Banta Elementary School

What a way to start off the school year with 100-degree days and the AC set on high! I am so proud of our teachers and staff for their perseverance and dedication and the fact that they have not wilted in this late summer heat wave!

I have always loved this time of year, a time when we are getting ready for fall but are still keeping one foot securely planted in summer. That little kid in all of us is trying to hold on to the last fading moments of summer with all of our might, almost as if we sense the loss of freedom, and unstructured time that summer affords us. A sense that things are more formal in the Fall, that we seem to have more responsibilities, and that it is a time to get down to business. Some might even say that Fall is a time full of potential and possibilities, a time of new beginnings.

When I was much younger, my husband and I would always take one last hiking trip before school started. One last hurrah! We would pack our backpacks, check our supplies, and with the dog in tow, we would hit the trail for a week at a time. Hiking in the backcountry pushed us to our limits as hikers. I was always the one who took up the rear, plugging along at my own pace. Finding a rhythm that always got me to my destination!

I will never forget the trail that forced us to use narrow switchbacks as we climbed up the face of a mountain. For this girl, who is severely afraid of heights- the five-foot wide trails felt like mere inches. Or the time in July when it started snowing while we were putting up our tent! We spent the fourth of July under a meteor shower while camping near Blue Lake, walked through meadows of wildflowers on the John Muir Trail, and found hidden waterfalls in the middle of the wilderness.

When I was a young girl, I was fascinated by John Muir, the founder of many of our National Parks, most notably Yosemite. Muir used to keep journals of the wildflowers, trees, and animals that he saw while living in Yosemite. When I hiked I had a flower guide that was based on Muir’s flower sketches. It gave me great joy to come across a new flower while hiking and to check it off of the list!

These trips taught me the power of pushing myself out of my comfort zone. They taught me that large, daunting tasks can be accomplished one step at a time, and they taught me that no matter how well we pack and plan, things happen, and we need to be adaptive. These days the thought of sleeping on a bed of granite is much less appealing, but the allure of the backcountry wilderness and its beauty still tugs at me.

I hope you have all had a wonderful August and have been able to keep one foot in summer! I hope you enjoy your journey and can check off all those things you want to see and do- one step and one summer at a time! Here’s to a beautiful Fall and a fantastic September!

And just like that, August is a wrap!

Dr. Pearlman

2-Labor Day Holiday- NO SCHOOL

9- Hay Day Meetings- Every Monday in September!

13- PFA Movie Night

18- Fall Picture Day

20-Early Release Day 1:15pm

27- First-trimester Progress Reports

All students should have received their free Banta Spirit Wear t-shirt this last week. Be sure to wear your spirit shirt EACH FRIDAY! If there is any issue with your t-shirt, please don't hesitate to let the office know. We do have a few extras available for $10.00 if you want to purchase one for an adult or a non-Banta sibling!

Hay Day T-shirts are on their way! We hope you will order a shirt this year to show our Hay Day Spirit. Hay Day shirts can also be worn on any Friday to show school spirit!

Order Forms are coming Home soon for your Hay Day Supplies! T-shirts, Wrist bands and raffle tickets!

All students will be sent home with 10 Raffle Tickets sometime next week! We are hoping that all families can sell at least ten tickets. Sell the tickets- and return the ticket stubs and money to your classroom. If you want more tickets, fill out the request form or ask your teacher for more tickets!

Prizes this year are $100, $200, and $300 in cash!

The top 3 student sellers will receive a free game wristband. The top-selling class of raffle tickets will earn an ice cream party!

The country store is where we sell donated baked and canned goods. If you would be willing to donate a cake, cookies, or any sweet treat- please fill out the country store flyer that will be coming home next week. We need lots of help to make our country store a success. If you can eat fruit, jam, or pickle vegetables, we would love any of these items too!

It’s a fact that students who attend school regularly learn more and are more successful in school than students who do not. Attendance patterns are formed early in life. Children who develop good attendance habits in the early grades will be more likely to continue them throughout high school.

Regular attendance is critically important because students who miss school miss out on carefully planned sequences of instruction. They miss out on active learning experiences and class participation. They miss out on the opportunity to ask questions. As a result, they are more likely to fall behind, and they are more likely to drop out.

Things you can do to help…

· Schedule doctor and dental appointments so that your child can attend at least part of each school day.

· Communicate the importance of regular school attendance to your child so they are hearing the same thing that their teacher is saying

· If your student does miss school, please contact the school office.

When we all work together, as a team, we can make regular attendance at school a priority!

Treat others with respect; follow the Golden Rule • Be tolerant and accepting of differences • Use good manners, not bad language • Be considerate of the feelings of others • Don’t threaten, hit or hurt anyone • Deal peacefully with anger, insults, and disagreements.

Each month a different Pillar of Character will be emphasized in the classrooms through Character education.

Welcome back to a great new year!

I am so thrilled to get things started this year! Already, there are plans in motion for new programs, fun Storytime, and more exciting changes to our library.

I hope everyone had a wonderful summer. I know I did with a nice trip up to the Redwoods and a coastal drive back home. We also fostered a dog and got her a new home. The other thing I did was summer reading at the public library. Did anyone else participate? Reading challenges, prizes, and tons of programs happen at every branch! I even won one of those prizes, which got us some new games here in the library! If you missed this time, don’t worry, they will do another one during winter break, so be sure to check out your local library and keep the whole family reading!

I came back here to a wonderful donation of books from Harvest Home Animal Sanctuary, and shortly after, I received another large donation, so we are off to a refreshing start with lots of new books being added weekly to our shelves. See the image for a sampling of some of our newest titles!

Reading is so important for our students' development for their future and we ask each of you to help keep their reading progress strong. Read daily. Read to your child, let them read to you, or even just sit with them reading your own book sets a great example and can be a great habit to start! Students are expected to read regularly and take comprehension quizzes, via Accelerated Reader, so please help them achieve their goals.

-Mrs Eichele

If Yes:

• Keep the sick student and siblings' home from school
• Notify the school office of the illness
• If you would like, test the student for COVID-19 (Link to places to receive COVID -19 test:

https://sjready.org/events/covid19/testing.html)

• If you decide to test for COVID-19, notify the school of the results
• Follow distance learning schedule
• Return to school on the return to school date given to you by the school nurse or office

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• New loss of taste or smell
• Sore THroat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea

Due to COVID-19 and the similarities between routine colds and allergies, any student that goes home sick or stays home sick with any cold, allergy, fever, or stomach/GI issues, will be required to meet the following criteria to return to campus.

• Must be fever free for 24 hours with no fever reducing medications

AND

• Have a Negative COVID-19 test result (at home tests are accepted)

If your student is returning to campus and will need to take medications while on campus, please ensure that you have the paperwork completed and returned to the school office as soon as possible. The Medication Form must be renewed each year, please contact the school if you are unsure if you have submitted the form for this school year

Immunizations for incoming 7th Grade students

(current 6th graders)

As your student prepares to enter 7th grade in the upcoming school year, it is important that they are up to date on all of their immunizations. As required by the state of California, your child will need to provide proof to the school that they have received their Tdap Booster immunization prior to entry into 7th grade.

If we do not have documentation of this immunization, unfortunately, we will not be able to place your child on a class list come the start of the2025-2026 school year. Please note, there have been no extensions granted by the state and the TDAP requirement remains in place.

Please provide proof of your child’s Tdap immunization to the school office.

Always follow up with your health care providers with concerns

We are very excited to kick off our new school year. This year we partnered with a local produce company Ceja produce out of Tracy. We are excited for our new partnership.

We are back into the swing of these and we are looking for volunteers for our Banta Hay day coming in October. Food Service and our Ag center is happy to be a part of Hay Day!

We have lots of new faces in our food service kitchen. We happily opened up a high school this year in River Islands. High school students have the option to select Subway on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Check back next month to see what exciting things food service is up to.

Parents of children ages three to twenty-one years sometimes suspect delays in the development of speech-language, readiness, motor, social-behavior, academic, and self-help skills.

Concerned parents can contact the school office at 229-4650 to request evaluations.

Community Advisory Committee (CAC) is a group of professionals and parents of special education students throughout San Joaquin County who collaborate and share resources. This is a good way to connect with other parents who have children with special needs and know that you are not alone. If you are interested in meetings, please contact NelLaine Kilgore (209) 541-9992. Fliers are given at every IEP meeting.

If your child is going to be absent, be sure you notify the bus company at (209) 862-2921. This will help the drivers reroute and not go to your house for that day!

Welcome Back! We are excited to start a school year where everyone can enjoy being on campus! In the new school year, we look forward to your continued support. With you, we can create family fun events to celebrate our community; and, we can raise necessary funds to support classroom activities.

In our monthly meetings, we actively share the ongoing academic successes and needs for all students, especially those learning English as a second language.

Please join us, this year as we continue to honor Banta’s rich history and community involvement.

Meeting Days and Time: Monday's from 5:00-6:00 p.m. (Unless otherwise noted)

Hay Day is scheduled for Saturday, October, 21st. We will have our next Hay Day Committee meeting on Wednesday, 9/13/2023 at 5:00 pm. Please join us. All are welcome.