September 14, 2022
Some thoughts for the starting school year
September 14, 2022
Parents' Night 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
September 15 @ 5:00 p.m.
K, 2, 4, Ms. Pusparani, Ms. Phillips, and SLL
Parents' Night is an important event for all parents. The evening starts in the Multi-Purpose with Ms. Rose. She will provide a "State of the School" overview to parents and will introduce the teachers in attendance. Our PTO President will briefly speak about this school year. Then, parents will be dismissed to the teachers' classrooms to see and hear about their child's classroom and instruction.
This event is designed for parents only.
Walkers at Dismissal
Please be advised that walker numbers are finished being inputted at 3:10 p.m. Walker parents will need to go to the front office to pick up their child starting at 3:10 p.m.
Excused vs. Unexcused Absences
An absence from school, whether an excused absence (for illness or doctor's appointments) or an unexcused absence (taking an extending vacation, visiting relatives, going on a cruise, etc.) means your child was not at school. Children get sick and need to stay at home when they're sick. However, extra days off for family trips or for a relaxing day at home add up to the times a child is not in school learning. All absences represent lost time in the classroom and a lost opportunity. Children struggle to master the daily learning objectives when not in school.
Did you read at least 5 books this summer?
Turn in your summer reading list to receive an award. Lists should include your name, teacher name, titles and total number of books read. Numbered lists can be hand-written on plain paper. All lists are due to teachers by this Friday, 9/16.
Name That Book
Grades 1-2 Name That Book is a five-member competition team. Interested students must request a permission form from the library and return it with a parent signature by September 30 giving students permission to take the qualifying test in October. Students must score high enough on the test to qualify for the five-member competition team. This challenging test is designed for students who have read and reread the 25 books on the required list. Team meetings will be on Thursdays after school.
Grades 3-5 Name That Book Club is for students who have read the 25 required books and are interested in trying out for the Name That Book Team in December. The purpose of the club is to prepare students for competition. Applications are available in the library and are due by September 30. The club will meet on Tuesdays after school beginning in October. A qualifying test will be given to club students December 6 to determine the six-member competition team. Only team members will continue to meet in January.
For more information, visit the Houston ISD Library Services page.
Helping Children Learn
Throughout the school year, this section of the newsletter will highlight key points from the Bush Parent Handbook. School begins at 7:30 a.m. Students arriving after 7:40 a.m. are tardy. Students arriving after 9:00 a.m., without a doctor's excuse, are marked absent.
Vacations
Please remember to plan your family vacations and trips during regular school holidays like Thanksgiving, Winter and Spring Break. Family vacations cannot be considered excused absences by the State of Texas. As a result, they are recorded as unexcused absences. All students must have a 98% attendance rate. Every day at school is important. All students must attend school up to and including the last day on May 31, 2023.
Early Pick Ups
Please do not plan to pick up your child after 2:30 p.m. from the office. To ensure a safe dismissal, students will not be called to the office to be picked up after 2:30 p.m. Thank you for helping to make dismissal safe for all our students.
Nurse's Rule
Please do not send your sick child to school. If your child has a fever, pink eye, or upset stomach, please keep him/her at home. We have lots of folks under our roof every day. For the health and safety of ALL students, it is very important that children stay home when they are ill. Students who have thrown up during the night or who are running a fever cannot be sent to school. Students must be fever free for 24 hours without fever-reducing medication before returning to school. When your child returns to school, please send a signed note stating the days your child was absent and the reason for the absence.
Safety First
Safety is our number one core value. We must be safe before we can teach, learn, and grow. Safety
policies and procedures are constantly reviewed and revised as needed. ALL adults entering
the building MUST show a government issued photo identification at the front office every time entering the building.
The identification will be run through a background check device before an adult may receive a visitor’s
pass. If parents are coming into school to volunteer and/or to attend field trips, then they must be VIPS approved. Information about being VIPS approved is available on the HISD website, in the Parent Handbook, and will be available in the first few weeks of school.
Carpool Courtesy
Bush Elementary is not responsible for patrolling the streets in the Bush Elementary zone. However, we can ask for parents to "Be Kind" while waiting for the carpool lane to start moving and once the cars starting moving up in the carpool lane.
Please "Be Kind" when navigating around parked cars. Have your carpool number displayed so the other cars will know that you're not one of the parked cars and won't attempt to pass you. Please stay in your car and be prepared to move once the line starts moving.
Please do not block any entrances to parking lots while stopped and waiting for the carpool lane to begin moving. Also, please allow the cars attempting to enter or exit the West Briar parking lots to do so.
Thank you for doing your part to keep the streets around Bush Elementary safe.
Social and Emotional Learning with Ms. Jones
Focus: Positive Thinking
Why are affirmations important?
Affirmations have the power to motivate you to act on certain things, help you to concentrate on achieving your goals in life, give you the power to change your negative thinking patterns and replace them with positive thinking patterns, assist you in accessing a new belief system, but above all, affirmations can reaffirm the positivity back into your life and help regain or increase your self-confidence.
Here is a FREE resource that you can use at home to help increase positive self-talk.
Community Outreach
Wraparound wants to THANK everyone who brought donations at the end of last week. It was amazing to see the donation cart filled with food and hygiene products. Our families in need will forever be thankful. We will be accepting donations throughout the next weeks until further notice.
If you are able to help us stock our Wrap Around shelves, please consider donating the following items to help our families in need:
Food
Cereal
Oatmeal
Noodles
Juices
Grains
Canned veggies and fruit
Soup
Hygiene Items
Toothbrush
Toothpaste
Shampoo
Soap
Toilet paper
Deodorant
Hand sanitizer
Feminine Hygiene Products
You can drop these donations at the front office on a black wagon at any time.
Thank you SO MUCH in advance.
Parents' Night: Our Wraparound Specialist will be here for Parents' night this upcoming September 15th . Please make sure to come by my table to learn more about our resources.
💡 Spectacular Science 💡
The Spectacular Science Word for the week of September 14th is mass/weight.
🐾 Bobcat Birthday's 🐾
Ms. Rose would like to wish a very special birthday to:
Ernesto V. who turned 5 years old on September 12 and is a prekindergartner in Ms. Locus's class.
Khalil L. who turned 9 years old on September 12 and is a third grader in Ms. Goodwin's class.
Annabelle G. who turned 10 years old on September 13 and is a fourth grader in Ms. Garza's class.
Everett G. who turned 10 years old on September 13 and is a fourth grader in Ms. Rodriguez's class.
Cassius C. who turns 10 years old on September 15 and is a fourth grader in Ms. King's class.
Emily W. who turns 8 years old on September 15 and is a second grader in Ms. Brown's class.
Lydia B. who turns 9 years old on September 16 and is a third grader in Ms. Baber's class.
Sebastian M. who turns 7 years old on September 18 and is a first grader in Ms. Baldwin's class.
Gabriel H. who turns 10 years old on September 18 and is a fourth grader in Ms. Munk's class.
Esin P. who turns 6 years old on September 18 and is a kindergartner in Ms. Myers' class.
Happy Birthday and Welcome to the Bush Birthday Book Club!
Donate to Support the Bush ES PTO
Our PTO membership is open! Paw and Bobcat levels are only available through September 23rd, and will not be offered after this date. Need based financial assistance for membership is available via PTO Pals, no questions asked (this will provide a Cub Level membership).
Donate by September 23rd to help the school reach our membership goal for a school-wide FREE DRESS DAY!
Donate to support the PTO today and enjoy all the benefits of membership! A Cub level donation gives you the opportunity to vote on the PTO budget and elections, and you will receive a copy of the Bobcat Calendar available exclusively to PTO members. A Paw level donation gives you all the benefits of the Cub level, PLUS an adorable paw print magnetic clip. A Bobcat level donation gives you all the benefits of the Paw level, PLUS an included adult size BBE Spirit Shirt (and the opportunity to purchase additional adult shirts) AND your children’s name and age printed in the Bobcat Calendar on their birthday. A portion of Paw and Bobcat level donations go to support PTO Pals, a no-questions-asked program for any family wanting to join the PTO but who needs financial assistance to do so.
Joining the PTO does not obligate you to help with any PTO events or activities, attend meetings, or participate in any way– it is simply a way to invest in the success of all our students at BBE (but of course we welcome all those who would like to give of their time as well).
For any questions related to membership, please contact bushpto.vp@gmail.com.
School Store
School Store On-The-Go is back! School Store OTG is a time for the students to put their money skills to use and pick out a fun item or two to use in the classroom or take home.
School Store OTG will be set up a little differently than last year. We will only be open for ONE grade level each week, so be sure to check the calendar so you know when your student will have it.
The store will be open in the afternoons (not during lunch) on the following Fridays:
September 16 (this week!)- 5th grade
September 23- 4th grade
September 30- 3rd grade
October 7th- 2nd grade
October 14th - 1st, Kinder and PK
If you choose to send money with your student on their given day, please be sure it is in a safe location, such as their backpack, until the end of the day. The PTO and staff are not responsible for any lost money. Also discuss with your student how to act appropriately with money and be considerate of those who may not have as much or any money that day. Remember to always BE KIND.
Families can also shop our school store online or visit us in person every Wednesday morning from 7:30 to 8:30am.
Purchase apparel and select school supplies such as agendas, zipper pouches, notebooks etc. Items purchased online by Thursday at 5:00pm will be delivered to your child’s classroom on Friday.
Be sure to follow @bbepto on Facebook or Instagram for the latest updates when we get new stock!
Anyone entering the building will need to present a photo ID at the main office.
PTO Events and Outreach Survey
Please help us to continue improving the volunteer support that we give our students, school and teachers, by completing this quick survey. If you complete the survey you can choose to be entered in a drawing for a $25 gift card! This survey will close on September 15th.
Nature Center
Join us at the Nature Center!
We’re looking for students (and families!) to help us in the Nature Center. Please see below regarding our upcoming events. All students must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Events are weather permitting and space is limited. Sign up soon!
- Friday, September 16th from 3:15pm-4:30pm Rainbow Rock Garden + Nature Center Clean Up
- Friday, September 23rd from 3:15pm-4:30pm Rainbow Rock Garden + Nature Center Clean Up
- Friday, October 7th from 3:15pm-4:30pm Pumpkin Painting + Planting
- Friday, October 14th from 3:15pm-4:30pm Pumpkin Painting + Planting
Birthday Book Club
Join the Birthday Book Club and make your student’s day extra special! Your student will receive a personal birthday greeting from Ms. Rose during the morning announcements, and have their name printed in the weekly Paw Prints newsletter, in a book for the library, AND on the electronic marquee during the week of their birthday.
Room Parents
We are looking for 2022-2023 Room Parents!
Room Parents help facilitate communication between the classroom and families at Bush. Please let your teacher know if you would like to volunteer, and get your background check completed now so you're ready to roll!
Please consider volunteering as a Room Parent for other teachers in need. In the past, some of our fabulous teachers have not had this type of help.
By volunteering your time, you make the experience for every student at Bush extraordinary!
Please contact bushpto.vips@gmail.com with any questions about becoming a Room Parent.
Send in your photos for the Yearbook!
We would love for families to send in any photos from the first day of school or other events happening in your child’s classroom. If you have any, please share them with us! Please send no more than 5 photos to bushptoyearbook@gmail.com and label pictures with your child's grade.
Business Sponsors
Please contact bushpto.partnerships@gmail.com for more information on becoming a business sponsor.
Subscribe to the PTO Events Calendar through iCal or Google
For any questions related to PTO please contact Amy Gnau, presidentbbepto@gmail.com
Follow us on Twitter!
Families, we’ve brought back Bush’s twitter account! Please follow us for updates and peeks into learning @BarbaraBushElem.
Who do I Contact?
Counselor - Jewell Quinonez
(P) 281-368-2150 (ext: 275212)
Jewell.Quinonez@houstonisd.org
Click here to visit the BBE Counselor Corner
FOR RESOURCES AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH -
Wraparound - Maria Quevedo
(P) 281-368-2150 (ext. 275105)
FOR ATTENDANCE -
Registrar - Adriana Rosales
(P) 281-368-2150 (ext. 275104)
Houston, TX 77077
(P) 281-368-2150