Buckalew Buzz

Buckalew Bears Motto:

"Today I choose to BE Kind, Work Hard, and Do My BEst!"

Our school hours are officially 8:00-3:10. Students may arrive as early as 7:30.

Email: contactbuckalew@conroeisd.net
Website: https://buckalew.conroeisd.net/
Location: 4909 Alden Bridge Dr, The Woodlands, TX, USA
Phone: 2814653400
Facebook: www.facebook.com/BuckalewCISD/

Instagram: @buckalewbears
Twitter: @buckalewbears

Buckalew Families,

We are so very blessed by our amazing Buckalew teachers and staff as we celebrate them this week during teacher appreciation week, May 6-10. We want to thank our incredible PTO for spoiling all of our staff this week! Thank you to those of you who have taken the time to fill out a TAE on any staff member. You can do this by logging into Parent Access (or student access) and you will find a button that is marked "TAE". Feel free to send a FREE TAE to let a staff member know how much they are appreciated.

With school canceled last Friday, we hope you and your families are safe. 4th-grade parents, Mrs. Ramirez will be communicating more about the evening Choir Concert. It has been rescheduled for Monday, May 13th. 4th Grade teachers will be communicating out more about the Color Run make up.

Our first graders are hosting a Pet Supply Drive benefitting the Montgomery County Animal Shelter through this week. See below for more informaton.

Last, we are very proud of our 4th graders in Bel Canto Choir who volunteered to participate this past Saturday in a Children's Music Invitational in Tomball. Thank you to Mrs. Ramirez and our parents for exposing our students to a new opportunity.

As we near the end of the school year, please pay close attention to your homeroom teacher newsletters to keep up with any and all school activities.

Thank you for sharing your children with us!

Mrs. Price

Child Nutrition Job Fairs

We are hiring cafeteria workers this summer to begin working in August.

Thursday, June 20th – 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the CISD Operations Center

Tuesday, June 25th – 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Grand Oaks High School

Transportation Hiring Event

• On May 23, 2024, CISD Transportation will host a Job Fair/Hiring Event at the JETT Center, commencing at 9:30 a.m.

Please click link for the Job Fair Flyer.

Hey Fathers and Father Figures! Interested in serving as a WATCH D.O.G.? Contact Angela Fonville at aakinfonville@conroeisd.net for more information and open calendar spots!

**Please pay close attention to homeroom teacher newsletters for class-specific events.**

May

6-10- Teacher Appreciation Week

8th- All Library Books Due

10- PTO Meeting 11:30

13th- 6pm Choir Concert (rescheduled)

Last Week of School Buy One, Get One Bookfair (see below for details)

21 - Kindergarten Yearbook signing

22 - Grades 1-4 Yearbook signing

23 - Early Dismissal 12:10

23- Kindergarten Program, 8:30

23- 4th Grade Graduation, 10am

August 2024

14 - First Day of School

Buckalew's attendance call-out will be changing from a 7:30pm notification to 10:45am. This information is designed to notify parents of absences earlier than later. As we move to the new time, please know that you may have already called in and excused the absence or checked your child in the front office after 9am. If you know you've notified the school of the absence, or were a late arrival, and you receive this call, please know that our attendance office will be reconciling the absence(s). While we adjust to this new call-out, please know you can always check and verify your child's absences and tardies (and grades) by going to Parent Access Center.

First grade is collecting pet supply donations for the Montgomery County Animal Shelter from April 29-May 10th. Needed items are listed below and can be turned into a box at the front office.

Items include: Cat food, dog food, towels, blankets, grooming supplies, and pet toys.

Thank you for your support!

First Grade Teachers

Conroe ISD is offering summer programs for enrichment and remediation. The following programs are being offered:

Kids Quest Academics: Grades K-3

Kids Quest Academics: Grades 4-6

Fine Arts (Art and Choir): Grades 4-6

Robotics: Grades 3-6

For more information about CISD summer programs, visit the following district link:

https://www.conroeisd.net/department/tl/summer-school/

You may contact Mrs. Smith at tonsmith@conroeisd.net if you have any questions about summer programs offered by CISD.

The flowers are blooming, and the grass is growing! I love this time of year!

Of course, with Spring comes allergies. How do you know if it is a cold vs allergy? I have included a link that will help you learn more about the difference.

Allergies vs. colds in children - Children's Health (childrens.com)

Happy Spring,

Nurse Alison

CISD ILLNESS POLICY:

If your child has a fever of 100 degrees or higher, he or she must stay out of school until they are fever free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medications. In addition, students with diarrhea or vomiting must stay home until he/she is diarrhea and vomiting free without diarrhea or vomiting-suppressing medications for at least 24 hours.

Let's keep our Buckalew Bears Healthy!

Nurse Alison

Infrastructure

• Critical infrastructure like chillers, boilers, air handlers, generator, freezer/cooler, roof sections, & electrical service equipment

Safety & Technology Infrastructure

• All campuses will receive safety & technology infrastructure updates
  

Technology Devices

• All campuses will receive updates to their technology devices.
• 98 Chromebooks were exchanged that had a specific operating system 4/8/24

Elementary Gym

• proposed date to be complete: August 2025!

• land survey completed December 2023
• perimeter fencing completed February 2024
• impact resistant film installed on all exterior glass January 2024

Parent Lunch Reservations will now be found on our Website. Parent lunch visitors are on a reservation basis. We simply don't have enough space to accommodate those without reservations.

Go to Lunch Reservations and find the green 'Parent Lunch Reservation' button on our Home page. It will take you through to Signup Genius from there.

Click Here to be redirected to our Website

If anyone other than a parent or guardian comes in to have lunch with a student, the Front Office will need a note from the parent/guardian giving permission for that person to have lunch with that child. Please either send a note in the back pack to the Front Office on the day OR email contactbuckalew@conroeisd.net.

Our Kindergarteners will be celebrating finishing their first year at Buckalew with a music program on the last day of school. Please sign up on the following form if you plan to attend so we can get your badge printed ahead of time. Otherwise you will have to wait in the front office to sign in. If you have never been on campus before or will be using your passport as an ID, we cannot preprint your badge.

Please see the handout that was sent home from Mrs. Ramirez for all other information regarding what to wear and times!

Can’t wait to see you there!

Musically yours,

Mrs. Ramirez

April is the last month to check out library books for the remainder of this school year. All library books will be due by May 8th. Once all books get checked in, we will double check the shelves for any "lost" books. Books that are lost or damaged, we will add the cost to replace the library book to the students' School Cash Online account. Your prompt payment is appreciated so that your student can check out books next year anywhere in CISD.

We prefer that payment be made to replace a lost book instead of you sending in a replacement. Replacing a library book with a book from Amazon or a local book store is not an equitable replacement. Library books are specially bound to withstand hundreds of checkouts; thus the cost of these books is an average of $20 or $25 dollars. The books from Barnes and Noble or Amazon, even if they are a hardcover book, are meant for an individual owner.

A Piggie and Gerald book or Dog Man book, these books have been checked out hundreds of times. Waiting is Not Easy by Mo Willems - 238 checkouts! Harry Potter, 201 checkouts 🙂

We have ferocious readers at Buckalew, thanks for your support!

Conroe ISD Library Services has enabled daily email notifications so you are informed of the items checked out by your student. Notifications for these daily messages can be managed in Parent Access Center (PAC). Please see instructions below to either enable or disable emails.

Welcome to the Counselor's Corner! I am Mrs. Points, your school counselor. Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns at kpoints@conroeisd.net. I look forward to working with your family. 😊

I am self-aware.

I can manage myself.

I am aware of others.

I can build relationships with others.

I can make responsible decisions.

May Citizenship

Please consider joining the Buckalew PTO! Memberships and yard signs are currently available for purchase on the Buckalew Spirit store at https://buckalewbearspto.com.

Last PTO Meeting: Friday, May 10 · 11:30 AM · Buckalew Library

Hey, Buckalew families! Welcome back! There’s a super easy way to help our school earn money with our everyday spending. Kroger Rewards and Boxtops! It takes about 30 seconds and will donate directly to our school. Just download the Kroger app and the Boxtops app to start donating! Cheers to a great year ahead!

If you are interested in hearing about volunteer opportunities, please email BuckalewPTOVolunteers@gmail.com and let us know that you would like to be included on our volunteer list. You can also sign up using the QR code below.

Please follow the directions above to purchase your yearbook here: www.treering.com/validate and enter our school’s passcode: 1016910708713746 Please direct any and all questions to Kristen Stocker or Kate Herring at buckalewyearbook2023@gmail.com

The purpose of the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) is to:

(a) Promote the welfare of children at Buckalew

(b) To foster cooperation between parents and teachers in the education of children at Buckalew

(c) To unite school and community efforts in securing the best education for all children

(d) To engage in fundraising activities for the educational and recreational benefit of Buckalew, its children, teachers, and staff as determined by the PTO and in accordance with the PTO by-laws.

We ask EVERY PERSON entering Buckalew to be approved as a CISD volunteer. This is for the safety of all students, as a background check is carried out.

Click the button below to complete the form. You will need your drivers license number;

Please bring your ID with you each and every time you come to Buckalew. This is a safety layer that we check in all visitors.

In the event you are moving or have recently moved, please email your new proof of residency document (i.e. a recent gas, water or electric bill / or your signed and dated lease or sales agreement) to lpvasquez@conroeisd.net. Please include the student's full name and homeroom teacher so his/her information can be updated.

Thank you,

Lindy George

At the October 17, 2023 CISD School Board Meeting, the trustees approved the PreK-6th Grade Cellphone and Smartwatch policy. The policy approved states:

● Cell phones and smartwatches may be used respectfully and responsibly before school and after school.

● Cell phones and smartwatches should not be used to capture video, audio, or images at school or on the bus.

● Cell phones and smartwatches should be set on silent mode and kept in backpacks, lockers, or other designated storage areas and should not be visible during school hours including instructional time, reward time, free time, lunch, and in the hallways.

● Use of cell phones and smartwatches may be permitted in extenuating circumstances with permission from a staff member. (ex. to notify parent/ guardian of a late bus)

Currently Buckalew's Student Addendum states the following on Student Electronic Devices.

If a student brings an electronic device (cell phone, e-reader, smart watch, etc.) they bring them at their own risk. The school is not responsible for any damage, lost, or stolen electronic devices. The expectation is that electronic devices are powered off when students enter the building and stored in a backpack until they exit the building. Any communication between parent and student during the school day must go through the office or teacher.

Teachers will communicate with parents if there are times that personal electronic devices will be allowed to be used during classroom activities. Expectations for use will be communicated to students, and students will be monitored to ensure the devices are being used properly.

Students who do not comply with school procedures will have the device given to the assistant principal, who will contact the parent to discuss the concern and plans moving forward, and schedule a time for the device to be picked up. Please see CISD Student Handbook for further information on electronic devices.

Cookies are preferred birthday treats and must be store bought due to allergy, safety and sanitation concerns. Treats are served in the cafeteria during the students' lunch time and should be brought to school before 11am. No balloons, candles or deliveries.

Please email your homeroom teacher to check if there are any specific classroom allergies at least 1 school day beforehand.

Parents will need to register for Parent Access Center (PAC) account if their student(s) are new to Conroe ISD. Students previously enrolled in CISD will have an active PAC account. You can view your childs grades and other important information regularly. Instruction son how to register are below.

If you have difficulty accessing the PAC, please call CISD head office on 936 709 7752 or email helpdesk@conroeisd.net.

Students arriving after 8am are considered tardy. An adult must accompany the student into the Front Office to sign them in. Please do not leave the student to come into the building by themselves. This is a safety issue.

Students are considered absent if they arrive at school after 9am unless they have a note from a health care professional for an appointment on that day.

As we continue to monitor safety practices on campus regularly, we would like to ask for your assistance in this practice. On a daily basis, through Active Start in the mornings, recess during the day, and even during PE when outside, we have adults approaching our students through the fence line of Lakeside Park. We kindly ask that you refrain from engaging your child or other children through outside parameters of our gates and doors. It becomes confusing for students to know who they should or should not talk to from the fence line. It becomes difficult for staff monitoring to differentiate who are parents or strangers engaging the students as well. We kindly ask that after you drop your child off and say goodbye, that you do not interact with the students from the fence areas. We thank you for your assistance in reinforcing student safety, as it is a public park with a lot of traffic throughout the day.

Do you need to report an early release, an absence from school, or a transportation change? Print and fill out our Note to the Front Office found on our website. Click the green button labeled Note to the Front Office:-

CLICK HERE TO BE REDIRECTED TO OUR WEBSITE

When your child is absent, please call the school attendance line (281-465-3410) or email buckalewabsence@conroeisd.net to explain the reason for their absence. To ensure the accuracy of your child's attendance records, please call, or email each day your child is absent.

Please remember that attendance is recorded at 9:00 a.m. each day. If your child is absent at 9:00 a.m. due to a doctor’s appointment, he/she will be counted present if you bring your child back to school on the same day with a doctor's statement that verifies the appointment.

If your child will be out for an extended period, please let us know.

School hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. The tardy bell rings at 8:00 a.m. and students will be counted tardy if they are not in their classroom at that time.

State law requires that children miss no more than 10% (18 days) of the school year. Students that miss more than 18 days are subject to not be promoted to next grade level. The law goes on to state that it is the parent/guardian’s duty to monitor the student’s attendance and requires the student to attend school. It is important for students to remain in school until the close of each school day at 3:10 p.m. unless illness has caused a child to leave earlier.

Tardies

Instruction begins at 8:00 a.m. each day. Students that arrive at school between 8:01 a.m. and 8:59 a.m. are tardy.

Absences

State attendance is taken each day at 9:00 a.m. Students arriving after 9:00 a.m. will be marked absent for the day unless they have a signed note from a healthcare professional for an appointment that morning.

If your child is going to be absent, please contact the school attendance line at 281-465-3410 or send an email to buckalewabsence@conroeisd.net. Please state your child’s full name, grade, homeroom teacher, date or dates of absence, and reason for the absence.

Medical Appointment

If your child is arriving late or returning to school due to a medical appointment, please provide a health care provider’s note upon entering the school to ensure your student is not marked tardy or absent for the day. If you need to pick up your child for an appointment, please do so no later than 2:30 p.m. The student will not be called from their classroom until you arrive at the school. Please plan accordingly.

We strive to dismiss all our students safely from our building. Please do not come to the Front Office at dismissal time to call your child from class. We cannot dismiss students directly from the classroom or in the hallway at dismissal time. Students will not be released after 2:30 p.m. from the Front Office.

If you are checking out your child prior to 2:30pm, please come into the Front Office and provide your identification. We will then call your child to meet you in the Front Office. Due to safety reasons, we cannot call your child to the Front Office unless you are here.

If you are checking your child out during specials or lunchtimes, please note that it may take a little longer to locate your child from their specials or lunch room and for us and them to get their back packs from their room. Please leave ample time for this if you have any appointments to attend.

We have an abundance of children and families who bike or walk to and from school. Many of your family members include your pets, joining you on your bike or walk to and from school. For your liability, and the safety of others, please refrain from bringing your dogs into the biker walker area beyond the posted signage. We have 2 signs in this area posted that should allow room for your dog, however, will prevent them from being in our most congested areas during arrival and dismissal. We have many children afraid of dogs, even though your dog may be friendly and well-mannered. We have also had dogs get into altercations with other dogs in front of this area and we kindly ask that if you choose to bring your dog, that they stay beyond the posted signs as you watch your child enter or exit our doors.

Thank you for your understanding.

If you have lost or need a new car rider sign, please email the following email address with your child(rens) full name, home room teacher and grade, we will send 2 copies home with your child:-

buckalewtransportation@conroeisd.net

Active Start is a before school "free play" for students arriving at school from 7:30-7:45. Weather-permitting, students go to the k-2 playground prior to the start of school. Students arriving after 7:45 will go straight to homerooms.

Breakfast is served in our cafeteria from 7:30-7:55 daily. See below for menu. See fees below for both breakfast and lunch.

If anyone other than a parent/ guardian checking out a student from our campus, we will need a note, sent in with your child, in their backpack on that day or an email to buckalewtransportation@conroeisd.net. If we do not have a note from a parent/guardian, the Front Office will call to get permission for your child to leave our campus.

The Emergency Card completed at the beginning of the school year is for us to be able to contact someone in a situation where we cannot get hold of a parent/guardian. It is not permission for those emergency contacts to check out a child, any time.

We appreciate your patience and understanding as we strive to keep our students safe whilst on our campus.

ALL Parents should have received 2 CAR RIDER/Dismissal Signs at Meet the teacher. These are used for safety precautions when we are dismissing more than 700 students. We thank you for keeping 1 sign in each car.

For KG ONLY: We are requiring Kindergarten parents only at Biker Walker to carry this sign with them to pick up their child at the biker walker doors. With our growing enrollment and various staff members on duty, it adds an extra layer to make sure we are connecting the correct kindergarten student with their care giver.

Take a photo of the sign? We have had several people ask if they can use a photo of this Dismissal Sign on their phone. The answer is YES! Feel free to take a picture to keep on your phone in case of transportation changes or loss of the sign, or emergency instances with severe weather. Please know that the original sign is IDEAL, as it is designed for those calling dismissal to be able to read. On a cell phone, that will slow down the line.

1. Bus rider (eligible if home is 1 mile or further from school) Bus routes are posted online on and you can check the link below in "what bus do I ride". You can also register your child for the bus by clicking the link below in the Buzz. You can also register for CISD SMART TAG

2. Car Rider Signs. The car rider line will be at the rear of the school and the bus line will be at the front of the school. ALL Parents should have received TWO car rider signs (yellow) at Meet the Teacher night. Please display the car rider sign in your front passenger window so our staff can read your card. See below to help you navigate our car rider line if you are new.

3. Day Care. Day care vehicles drop off and pick up students in the front of the school with the buses. If your child will not be riding the day care bus due to an early pick-up or transportation change, please notify the day care so they know your child will not be riding that day.

4. Biker/Walker. Kindergarten students must have a parent/guardian/designated adult present with the car rider sign at the Biker Walker doors (under the patio) at dismissal in order to walk or bike home. All other Biker Walkers will exit the school near the bike racks. All other biker/walkers are released at dismissal to ride or walk home independently.

On severe weather dismissal days, students will not walk or bike ride home. If your child is a biker/walker as your primary mode, then you will be a car rider on severe weather days. There is no rainy day dismissal.

We offer parents the courtesy of a drop table to deliver forgotten items, which is located in our Front Office. There are pens, paper and tape available for you to use to clearly identify items for your child to pick up. We will call the classrooms at 10am to inform all students of items on the drop table.

Please make sure lunches and birthday cookies are clearly labeled and brought into our school before 11:15am so that we can send them to the cafeteria on our lunch cart, for the allotted lunch times. We have limited staff available after this time.

We thank you for understanding.

To make transportation changes, please send a note in your child's backpack to the teacher OR email: buckalewtransportation@conroeisd.net prior to 2pm with your childs full name, grade and homeroom teacher. Any changes submitted after 2pm will not be seen until the following school day.

Alternatively, please print the form to the Front Office below:-

We are working with our students on understanding the lunch-buying process. It can be quite confusing for our elementary students. We are currently speaking with our students and explaining to them, if they bring a lunch, they should eat their lunch before going through the line and purchasing an additional lunch. As we try and navigate each student through the lunch line, every child has a different need, and we never want to deny students from going through the lunch line. We encourage you to communicate with your child your expectations in either: eating the lunch you are providing/packing; buying extra lunch only and going through the line one time; or explaining that if they go through the line a second time, their account is charged again. We also encourage you to check your child's account, by going to the link below and you can check and monitor your child's purchase history, and if necessary put a limit on the account by contacting our cafeteria directly.

Breakfast

Student Breakfast $2.00

Student Reduced Breakfast $.0

Non-Student Breakfast/ 2nd Student Breakfast $3.30

Lunch

Student Lunch $3.20

Student Reduced Lunch $.40

Non-student Lunch/ 2nd Student Lunch $4.60

Entree $3.00

Milk $1.15

Fruit/ Vegetable/ Grain $1.75

A La Carte

• Extra entrees, extra sides, chips, cookies, etc. are all charged a la carte prices and are not included in the meal.
• For example, if a student gets a meal of chicken smackers, mashed potatoes, and milk, but wants an extra portion of chicken smackers, the extra portion is not considered a part of the meal and will be charged an additional $3.00.
• If a parent wishes to restrict a la carte purchases, please contact the Child Nutrition Office.

You may prepay by using My School Bucks. You will find a link to this service, lunch menus, and other helpful information by clicking on the child nutrition resource button below. If you would like to put a cap on your child's spending on your lunch account, then please notify our cafeteria manager by calling 281-465-3467.

Children are encouraged to bring water bottles each day. Please clearly write your child's name on the bottle with permanent marker.

A friendly reminder to please label all of your child's belongings with first name and last initial or last name. **Water bottles, lunch boxes, hats, and especially outerwear such as hoodies/jackets/sweaters are all great things to label as these items tend to pile up quickly in the Lost and Found, which is located right outside of the gym. We really hope to reunite these lost items with their owners before the break!

If you have any additional questions, please contact gabinkwon84@gmail.com

PDF to help you navigate Buckalew-specific dates, procedures, and information. Please note that all information in the attached handbook is subject to change due to state and local policy updates.

We thank you for planning ahead. Please use this calendar for your planning purposes to maximize instructional days.