The Bear Branch Buzz

May 6-10: Teacher Appreciation Week (see flyer below)

May 6: 4th Grade Talent Show Auditions

May 7: STUCO Field Trip

May 8: 5th Grade Talent Show Auditions

May 9: Coffee in the Bearista Cafe

May 10: Super Kids Day

May 13: 1st Grade Program & PTA general meeting

May 16: Honor Choir Program, 6:00

May 20: No Yarn Club Scheduled on This Day

May 21: BBE GT EXPO, 6:00 pm

May 23: Kindergarten End of Year Celebration, 10:15 (see flyer below)

MAY 24: 1st Grade Picnic, 11:10

May 27: Memorial Day Holiday

May 28: 3rd Grade Picnic, 12:00

May 29: 2nd Grade Picnic, 9:30

May 29: 4th Grade Picnic, 12:00

May 30: 5th Grade Breakfast, 9:30

May 30: Last Day of School (early release day)

Dear Families of Students in K through 4th Grade,

Have you created your Rooms account yet? You should have received an invitation to join Rooms ~ our new parent-teacher communication platform for elementary campuses.

Rooms works directly within our Humble ISD mobile app. Be sure you have the current Humble ISD mobile app downloaded on your mobile device, and notifications enabled, so that you can receive important updates from your child’s teachers.

Check out our new Rooms Support website, where you can find helpful information, quick videos and frequently asked questions about using Rooms.

Invites were sent from accounts@thrillshare.com. Please be sure to look for this email and follow the instructions to create your Rooms account, if you have not already done so. Remember, once you create your account, you are IN! Your Rooms account will follow your elementary student(s) through 5th grade.

So don’t delay! Stay informed and connected with Rooms.

If you did not receive an invitation to join Rooms, or if you have any questions, please submit a Rooms Help Request.

Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, and 4th Grade will all be celebrating the end of this school year with picnics! Please see below and the most recent Bear Branch Buzz newsletter for dates and times. If you wish to order a sack lunch from the BBE cafeteria on your child's picnic day, please submit the Sack Lunch Order Form by Friday, May 10 at 12:00 noon.

Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade and 4th Grade picnics will all be at the Bear Branch Gazebo Park. The Greenbelt Permission Form was distributed at the beginning of this school year for parents to permit students to travel with their class on nature walks on greenbelts and on picnics to the Bear Branch Gazebo Park. Please submit this form if you have not yet done so this year.

Please see the upcoming end-of-year dates:

Friday, May 10: Super Kids Day beginning at 8:15 am - Please fill out the Super Kids Day RSVP

Monday, May 13: 1st Grade Program at 6:00 pm on the stage

Thursday, May 16: Honor Choir Program at 6:00 pm on the stage

Thursday, May 23: Kinder Program on the stage @ 10:15 am / Picnic Celebration at the Bear Branch Gazebo Park from 10:30 am -12:00 pm - Please fill out the Kinder EOY RSVP

Friday, May 24: 1st Grade Picnic Celebration at the Bear Branch Gazebo Park @ 11:10 am

Tuesday, May 28: 3rd Grade Picnic Celebration at the Bear Branch Gazebo Park from 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm

Wednesday, May 29: 2nd Grade Picnic Celebration at the Bear Branch Gazebo Park from 9:30 am - 11:30 am

Wednesday, May 29: 4th Grade Picnic Celebration at the Bear Branch Gazebo Park from 12:00 noon - 2 pm

Thursday, May 30: 5th Grade Graduation Breakfast in the BBE cafeteria @ 9:30 am - Please fill out the 5th Grade Graduation Breakfast RSVP

Teacher Appreciation Week is fast approaching!! Take a moment to look at the fun days we have planned for our amazing staff and get a head start on the activities.

We are excited about BBE Super Kids Day coming up on Friday, May 10th, but we can't do it without your support. We are looking for 40 volunteers for each grade level session to help run the event stations. Prior to their shift, volunteers will check in with the front office and be assigned a station to monitor.

Humble ISD Volunteer Policy requires all volunteers to complete a short online application each year. If you have not completed the volunteer application for the 2023-2024 school year yet, please take a moment to fill it out. This process can take 3-5 days to receive the background check results.

Volunteers have two options to support our school. The first option is to sign up for your child's SKD time and help run a station. The second option is to sign up for a different SKD time than your child's and run that grade level's station. This allows you the flexibility to watch your child during their SKD time while not supervising a station. Ex: You can spend time with your 2nd grade child from 10:15-12:00 and then help volunteer to run a station from 12:15-2:00 during the 4th & 5th grade play time. Parents may not bring younger siblings while they are volunteering.

Super Kids Day is a FUN day for the kids but we can't do it without YOU. We need parent support to help make this year's Super Kids Day amazing!

Thank you in advance for your help,

Patricia Edmonds & Leanne Terry

Please remember to send in an excuse if your child is absent from school. This excuse can be emailed, handwritten or submitted electronically using the absence form. Thank you for your help with this!

Regular attendance is critical to learning in the classroom. When your elementary or middle school child is absent from school, please note the following important reminders:

Inform the school within 48 hours to mark the absence as excused using one of these options:

• Fill out the online absence form at humbleisd.net/attendancecontacts -or-

• Email the campus attendance office -or-

• Send in a paper note, or take a photo with your phone and send it to the attendance office -or-

• Call the school’s attendance office

For medical or dental appointments:

• Get a note at the appointment and upload it into the online absence form at humbleisd.net/attendancecontacts -or-

• Turn it in to the attendance office within 48 hours.

Did You Know?

Dated health care appointment notes allow the school to mark your child present if they attended any part of the school day, such as before or after their appointment.

When students stay in school until 10 a.m. (Elementary) or 10:40 a.m. (Middle School), it ensures the school receives full funding for the day. Your support in ensuring your child’s attendance not only helps them academically, but also boosts the school’s success.

Thank you for partnering with us to provide the best educational experience for our students. For more information, please visit Important Attendance Information for Parents or view the Attendance Reminders for Elementary & Middle School flyer.

You may have noticed quite a bit of activity around the Tree Lane bridge. This is due to a City of Houston (COH) Public Works Department project that will begin this spring for the Tree Lane Bridge Rehabilitation Project. As we receive information, we will share with our BBE Community. This project may impact arrival and dismissal for walkers, bikers and car riders.

Project update regarding upcoming bridge construction:

• Adjacent land area will be closed off with a construction fence.
• One lane of traffic near the bridge may be closed intermittently, with the bridge remaining fully open during peak hours.
• Detailed logistics and safety plans are being developed with the contractor.
• Construction is anticipated to start in March or early April, subject to various factors such as material procurement.
• The adjacent sidewalk may also be closed, pending finalization of safety measures with the contractor.

For those who have not yet purchased a yearbook, we have limited copies available for sale. If you are interested in securing a copy for your child, please go to: https://www.balfour.com/texas/kingwood/bear-branch-elementary-school .

We encourage you to act quickly, as these copies will be allocated on a first come, first-serve basis.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding. We are excited to share this wonderful memento with all of you and hope that it brings joy and fond memories of this unique school year.

Yearbook prices have increased to $25.00 as of 1/8/2024.

Order yours now at:

https://www.balfour.com/texas/kingwood/bear-branch-elementary-school

Don't miss out on getting your very own yearbook!

Humble ISD provides testing opportunities for students who wish to attempt credit by exam (CBE) for acceleration to skip a grade. Information for summer testing is available through your school counselor, Julie Wimberly. If interested, please click this link to access the registration form.

Summer Testing: June 17-20, 2024 or July 8-11, 2024
Registration Deadline: April 26, 2024

Parents,

Champions Kids Camp invites children who qualify to participate in a week long summer camp experience. If your child has experienced any of the following they could be a candidate for Champions Kids Camp.

- has previously been in foster care or experienced trauma

- has experienced the loss of a parent or sibling

- has survived an accident or illness

- has an on-going disease

- has a parent who is a first responder or in the military

Please see the attached flyer for more details.

Thank you,

Julie Wimberly

BBE School Counselor

281-641-1607

Two lice viewed under an electron microscope. Note the claws used to grasp onto individual hairs. (Photo Credit: CDC)

General Lice Information:

• Adult head lice are about the size of a sesame seed. They infest the head and neck and attach their eggs to the base of the hair shaft.
• A female louse can lay up to 6-8 eggs a day and nits will hatch in about 10 days. Do the math.
• Head lice infestation, or pediculosis, is spread mostly by close person-to-person contact by crawling. They cannot fly or hop. Also, dogs, cats, and other pets do not transmit lice.
• Adult and nymph lice are very small, move quickly, and avoid light, they may be difficult to find. They cause itching (pruritus) from the louse bites.
• Both over-the-counter and prescription medications are available for treatment along with the use of a fine-toothed louse comb.
• Not a fun fact: Head lice are not known to transmit any disease and therefore are not considered a health hazard.
  
• Fun fact: Adult lice can “hold their breath” for up to 8 hours in water and Chlorine does not kill them! And you absolutely cannot drown nits! Darn!

To help prevent and control the spread of head lice:

• Avoid head-to-head (hair-to-hair) contact during play and other activities at home, school, and elsewhere (sports activities, playground, slumber parties, camp).
• Do not share clothing such as hats, scarves, coats, sports uniforms, hair ribbons, headbands, or barrettes.
• Do not share combs, brushes, or towels. Disinfest combs and brushes used by an infested person by soaking them in hot water for 5–10 minutes.
• Do not lie on beds, couches, pillows, carpets, or stuffed animals that have recently been in contact with an infested person. Be careful the next time you go to the movie theater too! Yikes!

Please read the CDC Flyer of How to check for head lice and the Humble ISD Lice Facts Sheet below.

I bet you are scratching your head now! Me too! EEK!

Emily James, RN, BSN

Bear Branch Elementary Nurse

281-641-1605

281-641-1617 fax

Photo Credit: Lice Clinics of America

Copy Room Volunteers are needed to make copies for our teachers.

Visit www.bbepta.com and click on volunteer. You can sign up for a specific day of the week or a specific date.

If you have any questions, please contact Priscilla Reyna at copyroom@bbepta.com

If your child forgets items at home, please deliver to the cubby shelf in the front entry labeled with your child's name, teacher and grade level before 10:00 a.m. Items will be delivered at 10:00 a.m. If you drop off items after 10:00 a.m., please notify the front office and they will call the student to pick up at teacher's discretion.

Guests are welcome to have lunch on campus with their Bear on the following days:

• Any Day of the Week: Student Birthday/Half Birthday

• Tuesdays: Kindergarten and 4th Grades

• Wednesdays: 1st and 3rd Grades

• Thursdays: 2nd and 5th Grades

As a reminder, this is a special time for the Bear and the guest. Other students will not be permitted to join the Bear and guest.

If you are interested in enrolling your child in Humble ISD PreK for the 2023-2024 school year, you may begin the pre-registration process online. To learn more about registration, age requirements, and to see if you are eligible, please visit our website at www.humbleisd.net/earlychildhood

Thank you so much!

Email: bbe_connect@humbleisd.net
Website: www.humbleisd.net/bbe
Location: 3500 Garden Lake Drive Kingwood, Texas 77339
Phone: 2816411601
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/humbleisd.bbe/
Twitter: @humbleisd_bbe