The Boone Barker

August 31, 2020 | Michael M. Boone Elementary School

News to Know

Important Information Coming this Week!

Keep an eye on that inbox this week for important information about the first day of in-person school, next Tuesday, September 8th! Information coming in Special Editions this week will include:

COVID Protocols: Detailed information about COVID protocols in daily school life.
Cafeteria Info: Detailed information about how the cafeteria will operate, how to load your student's cafeteria account, and more.
Arrival and Dismissal Procedures: all you need to know about carpool, crossing guards, and more!

Parent Tips during Virtual Learning

Thanks for helping to make our first week of virtual learning a success! Please follow these guidelines to help us make it even better!

Please log into Google Meets with one device at a time. If more than one device is logged on from the same email account, you will experience an echo.
Create a calm and organized learning space for your child at home with minimum distractions. Be aware that teachers and other students can see what is going on in your home during instruction if the learning space is set up in a high traffic area.
Refrain from giving your child the answers during instruction. Incorrect answers allow teachers to assess comprehension and often lead to valuable discussions with all students. Our goal is to create independent learners by working through challenges.
When your child has a question, encourage him/her to ask the teacher for help. We want to promote self-advocacy especially in the middle of instruction. If you as a parent have a question, we ask that you email the teacher instead of asking in the middle of a lesson. This helps teachers maintain focus for all students and a smooth flow to the lesson. Teachers may respond to parents during their conference/planning period or after school.
Please respect other students’ privacy during instruction by refraining from taking photos of the screen.
When students complete assignments asynchronously, encourage them to read independently or take a brain break until the next synchronous session.

Attendance Information

If your child will be absent (whether virtual or in-person), please email both your teacher and our front office at boattendance@hpisd.org and let us know the reason for the absence so we can mark it as excused or unexcused accordingly. If we do not hear from you, the absence will be marked as unexcused. Thank you for helping us keep accurate attendance records!

Boone 2020-21 Directory is now live!

We are pleased to announce the debut of the first ever digital edition of the 2020-21 Boone Directory, which is now live through the DirectorySpot App. All Boone families who purchased a PTO membership have been given access to DirectorySpot. If you do not have access and want to join the PTO, please join on the PTO website at https://boonepto.org.

If you have used DirectorySpot before, Boone Elementary should now show as an available directory option. If you are a new Directory Spot user, please follow the instructions below.

REVIEW YOUR INFORMATION

Please access DirectorySpot at your earliest convenience to review your information. The information in DirectorySpot is the data exactly as you provided it during BSSU. Please send any edits to directory@boonepto.org so we can correct them promptly. If you do not have access and would like to review your data, email us and we will share the data we have for you.

ACCESS DIRECTORYSPOT

If you are a new DirectorySpot user (or forgot your password), follow these instructions:

1. Download the DirectorySpot App on your device*

2. Click Reset Password at the bottom

3. You will receive an email to update your password

4. Return to the App and enter your email and password to gain access

5. Email directory@boonepto.org with any issues

*If you subscribe to more than one directory (e.g. MIS, HPHS, etc.), please be sure you have selected the correct directory once you have signed into the app.

PRINT OR DOWNLOAD THE DIRECTORY

Families with PTO memberships have the option to download a PDF version of the directory from the DirectorySpot website (www.directoryspot.net). PDFs can be printed by grade, class or family. To print the directory, follow these instructions:

1. Log into the DirectorySpot website using the same password as the app

2. Click Directory and then click Download PDFs

3. Select the directory configuration you want to print

LAST DAY for Family Giving! Will you be a part of the story?

Help us make history during the inaugural year of Michael M. Boone Elementary School. Ask grandparents and neighbors if they would like to donate too. You never know until you ask! Any amount is appreciated. Donors of $2,500 or more will be on a permanent plaque in the school!

With your generosity we can pay for needed supplies, ongoing professional development, instructional aides, and special programs like Spanish and gardening.

Give TODAY to receive printed recognition: boonepto.org/family-giving.

Give Now!

Mark Your Calendars!

Reminder: Some events have moved. New dates are below. Check out our full calendar at boonepto.org/events

Sept 17: Curriculum Night
Sept 22: PTO Meeting
Oct 12: Regular school day
Oct 16: Bike & Walk to School Day
Nov 3: Election Day student holiday
Feb 27: Auction

Send us your Virtual Learning Photos for the Yearbook!

We would love to get a behind the screen look into your child's first week of virtual school. Please send pictures to yearbook@boonepto.org and include your student's name and class.

LAST DAY for Late BSSU!

TODAY is the last day to complete the required Back to School Sign Up forms. If you have not completed them, please contact Jenny DuBose in the Boone front office at dubosej@hpisd.org or 214-780-4100.

Support Boone through Amazon & Tom Thumb

In addition to shopping at smile.amazon.com, you can now link AmazonSmile to your Amazon app!

For the website, click here and choose “Michael M Boone PTO” as your preferred charity. Remember to shop at smile.amazon.com in the future.
For the app, click on Settings, then AmazonSmile. Click to turn ON AmazonSmile and search for “Michael M Boone.” You’ll need to enable and maintain Amazon notifications on your phone for AmazonSmile to remain active in the app.

Link your Tom Thumb Rewards Card to Boone. It's an easy and FREE way to generate funds for Boone, and you can support up to 3 charities at the same time. Complete these 2 easy steps to sign up:

Print and complete this form with Boone's #: 14147.
Return it to the Service Desk at your Tom Thumb store or email to good.neighbor@randalls.com

Community Programs

Visit the Community Board on our PTO website to learn more about extracurriculars like Girls Lacrosse, GEMS, Culture Kids, and Girl Scouts and to sign up for a community Boone Parent email group. https://www.boonepto.org/community-board

Meet the Boone Staff!

Check out all the fun videos created by our very own Boone faculty. Learn more about your teachers, coaches, & more! https://flipgrid.com/a5776741

Bravo from the Boone Bulldogs!

Thank you to all the teachers, administrators, parents, and caregivers who patiently worked to make the first full week of virtual learning a success!

Thank you to Directory Chair, Amanda Rockow, for doing such a thorough review of our directory data and getting it ready so quickly! I think Boone wins for first one to go live! :)

Thank you to Room Parent Chairs, Jen Clifton and Julie Rado, for helping with our Room Parent slating, and to all of the parents who volunteered! We couldn't do this without you!

Thank you to Cafeteria Volunteer Chair, Lyndal Greth, for doing so much work this past week to re-arrange our cafeteria shifts according to our needs, and thank you to all of the cafeteria volunteers who have been so flexible and gracious! Stay tuned for more info this week about volunteering in the cafeteria.

Thank you to Cafeteria Finance Officer, Mary Margaret Neff, for helping with all of the planning involved for our cafeteria this year!

Thank you to Spirit Wear Chairs, Kelsey Coady and Jennifer Vaughn, for getting our orders in for Spirit Wear. We can't wait to deliver them to you in a few weeks!

Thank you to Treasurer, Mary Dalrymple, for keeping our books in order and writing checks whenever needed!

Thank you to Readathon Chair, Kelley Curtin, for getting everything ready to go for Book it for Boone, coming to you in just 2 short weeks! And thank you again to Tara Cosgrove for designing all of our cute materials. You're going to love them!

Bravo, team!

Blythe