September 2023 Edition

Ottawa Elementary School

Little Bucks clothing will be on sale until midnight October 2nd in order to have the items by the Thursday of Homecoming Week! Click on the following link to order! This information also available on our district, Ottawa, and Bucktown Boutique Facebook pages!

https://bucktownboutique.wixsite.com/little-bucks

Dear Little Bucks Families,

I am thrilled to be at Ottawa working with our youngest learners and early childhood teaching staff.

For those of you that may not know me, this is my 25th year as a Buck. I began my career at Moccasin as a special education teacher for two years, followed by sixteen years as a first grade teacher, and beginning my seventh year as a principal.

Guiding, growing, and empowering others, whether they are five or forty-five years old is why I love my job! I believe in continuous growth and learning and encouraging others to do the same!

Every individual that walks through our doors has the ability to learn and thrive. I am so proud to be a Buck and grateful for the opportunity to serve your family.

If you ever have a concern, question, or comment please feel free to call or email and I will be happy to speak with you.

Stacey Denison, Principal

sdenison@buchananschools.com

Our school office is open 8:00am-4:30pm

Phone: 269.695.8409

Mrs. Stacey Denison, Principal

sdenison@buchananschools.com

Mrs. Elizabeth Johnson, Administrative Assistant

ejohnson@buchananschools.com

Mrs. Johnson has the responsibility of assisting all staff and students, answering calls, and monitoring our front door. If you call and receive our voicemail, please leave a message and she will return your call as soon as she is available. Most likely she is assisting another caller, helping a student in the office that may be injured or lost a tooth, or greeting someone in our foyer.

REGULAR DAY OF SCHOOL

8:35am-3:43pm

ECSE AM 8:35am-11:50pm

ECSE PM 12:25pm-3:43pm

WACKY WEDNESDAYS

8:35am-3:10pm

HALF DAYS OF SCHOOL

8:35am-12:05pm

No ECSE Classes on these days!

Our car line is very long in the afternoons and extends into the subdivision north of our school, Ottawa Court. Please do not block the driveways of these residents while you are waiting for school to dismiss. Residents need to be able to access their driveways during this time.

Please attach your car tag to your visor with the elastic band. When these hang from the rear view mirrors, they spin and are hard to see as you pull into the parking lot. If you attach to your visor and put your visor up and down to use the tag, you will not have to move it from your rearview mirror when you are not using it, and our staff in the parking lot can better see the tag. If you are in need of a tag, please obtain one from our office.

September

1 No School- Labor Day Observance

4 No School- Labor Day Observance

8 Wacky Wednesday 3:10 Dismissal

11 GSRP Open House 5:00-7:00pm

12 PTO/Title 1 Meeting 6:30 PM

13 GSRP Preschool Begins- Mrs. Chase and Mrs. Monsma

13 Wacky Wednesday 3:10 Dismissal

13 NWEA Testing for First Grade- Reading

14 NWEA Testing for First Grade- Math

18 Constitution Day Observance (Wear red, white, and blue)

18 Board of Education Meeting 6:00pm

20 Wacky Wednesday 3:10 Dismissal

20 NWEA Testing for Kindergarten- Reading

21 NWEA Testing for Kindergarten- Math

22 Extra Friday for Mrs. Hendrick's ECSE AM/PM Classes

27 Wacky Wednesday 3:10 Dismissal

27 BCHD Dental Clinic Visit for Kindergarten

28 ECSE/Preschool Classes to Fire Station

29 Mrs. VanDyke's Students to Apple Festival

Please send a change of clothes for your child to keep at school. Include a shirt, pants, and underwear in a large ziploc bag labeled with their name to keep in their locker. When accidents happen at school, it is nice to have a change of clothes.

Wednesday, September 27th, the Berrien County Health Department will be visiting our school to complete dental screenings for kindergarten students.

At Ottawa we utilize a three-tiered behavioral system that focuses on improving the school environment with positive behaviors. We model and teach what we expect to see from students with the Buck 3. Be Respectful, Be Responsible, and Be Safe. We have spent the first two weeks focusing on the Buck 3 and teaching students our school-wide expectations.

There are various ways to promote positive behaviors through Buck 3 tickets and Buck High Five certificates. The tickets are collected throughout the building in classrooms, the library, lunchroom, hallways, anytime we spot consistent positive behavior. At the main entrance of our school is a large ticket bin where all tickets are collected to reach school-wide goals! When goals are reached, we reward students with incentives, such as visits from Bucky!

Information will be sent home for you to become familiar with our expectations and the common language we use each day at school. We use phrases such as 'hands and feet to self' and 'personal space'. Reinforcing this language at home helps build the consistency we instill every day at school.

Mrs. Henckel is our school counselor and has worked in our elementary schools for over 20 years. She is our PBIS building coach and works to implement career awareness throughout our school. Mrs. Henckel works with students individually and in small groups. She is a great resource when it comes to behavior modification strategies, social and emotional wellness, and de-escalation techniques. If you have questions or would like to speak to her, she can be reached at lhenckel@buchananschools.com.

This wonderful duo are our speech pathologists! Miss P works with our preschoolers and first graders. Mrs. Lietz works with our ECSE and kindergarten students. Both bring a wealth of knowledge regarding speech and language. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your child's speech patterns, these are the two to speak to. They can be reached at slietz@buchananschools.com and mpatnoudes@buchananschools.com.

We would like to welcome to Ottawa the following fantastic new staff members!

Mrs. Cowart has transitioned from paraprofessional to a classroom teacher in first grade. She holds a Bachelor's degree is Elementary Education and has taught several years in a preschool setting. Students will recognize her familiar face as she worked in kindergarten classrooms last year. She is excited to be taking on this new role and continuing to support students.

Miss Kyles is our new behavioral specialist that we will be sharing with Moccasin. She is a Buchanan graduate and holds a degree in Behavioral Sciences. She has experience working with young children and is excited to take on this new role within our school.

We want to make sure every single student gets out the door and home safely. Please remember the following:

• You MUST contact our school office by 2:00 pm if you need to make changes to your child's transportation routine.

• If you need to make changes involving a bus, these changes must be communicated to our office by 1:30 pm, before the buses leave for their middle/high school routes.

• Please do not message or email teachers as they are often in session and do not receive the messages until it is too late.

• If you need a car tag for the pick up line, please let Mrs. Baker know as you are in line or they are available in our office.

• If you are picking your child up as a walker, they will be dismissed by door #3 by the gym on the south side of the building. Please park at the Church of the Nazarene and walk across grass to door. There will be a clipboard for you to sign as you arrive. We will dismiss students one at a time.

• Only car riders with parents in the pick up line will be dismissed at the north parking lot doors.

• September 18th
• October 20th
• November 16th
• December 11th

Meetings will be called to order at 6:00pm unless advertised differently.

269.695.8402

269.695.8400

Superintendent

Mrs. Patricia Robinson probinson@buchananschools.com

Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent

Mrs. Michelle Munyon mmunyon@buchananschools.com

Director of Operations/Instructional Systems Coordinator

Mr. Mark Kurland mkurland@buchananschools.com

Business Office Specialist

Mrs. Carrie Brunsting cbrunsting@buchananschools.com

Director of Special Education

Mrs. Karin Falkenstein kfalkenstein@buchananschools.com

Director of Technology

Mr. Philip Place psplace@buchananschools.com

We work hard every day to make our school the best it can be. Please tell us how we’re doing!

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSedhHzyguA0_cCpd2Ue17lUTG5bV9LXzCoe6sP2f_BJrovA1Q/viewform