BE PTO Bulldog Nights at the Playground

Whoa!! This is so FUN!! Read below to see when YOU and YOUR FAMILY should show up at the Belmont Elementary Playground to meet and play with other Belmont Families with children in the same grade! Special thanks to our PTO for organizing Kona Ice at the amazing price of only $2 each! Wowza! Come on down and BE cool with us!

Monday, August 7

6:30-7, Kindergarten
7-7:30, First Grade
7:30-8, Second Grade

Tuesday, August 8

6:30-7, Third Grade
7-7:30, Fourth Grade
7:30-8, Fifth Grade

Belmont Family Welcome Night is August 14

Join us on August 14th to meet your child's classroom teacher and drop off school supplies. Teachers are looking forward to welcoming your family into their classrooms and although this won't be a time for lengthy personal conversations, it is a great time to share contact information and get tuned in to classroom communication tools so that you can stay connected with your child's learning environment throughout the year. We'll welcome you, you'll welcome us to your child's team, and we'll work to settle some of those butterflies that may be flying inside some nervous bellies. New can be hard, but we are here for your family!

It would be SUPER helpful for you to aim for the time indicated below according to your family's last name:

5:30-6:00 pm A-J

6:15-6:45 pm K-R

7:00-7:30 pm S-Z

Our Belmont Elementary PTO (Did you know that YOU are a member as soon as you enroll your child at Belmont?) and multiple community groups will also be represented at our Welcome Night to answer your questions and help you and your child get connected.

Welcome Night is a great time to take those milestone pictures with the teacher and at the desk or locker! On the first day of school, you're also welcome to take pictures out front at the door! Oh, my goodness! I can hardly wait!

The parking lot gets busy, so feel free to enjoy a family walk to school if you live nearby. BE safe out there! Much appreciated!

End of Day Transportation: Kindergarten through 5th Grade

As long as your children make it to school, we're not so worried about HOW they get here, but it is rEaLLy iMpOrTaNt to us to know how we should be sending them home. If you have a KinderDog through 5th grader, please click here to let us know how your child will be getting home each day. You may enter all of your children on one form if their transportation is the same. This form will go directly to Kristina Lee in the office. If you have any questions, please contact Kristina at klee@usd232.org or 913.667.1810.

Hey, Hargrove! How Do We Do the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL?

I'm so glad you asked! We will not BE welcoming parents into the building on the first day of school. Our Family Welcome Event on the 14th is YOUR OPPORTUNITY to visit your child's classroom. The timeframe for the event is wide-ranging, allowing us to stagger big and little bodies in our hallways and classrooms all evening. We truly love having this evening to invite parents into our classrooms for a peek and face to face introductions! Happiness all around!

On the first day of school, however, all little bodies must be in their seats ready to roll at 8:45 a.m. and the doors open at 8:30 a.m. Bringing parents into the building all at once during those 15 minutes is frantic and overwhelming for many of our students....and some of the team working to kick off our new daily routines as solidly as possible right from the beginning. Therefore, whether you use one of our handy-dandy car loops, send your child on the school bus, or drive slowly into a parking space and walk them to the front door for a hug; parents will stay on the outside while students officially begin their 2023-2024 adventure. Trust me! We've got this! More importantly, your children are ready to be in the routine of school amongst friends...even if they are already complaining about the end of summer and having to get up early.

Speaking of early....STUDENTS NEED TO ARRIVE TO SCHOOL AT THE CORRECT TIME! That's between 8:30 and 8:40 a.m. The only exception could be students entering at 8:25 to go directly to breakfast, or for before-school activities such as choir or PAWS Leadership Team later in the year. Arriving too early isn't safe or fair to either your child or school staff. I'm quite confident that you have already worked out the logistics for your children, and thank you for your attention to expectations.

In a similar light, students need to be exiting their vehicle and walking toward their classroom by 8:40 a.m. if they'll have a chance at getting their things put away in their lockers and getting into their classroom on time by 8:45 a.m. Students who are late to school, especially consistently late to school, are not only at a personal disadvantage after rushing and coming in late and flustered; but they disrupt the important flow of the morning classroom routine that is already underway for everyone else. It is not only helpful for your own child to have a stable, on-time routine; but your time management skills can also have a positive effect on the rest of the class and each child's day. Thank you for helping us to take care of each other, by first taking good care of ourselves.

I LOVE LoGiStiCs and I'm Sure that YOU Also LOVE to Know How to DO What YOU Need to DO!

We are SO VERY EXCITED to welcome our students back to the building on the 16th! As parents, other than knowing that your child is happy and learning during the school day, next in importance is often knowing how to safely get your kids TO school and then how to get them back FROM school.

Lucky for you, we are providing this sUpEr LoNg list of helpful information to help your first day, and every day go well at Belmont! We'll also provide visuals (like the one below) to help!

OFFICE HOURS are 7:45-4:30 p.m. but there are no kidsitters employed here, so please do not drop off your children prior to 8:30 a.m. when the building opens to students (the only exception is 8:25 breakfast program) and make sure that they are collected prior to 4:00 p.m. at the end of the day.
All ELEMENTARY students should be dropped off between 8:30 and 8:40 a.m. Students will find it difficult to make it to their lockers and be in their desks ready to learn by 8:45 if they arrive later than 8:40 to school. Students who are tardy to class not only disrupt the classroom routine, but more importantly, begin their day already behind and frazzled.
KINDERGARTEN and 1st GRADE STUDENTS (and family groups or carpools that include kindergarten or 1st grade students) should be dropped off in the FRONT LOOP- see visual guide below. Students should stay in their cars until reaching the front sidewalk, and must exit on the sidewalk as the parking lot can be quite busy on the driver's side. Drivers should stay in line until the cars in front have completed drop-off.
2nd GRADE THROUGH 5th GRADE STUDENTS should be dropped off in the BACK LOOP- see visual guide below. Cars should watch staff and pull up as far as possible before releasing children from the car. Students should exit on the sidewalk side if at all possible. Drivers should stay in line until the cars in front have completed drop-off.
LATE TO ARRIVE STUDENTS (8:40 a.m. or later) should be dropped off in the front loop. Students arriving at or after 8:45 a.m. must be signed in by a parent.
Special circumstances may require an alternate drop-off and/or pick-up site for some students- don't be crabby if you see something happening that is different than this plan...it's most likely just a different plan for a very good reason.
BREAKFAST is served from 8:25-8:45 in the cafeteria. Students may go directly to the cafeteria to eat prior to going to their classroom. This is not a social time, but meant to efficiently provide nourishment to participating students prior to their school day.
BUS STOP INFORMATION is located in Skyward in your Family Access Account. Click here for How to Find Bus Route Information in Family Access.
HELMETS are expected for bike and scooter riders and permission from parents should be on file in the office. Bikes and scooters should be walked on the school grounds.
GOLF CARTS are now street legal in limited areas, but they should not be utilized as transportation in the car loops. Sorry. I know they're fun.
The SPEED LIMIT on Belmont Drive is 25, but 20 is PLENTY. Please watch out for our kids on the streets and sidewalks. When students enter a crosswalk, it is the law to stop for them. Drive slowly and watch closely. Oh, and put your cell phone down. Kids are only kids for such a short time. Enjoy them.
PLEASE, help us to be good neighbors by NOT blocking or turning around in driveways of residents near the school. That's just not cool. You might also pay attention if a neighbor is trying to enter or exit their own driveway. Pay it forward and let them out!
TRANSPORTATION CHANGES should be communicated to the office either by calling 913-667-1810 or by emailing smccann@usd232.org, klee@usd232.org and your child's teacher. All changes should be made at least 45 minutes prior to dismissal.

See! I told you we'd help you out! If you have questions, don't hesitate to call or email to ask!

Coming Up at BE:

August 7 PTO Bulldogs on the Playground: Kindergarten Families, 6:30; 1st Grade Families, 7:00; 2nd Grade Families, 7:30

August 8 PTO Bulldogs on the Playground: 3rd Grade Families, 6:30; 4th Grade Families, 7:00; 5th Grade Families, 7:30

August 14 Family Welcome Night (see article for times)

August 16 First School Day of the 2022-2023 School Year!

August 21 General PTO Meeting

August 24 BE Skate Party, Shawnee Skate City, 6-8 p.m.

August 30 BE Papa John's Night

September 4 No School, Labor Day

September 8 Bulldog Dash!!!

September 27 Early Dismissal at 12:10- No lunch served, Conferences

September 27 & 28 Conferences

September 29 No School, Building Closed

Visit the BE Online Calendar of Events (by clicking on the button below) for a more complete list of activities!

You KNOW That YOU Want to BE on Team BE!! Or maybe you have a good idea of someone who might??!!

Who out there is looking for a new job during the 23-24 school year? Is it YOU? Is it someone you know?

We have had great success thus far in our hiring process, however, we are welcoming six new students in our Connections C classroom this fall, and every student needs and deserves individual instruction and care throughout their school day in order to be their most successful awesome self! So...we are still looking for new teammates.

If a full-time position is outside of your availability, we also have two part-time positions. One would be all day on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The other would be from 12:30-4:00 pm daily. Want to talk? Call me!

The positions are: Center Based Paraprofessional in our Connections C program, specially designed for students with a significant disability in communication. Many, but not all, of our students learning in our Connections C program are diagnosed with Autism. Please click this link for more information about this vacancy.

We are excited to BE welcoming new learners into our program and are looking for dedicated and caring individuals who can follow a program and are ready to learn something new. Previous experience could be helpful, but we are happy to train the right individuals to join our team to make a difference at Belmont!

That's right! Click here to apply! Or share this link with a friend or family member. We have young adults working while attending college, second career adults enjoying a big change, and almost everything in between. There might just be a place for you! 913-667-1800. Click, or call now!

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