The Paw Power Press

Happy first weeks of school to our students and staff! We enjoyed greeting everyone on Tuesday morning as students made their ways to new classrooms to meet their teachers and classmates! It is wonderful to be a part of this school community - it is sure to be a fantastic year! Enjoy these first days of school photos at Butler!

Butler had a very successful Summer Reading Initiative that supported our efforts with encouraging student reading throughout the months off from school. With the generosity of our local Chalfont/Montgomery businesses, students could earn items based on how often they read! Thanks, again, to the groups below who hung our Butler logo in their business all summer long! You helped make it a success!

This year, Central Bucks is launching into our Portrait of a Graduate initiative through our Comprehensive Plan highlighting seven attributes:

• Balanced Individuals
• Responsible Citizens
• Resilient Learners
• Critical Thinkers
• Effective Communicators
• Thoughtful Collaborators
• Adaptable Innovators

To learn more about the District's new Comprehansive Plan, which includes details about our Portrait of a Graduate, please click here.

Regular school attendance is necessary for a successful school experience. Instructional continuity is interrupted when a student is frequently absent, tardy, or dismissed early from school. Understanding that regular attendance in school is necessary for students to gain maximum benefits from public education, the Central Bucks School District urges all parents/guardians to stress punctuality and regular attendance habits with their children. Please read Important Updates from the CBSD Attendance Letter - Click Here.

Please review the "Managing Student Attendance Plan" from CB.

Please note the following times to anticipate our Butler Schedule:

Butler School Day - "C" School:

Grades 1 through 6 - 9:05 a.m. — 3:45 p.m.

AM Kindergarten: 9:05 a.m. – 11:40 a.m. (Mid-Day Pick-Up)

PM Kindergarten: 1:10 p.m. – 3:45 p.m. (Mid-Day Drop-Off)

Typical 2-Hour Delay Schedule:

Delayed Opening Arrival - 10:45 a.m. (K-6)

Normal Dismissal - 3:45 p.m. (K-6)

AM Kindergarten - 11:05 a.m. - 12:50 p.m. (adjusted hours)

PM Kindergarten - 2:00 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. (adjusted hours)

** Early Dismissal Days / Or Scheduled Half Days - 12:25 p.m.

Arrival and Dismissal procedures are paramount in our operation during the two busiest times of our school day - especially Car Line Procedures. Please be reminded:

ARRIVAL

• School Doors officially open at 8:45 AM.
• PLEASE have car-riders REMAIN in vehicles until staff is in place at 8:45 AM.
• Walkers will be assembling under the canopy by the front doors, but we request car-riders remain in vehicles so traffic is not moving while children are walking to school.
• We will have a crosswalk attendee supporting student walker arrival and traffic flow.
• Please keep your eyes open for student walkers and adhere to speed limit postings.

DISMISSAL

• Car Rider dismissal will again take place from our Gym Atrium Doors.
• Parents remain in vehicles at all times; a staff member will call the student to meet the vehicle in our pull-around spaces.
• A placard will be provided to each family on the first day - please fill-out and place on dashboard for quicker processing in the year.
• Walkers will be released from Front or Back of the building once bus and car traffic has exited - usually around 4:00 pm.

With the start of the new year, timing will continue to improve - new routines for students and personnel takes time. There is always a dramatic improvement in timing from day one to day two - Thank you, families! Soon, our dismissal procedures will be efficient and familiar - we just ask (kindly) for your understanding and patience.

3rd Grade - 10:30-11:00 - Recess / 11:00-11:30 Lunch

6th Grade - 11:00-11:30 - Recess / 11:30-12:00 Lunch

5th Grade - 11:30-12:00 - Recess / 12:00-12:30 Lunch

1st Grade/EDK - 12:00-12:30 - Recess / 12:30-1:00 Lunch

4th Grade - 12:30 - 1:00 - Recess / 1:00-1:30 Lunch

2nd Grade - 1:00 - 1:30 - Recess / 1:30-2:00 Lunch

The parent portal is now open for families to complete the Annual Student Information Update. The deadline to complete this form is September 30, 2023.

UPDATING THE INFORMATION IS CRITICAL. Unless the update is completed:

• School nurses may NOT administer acetaminophen, antacids (Tums), antihistamines (Benadryl), or ibuprofen.
• The school may not be able to reach you in an emergency if phone numbers or email addresses are not up to date.
• You may miss school closing, early dismissal information, emails from classroom teachers, and MORE.

To update your information today, log in to your parent portal account at www.cbsd.org/parentportal. Once logged in, select, “More” on the menu, and click Annual Student Information Update. Instructional videos have been prepared to assist families in accessing and completing the update. Watch here: English| Spanish.

A waiver for the 2023-2024 laptop device fee (due for grades 3-7 and 10) or an accessory (charger, headphones, wireless mouse) credit of equivalent value will be awarded to 100 families randomly selected from among those who complete the update on or before August 29, 2023.

For more assistance if you have any questions or would like help with this, please call or email Lori Rebstock at 267.893.5714/lrebstock@cbsd.org.

For the 23-24 school year:

School Breakfast are free (State grant)

School lunch meals cost $2.60.

We encourage all families to put money on their students account through MySchoolBucks.com - and are attempting to limit the need for cash transactions to simplify the process for your elementary child.

• All menus are available to be viewed online up to 2 weeks in advance by visiting cbsd.nutrislice.com.
• September Menu

Free and reduced lunch program guidelines require a new application each school year from families who are eligible. To access the application and understand important details regarding the "Free & Reduced Lunch" Program, please CLICK HERE.

CHIP is short for the Children's Health Insurance Program, Pennsylvania's program to provide health insurance to uninsured children and teens who are not eligible for or enrolled in Medical Assistance.

CHIP is brought to you by leading health insurance companies. You'll have a choice of major insurance companies with networks of physicians, specialists, and care facilities near you. Your kids may even be able to keep visiting the same doctors they see today.

Click here to find out more information & to apply!

Any families in need of assistance with school supplies for your child, including backpacks, please contact our Butler Student Services Department and ask to speak to your child's student counselor. Mrs. O'Connell is the student counselor for grades 1/3/5; Mrs. Milotich is the student counselor for grades 2/4/6. Both work with Kindergarten. Items donated by Action Karate and the Bucks IU - We thank them for their support!

Visit the CBSD Technology and Innovation website to troubleshoot issues with any district-provided device. Place a Help Desk Ticket through the website if the tips listed on the website do not resolve the issue.

Required Health Examinations

Pennsylvania mandates the following health examinations as indicated: Physicals: School entry, grades 6 and 11 Dentals: School entry, grades 3 and 7.

Parents are urged to have physical and dental examinations completed by their family physician or dentist and submitted prior to October 15th of the year that they are due. Exams may be completed any time after September 1st of the prior calendar year. Forms can be found by clicking HERE. Please submit these forms to the school directly or via email to ggiovinco@cbsd.org.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health has the following immunization requirements for students:

• 4 doses of tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis (1 dose on or after 4th birthday) (DTaP)
• 4 doses of polio (4th dose on or after 4th birthday and at least 6 months after previous dose given) (IPV)
• 2 doses of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR)
• 3 doses of hepatitis B (Hep B)-properly spaced
• 2 doses of varicella or evidence of immunity (chickenpox)

You may check your child’s school immunization record by logging onto the parent portal through the district website at www.cbsd.org or by consulting with your child’s physician. Immunization records can be sent to the school directly or via email to ggiovinco@cbsd.org.

September:

Sept. 4 - Labor Day - School/Offices Closed

Sept. 5 - First Day of School for Students (Day 1 - Specials Schedule)

Sept. 6 - BTSN Grades 4 & 3 (Schedule Below)

Sept. 7 - CB South BTSN

Sept. 11 - BTSN Grades 6 & 5 (Schedule Below)

Sept. 12 - BTSN Grades 2 & 1 (Schedule Below)

Sept. 12 - CB School Board Meeting - 7:30 PM - 16 Welden (ESC)

Sept. 14 - Unami BTSN (7th Grade)

Sept. 18 - BTSN AM/PM KDG & PEN (Schedule Below)

Sept. 19 - Butler PTO General Meeting (7:00 PM)

Sept. 21 - Unami BTSN (8th & 9th Grades)

Sept. 22 - Butler PTO Bingo Night

Sept. 25 - Holiday - No School for Students (Office Open) - Yom Kippur

Sept. 29 - PTO Fall Book Fair

Sept. 29 - Half-Day for Students (12:25 PM Dismissal)

Sept. 30 - Annual Student Update Information Due (Click Here)

With the start of school comes our Back to School Nights (BTSN’s) as they are an important opportunity for all parents to meet their child’s teacher and learn about the year ahead!

BTS Nights will be held according to the following schedule:

Wednesday, 9/6 - 6:30 PM - Grade 4; 7:30 PM - Grade 3

Monday, 9/11 - 6:30 PM - Grade 6; 7:30 PM - Grade 5

Tuesday, 9/12 - *6:30 PM - Grade 2; *7:30 PM - Grade 1

Wednesday, 9/18 - *6:30 PM - Kindergarten (Gymnasium); 7:30 PM - PEN (Gymnasium)

*Please Note: For each of our primary grades (Kindergarten, Grade 1, & Grade 2):

• Join the Butler Reading Specialists in the gym on Tuesday, September 12th at 5:50 PM (for Grade 2) and 8:25 PM (for Grade 1) - respectively - for a brief overview of our Central Bucks reading curriculum as it relates to phonics. Then again on Monday, September 18th our Reading Specialists will present at 5:50 PM (for Kindergarten). Parents will walk away with ways to support your child at home!
• When you arrive for BTSN, walk directly to your child’s classroom (except where noted) so you do not miss any of your teacher’s presentation. For each of our grade levels, BTSN will start promptly at listed times.

Mark your calendars, comb/brush your hair, and find your best outfit for Butler's 23-24 Picture Day on Tuesday, October 10th! More details and information to be sent home in the Wednesday Folders!

Picture Retake Day is scheduled for November 20th, 2023

When: Sunday, October 1, 2023 (rain date: Sunday, October 15, 2023)

Time: 10am – 12:30pm (check-in begins @ 9:30am)

Where: CB West High School – War Memorial Field

Cost: $50.- per athlete

Ages: Grades 1 – 8

Join the student-athletes and coaches of the Central Bucks East and Central Bucks West Field Hockey Programs for a day of skills, training, game play & fun! The Annual East/West Clinic offers participants a unique opportunity to learn new or improve field hockey skills. Participants will meet and train with the CB East & CB West coaching staff and will play with some of the best high school field hockey players in our area!

Participants registered by September 25, 2023 are guaranteed to receive a Clinic T-shirt.

Registration will close once 100 athletes are registered. To register & pay you can use MyPaymentsPlus!

• Use your existing account & login; or create an account at www.mypaymentsplus.com
• Click on CB West Athletics . . . then click on CB East/West Field Hockey Clinic;
• Follow instructions to register, pay & sign the waiver;
• PLEASE do NOT forget to include the t-shirt size for your registrant;
• If you do not have access to a MyPaymentsPlus! please reach out to Lisa Pitts (L_pitts@hotmail.com or 267-261-6683) to arrange for registration.

All players should bring: mouth guard, field hockey stick, turf shoes or sneakers, shin guards, goggles & water.

NEW - After School Clubs run for 13 weeks with one set of clubs options in the Fall and another in the Spring!

To review the clubs and classes for fall fun at the Fab Lab Center, click this link!

We have been waiting all summer for the playground installation - and on Tuesday, September 5th - the first day of school - our students enjoyed the new equipment at each grade level! The work is a combination of soft and hard surfaces which is ADA regulated for students of all needs. It includes climbing, spinning, swinging, and sliding apparatus that accommodates our large grade level sizes. It was a great day! Thank you to CBSD and the Butler PTO for their support in purchasing the playground equipment for Butler students!

For the first days of school, Kindergarteners received a certificate celebrating their time as the newest students in Butler and Central Bucks. Signing Day is our District's pledge to all students in providing high-quality instruction, acknowledging the well-being of children, committing to utilizing technology, and maintaining positive partnerships in the community to best supports our students.

Visit the District Music website for more information! Click Here

String Lessons are available to 4th, 5th, and 6th graders.

Band Lessons are available to 5th and 6th graders.

Mrs. Hartzell (Strings Director) and Mr. Robinson (Band Director) hope to see new band and string students this year - and cannot wait to get started! We look forward to teaching the students how to play an instrument and to best prepare for the end of year concerts. Today (9/7), we held an assembly for 4th, 5th, and 6th grade students to demonstrate all of the different instruments, answer questions, and share the joy of being a musician in our Butler Music Programs. We encourage students to pick the instrument that they most like and the sound it makes!

If you have any questions, please email the string or band director:

STRINGS: Donna Hartzell – dhartzell@cbsd.org

BAND: Mike Robinson – msrobinson@cbsd.org

Our Kindergarten Students and families joined the Butler Staff for a welcome to Kindergarten Event on Thursday, August 31st. Students met the principals, teachers, and staff as they were welcomed in becoming Butler Bears! Mr. Funseth read the School Bus and the Transportation Department showed them all the safe riding skills of our students. Then, parents and students got to experience (for some) their first rides on the school bus - all around the Butler neighborhood! We look forward to all the learning that will be taking place with Mrs. Camburn, Miss Van Houten, and Mrs. Ford this year!

Our Butler 6th Grade Student Ambassadors led our newest Butler families on a tour of our school - introducing them to the building and what it means in becoming Butler Bears! Our Ambassadors identified many of the various rooms and levels of our school, with some sharing their favorite things about Butler! Mr. Funseth launched the event with an introduction and welcome while the PTO shared all of the important events we hold within our community. At the end, families met the teams of teachers across all grade levels - looking forward to the 23-24 school year!

The Central Bucks School District launched a week-long professional development plan for our teaching staff prior to the start of school. Beginning August 28th, our district provided in-service and teacher training on curriculum, policy, safety, and more! Butler Staff took part in building updates.

The Butler PTO organized a delicious "Hawaiian-themed" luncheon for our staff as we Aloha'd into this 2023-2024 school year! On Thursday, August 31st, we had a delicious lunch that brought our teacher team together - with the support and care of our Butler PTO! Thanks to Mrs. Mininger, Mrs. Hood, and Mrs. Ficociello for organizing and setting-up the luncheon!

"Welcome Back!" - The Butler PTO Newsletter is an informative publication that provides insight and info for events hosted by the Butler PTO. Please click to open the newsletter.

On Tuesday, September 19th, please join the Butler PTO for our first general meeting of the school year - held in the library beginning at 7:00 PM! All parents are members of the PTO and invited to participate to learn more about the many ways to support our Butler School!

Superintendent: Abram Lucabaugh, Ed. D.

Assistant Superintendent-Secondary: Charles Malone, Ed. D.

Assistant Superintendent-Elementary: Nadine Garvin, Ed. D.

Website: cbsd.org
Location: 20 Welden Drive, Doylestown, PA, USA
Phone: 267-893-2000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cbschools/
Twitter: @CBSDSchools

Principal: Karl Funseth

Administrative Assistant to Principal: Peggy Bernabei

Assistant Principal: Lauren Dowd

Administrative Assistant to Assistant Principal: Michele Droxler

Website: https://www.cbsd.org/butler
Location: 200 Brittany Drive, Chalfont, PA, USA
Phone: 267-894-4250
Twitter: @CBButlerElem