Welcome to the 2018-2019 school year!

Dear Baker-Butler Families,                              August 6, 2018

Welcome to Baker-Butler and the 2018-2019 school year!

We are excited to begin this year with our students and their families. Our staff have worked hard this summer to prepare for an outstanding school year. We have been working on a variety of projects, including building renovations such as painting the gym as well as professional development for our teachers on instructional design and strategies. We can’t wait to begin with you all in just a few weeks.

We would like to share some updates and new information with you as we get ready to begin school on Wednesday, August 22, 2018.

Welcome Christine Peterson:

     Welcome to our new Assistant Principal, Christine Peterson, who is an experienced educator in Albemarle County Public Schools. She was originally recruited to work for ACPS in 2000 by one of the namesakes of our school, John Baker, at a job fair in Western, NY. She has served in various roles over her career, including as a 2nd grade classroom teacher and literacy specialist at Baker-Butler. Christine has worked as an Instructional Coach at several of the elementary schools and most recently worked at Greer Elementary as an Assistant Principal Intern.  Christine is married to Kurt and is a mom of a rising 1st grader (Evan) and 3rd grader (Pia) in ACPS.

Welcome new teachers and nurses:

This year we are excited to welcome several new staff members to our school:

• Tonya Klimas, Jenny Borman, Elizabeth Skojec: 2^nd grade        
• Maria Redieske, Stephanie Tollefsen, Brenna Symoniak: 4th grade
• Tami Roy, Katie Reburn, Jacqueline Pakula, Candace Ostlund: Special Education   
• Danielle Paxton: RTI (part-time)   
• Shannon Vidoni: Art (part-time)
• Kristina O’Meara, School Nurse & Emily Sims, Special Education Skilled Nurse

Parent Portal and classroom assignments

Classroom assignments for 2018-2019 will be available via ParentPortal. If you do not currently have access to ParentPortal, please contact our main office Monday-Friday between 8:30am-3:30pm daily.

• Parent Portal will open for classroom assignments beginning on Friday, August 10th at 4:00pm.
• Bus information will be available in ParentPortal on Monday, August 13th at 4:00pm.

Arrival & Dismissal information:

In order for our school day to run smoothly, we want to share the procedures for the safe arrival and dismissal of all of our students. Here are a few important reminders about arrival to and dismissal from school:

Arrival:

• School starts at 7:55 a.m.
• Students may enter the building starting at 7:40 a.m.
• Car riders: Student drop off begins at 7:40 a.m. when a faculty member is present.  All cars should use the drop off circle located at the front of the school. Student car riders should not be dropped off unless a faculty member is present starting at 7:40am.
• If you walk your child into the building in the morning, please park in the parking lot.

Dismissal

• Students will begin exiting the building at 2:25 p.m.  Kindergarten, first and second grade students will dismiss at 2:25 p.m. and third, fourth, and fifth grade students will dismiss at 2:30 p.m.
• If you are in the car circle line, your child will be called and brought to you in your car.  Please remain in your car while in the car circle.
• Pick up: Please park in the parking lot and meet your child in the designated area on the sidewalk.
• If you need to make a change in your child’s afternoon dismissal, please notify the school before 2:00pm.
• For the first three days of school (August 22^rd, 23^rd, and 24^th) we will begin dismissing our students at 2:10pm. These additional 15 minutes will allow the bus drivers to check every student on their manifest. The buses will then leave BBES around their scheduled dismissal time (after 2:35pm) to arrive as close to the advertised afternoon bus stop arrival time as possible.

Safety Drills this year:

    There is no higher priority at our school than the security and safety of our students and staff.  An important part of meeting our high standards is the various and periodic drills that prepare our school for emergencies. During the school year we will hold drills that prepare us to be safe during a fire, an earthquake, a tornado, and in the event of a lockdown.

Upcoming events

Here are some important dates for the start of the 2018-2019 year:

• New Students (1st -5th grade) to Baker-Butler Meet & Greet on the Playground: Wednesday, August 15th 4-5:00pm
• Kindergarten Meet and Greet on the Playground: Thursday, August 16th 4-5:00pm
• All students Open House: Monday, August 20th 3:00-5:00pm
• No school for students on Monday, September 4^th (Labor Day)
• Back to School night for grades 3-5: Tuesday, September 4^th  6:00-7:30pm
• PTO Bike Rodeo: Friday, September 7th 6:30-8:00pm
• Back to School night for grades K-2: Tuesday, September 11^th 6:00-7:30pm
• No school for students on Friday, September 22^nd (professional development day)

We are looking forward to working with you and your children. This is going to be a great year.

Sincerely,

Steve Saunders & Christine Peterson