Hello Butler Families!

The Fun Run was a success with lots of smiling faces and high fives! Thank you to everyone
on the PTA Fun Run Committee for organizing such a successful and wonderful event! This
week brings our first early release for Parent Teacher Conference day, Vocabulary Day, and
Coffee with the Principal. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

Respectfully,
Julie Babson
Principal

October 30 - Early Release @ 11:40am (Thursday schedule)
October 31 - Vocabulary Day (Wednesday schedule)
November 1 - Coffee with the Principal @ 9am (virtual - meeting link here)
November 5 - No School - Election Day
November 6 - Early Release @ 11:40am (Tuesday schedule)
November 7 - Veteran's Day assembly @9:45am
November 7 - Talent Show Rehearsal after school
November 8 - Talent Show 6:30-8pm

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? 

Registration for parent teacher conferences has closed. If you still want to sign up for a conference or need to change your conference time, please contact your child's teacher directly. There is only one conference for each student. Separate conferences cannot be arranged for each parent/caregiver.

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). 

It has become an annual tradition at Butler to have a Vocabulary Day. This year Vocabulary Day has been scheduled for 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.

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.

On Thursday, November 7th, the Butler School will be holding a Veteran's Day assembly at 9:45am. If you or another family member is a veteran, you are invited to attend. More information about this program will be coming soon. Please reach out to Principal Babson if you have any questions.

Coffee and Conversation: Safety at Butler. Please join Principal Babson to learn about the ways we stay safe at the Butler School. on Friday, November 1st at 9am. This will be a virtual meeting. Use the link below to log in.

Coffee with the Principal (Virtual)
Friday, November 1 · 9:00 – 9:30am
Time zone: America/New_York
Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/jgg-fzbb-pff
Or dial: ‪(US) +1 515-605-0246‬ PIN: ‪788 325 895‬#
More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/jgg-fzbb-pff?pin=1201108179621

All students have 2 PE classes and 1 art class each week. PE classes are 30 minutes each and art class is 45 minutes. Read below to hear updates from Mr. Trodden (PE) and Ms. Williams (art).

Physical Education - Our Kindergarten students have been hard at work learning about spacial awareness as well as refining their gross motor skills of Hopping, Jumping, Sliding sideways, Galloping and Skipping. 

Grade one students are also reviewing gross motor skills by incorporating the skills into cooperative tag activities and fun relay challenges.

Second graders completed a series of lessons improving their volleying skills along with learning the official way to play Four Square activities.  Students were welcome to select either cooperative or competitive styles of play.

Our grade three students are currently involved in a unit of lessons connected to manipulating objects with their feet.  The unit of lessons culminate with a variety of activities resembling soccer style games.

ART - In art class students have been working hard to create art for the Original Works Fundraiser. Families will be able to purchase a variety of items printed with their students' original artwork. Here are some of the pictures students have created! Keep an eye out for the packet of Original Works information and to place your order.

Illness Reminder
Cold and flu season is upon us. Students and staff with symptoms of respiratory or gastrointestinal infections, such as cough, fever (above 100.0), sore throat, vomiting, or diarrhea, should stay home.  Staying home when sick can lower the risk of spreading many infectious diseases, including COVID-19, to others. 

Please call the absence line at 617-993-5552 to report your child’s absence and reach out to me directly if your child has been diagnosed with an infection such as strep, flu, covid, or pneumonia. If your child has been prescribed antibiotics for an infection, please be sure to keep them home for 24 hours once starting the medication. Visit our nursing site for more information on illness guidelines  and when to keep your child home.

Halloween Reminder
With Halloween right around the corner, please remember the many students and staff with life threatening food allergies in our school. Interestingly, candy is the #1 offender of hidden allergens. I encourage everyone to think of creative ways to keep our students healthy and happy this Halloween.

Our school policy includes not giving out any candy, chocolate, or food in classrooms and reminding all students not to share or trade any “treats”. This is important not only during Halloween, but at all times to avoid potential food related reactions and illness.

Please do not send any candy to school. We are trying to teach good nutrition, keep children with food allergies safe, and support children with other health conditions. It is helpful if you save those treats for home and avoid sending candy in for snack and lunch whenever possible.

Tips for a safe and helpful Halloween:

• Consider participating in the Teal Pumpkin Project which is a worldwide movement to create a safer, happier Halloween for all kids, especially those with food allergies, by providing non-food treats and  posting a ‘teal pumpkin’ picture in your window. 

• Consider having your child donate a portion of their candy to those in need. For some ideas check out this site

• Inspect your child’s treats carefully. Throw away anything that may have been tampered with or containing small pieces of hard candy that may be a choking hazard for young children.

Most of all stay safe, have fun, and enjoy the outdoors! As always, please reach out at any time with questions or concerns.

Lisa Harteveldt BSN, RN
Butler School Nurse
617-993-5556
lharteveldt@belmontschools.net

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