Kutz Cougar Courier Times

• Monday, December 1- Food Drive Begins (see below for more information)- EXTENDED TO END 12/12
• Monday, December 8- Friday, December 12- Holiday Boutique (see below for more information)
• Thursday, December 11- Holly Jolly Express (see below for more information)
• Tuesday, December 16- Grinch Day- Wear Green!
• Wednesday, December 17- Wear your winter holiday hat!
• Thursday, December 18- Wear your winter holiday socks!
• Friday, December 19- Holiday Sing (school event- students only)- Dress your holiday best!
• Monday, December 22- Wear your holiday sweater!
• Tuesday, December 23- Wear your holiday pajamas!- Early Dismissal at 12:10 PM
• Wednesday, December 24- Sunday, January 4- Winter Break
• Friday, January 9- Kutz Spirit Day!

Please remember to have your car placard in your passenger window or on the passenger side of your windshield each day. If you need additional placards, please let us know.

Please make sure all students and families use the crosswalk so we can keep everyone safe. Thank you!

As the temperatures drop, we still try to have student go outside for recess (at least 15 minutes). Please make sure your child always has a coat. We recommend other cold weather gear like hats, gloves, and/or scarves, too. Please talk to your child about keeping their coat on during recess too. Thank you!

The Holiday Boutique is this week and we are looking for volunteers to help out. If you would like to help, please see the Sign Up Genius link and flyer attached below.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A084BA8AE22A3F58-60399765-kutz#/

All students will be dismissed early on Tuesday, Dec. 23. The district's 12-month print calendar mistakenly lists early dismissal for grades 1-6. Families are encouraged to also check the district and school online calendars on the district and school websites for the most up-to-date and accurate information.

At the Dec. 2 School Board Organization Meeting, Heather Reynolds was unanimously elected President and Susan Gibson was unanimously elected Vice President. The four board members elected in November were also officially sworn in by Judge Stephen A. Corr and the board approved its business meeting schedule for 2026, moving the meetings from the third Thursday of the month to the fourth. The first meeting of the new year is Jan. 22. Read more

Congrats to Holicong 7th grader Emma Kim for winning December round of CBSD's "See the Good, Be the Good" lock screen contest and earning a gift card to her restaurant of choice! Her original artwork is featured on district devices throughout December. Students can now try their hand at being the first winner of 2026 in the next round of the contest, "See the Good, Be the Good in the New Year." Submissions are due Dec. 23. More details

Get the latest scoop on everything tasty happening at Central Bucks! Our newest newsletter is packed with info you need. Free Breakfast Fun Facts: Discover why your daily free breakfast is the best way to start your day! The Jalapeño Popper Burger: Get the delicious details on this month’s spicy-cheesy Limited Time Offer (LTO). Eat Well, Be Well: Find out which healthy, featured ingredients we're spotlighting in December! Read the full issue!

The Central Bucks Education Foundation is raffling off two great seats to a Flyers game at the Wells Fargo Center, just 18 rows from the ice. The games are on Feb. 5, March 5, and April 2, 2026. Tickets are $5 each, with bundle options available, and all proceeds fund teacher-submitted grants that directly support CBSD students. The winner will be announced on January 23, 2026. Get your tickets now.

The Bucks County Symphony Orchestra invites you and your family to attend its Family Concert—Tunes & Tales—on Sunday, December 14th at 3:00 in the C. B. East auditorium.

The BCSO will present the timeless classic, Peter and the Wolf, narrated by Broadway star and CB East alumnus Justin Guarini.

Fourteen-year-old violinist Isabella Muñoz, BCSO’s Youth Concerto Competition winner, will play the first movement from Lalo’s Symphonie Espagnole (see bio below poster).

The concert will also feature the Lenape Middle School Select Choir, joining the BCSO in performances of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “You’ll Never Walk Alone” and “Climb Every Mountain,” plus “It’s Possible” from Seussical the Musical.

Please check out the information on the poster and come out for an enjoyable afternoon of musical entertainment for the entire family. Attendees may enter a drawing for a $100 gift certificate to Russo’s Music. [There are three drawings this year!]

What a wonderful way for your family to enjoy an afternoon of entertainment together!

Adult tickets may be purchased online at BucksCountySymphony.org,

or in Doylestown at Rutherford’s Camera Shop and Doylestown Bookshop.

Get all tickets in advance to guarantee admission.

ISABELLA MUÑOZ

- BCSO YOUTH CONCERTO COMPETITION WINNER -

Isabella Muñoz is a 9th-grade student at Wissahickon High School. She began playing the violin at the age of six, has been a Philadelphia Music Alliance for Youth artist, and has studied at Settlement Music School.

She is a member of the Philadelphia Young Artists Orchestra and the Schoenbach Pre-Advanced Study Scholarship Chamber Ensemble at Settlement Music School. She also performs with her school orchestra and chorus.

Beyond music, Isabella is a dedicated athlete and STEM enthusiast. She competes in fencing tournaments and is a member of her school’s track and field team. In addition to her academic and extracurricular commitments, Isabella is fluent in Mandarin and Spanish, and an avid reader and writer.

JUSTIN GUARINI

- CELEBRITY GUEST NARRATOR -

Justin Guarini attended Lenape Middle School and graduated from Central Bucks East. He studied theater and vocal performance at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and attended the School for Film and Television in New York.

Justin first achieved national fame as a finalist in the first American Idol competition in 2002, then made his Broadway debut in 2011. His most notable role was portraying Fiyero in the Gershwin Theatre’s production of Wicked in 2014. He became known to TV viewers as the beloved character “Lil’ Sweet” in the 7-year award-winning Dr. Pepper commercials.

Justin is a strong advocate for music in public schools and has served as a national spokesperson in support of school music programs.

Across the district we have many support staff vacancies. At Kutz we have several staff positions that need to be filled. They include personal care assistant and educational assistant- special education. If you are interested in any of these positions, I encourage you to apply at Central Bucks School District - Frontline Recruitment (applitrack.com) and reach out to me directly at cadelberger@cbsd.org or 267-893-3900. I would be happy to talk to you about the positions further and answer any questions you may have. Please feel free to share this information with friends, family, neighbors, etc. Thank you for your support and consideration.

In Central Bucks the use of student smart watches, cell phones, and personal devices in school prohibited per school board policy 829.1. If your child has any of these devices, they are to be off and remain in backpacks during the school day. If communication between your child and home is needed, it will take place with the support of the health office or main office during the school day. Please be sure to share they expectations with your child as this policy will be enforced by teachers and staff in coordination with our district policy. An excerpt of the policy is included below for your reference.

The Board prohibits the use of any electronic device by any elementary school student while in district buildings, on district property and grounds including on district buses, and at school-sponsored activities. An electronic device that is possessed by any student in school buildings or on district property must remain powered off and kept out of sight at all times.

Per our food service provide, Aramark, students will not be permitted to buy a double lunch, even on pizza days. If your child is typically very hungry at lunch time and they are buying, consider packing some additional food for them to eat at lunchtime, too.

We will begin allowing students to purchase snacks on Monday, September 8. Students are permitted to purchase one snack. The usual choices are chips ($1.35) or ice cream ($1.65).

Breakfast continues to be free for all students.

On pizza days, we may not be able to offer snack as it takes a long time for each student to buy lunch and there may not be enough time for snack purchases and for the students to then eat the snack.

We have Kutz Spirit Wear available! Click the link below if you want to order Kutz spirit wear!

If your child is coming into school late, leaving early, has a dismissal change, or will be absent, please email your child's teacher(s) and our office staff. Please email all office staff members in case someone is absent- Michele Ernst at mernst@cbsd.org, Jenny Debuque at jdebuque@cbsd.org, and Hillary Ray at hray@cbsd.org You can also call the office at 267-893-3900.

Kutz is a "B" School

• Arrival begins at 8:30 AM
  
• Student day begins at 8:50 AM
• Student day ends at 3:30 PM
• Dismissal ends at 3:50 PM
• For early dismissal days- dismissal begins at 12:10 PM
• For 2 hour delay days- arrival begins at 10:30 and the student day begins at 10:50

the student directory for the 2025-2026 school year is on the Kutz website. Directions for how to find it on the website are included below. To access the website page that houses the directory, you need a "Page Passkey". The page passkey was sent via email on November 5. Click here to access it, too.

Directions for how to find the directory on the website:

1. Go to kutz.cbsd.org
2. On the menu on the right hand side, choose "Parents/Students".
3. Click "Parent Resources".
4. On the left-hand side, click "Student Directory".
5. Enter the page passkey listed above.
6. Then click the directory.

If you have any questions, please reach out to our office staff.

Click here for the Kutz Parent and Student Handbook for the 2025-2026 school year. This handbook provides a comprehensive summary of school and district policies and programs for students and their families. We hope you will find this to be a valuable resource.

VOLUNTEER Clearances/Paperwork

Central Bucks School District volunteers play a vital role in supporting students, staff, sports programs and other school activities. Thank you for your interest in volunteering!

PA Act 15 of 2015 requires volunteers to have clearances/background checks prior to volunteering in a public school. Clearances (and the FBI Volunteer Affidavit if applicable) are valid for 60 months (5 years) from the date of the clearance.

The PA Department of Education (PDE) recognizes differences between volunteers and visitors - click HERE for examples, and contact Human Resources with any questions.

The information below is intended for VOLUNTEERS. If you are compensated by CBSD by paycheck, parent fund, or student fund, you are NOT a volunteer and must complete employee paperwork.

• Click Raptor Volunteer Safe to register and create an account. NOTE: Each volunteer must create an individual Raptor account and all required clearances must be submitted with your application. (The App Garden program has been discontinued by the provider, but you may retrieve your clearances from App Garden through May 31, 2025 - click HERE for instructions).
  
  
• If you have a Volunteer Card issued with your previous App Garden account, you may continue to volunteer with that card through June 30, 2025, regardless of the expiration date printed on the card.
  
  
• All volunteers must create a Raptor account if you wish to volunteer after 6/30/2025.
  
  
• All communication about your account status will be sent to the email address on file in Raptor.

Mandated Reporter Information: Under Pennsylvania law, any person having direct contact with school children is considered a mandatory reporter and is required to report reasonable suspicion of child abuse.

All Central Bucks School District volunteers are mandated reporters. We recommend volunteers complete an online training course through the University of Pittsburgh's Child Welfare Resource Center, “Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse: Mandated and Permissive Reporting in PA.” Click the link to take the course, then upload your certificate to your Raptor account: https://www.reportabusepa.pitt.edu/.

Click HERE for additional information and frequently asked questions.

Thank you for volunteering your time and service, and for understanding the importance of complying with these state regulations for the safety of our students.

HAVE QUESTIONS? Please email Human Resources.

Clearances expire five years after approval, so please check to make sure yours are still current.

Clearances are required for parents chaperoning field trips, volunteering for classroom parties, and supporting other classroom and school events.

Thank you for supporting our staff and students by volunteering your time!

Want to view our lunch menu? Need to add funds to your child's account? Looking for nutrition information? Need to apply for free and reduced breakfast/lunch? Click here to learn more about Food Services in Central Bucks.

Looking for more information on our Before and After School Programs? Click here to learn how to register your child.

Kutz School Wide Expectations: Practice Kindness, Act Respectfully, Work Responsibly, Stay Safe

Heather Jacobson, Assistant Principal, hjacobson@cbsd.org

Justin Rubenstein, Interim Assistant Principal, jrubenstein@cbsd.org

Email: cadelberger@cbsd.org
Website: www.cbsd.org/kutz
Location: Kutz Elementary School, Turk Road, Doylestown, PA, USA
Phone: 267-893-3900
Twitter: @CBKutzElem