Bancroft Elementary
Bobcats
Bobcat Tracks - August 2015
Connecting our Community
Packet Pick Up and School Supply Lists
Packet Pick Up - Aug 10-19. Stop by the office to pick up your
child's packet of information, some of which will need to be completed and returned on Info Day to receive your class assignment.

School Supply Lists - Get ready for the first day of school! Check out our PFC website for teacher-requested school supplies for each student by grade.
 
Info Day
We are looking forward to seeing EVERYONE at Info Day!  Get your child's class assignment, learn about Scouts, Odyssey of the Mind, after-school care at Diane Adair, and other school activities, order yearbooks, contribute to the Dollar-A-Day Fund and spend time visiting with old friends and new!

Plan to come to Info Day at school on Thursday, August 20th:
2:00-3:30 pm - 4th and 5th grade
3:30-5:00 pm - 2nd and 3rd grade
5:00-6:00 pm - 1st grade
6:00-7:00 pm - Kindergarten
*times are suggested and each family only need come once (coming at the higher grade level time is recommended)
 
Info Day is a great opportunity to get ready for the new school year and find out about all the excitement that is planned for the year. We look forward to seeing you at Info Day!

We are in need of volunteers to help out at Info Day. Please sign up here to help out. Thank you.
New Schedule for 2015-16
The First Day of School is Tuesday, Aug 25. School starts at 8 a.m. this year for grades 1-5 and early slip kinders.
Late slip kinders will begin at 10 a.m. School dismisses at 11:30 a.m. for early slip kinders, 2:17 p.m. for late slip kinders and 2:45 p.m. for grades 1-5. Wednesday will continue to be an early day with dismissal at 12:22 p.m. for grades 1-5. All kinders will follow the early slip kinder schedule on Wednesdays.
Back to School Coffee
Please join us for our first-day-of-school tradition
  
Back to School Coffee 
August 25, 2015
at 8:01 am (and 10:01 am for late slip Kinders)
  
After you take your first-day-of-school pictures and the teachers ask you to leave, please come join us for some coffee and treats.  It is a special event for parents to meet and reconnect as we begin the new school year.  We hope to see you there!
Back to School Night Grades 1-5
Back to School Night is Thursday, Aug 27.
Parents are invited from 5:30-7pm for Grades 3-5 and from 6:30-8pm for Grades 1-2. During the overlap from 6:30-6:55 p.m., in between the classroom presentations for the lower and upper grades, the PFC will be hosting a short session in the MUR to introduce this year's Board and our plans for the year ahead.  We look forward to meeting with the community in this format again this year.
Kindergarten Corner

Kindergarten Back to School Night: Friday, Aug 21, 5-6pm. Back to School nights are for parents and guardians only.

 

Kindergarten Playdate: Saturday, August 22, 10-noon, Arbolado Park. Kindergarteners and their families can meet

new friends as they're introduced to future classmates. Current Bancroft parents will be on hand to answer questions about life at Bancroft. Join us for a fun morning, and together we'll look forward to the first day of school!  Look for a table with a Bancroft PFC sign.


 
Kindergarten Visitation: Monday, Aug 24, 10-11am. Bring your incoming Kindergartener to visit their new classroom. Come at any time during the hour.

Bancroft Exclusive Fingerprinting Night at MDUSD

Mt. Diablo Unified School District requires that all Bancroft parent volunteers have fingerprint clearance and evidence of freedom from active tuberculosis (TB) before volunteering at school, in the classroom or on field trips.  To complete the Fingerprint process, please fill out and follow the directions on the Fingerprint Form. A copy is also included in your child's info day packet. You must bring the Fingerprint Form, your recent TB test results (less than 60 days old) and $32 in cash (exact change) or money order to your appointment - no personal checks or credit cards are accepted.  You can read more about the MDUSD volunteer requirements here.


Because MDUSD has a substantial number of fingerprint requests at the first of each school year, appointments can be months away. To help streamline the process and help our new parent volunteers get into the classroom sooner, we have arranged with the district office to host a Bancroft-only fingerprinting evening on Sept 3rd from 4:30-8pm. The district office address is 1936 Carlotta Dr, Concord, CA 94519. 

 

To reserve your spot, sign up here.*

 

We look forward to another great school year! We have dedicated, caring and qualified teachers who will work tirelessly to help our children succeed. Teachers welcome parent assistance in the classroom in various capacities. Parents in the classroom allow teachers to work with students in smaller, leveled groups, take students on field trips and enjoy class parties. Our PFC funded Art and Harvest of the Month enrichment classes also depend upon parent volunteers to run these programs. Please consider if you are able to work weekly, once or twice a month, or two-to-three times this year in your child's classroom and at school-wide events. Our children will benefit from having you there. Thank you for volunteering!

 

* Please note that the District has asked that we "clump" our timeslots, so there is a possibility that we may contact you to see if you can move your timeslot depending on how the signups go. Thank you for your understanding about this!

Join the Conversation - PFC Meetings 
PFC Meeting - Sept 87-9pm.  Mark your calendars for the second Tuesday of every month for our PFC meetings. We look forward to your participation. Meetings are held in the school library. The PFC is an important voice within our community and without you, we won't have our full voice.
Dollar - A - Day Campaign
Welcome new and returning families to another exciting school year!  This marks the 7th year for Bancroft's Annual Dollar-A-Day campaign, our biggest and most important fundraising initiative of the year.  We are very grateful for your past support and hope to grow participation in this vital campaign this coming year.

What is the Bancroft Dollar-A-Day Campaign?

The Bancroft Dollar-A-Day Campaign helps fill the financial gap caused by state budget cuts to education (between 2007-08 and 2011-12, state funding for K-12 fell 19%, and in 2012, CA per pupil funding was almost $3,500 lower than the national average ).  California public education no longer fully funds "extras" such as reduced class sizes, library, science, technology, art, or music.

You will notice that in addition to the $365 per family that we recommend for Dollar-A-Day, the PFC also asks for "Classroom Support" in the amount of $100 per child.  The D-A-D contributions help us bridge the basic gaps in our state funding, and Classroom Support funds the supplemental programs that would more traditionally be supported by a PFC. Together, these campaigns, along with other PFC initiatives, allow our students to continue to receive the best education possible despite the challenges of state funding. 

 

Your Contribution Counts

We are asking every Bancroft family to support our school by making a donation. A successful campaign will allow us to fund Instructional Assistants at every grade level (crucial with current increased class sizes), a Counselor for all grades, extended open library times, a technology Site-Tech to assist our teachers with 21st century technology learning capabilities, and more!

 

Your Support Matters

Your support sends a clear message.  To teachers and administration, it says you value and endorse their efforts to continue to make Bancroft an exceptional learning environment for our children.  To our community, parent support demonstrates that we value the educational experience and the people and programs that make it so special.  And to the companies we approach for outside donations, your support means they are partnering with an engaged and involved parent community.

 

Every family.  Every dollar.  Every child.

Our goal this year is 100% participation by Bancroft families.   We know every family situation is different, and we encourage every family to participate regardless of the dollar amount.  No amount is too small and will make a difference!  The recommended donation for the 2015-16 school year is $365 per family. All families who donate to the Dollar-A-Day campaign will be appreciated in our monthly Bobcat Tracks newsletter (with no indication of level of giving) and all donations of $365 or more will receive a D-A-D "Paw Print" car magnet. This is our opportunity as parents to directly influence the quality of education our children receive this year.

 

Please complete the Dollar-A-Day Donation Form and return it at Info Day on August 20th.

 

Thank you for your participation!  

Sincerely, 

Bancroft Parent Faculty Club

Other Announcements:
Partner fundraising 
easy ways to help raise money for our children
Earn money for Bancroft when you shop or dine out! eScrip partners with many businesses you already frequent. By registering your store cards, debit cards and credit cards at eScrip, businesses will donate a percentage of your purchase back to Bancroft without any extra work from you! Please take a moment to register your card here.  

Shop your favorite online retailers through the eScrip Online Mall.  Click the link here or click on "Online Mall" from the eScrip home page.  Amazon, Anthropologie, Apple, Alamo, and Avis are only some of the A companies that give 1-6% back to Bancroft when you start your purchase at eScrip!! There is also a "Forget Me Not" app that will remind you if you are on a shopping site that is eScrip eligible.  


Please continue to send in your Box Tops to the bin in the office. Last year our school raised over $1,200 from our Box Top submissions!

We have also begun accepting Labels for Education. You can put any Labels for Education UPCs and beverage/sauce caps in with the Box Tops bin.  We earn points that can be redeemed for Arts, Athletics, and Academics merchandise for our school.  Thank you!

Apply for a Target Red card and save 5% on all purchases PLUS Target gives back 1% to our Bancroft PFC. Visit www.target.com/redcard to learn more and apply.

 

Sports Basement During checkout, just let Sports Basement know you are a Bancroft Elementary family. Receive a 10% discount for yourself and 5% to Bancroft. 

 

Upcoming Dates
8/10-19 Packet Pickup

8/20: Info Day, 2-7pm

8/21: Kinder Back to School Night,5-6pm

8/22: New Family Park Playdate, 10-noon, Arbolado Park

8/24: Kindergarten Visitation, 10-11am

8/25: First Day of School

8/27: 1st-5th Back to School Night
5:30-7pm Grades 3-5
6:30-8pm Grades 1-2

9/3: Fingerprinting Night at MDUSD, 4:30-8pm

9/8: PFC Meeting, 7-9pm

Visit the Bancroft online calendar for future dates.
Thank You!
Thank you to Mari Mielcarski for organizing packet stuffing. Thank you to Alena Golovin, Rachel Gould, Kevin Hwang, Julie Fustok, Hillary Osness and Sarah Hansell for assembling packets.
Ongoing Fundraisers
dollar a day


Earn cash for our school!
Collect Box Tops and drop them in the collection bin in the office.
 
Shopping at Amazon? Click on the link on our homepage and Bancroft will receive a percentage of your purchase!

10% off everything every day and 5% back to Bancroft.  Just mention Bancroft when you check out.
Contact Us
Bancroft Elementary
925-933-3405
For prior Blasts, Tracks, and Principal's Messages
Please refer to the PFC website's archive

Bancroft Elementary | 2200 Parish Drive Walnut Creek, CA 94598 | Walnut Creek | CA | 94598