Bugbee Buzz

The mission of Bugbee School is to provide a dynamic, welcoming, enriched learning community that celebrates the uniqueness of each person. We work to ensure that all children achieve personal excellence by developing the skills and interests that result in a passion for life-long learning and the ability to participate as responsible citizens in a changing world.

Thursday, May 27th

• Virtual Parent University: Making the Most of Your Child's Summer (flyer below)

Friday, May 28th

• Bugbee honors Memorial Day
• Rain-date Tuesday, June 1

Monday, May 31st

• Memorial Day - NO SCHOOL

Tuesday June 1- Friday June 4

• Bugbee Fill-a-Bus food drive!

Monday, June 7th

• PTO Meeting - 7PM

Tuesday, June 15th

• Report Cards go home

Wednesday, June 16th

• 10:00 - 5th Grade Moving on Ceremony

Thursday, June 17

• Last Day of School - 2:00PM Dismissal

West Hartford Public Schools and Our Community Partners are offering all interested parents and caregivers free workshops to help you make the most of your child’s summer! Please click here to learn more!

Please join us in celebrating the following staff members who are moving on to new adventures after this school year:

• Shirley Green, Bugbee 1st grade teacher currently in the RLE, is retiring at the end of this year.
• Angelica Ansbacher, instrumental band teacher, will be moving back to NY to teach high school band in Long Island.
• Brooke Manning, Speech & Language Pathologist, will be moving to Bristow next year. We are in the process of hiring a full-time SLP to join Bugbee next year.
• Jenny Dorl, ESOL teacher, says goodbye to Bugbee and West Hartford this year as she will be moving to Wisconsin this summer.
• Rose Hill, Resource teacher, is headed to Braeburn Elementary next year, and we are in the process of hiring a new part-time resource teacher for our team.

We will certainly miss this dynamic group of individuals who have made an impressive impact on our Bugbee community, some in such a short time. Our appreciation is deep for each of these individuals who have contributed to our students' success and our community as a whole. As news of new staff members is available, it will be shared with you.

Per Governor Lamont's executive order, schools will maintain mitigation efforts in place through the end of the school year. This includes cohorting as well as masking in the building and during times outside where distance between individuals is not possible. Thank you for your participation in upholding these efforts to keep our unvaccinated students safe as the school year comes to a close.

Report cards will be sent home with students on June 15. Please be aware that due to the new format we have used this year, the comment section will be smaller on the June report card than previous reports. The teachers have so many wonderful things to share about your children but please understand this is a function of our report card system, not the teachers' intentions to say less.

Thank you to our in-residence artist John Walsh, the DuPee family for their generous grant, the Foundation for West Hartford Public Schools, and to our very own art teacher Mrs. Bianco for this special school-wide experience exploring and celebrating our identities. Check out the video below to see the grant in action!

If you are still interested in sending in a remembrance card for our Memorial Day recognition, you may send it in with your child Monday. This card can recognize any person your family remembers who served in the military. Starting Monday, the office will work with any student who does not have a remembrance card to complete one with information on a military hero connected to Bugbee from the list that has been submitted.

Have additional military heroes to recognize? Use this google form to submit their information so that another Bugbee child can honor their service and commitment to our country.

Hi Families! As the year is coming to an end I would like to remind everyone to be on the lookout for all Bugbee Library Books! Please send all books back to school with your student in the next coming weeks. No matter how old, torn or new the book is please send them in. Please reach out to me if you have any questions. Thank you!

Ms. Vlosky

LMS

Starting June 1st, we will be accepting loaner device returns. This includes chromebooks, ipads, mifi's (hotspots) and chargers. Devices may be dropped off in the main office or sent to school with your child. All devices must be returned before the last day of school.

Students attending the Remote School (RLE) may drop off their devices at Town Hall inside the main lobby between 830a.m.-4:00 p.m. (the doors are unlocked during these hours). There will be an unattended dedicated drop and go area in the lobby with clear signage where devices can be placed.

Bugbee’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee is invested in promoting equal access to opportunity for all; advancing non-discrimination and respect for individual differences; and fostering empathy, inclusiveness, and consideration for others. We are committed to learning by challenging ideas and being a safe place where all identities are welcomed, valued, and heard.

WHPS's broader community committee for Equity, the EDC, provides monthly newsletters. Please click here to view the most updated newsletter. In it, you will find resources and information on upcoming events including How To Talk To Your Child About Antisemitism, and the Asian-American Experience in West Hartford.

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To share ideas, perspectives, or interest to participate in future work please contact the Bugbee EDI chairpersons:

Bugbee EDI Main email: Bugbee.edi@gmail.com

Shiyrah Suplita @ shiyrahs@gmail.com

Hakema Hussein @ Hakema.Hussein@gmail.com

The West Hartford community celebrates and supports the Asian American Pacific Islander community during the month of May with recognition of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month! Please check out this newsletter for resources and ideas for ways you can engage your student in meaningful discussions and learning opportunities that spotlight Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Click below for the link.

Please be conscious of the footwear that your children wear to school. Flip-flops, open toed and backless sandals are not safe to wear to recess while running and climbing on the playscape. We have also had injured toes and heels happen in the building. Let's work together to keep our children safe!

If you have any questions, please feel free to call Karen Burnett at 860-929-5510

Please make sure your child has extra masks in their backpack for daily changes, and contact the office if you need assistance in purchasing masks. It is recommended that there be 2-3 extra masks in each child’s backpack if possible.

Additionally, please continue to support the overall wellbeing of our community by wearing your mask at arrival and dismissal times when our campus is extra crowded. Thank you for contributing to the safety of our school community and also modeling for our students the importance of these mitigation efforts.

As warmer weather approaches, please provide students with a towel for the week. Lunch will be outside when temperatures are above 40 degrees. Thank you!

If you have a child that is eligible to enter Kindergarten in the fall of 2021 (five years of age before January 1, 2022), please call the office at (860) 929-5500 as soon as possible so we can add your child’s name to our incoming Kindergarten list. Thank you to those who joined us for our Virtual Parent Evening on March 31, 2021 and student visit days this past week.

Please visit here for more information on how to register online!

As we begin the process of grouping students into classes for the 2021-2022 school year, it is helpful to know now if your child will not be returning to Bugbee in the fall. Please call the school office and let us know! 860-929-5500

The district has put together a main technology page to help answer questions about technology and district devices. If you have a technology question that is not answered on the website you may contact the help desk at helpdesk@whps.org or call 860-561-6636

Looking for a new book for your reader at home, or perhaps interested in giving a new book to your child's teacher as an end of year gift? Check out this website made by Library Media Specialist Amy Vlosky for age-appropriate titles that celebrate diversity & inclusion. If you use the links to purchase from Amazon, don't forget to use your Amazon Smile account to further support the Bugbee PTO!

If you do purchase a book off this list for your child's classroom, please consider filling out the "book form" so we can keep track of titles that have been purchased for this purpose.

There is also a "parent resources" tab with information about sharing diverse literature with your reader at home!

The COVID-19 home screening must be done before sending your child to school each day.​

Most importantly: if your child, or someone in the household is ill, your child needs to stay home. We appreciate your contributions to our community mitigation efforts.

Please click on a flyer to enlarge.

Domestic Travel

As of March 19, 2021, Governor Lamont modified the state’s domestic travel guidance and removed the mandatory testing or quarantine. However, it will still be required to regain entry into school. Anyone traveling out of state for more than 24 hours is asked to demonstrate a negative COVID-19 test or quarantine for ten days before returning to in-person instruction. Questions on testing and travel should be directed to your school’s principal and nurse. Further details on travel and recommendations can be accessed at https://portal.ct.gov/Coronavirus/travel.

International Travel

The CDC recommends that you do not travel at this time. If you must travel, CDC guidance (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html) requires that if you plan to travel internationally, you will need to get tested no more than 3 days before you travel by air into the United States and show your negative result to the airline before you board your flight, or be prepared to show documentation of recovery (proof of a recent positive viral test and a letter from your healthcare provider or a public health official stating that you were cleared to travel).

In order to return and engage in in-person classes at our schools after international travel, WHPS follows the CDC recommendation that students and staff members:

• Get tested 3-5 days after travel AND stay home and self-quarantine for 7 days after travel.

  • Even if you test negative, stay home and self-quarantine for the full 7 days.
    

  • If your test is positive, follow the Health District's guidance and isolate yourself to protect others from getting infected.
    

• If you don’t get tested, you must stay home and self-quarantine for 10 days after travel.
  

• Avoid being around people who are at increased risk for severe illness for 14 days, whether you get tested or not.

If quarantined, please contact your student's school principal for instructional guidance.

Did you know you can support the Bugbee PTO on Amazon and still use your Amazon Prime account? Just use smile.amazon.com instead of amazon.com.

Amazon smile has the same products, prices, and shopping features as Amazon.com. The only difference is that 0.5% of your purchase price comes back to Bugbee. The first time you use it, you will be prompted to pick the charity you are supporting. Search for “Bugbee School PTO.”

Don't forget to return to smile.amazon.com each time you use Amazon!

The deadline for submissions to the next Buzz is 6/2/2021.

Publication Date: 6/4/2021

Please email submissions to josie_mccormick@whps.org

Principal: Kelly Brouse

Website: bugbee.whps.org
Location: 1943 Asylum Avenue, West Hartford, CT, USA
Phone: 860-929-5500