"Stop and Think... Be a Bobcat."
Botsford Elementary Classroom Charters - RULER
Botsford Elementary Families & Friends,
According to our Social-Emotional Curriculum presented by RULER, the Charter builds & sustains positive emotional climates by creating agreed-upon norms for how people want to feel, as well as how they can help each other to experience those feelings. The Charter focuses on enhancing the school's emotional climate.
Classrooms throughout the building have been developing various Classroom Charters that pertain to their classroom culture. The classroom teachers spend time engaging in a discussion & ask for student input while creating these charter agreements. They asked a couple of questions that relate to "How do they want to feel at our school?" This question is then followed up with, "How will we help each other experience these feelings?" Our Botsford Elementary Staff has carried out this process as well & developed a STAFF Botsford Elementary Charter.
I have included some of the Classroom Charters that have been created by various grade levels during our most recent Constitution Day & will continue to share our learning at Botsford Elementary.
"Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about."
Mr. Bryan DeCaire, Botsford Elementary Principal
StopBullying.gov outlines various ways to prevent bullying & helping children understand bullying. I have provided our learning community with ways & our roles to prevent & understand bullying.
What is Bullying?
As an educator who works with students of all kinds, I have experienced, mentored & redirected a variety of behaviors. "Bullying" is a term that I have defined a number of times & as the leader of Botsford Elementary, I felt as though it was important for me to revisit our "prevention" on defining, according to stopbullying.gov what "bullying" is defined as.
According to stopbullying.gov, bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school-aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalance. The behavior is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time. BOTH kids who are bullied and who bully others may have serious, lasting problems.
In order to be considered bullying, the behavior must be aggressive and include:
- An Imbalance of Power: Kids who bully use their power—such as physical strength, access to embarrassing information, or popularity—to control or harm others. Power imbalances can change over time and in different situations, even if they involve the same people.
- Repetition: Bullying behaviors happen more than once or have the potential to happen more than once.
Bullying includes actions such as making threats, spreading rumors, attacking someone physically or verbally, and excluding someone from a group on purpose.
Please take the time to read the resource provided by clicking on the button below, as I will continue to implement strategies such as restorative circles, mediation & redirection when it comes to bullying & student interactions. I want the students of Botsford Elementary to "Choose Kind" & "Stop and Think... Be a Bobcat" when dealing with or observing a situation that demonstrates bullying.
Early Release Wednesday's
Every Wednesday, for the 2024-2025 school year, dismissal will be at 2:10 PM. The purpose behind the early release is to provide essential professional learning for our teaching staff to ensure quality instruction for our students. Please be sure to make arrangements for dismissal & thank you for understanding & supporting this initiative.
Clarenceville District Student Count Day - October 2nd
On October 2nd, the district will recognize the State of Michigan's Count Day. This "special" day leads our district & Botsford Elementary towards OUR path to educational success. Count Day is when all public schools in Michigan "tally" or count the number of students attending their schools. This "count" is critical to ALL school districts including our home the Clarenceville School District because each student translates into state funding. State Aid is based on the number of students BEFORE & ON Count Day, October 2nd.
It is crucial that ALL our Botsford Elementary students are PRESENT on Wednesday, October 2nd. Please be sure to avoid scheduling any appointments that pertain to this important day for our school building & district.
School Fall Pictures, October 3rd
Thursday, October 3rd, Botsford Elementary will be hosting Lifetouch to conduct our fall pictures for the learning community.
We are in the process of obtaining the photo packets & yearbook purchasing forms that will be provided & sent home with students once they have been received from Lifetouch. Any questions regarding picture day can be addressed with the Botsford Elementary Main Office.
B.E.S.T Parent Meeting - October 9th
BEST Parent Meeting - October 9th @ 6 PM
Our B.E.S.T Parent Meeting will be hosted in person on Wednesday, October 9th @ 6 PM. There will be a Parent Meet & Greet with our B.E.S.T Organization & myself prior to our meeting from 5-6 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. Drinks & snacks will be provided. The B.E.S.T. Organization will continue to gather each 2nd Wednesday of the month until advised differently.
Label Student Belongings w/Mabels Labels
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 Classroom Candy Collection Contest
Beginning on October 21st & Ending October 25th
For the upcoming Harvest Festival on Friday, October 25th our BEST Parent Organization is in NEED of candy donations. Botsford Elementary is seeking generous donations of bags of candy to be provided to our families & learning community during our Harvest Festival Teacher Trick "R Treat & Parent Trunk "R Treat Events. Each bag of candy can be provided to your child(s) classroom teacher as Botsford Elementary will be engaging in a "Candy Classroom Collection Contest" starting on Monday, October 21st & concluding on Friday, October 25th. The class which has collected the most candy (weight) will have the opportunity to select a classroom incentive from a menu of choices as a reward for their collection.
Botsford Parade of Costumes - October 25th
Harvest Festival will be celebrated Friday, October 25th @ 6-730 PM. Students have the opportunity to wear their costumes during the school day on the 25th & will participate in various classroom celebrations, which may include games, read-aloud, crafts & treats. These classroom gatherings will be communicated by the individual classroom teacher(s) or grade levels.
Students are NOT ALLOWED to wear scary, inappropriate costumes or masks. They MAY NOT bring sharp-edged props such as sticks, swords, knives, or weapons & ALL costumes should honor the school dress code. Blood & gore will NOT be permitted. Students that DO NOT honor this request will be asked to take the costume off or place the prop into their backpack.
I encourage our learning community to join Botsford Elementary for our OUTDOOR Parade of Costumes on October 25th (Friday) @ 10 AM. Parents WILL NOT be permitted into the building, but are encouraged to enjoy the parade along the outside sidewalk that travels around the school building to view their child & his/her costume. This will be a weather permitted event & WILL NOT be rescheduled.
Botsford Harvest Festival - October 25th
Harvest Festival Trunk 'R Treat Volunteers - October 25th
B.E.S.T is seeking families & friends to volunteer & decorate a vehicle that will be placed within our Botsford Elementary Trunk 'R Treat. Please consider sending your name & commitment to take part in our Trunk 'R Treat to our B.E.S.T Parent Organization @ BotsfordBESTparents@gmail.com. More details will be provided leading up to the event on October 25th. The learning community will be provided an opportunity to vote for the BEST decorated vehicle.
Harvest Festival 2024 @ 6-730 PM - October 25th
Botsford Elementary Families & Friends are invited to attend our Harvest Festival 2024. A Trunk or Treat, Games & Activities will be provided while our students can enjoy an outdoor show on the big screen. Concessions will be sold for $1.00 each or $5.00 combos with the money raised going back towards the events & activities courtesy of B.E.S.T.
Clarenceville Homecoming Parade Information - October 11th
The parade route proceeds through the neighborhood and enters Middlebelt on the East side of the street just south of the stadium.
Flag Football & Poms, Sea Cadets and our Learning Community of Botsford Elementary will be walking in the event, & all of the Botsford Elementary Families are encouraged to find a spot on the parade route to cheer on our Botsford Elementary groups. Remember if your child is walking, a parent or guardian needs to walk with their child, no exceptions. Additionally, be sure to carpool and be creative on driving as you will need to get a ride back to Botsford after the parade. The parade starts at 6:15 pm.
The football game this year is against Boyne City High School with a kickoff at 7:00 pm. It is vital that you please be sure to accompany your child to the game or he/she will not be admitted. Do not rely on others to supervise your child as they will not be admitted into the game without an adult.
Clarenceville School District Student Handbooks
During the offseason of the school year, the district administration team rallied together while making improvements to our Clarenceville School District Student Code of Conduct along with each grade-levels student handbooks (high school - middle school - elementary). The Clarenceville Board of Education has reviewed the code of conduct along with the student handbooks which will demonstrate the improvements, adaptations & changes provided by the district administration team & will be implemented this school year & the many more to come in the future. Our intention is to provide our students with the expectations & systems needed to direct their focus on the learning that shall take place during the school year. While the back to school enrollment was taking place, parents & families were asked to review the code of conduct & handbooks with their child(ren) while confirming that this task was completed so that our students understood the expectations prior to the school year.
As the building administrator of Botsford Elementary, I have included the Code of Conduct & Handbook so that it can be referenced as it is posted on our district web page as well. Each week I will take a portion of the handbook & highlight it so that we can continue the learning at Botsford Elementary effectively & our students understand what is expected of them.
Per our elementary student handbook, our cell phone protocol is outlined & stated as:
Establishment of a school dress code is for the purpose of maintaining order, securing the safety of all students, and providing a healthy environment conducive to academic purposes. It is important that students learn to dress for success. In order to achieve these purposes these dress code guidelines prohibit student dress or grooming practices which:
- Presents a hazard to the health or safety of the individual student or to others in the school;
- Interferes with school work, creates disorder, or disrupts the educational program;
- Prevents a student from achieving their own educational objectives because of blocked vision or restricted movement; and/or
- Causes excessive wear or damage to school property.
Grooming, hair style, and/or wearing of clothing, jewelry, head coverings or accessories which by virtue of color, arrangement, trademark, or other denote violence, gang affiliation, death, drugs, sex, tobacco, or alcohol is not acceptable school attire. In addition, clothing deemed to be profane in nature is prohibited.
Footwear must be worn at all times for health reasons. Extremely short skirts, short shorts, halter tops, and bare midriffs, are considered unacceptable school attire. A general guideline for shorts or skirts for most students would be fingertip length with arms fully extended at the student’s side. As a safety measure, hoods may not be worn by students inside the school building during or after school hours.
Students who do not meet dress code requirements must change clothing and leave the inappropriate item(s) in the office for the remainder of the day. If a student does not have appropriate clothing, clothing provided by the office will be provided. Failure to change clothing will be considered insubordination. When a child is dressed inappropriately, the parent will be notified and the student may be sent home.
Consequences for Dress Code Violations
Students will be provided with the following options if their attire for school is inappropriate:
- Students may change into other clothing they have available.
- Students will be permitted to wear clothing provided by the office.
- Family members may bring a change of clothing for the student.
Penalties for inappropriate dress will range from a verbal warning to suspension from school for repeated offenses. Please be advised that a student’s refusal to comply may result in additional discipline. Parent cooperation is always appreciated in ensuring students’ dress & grooming complies with the Student Dress Code.
Parent Square District Communication
The Clarenceville School District has shared invitations via email by the Clarenceville School District informing our parents of the new communication tool that the district will be implementing for ALL communications this school year called ParentSquare. Our goal at Botsford Elementary is to generate 100% of our families to assure that they are getting the most up-to-date information, notices & news. If our families DO NOT register they WILL NOT receive vital information at all levels of the school district. I have included the directions on how to get started.
Early Dismissal & Late Drop Off
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.
Significance of School Attendance
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.
Make a Change w/School Attendance
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.
Botsford Communication Hub
Email: bryan.decaire@clarencevilleschools.org
Location: 19515 Lathers Street, Livonia, MI, USA
Phone: (248)919-0402
Twitter: @BotsfordElem