School News

Blackford's Fall Festival is coming up!  Saturday, October 27th 11:00 am-2:00 pm.  This is a FREE community event filled with lots of fun!  Students can use Bobcat Tickets to play all carnival games and will win a special prize!  Lots of food will be available to purchase and fun activities are planned for a special day.  The silent auction will have some fantastic items, including an American Girl Doll and special themed donations from each grade level.  We are accepting water donations (16oz bottles) anytime before...just drop it off in the office.  All proceeds from this event go right back to the school to support many programs for our students.  Sign-ups to volunteer that day are in the office.  We hope to see you there!

~ Blackford PTA

Please join us for our first English Learners Advisory Committee (ELAC) meeting. 

• What is ELAC? ELAC is a committee formed by parents of English Language Learners.
• What is the Purpose of ELAC?  To advise the principal and school staff on programs and services for English Learners, to assist in the development of the school’s needs assessment, and to make parents aware of the importance of regular school attendance.

Our 1st Meeting is September 13th at 8:45 am in the Community Room at Blackford. We are currently looking for a Secretary and a District Representative. 

Blackford Bobcats we are so excited to start the 2018-2019 school year. While we hope that you are enjoying the last couple weeks of summer we wanted to ensure that we are providing you with pertinent information to have an incredibly successful start to the year. 

Tentative Class Assignments:

• On Tuesday, August 21st at 5:00 pm TENTATIVE class placements will be emailed to you. If you do not receive an email not to worry, we will have several people supporting on the first day of school to help you find your child's teacher.

School Schedule: 

• First day of school:  Wednesday, August 22nd. This is a shortened day. (TK - 3rd grade will be dismissed at 1:50 and 4th & 5th graders will be dismissed at 2:00)
• Start time: 
• 8:35 (All Students) The warning bell rings at 8:32am and classrooms doors are opened.
• Dismissal time Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays:
• TK-3 at 2:50; 4th & 5th at 3:00
• Every Wednesday is a shortened day.  It is during this time in the afternoon that the teachers receive additional educational training and plan detailed instruction to best meet the needs of your children in the classroom. 
• Wednesday dismissal time:
• 1:50 for TK-3rd
• 2:00 for 4th - 5th 

Breakfast Program 

• A hot breakfast will be served for students choosing to participate between 7:55 and 8:25 A.M. Students who are not eating breakfast are welcome on campus at 8:20 a.m. with their parents. Only students eating breakfast may be dropped off between 7:55 and 8:15 a.m.

Parking and Traffic

• Pick-up and drop-off can be a very busy time and we ask that you please support our efforts by adhering to our safety guidelines. Your child’s safety is of utmost importance to us.  
• When dropping-off or picking-up your child, please use the appropriate lanes. In the front parking lot, the left lane is drive-through only and the right lane is for pick-up and drop off.
• While in the right lane, please DO NOT LEAVE YOUR CAR.  Additionally, please do not let your child enter or exit your car from the left lane or have your child go through the parking lot to meet you out in front of the school.  
• Children and families need to use the crosswalk at the corner of Stokes St. and Leigh Ave. with the crossing guard if they are being dropped off across Leigh Ave. or if they are walking to school.  
• For the safety of your family and other families coming to school, DO NOT CROSS THE STREET OR PARK ILLEGALLY ON LEIGH AVE. We have asked for increased law enforcement prescence to help with this issue as we want to ensure the safety of every student.  
• Lastly, if you are parking, please make plans to come early to get a parking place either in our parking lot or in the surrounding neighborhood.  Please help us to be a good neighbor, and don’t block or park in anyone’s driveway.

Lunch 

• Hot lunch is offered in the cafeteria each day.  At Blackford we have a “cashless line”.  This means that students and/or parents need to bring lunch money into the office or give it to the teacher first thing each morning. Please place the money in an envelope with your child’s name, teacher, and amount enclosed.  You can also add money to your student's lunch card online via the district website. 
• For the 2018-2019 school year, lunch will be $3.50. An application for free or reduced lunch will be included in your first day packet or you can apply online now at campbellusd.org

 Blackford PTA

• We would love to extend an invitation for you to join our PTA!  Involvement in your child’s school provides them with a solid sense of the value of education.  The PTA here at Blackford contributes so much to each and every child’s education and we encourage  and invite you to take an active role in this school/home partnership!
  

Student/Parent Handbook:

• This handbook will be sent home on the first day of school and can be found here on our school website to reference (resources > family involvement > 2018/2019 Blackford Student Handbook). Please take time to read this with your child as it contains important information about Blackford and our expectations. 

We are looking forward to an amazing year. See you soon!

Corrine Frese  &  Jen Jasper

Principal                Assistant Principal 

We would like to welcome all of our new Kinder families to Blackford.  Very soon, you will receive information regarding our Kinder round-up event and Kinder orientation.

Kinder round-up is an opportunity for our kinder teachers to assess our incoming kinder students in order to gain an understanding of their academic ability and meet their needs in the classroom.  In the letter coming home, you will receive a time to bring your child in for assessment on August 15th.  If you have any questions or cannot make that time, please call (408) 978-4675.

Our Kinder Orientation will be held August 15th at 4:30 pm in the multi-Use room.  We will discuss important information regarding our school procedures, expectations, and answer any questions you might have.  Our PTA will also be there to share exciting information.

We are looking forward to meeting you and your child, and hope to see you there!