
Bulldog Bulletin Weekly eNews
Here's what's on top for November 16, 2023
Reminder!
Pajama Day this Friday, November 17th!
There is No School next week in observance of Thanksgiving Day!
From Your Principal
Good Morning Buena Vista Parents,
I hope you are all doing well and getting ready for our Thanksgiving Break that starts next Monday.
I want to wish you all a safe and healthy holiday. I am so grateful for all of our bulldog students and their families. Our students come to school each day ready to learn and excited to join their friends and teachers. We have wonderfully supportive parents and an amazing school staff. Together as a community we have created a safe and supportive place for children to learn and grow.
We hope you take time this break to connect with loved ones and recharge. Even though our schools are closed, you will continue to have access to services provided by Walnut Creek School District. We encourage you to bookmark these resources for easy reference should you or a family member need help during the break or beyond.
We have had an eventful week. We had our November assembly on Monday, during the assembly our student leadership team did a presentation on Ruby Bridges to get our students ready for the importance of our Tuesday event. They were getting ready to celebrate Ruby Bridges Walk to School on Tuesday. You will see pictures below of our students celebrating Ruby's bravery and fight for civil rights at the very young age of 6 years old. At the end of the assembly we focused on kindness and gratitude and how we can make Buena Vista a better place by "doing the right thing, just because it's the right thing to do." Finally, we finished up with a silly celebration! Because our generous families helped out PTA make their fundraising goals, students Silly Stringed me in front of the whole school. Not once, but twice!
Student Learning
I was able to visit the Learning Center, I was able to see Mrs. Lucas working with some of our 5th grade students on writing a five paragraph essay. Students were hard a work trying to create a "hook" to bring their reader's interest into their response to literature. While this was going on in one corner of the Learning Center, Mrs. Lasky was working with some of our English Language learners to help them build their vocabulary. Many of her 5th grade students have not even been her one year yet, and they are already asking and answering questions in English. Our Reading Specialist, Mrs. Thompson, was busy working with a 1st grade student to assess and see how much their reading has grown since the start of the school year. It was very busy, but there was a lot of learning!
I was also able to visit Ms. Mes' transitional kindergarten class. Students were learning about the calendar, looking for patterns and counting (some of them could already read the number 63!). She then transitioned them to learning about the holiday Diwali. She was teaching them important vocabulary that had to do with the festival of lights. The students were especially excited to learn that sometimes there are even fireworks! I can't wait to see the diyas that the students created in class.
We hope you take time this break to connect with loved ones and recharge. Even though our schools are closed, you will continue to have access to services provided by Walnut Creek School District. We encourage you to bookmark these resources for easy reference should you or a family member need help during the break or beyond.
It's a Great Day to Be a Bulldog!
Respectfully,
Angela Gramlick
Important Dates
- Monday, November 13th-Friday, December 1st- BV Food Drive
- Monday, November 20th-Friday, November 24th- NO SCHOOL, Thanksgiving Break
- Wednesday, November 29th- Drama Performance, 7pm, MUR
- Friday, December 22nd- SHORTENED DAY, last day before Winter Break. TK/K: 8:10am-11:30am, Gr 1-5: 8:10am-12:25pm
October Principal Award Recipients
Mrs. Gramlick works with teachers to recognize students who are standing out in the classroom each month. Here are the students that were recognized for amazing work and effort in October.
TK
Everly H - Creative Courage
Leo L - Creative Artist
Katherine L - Amazing Listener
Kindergarten
Ivan H - Kind Friend Amy W - Strong Agency Atticus Z - Awesome Academics Pedro L - Good Citizenship Riley V - Good Citizenship Millie D - Kind Friend Kylie D - Kind Friend Camila D - Helpful and kind Ranger E - Kind Friend
1st Grade
Ayana T - Creative Writer and Illustrator Award Griffen L - Reading Achievement Award Rowan M - Kind Friend Emma S - Good Citizenship Celina L - Kind Friend Zachary D - Good Citizenship Bryden K - Excellent Attendance Eryn R - Creative Writer and Illustrator Award Ayla M - Super Student Amel I - Good Citizenship Nolan B - Outstanding Work Ethic Ali D - Extra Engaged Learner
2nd Grade
Pedro D - Trying His Best in All He Does Hazel S - Strong Agency Tristan C - Good Citizenship Briggs B - Strong Agency Stas D - Excellent focus Katya B - Strong Agency Yunji H - Focused Learner Gyusang Y - Incredible Initiative Melsi S - Kind Friend Hamza S - Big Thinker
3rd Grade
Monica H - Strong Agency Sofia M - Kind Friend Valeria R - Learning English Hana Y - Kind Friend Tatum T - Good Citizenship Norah G - Excellent Attendance Bryce O - Good Citizenship Grace S - Improved behavior Angus H - Strong Agency
4th Grade
Minseo C - Good Citizenship Brooke F - Kind Friend Ila J - Good Citizenship Jaxon W - Hard Worker Logan C - Excellent Word Habits Yena C - 100% Effort Zayn S - Positive Outlook Saadullah S - Good Friend Charlotte W - Positive Outlook Owen A - Good Citizenship
5th Grade
Adrian M - Good Citizenship Kate C - Good Citizenship Scarlett F - Kind Friend Mercy E - Good Citizenship Daniel Z - Great Sense of Humor and Good Friend Yeva B - Helpful Charlie D - Kind Friend Zoe S - Strong Agency Joure S - Kind Friend
Thank you!
Our Fun Run was a tremendous success thanks to all of your support! Collectively we raised over $30,000 for the current school year. Beyond fundraising, we fostered some friendly competition and celebrated our Bulldog spirit. This is one of our favorite days of the year. We hope it was memorable for you and your students as well.
Award winners were announced via our Facebook page. Stay tuned for spirit day celebrations, top fundraisers silly string Principal Gramlick at the 11/13 assembly and donut drops for the class winners (tomorrow).
Get Connected with BV PTA
This is an unofficial community group for families of Buena Vista Elementary School! It's a place to share, connect, and get to know each other and the happenings of our Bulldog community.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1269114227104365
Thank you!
Ongoing PTA Volunteer Opportunities
Please take a look at the Sign Up Genius for ongoing volunteer opportunities. You are not required to be a PTA member to contribute. This is a great way to build community and support our students - we can't do it without you!
5th Grade Camp Fundraiser!
The fifth grade will be hosting another camp fundraiser at Extreme Pizza on Thursday, November 16th, from 11 a.m.-9 p.m. When you order, please make sure to mention the fundraiser. Extreme Pizza would like to encourage you to order ahead of time. They can take orders in advance, which will help them prepare for a busy day to benefit Buena Vista. Please see attached flyer HERE. Thank you for helping the fifth graders go to Outdoor Science Camp!
Is your child home from school?
Parents, it is very important that you remember to leave a message on the attendance line at (925) 944-6822 ext. 3801 or email jlouie@walnutcreeksd.org if your student will not be coming to school. Emails to teachers or the Principal do not always get communicated to the office. Thank you!
Recess volunteers needed!
We are looking for volunteers to help facilitate some playground games & activities during lunch recess on Fridays (weather permitting). Please complete the volunteer training module and email Shelley Purcell in the office if you're interested!
LOST & FOUND- WE ARE DROWNING!
We have tons of Lost & Found items that need to be reclaimed!
Please remember to label your student's belongings (jackets, sweatshirts, water bottles, etc). This way they will find their way back to your student. Any unlabeled lost & found will be donated on the Friday before Thanksgiving Break. Our lost & found cart is located outside of the MUR.
ITEMS WILL BE DONATED on November 17.
Extended Learning Opportunity Program (ELOP) Available
Walnut Creek School District’s new Extended Learning Program offers student enrichment from dismissal time until 6:00 pm each day. Some families qualify for free tuition based on income. To learn more and to register, visit our ELOP website here.
Gott’s Day of Giving is today!
Today’s the day! Grab your family, friends, and neighbors for a meal at Gotts - 10% of every order, ALL DAY, goes back to support our schools and WCEF. Grab a bite from 11am - 9 pm.
$5 Off the Forma Gym Turkey Trot!
Home for Thanksgiving? Add Forma Gym’s 31th Annual Turkey Trot to your holiday plans. Start the morning off right and gather your friends and family for a morning run/jog/stroll through downtown Walnut Creek. Or sign up for the energetic Kids Fun Run! The Turkey Trot donates $10,000 to WCEF and is a BIG supporter of our public schools. Use code WCEF and register here!
Deck the halls with Honey Bear Trees!
The always popular Honey Bear Tree lot is back and supporting WCEF. Located across from Acalanes High School in Lafayette, Honey Bear Trees has beautiful trees, wreaths, and garlands straight from Oregon—and free honey! Mention WCEF and show this ad when you check out and 20% goes back to our schools. Delivery available. Please note: Cash or check only.
Open from 9am - 9pm, 7 days a week, November 17 - December 24.
Recycle and giveback to WCEF! Save the Date - Dec. 2
Time to do your end of the year purge! On Saturday, December 2, swing by the WCSD parking lot from 10am-4pm to recycle your e-waste and get old documents (securely!) shredded. You’ll support our schools while cleaning up. Recycling fees are based on size/weight and shredding is $12 per bankers box. A percentage of fees collected come back to WCEF.
City of Walnut Creek Recognizes WCEF’s 40th Anniversary
On Tuesday, November 14 the Walnut Creek City Council recognized WCEF’s 40th Anniversary and the impact more than $15 million raised has had on our community since 1983. We thank the community members, donors, parents, faculty & staff who spoke on behalf of this exciting milestone. Join us in supporting our schools at wcefk12.org.
CAC Parent Trainings
Our Contra Costa SELPA invites parents to attend the following information sessions: CAC Parent Trainings.
Important Links
Angela Gramlick-Principal
Email: agramlick@walnutcreeksd.org
Website: https://www.walnutcreeksd.org/Subsite001
Location: 2355 San Juan Avenue, Walnut Creek, CA, USA
Twitter: @BuenaVistaWCSD