SOARing Into a New School Year

Welcome to another exciting school year at Bellflower Elementary! I hope your summer was filled with opportunities to relax, recharge, and make wonderful memories with family and friends. It is a joy to welcome both our returning families and those who are joining the Bellflower community for the first time.

As I begin my second year as principal, I continue to be inspired by the incredible students, families, and staff who make Bellflower such a special place. During my first year, I had the privilege of getting to know our community, celebrate student successes, and witness firsthand the kindness, dedication, and pride that define Bellflower. Thank you for your partnership and for the trust you place in us each day. I am excited to continue building on that strong foundation together.

This year, we are proud to introduce our new school-wide framework, The Cardinal Way – SOAR!

The Cardinal Way is more than a theme, it's our shared commitment to creating a safe, welcoming, and respectful learning environment where every student can thrive. Throughout the year, we'll be teaching, modeling, and celebrating four core expectations that will guide our students each day:

• S – Be Safe

• O – Take Ownership

• A – Be Accepting

• R – Show Respect

Whether students are in the classroom, cafeteria, playground, hallways, or riding the bus, these expectations will help create a positive school culture where everyone feels valued, included, and empowered to do their best. You'll hear your children talking about SOAR throughout the year as we recognize and celebrate students who demonstrate The Cardinal Way.

Our staff has been hard at work preparing for another outstanding year of learning, growth, and fun. We remain committed to providing engaging learning experiences, building meaningful relationships, and partnering with families to ensure every child reaches their full potential.

Teacher assignments for the 2026–2027 school year will be available in Infinite Campus at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, August 7th. Please log in to the Parent Portal to view your child's class placement. While you're there, if you haven't already done so, please take a few moments to complete your Annual Update. Keeping your contact information and emergency contacts current helps us ensure a smooth and successful start to the school year. As you continue through this newsletter, you'll find important back-to-school information, including supply drop-off, school hours, transportation reminders, and upcoming events.

I also encourage you to become involved with our amazing Bellflower PTA by becoming a member here. Their support creates so many wonderful opportunities for our students and strengthens our school community. We hope you'll consider joining us this year!

Thank you for entrusting us with your children each day. Together, we'll make this a year filled with learning, growth, and celebration as we live The Cardinal Way – SOAR!

We can't wait to welcome our Cardinals back to school!

Warmly,

Toni White
Principal, Bellflower Elementary

Please join me in extending a warm Bellflower welcome to some new staff members and welcome back to some familiar faces!

WELCOME TO THE NEST!

Mrs. Lindsay Grebenc - 4th Grade

Mr. Ray Lamanna - Art

Mrs. Michelle Putney - STEAM

Mr. John Weingart - P.E.

Ms. Kristen Merrill - School Psychologist

Mrs. Karen Hodson - Building Sub

Mrs.Sarah Piscsalko - Instructional Coach

Mrs. Cate Rapp - Instructional Coach

Ms. Sonam Tsomo, LSW - Signature Health Counselor

WELCOME BACK!

Mrs. Georgiann Basilone-Moss - Building Sub

Ms. Madison Aiken - Building Sub

Mrs. Taylor Knepp - P.E.

Mrs. Kelly Lo - Music

Ruby is a certified therapy dog through the Alliance of Therapy Dogs and will be able to visit our school. She is a 3 year-old Shih Tzu. Ruby has visited Mentor High School the past 2 years with her owner, Kristen Merrill, school psychologist. She has visited classrooms, counseling groups, nursing homes, and hospitals.

We can't wait to welcome Ruby to Bellflower!

Kindergarten Orientation will take place on Monday, August 10th at the following times:

• Students with last names A–L: 10:00–11:00 AM

• Students with last names M–Z: 11:30–12:00 PM

During orientation, students will spend time with their teachers participating in fun activities and a few initial assessments that help us get to know them as learners. Meanwhile, parents and guardians will have the opportunity to learn more about Bellflower, meet our staff, and hear about what to expect during this exciting first year of elementary school.

If you're unable to attend—no worries! Your child will still be placed in a class, and their teacher will reach out to you directly to schedule a Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA) screening day and time and provide more information about the start of the year.

We look forward to welcoming you to the Bellflower family!

We’re excited to welcome you to our annual Meet the Teacher & Supply Drop-Off Night! This event is a great way for families to visit classrooms, meet teachers, ask questions, and drop off school supplies before the first day of school. It’s a relaxed and welcoming evening designed to ease the transition into the new school year.

Here are a few key details to know:

• Supply Kits: If you preordered a school supply kit, it will be available for pickup in the commons. If you are unable to attend, any remaining kits will be delivered by PTA directly to your child’s classroom after the event.

• PTA Tent: Be sure to stop by the PTA information tent outside to learn more about how you can get involved and support our school community.

• Popsicles with the Principal: Grab a cool treat to celebrate the start of a new school year, meet other Bellflower families, and say hello before the first day of school.

• August 7 - Teacher and Bus Assignments are posted in IC
• August 10 - Kindergarten Orientation

• Students with last names A–L: 10:00–11:00 AM

• Students with last names M–Z: 11:30–12:00 PM

• August 11 - New Student Orientation - by appointment
• August 12 - Meet the Teacher (Grades 1-5) 4:00-6:00 PM
• August 17 - First day of school grades 1-5
• August 17-19 - Kindergarten screening appointments
• August 20 - Kindergarten Group A attends
• August 21 - Kindergarten Group B attends
• August 24 - First day for all Kindergarten
• September 07 - Labor Day, No School

Doors open at 7:35 A.M. daily please do not allow students to exit vehicles prior to this time. The tardy bell will ring at 7:50 A.M. If your child is tardy, please walk them to the door and the office will buzz them in.

If your child will be absent, please call the office at 440-255-4212. Absence management is coordinated by our office staff so please contact the office in the event of any absence. You may also call after hours and leave a message on the answering machine if you know your child will be absent the night before.

Please note that if a message is not received and the office staff is unable to get a hold of a parent/guardian to confirm an absence, the absence will be marked as unexcused. Thank you for your cooperation.

Arrival on time to school and regular attendance is crucial in the success of our students. The school team will be closely monitoring attendance and tardy data to help support our families.

To help ensure the safety of all students and a smooth arrival and dismissal, please review the following procedures:

Morning Drop-Off

• Car riders should line up behind the buses upon arrival.

• Please do not unload your child until you have reached the designated drop-off zone along the sidewalk. Staff members will be available to assist students.

Bus Transportation

• Bus routes will be available in the Infinite Campus Parent Portal beginning August 7th at 4:00 p.m.

• Families can view their child's bus number and assigned stop through the Parent Portal.

• If your child will have alternate transportation arrangements due to childcare, transportation request forms can be found in the Parent Portal or on the Transportation page of the district website.

Afternoon Pick-Up

We strongly encourage families to utilize district bus transportation whenever possible. If your child will be a parent pick-up:

• Park in the school parking lot.

• Walk to the side of the building near the playground for dismissal.

• A photo ID is required, and all students must be signed out before leaving.

Dismissal Changes

A consistent dismissal routine helps students feel safe and confident. If your child's dismissal plan changes:

• Please send a "Yellow Note" with your child to school.

• Avoid calling the office with last-minute dismissal changes whenever possible, as additional time is needed to communicate changes to teachers and students.

• In the event of an emergency, dismissal changes must be communicated to the office no later than 1:00 p.m.

Thank you for partnering with us to keep all Bellflower Cardinals safe!

Please refer to the information available through the Mentorschools.net website, go to About Our District to We Care Program tab. Here you will find We Care program information, expectations, and information about how to register, payments, etc. Your child is not able to attend We Care until the online registration AND payments are received. Please contact Mrs. Sherry Luke at 440-255-1230 or lukes@mentorschools.org with questions.

To help streamline paperwork, we use the Infinite Campus Parent Portal for the Annual Update process. Through the portal, families can update emergency contacts, complete required forms, and manage payments—all in one place. The Parent Portal can also be accessed to make fee payments, add money to your child's lunch account, access your child's grades and assessment scores, and complete the Free and Reduced Lunch Application.

It is REQUIRED that parents/guardians complete the Annual Update promptly. The parent portal can be accessed through the Mentor Schools website, www.mentorschools.net, under the Parent tab. Students will not be permitted to attend field trips until the Annual Update is completed.

Thank you for your attention to this requirement.

Breakfast will be available daily at 7:35am to all students who would like to purchase. The cost is $2.00. Free/reduced lunch forms are available in the office and on the school website using this link. There is no charge for students that are eligible for free or reduced meals. Applications must be completed each year.

Lunch is $3.25 which includes milk. Continuing this year, our elementary schools will have a prepay only lunch system through the Parent Portal, to help increase the efficiency of our food service program.

Lunch menus can be accessed using this link throughout the year.

Please also review our Mentor Schools party and treat food guidelines here.

Students will go outdoors for supervised recess opposite their lunch. Please send your child to school with the proper outdoor attire, including coats, hats, and gloves in the winter as students will go outdoors if the "feels like" temperature is above 20 degrees. During inclement weather, indoor activities will be provided for students in the classrooms.

In warmer weather, please remember our dress code. Tops should cover the midriff with appropriate necklines, and shorts/skirts should be fingertip length or longer and not tight. For safety, flip-flops should be avoided. Clothing that does not meet the dress code will be changed into school-provided attire if available; otherwise, parents will be contacted to bring appropriate clothing.

Medication Administration paperwork is required to be completed by the doctor and parent. Bellflower Elementary cannot accept medication without completed paperwork. Medication needs to be in the original prescribed bottle, with the doctor's directions on administration at school. The paperwork and the bottle need to match.

Medication Administration forms can be found HERE or on the Mentor Schools website.

Our school Nurse, Mrs. Johnson, will be available for medication drop off during Kindergarten Orientation or Meet the Teacher night. Paperwork must be submitted with the medications. Please email johnsona@mentorschools.org with questions.

Mentor Schools continues to provide all students with a device to support learning. Students in grades K-3 are issued iPads and students in grades 4-5 are issued chromebooks. One change for this school year is that Kindergarten ipads will remain at school and will not be sent home each night. This is due to a continued effort to monitor and balance students' use of technology. It is the responsibility of the student and family in grades 1-5 to ensure that student devices gets brought back to school each day, fully charged and ready for use.

It is critical that the devices are kept in a safe place at home, and are used appropriately, as they do belong to the school. Mistreatment of these devices, in or out of school, can result in disciplinary action and/or fees. Please refrain from allowing your child to add stickers and other adhesives to the devices. Teachers will continue to work closely with the students to help increase their responsibility and independence with the care of these devices as well as to ensure access to all learning platforms. Throughout the year, technology support is available by emailing: it-support@mentorschools.org.

Communication plays a key role in ensuring students' success. School newsletters are sent electronically every other Friday. Please make sure your email address is entered correctly in Infinite Campus so that you receive all school and district communications. In addition to email communications sent from the school and district, teachers use email regularly. If there is an urgent message that needs to get to the teacher during the school day, parents can call the main office and the message will be given to the teacher.

The district will also continue to use the LOOP app as another platform to communication, particularly through text. Click here for directions. Parent contact information must be updated in Infinite Campus in order to receive these communications.

Please CLICK HERE for the school supply list. If you are in need of help with the purchase of school supplies, please reach out to the school office or email Mrs. White at whitet@mentorschools.org, so that we can assist you.

I am excited to announce the launch of our new PTA website! This will be a wonderful resource for staying connected, learning about upcoming PTA events, volunteer opportunities, and keeping up with all things!

Our PTA Board is actively working to update the site and have everything ready by the start of the school year. We encourage you to bookmark the website and check back often as new information is added.

Visit the new PTA website here: bellflower.ptboard.com

Did you know there's also a mobile app? For even easier access, you can download the app today from the Apple App or Google Play Stores.

Thank you to our dedicated PTA Board members for their hard work in creating this valuable resource for our school community. I look forward to partnering with you for another fantastic school year!

• If you have any questions, you may contact us at BellflowerElemPTA@gmail.com

• Facebook: Like us at Bellflower PTA https://www.facebook.com/bellflowerelementarypta

• Twitter: Follow us at Bellflower PTA https://twitter.com/BellflowerPTA