October 14 - Indigenous Peoples’ Day - NO SCHOOL
October 18 - Butler Fun Run!
October 24 - PTA Board Meeting 6-7pm (virtual)
October 30 - Early Release @ 11:40am
November 1 - Coffee with the Principal @ 9am (virtual - meeting link here)

The Butler School is registering for Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences. Conference registration opens online on Thursday, October 17th at 6:00 pm and closes on October, 24th at midnight. There is only one conference for each student. Separate conferences cannot be arranged for each parent/caregiver.

The Dates of Conferences are:

October 30th, from 12:20 PM to 3:00 PM (VIRTUAL)
November 6th, from 12:20 PM to 3:00 PM (VIRTUAL)
November 20th, from 12:20 PM to 3:00 PM (IN-PERSON)

How do parents register for a conference?

To register for a conference, please follow this link https://app.ptcwizard.com/ptc1707262647 and sign in using your email address and Belmont1859 as the password.  

Once you have signed in - 

1. Select the conference by clicking the red button next to that conference.

2. Select your teacher’s name by clicking “Teachers” at the top left of the screen. 

3. Select the date at the top of the screen and then select an available timeslot. Dates are listed twice to separate morning and afternoon conferences. 

4. If you have multiple students, you will be asked to select which student the conference is for, and then you can repeat steps 2 and 3 for the next student(s).  

5. Once you have booked the timeslot(s), select “agenda” on the top right of the screen and then click “Confirm this agenda.” You will be sent a confirmation email that will include a virtual conference link if it is a virtual conference. 

What happens if I cannot make any of the listed conference times?

Please contact your teacher directly.

How do I change my conference times?

To change a conference time during the registration window, sign in to PTCWizard using the instructions above, click “My Meetings” on the top left of your screen, and delete the meeting you want to change.  You can reschedule by following the same steps listed above. When the registration session is closed on October 24th, please contact your teacher to make any schedule changes.

If I need help registering, who do I contact?

You can reach out directly to your teacher, contact your school’s main office, or send an email to ptcsupport@belmontschools.net

How do I connect to the virtual meeting?

The meeting link will be listed in your agenda in PTCWizard, and in the email confirmation you will receive from the system. Virtual meetings are held using the Google Meet platform. Meetings can be joined using a web browser from any computer. You can also connect using a tablet or mobile device (depending on your device, you may be required to download the free Google Meet app when using a mobile device). 

Early Literacy Screening

The first of two Early Literacy Screening (ELS) Results Letter for Grades 1-3 was added to your Plus Portals account on Friday, October 11th.  To locate the ELS letter, please log into www.plusportals.com/butler under E-Locker > E-Portfolio. For additional information about the Early Literacy Screening Process, visit these links:   

          BPS Introductory ELS Family Letter
BPS Early Literacy Screening Information for Caregivers

For questions about the early literacy universal screening process, contact Lucia Sullivan, Assistant Superintendent or Amy Muzyka, K-3 Curriculum Specialist for ELA & Social Studies.  For questions about your child's results, please contact the educators that work with your child.

Parent-teacher conferences will begin October 30th. Dismissal will be at 11:40am on October 30, November 6, and November 20. Since most early release days are scheduled on Wednesdays, the elementary schools have created a flip flop schedule where the schedule is flipped with another day of the week. For example, on October 30th (Wed.), we will follow a Thursday schedule and on October 31st (Thurs.), we will follow a Wednesday schedule. This schedule ensures that students with special subject classes on Wednesday afternoons do not miss a large number of classes over the course of the year. Click here to see the flip flop schedule for the school year.

It has become an annual tradition at Butler to have a Vocabulary Day the last Friday in October. This year Vocabulary Day will be Thursday, October 31st. Vocabulary Day is all about choosing a word and wearing a costume that represents the word. Students line the hallways of the school and parade around in their costume. The idea is based on the book Miss Alaneius by Debra Frasier. To see a video of the book click here. Here is a link to some ideas.

Help support the Butler School through the PTA's fundraiser with Comella's on October 17th. Ten percent of all sales that day will go to the Butler PTA which will be used to fund enrichment programs, field trips, and other areas of the school.

Students in kindergarten and first grade have music and library once a week. The librarian aide reads a story to students before they check out books. Students in second and third grade have music twice a week and have time in the library to check out books. Read below to hear updates from Ms. Livermore (music teacher) and Ms. MacIsaac (library aide).

MUSIC - September in Music class was a time to get to know each other with name games.  We got used to using our singing voices again. Each grade has learned a section of This Land is Your Land, so that we can all contribute to the song if we meet for an assembly.  Kindergarten has learned an echo song about an owl (One of these Days), and First Grade has learned Purple Light.  Ask and they might sing it for you! And please ask to hear the Mother Gooney Bird Song. We have also played the singing game Apple Tree to practice understanding Timbre (the unique sound of an instrument or voice).  In Second and Third Grade, our focus has been on improvising short melodies on the barred instruments (xylophones, etc.). Second grade has begun practicing rhythm patterns with notation, while Third Grade has begun learning about Mariachi music from Mexico.

LIBRARY - For Kindergarteners, in the library this week we read Don’t Hug Doug(He Doesn't Like It) by Carrie Finison, illustrated by Daniel Wiseman.  It’s a fun story about a child who doesn’t like to be hugged and about bodily autonomy and consent.  First graders are being read Ginger and Petunia by Patricia Polacco, an amusing story about Ginger and her pet pig Petunia who gets inadvertently left home alone for a week.  Petunia the pig then poses as Ginger and lives her life for a week with some very funny antics happening along the way.

Each year, the Belmont Public Schools updates its student records. This form allows parents to fill out their child's information and submit it electronically, saving both you and the school time, while ensuring accurate information is being provided. We will be requesting this information every September.

New forms have been posted to PlusPortals under "Forms"
www.plusportals.com/butler

Please review and submit:
Student Update Form or Contact Update form 

New Families:
Web Authorization form - required submittal
MassHealth Benefits Permission - submit if student is receiving MassHeatlh

Students on the Playground Before School Begins:
Students cannot be left on the playground before or after school without adult supervision for any length of time or for any reason. We understand, though, that some parents/guardians prefer for their children to play outside before school. Individual parents/guardians who choose to supervise their own children or children they are authorized to supervise through pre-arranged communications, before school, may do so. To keep all children safe, we ask that all adults please respect this policy. If you notice an unattended child joining the play being supervised by you, please check-in with that child in order to determine that they are not being supervised and then direct that child into the school.

Students on the Playground After School is Over:
We understand, though, that parents/guardians often want to stay and play with their children at the end of the day. Just as with the arrival process, individual parents/guardians who choose to stay may supervise their own children or children they are authorized to supervise through pre-arranged communications, no longer than one hour past dismissal or until: 3:50 PM Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays; 2:30 PM on most Wednesdays; and 12:40 PM on Early Release Wednesdays. Again, if you notice an unattended child joining the play being supervised by you, please check-in with them to determine that they are not being supervised and then direct them to return inside the school. One hour after school dismisses (see above times) until 6:00 PM each day, the Butler Elementary School playground is reserved ONLY for children enrolled in the Butler Extended Day Program. 

The first Friday of every month, parents/guardians will have the chance to meet with Principal Babson to learn about school procedures, get answers to some of your questions, and meet other Butler parents. Some of the coffees will be in person in the school cafeteria after arrival and others will be virtual. Below are the dates, times, and locations. Hope to see you there!

November 1 - 9-9:30am - Virtual - meet.google.com/jgg-fzbb-pff
December 6 - 8:45-9:15am - Butler cafeteria
January 3 - 9-9:30am - Virtual - meet.google.com/jgg-fzbb-pff
February 7 - 8:45-9:15am - Butler cafeteria
March 7 - 9-9:30am - Virtual - meet.google.com/jgg-fzbb-pff
April 4 - 8:45-9:15 - Butler cafeteria
May 2 - 9-9:30am - Virtual - meet.google.com/jgg-fzbb-pff
June 6 - 8:45-9:15 - Butler cafeteria

Run for Belmont!

Join the FBE and hundreds of your neighbors and community members for the FBE's 2024 Halloween Apple Run on October 27. This annual event raises thousands of dollars for Belmont Public Schools and is also great fun. Costumes are encouraged, but not required!

Date: October 27, 2024
Start Times: 9:30am - 5K, 10:45am - 2K

*The fun begins at 9:00, so come down early! Start and finish at the Belmont High School track.

Registration is open now for individuals and teams. The first 400 registrants will secure their quick-dry performance t-shirt! Prizes will be awarded for race winners and best costumes. 

Register today and help us spread the word!

Don't want to run, but don't want to miss the fun?

The FBE is also looking for volunteers to help with the run. Please sign up here if you can help.