Bulldog Bulletin Weekly eNews

I am so happy to announce that Buena Vista made it's reading goal for the WCEF Read-a-thon!

We read 144,651 minutes!!!

So this Friday, October 4th is Hibernation Day!

Wear your pajamas and bring your favorite stuffed animal. (must fit in student's backpack)

Please remember to still wear appropriate foot wear.

(We will offer chocolate milk at lunch next Friday, October 11th as an additional reward earned.)

Dear Buena Vista Families,

A huge thank you to all of the families that participated in the WCEF Read-a-Thon this year. As a school we have read 144,652 minutes and raised $31,894. We definitely hit our fundraising goal....I will be silly stringed at our October assembly, I can't wait! I also want to shout out to Ivan H. in 1st grade and Arantza H. in 4th grade. They were the students in their grade level with the highest number of minutes read for all of the Walnut Creek School District. Way to Go Bulldogs!

I will send final updated next week, but WCEF is continuing to collect donations and finalize numbers until this Friday, October 4th. Buena Vista did a great job supporting our specialists.

Conferences have been going well. If you do not have a time scheduled to meet with your child's teacher, please be sure to reach out to them and do so. This is an important opportunity to meet with your child's teacher and set learning goals for the year. As a reminder the next two days are shortened day schedule.

• Thursday: Tk/K 8:10-11:30 and Grades 1-5 8:10-12:25
• Friday: Tk/K 8:10-11:30 and Grades 1-5 8:10-12:25

School Attendance

Our school’s first month of attendance is 97.35%. We are off to a great start! As we get closer to the cold and flu season, this information will help you consider when to keep your child home from school.

PTA Events

Our BV Jamboree, our fall carnival, is this Saturday from 12-4. Volunteers are still needed. This is a great event and I hope you all can join. I will be here to check out all of our students playing games and winning prizes, I hope to watch the animal show as well! Please scroll down below for more information.

Student Learning

This week I was able to visit Mrs. Pacific's 4th grade class while they work working on building ratio tables. It was great to see them working collaboratively with partners to figure out various number patterns with large factors, then posting their ratio tables for peer feedback. What great math thinking and discussions. I also popped in today as saw them working on our new Freckle math program and practicing their math problem solving skills and challenging math fluency. One student shared, "It's hard, but I like it. I feel like I am learning new things:"

I was also able to visit Ms. BB's transitional kindergarten class, where they were working on phonics and reviewing the letter "A" that is makes an /ǎ/ sound like "apple". Then they carefully colored, cut and glued their letter "A" tree trunk to the apple branches. Great job TK!

In Mrs. Bockser's class they were practicing their word study skills. They were breaking words into phonemes and looking at the meaning of the prefixes and base-words in context to help them determine the meanings of the words. It was great to see them celebrating their own successes.

Mrs. Lamonica's 1st grade class was also working on word study skills. They were practices stretching, spelling and writing CVC words. Students were excited to show me what they were learning.

Important Dates

• Monday, September 30-Friday, October 4: Parent Teacher Conferences

• Saturday, October 5: BV Jamboree--WE NEED PARENT VOLUNTEERS!

• Wednesday, October 9th: Coffee With the Principal -- ELAC 9am

• Thursday, October 10th: Picture Retake Day- volunteers needed (more info below)

• Saturday, October 12th: Community Service Day

• Monday, October 14: No School, Staff Development Day

It's a great day to be a Bulldog!

Respectfully,

Angela Gramlick

Buena Vista Elementary Principal

• If you missed the meeting last week but would like more information about this amazing program, you will find information in this slide deck.

• If you are interested in joining a team, you can sign up here.

• If you have questions, please reach out to Kirsten Choy: kchoy@walnutcreeksd.org

Picture retakes are next Thursday, October 10th. If you want a new picture, please have your student bring their pictures on Oct 10th and give them to the photographer. If you didn't order pictures previously, please use the QR code below to place an order.

We need two volunteers to help out from 8:30-11:30 on retake day. Please sign up here if you're available to help!

• Saturday, October 5: BV Jamboree (12-4pm)

• Saturday, October 12: Community Service Day (more info to come)

• Friday, October 25: Adult & Me Glow Dance: Fall edition (more info to come)

• Thursday, Ocotber 31: Halloween Parade

Jamboree Volunteers Needed- sign up here. It takes a village to execute the Jamboree. Please sign up for a one-hour time slot (or more if you're able). It's a fun way to be involved in the event since most of you will be there anyway. :) Alumni are also encouraged to sign up.

Reflections is a national PTA program that encourages exploration of the arts and expression. Express your art “voice” through dance, film, literature, music composition, photography, or visual arts. Enter submissions here by 10/22.

Contact Rina with questions: rinapapina@gmail.com

As you may know, the PTA plays a vital role in enriching our school community. They organize a variety of events and activities throughout the year, aiming to provide enriching experiences for our students while fostering a strong sense of community. Unfortunately, current PTA membership is lower than in years past. Without a significant increase in membership, we will be forced to charge for, or cancel many events that we currently offer for free. This is a decision we would like to avoid, as we believe that everyone should have equal access to these valuable opportunities.

A strong membership base is essential for the PTA to continue operating as a non-profit organization. We pride ourselves on holding one main (Fun Run) fundraiser a year, but this alone is not enough to sustain our efforts.

Please consider becoming a PTA member to help maintain our current programs and explore new initiatives. Click here to join for as little as $15. Together, we can create a more vibrant and engaged school community for all.

• Join the PTA here for as little as $15

• Follow, Like our Facebook page

• Email us: President@buenavistapta.org

We’re still tallying the totals from our 5th annual Read-a-Thon but this year is shaping up to be the most successful Read-a-thon yet! That means more funds going toward YOUR child’s education in the form of specialist salaries, electives at WCI, and so much more.

THANK YOU to all the students who logged hours and got creative with fundraising, the parents who generously supported their efforts, and the teachers and staff who so enthusiastically encouraged their students!

Didn’t get a chance to donate? It’s not too late - you can still donate until October 4 here!

Thanks to our amazing donors, every month we get closer to our $1.6M goal! As of September 27, WCEF has raised over $560,000 - 35% of our goal! Key programs like TK-5 science lab, electives such as World Languages at WCI and Tice, and the Wellness Center at Las Lomas are available to our students because of you. Thank you to all who have given! If you haven’t donated yet, there is still time. Donate today. Work for a company that will match your donation? To learn more about matching, click here.

On Saturday, October 12, 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. Rain or shine!

October is national pizza month – support our schools by dining out at Pan Coast Pizza on the dates below. 20% of that day’s sales will go back to our schools!

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!

Buena Vista Elementary

Email: agramlick@walnutcreeksd.org
Website: https://www.walnutcreeksd.org/Subsite001
Location: 2355 San Juan Avenue, Walnut Creek, CA, USA
Twitter: @BuenaVistaWCSD