Bench Elementary BACK 2 SCHOOL News

August

25....KinderREADy (5:00) & Kindergarten (5:30) Parent Meeting

28....WHO'S MY TEACHER? Check PowerSchool after 4 PM to see.

28....Meet 'n Greet / Supply Drop Off / Parent Night from 4:30-6:00 (You will not need to attend the entire time. Please plan for about 15-20 minutes per student.)

September

2.........1st Day of School

3.........Dismiss 1 Hour EARLY (1:25 & 2:10) ***This and EVERY WEDNESDAY

12.......Quest Classes Begin

Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept 15-Oct 15)

16.......Family Fishing Night at Lake Elmo (licences, poles and food provided for FREE)

22-23...Hearing Screening

26........Native American Day

KEEP READING TO FIND OUT THE TIMES AND DETAILS SPECIFIC TO THE EVENTS LISTED ABOVE.

MONDAY, August 25th

These meetings are for parents. Each will last about an hour. If you have someone who can watch your child(ren) it may be easier to listen and engage in the presentation as it'll be rather lengthy for children. If not, we understand and will have a quiet activities for students. You will be able to meet our KinderREADy and Kindergarten teachers and principals in addition to receiving quite a lot of information as well as an opportuntiy to ask questions. We look forward to seeing you! If you are unable to attend and would like to recieve the powerpoint containing pertinent information, please contact the office.

Parents and students are invited to visit your classroom and meet your teacher on THURSDAY, AUGUST 28th, from 4:30-6:00. WHO'S MY TEACHER? Check PowerSchool after 4 PM on Thursday, August 28th to see.

All ANNUAL UPDATE forms are to be completed online. These forms include updating Contacts/Daycare, Medical, Weapon’s Contract, Photo/Media Release, Field Trip Permissions, etc. Individuals who are not included as a contact in PowerSchool will not be allowed to pick a child up from school. Please include all possible individuals whom you may choose to have pick up your child. Please complete all forms by Monay, September 8th. Please go to www.billingsschools.org and to the PowerSchool for Parents. Once signed into PowerSchool for Parents, please click on the link on the left side that says "Forms" and go to the tab that says "GENERAL" (If you are transferring from within the district) and "ENROLLMENT" - (If you are new to the district) to complete all these forms. (If you have more than one student, make sure you are on the correct tab located at the top of the screen).

WHO'S MY CHILD'S TEACHER? Parents will be able to log into PowerSchool on Thursday, August 29th, at 4:00 pm to see which teacher you child will have. PLEASE go to https://powerschool.billingsschools.org/public/ to ensure you can access your PowerSchool parent account with the username and password you previously set up. You may click on Forgot my Username or Password link if needed or call the office for assistance.

ARRIVAL AT SCHOOL

• FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL ~
• 1st - 5th grade students will be greeted by their teachers outside beginning at 7:50 (SEE IMAGE/MAP BELOW). Teachers will spread out over the entire playground. Each classroom teacher will have a sign with their name and grade.
• Kindergarten teachers will be in the LIBRARY; use Entrance #9.
• KindeREADy students will meet their teacher in the FRONT of the school on the Southwest corner near (Milton Rd & Rex Ln).
• Independent Living staff and students will meet directly in the FRONT of the school.
• Our instructional bell rings at 8:05. Students who arrive late will need to enter through the main entrance.

• EVERY DAY THERE AFTER ~
• After the first day morning routines will change. ALL students will enter through the main entrance. Then eat breakfast (if they choose to) or engage in a quiet activity in the gym until 8:00. Students will head to their classrooms at 8:00.
• Instruction begins promptly at 8:05 each day. PLEASE BE ON TIME!

Exiting the School at Dismissal

Classes will exit through the doors nearest their classroom or the main entrance. Classroom teachers will walk with their class to the front of the school and remain with them throughout dismissal time.

EVERY WEDNESDAY - Dismissal is 1 hour early

Our Kindergarten through 3rd grades NOW dismiss at 2:25 everyday except Wednesdays which is always a 1:25 dismissal time. Students in 4th and 5th grades dismiss at 3:10 everyday except Wednesday which is at 2:10.

Snacks & Water are encouraged! If your child brings a snack from home, PLEASE send healthy snacks. Cookies and chips are not healthy mid morning snacks. We work with the Billings Education Foundation and other donors, often being able to provide snacks for our students; however, this is not a guarantee and your support is appreciated. Students may not have beverages in classrooms other than water unless it is for a special occasion and has been approved by their teacher. Please do NOT send your child to school with coffee, hot chocolate, koolaid, or flavored water, etc.

ATTENDANCE PROCEDURES ~ Attendance Phone 281-6203

Please call the above number if your student is sick, unable to attend school, will be tardy or need to leave school for an appointment, please call the school, send a Remind message or an email to the secretary before 9:00 AM to report the absence. PLEASE provide doctor's notes for appointments or absences so we can appropriated code medical tardies and absences.

Although it can be helpful to notify teachers of changes to your child's schedule, ABSENCES MUST BE REPORTED TO THE OFFICE. We ask that teacher forward messaged to the office but there is often a time delay, resulting in a robo call as their attention and focus in on the children while they are in the building.

Breakfast will be served in our classrooms. Please see the image below to know where to locate your child(ren) teachers.

At times students bring all sorts of items to school such as toys, electronics, money, stuffed animals, etc. PLEASE help minimize distractions, conflict and lost or stolen items by having your child bring ONLY necessary items to school. If this poses challenges for your family, please talk with your child's teacher so we can work together to resolve issues before problems arise.

If you child rode a school bus to or from Bench last year, they have automatically been signed up for this school year.

If you'd like to have your child DIDN'T previously ride a school bus and you'd like them to this school year, please do the following:

1. Confirm they are eligible for bussing based on distance and location from the school using the Bussing Elegibility Tool.
2. If eligible, fill out the 25/26 Bus Registration Form. ***You will need your to enter your child's SCHOOL ID NUMBER which can be found in PowerSchool or by contacing the office at Bench Elementary.
3. Registration forms completed after the start of the school year will be processed within two business days, and bus schedules will be emailed to the student’s primary contact.

Please visit the BPS Transportation webiste or call 406-281-5580 for additional information.

REMIND will allow parents to receive newsletters, announcements and reminders about upcoming events, deadlines and activities at Bench Elementary as a text message directly to your phone. Parents are auto enrolled through your PowerSchool parent account and will be our primary form of school wide communication.

Parents who do NOT have a PowerSchool parent account will NOT be automatically enrolled in REMIND. Parents may add themselves by texting @benchs to the number 81010 (see image below).

Please contact Tami Concepcion at concepciont@billingsschools.org or 281-6326 if you are having trouble or have questions. You may ‘unsubscribe’ by replying with a text message @LEAVE.

Tami Concepcion, Principal concepciont@billingsschool.org

Ashley Olson, Assistant Principal olsonam@billingsschools.org

Nikki Wight, Secretary wightn@billingsschools.org

Reed Wasson, Counselor wassonr@billingsschools.org

Website: https://bench.billingsschools.org/
Phone: 406-281-6203