Buckalew Buzz

Buckalew Bears Motto:

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

Our school hours are officially 7:55-3:10. 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/
Twitter: @buckalewbears

Buckalew Family,

We've had an AMAZING first four days of school as we "Build a Strong Foundation" with your children! I hope they've all come home excited to come back. For those of you who are new to Buckalew, the BUZZ newsletter is our primary form of communication for all things happening within Buckalew and our PTO. The Buzz will be sent out twice a month. Your child's homeroom teacher will send a weekly newsletter via email on Fridays with all the specific details about the grade level or their homeroom. Please make sure to carefully read through both so you don't miss any important information.

Our theme this year is "Building a Strong Foundation." We are embracing campus construction that should be starting soon as part of the 2023 Bond package. Buckalew will be one of the first campuses to get a new gym, to be completed August 2025!

Our staff would like to express their gratitude to our parents and the amazing PTO for organizing a Welcome Breakfast on our first day back from summer break, as well as providing a "stock the fridge" for the first week back. This support is especially helpful as we help students adjust to their learning routines and many of our staff may not have time to sit down long enough to eat lunch.

The Buzz newsletter contains important information about our school and updates from our PTO. Please take the time to read through the layout and all the information to avoid missing out. We are excited to see everyone at our grade level orientations.

• Monday, August 26
• Kindergarten 5pm
• 4th Grade 5:45pm
• 3rd Grade 6:30pm
• Thursday, August 29
• 1st Grade 5pm
• 2nd Grade 5:45

Thank you for an amazing start to our year!

Mrs. Price

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

August

8/20- Deadline to order Buckalew Spirit Wear

8/22- Buckalew Chick fil A Spirit Day, mention "spirit day"

8/26- Orientations for KG5-5:45, 3rd 6:30-7:15, 4th 5:45-6:30

8/27- 4th Grade Choir Begins in AM

8/29- Orientations 1st 5-5:45 and 2nd Grade 5:45-6:30

September

9/2- NO SCHOOL, Labor Day

9/6- PTO Meeting, 11:30 Library

9/13- Fall Pictures

9/16-9/20 Book Fair Preview

9/23-9/27 Book Fair Sales

October

10/3- Walk to School Day

10/3- Watch Dog Introduction and Kick Off/Pizza Dinner..more to come!

10/4- PTO Meeting, 11:30 Library

10/10- Storybook Parade/End of First Grading Period

10/11-No School for students

10/14- HOLIDAY- Columbus Day

10/16- Fine Arts Education Day

10/23- TWHS Red and Green Parade

10/25- TWHS Homecoming

10/28-11/1- Red Ribbon Week

10/31- Halloween

November

11/1- PTO Meeting, 11:30 Library

11/1- Fall Picture Retakes

11/4- No School

11/5- No School for students (Election Day)

11/6- Boosterthon Kick Off on Announcements

11/15- Boosterthon Fun Run!

11/18-22 Generation Texas Week

11/21- KG Feast, 4th Grade Program

11/22- 3rd Grade Feast, Turkey Trot, 1st Grade Thanksgiving Traditions

11/25-29- Thanksgiving Break

December

12/5- 2nd Grade After School Playdate

12/10 4th Grade After School Playdate

12/12- 4th Grade Choir Concert

12/20- End of First Semester, Student Early Release, Jingle Bell Jog

12/20 @12:10- 1/6- Winter Break

January

1/7 School Resumes

All visitors must be able to provide a government issued, photo I. D. at each visit. Photos of the I.D. will not be accepted. Visitors will check in at the front office and receive a Visitor Badge which must be worn at all times in the building. When leaving the building, visitors must check out with the front office and return the badge.

In order to volunteer at school, a Volunteer in CISD Application must be completed.

Please visit volunteer-in-cisd to complete the process, or click on “Volunteer (Parents)” in your student's Parent Portal.

Are you cleaning out closets and drawers of outgrown clothing? Not sure what to do with the clothes?

The clinic is in need of boys' shorts, pants and shirts.

Also, make sure and back extra clothes for your child in their backpack! Spills also happen at lunch!

Now that we are back to school students are sharing germs. Just a reminder about CISD's 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.

Thanks for helping to keep our Buckalew Bears healthy.

😃Click Images to sign up.

Bel Canto is open to ALL 4th grade students at Buckalew no matter your musical background! You do not need to audition, just bring yourself, and you are welcome. Choir starts Tuesday, August 27th, BEFORE school from 7:10-7:55 AM and continues each Tuesday and Thursday unless otherwise noted. If you are interested in joining, please fill out the Choir Sign Up Form prior to rehearsal Tuesday 8/27. (Click the link above to fill out form or retrieve a hardcopy form outside the Music Room) Please contact Mrs. Ramirez with any questions at sdramirez@conroeisd.net. More detailed information can be found on the second page of the Sign Up Form and will be sent after sign up as well. Hope to see you there!

Join the PTO and Support our Buckalew Bears

Please support our school by joining our amazing PTO. The link below will take you to the Buckalew PTO website, where you can join the PTO and explore ways to get involved at Buckalew.

It is a great way to get connected with our Buckalew community and other parents.

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.

President- Brooke Roberts

VP Fundraising- Chelsey Martin

VP Communications- Felisha Hennessey

VP Parent Involvement- Christine Schaible

Co-Treasurer-Carrie Foster

Co-Treasurer- Rachel Simpson

Secretary- Jainelle Kemp

Parliamentarian- Anna Russell

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.

For state law information on attendance, please visit: https://buckalew.conroeisd.net/attendance/

School hours are from 7:55 a.m. to 3:10 p.m. The tardy bell rings at 7:55 a.m. and students will be counted tardy if they are not in their classroom at that time.

Our goal is to ensure the safe dismissal of all students from our building. To facilitate this, please refrain from coming to the Front Office at dismissal time to retrieve your child from class. We are unable to release students directly from the classroom or hallway during dismissal. After 2:30 p.m., students will not be released from the Front Office.

Should you need to check out your child before 2:30 p.m., kindly visit the Front Office with your identification. Upon your arrival, we will call your child to the Front Office for dismissal. For safety reasons, we cannot call your child to the Front Office without your presence.

Please be aware that if you are checking out your child during specials, lunch, or recess, it may require additional time to locate your child and for them to collect their belongings. If you have appointments, we advise allowing extra time for checkout.

Our school community includes numerous children and families who commute by biking or walking. It's common for family pets to accompany you. However, for everyone's safety and to limit liability, we ask that you do not bring your dogs into the biker and walker area past the designated signs. There are two signs in place that provide space for your pets while keeping them out of the congested zones during peak times. We recognize that many children are fearful of dogs, regardless of how friendly and well-behaved they may be. Additionally, there have been instances of dogs clashing with each other near this area. Therefore, we respectfully request that if you bring your dog, please ensure they remain outside the marked boundaries while you and your children are entering or leaving the school.

We appreciate your cooperation.

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 someone other than a parent or guardian is checking out a student from our campus, we require a note sent with your child in their backpack on that day, or an email sent to buckalewtransportation@conroeisd.net. Without a note from a parent or guardian, the Front Office will call to obtain permission for your child to leave our campus.

The Emergency Card filled out at the start of the school year enables us to contact someone if we cannot reach a parent or guardian. However, it does not grant permission for those emergency contacts to check out a child at any time.

Your patience and understanding are greatly appreciated as our goal is always to ensure the safety of our students while they are on our campus.

All parents should have received two Car Rider/Dismissal Signs at the Meet the Teacher event. These signs are crucial for safety when dismissing over 800 students. We appreciate you keeping one sign in each vehicle.

For Kindergarten only: Kindergarten parents at the Biker Walker are required to bring this sign when picking up their child at the Biker Walker doors. With our increasing enrollment and the rotation of staff members on duty, this ensures the correct kindergarten student is released to their caregiver.

Regarding taking a photo of the sign: Many have inquired if a photo of the Dismissal Sign on their phone is acceptable. The answer is yes! You are welcome to take a photo to have on your phone in case of transportation changes, loss of the sign, or emergencies such as severe weather. However, please note that the original sign is preferred, as it is easier for the staff calling dismissal to read. Using a cell phone may delay 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.

Our school provides a drop table in the Front Office for parents to leave items their children have forgotten. Pens, paper, and tape are available to label these items clearly. At 10am, we will notify the classrooms about the items available for pickup on the drop table.

Please ensure that lunches and birthday cookies are clearly labeled and delivered to our school by 11:00am. This allows us to transport them to the cafeteria on our lunch cart in time for the designated lunch periods. Our staffing is limited after this time.

We appreciate your cooperation.

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.

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 $3.40

Fruit/Vegetable/Bread $1.75

Milk $1.15

Lunch

Student Lunch $3.20

Student Reduced Lunch $.40

Non-student Lunch/ 2nd Student Lunch $5.00

Entree $3.35

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.

We encourage children to bring water bottles daily. Ensure your child's name is written clearly on the bottle using a permanent marker. Water bottles should have sealing lids to avoid spills in backpacks, lunches, desks, and on clothing.

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. We have calendars for the next two school years below.