May 22, 2024

Monday, May 27 is a student holiday. Students return to school on Tuesday, May 28, at 7:30 a.m.

We hope you and your family are safe and have been able to return to normalcy after last Thursday's storm. If you are still without power or need any assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out to our dedicated wraparound specialist, Ms. Maria Quevedo, at maria.quevedo@houstonisd.org. We are here to support you during this time.

It's hard to believe that I have been a part of the Bush Family for 23 years. It seems like just yesterday I dropped off my children in kindergarten in 1993 and 2000. I was overjoyed when PK was an addition to Bush. I had the pleasure to work 10 years with the youngest Bobcats. It was AMAZING! As I finish this journey as a front office clerk, I must say it is bitter sweet. I will miss the Good Mornings' and smiles from each and everyone of you!

After 23 years of dedicated service, Ms. Glenda bids farewell to Bush Elementary as she embarks on her well-deserved retirement journey. As the welcoming face of our school, her warmth and professionalism have left an indelible mark on everyone who walked through our doors. From calming nervous parents to cheering up students with her infectious smile, she has been the cornerstone of our school community.

Ms. Glenda's contributions extend far beyond her daily duties; she has been a friend, confidante, and source of unwavering support to students, staff, and parents alike. Her commitment to excellence and her tireless work ethic have set the standard for service at our school.

Join us in wishing Ms. Glenda all the best as she embarks on this exciting new adventure!

Just as a reminder, every adult entering the building must have a government issued photo identification in hand to be scanned for a security check.

If you are coming into the school to volunteer and/or attend field trips. then you must be VIPS approved.

End of Year Award Ceremonies are underway! Due to limited space availability in the multipurpose room and classroom, each student in grades Prek-4 can have up to 2 guests attend the ceremony. For the 5th grade award ceremony taking place at West Briar Middle School, each student can have up to 4 guests attend the ceremony. Please mark your calendar for the date and start times for these events below:

Friday, May 31

• 9:00 a.m. Pusparani, Phillips, Hacopian End of Year Award Ceremony in the Multi-Purpose Room
• 1:00 p.m. Third Grade End of Year Award Ceremony in the Multi-Purpose Room

Monday, June 3

• 1:00 p.m. First Grade End of Year Award Ceremony in the Multi-Purpose Room

Tuesday, June 4

• 9:00 a.m. Fourth Grade End of Year Award Ceremony in the Multi-Purpose Room
• 1:00 p.m. Second Grade End of Year Award Ceremony in the Multi-Purpose Room

Wednesday, June 5

• 9:00 a.m. PK/K End of Year Award Ceremonies in the classrooms.
• 1:00 p.m. Fifth Grade End of Year Award Ceremony in the auditorium at West Briar Middle School.

The kinder final play performance on Monday, June 3, at 9:00 a.m. is for parents only. It will be very crowded, so we ask only 2 adults per student attend. Even with all the chairs set up in the multi-purpose room, it will still be a full room.

Parents can sign up for the “Fast Pass - June 3 K Play” starting Thursday, May 16 – Wednesday, May 29, from 8:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. daily. Parents need to bring an original government issued photo identification for the total of 2 family members that will be attending this final play performance. Parents may bring a copy of the government issued photo identification for the other person being registered on the Fast Pass. You will then receive a "Kindergarten Play Fast Pass" that will be used to enter the Multi-Purpose room from the bus lane starting at 8:45 a.m. on Monday, June 3. Parents must have the Fast Pass in their hands to enter and all people listed on the pass must be present to enter at the same time.

If parents do not bring their Fast Pass, they will have to enter via the front office and show their government issued photo identification to be scanned and to enter the building. Parents who do not sign up in advance for the Fast Pass will have to stand in line the day of the performance to have their government issued photo identifications scanned.

The PK and K Promotion Ceremonies will be held on Wednesday, June 5 at 9:00 a.m.

Parents can sign up for the “Fast Pass - PK & K Promotion Ceremonies” starting Thursday, May 16 – Wednesday, May 29, from 8:30 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. daily. Parents need to bring an original government issued photo identification for the total of 2 family members that will attend the PK or K Promotion Ceremony. Parents may bring a copy of the government issued photo identification for the other persons being registered on the Fast Pass. You will then receive a "PK & K Promotion Ceremony Fast Pass" that will be used to enter Bush Elementary from the carpool lane doors starting at 8:45 a.m. on Wednesday, June 5. Parents must have the Fast Pass in their hands to enter and all people listed on the pass must be present to enter at the same time.

If parents do not bring their Fast Pass, they will have to enter via the front office and show their government issued photo identification to be scanned and to enter the building. Parents who do not sign up in advance for the Fast Pass will have to stand in line the day of the performance to have their government issued photo identifications scanned.

Tuesday, May 28, 2024

1:15 pm - 2:15 p.m.

Bush Elementary School

Please join the Bush Administration staff and the PTO for an informative orientation for parents of Pre-K and Kindergarten students who are registered to begin school at Bush Elementary in August 2024.

Parents will receive important information regarding what to expect, arrival and dismissal procedures, dress code, supplies, lunch and much, much more!

Please bring your state-issued ID or Passport and come to the front office to sign in.

We look forward to meeting you!

We have many many jackets here in our lost and found. If you child has lost a jacket or sweater on the playground, please feel free to stop by the office to sign in and look for the items. We have moved them up to the front to make it easier. The Lost and Found clothing will be out on tables for the next two weeks through May 31. All remaining jackets will be donated to charity over the summer break

Please stop by the office between these hours:

8:30-10:00 a.m.

1:00-2:00 p.m.

3:15-3:45 p.m.

Any student materials or items not taken home or picked will be discarded on Thursday, June 6 at 4:00 p.m. We need to clean up the office and campus as we prepare for the start of the 2024 - 2025 school year.

The students' last day of school is Wednesday, June 5. Students must be in attendance through this date to receive an end of year report card showing promotion status for next school year.

Parents, please pick up your child medication that is in the school clinic on the last day of school. Any medication left behind will be disposed of. If your child has a medical condition such as asthma, seizures or allergies and you need medical forms for the upcoming 2024-2025 school year, please contact Nurse Santos, marangel.santos@houstonisd.org.

Reminder: Medical forms must be renewed every school year and must be dated for the first day of school, August 12, 2024.

Below is our End of Year NWEA Map Testing Schedule. This is a very important screener that measures how much your child has grown from the beginning of the year until now. The data collected from this assessment will help the school make plans for the next school year, including building class rosters. Our goal is for students to grow by 1.2 years. Any student who takes the assessment will receive a piece of tape for an opportunity to tape Principal Hoang to the wall on the last day of school. Any student who met or exceeded their goals will earn an extra piece of tape for each subject. In addition, we will be giving free meal certificates from Arby's and Taco Bueno to students who meet or exceed their goals. Please encourage your child to do their best on this assessment. If you must schedule a doctor's appointment or therapy session, we ask that you try to schedule it after 1:00 pm on these testing days. Click Here for more information about the NWEA Map assessment and how to prepare your child at home. Other resources available are IXL and Khan Academy.

• NWEA MATH 2nd – 5th - Tuesday, May 28, 2024
• NWEA READING 2nd – 5th - Wednesday, May 29, 2024
• NWEA SCIENCE 2nd – 5th - Thursday, May 30, 2024
• NWEA MATH K-1 - Friday, May 31, 2024

Kindergarten Registration and Verification for ZONED students who will be 5 on or before September 1, 2024.

K - 5th Grade Registration and Verification for ZONED students

June 10 - 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

June 11 - 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. &12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

August 2 – 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

August 5 – 8:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. & 12:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Parents should complete the online registration at www.houstonisd.org/enroll and upload all required documents before coming to registration. Please bring your child’s final report card from the 2023-2024 school year and the originals of your uploaded documentation for verification. Computers will be available for those who are unable to complete the registration process at home.

In the 2024-2025 school year, the After3 Program will be offered at BBE! Representatives spoke at our Spring PTO Meeting, and here were some of the highlights:

• $315 per month for full time care plus $75 registration fee. Discounts for siblings. (Full time = at least 3 days a week)

• Care is available from dismissal until 6:30 pm

• Enrichment classes available for an additional cost; some options may be sports, art, music, martial arts, STEM, dance and more!

• Enrollment for the fall opens July 1st

• Learn more here or grab a flyer from the front office: https://www.after3asp.com/programoverview

• Contact info:

• 713-269-5936

• enrollment@after3asp.com

Summer school this year will be at Daily Elementary School. Below is some basic information regarding summer school.

Dates: June 17 through July 19 (Monday-Friday)

Holidays: June 19, July 4-5

Hours: 8:00 am -2:45 pm (Building open from 7:00 am – 4:00 pm)

Targeted Student Groups:

Required for all students who did not meet promotion standards for grades or attendance.

Recommended for some students based additional data set by the district and/or campus.

Last week we sent home letters to parents of students who are required or recommended for summer school.

Our current campus average daily attendance rate is 96.2%. The estimated funding lost due to student absences is $121,655.65 so far.

If your child is healthy, then your child must be at school. If your child is sick, has a fever at or above 100, or is vomiting or other intestinal issues, then your child must be at home. Please send your child to school with a note to excuse the absence for illness.

There are days built into the calendar along with a long summer break for family time and trips. We encourage you to plan your family time around designated district holidays and breaks. Click on the following link to review the district calendar: https://tinyurl.com/34vb2npe

We want to take a moment to emphasize the importance of consistent attendance for your child's academic success. Currently, our campus average daily attendance rate of 96.2%. Upon reviewing the excessive absence report, we have identified a concerning trend among some students. We have observed that some students are accumulating absences at a rate that may hinder their academic progress. As part of our commitment to supporting student success, any student with 17 or more absences will be required to undergo an attendance appeal process by the end of March. This appeal process may entail your child staying after school for a few hours to participate in activities set by the principal. While we understand that unforeseen circumstances may lead to absences, it is essential to ensure that every student has the opportunity to excel in their studies.

If your child is approaching the 17-absence mark, we urge you to take proactive steps to improve their attendance and prevent the need for an appeal. Your cooperation and support in this matter are greatly appreciated. Together, we can work towards ensuring that our students stay on track and realize their full potential. Thank you for your attention to this important issue.

Hello readers! In our previous article, we learned about the difference between a fixed and a growth mindset and how to improve your mindset. In this article, we’ll learn about self-awareness and self-management. Self-awareness is knowing your values and differences. Self-awareness is important because it helps your child understand their action's impacts. One example of having poor self-awareness can be moving things that weren’t supposed to be moved. Self-awareness helps people choose the outcomes of what they say and do. Also, self-awareness helps people target and work on their weaknesses instead of becoming flustered and trying to work on everything.

Self-management is the ability to do things independently. Self-management is important because it helps people be independent and not overly reliant on others. An example of inadequate self-management is not knowing what to do and asking everyone for help. Another example of having poor self-management is not being realistic with goals and expectations. They may multitask all the time, which leads to them not getting anything done. Self-management helps people get what they need to do efficiently. It also helps you focus on achieving goals by focusing on the effort that needs to go into the goal. Thanks for reading this week’s article - I will see you next week.

SEL Activity Recommendation: Think of someone who has brightened your day today. This can remind you that people care about you. Additionally, dopamine (a reward hormone) is released when you think of a loved one, which makes you feel happier.

We need volunteers to help supervise and assist students at lunch in the cafeteria on Fridays.

We also need volunteers to help supervise students safety during recess time at the big playground area only everyday during the following slots:

• Slot 1: 10:10 am – 10:55 am (2 volunteers needed)

• Slot 2: 11:10 am – 12:00 pm (2 volunteers needed)

• Slot 3: 12:00 pm – 12:50 pm (2 volunteers needed)
• Slot 4: 12:50 pm – 1:25 pm (2 volunteers needed)

Only the parent (no siblings) may take part in the supervision. Please be mindful that this is an active volunteer opportunity to spread love to all children and not a time to enjoy lunch or recess with your own kiddo.

Parents must complete the following three steps before volunteering:

Step 1: Click Here to register online to get VIPS approved each year.

Step 2: Click Here to sign up to volunteer for the Cafeteria.

Click here to sign up to volunteer for Recess.

Once you're VIPS approved. Please note that this is not just a one-time commitment, but rather we need consistent volunteers showing up on a regular basis at lunch time and recess.

Step 3: Click Here to watch the quick training video before volunteering in the cafeteria.

Click Here to watch the quick training video before volunteering at recess.

Step 4: Bring your driver's license to sign in when you enter the building. Also, be prepared to show a copy of the certificate/email that shows that you're VIPS-approved at your first time volunteering.

We look forward to having cafeteria volunteers at lunch time and during recess!

Ms. Hoang would like to wish a very special birthday to:

Caden V. who turned 11 years old on May 22 and is a fifth grader in Ms. Hillman's class.

Citlali V. who turned 11 years old on May 22 and is a fifth grader in Ms. Hillman's class.

Tanvi M. who turns 11 years old on May 23 and is a fifth grader in Ms. Hillman's class.

Adam A. who turns 8 years old on May 24 and is a second grader in Ms. West's class.

Brian A. who turns 6 years old on May 24 and is a kindergartener in Ms. Castaneda's class.

Hazel L. who turns 8 years old on May 25 and is a second grader in Ms. Carlin's class.

Oluwabukunmi A. who turns 8 years old on May 25 and is a second grader in Ms. West's class.

Rayna B. who turns 11 years old on May 26 and is a fifth grader in Mr. Zarazua's class.

Happy Birthday and Welcome to the Bush Birthday Book Club!

Please take a look at the End of Year Packet located on your Dashboard of the PTO website, or at the link here: https://bbepto.membershiptoolkit.com/packet-start/4758

You can:

• Purchase your school supplies for next year at a $5 discount!

• Prices will increase in the fall.

• Give the PTO valuable feedback and possibly win a $25 gift card for your participation.

• Volunteer for our Back to School Event in August

• Learn more info by taking a look at the form

• We especially need adults who can speak a language other than English, so we can make sure to help as many families as possible during the event.

The End of Year Packet will be open through June 21.

With all of the books being returned to the library for the year, Ms. Miller needs a LOT of help!! If you have any chance to stop by the library for a bit and help re-shelf books, she sure would appreciate any amount of help!!

5/24 Bobcat Bazaar K, 2nd & 4th & Lunch Support

5/31 Lunch Support

6/3 Last Lunch Support Opportunity

Sign up here to volunteer.

We are getting ready for the 5th grade students' promotion ceremony on June 5 at 1 pm. As a part of the ceremony we would like to show some photos of our students. If you would like to share photos of your student and other BBE 5th graders from school events please upload them using the link below. Feel free to include photos from previous years at BBE. If the links are not working you may email them to fifthgradebbe@gmail.com .

Upload group photos of student(s)

Additionally we will be asking every student for a baby photo. Please upload a baby photo using the link below. INCLUDE THE STUDENT NAME on the photo so we know who it is! More info about the promotion ceremony and end of year coming soon!

Baby Picture Upload Link for Parents

We will need all photos no later than Tuesday May 28.

We are excited to have our 2024-2025 PTO board elected! We have a few positions that we still need amazing volunteers for. We also have a few roles that would benefit from having a second (or third) volunteer. See the positions below and contact Michelle Jackson (presidentbbepto@gmail.com) to join our amazing team to make a difference in our school!

• Staff Hospitality Co-chair

• Bobcat Booklet Chairperson

• IDEA Chairperson

• Treasurer (3rd volunteer)

• Yearbook Co-chairperson

• VIPS Co-Director

• Fundraising Co-Director

Bobcat Bazaar dates:

May 24: Kinder, 2nd, 4th Grade

You can access it by clicking on the button below.

Wrap Around Specialist

Maria Quevedo

maria.quevedo@houstonisd.org

Registrar

Adriana Rosales

arosale3@houstonisd.org

Administrative Assistant

Zonia Flores

zonia.flores@houstonisd.org