Hello Blackshear Families,

Reminding that we have no school on Monday, Jan. 20th, for MLK Jr. Day. Klein ISD is monitoring the upcoming cold weather and will communicate any school closings via text, email, and social media. Please make sure to check all outlets for updates as we get closer to Monday. Reach out if you have any questions. Stay warm and enjoy your long weekend!

Ms. Ashley Baker - Principal - abaker1@kleinisd.net

Ms. Seagan Brown - Assistant Principal - sbrown15@kleinisd.net

Ms. Teresa Rafeek - Assistant Principal - trafeek1@kleinisd.net

We use REMIND to regularly communicate with families. If you have not been getting the weekly messages, please make sure to join now. BLACKSHEAR REMIND LINK

Please reach out if you need anything abaker1@kleinisd.net

Ashley Baker

Principal

January:

1/20 - MLK Holiday - No School

1/21 - Chipotle Spirit Night - 4:00 - 8:00

1/22 - Worlds' Finest Chocolate Kickoff

1/23 - Bouncin' Bears Spirit Night - 4:00 - 6:00

1/24 - 5th Grade Course Selection DUE

1/27 - 1/31 - Great Kindness Challenge

1/30 - PTO Family Dodgeball Night - 6:00 - 7:00

February:

2/7 - Lunch with a Loved One Picnic - RSVP HERE

2/10 - 14 - Mid Winter Break - No School

2/18 - McTeacher Night

2/18 - TELPAS Testing Starts

2/19 - Blackshear GT Expo - 5:30 - 6:30

2/24 - 28 - Spring Book Fair

2/25 - ELA Benchmark

2/27 - Science Vocabulary Parade - 9:00

2/27 - Spring Open House - STEAM Night - 5:30 - 7:00

2/28 - Go Texan Day - RSVP Here

Dear 5th Grade Parents/Guardians:

6TH GRADE COURSE SELECTION INFORMATION

Wednesday, January 8, your child will come home with a brown envelope. The envelope will contain:

1. Parent Letter explaining courses and electives offered-pink
2. Parent Letter explaining Klein Prep (KP) courses-blue
3. Student's Course Selection Form-yellow ***must have student and parent signature. DUE JANUARY 24
4. Information from Health Services-white
5. 6th Grade Electives explanation handout-white
6. Advanced Math explanation handout-white
7. Accelerated Math explanation handout-white

***Please return the completed and signed course selection form in the same brown envelope. Keep all other handouts at home.

Feel free to contact me should you have any questions.

Mrs. Brunell

832-375-7635

Dear Parents,

As part of the health-screening program in schools, your child is scheduled to receive a spinal screening during the week of February 3-7th. Spinal screening is a brief test to detect any changes to the curve of the spine that can happen during adolescence. The changes may be minor and not noticed by the child or parent. If detected early, a healthcare provider can monitor or treat to prevent health problems from developing later.

Students DO NOT need to remove their clothing for the screening; it can be performed fully clothed. On the day of the screening, we request your child wear a T-shirt and pants/ shorts. Students wearing bulky clothing without undershirts will be screened on a different day.

If you do not wish to have your child screened, you must complete an affidavit of exemption and return to the school nurse by January 31st. All other students will be screened as scheduled.

If you have any questions, please contact the School Nurse.

Estimados padres,

Como parte del programa de exámenes de salud en las escuelas, está previsto que su hijo reciba un examen de la columna la semana del 3-7 de febrero. El examen de la columna es una prueba breve para detectar cualquier cambio en la curva de la columna que pueda ocurrir durante la adolescencia. Los cambios pueden ser menores y no ser notados por el niño o los padres. Si se detecta a tiempo, un proveedor de atención médica puede controlarlo o tratarlo para evitar que se desarrollen problemas de salud más adelante.

Los estudiantes NO necesitan quitarse la ropa para la evaluación; se puede realizar completamente vestido. El día de la evaluación, solicitamos que su hijo use una camiseta y pantalones/shorts. Los estudiantes que vistan ropa voluminosa sin camiseta serán evaluados en un día diferente.

Si no desea que su hijo sea evaluado, debe completar una declaración jurada de exención y devolverla a la enfermera de la escuela antes del 31 de Enero. Todos los demás estudiantes serán evaluados según lo programado.

Si tiene alguna pregunta, comuníquese con la enfermera de la escuela.

Heather Strope RN

Klein ISD Clinic Nurse

Blackshear Elementary

ph. 832-375-7607

fax 832-375-7724

As we embark on testing season, we often have to adjust our campus schedule to provide testing time and a quite testing environment for students. For these weeks we will not be able to host lunch visitors and ask that parents please help make sure students are not tardy and do not have early release as it could impact their testing.

TELPAS testing - February 17th to 21st.

Benchmark testing - Feb. 25th - ELA, Mar. 4th - Math, Mar. 6th - Science

STAAR testing - April 15th - ELA, April 22nd - Science, April 29th - Math

We are back on the search for a Chess Club sponsor. Please reach out to Ms. Brunell at bbrunell1@kleinisd.net or Ms. Baker at abaker1@kleinisd.net if you are interested in supporting our amazing buffalo chess players.

This month during Character Education lessons the focus will be on kindness. Please take a moment to review the Family Connection suggestions and activities with your kiddos.

Attention 5th Grade Parents: Course selection sheets are due January 24! If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out. bbrunell1@kleinisd.net, 832-375-7635

For more information about course selection:

Our Spring Open House is coming up in February and we are hoping to showcase some awesome community organizations that our Blackshear students could get involved in. If you are a part of a organization that could benefit our buffaloes or their families and would like to come set up a table at our Open House February 27th, please reach out to Ms. brown at sbrown15@kleinisd.net to get more details.

Our goal for student success is to have our buffaloes at Blackshear every day! Absences, early dismissals, and tardies add up when it comes to instructional minutes and can significantly impact student's learning. To help encourage great attendance we have some awesome attendance incentives for grade levels, classes, and individual students. Check below to see how we plan to clebrate our students for coming to school!

We also wanted to share our Parent Communication plan concerning attendance. Our team wants to have open and transparent communication when it comes to any attendance concerns, this plan is in alignment with Klein ISD guidance.

Please scroll down Bulletin for each grade level's assigned day. These assigned days allow us to prepare for checking parents in in the front office, as well as make sure we have enough space in the cafeteria for any visitors joining us. If needing a different day for a birthday or special celebration, please email administration for prior approval so we can plan for this change.

Reminders about visiting for lunch:

- Must have a valid ID to enter building and wear your badge at all times.

- Parents can sit with and bring food for ONLY YOUR CHILD. We have dedicated space at the table on the right as you enter the cafeteria, as well as three picnic tables outside. Parents cannot sit at grade level tables.

- Please do not visit other students at their tables, bring food for other students, walk around cafeteria, or go through the lunch line.

- Reach out to staff if needing help with something for lunch, but please schedule a time to meet with teacher if needing to discuss your child. Many are on duty helping to monitor our buffaloes.

- Please throw all trash in the trash cans provided so we keep a clean outside and inside space for our buffaloes.

We are excited to welcome families to Blackshear and appreciate your patience and understanding as we check parents in safely each day!

Doors will open at 7:45 for all students, please do not leave your child unsupervised before this time. Please review the procedures for drop off and reach out with any questions.

Car Rider Drop Off:

• Use Red Lot ONLY
• Follow staff direction for the safety of all.
• Drive through lanes, pull all the way up to stop sign.
• Cars will split into TWO lanes at the last turn, by the buffalo statue.
• Students stay in car until all cars are stopped in the drop off zone.
• Parents do not move car to leave until stop sign drops.
• NO walk up parents.
• Please do not release students from your car until 7:45

Parents, please do not park in the Bus/SPED Lot, Staff Lot, or Car Rider Lot to walk your students to the door. It is a serious safety concern having students walk through parking lots that have moving vehicles. All parents walking up must walk from the neighborhood sidewalks.

Thank you for following the dismissal procedures in place. Please know that all decisions are made based on available staff, district guidance, and, of course, our students' safety.

Walker/Bike Rider:

• Students should be walking/riding off property, NOT to a car in the parking lot. The only cars moving in our parking lots at dismissal are following the car rider procedures.
• PreK - 1st grade walkers will be held in the student area until their parent comes to pick them up. Parent will need to have the Transportation Tag or photo of it to pick up child from walker area.
• 2nd-5th Grade Walkers will be escorted from the building and walked to the crossing guards by a Blackshear teacher.
• Please keep pets at a distance from students on property. An accidental bite or scratch can be a liability for Blackshear.
• We encourage all bike riders to use a lock for bikes on property.

If you are driving to pick up your child, we encourage all parents to use the car rider line. It is safe, organized, and has become more efficient with practice.

If you choose to park off campus, please follow these safety measures:

- state law states that you cannot park within 30 feet of a stop sign.

- parking in front of a drive way is liable to be towed or ticketed.

- pedestrians, especially our amazing students, always have the right of way

- drive slower than the posted speed limit to be able to keep watch for students

Car Rider Pick Up:

• Please pull in the middle of the lane when turning into parking lot to get in line.
• Every car rider must have a Transportation Tag (car rider number). Please attach small tag to your child's backpack to help us find car tag numbers quickly while students are still learning their car tag numbers. If you need a tag, you can come up to the front office to get one or email trafeek1@kleinisd.net or call the front office, we will deliver one to your child.

Parents who pick EC/ACCESS students up in bus lot must have a SPED LOT Sign to park in bus lot. Your child's teacher will give you this tag. All other parents picking up students in a car will need to get in car rider line and get a transportation tag. Thank you for following our dismissal procedures.

Hello Community! I am Lisa Hales, Blackshear’s librarian for the past several years. This year, I have also taken on 2nd grade - 5th grade Advanced Academics as part of my services.

As for the librarian role, If you have a child in EC, ACCESS, PreK, kindergarten, or first grade, I will see them either weekly or every other week with a library lesson and checkout. If you have a child in second, third, fourth, or fifth grade, the teachers will bring the students down for checkout each week or every other week. Special lessons may be requested, so if there is something extra the teacher needs, he or she will schedule a lesson with me. As always, students are allowed to ask to come to the library to switch out books any time during the day.

For the Advanced Academic role, I see second grade through fifth grade Advanced Academic students four days a week. During this time, students delve into higher order thinking challenges. We have a lot of fun while we practice depth of knowledge across the curriculum.

If you ever have any questions about the library, please reach out to me. lhales@kleinisd.net

Your Ever So Happy Librarian/Advanced Academic Advocate,

Lisa Hales

Parents, please be aware, when you visit Blackshear you will be asked to show your ID and state your child's name at the entrance door. In order to avoid delays upon your arrival, please have this information ready at the front doors. Staff and parents should not let visitors in without going through the door bell/video process.

We encourage families to apply for Free and Reduced Meals, by visiting https://www.schoolcafe.com/KLEINISD and complete the application.

FRONT OFFICE IS NOT ABLE TO ACCEPT DROP OFF LUNCHES.

ALL visitors must check in in the front office. Please bring ID to receive your temporary badge.

Blackshear family, if your child will need a prescribed medication while at school, there has been a change to Klein ISD procedures. Prescribed medications will need a written order by a licensed healthcare provider. Clinic staff will not be able to use the prescription label as proof of the written medical order, as in the past. The licensed healthcare provider can use the Klein ISD Medication Authorization form, an action plan, or a letter from their office to provide their signed consent. If you have any questions, please contact our school clinic at 832-375-7607

Peachjar partners with school districts to help keep parents more informed about important school updates and community resources. Blackshear communicates upcoming Campus Events, Spirit Nights and more through PeachJar.

Sign up at: https://www.peachjar.com/

Instagram: @blackshear_elem_kisd

Email: abaker1@kleinisd.net
Website: blackshear.kleinisd.net
Location: 11211 Lacey Rd, Tomball, TX 77375, USA
Phone: (832) 375-7600
Twitter: @BlackshearKISD