Buckman Arts Focus Elementary School

...you're at the new website for the Buckman Arts Focus Elementary School in Portland, Oregon!

This site is very much a work-in-progress, and will continue to change and morph over time. I'm adding in pages for each teacher, and will tightly integrate teacher content with the rest of the site so we know what's going on in our classrooms (each teacher will soon have their own page at teacherlastname.buckmanelementary.org, for example.) I'm also adding in some functionalities here and there, pointers to the Google Calendar, and other bits of information as I come across it.

If you have any questions, concerns, issues, or feedback - please send them to me (Betsy Richter): bdrichter at gmail dot com. Thanks!

The 2008 Art Show & Sell will be on Friday, April 11th and Saturday, April 12th.

The show benefits the arts programs at Buckman, and will feature the work of more than 100 Pacific Northwest artists.

Learn more here.

(from the 12/5 CHEER)

Our used book fair was an astounding success! Folks feel so strongly about these events, and put in so much effort to make it all happen. Let's keep working to get books into the hands of kids. Please sign up on the library bulletin board to help during the upcoming event:
Set-Up Thurs. Dec. 6th 11:30-2:3
*Teacher Preview Thurs. Dec. 6th 3:00-4:00

Scholastic Book Fair Mon. Dec. 10th - Fri.. 14th
Monday 10th 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Tuesday 11th 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Wednesday 12th 8:30 a.m.- 7 p.m.
Thursday 13th 8:30 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Friday 14th 8:30 a.m. -5:30 p.m.
Tear-Down Fri. Dec. 14th 5 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

Classes will come at regularly scheduled times the 11th - 14th. Focus will lie on previewing skills/student wish-list and purchase of books in main area, not pencils, toys, etc.

Our deepest thanks go to Linh Trieu, graphic designer extraordinaire, who created Buckman's brand-new logo!

If you haven't seen Linh's work, please visit her web site at www.trieuberry.com.

Thank you, Linh!

Please join us in the Buckman Cafetorium at 6:30 pm on Wednesday, October 24 to continue the discussions around becoming a K-8 school. This is a Site Council sponsored conversation, childcare is available, and all community members are welcome!

UPDATE:

Here's the Site Council's proposal (PDF).
And here's the letter from Site Council Chair Kevin Downing:

To the Buckman Community,

For many years the Buckman Site Council has focused on ways to sustain and enhance the special and marvelous learning community that is Buckman. Parents and children have found this to be a place where learning can thrive in a place where the arts are a part of the ordinary every day rather than an elective taken up when the serious work is done.

Sustaining an arts integrated focus to education beyond fifth grade has been a long standing concern. As it turns out a viable solution also raises the opportunity to create a stronger learning community at Buckman. We are offering for the community's consideration a proposal to configure Buckman as K-8 school. As you know it is becoming more common within the Portland Public School District because it continues to support students with an ongoing, safe and cohesive community through tumultuous years, supports greater parental involvement, allows 6th through 8th graders to remain less «socially sophisticated» while encouraging their leadership skills by mentoring younger students and can stabilize the Buckman enrollment.

We invite you to come to a community meeting on October 24th, 6:30 PM at Buckman to look at and discuss what a K-8 configuration would mean. In short, the transition would occur over several years by taking in fewer children at the lower levels and adding two classrooms per year at 6th, 7th and 8th grades. Site Council has developed a proposal but still needs input, approval and support from parents and teachers before submitting anything to the Superintendent and the School Board. This is not a «done deal»; we will need to hear from you if this is going to happen.

The proposal is a work in progress. You can direct comments or questions to me at 503.238.4665 or vandown@teleport.com.

Kevin Downing
Chair, Buckman Site Council

Chez Jose, a Buckman family-owned eatery, hosts the year

I got inspired by the stunning clean-up done to Buckman's grounds on Saturday (thanks to those who labored), and started a spruce-up of the Buckman website to match!

There'll be many more updates to come as we get closer to September 5th, but here are a few changes to check out:

* We have a new electronic calendar that you can view or add to your existing iCal-formatted calendar. Want to know when PTA meetings are? Picture day? Run for the Arts? It's all in there!

* Need to know who this year's PTA officers are? Want to reach them via email? Drop by the PTA page

* SUN class registration starts September 6th - get the details here.

* Finally, we have a brand new page for the Buckman Foundation - drop by to download a letter with more information, pledge forms, and a list of employers offering matching grants.

And if you have suggestions or resources to share, feel free to email me - Betsy Richter - at bdrichter*at*gmail*dot*com. (replace the placeholders with symbols, please.)

Please come out to Buckman School this coming Saturday morning!

Portland Public Schools and SOLV are enlisting volunteers to do grounds work at 65 schools across the city as part of Community Care Day on Saturday, Aug. 25, from 9 a.m. to noon. We hope to get a large group out at Buckman.

The volunteers will weed, prune, mow and spread bark chips to prepare for students' return to school Sept. 5.

Following the cleanup, all volunteers are invited to Roseway Heights School, 7334 N.E. Siskiyou St., for a barbecue, music and the dedication of a new playground structure.

Last year, more than 1,800 people participated in Community Care Day, enhancing the grounds of dozens of schools. Such efforts are vital to Portland Public Schools: Because of tight budgets, the district employs the equivalent of only four full-time groundskeepers to maintain its 750 acres of property.

We hope to see you there!

By now, parents and families should have received a welcome letter from Buckman's new principal, Claudia Mason. Her note contains a list of upcoming dates to put in your calendar (see the right sidebar for details), a list of needed school supplies, and of course - the news about your child(ren)'s assigned teacher!

From her letter:

Please introduce yourselves to me when you see me! I'm delighted to begin this exciting new school year with you, and have high hopes for a remarkable year of learning - for all. I encourage you to participate in classroom and school activities. Buckman will continue to be an outstanding school with your active involvement.

And you'll have a chance to meet her yourself at Cafe Thursday on September 13th from 7:30 -8:45 am - come by and have tea or coffee with our new principal!

See you all in September!