The Colt Express

Greetings Colt Families,

From celebrating our amazing scholars at the Student of the Month Awards to an action-packed flag football championship, it was a busy and exciting week in Colt Country! The excitement continues as we head into a full week of parent-teacher conferences, with minimum days all week. Be sure to review the dismissal times and keep reading for all the important updates, upcoming events, and highlights from around campus. There’s always something exciting happening at Bonsall West!

Parent Conferences are Coming!

Be sure to check out our new PTA website!

Jog-A-Thon is Back!

Jog-A-Thon is the PTA’s one and only fundraiser for the year. Funds raised help pay for classroom educational resources, teacher and librarian grants, field trips, STREAM, Arts Attack, student and teacher supplies and more. We are so grateful to our school community for helping us make this fundraiser successful year after year. We’re excited to announce that APEX will be back again this year to help make our Jog-A-Thon a fun and exciting fundraiser. Lots more information will be coming so keep your eyes open!

Volunteers Needed! We will need volunteers on the day of the run to help mark laps as the students run. Please sign up if you are able to help: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4FABAA2DA2F4C07-61618524-bonsall?useFullSite=true#/

Kickoff Assembly: October 26
Jog-A-Thon Run Day: November 5

Click on the latest edition of the BWE Colt News here!

IMPORTANT REMINDERS:

Our Early Release Days will be on Thursdays:

TK - K dismiss at 1:05 PM

1st - 6th dismiss at 1:15 PM

Please do not park in the drop-off lanes. Some parents have been getting out of their cars to speak with others or walking their students to the gate, which causes the drop-off line to back up. If you need to park or walk your child to the gate, please use a designated parking area instead. Thank you for helping keep the drop-off line moving smoothly and safely for everyone.

As always, scroll down to our Colt's in Action section of the newsletter for pictures!

Sincerely,

Mr. Dominic Camacho

Principal, Bonsall West Elementary School

DREAM BIG BONSALL WEST AND RIDE WITH PRIDE

For additional information on any of our announcements, please contact JoAnn Carruego.

This morning, we proudly celebrated our amazing scholars who were selected as Students of the Month for demonstrating our Learner Profile habit, “Begin with the End in Mind!”

These scholars have shown that setting goals, having a clear vision, and taking proactive steps can lead to success. We are so proud of the way they take initiative, make thoughtful choices, and put their best effort into everything they do!

Congratulations to all of our outstanding award recipients! Keep setting goals, dreaming big, and showing your Colt Pride!

October 16th - 23rd: Conferences Minimum Days

TK/K Dismisses at 12:35 pm

1st - 6th Dismisses at 12:45 PM

October 23rd - 30th: Red Ribbon Week - Spirit Days - Scroll down for the flyer!

October 26th: Jog-a-thon Kick off!

November 5th: Jog-a-thon Run

Spirit wear is now online!

You can now order your spirit wear online! Visit our new website (www.bonsallwestpta.org) and click on "Spirit Shop." You will be contacted by email when your items are ready for pick up in the front office.

Jog-A-Thon is the PTA’s one and only fundraiser for the year. Funds raised help pay for classroom educational resources, teacher and librarian grants, field trips, STREAM, Arts Attack, student and teacher supplies and more. We are so grateful to our school community for helping us make this fundraiser successful year after year. We’re excited to announce that APEX will be back again this year to help make our Jog-A-Thon a fun and exciting fundraiser. Lots more information will be coming so keep your eyes open!

Volunteers Needed! We will need volunteers on the day of the run to help mark laps as the students run. Please sign up if you are able to help: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4FABAA2DA2F4C07-61618524-bonsall?useFullSite=true#/

Kickoff Assembly: October 26
Jog-A-Thon Run Day: November 5

Student submission window: December 1–16, 2026

BUSD students in TK–12+ are invited to share their talents in the 5th Annual Bonsall Woman’s Club / BUSD Stages of Inspiration Art Contest & Show!

This year’s theme is “Building a Brighter Future.” Bring your ideas to life through 2D art, 3D art, or photography, according to the contest rules for your grade level.

Start your artwork now so it’s ready to submit December 1–16—before winter break!

Thank you to Nessy Burgers for supporting the arts in BUSD.

Congrats to our BW alma mater Jessica Clift-Crudo who created and was selected as one of this year's show promotion posters!

Please review the rules first. A box will be in the front office to drop off artwork submissions. All submissions require the parent/guardian to complete online submission form BEFORE the artwork is dropped off. Please attach (with a paperclip) the artist's first and last name, teacher name, and parent contact information to the art (if possible).

Please contact Liz Dale at lizbethdale@gmail.com for questions.

Save the date: January 20, 2027 | @ SULLIVAN/BONSALL High

https://www.bonsallusd.com/apps/pages/nutrition

* Menu subject to change *

Mr. Guzman wrapped up another exciting season of flag football, and what a finish it was! Last week’s championship game delivered plenty of action and a major upset as our Colts took down the Broncos to claim the victory! Congratulations to our Colts on an incredible season, and a big thank you to Mr. Guzman for making it all happen. Colt Pride is everywhere!

After their championship victory, our flag football champs teamed up with all-star players from other teams for one final challenge: taking on the staff! But unlike their championship game, the players came up short this time. Our staff came ready to compete, played to win, and walked away victorious!

Of course, the victory came at a cost—some sore muscles and a few reminders that we’re not as young as we used to be! 😂🏆 Way to go, staff! The Colts may have championship bragging rights, but this time, the staff took the win!

School Spirit is very important to us at Bonsall West and we celebrate the following each week:

Thursdays - College shirt day!

Fridays - Bonsall West spirit shirt day!

Our scholars returned to the garden for the first time since last school year—and there’s plenty of work to do! They rolled up their sleeves and got started on some much-needed cleanup. With a little teamwork, care, and TLC, we’ll have our garden looking fresh, beautiful, and ready to grow in no time!

Beyond our monthly awards, we’re excited to recognize students who consistently demonstrate what it means to be safe, respectful, responsible, and to do their personal best each day. When staff members catch students modeling these positive behaviors, they’re rewarded with a raffle ticket, a simple but powerful way to celebrate doing the right thing!

These tickets stay in our raffle spinner all month long, and each Friday at the Flag Ceremony, a few lucky winners are drawn and celebrated. It’s a fun and meaningful way to shine a spotlight on the everyday actions that build our strong school community!

At Bonsall West Elementary, we are honored to have the finest classified and certificated staff in the nation. Their dedication, hard work, and passion for education shine through every day, inspiring excellence in the amazing scholars they serve.

As we begin another exciting school year in Colt Country, we look forward to continued success and growth. Here's to a fantastic year ahead!

8 – Adina Hendrickson

10 - Samantha Quinones

11- Dana Bonwell

21 – Fabiola Villagomez

24 - Mason Szuberla (PTA)

28 - Julie Singh

If you would like to see what was covered at our first ELAC Meeting, CLICK HERE.

Please click on the link below for additional resources for students of all ages.

Resources

If you have any questions, please reach out to Caroline Carcamo at caroline.carcamo@bonsallusd.com

Be sure to check out our new PTA website!

Visit www.bonsallwestpta.org for information on upcoming events, parent resources, volunteer opportunities, and even your teachers’ favorite things! It’s a great one-stop spot to stay connected with all things Bonsall West PTA.

PTA Website

BUSD Volunteer Packet

Thank you for all your support!

We encourage parents, guardians, and other members of the community to share their time, knowledge, and abilities with students. Volunteer assistance in schools strengthens the schools' relationships with the community.

If you wish to volunteer please read through the Volunteer Handbook as it defines the procedures to protect the safety of students and adults as well as conform with laws related to tuberculosis testing and criminal record checks as required by law. The forms needed in order to be a volunteer are in the handbook. Please complete the forms and turn them in to your student’s school site office manager for processing. You will also need to obtain a LiveScan request for fingerprinting, please contact the Human Resources Administrative Assistant by

e-mail at meghann.cate@bonsallusd.com or by phone: 760-631-5200 x1013

The Bonsall Unified School District prioritizes student attendance for good reason. When students are absent, they miss valuable learning experiences within the classroom, as well as opportunities to engage in programs and activities. We emphasize the importance of daily attendance because it not only contributes to student success but also helps establish a positive pattern that will benefit students throughout their lives.

However, we recognize that there are occasions when students may need to miss school due to illness or unexpected family circumstances. Additionally, we understand that there may be pre-planned family events, significant religious observances, or important cultural activities that may necessitate a student’s absence.

In such cases, if your schedule allows, and your student is well enough to complete assignments, we kindly ask that you contact the attendance line at your respective school to request a Short Term Independent Study (STIS) Master Agreement. This process involves completing a simple form, reviewing the terms, and signing the agreement. The agreement needs to be completed only once per year.

Once the agreement is finalized, and you state the dates of absence, your child will be provided with the necessary work to complete during their absence. This can be picked up at the school or made available electronically. Upon returning to school and submitting the completed assignments, the teacher will evaluate the work and confirm that the required tasks have been fulfilled. This process ensures that students can recover lost learning, allows the attendance clerk to re-code the absence from the student’s record, which helps maintain positive school attendance rates. Additionally, this process preserves financial resources that would otherwise be unrecoverable if there was no Short Term Independent Study Master Agreement in place.

Although our hope is that families would only need to use Short Term Independent Study on one or two occasions, there is an allowance for the schools to recover up to 15 days of absence for each student.

Thank you for your cooperation and for supporting your child's education.

BUSD, Student Services

Click on the link below to learn about this year's Student Attendance Review Team and how BWE and all of BUSD will be working with families on improving attendance. I will explain how all absences, excused or unexcused impact your child's academics.

SART/SARB Process

We need your help in keeping our students and visitors safe by obeying our safety signs when driving onto campus! Please do not park in the bus lane and use the designated drop off lanes. Do not leave your cars unattended and say your goodbyes quickly as you drop off. If you decide to park and walk your child to the gate, please use the appropriate crosswalks and watch for moving vehicles.

Drop off/Pick up Procedures:

To ensure a smooth and safe drop off in the mornings, please do not leave your car unattended or wait too long after your children get out of the car to exit. We want everyone to have enough time to get to class on time each day.

Drive thru or park and pick up for all grades will take place at the front side gate near the TK/K playground. You may park or line up while remaining in your car to wait for your child(ren) to be dismissed from school. No student pick up at the main gate. Only students with a walker ID Tag will be allowed to exit the main gate. If you are wanting to pick up at the back gate they must follow the walker requirements.

Walker Requirements:

· Must be in 1st - 6th grade, TK/K can if they are accompanied with older sibling/s.

· A “Walker” permission slip is sent home with children the first week of school each year and must be filled out yearly.

· All registered walkers are required to have a bracelet keychain, distributed by BWE.

· Registered walkers with their bracelet keychain can exit the main gate in front of the school or the back gate.

E-bikes continue to be a concern on campus - All visitors and students are expected to walk your bike or e-bike on campus. Helmets are required so please be sure that those on the bikes are correctly wearing helmets. Parents/Guardians, it is still being witnessed that older students are riding their e-bikes with younger students on them who are not wearing helmets. Safety is extremely important to the entire Bonsall West community. A big thank you to those of you who are walking your bikes and e-bikes on our school campus.

Dogs - Dogs are not permitted on campus at any time, including outside the campus gates.

Thank you for your attention to these important safety reminders!

Districts receiving Title I, Part A funds are required to jointly develop with, agree upon with, and distribute to parents and family members of children participating in Title I, Part A funded programs, a written parent and family engagement policy.

Bonsall Unified School District has jointly developed with, agreed on with, and distributed to, parents and family members of children participating in Title I, Part A funded programs, a written parent and family engagement policy. The policy describes the district’s plan, how families are involved in the joint development of district and school plans, how parents are involved in the annual evaluation of the policy, strategies for supporting effective family engagement, and how families at school not receiving Title I funds are also engaged.

BUSD Bilingual Community Liaison, Leonor Rodriguez

Check out her monthly newsletter below:

Community Liaison Monthly Newsletter

Boletín Mensual del Enlace Comunitario

Contact information: leonor.rodriguez@bonsallusd.com or (760)631-5200 Ext: 1000

Go to our PTA Corner for the Parent Resource Guide for additional resources.

At Bonsall West Elementary School we are focusing on the Leader in Me to build lifelong leadership skills.

We want our students to focus on the 7 habits:

1. Feel empowered to be proactive and be in charge of themselves.

2. Set goals and begin with the end in mind,

3. Focus on work first then play with put first things first.

4. Have an abundance mindset and think win-win.

5. Listen to our peers and seek first to understand, then be understood.

6. Work collaboratively and synergize.

7. Have school work/life balance and sharpen the saw.

We have a couple of resources that explains the paradigm shifts and habits that we focus on and will get them to you soon.

All students will attend a BWE expectations assembly this week. We will review schoolwide expectations/rules and answer any questions.

At Bonsall West, everyone is inspired to do their best, be respectful, work hard, think of others and dream big!

At Bonsall West, we will focus on the future by setting goals and collaborating to create a culture of leaders that respectfully serve the community.

Email: info@bonsallusd.com
Website: bw.bonsallusd.com
Location: 5050 El Mirlo Drive, Oceanside, CA, USA
Phone: 760-721-8001