Borton Magnet Back to School

I am so excited to welcome you all back to another year of learning in the amazing Borton community. Thank you for choosing Borton as your home for your child’s education, and to our returning families, thank you for allowing us another year to learn, grow, and build positive relationships with your child. Our Borton community grows with every new school year, and I am looking forward to working together with all of you! At Borton, our mission is to “provide an environment that promotes diversity, equity and access for all our students in order to maximize their academic and social development. Through the use of Project Based Learning and Systems Thinking, students learn to ask big questions and engage in authentic, real-world learning to become change makers, creators of new knowledge and stewards of the earth”. Project Based Learning and Systems Thinking are at the cornerstone of all our instructional strategies and community engagements at Borton. This year promises to be another exciting year with new projects, new community members, new challenges, and new celebrations. Please take the time to look through the important information posted below in this newsletter. Feel free to reach out to the front office at 520-225-1000 if you have any questions. I hope that you all enjoy the rest of your summer and I look forward to seeing you all at our Meet The Teacher Event on July 31st.

Best!

Mr. Eric

Teacher assignments can be found on your Parent Vue account on Wednesday, July 31st. You can call the office if you need assistance setting up a ParentVUE account. Please understand that all classroom rosters have been carefully created by a team of Borton teachers that know their students’ dynamics well.

ParentVUE YouTube video youtu.be/K3CfDEDZV3s

Morning community time is one of Borton’s most cherished traditions. Every day the bell rings at 8:20am and our entire school community meets in our beautiful courtyard. A different class will be assigned to perform weekly and the start of the year schedule is posted below. Every day the class will perform one familiar sing-along, then we do the Pledge of Allegiance, and the class will then perform a patriotic song. Every day is different, and every class brings a different dynamic to these performances. This is also an important time, because we do morning announcements after the class performance, recognize monthly birthdays, and celebrate any good news that we would like to share. If you are new to Borton, you will definitely want to experience this amazing tradition!

Teachers will give their supply lists out at the Meet the Teacher event. They will also be posted on our website once we have them from the teachers.

Borton does not allow the use of cell phones during the school day. If your child has a cell phone, they MUST keep it in their backpack until they leave campus. If you should need to contact your child during the school day for any reason, please call our front office at 520-225-1000. The below TUSD Governing Board Policy will be enforced at Borton.

POLICY CODE: JICJ

https://govboard.tusd1.org/_theme/files/GovBoard/Docs/sectJ/JICJ.pdf

We want to make sure that we are paying attention in class and really enjoying our time with our amazing faculty and community. For that reason, we do not allow toys, Pokémon cards, stuffed animals, Legos, etc. to be brought from home and used on school grounds. These items can be a distraction in class and distract from our students’ learning. If your child is participating in a after-school club that may require the use of one of these items, they must stay in their backpack until after-school. In addition, teachers may have specific reward days or a show-and-tell day where a child is allowed to bring something from home. During those special days, students should follow the teachers’ instructions and continue to leave the items in their backpacks until they have permission from the teacher to take them out. Finally, Borton is not responsible for the loss of any items that are brought to school.

Please remember that gum and candy are never allowed at school. We would like to promote healthy snacks for our community. In addition, gum can get caught on people’s shoes, furniture, and playground equipment. We want to avoid these sticky situations at Borton.

Students at Borton spend a lot of time outdoors for P.E., visual arts, outdoor learning, gardening, and sometimes in our desert environmental learning lab (B.E.L.L.). It is important that they wear appropriate outdoor clothing and closed-toe shoes to fully participate in these activities.

Additionally, it may be beneficial to provide a change of clothes to keep in their cubby or backpack. This should include socks, underwear, a shirt, and pants appropriate for the current season, all labeled with your child’s name and placed in a Ziploc bag. If your child comes home with soiled clothes, kindly send a replacement set as soon as possible.

Education is a very important partnership between our Borton families and our Borton faculty. We are in this together for the success of your child. It is extremely important to your child’s growth that they are in school every single day and on time to be successful. Research shows that missing more than 8 days of school can cause significant gaps in a student’s education. Please try to schedule appointments or family outings around the school schedule. Should the need arise, you can call in your child’s absence for sickness into the front office.

At Borton, we celebrate each child's birthday on the last Friday of each month. The Borton Community will celebrate all that month’s birthdays by singing to students during the pledge. If you would like to provide a pre-packaged treat for your child's birthday, please make sure to contact your teacher and plan to bring birthday treats only on the last Friday of your child's birthday month.

We like to build a positive school community and recognize when our students go above and beyond. Part of that recognition is with our Borton’s B.E.S.T. Notes. Students receive these notes from adults on campus who want to help reinforce positive behaviors that they have witnessed. The notes are then collected by the class, and each class has a chance to win various prizes. For example, 50 notes will allow for a class to have a popcorn party, or 300 notes allows for a free choice.

Wednesday, July 31st 10:30-12:30 pm

Tuesday, August 20th, 2024

5:00 - 6:30pm

The designated student drop-off and pickup area is located on Euclid Street west of the school. This is a stop and go area only. For the safety of your child, please do not drop off your student at school prior to 7:30 am, as there is no supervision available before this time. If you are planning to accompany your student inside the building, we welcome you to choose the parking lot in the front of the school (off of Tyndall) to park. Thank you for making any pickup arrangements with your student prior to your student coming to school.

Please note that you will only be able to use the front parking lot (off Tyndall Ave) if you intend to park your car and accompany your student in for morning meeting. The front parking lot is not a student drop-off point.

If you plan on visiting us for a Community Meeting, especially the first day of school, please do not park in the parking lots of any business located close to Borton. Specifically, please do not park in a lot of any business across Tyndall Ave. We want to respect our local businesses and community.

Parents and community members that want to volunteer are welcomed back on campus. Speak with our office manager (Ms. Margaret) to learn how you can volunteer.

Wednesday, August 7th, 2024

8:30am in the library

This is an opportunity to discuss the Borton community as a whole. However, Mr. Eric is available by appointment to discuss individual needs.

It is the time of year that we have a lot of our Borton critters, wildlife, insects, and friends coming out to play on our campus. We want to be protective of our environment, but also of our students. Some of these critters could cause harm and/or be poisonous. At Borton, we want to make sure that everyone is safe. Please talk to you child about leaving our Borton wildlife alone in their natural environment.

Your Teacher will send a folder home every Tuesday informing you of their activities. Your child will also receive a Classroom Newsletter and other important school information inside of their Take Home Tuesday Folder. The Newsletter will also be available online on the Borton Website. Please make sure your child returns the Take Home Tuesday Folder to the classroom by the following Monday so that your child's teacher can send out new Borton information to your child every Tuesday

School lunch and breakfast are now free to all students! We do ask that you still complete all forms necessary in synergy while registering your child, as your responses help us with our school funding. Please pay specific attention to the Title One and Free/ Reduced lunch forms while you complete your registration.

If your child has allergies, medication that needs to be taken at school or other health concerns, please contact our Health Assistant, Mr. Ray at 225-1017.

We recommend that your child reads for 20 minutes a day outside of the classroom. The data shows that just this small reading intervention can help your child to improve greatly in their literacy skills.

Please see the attachment below for our yearly event calendar from our amazing PTA.

Students have 35 minutes for lunch. They have outdoor playtime for the first 15 minutes of lunch and then have about 15 minutes to eat their lunch. Since students have a limited time to eat, please remind your child to eat their food first at lunch time and then chat with friends when they are done eating. Please write your child’s name on all their belongings (lunch box, water bottle, backpack, and jackets.)

We will have a daily snack time to support our students' minds and bodies. Snacks can be brought from home; however, we are asking students bring only "healthy" snacks, and please not to share anything with others as a health precaution. Donations of snacks for the entire class at the beginning of each month are greatly appreciated. Please only bring individually packaged snacks.

Healthy snack suggestions include:

- Pretzels

- Cheese sticks

- Fruit snacks

- Popcorn

- Animal crackers

- Chocolate chip granola bars

- Goldfish

Registration for Tucson Parks and Recreation’s KIDCO afterschool program for the 2024-2025 school year opens on July 18 at 8:00am. This program offers safe and structured activities for ages 5-11 years old (must be currently enrolled at Borton) from school dismissal until 6 p.m. Planned activities may include sports, games, nutrition, fitness, arts and crafts, performing arts, and special events. The program is closed on all City and school holidays or breaks. Register online at EZEEreg.com. The fee is $500/school year for City residents or $625/school year for non-City residents. A payment plan is available. Discount program is available for City of Tucson residents only and must be applied prior to registration

Your child needs a reusable water bottle at school every day. Please send it to school with their name on it. We would appreciate donations of bottled waters in case a student forgets theirs.

Class dismissal is at 2:45 PM on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and at 1:45 PM on Wednesdays. You may pick up your child outside of the classroom or at the designated parent pick-up area located at the west gate.

If you are picking up your child at the west gate, please write your child’s name and classroom in large letters on a piece of paper and place it on your car’s dashboard. This will help us call your child quickly and make the car line move faster. The west gate will be locked at 3:00 PM. If you arrive after 3:00 PM, please pick up your child from the office.

***It is important to pick up your child on time as children often worry if you are late. Additionally, please inform the teacher if you are taking your child directly from the classroom. We need to ensure that all students leave safely with their families.***

7:30 – Students may arrive as early as 7:30 a.m. to be on the playground. Breakfast starts being served at 7:50 a.m.

8:20 – Community Gathering

8:35 – School Begins

2:45 – Dismissal except on Wednesdays when dismissal is at 1:45

Kidco on campus from 2:45 – 6:00 p.m. daily except for Wednesdays when they begin at 1:45.

August 1 - August 9

Community Gathering – 8:20am Ms. Leah and the Narwhal Class

August 12 - August 16

Community Gathering – 8:20am Ms. Annalisia and the Moo Room Class

August 19 - August 23

Community Gathering – 8:20am Ms. Metta and the Vaquita Class

Tuesday, August 20

Open House- 5:00 - 6:30 pm

Wednesday, August 21

PD Day, No School

August 26 - August 30

Community Gathering – 8:20am Mr. Zane and the Panda Class

September 2

No School, Labor Day

September 3 - September 6

Community Gathering – 8:20am Ms. Stephanie and the Mariposa Class

September 9 - September 13

Community Gathering – 8:20am Ms. Amber and the Cardinal class

Wednesday, September 4

Cafecito, 8:30am in the library

September 16 - September 20

Community Gathering – 8:20am Ms. Katie and the Roadrunner Class

September 18, 19, and 20

Parent/Teacher Conferences, Half-Day Dismissal @ 11:45 am

September 23 - September 27

Community Gathering – 8:20am Ms. Amanda and the Ohana Class

September 30 - October 3

Community Gathering – 8:20am Ms. Alex and the Cactus Class

Friday, October 4

No School, Grading Day

October 7 - October 11

No School, Fall Break

We are so excited to begin this year in partnership with you. Thank you again for everything, and please email or call if you have any questions or concerns. We are looking forward to having you back!

Tucson Unified School District

Borton Magnet Elementary School

Project Based Learning/Systems Thinking

Phone: (520) 225-1000 Fax (520) 225-1001

Eric Eulberg, Principal