Simon Butler Elementary School

The "Bear Dens" at Butler

Update 6-7-19

Dear Butler Families,

Now that fencing is in place, the school has been notified that work will begin on readying the site for construction of our BEAR DENS next week! 

The intended scope of work is primarily focused on layout, saw-cutting asphalt, and excavation for footers that will support the classrooms. This work will be contained within the fenced area.

Students may wish to watch some of this interesting construction work while outside for recess, and we encourage their natural curiosity! However, we will be taking all necessary precautions to ensure that students observe from a safe distance. To that end, recess will be located on a modified play area for the remainder of the school year. (The bus platform will be unaffected and remains open access during arrival and dismissal.)

We are grateful to our students and teachers for their flexibility as this project gets underway! While the work requires us to make adjustments to our routines as we close out the year, the goal is this timeline will allow us to begin the school year with our facility ready for students on September 3, 2019!

Look for updates, photos, and more information on our “Bear Dens” website throughout the summer at www.cbsd.org/beardens.

Thank you,

Karl Funseth, Principal

Update - 6-3-19

Work to prepare the site for the summer installation of our Butler Bear Dens (modular classrooms) will begin tomorrow in order to ensure that we meet our timelines to have everything in place and ready for the start of the 2019-2020 school year.

As a first step, fencing will be constructed around the site where the Bear Dens will be positioned.  This work has been scheduled tomorrow - to begin AFTER student arrival and end BEFORE dismissal - in order to minimize disruption. Our only adjustments will be to the allowed play area during grade-level recesses.

Once the fencing is complete, the materials for our Bear Dens will begin to be delivered and placed within the confines of the fencing in the coming weeks.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the main office.

Have a great evening,

Karl Funseth, Butler Principal

5-15-19 Message

The district has been closely monitoring recent enrollment increases in the communities that feed into Butler Elementary School. These increases have overburdened our available classroom space within the building this year and precipitated a re-purposing of many spaces that were previously utilized as flexible spaces, expressive arts classrooms, and more.

While long-term planning for permanent solutions to the district's enrollment fluctuations are underway, we feel compelled to move forward with a solution that will help at Butler for the immediate future. As a result, district administration proposed the installation of four modular classrooms on our campus. These "modular classroom" spaces, which we will refer to as "Bear Dens," will result in greater flexibility in our space allocation within the building, allowing for specialized instruction, expressive arts, and other classes to return to more traditional environments within our school.

When planning for these spaces, CBSD's Facilities and Energy Management Operations Department (CB-FEMO) focused on the safety, comfort, and instructional needs of our students and teachers - first and foremost. Furthermore, our "Bear Dens" will be connected by an enclosed hallway that will feed directly into the school - thus providing for a safe and secure configuration that, in essence, extends our school structure in a closed environment.

This section of Butler's website will be continually updated as information becomes available. We will share drawings, information about which classes will be housed in the Bear Dens, and more in the coming weeks.

As always, we thank our students, teachers, and families for their support and cooperation as we embark upon a project that will ultimately benefit teaching and learning at Butler.

Sincerely,

Karl Funseth, Butler Principal