Be Well!

Dr. J.

Our schools continue to receive recognition for our efforts in establishing both a positive climate and culture, as well as focusing on mindful practices to help students and staff create the skills that will help them navigate life's obstacles. Earlier this year, the Butler School District received the Everfi Champion School District Award. This week, Dr. Johnson was interviewed as a part of the Mindful Educator Podcast, recognizing the work we are dedicated to doing to solidify our culture and climate, educating and caring for students and staff.

Please remember that the sign in time for our virtual students is 8:20 AM.

All students should be logging into their Related Arts classes from home at 1:15 PM.

Use of Technology at Home

This is a friendly reminder that all students should be using their district issued school accounts and devices for age-appropriate school-related activities only.

We encourage students to use devices to explore school-related topics beyond assignments, but please remind your child that additional activities need to be school related and age appropriate. This includes but is not limited to games, shopping and YouTube videos. Social media sites should be used on personal devices using personal accounts only. Also, as a friendly reminder, students should not be using their cell phones or other devices to take video of classroom Zoom/Google Meet lessons and discussions.

**All student activity using school issued devices are monitored for for potential issues like threats of violence, cyberbullying, inappropriate searches and more. **

As always, parents/guardians should always be monitoring their child’s online activity.

Reminder - Symptom Free COVID Form

Before students enter the building each morning for in-person instruction, a COVID pre-certification form stating that your child is symptom free must be filled out. This form is located in the Genesis Parent Portal forms section. Please make this part of your daily routine before bringing your child to school or to the bus stop.

**IT IS IMPORTANT THAT THESE FORMS ARE FILLED OUT BEFORE STUDENTS ENTER THE BUILDING AS PART OF OUR HEALTH AND SAFETY PLAN**

100 Ways to Show We Care

• As you may know, each year schools celebrate the 100th Day of School. This year, in partnership with “Connect for Community,” we would like to use this day to show our children what 100 cents can buy. We are asking each child to bring in one item of something we use every day, with a cost of $1.00 or less. The collection will run from February 8-19. If your child is all virtual, we will arrange for drive-thru drop offs on Friday February 12 and 19. Please see the list below for which items we are collecting at each grade level.

• Pre-K

• Comb or Brush

• Kindergarten

• Toothbrush

• First Grade

• Deodorant

• Second Grade

• Bar Soap

• Third Grade

• Toothpaste

• Fourth Grade

• Shampoo

• “Connect for Community” is a program started by a small group of volunteers to help supplement donations to our local food pantries. Our 100th Day of School donations will provide local homeless shelters and social service agencies with essentials such as toiletries and hygiene products for the members of our community who need it most. Many of these items such as soap, toothpaste and toilet paper, are not covered by food stamps yet they are all necessities in life. Since the program began in 2010, students all around New Jersey have donated nearly 100,000 items!

• Students in grades Pre-K through 2 are to complete the Junior Edition Acts of Kindness sheet.

• Students in Third Grade are to choose 20 Kind Acts

• Students in Fourth Grade are to choose 40 Kind Acts

• Each student that enters the completed kindness acts will be entered into a contest that will have Two winners! The prize is a gift card. Categories: Grade PK- 2 and Grades 3 &4. So go out there and be kind.

Arrival Reminders

Arrival times for our non-bus students:

• Blue Week: Blue Cohort
• 7:50 AM - 8:05 AM - Students in the LLD programs will arrive.
• 7:50 AM - 8:05 AM - Students whose last name begins with G-K will arrive.
• 8:05 AM - 8:20 AM - Students whose last name begins with A-F will arrive.
• Gold Week: Gold Cohort
  • 7:50 AM - 8:05 AM - Students in the LLD programs will arrive.
  • 7:50 AM - 8:05 AM - Students whose last name begins with S-Z will arrive.
  • 8:05 AM - 8:20 AM Students whose last name begins with L-R will arrive.

Students in our Preschool/MD programs will continue to follow their arrival times and procedures.

All students must put masks on prior to exiting their vehicles and whenever they are on school property.

Bus students will be dropped off by gym doors and either staged in the gym until 7:50 AM or escorted to classrooms by teachers after 7:50 AM.

All students using bus/van transportation must have a mask on while at their bus stop and while on the school bus.

Dismissal Reminders

Dismissal for students begins at 12:20 PM. We are asking that all parents/guardians follow the pick up times assigned for your child. With the amount of snow we received from this past storm, it is going to be difficult lining up on Decker Rd. All parents/guardians will need to line up on Decker Rd. from the front of Aaron Decker School (along the sidewalk in front of the sign) to Leonard Rd. and then continue lining up on Leonard Rd. (Please do not block any driveways on Leonard Rd.) Please make sure you are lining up as close to the side of the road as possible to allow other traffic to pass through.

Until further notice, the field behind Aaron Decker School will be closed for walkers due to the snow. If you continue to want your child to be a walker, a parent/guardian will need to drop off/ pick up their child on the front sidewalk by the sign at ADS. If you are going to pick your child up by car, please let the main office.

Here are the dismissal times for our students:

• All bus students will load their bus by 12:15 PM for departure.
• All walkers will be released at 12:20 PM.

For families picking up their students by car:

• Blue Week: Blue Cohort
• 12:20 PM -12:35 PM - Preschool/MD/LLD students(Parents should begin lining up 12:15 PM
• 12:20 PM - 12:35 PM - Students whose last name begin with G-K will be dismissed(Parents should begin lining up 12:15 PM)
• 12:35 PM - 12:50 PM - Students whose last name begin with A-F will be dismissed. (Parents should begin lining up at 12:30 PM)
• Gold Week: Gold Cohort
• 12:20 PM -12:35 PM - Preschool/MD/LLD students(Parents should begin lining up 12:15 PM)
• 12:20 PM - 12:35 PM - Students whose last name begin with S - Z will be dismissed (Parents should begin lining up 12:15 PM)
• 12:35 PM - 12:50 PM - Students whose last name begin with L-R will be dismissed. (Parents should begin lining up at 12:30 PM)
• 
  

Winter Weather Attire

Now with cold weather in place, please be sure your child is dressed appropriately. Coats, hats, gloves, etc. should be worn depending on the weather. We are trying to go outside everyday for recess. If rain is in the forecast, a rain jacket or umbrella would be helpful to keep your child dry while they are walking to their bus or car.

ADS Corner News

Here is our most recent ADS Corner Newsletter: https://www.smore.com/p70md

First Annual Butler Book Drive

Please see the attached information regarding the First Annual Butler Book Drive sponsored by the Butler Public Library.

We are asking the community to assist with donations of "gently used/ almost new" books in the (Pre-K to Middle School) range. Donations can be dropped off in the marked donation bin located outside the main entrance of ADS until February 9th.

We are committed to sharing the love of reading and learning with all of our children. Please join us in making this event a great success.

Free books will be distributed on Saturday, February 13, 2021, from 10:00am - 3:00pm at the Butler Public Library.

Welcome back Cohort A & B. We missed you!

I-Ready mid-year benchmark score reports in ELA and Math will be mailed out February 16, 2021 and 2nd Marking Period Report Cards can currently be viewed on the Parent Portal in RealTime.

We will be collecting 100 items for the Bloomingdale Animal Shelter to celebrate the 100th Day School, please bring your items in before 2/18.

Spring pictures will be on Friday, April 16th for Cohort A during school hours and 100% Virtual students between 12:15-2:00 and Cohort B will be during school hours on Friday, April 23rd.

Hybrid Specials are below and start each day at 1:10

PreK and Kindergarten:

Monday: ART - live

Tuesday: PE - live

Wednesday: Computers - pre-recorded

Thursday: Spanish K ONLY - pre-recorded

Friday: Music - live

First Grade:

Monday: PE - live

Tuesday: Computers - pre-recorded

Wednesday: Spanish - pre-recorded

Thursday: Music - live

Friday: Art - live

Chromebooks distribution for Kindergarten through 4th grade will be on Tuesday, February 16th through Friday, February 19th from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm at Samuel R. Donald School. Parents you MUST acknowledge the acceptable use form and student handbook in Realtime prior to obtaining your child’s device. If you currently have a district device, it will need to be returned the same day you pick up the new chromebook. Please check the email sent out this week about signing up for a time to get your chromebook.

Grades K-4 Pick-Up

2/16 Tuesday - 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

2/17 Wednesday- 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

2/18 Thursday- 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

2/19 Friday- 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

MBD would like to give a shout out to our monthly Bucket Fillers:

• Nicholas Cecala

• Vincent Ferry

• Autumn Fuller

• Savannah Matano

• Mia Pluma

• Naeem Aboudayya

• Chole Dempe

• Nicholas Careri

• Cali Colaluca

• Jacob Sanchez

• Grace Osborne

• Richie Marut

• Isabella Marut

• Lenny Costa

• Alex Vega

• Brandon Taylor

• Mavis Ruiz

• Gabriella Iparraguirre

WELCOME to our new counselor Ms. Kaitlin Mac Iver, who will be with us while Mrs. Krol is out on maternity leave. She has gotten the chance to get to know our students this week.

Welcome back Cohort A & B. We missed you!

I-Ready mid-year benchmark score reports in ELA and Math will be mailed out February 16, 2021 and 2nd Marking Period Report Cards can currently be viewed on the Parent Portal in RealTime.

We will be collecting 100 items for the Bloomingdale Animal Shelter to celebrate the 100th Day School, please bring your items in before 2/18.

Spring pictures will be on Friday, April 16th for Cohort A during school hours and 100% Virtual students between 12:15-2:00 and Cohort B will be during school hours on Friday, April 23rd.

Hybrid Specials are below and start each day at 1:10

Second Grade:

Monday: Computers - pre-recorded

Tuesday: Spanish - pre-recorded

Wednesday: Music - live

Thursday: Art - live

Friday: PE - live

Third Grade:

Monday: Spanish - pre-recorded

Tuesday: Music - live

Wednesday: Art - live

Thursday: PE - live

Friday: Computers - pre-recorded

Fourth Grade:

Monday: Music - live

Tuesday: Art - live

Wednesday: PE - live

Thursday: Computers - pre-recorded

Friday: Spanish - pre-recorded

Chromebooks distribution for Kindergarten through 4th grade will be on Tuesday, February 16th through Friday, February 19th from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm at Samuel R. Donald School. Parents you MUST acknowledge the acceptable use form and student handbook in Realtime prior to obtaining your child’s device. If you currently have a district device, it will need to be returned the same day you pick up the new chromebook. Please check the email sent out this week about signing up for a time to get your chromebook.

Grades K-4 Pick-Up

2/16 Tuesday - 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

2/17 Wednesday- 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

2/18 Thursday- 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

2/19 Friday- 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm

We would like to shine a light on positive behavior at SRD! Our weekly recipients for February are:

Ryley Long

Scarlett Oppenheim

Yesenia Ramos

Victoria Rodano

Alyvia Salmon

Valentina Gutierrez

Zoey Villano

Angel Hernandez

Ava Santalucia

Ella Norman

Richard Marut

Oliver Lukovic

Owen Kendig

James Jones

Bailey Hoehl

Ryan Dietzsch

Jaiden Gaber

Maxwell Taylor

8th GRADE SCHEDULING - 2021 - 2022

BHS School Counselors are visiting both RBS and WTB to enter course requests for the 2021-2022 school year. Counselors are conducting both in-person meetings and virtual. If you have any questions regarding these scheduling meetings, please reach out to Ms. Millward at WTB.

Please use this link for important dates regarding the BHS Scheduling process

BHS 2021 - 2022 Scheduling Process

NEW COURSES - 2021 - 2022

Please use this link to see all of our new course offerings for 2021 - 2022

BHS New Course Offerings 2021 - 2022

BHS DUAL ENROLLMENT OFFERINGS 2021- 2022

Please use this link to see our dual enrollment offerings for 2021 - 2022

BHS DUAL ENROLLMENT 2021 - 2022

Reminder - Symptom Free COVID Form

Before students enter the building each morning for in-person instruction, a COVID pre-certification form stating that your child is symptom free must be filled out. This form is located in the Realtime Parent Portal forms section. Please make this part of your daily routine before bringing your child to school or to the bus stop.

Attention 8th students! Cap and Gown photos are February 16th and 19th. Order forms were emailed to parents/guardians.

We are halfway through the school year!! School attendance has never been more important! Please be sure your child logs into their Google Classroom at the appropriate time.

CONGRATULATIONS to 7th grader, Miss Kaitlyn Oroszlany, who won the school spelling bee! She will compete in the North Jersey Bee on March 16th!

Report Cards are viewable in the Parent Portal on February 11th for the second marking period.

Mid-winter break is February 12th through February 15th.

WTB would like to welcome Mrs. Nancy Okken to our middle school family. She will be taking over for Mrs. Valle as the 6th grade ELA teacher. Thank you Mrs. Valle and Welcome Mrs. Okken!!

Chromebook distribution will be occurring within the next two weeks for WTB, more information to come.

Yearbook!! Please make sure to fill out the google forms so we can make our yearbook a memorable one!! Email Mrs. Saltzman with any questions.

It's been great seeing both our cohorts come back to in-person instruction. We look forward to more students coming back from virtual instruction to in-person instruction each week. Please remember to have your child complete the health screening form in their activity scheduler app by 7:30 am each morning your child is attending in-person instruction. This new process has been very successful and we appreciate you working with us between school and home in ensuring the safety of our students and staff.

BHS CURRICULUM NEWS:

Math News: Teachers are working on revising the curriculum. Members of the math department have been working all year to revise the curriculum for all of the courses that we offer. They also are working on new course offerings for the 2021-2022 school year

Mr. Arabia’s Computer Science class met virtually with 3rd and 4th-grade students at ADS to have an Hour of Code. The juniors and seniors and their ADS groups met in breakout rooms to code computer games. They shared work with each other and the ADS students absolutely loved the older students coding with them! While it couldn’t be in person, it was a great success for all.

Mr. Kirk’s Engineering Club is building a 2L bottle rocket launch on Friday (2/12). Here is the link to the club Google Site:

Engineering Club

Science News: The science department is continuing to write curriculum for new courses ( one will be an Engineering course!) and for the new Science Standards

DECA News: Since DECA States is an entirely virtual competition this year, students are currently competing throughout the month of February! They completed their 100 question test online this past week and will begin recording their virtual role-plays this upcoming week. Each student is submitting two recorded role-plays to be judged. We will know if our students get to move onto nationals at the beginning of March. Nationals is also a fully virtual event and will take place during the month of April and into May.

Band/Choir News: The Band and Choir produced their Holiday Winter concerts. Thank you to Dr. Nishimura and Mrs. Bocchino for the amount of hard work (and production) it took to share our students’ talents.

The marching band is busy planning a full regular season in Fall 2021 with 55 members signed up so far. Parents are welding and painting equipment and doing so much for the program. The concert band and choir are both planning to conduct a spring concert either outside or virtual in the spring. Stay tuned.

World Language News: 6 students passed the testing requirements to earn the New Jersey State Seal of Biliteracy. The seniors who passed will be honored at the BHS Awards Ceremony in late spring. Congratulations to Hannah Quiros, Wiktoria Jaworska, Kaled Lopez, Kinnereth Lopez, Alia Santos, and Julia Sklodowska.

In addition, we are writing curriculum and preparing to offer 2 new full-year World Language courses next year: AP Spanish and Language and American Sign Language I.

English Department News: We are collecting student’s work for our Literary Magazine Unleashed which will be published in the spring. We’ve also been continuing to analyze and refine benchmark assessments and preparing to teach new elective courses in the fall.

Social Studies News: Teachers/Supervisors are continuing to examine the 2020 NJ Student Learning Standards and create standards-based assessments. They have also begun exploring resources for a more inclusive curriculum which will be written next school year.

A FEW WORDS FROM VICE PRINCIPAL MR. BENSON

On Thursday, February 4th, we launched our new COVID screening form via the activity scheduler cell phone app. The launch of this app was a success. We were able to decrease the amount of instructional time missed drastically. Thank you all for your cooperation in making sure your children downloaded the app and fill out the form.

Please continue to have your child(ren) fill out the COVID screening form via the activity scheduler app each morning they are physically attending Butler High School. No COVID forms should be filled out via Genesis at this time.

Please remember that students that are scheduled to be in person and log in virtually will be marked absent from any period this occurs.

Any parent that wishes to change their child from hybrid/in-person to virtual or vice versa must do so by first submitting a request form to the attendance office. Your child's placement will not be officially changed until Mrs. Milone receives the form and confirms the status of the change.

Please continue to ensure your child is logging into their virtual classes on time when scheduled to do so. Any student that logs in late to their virtual class should be sure to let the teacher know they have arrived to help make sure attendance is accurate.

Please reach out to Mrs. Milone and your child's teacher(s) to discuss any concerns and/or discrepancies found in your child's attendance report. Mrs. Milone can be reached at 973.492.2000 ext. 1503 or via email at lmilone@butlerboe.org

BHS MP 2 TOP DAWG AWARDS

Congratulations to the following students for being selected as our Top Dawgs of Marking Period 2:

Math - Anthony LaSala

Science - Cid Torralba

Social Studies - Danielle Soykin

World Language - Amanda Findura

English - Tyler Wagner

Art - Matt Leccese

Music - Ryan Hsu

Foods - Noelle Reder

Physical Education - Zachary Wagner

BHS 2021-22 SCHEDULING PROCESS

The scheduling process is well underway for 2021 - 2022. Parents and students for grades 9 - 11 should have entered their elective choices into the Genesis Parent Portal by February 12, 2021.

Please use this link for important dates regarding the BHS Scheduling process

BHS 2021 - 2022 Scheduling Process

NEW COURSES - 2021 - 2022

Please use this link to see all of our new course offerings for 2021 - 2022

BHS New Course Offerings 2021 - 2022

BHS DUAL ENROLLMENT OFFERINGS 2021- 2022

Please use this link to see our dual enrollment offerings for 2021 - 2022

BHS DUAL ENROLLMENT 2021 - 2022

RBS and WTB 8th GRADE SCHEDULING - 2021 - 2022

BHS School Counselors are visiting both RBS and WTB this week and next to enter course requests for the 2021-2022 school year. Counselors are conducting both in-person meetings and virtual. If you have any questions regarding these scheduling meetings, please reach out to Ms. Millward at WTB or Mr. Meyers at RBS.

BHS YEARBOOK RECOGNITION ADS FOR SENIORS

Attn: Senior Parents, Guardians, Friends & Family

Celebrate the memorable moments throughout their school years. Place a Recognition Ad in the 2021 BHS Yearbook today. The deadline for purchase is Feb.16, 2021.

Please use the following link to order.

RECOGNITION ADS - BHS

Please contact Mrs. Fatzer with any questions at mfatzer@butlerboe.org

GRAB AND GO LUNCH:

Grab and go breakfast/lunch is available for all students every day. The pick is located at the BHS Cafeteria entrance from 11:30 am - 1:30 pm each weekday and 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm on Tuesdays and Fridays.

COLLEGE APPLICATION PROCESS:

Seniors should be working with their counselors to make sure college applications are going out in a timely manner to avoid missing any deadlines.

MID YEAR GRADE REPORTS

Any senior who needs Mid Year Grade reports sent to a college they have applied to should contact their school counselor.

WELLNESS CLUB

In an effort to continue our focus on Wellness and Mental Health, Mrs. Szabo and Mrs. Urbina have started a Wellness Club which meets after school on Wednesdays in person and via ZOOM. We have incorporated breathing exercises, mandala work, aromatherapy, and Mr. Luciani joined us for one session to discuss Exercise as Stress Management. Supplies were purchased for the club with support from the Butler Municipal Alliance. Future topics include yoga and nutrition. Each student that joins will receive a Wellness bag at the end of our sessions. All are welcome to join!

Please also see our website: Wellness Website

SWITCHING TO ALL VIRTUAL INSTRUCTION:

If you decide to have your child move to virtual instruction, please follow these steps:

1. Email Mrs. Milone at lmilone@butlerboe.org requesting a form to go virtual.

2. Fill out the form completely and scan it back to Mrs. Milone.

3. As per policy, allow one week for this request to be processed.

4. Until approval is given, students are expected to attend class in person during their cohort week.

5. IMPORTANT: Students who are switching back from virtual to in-person instruction, please follow the same procedure as above (Allow one month for an in-person return).

STAY SAFE!:

Our community continues to see a large increase in the number of individuals who tested positive for Covid-19. Because of this significant uptick in the incidence of Covid-19, we wish to remind all parents, staff, and students to continue following well-established Covid-19 safety measures, including:

Proper and consistent use of a cloth face covering;

Social distancing of six feet or more whenever possible;

Frequent handwashing and hand sanitization;

Respiratory etiquette for coughs and sneezes; and

Staying home when ill and following established quarantine protocols.

www.butlerboe.org

www.bloomingdaleschools.org

Email: djohnson@butlerboe.org
Location: 38 Bartholdi Avenue, Butler, NJ, USA
Phone: 9734922020
Twitter: @drjohnson45