Bellerive Bulletin

Dear Bellerive Families:

Welcome to the 24-25 school year! Leaders Level Up is the slogan for this year's game-inspired theme! We hope you enjoy the Welcome Back Video above and share the excitement that we feel about the start of what is going to be a great year at Bellerive!

Meet the Teacher: Please join us at Meet the Teacher on Thursday! Kindergarten teachers will have their rooms open from 2 to 2:45 pm, and 1st through 5th grade teachers will be available from 3 to 3:45 pm on Thursday. You will also want to visit the library for information from some of our community partners.

School Supplies: If you ordered a supply box for your child through the PTO's partnership with Impacks, those supply boxes have arrived! They will be ready for your child in their new classroom at Meet the Teacher. For those who did not pre-order supplies, students are invited to bring their supplies to Meet the Teacher so there is less to carry on the first day. Here is the link to our school supply list.

Meet the Teacher Important Handouts: At Meet the Teacher, you will find the following items on your child's desk:

1. Car Rider Letter (explaining our drop-off and pick-up procedures)
2. Car Rider Sign/Placard with your Family Number
3. Free/Reduced Lunch Application (This must be submitted annually!)
4. T-Shirt Order Form
5. Form to share Your Child's Dismissal Plan

More Important Emails: Later this week, you will receive two emails from me.

1. Your child's family number for dismissal. Please read more about our dismissal procedures below.
2. Your child's cafeteria PIN. We ask that you help your child learn this number and practice entering it on a keypad. We will provide a keypad image you can use for practice.

Transportation Information: Bus information is available on the Transportation website. If you have any questions about your child's bus assignment, please contact the Parkway Transportation Department at 314-415-8400. Here are the phone numbers for other transportation offices that serve some Bellerive students:

• Voluntary Transfer Student Transportation - 314-721-8657

• Parkway Specialized Transportation: 314-415-8421
• Special School District Transportation
• Central Garage Dispatch - 314-989-7165
• North Garage Dispatch (Student Transportation of America) - 314-989-7750
• South Garage Dispatch - 314-989-7563

Parkway Back-to-School Guide: Please view this Family Resource Guide to help you have a smooth start to the school year.

Medication at School: If your child needs daily or as-needed medication available at school, please contact Nurse O (mosterholt@parkwayschools.net or 314-415-6060) to coordinate a drop off and to ensure the appropriate forms are completed. Here is a link to the Parkway medication forms. Parent and physician signatures are needed before medication can be accepted or administered at school.

Teacher Wish Lists: The PTO asked that we gather a list of items that teachers would love to have in their classrooms to enhance the learning environment and support teaching and learning. If you would like to help make a teacher's wish come true, please click here to review the items requested.

Game On!

In partnership,

Joey Kneer, Principal

We look forward to our first day of school on Monday, August 19th! Please remember, parents will need to say goodbye to their children at the front door (or at the bus stop or in the car drop-off line). Though we cannot allow access to the building due to safety, parents and students will be able to participate in a photo opportunity in front of the building and walk their child to the front door to say good-bye. We will have many Bellerive staff members present to walk your child to their classroom the first week of school, if needed. We do encourage you to practice your normal routine on the first day of school (bus, car rider or walker) to prevent any confusion for arrival and dismissal the remainder of the week!

Parents are invited to the PTO's Boo Hoo Breakfast at 9am on the first day of school. Join other parents near the picnic tables starting at 9 am.

Please make sure to read below if you are dropping students off or picking students up from school. Our process for arrival and dismissal is specific. Please understand the procedure so that everyone can stay safe.

Reminder for Parents of Kindergarten Students: Kindergarten students (unless riding with an older sibling) must be met at the bus stop by an adult. If an adult is not at the bus stop when the bus arrives to drop off your child, your child will be brought back to the school office.

Be Proactive! Completing these items before the first day will set you up for success this year!

1. Follow Bellerive on Facebook and Instagram
2. Access the School Calendar and incorporate it into your personal electronic calendars (See directions below.)
3. Review the Family/Student Handbook
4. Update your Family Profile (It is important we have accurate phone numbers, email addresses, and emergency contact information.)
5. Bookmark the Bellerive Family Hub
6. Complete the Free/Reduced Lunch application
7. Download the Parkway Mobile App (This is a great resource for lunch menus, staff contact information, news, calendars, and more.)
8. Preview the Breakfast/Lunch Menus and add money to your child's account through MySchoolBucks

Our school goal this year is to have 95% student attendance. To meet this goal, every day and every minute counts. Please help us by creating a morning routine so your child will arrive at school on time every day.

If your child will be late or absent, it is expected that all parents contact the school office. Please call the attendance line at 314-415-6076. By notifying the office, we can assure that all children are safely accounted for. If we do not hear from you before the beginning of the school day, we will make attendance calls to check on your child's safety.

Thank you for helping us prioritize safety. Below are the guidelines that will make the arrival and dismissal process smooth and safe for all.

To ensure that arrival/dismissal times run smoothly, safely, and efficiently, we ask that all parents remain in their vehicles and pull forward when waved to do so by a Bellerive staff member. If assistance is needed, please wave and signal to a staff member to come and assist. Please have your child exit from the right side of the car so they are not crossing traffic. We also ask that you please refrain from using your cell phones. Students are not to be dropped off prior to 8:50. We do not have supervision prior to this time.

We ask that you DO NOT park along the street and walk to drop off or pick up your child. The streets around Bellerive are marked NO PARKING and are congested during arrival and dismissal. If you are physically dropping off or picking up your child on foot, please utilize Door 1 directly outside the main office. All walkers will meet at the bench on the bridge and be dismissed by a Bellerive staff member before leaving school.

If you have an appointment or activity and need to pick up your child early from school, please come to the main entrance (Door 1) and ring the buzzer. A staff member will help locate your child and you can sign them out on a Chromebook. We ask that you not pick up your child from the office after 3:30 pm as we are busy preparing for dismissal.

We want to ensure the safety of each child and that the correct designated person is picking up your child. Each family will have a placard/sign with their family number. Please keep a placard in your car and display it in the window until your child is in your car. The placard and/or family number will allow the Bellerive staff to quickly confirm that an authorized individual is picking up each child. Not having your placard will slow down the dismissal process. If you do not have a placard in your car or do not know your family number, you will be asked to pick up your child from the office and provide ID. If you need a new/additional placard or need your family number changed for safety reasons (e.g. an unauthorized person knows the number), please contact the school office and a new placard will be made for you. Please know that the placards are only used during regular dismissal. When children are signed out early, the adult must present photo identification.

To summarize:

1. Please turn cell phones off while in the pick-up/drop-off zones.

2. Students should not be dropped off in the morning prior to 8:50 and should be picked up at 4:00 pm.

3. Please remain in your vehicle and pull forward only when motioned. Do not get out of your car. If your child needs assistance with buckling, please ask the adult supervisors for assistance or move forward to the area by the handicapped parking spaces.

4. No one should be parking around Bellerive to grab their child and go.

5. Please have your child exit from the right side of the car so they are not crossing traffic.

6. Please be kind to our neighbors. Do not block exits or crosswalks and follow speed limits, etc.

Thanks for your cooperation as we work to ensure the safety of your children! We are working to create a Win-Win situation by keeping your child safe and moving the line quickly.

Meet the Teacher & Student Supply Drop: Thursday, August 15

• Kindergarten: 2 to 2:45 pm
• 1st-5th Grades: 3 to 3:45 pm

First Day of School: Monday, August 19

• Drop-off begins at 8:50 am
• School begins at 9:05 am
• Boo Hoo Breakfast for parents at 9 am (around the picnic tables)
• Dismissal at 4 pm

PTO Back-to-School Picnic: Friday, August 23, 6 to 7:30 pm, Millennium Park

4/5th Gr. Strings Instrument Rental Night: Tuesday, August 27, times tbd, Northeast Middle

Open House for Parents: Thursday, August 29, 6 to 7:30 pm

No School for Labor Day: Monday, September 2

Early Release Day: Wednesday, September 11 (2 pm dismissal)

PTO Restaurant Fundraiser: Wednesday, September 11, Noodles and Co. on Olive

Bellerive Family Movie Night: Friday, September 20, 6:30 pm, Bellerive Gym

Project Lit Book Club: Thursday, September 26, 7 pm

School Picture Day: Monday, September 30

Please click here to access the School Supply List for 24-25

• If you ordered supplies through the Impacks supply box program, those will be delivered to your child's classroom.
• Students participating in Essentials Skills classes should contact their Special Education Case Manager, Mrs. Kelly Waller (kwaller@parkwayschools.net), before ordering or purchasing any supplies.

New this year is the Bellerive Family Calendar. This calendar is located on our website and contains all the important dates for the year. Pro Tip: You can load this calendar into your personal electronic calendars, and it will sync as updates and changes are made. Click here for the easy steps to sync your calendar with Bellerive's calendar!

Bellerive's website and Digital Family Hub are updated for the year. The Digital Family Hub is designed to be a one-stop-shop for all your need-to-know information about Bellerive including School Supply Lists. It may be helpful to bookmark the Digital Family Hub for future reference. You also will find the link to the updated Family Handbook. This is a great resource to review as a family. Parkway's Back-to-School Family Resource Guide is another great resource to help you have a smooth start to the school year.

It is registration time for the 2024-2025 Parkway 4th & 5th grade Strings program at Bellerive! Our Strings classes are open to all students continuing in 4th & 5th grade. If your 4th or 5th grade student would like to continue to participate in the Strings program with Mr. Adam Wheeler, please click here to learn more and to register.

The weekly music instruction is free but does require instrument rental/purchase. If you are unable to obtain an instrument and your child wishes to participate in the Strings program, please discuss this with Mr. Wheeler.

If you have any questions about 4th and 5th grade Strings, you may contact Mr. Wheeler at awheeler1@parkwayschools.net.

Adventure Club (before and after school care at Bellerive) has a waitlist. If you have questions about your waitlist status or to join the waitlist, please call Parkway-Rockwood Community Education at 636-891-6644.

The Bellerive program needs six additional staff members in order to accommodate all students who need before or after school care. This could be a convenient job opportunity for Bellerive parents and family members. Please share this opportunity with anyone you know who might be interested.