Banta Unified School District

We are registering incoming TK and Kinder students!

Please call the school office if you have any questions!

Please help us improve our programs! We need your feedback.

https://forms.gle/MswVepVwHU1FCvSJ8

As a kid, I loved the month of February! Aside from Groundhog Day, which is my birthday, it was the month of Valentine's! When we were young, my mom always had us make valentines for our classmates. Doilies, construction paper, glitter, and glue would cover our kitchen bar as my sister and I cut out hearts and made intricate Valentine's creations! I remember the pride I felt when I brought my works of art to school. My teachers always oohed and awed over the glittered hearts as I inadvertently showered their classrooms with sparkles!

Valentines, though, also meant having to work in my dad’s flower shop. Valentine's Day was big business and meant all hands on deck! Hundreds of dozens of roses would be delivered Valentine's week, and each rose had to be scraped of leaves and thorns. Sitting in the back of my dad’s shop, I would scrape thorns from roses, one at a time. It was tedious work– and, aside from the radio, it was boring work, but it had to be done. I remember scrapping as fast as I could and barely keeping up with the designers as they made their beautiful arrangements for the big day!

Working in the flower shop taught me the meaning of hard work. It taught me that sometimes the tedious and monotonous jobs are the most important. It also taught me the value of earning a dollar and that the people working in the background, the ones that you do not see, are some of the hardest-working people in the company.

Schools, I have learned, are a lot like flower shops. There is a lot of work happening in the backroom to ensure that our programs are exemplary. From the office preparing for registration, the teachers planning lessons and planning for valentines, the kitchen staff preparing 1000's of meals a week, the compliance person working on the countless state reports, and the custodians patching up leaks and keeping our facility clean, everyone's efforts are helping us maintain a sense of normalcy on our campus.

Speaking of hard work, our students and teachers have diligently been preparing for the state exams this year, which will take place this Spring. We are working on concepts, analyzing past scores, and ensuring that all students have what they need before state testing begins! We know that our students will take what they have learned and do their best on their tests!

But the lives of our students are much more than test scores and grades. We know that students succeed best when they feel safe, loved, and supported. Hopefully, the success students feel academically, socially, and emotionally throughout their school years continues as they leave our classrooms each day and live as positive citizens in our community.

With that in mind, we’re going to work hard to do well on our State Exams. We’re going to make our Valentines and use lots of glitter and glue, and we’re going to try to recognize all of those who work hard each day to make our school district a wonderful place to be.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Dr. Pearlman

The NED Show is here on February 19th. Students in preschool through fourth grade will attend the assembly to learn about NED and his Resiliency Ride! All students, preschool through 8th grade, may purchase yo-yos. https://www.thenedshows.com/ned-teacher-preview

Yo-yos will be available in the office during breaks and after school.

This is our annual Father-Daughter Dance. Bring your dads, your grandpas, your uncles, or your mom! All are welcome! See the office for tickets- order forms coming home soon!

It's time for boys and girls coed volleyball. 5th-8th graders, please get your permission forms from Mrs. Lorentz. Practice starts the second week of February.

Sees Candy order forms are going home after Valentine's Day. Please place your orders for Sees candy before we go on Spring Break, March 6th.

Feb 2nd- Groundhogs Day

Feb 5 - Family Science Night 5 PM - 6:30 PM

Feb 9 – No School

Feb 14 – Valentine’s Day

Feb 16 – President’s Day – No School

Feb, 19- NED Show for Pre/TK- 4th grade 9:00AM

Feb 20 - Early Release

Feb. 23 - PFA Meeting

Feb. 27- Movie Night- 6 PM / Reports go home.

March 2-6 - Read Across America

March 4 - Mustang Award Assemblies

March 6- Sees Candy orders due

March 9-13- Spring Break

March 27- Me and My Prince Charming - Father/ Daughter Dance

Next Meeting: February 23rd

5:00 p.m.

Please join us at our monthly parent and staff meeting!

Having integrity means doing the right thing in a reliable way. It's a personality trait that we admire since it means a person has a moral compass that doesn't waver. It means having "wholeness" of character, just as an integer is a "whole number" with no fractions. Physical objects can display integrity, too — if you're going over a rickety old bridge that sways in the wind, you might question its structural integrity

Transitional kindergarten (TK) bridges the pre-kindergarten and kindergarten years. It is the first year of a two-year kindergarten program that has been implemented in California for children who are not old enough yet for kindergarten but want to build their social, developmental, and academic skills.

TK classrooms are taught by a multiple-subject credentialed teacher and the TK curriculum is based on the California Preschool Learning Foundations and the Kindergarten Common Core Standards. TK is offered at select BUSD Early Education Schools and elementary schools.

For the 2026-2027 school year, TK is for students who will be turning age four (4) by September 1st.(California law requires that children be age 5 on or before September 1 of the school year to be eligible for kindergarten and age 6 on or before September 1 of the school year to be eligible for first grade.)

Students who complete TK will be required to apply for kindergarten the following year.

Interested parents should contact the Banta school office (209) 229-4650 or the Banta District Office (209)229-4651 for information on registration. Registration forms are available on the district webpage. https://bantaesd.sharpschool.net/

How has the first month of the New Year flown by so quickly? We’ve had a strong start to learning and team activities in the library. We learned more about our Solar System and made our own planets. We went exploring with Fly Guy, played games, watched book trailers for new titles we have, and then I got to watch books fly off the shelves!

Fifth and sixth graders had a blast playing the game “Really Loud Librarians.” It is always a joy to watch them problem-solve together, and when you turn it into a competitive game, it's even more fun while learning. Eighth grade had a peaceful visit with some dogs, and all classes got to end January with the craziest indoor snowball fights known to the area.

Students have been enjoying reading for our monthly reading challenge. Our most popular series right now are Fly Guy, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Wings of Fire, & Bunbun and Bonbon. We are also now sharing our question of the week on our Facebook page, so please jump in anytime to vote. Every vote counts!

February will include plushie friends joining us, bingos, and a scavenger hunt! Until next time, keep reading!

-Mrs Eichele

Love Is on the Menu!
February’s menus are full of meals made with love—featuring nutritious meals made with care, to support healthy happy learners. From tried-and-true favorites to comforting, feel-good dishes, there’s something to smile about every day.

Remember, we’re still proudly serving under the Universal Meal Program, which means ALL meals are at no charge to every student, every day. We encourage all students to stop by and enjoy a meal with us.

Don't forget to GO GREEN and sign up to have our menus emailed to you. https://bantasdfoodservice.com/

As your student prepares to enter 7th grade in the upcoming school year, it is important that they are up to date on all of their immunizations. As required by the state of California, your child will need to provide proof to the school that they have received their Tdap Booster immunization prior to entry into 7th grade.

If we do not have documentation of this immunization, unfortunately, we will not be able to place your child on a class list come the start of the 2026-2027 school year. Please note that there have been no extensions granted by the state due to COVID-19, and the TDAP requirement remains in place.

Please provide proof of your child’s Tdap immunization to the school no later than June 2, 2026.

Consistent with Federal and State regulations, the Banta Unified School District engages in ongoing “Child Find” services to locate, identify, and evaluate all students with disabilities residing within its jurisdiction. We will provide appropriate special education services to students who qualify. If you know of a child who is 2 through 21 years of age who may have individual needs that result from disabilities or developmental delays, and who is not enrolled in a school program, please contact Danyelle Gonzalez, Director of Special Education, at (209) 229-4650.