Botsford Elementary

Celebration of Black History - Month of February

Botsford Elementary Families & Friends,

The month of February has approached our learning community & I would like to take the time to recognize Black History Month from February 1st-28th. Black History Month is an annual celebration of achievements by African Americans & a time for recognizing the central role of African Americans in U.S. History. Also known as African American History Month was created by African American scholar Carter G. Woodson. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada & the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating black history.

It is important that our students of Botsford Elementary be exposed & educated on the many different cultures & races throughout the United States of America. This is a great opportunity to engage in various conversations at home or during the school day to become familiar with the many famous & historic individuals that may have been African American. As the month continues, to educate our school community, I will provide the students of Botsford Elementary with a historic African American figure & his/her accomplishments or place in history throughout the school week such as Barack Obama, Maya Angelou, Martin Luther King Jr., Jackie Robinson, Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, & Rosa Parks.

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/black-history-month

"Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about."

Mr. Bryan DeCaire, Botsford Elementary Principal

FEBRUARY

5 - NO SCHOOL, Staff Professional Learning

5 - BEST Fundraiser - Panera Bread @ 4-8 PM

7 - Global School Play Day

10-14 - Botsford Elementary Student Council Spirit Week

11 - 5th Grade Camp Parent Meeting @ 530-630 PM

12 - Fire Drill

12 - Winter Count Day

12 - Early Release Wednesday @ 210 PM

12 - Botsford B.E.S.T Parent Meeting @ 6 PM

14 - Valentine’s Day

17 - NO SCHOOL, President’s Day

19 - Masri Orthodontics Dental Presentation @ 110-150 PM (JK-2nd Grade)

19 - Early Release Wednesday @ 210 PM

21 - BEST Family Event - Lego Night @ 6-730 PM

26 - Early Release Wednesday @ 210 PM

28 (February) - 30 (March) - Ramadan

Global School Play Day - February 7th

Global School Play Day is observed annually every first Wednesday in February and this year it will be held on February 7th which is due to having NO SCHOOL on Wednesday, February 5th. This holiday promotes the importance of unstructured, regular play for children. The campaign was started by a group of six educators in 2015. They realized that playtime for children was decreasing both at home and in school, leading to negative consequences for the children’s development. They immediately took action and initiated Global School Play Day, with over 65,000 children participating in its very first year.

Winter Count Day - February 12th

Count Day is an important day for districts all over the State of Michigan. This particular day is associated with how the school district's funding is determined & it is vital that ALL students attend the full day of school on February 12th, 2025, which is an early release day as well with a dismissal of 210 PM.

With temperatures beginning to drop & winter approaching, Botsford Elementary wants to remind families, friends & students about the danger of not dressing appropriately for the cooler weather.

As building principal, I want to continue allowing & encouraging play outside when appropriate weather & temperatures allow for recess. The school community will be going outside when temperatures are 10 degrees or above. It is important that ALL students wear the appropriate clothing while waiting for a school bus or playing outside during school hours. This means & I strongly encourage wearing a hat, heavier coat, layers & gloves at the very least.

Those families & friends who DO NOT bring or have appropriate clothing are still expected to participate outdoors & cannot remain indoors or in the main office. If your child has a medical condition that restricts them from being outside, please DO NOT send a note drafted by you, the parent as it needs to be a medical note.

I encourage BOTH partnerships to speak with our children about what to wear when it is cold outside & that staying warm is important. In addition, discussing what can happen if we DO NOT take the proper precautions will be beneficial also.

Botsford Elementary B.E.S.T has invited our learning community to join them for a family fundraiser at Panera Bread on Wednesday, February 5th & a Family Fun Event on Friday, February 21st.

Panera Bread Fundraiser, Wednesday, February 5th

Panera Bread is located on Six Mile Road in Livonia. Families can come together at Panera Bread for an afternoon lunch or evening dinner. Please bring the flyer or show a digital copy to the cashier while ordering to ensure our organization gets a portion of the net sales. The funds raised from this event will go directly towards our Botsford Elementary Family Events & Activities for the 2024-2025 school year, including Harvest Fest, Santa Shop, Festival of Trees, Teacher Appreciation, Family Movie & Dinner Nights & End of the Year Celebrations.

Family Event, Lego Night, Friday, February 21st

The Botsford Elementary Support Team has invited our families to join them for a family fun night on Friday, February 21st from 6-730 PM. Botsford Elementary has partnered with Redford Library to bring our learning community a Night with Legos. The library is graciously sharing their plentiful bins of Legos for our students to showcase their skills. Dinner tickets will be sold using the flyer below.

Other Fundraising Opportunities

Amazon Smile - https://smile.amazon.com/

Use the above link when you go to the website & select CHARITABLE ORGANIZATION. Type in Botsford Elementary Support Team & for every purchase you make on this site, BEST will receive .5% back from it.

Kroger - https://www.kroger.com/account/enrollCommunity/RewardsNow/

Our families simply go to the site & click I'm a customer. The site will ask you for which organization & insert Botsford Elementary Support Team. The organization # is JJ809. Every time you shop for groceries you are also giving back to the students & staff of Botsford Elementary.

Please review the information below regarding an opportunity to join Scout Pack #287. What is scouting? Scouting is a term that describes all of the programs provided by Scouting America for both boys and girls ages 5-20. Scouting teaches youth to confront any challenge with whole hearts and clear minds—to live their lives without regret, never back down, and do their very best! Through the Scouting America programs, Scouts learn a variety of skills that prepare them to confront challenges through their life.

Come join the fun at Pack 287. We are a family pack that is open to all. We focus on fun outdoors, helping the community and leadership. Interested but cannot make this date? Contact Cubmaster Evan Arnett at the below information.

PACK# 287

2/24/2025 @ 6 PM

BOTSFORD ELEMENTARY GYMNASIUM

CUBMASTER ARNETT - earnett08@gmail.com

As a building, we have collected & a number of different belongs have accumulated in just a few short weeks due to being misplaced or left on the playground during recess periods. It is vital & helpful if these items such as lunch boxes, coats, sweatshirts, water bottles are labeled with the students name and/or room number so that they can be returned to its owner. These belongings are placed into the "lost & found" but over time if these items are not retrieved they will be donated after a period of time being left behind.

WIDA Assessment - January 21st-March 28th

All students who have a language other than English spoken at home & are identified as English Learners must take a state assessment called WIDA ACCESS for ELLs (Accessing Comprehension and Communication in English State to State for English Language Learners). The Enrollment Office form that was completed when your son/daughter enrolled in the Clarenceville School District provided us with this information. Students will take the assessment even if they are not attending ESL/EL classes. The assessment is for Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking, and Comprehension in English. Students will take the assessment between January 21st-March 28, 2025. We will mail your child's test results to you when we receive them from the Michigan Department of Education. If you have any questions, please contact Karen Morrison at 248-919-0402.

Children Not Feeling Well – School Tips

There are many different viruses going around during this time of year. The flu, RSV, the common cold, and COVID are all going around and some children can get more than one virus at the same time. We have seen all of these in our buildings already this year and they will continue to go around until the weather starts to get warmer. It is important to keep your students home if they are not feeling well. This will help your child get rest and be more prepared to learn as well as prevent more germs from spreading to others. Some illnesses can linger so it can be confusing at times to know when to send your child back to school. Here are some tips and recommendations for sick students.

We follow Oakland County guidelines for excluding a child from school. We want to be cautious and not spread illness but we also do not want your child to miss more school than necessary. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions!

Fever: If your child has a fever, they should be fever free without medication for at least 24 hours before returning to school. Giving your child fever-reducing medication and then sending them to school will not help them feel better, they need to rest when they are sick and at some point, the medication will wear off during school hours. This would also expose others to the illness so please keep your child at home until their fever is gone for at least 24 hours.

Coughs, sneezes, and running noses spread germs. The viruses above will spread through these respiratory routes. If your child has a new cough, sneeze, or runny nose please keep them home. For most illnesses, the first few days and possibly even a couple of days before an illness starts, a person can be contagious and spread a virus. A cough may linger for weeks so it is important to consult your primary care provider to help determine if your child can return to school.

Allergies: Many of us have seasonal allergies so it can be difficult to know if we are having allergy symptoms or if we have a virus. Allergies will not cause a fever and for most people, they do not cause a sore throat, coughing, or achy feeling. An itchy nose, eyes, and mouth can be a sign of allergies that typically do not occur with a virus.

Prevention: Practice good hand hygiene and cover your coughs and sneezes! Hand washing can make a significant difference in spreading a virus or catching one. We should encourage our students to wash their hands well with soap and water or hand sanitizer if soap and water are not available. Covering a cough and sneeze with a tissue or with your elbow helps keep the germs to yourself as much as possible.

BEST Parent Meeting - February 12th @ 6 PM

Our B.E.S.T Parent Meeting will be hosted in person on Wednesday, February 12th @ 6 PM. Our families are encouraged to ask any questions, become familiar with the events planned for the 2024-2025 school year & connect with other Botsford Elementary families. The B.E.S.T. Organization will continue to gather each 2nd Wednesday of the month until advised differently.

BEST & FOG Parent Organizations will begin the 2025 Floor Hockey Season on January 28th for our Junior Division followed by our Seniors on January 30th. The puck will drop @ 615 PM & 730 PM in the Grandview Gymnasium. Thank you to our Athletic Directors for organizing this opportunity for our students along with all the volunteers that will lead our students this season.

As a building, we have collected & a number of different belongings that have accumulated in just a few short weeks due to being misplaced or left on the playground during recess periods. It is vital & helpful if these items such as lunch boxes, coats, sweatshirts, water bottles are labeled with the students name and/or room number so that they can be returned to its owner. These belongings are placed into the "lost & found" but over time if these items are not retrieved they will be donated after a period of time being left behind.

It may be beneficial for our families to explore the latest & yearlong B.E.S.T fundraiser sponsored by Mabels Labels. This is a wonderful & efficient method to label student belongings simply with a laundry, dishwasher, microwave safe & waterproof label.

Please visit campaigns.mabelslabels.com & search for our organization. The labels will ship directly to the home for FREE & Botsford B.E.S.T will receive 20% in our funds from the order.

Botsford Elementary Families shall pay close attention to the flowchart created by the Clarenceville School District on the steps necessary while addressing a concern, challenge or conflict so that these items can be addressed properly & in a timely manner. This flowchart shall be used as a reference guide on who to contact with questions & concerns.

The office of Botsford Elementary understands if our families/students are running late, which is considered after 840 AM, students must enter through the front doors & escorted by a parent, adult, or guardian so that their child can be signed in by the office. Please DO NOT drop your child off to independently walk into the building, & proceed to class without supervision. Please remember to stay in your vehicle while dropping off.

Any student who has arrived after 840 AM will be marked "tardy".

As building principal, I strongly discourage student(s) from being picked up for early dismissal so we can protect the instructional time & ensure a calm & safe end to the day for all students. Please plan accordingly and if your child needs to be picked up early, please contact the office or classroom teacher in the morning so that we are prepared for this early release.

Just a reminder our school day @ Botsford Elementary begins at 830 AM & concludes @ 340 PM. It is important that if your child has been dropped off or is being picked up & the entry/exit doors have been closed upon the 835 AM window that they proceed to the main entrance to be entered into the building by a Botsford Elementary staff member & not to remain outside the doors or knock. This applies as well if your child(ren) has not been picked up at dismissal (about 350 PM), families should proceed to the main office.

As a partnership, we can agree that education is important for your child’s success in life. Regular attendance ensures that your child gets all the benefits the school can offer. When students are missing school, they are missing out on those benefits. School attendance is so important, that Michigan law makes it compulsory for all children ages 6 to 16 to attend public schools. When children are excessively absent, the law holds parents/guardians accountable. If your child is truant (missing scheduled school time without an accepted excused absence), you and/or your child could end up in court with serious consequences. Attendance may be the single most important factor in school success because:

• Children do best in school when they are in class every day. The U.S. Department of Education reports that for every missed day of school, it takes a student two days to catch up.
• In addition to academics, children learn valuable lessons about personal responsibility and commitment.
• Children keep up with their peers and have stronger bonds with the school and community.
• Annually, students who graduate from high school will earn 30% more than those who don’t complete high school.

• 1 in 10 kindergarten students misses nearly a month of school every year. In some districts, it runs as high as 1 in 3.
• Kindergartners who miss 10 percent of school days have lower academic performance when they reach first grade.
• Chronic absence in kindergarten translated into lower fifth-grade achievement.

Below is some important information about the correlation between attendance and achievement.

It is important for your child's progress to make a change within that number of absences & make an adjustment.

Some suggestions that may help in achieving this adjustment include:

• Setting a regular bedtime & morning routine.
• Layout clothes & pack backpacks the night before.
• Disallow your child from staying home unless they are truly ill.
• Talk to staff and/or teachers if your child seems anxious about going to school & advice can be given on how to make him/her feel more comfortable & excited about learning.
• Be sure to make alternative plans for getting to school in case a challenge has arisen. Call on a family member, a neighbor, or another parent.
• Try & avoid medical appointments & extended trips when school is in session.

Email: bryan.decaire@clarencevilleschools.org
Location: 19515 Lathers Street, Livonia, MI, USA
Phone: (248)919-0402
X: @BotsfordElem