Back to School

A newsletter for families in the Belle/Bland School District

A Message from the Superintendent

It is almost time for the 2022-2023 school year! We cannot wait to get started on August 23.

A Back to School page has been added to our district website and has information on school start times, food service updates, supply lists and much more. https://www.mariesr2.org/page/back-to-school-information

This is one of my very favorite times of the year. It is so exciting to see our students come back into our buildings. It is great to see how much many of our students changed over the summer. We have a lot of familiar faces - but we do have new faces as well.

Our principals and teachers have many things planned to make the beginning of the school year a great one!

I want to thank our maintenance and janitorial staff who have worked tirelessly throughout the summer to make our buildings look amazing! Our staff is really outstanding! They have really worked hard to make sure our buildings are ready for students to return. No matter what the obstacles were this summer, they found a way to make everything look fresh for the start of the year. There are new bleachers in the Middle School. They look so good - we cannot wait for you to see them.

I hope that everyone has a great last week of summer before school starts! We will see you all on Tuesday, August 23.

Dr. Basham

OPEN HOUSES

Belle Elementary: August 18 5:00 to 7:00

Bland Middle School: August 18 6:00 to 8:00

Belle High School: August 18 4:00 to 6:00

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First Day of School Pictures

Don't forget to share your First Day of School photos with us. when you post a photo from the first day of school on Instagram, add #mariesr2 in the caption to share with us. We will be creating a photo album to share on social media. You can also email them to socialmedia@mariesr2.org.

If you are posting on Facebook - look for our first day of school post and add your photo to the comments!

Bus Information

Please meet with the bus drivers during Open House if you have moved and have a new pick-up/drop-off location for students who ride the bus. Bus routes for the 2022-2023 school year are set based on how a student ended the prior school year. If transporation preferences for the upcoming school year the exact same as the 2021-2022 school year, additional action is not required.

If your child rode the bus in the spring, they will automatically be assiged a bus route for the upcoming school year, no action is required on your part.
If your child did NOT ride the bus last spring, or only rode one-way, and you require something different this year, you must contact the school to request changes by August 23.

Student bus information is available in the Parent Portal.

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New Teachers and Staff join Maries Co. R 2

We are pleased to have 21 new teachers and staff join the district at the start of the 2022-2023 school year.

Cost of High School Meals

As most of you are aware, the USDA waiver providing free breakfast and lunch for all students expired in June 2022. Our Elementary and Middle School will continue to receive free breakfast and lunch under the CEP (Community Eligibility Program). HIGH SCHOOL will be required to pay for their breakfast and lunch when we return to school. Free and Reduced lunch applications were mailed to all High School students and their families. Please complete and return to school as soon as possible.

High School Students will be required to pay $2.00 for lunch and $1.25 for breakfast. If a family qualifies for reduced lunch and breakfast, the cost is $0.40 for lunch and $0.30 for breakfast.

If you have any questions about filling out the applications, please contact Candice at 573-859-3800 and she assist you.

Immunizations

Please schedule immunization and physical appointments with your healthcare provider as needed. Missouri law requires children enrolled in Kindergarten through 12th grade to be immunized against certain preventable diseases. Required immunications include: DTaP (Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis) or DT (Diphtheria and Tetanus); IPV (Polio); Hepatitis B; MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella); and Varicella (Chickenpox). Two additional vaccinations are required for students in grades 8th -12th: Tdap (pertussis) and Meningococcal (Meningitis). Updated immunization records are required for students entering Kindergarten, 8th grade and 12th grade. Please contact the nurse if you have a question about immunizations.