Knight Times

Greetings Students & Families,

We are eager to welcome all of our returning Knights back to school this Thursday, and we can't wait to meet our new students! We are looking forward to showing you our campus, where construction is nearly completed. We now have access to 4 new classrooms, a new maker space for Robotics/Engineering and a beautiful multi-purpose room.

It's hard to believe that just 2 years ago, our staff moved to our 100 McClellan Street campus. Being under construction while students were with us last year and over the past two summers has certainly tested our staff's and students' resiliency. We are so grateful to start this year with the pandemic and construction mostly behind us. We look forward to a fresh new start with an amazing staff and the best students around. Our theme this year is "U-KNIGHT" because we believe that when we come together, our staff and students can achieve greatness!

Our mission at Buckingham is to prepare students for post-secondary education and life-long success by providing them with the opportunities and guidance they need to develop their individual potential. We don't take this task lightly, and we thank you for choosing Buckingham.

Mrs. Working, Mr. Buescher & Mrs. Roberts

Si necesita esta boletine informativo traducido en Español, por favor, haga cliq en la palabra a la derecha que dice "Translate" y escoja "Spanish".

FRESHMEN: Meet at the new Multi-Purpose Room. Please bring a refillable water bottle as it is going to be HOT!

• Freshman Orientation- 8:00-11:00 AM: Our leadership students will lead freshmen through activities and games to help them get to know their peers and their new school. Students will also receive their schedules, get a tour of the campus, and meet the Buckingham staff.

• Freshman Social Hour- 11:00-1:00 PM: Pizza will be provided and our leadership students will have some fun activities planned. Students will end their social hour time at Andrew's Park so they can meet their parentsin the parking lot at 1:00 PM or when they are ready to go home.

• New Freshmen Parent Forum- 8:30 -9:30 AM: This will be an opportunity for you to get to know some of our staff members, learn about different organizations that serve our students, and get your questions answered.

NEW STUDENTS GRADES 10-12 -12:30-1:30 PM - Meet on campus in the Multi Purpose Room (the letter we previously sent mentioned the PAC, but we have moved this meeting to the MP room due to construction)

Students in grades 10-12 and their parents who are new to Buckingham will have an orientation meeting and a Q&A session. Students will receive their schedules and have an opportunity to tour the campus.

Our new multi-purpose room has a stage, baskbetball hoops, a kitchen, and locker rooms. Our freshmen will use this space for PE when they are not outdoors, and we also expect to use it for many school events and activities. The kitchen is not yet completed, so students will be able to get breakfast and lunch by the flagpole for now.

There are many areas on campus with freshly laid sod, so we would ask that everyone please avoide walking on it until caution tape is removed.

We will have copies of the map available to students who need help finding their classes. Click here for a better quality image of the map.

At Buckingham we follow the VUSD Student Calendar with one exception. The calendar denotes that all students are released early on Wednesdays (Collaborative Days). At Buckingham, students are instead released early on Fridays (with the exception of the first Friday of the school year). See the Bell Schedule button above for the Friday bell schedule.

Schedules can now be viewed on Parent Portal. Freshmen and new 10-12 graders will receive a copy at their orientation tomorrow, and all other students are welcome to come pick up their schedule in the new MP room between 2:30 and 4:00. Below is some important information for students in the event that they have an issue with their schedule or would like to request a schedule change.

Attend all classes as listed on your schedule you received today even if you hope to make changes. Do not miss classes because absences can impact your grade and changes may not be possible.

Schedule changes will only be made during the first two weeks of the new semester.

Acceptable schedule change requests:

• Students need to change a class to meet a high school graduation requirement or to meet a college eligibility requirement.

• Student has been scheduled into the wrong level of a class.

• Student is missing a class/period.

• If you hope to drop an AP or Honors course, please email your counselor for more details.

Unacceptable schedule change requests:

• Requests for a different teacher.

• Change of class period based on preference.

11th and 12th grade students wanting to drop a class to be an Academic Tutor (AT) or TA need approval from their counselor who will provide a yellow AT/TA form that must be signed by both the teacher they want to AT or TA for and by their parent/guardian. Return the completed form to the counseling office. Attend your scheduled class until your counselor notifies you of the schedule change. *Only 11th and 12th grade students may TA or AT.

Buckingham welcomes four new teachers this year:

• Señora Valdez, who has been a paraprofessional in VUSD and will be teaching Spanish I and Honors Spanish III

• Mr. Kreamer, who will be teaching Mixed Choir and Advanced Choir

• Mr. Ruiz, who will be teaching American Government/Economics and AP Psychology

• Mr. Tabor, who is transferring from Vaca Pena and will be teaching Earth Science

We are very excited to have them join our staff!

Students will have access to free breakfast and lunch every day. Meal service will take place near the flagpole until our kitchen is up and running. Please see our BCCA Student Handbook for information about our open campus lunch (linked at the bottom of the newsletter).

The Buckingham SHIELD is our parent advisory group. Participation in this group will allow you to serve our students and staff and have a direct impact on the quality of your student's educational experience. SHIELD is also the place to share your great ideas, talk with our admin team, ask questions, and learn up-to-date information about what is happening on campus. Agendas and guest speakers are typically shared in advance via text/email and/or the SHIELD Facebook page. One of our main tasks is fundraising events to provide funds for student activities, scholarships, teacher grants and other school related projects.

Below are our SHIELD members for the 22-23 school year:

President: Richard Lasslo

Vice President: unfilled

Secretary: Sherilyn Lasslo

Treasurer: Christine Campos

Board Member: Amy Fabi

Board Member: Rochelle Garrido

Board Member: Rebecca Bruno

Board Member: Nancy Fremouw

The SHIELD parent group meets on the second Tuesday of each month at 6:30 PM. Our next meeting will be held in person at Mary's Pizza Shack on September 13th. Everyone is invited to attend. Please join us to give your input, stay informed and get involved!

If you have any questions or would like to join SHIELD, please send us email at buckinghamshield@gmail.com We will also have a table at Back To School Night Sept 1st and sell food to raise funds for the school. Please come by to purchase food and ask questions about SHIELD.

Sincerely,

Richard Lasslo

SHIELD President

Buy a personalized Brick for our student-maintained brick garden. Be one of the first families to have your brick installed. Your brick will be installed and maintained by students. Please support your student and the school by purchasing a brick today.

Make your name stick,
Buy a brick,
And make it quick.

Purchase at https://4everbricks.com/donors/buckingham/

Are you interested in Fall Sports? Please remember to have your completed VUSD physical packet ready for the first day of fall sports. Students are not allowed to tryout or practice without a completed physical packet.

All students of all grades are welcome and encouraged to participate in our programs. You can give your completed physical packets to the coaches when you go to practice or tryouts. Our Fall Sports include:

• Co-Ed Cross Country
• Boys Varsity Soccer
• Girls Varsity Volleyball

Please contact our athletic directors for additional information.

Tessa Threets: TessaT@vacavilleusd.org

Dan Curry: DanC@vacavilleusd.org

Student Google Accounts get reset annually. Sometime before school starts, passwords will be changed to the student's date of birth in a 10 digit birthdate format with leading zeroes and slashes (e.g. 01/01/2005). Contact the office if you need help with acessing your Google Account.

Students can choose to bring a device to school if they'd like to, however, this is not a requirement. We have chromebooks on campus for students to utilize as needed.

Returning Buckingham/VUSD families can login to the Parent Portal to make updates to contact information and get a preview of your students' schedule. Families who have a student who is new to VUSD should have received an email with information about how to register for an account.

When you login there are several steps you need to follow before you can proceed with viewing your student's schedule including the parent verification and income survey. This is very important information to help us with funding programs at our school. Traditionally, this information was gathered through applications for students to access free/reduced lunch, but with school lunches being free to all, this is the new way the information is being collected. Below are some links to access the Parent Portal:

Information about Parent Portal

How to Create a Parent Portal Account

You should have received a notification email and/or text with an invitation to sign up for Parent Square. This will be the primary platform that our school staff will communicate home with families. Registering for an account and downloading the app will give you more access to key features you will find very useful. You can also adjust your settings to note whether you'd like communications to come via text, email or both, etc.

Buckingham Collegiate Charter Academy is a diverse, tightly-knit learning community where every student is known, challenged, and empowered. Devoted staff and students work together to create a safe and supportive atmosphere with a wide variety of classes, clubs, sports, and extracurricular activities.

Email: samanthaw@vacavilleusd.org
Website: buckingham.vacavilleusd.org
Location: 100 McClellan Street, Vacaville, CA, USA
Phone: 707-453-7300
Facebook: Facebook.com/bcmhs
Twitter: @BCMHSLeadership