2-20
It's time to show your Boone Bear Pride! Be on the
lookout this coming Monday for your "FUN"RAISER Packets.
***You will be able to donate online! CLICK HERE for links and information on our Boone PTA page starting Monday, October 2***
CALLING ALL MUSICIANS and/or DJ's!!!
If you are interested, we are looking for a few good musicians to play at Valentina's Music Night on October 11 from 5:00-8:00 pm. You can play acoustic unless you have your own sound equipment. Please email booneptaspiritnights@gmail.com if you are interested. We would love to hear you play! (Sorry, this is a nonpaying gig).
UPCOMING BOONE PTA EVENTS:
Monday, Oct 2 Fall "FUN"RAISER Begins
Wednesday, Oct 11 Valentina's Tex Mex BBQ Music Spirit Night 5:00-8:00 pm
Friday, Oct 20 FALL FEST 5:30-7:30pm
Tuesday, Oct 24 Bush's Chicken Spirit Night 5:00-8:00 pm
Thursday, Nov 9 PTA Veteran's Coffee 8:00 am
Thursday, Nov 9 Chik-fil-a (South Mopac) Spirit Night 5:00-8:00 pm
Texas Pollinator BioBlitz
This is a free Citizen Science Project from September 23-October 8th where individuals or groups can take pictures of pollinators (bees, butterflies, moths, beetles, birds, and other animals) and then post them on Instagram, Facebook or iNaturalist using the tag #TXPollinators
Find more information and register here: https://tpwd.texas.gov/education/bioblitz/
Calendar of Events
Sept 30 - Boone Fun Run 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.
Oct 2 - PTA "Fun" Raiser Begins
Oct 2 - 6 - Custodial Appreciation Week
Oct 9 - Student Holiday/Parent Conference Day
Oct 10 - Flu Shots for Students
Oct 12 - Picture Retakes
Oct 12 - 2nd Grade Musical 5:00 - 5:30 p.m.