North Butler Elementary 2016-2017

Mon, 07/18/2016 - 3:05pm — Diane Dyer

Parents and students of North Butler Elementary,
I would like to welcome each of you back for the 2016-17 school year. As school is just around the corner our staff is growing with excitement of what the new school year holds. Entering my 3rd year as principal I cannot begin to describe the support, attitude, and commitment that I see from students, staff and parents to the school each and every day. Our purpose is to successfully bring ALL students into the 21st century by fostering each student’s educational, social, emotional and physical well-being. I am very proud of the progress that we making toward the purpose we set out to accomplish. This past year, for the second year in a row NBES was recognized for our academic achievements. NBES scored in the 72nd percentile (Proficient/progressing) on state KPREP testing. Even more rewarding to our hardworking staff was being recognized as a top 60 finalist out of 1,233 schools across the state by the Kentucky Office of Next Generation Learners in regards to academics, safety, and school leadership. These two recognitions give us great confirmation that we are doing the right things to help us reach the goals that we strive for.
I am very proud to welcome two new teachers to NBES. Teaching 4th Grade will be Mrs. Kaylyn McKinney. She comes to us with 3 years of tremendous working experience and I have no doubt that she will be highly effective in the classroom. I would also like to welcome Mrs. Jennifer Scott who will be providing primary and middle grades special education services. She too comes with valuable and effective classroom experience. We are very excited and fortunate to have hired both Mrs. McKinney and Mrs. Scott, I know they meet the high quality of character and integrity that is expected at NBES, and will be a vital part of our future success.
Research and background experiences show us that a parent’s involvement in a child’s education is very indicative of the student’s success both academically and socially. To maximize your child’s academic and social development here are some great practices:
•    Ensure your child is present at school; attendance is vital to a student’s success.   More than 3 unexcused absences/tardies are considered truant by the district/state. (more info located in parent handbook)
•    Attend conferences, parent nights, and events. We have many events we encourage you to attend.
•    Monitor your child’s homework
•    Expect positive behavior at school, support school with behavior consequences.
•    Read daily with your child
•    Encourage them to show leadership at the school

There were many additions to North Butler last school year that we are excited to continue
WatchDOGS (Dads of Great Students)
We will continue the WatchDOGS program for 2016-17. The joy it brought to the students having positive male influences in the building was tremendous. The benefit of such a seemingly small thing as having dads attend school for a day is unmeasurable. I want to give a huge thank you to the dads that came in last school year as we tried the program for the first time. If you would like to become part of the WatchDOGS program (Dads of Great Students) contact Mrs. Brandie or myself at the school.
Archery
I am so thankful for the archery program at NBES. We were blessed with a great group of coaches and volunteers. They showed great patience with the student archers and allowed each and every child the time, practice and discipline to fully understand the safety protocols. They gave all students an equal opportunity to be involved in an extracurricular activity; for that I am very appreciative.
Boys and Girls Club
The club will continue to have a site at NBES in the afternoons. I know this provides a great help to parents who work out of the area. The attendance to the club was very good making it feasible to once again have a North Butler Boys and Girls Club.
Free Breakfast and Lunch
It looks as if participation was just good enough for us to provide another year of CEP free breakfast and lunch for all students of NBES. At times this year it did not look like participation was high enough to keep it going for another year. I GREATLY encourage you to have your child get a breakfast and lunch each day so we can continue to take advantage. This program is a great help to many families of all income levels.

New for 2016-17 School Year:
Pre-School for this coming school will be full day rather than half day as in the past for all 4 year olds. I am excited for the benefits that our PK students will reap from a full day of education. (3 year olds will be half day morning)
We welcome Head Start to NBES. The will be joining the building for the upcoming school year. This program is overseen by the Community Action of Southern Kentucky. They will be in charge of all hiring, enrollment, curriculum and management of this room. Although I will fully be supportive of the room, and ensure their safety and well-being, any questions about the Head Start program should be directed to the Head Start Office with Community Action of Southern Kentucky.
This year North Butler will start the implementation of The Leader in Me. As we look around us we notice many issues plaguing our world we live in. The society is struggling to display leadership, social skills and positive inspiration. At NBES, we realize social development should coincide with academics and is crucial to building the groundwork for successful family dynamics and careers. The Leader in Me will help build character and leadership skills for our children. It is important to know that this program will not cut any academic time for our student but will be implemented in accordance to their academics. I would like to personally thank the businesses of Butler County and the Morgantown-Butler Co. Chamber for their great work in generating funds to help this program come to fruition for NBES

As we get things back up and running there are many upcoming events that you should know about:
- Pool Party for NBES students July 29th at Morgantown City Pool 6:00-8:00, a parent must attend with each child.
-Early Literacy Camp from August 1st – 4th each day for incoming kindergarten students. The students will be working with their 2016-17 teacher learning early literacy skills that will help build a foundation for the skills they will be expected to successfully learn this coming school year. Each of you should of received a form for the event, however, if you did not you can show up on the 1st and sign up at the event.
-Open House Back to School Night will be August 4th. (PK, K, 1st and 2nd grades will begin at 5:00 in the gym, 3rd , 4th and 5th grades will begin at 6:30 in the gym.) This will not be a come and go event as in the past, if you are not there at the regular time you may miss the messages given by the teachers and myself. We hope you can make arrangements to attend on this night to meet face to face with teachers and staff of NBES!
-First Day Back for Students – August 9, 2016
I hope as you visit the school you can appreciate tremendous work that our custodians Jennifer and Theresa have completed this summer. They have worked very hard and the floors, walls, and other facilities are standing tall and ready to embrace nearly 400 talented and precious children come August 9th. I am very proud to have such great custodians at NBES.
I want to please encourage you to continue being active in your child’s education. Developing a strong positive relationship between the home and school is very beneficial to a child’s education. I encourage family members to support the school in decisions that our professionals make and desire your input in the process; we want what is best for every child. Please read the weekly newsletters from your child's teacher, look at student work in Friday folders, and feel free to participate in Parent-Teacher Organization work. Keep up with weekly events and news with us on the school webpage, Facebook, Remind 101 or Twitter. We will also send out One Call reminders for important events or scheduling changes. I also want to encourage you to make attendance a priority. Missing school rather it is avoidable or not puts a great strain on the education of your child

Please feel free to reach me if you have concerns, ideas or support. I can be reached via email at [email protected] , 270-526-8936 or 270-999-4918. I look forward to an exciting and productive year with you and your child!

Take Care,

Josh Belcher, Principal