The Paw Power Press

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.

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.

Earlier this week, Central Bucks Chief Operating Officer sent an email acknowledging the ongoing issues with some of our afternoon buses run by "First Student" - not only at Butler, but across the District. To help in communicating to our Butler Families, our office will send an email/text message notifying families if your child's bus has not arrived at Butler by 4:00 PM. While our school office receives Transportation Notifications in the same manner and time as our community members, we can help families anticipate late arrivals to bus stops with this quick notification. We will continue this process until transportation issues have improved on a regular basis.

Our Carline procedures have been going smoothly and getting quicker. Students (especially our younger/newer students) have adapted to the new year and are listening for their name when called. The key to a smooth carline process are our families. Please remain in the carline and pull around when it is your turn. As we focus on the vehicles, parents of front door walkers are encouraged to wait in Ashley's Garden or the corner by the crosswalk. If a dismissal change is needed (either change for bus/carline/walker or timing), please contact the office before 3:00PM so we can notify the student on how to proceed.

Thank you for your cooperation and patience as we begin each school year!

September is Attendance Awareness Month! Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves. This Report to Parents offers school families strategies they can use to help their kids build a habit of good attendance.

"Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves. Even as kids grow older and more independent, families play a key role in making sure students access learning opportunities and understand why attendance is so important for success in school. Families can use these strategies to help kids build a habit of good attendance..."

To read the full 1-page article, click here.

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.

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.

Butler School & the PTO host many exciting events, including evening activities , Book Fairs, Holiday Shoppe, and grade level field trips, to name a few. Some of these activities require monetary payment from families to participate. If any of our families are in need of monetary assistance to support participation for your child, please contact the school counselor Linda O'Connell (loconnell@cbsd.org), Grades 1/3/5/PM-KDG; Kathy Milotich (kmilotich@cbsd.org) Grades 2/4/6/AM-KDG & EDK.

As a reminder, our Butler PTO Book Fair is September 29th - October 6th

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.

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 - picking 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

September:

Sept. 22 - Butler PTO Bingo Night

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

Sept. 29 - PTO Fall Book Fair Begins

Sept. 29 - Half-Day for Students/Staff Development PM (12:25 PM Student Dismissal)

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

October:

Oct. 2-6 - Butler PTO Fall Book Fair

Oct. 2-6 - Butler PTO Dine & Donate (Fusion Kitchen)

Oct. 6 - Butler PTO "Butler Bash" - 5:30 PM (Outside) - NOT a drop-off event! Parent/Guardian Must Attend

Oct. 10 - Butler Picture Day

Oct. 10 - CBSD School Board Meeting - 7:00 PM - ESC 16 Welden Dr.

Oct. 11 - Fire Prevention Day - Chal-Brit Grades K-3

Oct. 12 - Butler Spirit Day (Theme TBD)

Oct. 17or18 - 5th Grade Soil Secrets - Peace Valley (Classroom Schedules)

Oct 20 - 6th Grade Haunted Hallway (For Students Grades 3-6 Only) - 7:00 PM

Oct. 25 - Superintendent's Student Council (AM)

Oct. 26&27 - 6th Grade Ropes Event (School-Day)

Oct. 31 - Halloween Parade & Parties (Schedule TBD)

Oct. 31 - Half-Day for Students (Staff Professional Development) - 12:25 Dismissal

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.

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

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!

Make this a memorable time by signing up your elementary child in a Young Rembrandts drawing class. Classes are Monday from 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM. Opportunities to join classes will take place throughout the year.

Dates for Session 1: 10/02/2023 - 12/18/2023

ENROLL ONLINE at www.mypaymentsplus.com

A committee of Butler Elementary staff spent last year working with the Bucks County IU in rejuvenating our Butler Power Paw Program to best support the growing needs of our students and building. Time was spent analyzing our plan and updating so that staff and students had positive responses to interactions and guidelines of our core Butler values. Butler's Pillars continue to maintain an acronym for our school:

Butler at its Best * Understanding * Teamwork * Leadership * Excellence * Respect

A matrix for every area (hallway, classroom, bus, recess, cafeteria, bathroom, etc.) of school was developed based in the foundation of our new Butler Pledge: Being Respectful, Responsible, and Kind. On Monday, September 11th, we launched the Butler Pledge during our first Town Hall Meeting and the student response has been strong as we imbed ourselves in the new matrix of expectations!

The beginning of the year is a wonderful opportunity for families to familiarize themselves to the routines and expectations of their child's classroom! To help connect school to home, Butler hosts a Back to School Night in each of our grade levels that provides parents an overview of curriculum, community connections, and our school schedule. Throughout September, our teachers prepared presentations that shared insight into the student school-day, Butler's new Schoolwide Positive Behavior and Intervention System (Butler's Pledge: Be Respectful, Be Responsible, Be Kind), 5-day Special Schedule, MTSS WIN Time, and updates from the PTO. Each night's response and participation from families who were able to join us on each respective grade level night was wonderful!

As an added focus on our primary level Back to School Nights, Butler's Reading Department hosted parent information presentations for our Kindergarten, 1st grade and 2nd grade families. Our reading team shared ideas and strategies to support reading at home that will build from what is taught in school. In addition, our district's grammar curriculum overview was shared to highlight Reading Horizons and Sound City instructional programs. Thanks to our reading team, the district's reading department, and all of the families who stayed the extra time during our sessions!

Enjoying the First Weeks of School.

Simon Butler's students and staff embrace the Butler Pledge, the foundation of our school's positive behavior program. Our Butler Community promises to:

Be Respectful * Be Responsible * Be Kind

This pledge to all Butler Bears upholds our traditional Pillars: B.U.T.L.E.R.

Butler (at its Best!); Understanding; Teamwork; Leadership; Educational Excellence; Respect

Each week, students earn Positive Paw Power Coupons for their good deeds and honorable actions as recognition. Children enter them into our collection bins where names are drawn to earn a special "Breakfast with the Principals".

Winners 9/8/23

Samantha W. (Gr. 1), Lucas S. (Gr. 2), Charlotte W. (Gr. 3), Ryan S. (Gr. 4), Emma G. (Gr. 5), Devon L. (Gr. 6), Kayla, N (Shirt).

Winners 9/15/23

Lucas Z. (Kdg), Austin S. (Gr.1), Breklyn S. (Gr. 2), Casey B. (Gr. 3), Max S. (Gr. 4), Bode D. (Gr. 5), Brady H. (Gr. 6), Nate F. (Shirt).

Winners 9/22/23

Tenley P. (Kdg), Antonio M. (Gr. 1), Victoria A. (Gr. 2), Addie D. (Gr. 3), Lily R. (Gr. 4), Tommy D. (Gr. 5), Sean R. (Gr. 6), Reese R. (Shirt)

Congratulations to all students who earn Positive Paw Power awards!

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

Thanks to everyone who joined the Butler PTO for our first General Meeting of the year. We covered a lot of information and look forward to welcoming our volunteers who look to support our school and students! If interested, please contact the PTO (see the newsletter how) to offer "even an hour" of time to help make our events a success! Next General Meeting (ZOOM) will be in January.

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