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,

I want to give a big heartfelt THANK YOU to our incredible community for the overwhelming support of our fall fundraiser! Our Fun Run brought in almost $64,000! That is $24,000 over our goal! This money goes toward our operating expenses such as Dreambox, Field Trips to include transportation, grade level activities, Watch D.O.G. Program, classroom instructional materials, classroom readers, technology subscriptions, books for our vending machine for every student, playground funds, staff appreciation, landscaping and beautification, and much more! We love this fundraiser for so many reasons, from the character education it provides to the ability to reach donors other than parents. This year, 68% of our pledges came from OUTSIDE of the parent community, from grandparents, relatives, family friends, and co-workers! We reached 46 states and 12 countries! What an accomplishment!

Thank you to everyone who attended the Fun Run on Thursday! The weather was beautiful, and our kids had a fantastic time. We celebrated with the entire school by treating them to KONA ICE after lunch on Friday. I want to give a big shout-out to Brave Brooke and Courageous Chelsey, along with our very own Buddy the Bear, for all their hard work on morning announcements and promotion behind the scenes. We couldn't have done this without you!

We hope you all have a wonderful week off!

We are so Thankful for YOU!

Other Important Announcements with more details in the Blog:

• Generation Texas week is this week!

• Thanksgiving Break is Monday 11/25-Friday 11/29. School Resumes Monday, 12/2.

• CISD Toy Drive is 12/2-12/13

• We are excited to announce that construction for our new gym will begin soon! Below, you will find a section dedicated to keeping everyone updated on construction progress.

• After School Grade Level Play-date Fundraisers are coming soon.

• CISD has a new Attendance App. in the parent portal.

• Our students are welcome to join our staff in December Spirit Days, the days are below.

More information about all of these announcements and celebrations can be found below.

Thank you for sharing your children with us,

Mrs. Price

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

November

11/18-22 Generation Texas Week

11/18 - Wear a Buckalew T-shirt or Green/Gold

11/19 - Dress to Represent your Future Career

11/20 - Wear Camo, Army Green, or Red/White/Blue

11/21 - Wear Crazy Socks and/or Slippers (Don't forget tennis shoes for PE)

11/21- 4th Grade Program

11/22 - Wear a College T-shirt

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

11/25-29- Thanksgiving Break

December

12/3 - Wear Grinch or green

12/5- 2nd Grade After School Playdate

12/6 - Wear your favorite flannel

12/9 - Wear warm-ups or pjs

12/10 - Wear holiday headgear

12/10 4th Grade After School Playdate

12/11 - Dress country or sparkly

12/12- 4th Grade Choir Concert

12/13 - Wear your ugliest sweater

12/16 - Wear red and white

12/17 - Dress in winter wear

12/18 - Dress in a rock t-shirt

12/19 - Dress to celebrate your family's cultural holiday tradition

12/20 - Wear jingle bells

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

12/20 early release @11:55- 1/6- Winter Break

January

1/7 School Resumes

As part of the CISD Bond 2023 Package, 16 elementary schools will receive a separate gymnasium. Currently, Buckalew Elementary shares its gym with the cafeteria. We are thrilled to be among the 16 campuses to receive a new gym, and one of only four schools to have it completed by August 2025!! Buckalew will not only be receiving a new gym but also undergoing infrastructure improvements and ongoing safety renovations. Starting Wednesday, November 6th, and continuing through December 20th, our staff and students will gradually implement changes to internal systems, including active start, lunch/recess, and dismissal locations. This approach will ensure that everyone is properly trained and accustomed to the new routines before we return in January, when official construction is expected to begin over Winter Break. These changes before Winter Break should have minimal impact to parents.

We anticipate the arrival of 3 portable classrooms over Thanksgiving break. One classroom will be relocated due to the construction and 2 are for enrollment growth on our campus. Starting our return from Winter Break, we anticipate temporarily losing the k-2 playground while they build a new gym. The K-2 Playground will re-open with the completed gym and will be better than ever!

We appreciate your patience during this time as we plan systems that will meet the needs of all our students over the next 6-8 months of construction. We've successfully navigated the challenges posed by COVID-19, and we are confident we can manage this transition smoothly as well. Thank you in advance for your understanding!

In anticipation of building the addition of our new gym, during the construction process all students will utilize one playground. With the continued focus on safety we are changing our Active Start schedule effective Wednesday November 6th:

• If your child arrives at school before 7:45, they will either go to Active Start or their homeroom classroom.

• All grade levels will be scheduled for Active Start twice a week 7:30-7:45. If it is not your child’s day for Active Start, they will go straight to their homeroom classroom upon arrival.

• Instruction will still begin at 7:55.

• Choir, Safety Patrol, and breakfast will follow normal schedules.

• The grade level Active Start schedule will be:

We anticipate the delivery of three additional portables to offset our enrollment growth and accommodate the relocation of a classroom due to construction over Thanksgiving. We will also be adjusting our lunch/recess schedule to anticipate one playground when we return in January. More specifics and details on Lunch/Recess schedules will be coming in the next Buzz.

During the construction process all of our students will be utilizing one playground. Because of this, lunch times will be adjusted. This ensures that each grade level has their own recess time.

This schedule will be implemented when we return from Thanksgiving Break on December 2nd.

Lunch reservations can still be made on the Buckalew website.

Please take note of the new times:

To make things easier for our families, CISD is launching an app to help you report your student's absences to our school when they are out. Documentation such as doctor's notes will still need to be submitted to our campus attendance office (Lizabeth Vasquez) but we are excited about the convenience of the app.

You will access it through the Parent Portal.

Absence Report System- Parent Directions

Help 4th grade spread some Holiday cheer!

CISD police are collecting toys for our CISD families in need.

Please bring in new unwrapped toys

December 2nd - 13th.

Collection boxes will be located in front of the library.

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.

Parent Portal is a free program available to all CISD parent/guardians that allows viewing of helpful information regarding student attendance, report cards, progress reports, daily grades, state test results, Students Achieving Excellence (SAE), discipline, available lunch money, and other district resources. Parents may also sign up to receive an email alert when an assignment score is inputted or updated using the Parent Access icon in the Parent Portal. Parents/Guardians wishing to access this service must have a valid email address.

We are excited about a new year in the cafeteria. Here are some things to help you navigate breakfast and lunch at school so your child can be successful. Please see the following information regarding eating breakfast/lunch at school and changes for the 2024-25 school year:

• Please load money onto your child’s school lunch money account through My School Bucks.

• Please complete a Free/Reduced Lunch Application if you believe you might qualify.

Please note this very important change regarding Lunch Charges effective today:

• Per board policy, we have a new charge process that has been established that limits students to 15 charges (1 charge = a breakfast and a Lunch).
• Once a student has charged 10 times, a school administrator will contact you to make you aware of the situation and discuss options on how to clear your child’s charges, how to use My School Bucks, directions on completing a Free/Reduced application, or will consider any special circumstances.
• Please be aware of the process once your child has 15 charges. Please know that we will complete this task with the utmost discretion as possible:
• Elementary/Intermediate Students (EC – 6): Students that reach or surpass the 15-charge limit will receive a modified meal as follows:
• Breakfast would consist of milk and cereal
• Lunch would consist of a sandwich and milk.
• Junior High and High Schools (7 – 12):
• Students that reach or surpass the 15-charge limit will have charging privileges removed until a full payment has been made, a payment plan has been initiated, or a campus administrative override has occurred for extenuating circumstances.

Thank you for helping us provide your child the best experience at school to meet their breakfast and lunch needs effectively and efficiently!

Library Schedule: all classes (except for KINDER) are scheduled to visit the library every other week with their homeroom. KINDER classes visit every 3 days. When a student checks out a book, it is checked out for 14 days. Each time your student comes to the library with their class for their 55-minute specials time, their library books are due.

Many of our Friday’s are a 30 minutes “special” specials class. Kids can turn in and check out during this “extra” library time.

If they finish reading their book before their class is scheduled, they can come to the library during active start and swap out books. KINDER has been taught how to do this as well. KINDER can keep their library book longer than 3 days if they want. Library books should be kept in the back packs so They kids have them at home and at school.

Our library is a fun and busy place to be. The week of November 5th we filled over 80 notices for books on hold! That was a 3-day school week 😱 We also had over 700 library books past due, overdue, late, not-turned-in-after-14-days, you get the picture.

2nd, 3rd and 4th students have the ability to log in at home and see what books they have checked out and when they are due. We have practiced this many times in library class with chrome books.

Thanks for encouraging your student to keep tabs on where their library books are and getting them back to the library on time.

GT NOMINATIONS FOR 2024-25 SCHOOL YEAR – Nominations are Due Friday, December 20

The window is now open for parent nominations for GT Screening and will continue through December 20. Parents may nominate their student for Spring GT Testing by completing the District Nomination Form, available through any 3rd or 4th grade teacher, or by asking Nikki in the front office. If you would like a PDF copy of the form emailed to you, contact Mrs. Smith tonsmith@conroeisd.net. All second grade students will participate in the CogAT assessment in October. The CogAT assessment will serve as a GT screener for second grade students. Parents may now nominate one time per level of test. In other words, students may test once each school year to see if they meet district requirements and /or qualify in other subject areas. GT testing will be held at Buckalew during the school day the weeks of January 27 – 31 and February 3 - February 7. Nomination forms may be returned to your student’s 3rd and 4th grade teacher OR to Nikki in the front office. ALL NOMINATION forms are due NO LATER THAN December 20!

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.

Next PTO meeting will be Friday, November 1 @ 11:30am in the Buckalew Library

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

Volunteer with PTO

If you are interested in hearing about volunteer opportunities, please email BuckalewPTOVolunteers@gmail.com and let us know that you would like to be included on our volunteer list. You can also sign up using the QR code here.

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, and check out our website BuckalewBearsPTO.com.

Garden Club

We are growing radishes, romaine, spinach, and a variety of lettuce. The 4th graders in garden club come out each week to water and maintain the plants, we get a chance to sketch out plants to see their progress each week, and then we have a short lesson.

We Need Carnival Volunteers!

Attention, amazing parents! We need your help to make this year’s carnival a huge success! If you're interested in joining the Carnival Committee and ready to help- comment below or email Chelsey Martin: chelsey.martin821@gmail.com. Our first meeting is this Friday! Let’s come together to make this carnival unforgettable!

Yearbook Information

Please follow the directions below to purchase your yearbook here: www.treering.com/validate and enter our school’s passcode: 1016910708713746 Please direct any and all questions to Kristen Stocker or Kate Herring at buckalewyearbook2023@gmail.com

You have until 4/15/25 to create your custom pages

Interested in volunteering in the library?

Email buckalewptovolunteers@gmail.com for more information on how to get involved!

Lost and Found

Our lost and found is quite full! Is your child missing any clothing, water bottles, or lunch bags? Please have them check the lost and found. There may be an item, or more, of theirs that they didn't know they lost!

Please label all of your kiddo’s belongings, especially sweatshirts and jackets.

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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.