Holiday Giving Program… A great way to offer comfort and support to Butler families this holiday season.

Beginning November 29th, the Butler Giving Tree will be on display in the hallway near the main office. The Giving Tree will have tags that display the names of holiday gifts that can be donated for families in our Butler Community who are in need of extra support this holiday season. We invite our Butler students and families to choose a tag (if they wish) to purchase the gift listed. We ask that you wrap the gift and be sure to secure the same tag to the outside of the gift wrap.

All gifts should be delivered to the main office no later than December 15th - to ensure holiday delivery. Thank you for all of your wonderful generosity and support!

More information needed… Please contact Peggy Bernabei at pbernabei@cbsd.org

Welcome New Families and Students!

Registration for students entering Kindergarten in fall of 2023 is now open. If any Butler Family has an incoming student, please be sure to register as soon as possible - as staffing and class sizes will be determined based upon the number of actual registrants! Be sure to also share this message around your neighborhoods if anyone has Kindergarten-aged children ready to attend Butler! Please note, the Kindergarten-aged child must be 5 years old before September 1st – no exceptions.

More information can be learned by visiting the Central Registration Website - Please click here.

After the Thanksgiving break, families will receive a letter communicating that your child will be participating in health instruction on “Personal Safety” in January. Prior to instruction, we are required to receive consent from elementary parents/guardians. Once parents/guardians receive the form during the week of 11/28, please complete it and return by December 9, 2022 to your child’s homeroom teacher.

If normal dismissal plans change for your child, PLEASE notify the teacher AND the office (267-893-4250). Communication may not happen if a teacher is absent on any given day. THANK YOU!

Below are some examples of the 5th grade project; Papel Amate. The Otomi Indians in San Pablito, Mexico use the bark of the Jonote tree to make Papel Amate (Amate Bark). This tree grows in mountainous regions of Mexico. The bark is thin and tan. They strip the bark, boil in water then pound with a stone to soften. The bark is smoothed into trays and dried in the sun. After drying, artisans paint the paper with traditional images and scenes from everyday life.

Students started a motor skills and movements patterns unit in physical education class in November. Students in grades K-2 have been working on non-locomotor and locomotor skills, spatial awareness and parachute activities. Grades 3-4 have been focusing on dodging, chasing, spatial awareness and soccer skills. 5th and 6th grade students recently started a football unit and have also been working on chasing, dodging, and skills needed for game play. All grades played Thanksgiving themed games last week, including collecting “food” for the Thanksgiving feast and the turkey toss.

Kindergarteners have been busy in the library these last couple of months! They have worked hard to learn the procedures and routines students follow when visiting the library. Our youngest Butler Bears have enjoyed learning how to find and check-out their books. Reading their new library books with friends is always a favorite way to end their visit to the library.

Butler 5th graders made Thanksgiving cards for our Grand Friends at New Seasons Senior Living Community.

It’s an exciting time of the year in Mrs. Griffin’s music class! The whole school is preparing for the Holiday Sing which will be held as a school-only assembly on December 22nd. We learn dances, songs and play instruments to celebrate Winter, Hanukkah, Christmas and Kwanzaa. Teachers and students will compete in our annual Mele Kelekimaka Hula Hoop contest and students will get to see the band and orchestra perform holiday classics.

This is the 8th year of the QUEST program. For many families, you have always known QUEST to be a special class at Butler. Prior to 2015, Central Bucks did not have a program for elementary students to engage in STEM learning experiences. As the first program offered to all elementary students in the state of Pennsylvania, the journey has been creative and exciting for both me as facilitator/ teacher and for the students.

The goal is and has always been to engage students in the critical-thinking process. There are two design cycles that students have learned about over the years. These include the engineering design process and the design thinking process. From grades one through six, all students learn to apply one or the other depending on the challenge they are presented with.

The start of this academic year involved students in the design thinking process. This is a process for creative problem-solving. More specifically, design thinking is a problem-solving process that involves five key steps: empathize, define, ideate, prototype, and test. Design thinking at its very core is human-centered.

Design thinking is used to help people innovate. Many organizations around the world use design thinking for that exact reason: to spark innovation. This cycle of thought involves communicating and defining a problem. Oftentimes, design thinking requires students to conduct interviews and practice empathy, skills that can be difficult for young children. Many times, the history or background of the challenge is shared in the first lesson.

Ultimately design thinking can teach children how to understand others, the needs of others, and their own place in the world as well. It strengthens a student’s grit and tenacity and emphasizes the need to revise and improve.

I feel very fortunate to be in the role of QUEST teacher at Butler. I was a classroom teacher for many years prior and have utilized my skills to continue to build our program and ensure that students are engaged and challenged when they enter the QUEST room. Using the design thinking process has proved to help students understand not only what they are doing but more importantly why they are doing it.

December:

Dec. 2 - End of 1st Trimester (Elementary) - Early Dismissal 12:25 PM

Dec. 2 - Spirit Day Assembly (Students)

Dec. 4 - PTO Family Movie Event - Water Tower Cinema (Sunday)

Dec. 6 - Author Visit - Lisa Papp (K-3 - Students Only)

Dec. 7 - School Assembly - Prismatic Magic (Students Only)

Dec. 9 - PTO Holiday Shoppe (Evening Hours Only - 5:00-8:00 PM)

Dec. 12 - Half-Day for Students; Dismissal Begins at 12:25 PM; No School for Kindergarten

Dec. 12 - Parent/Teacher Conferences (PM - Evening Hours)

Dec. 13 - Half-Day for Students; Dismissal Begins at 12:25 PM; No School for Kindergarten

Dec. 13 - Parent/Teacher Conferences (PM Only)

Dec. 13 - School Board Meeting - 7:30 PM - 16 Welden ESC

Dec. 14 - AM Kindergarten Only (No PM KDG)

Dec. 15 - PM Kindergarten Only (No AM KDG)

Dec. 18-26 - Happy Hannukah

Dec. 21 - Spirit Day - Ugly Holiday Sweater Day

Dec. 22 - Spirit Day - Pajama Day/Comfy Day

Dec. 22 - Holiday Sing! (Students Only)

Dec. 22 - Grade 5&6 Winter Concert (PM) - Details to Come

Dec. 23 - No School for Students (Office Open)

Dec. 24-Jan. 2 - Schools Closed (Winter Break)

Dec. 25 - Merry Christmas

Dec. 31 - New Year's Eve

January:

Jan.1 - Happy New Year!

Jan. 3 - School Resumes (Tuesday)

Please mark your calendars for our upcoming Parent/Teacher Fall Conferences. Students are welcome to participate.

• Monday, December 12th (PM & Evening hours)
• Tuesday, December 13th (PM Only)

Teacher emails shared sign-up schedules. Please be sure to submit for a time to help coordinate your conference. Each day will be a "half-day" for students - with dismissal beginning at 12:25 PM. There will be no Kindergarten on either of the days.

Date: December 10, 2022, 10:00- 11:00am

Drop Off: Back of CB South High School

Questions, contact: Rachel - 267-966-7929 rnemec74@gmail.com

Accepting:

• Shoes (if possible - separate from other items)
• Clothing (Men, Women, Children)
• Accessories: belts, hats, handbags, scarves, gloves etc.
• Soft Household Items: towels, blankets, bedsheets, quilts, comforters, curtains
• Stuffed animals and small toys (less than 2ft.)
• Bikes and Scooters
• Strollers and car seats with base

CAN NOT accept:

• Sports equipment, Board game, puzzles, books, Anything glass, Pots or pans, Electrical devices, large toys, Highchairs or cribs, VCR tapes, Furniture, Outdoor playsets

The Bucks County Symphony Orchestra presents its Family Concert at Central Bucks High School East in Buckingham, PA.

The BCSO welcomes the Wind Ensemble of Holicong Middle School as our special guests at the annual Family Concert. The featured soloist is the 2022 Youth Concerto Competition 1st prize winner, 14-year-old violinist Audrey Kim. Maestro José Luis Domínguez and the BCSO will introduce concertgoers to the various orchestral instruments as they present Benjamin Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.

What a wonderful way for the entire family to enjoy an afternoon of entertainment together!

TICKETS: $10 for adults – students admitted FREE.

November was National Lung Cancer Awareness month - students and staff had a "White-Out" for healthy lungs to focus on this cause that affects many families in our community.

Thanks to our PTO, Butler students and their families enjoyed an afternoon of roller skating at In-Line 309. Students brought canned food donations for Butler's Food Collection Drive to benefit Butler families in need.

A time-honored Butler tradition was for our Kindergarten students and their experience with Thanksgiving Feast! Students worked on projects and learned about the tradition prior to the holiday break.

Butler Elementary School practices the Paw Power Attributes of B.U.T.L.E.R.

Butler (at its Best!); Understanding; Teamwork; Leadership; Educational Excellence; Respect

Each week, students earn Positive Paw Powers for their good behaviors and positive attitudes at school. Children enter them into our collection bin where names are then drawn for a special treat each Friday for every grade level.

Winners 12/2/22

Kindergarten- Charlotte J. 1st- William B. 2nd- Amy S. 3rd- Chase M., 4th- Zachary R., 5th- Shawn L., 6th- Maddie B. T-Shirt Winner- 4th Grade- Maddie B.

Butler Elementary School prides itself on upholding to the highest standards of conduct and good work. When students demonstrate and emulate our Positive Paw Power attributes, it is noticed and acknowledged. Students receive Power Paw slips and place in our collecting bin in hopes of a special selection, which may include a unique Butler t-shirt or Breakfast with the Principals! With this week's breakfast, students had special time with Principals (Mr. Funseth & Dr. Doherty) and Student Counselors (Mrs. Milotich & Mrs. O'Connell) while being honored with a special certificate acknowledging their effort. Students work hard at helping our building rise to the top each and every day!

To read the latest from the Butler PTO, please CLICK HERE for access to the Weekly Newsletter!