Belle Ringer

The Belle Ringer

Happy Fall, Belle River Families!

We are officially entering fall, which brings cooler temperatures, changing leaves, and Halloween! Please make sure your child is dressing appropriately for the weather each day. Wearing layers is always a great idea as temperatures can fluctuate throughout the day.

We have many exciting things happening throughout Belle River this month! Please take a look at the calendar for important dates, including:

Vision and hearing testing
3rd grade field trip
Book Fair (See the link below for a preview, how to set up eWallet, and Contribute to Share the Fair)
Howie’s Day
Early Release Day
Parent-Teacher Conferences (Please click on the link below for more information and directions on how to sign up)
Trick-or-Treat Around the River
Picture Retakes
Half Day

Our students are finishing up their beginning-of-the-year testing. From the data we collect, we will be able to begin our WIN schedule. WIN allows teachers to provide students with the specific academic support they need on an individual level.

Our teachers are working hard each day to ensure that students are making progress and moving toward proficiency. During Parent-Teacher Conferences, you will also have the opportunity to learn how you can support your child’s learning at home.

It truly takes a village, and we are grateful to have such wonderful families as part of our Belle River community!

We are looking forward to a wonderful fall season filled with learning, growth, and fun!

October 2026

Parent Teacher Conference Information and Sign-up

Belle River Book Fair October 19th-22nd

ECSD School Calendar 2026-2027

East China School District Transportation Facebook Page

Transportation Handbook

Breakfast and Lunch Menus

Parent Teacher Conferences

We are excited for Parent Teacher Conferences! In order to schedule these conferences, we will be using the conference scheduling feature that can be found on Skyward Family Access. You must schedule conferences on a computer, not the Skyward app, and scheduling will be open on Thursday, October 8th, at 4:00 p.m. and close on Friday, October 16th, at 12:00 p.m. Our goal is to connect with all of our parents and guardians about their children's progress during Parent Teacher Conferences.

CONFERENCE DATE

Thursday, October 22

9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

1:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Scheduling Parent Teacher Conferences In Skyward

Here is how to schedule a conference:

1. Log on to Skyward Family Access. (If you have forgotten your Skyward password, you can request to have your information emailed to you by clicking the “Forgot Password” link below the login.)

2. Choose your student.

3. Click the Conferences link on the left hand side. Click All Conferences to see all teachers for which you may schedule conferences.

4. To view the available times, choose Select a Time next to each teacher with which you wish to schedule a conference.

5. From the available times listed choose the date/time you want by clicking Select.

6. Confirm your time choice by reviewing the information and clicking Save.

7. Once you choose times, the space marked Status will begin to fill in with your choices. Repeat steps 2 through 5 to schedule conference times for additional students.

8. When you have finished making your appointments, click Print All Scheduled Conferences to keep a copy for your records.

If you make a mistake or your plans change, you can remove a time from the schedule. At any time prior to the reservation deadline, you can log back in:

● Click Teacher Conferences and click Unschedule in the View Scheduled Times window. It will ask you to confirm

● Click Save if you are sure you want to unschedule that time. (If you’re not seeing “Unschedule”, click the View Scheduled Times link next to the student’s name).

● This will return the time slot back to the queue and allow you to select another time for that teacher.

Book Fair Information October 19-22

Dear Belle River families,

Get ready—the Scholastic Book Fair is coming to our school!

Dates: October 19th-22nd

Location: Belle River

School homepage: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/belleriverelementaryschool

This is a great opportunity to build your child’s home library with new books that will get them excited about reading, while also earning funds for our school.

The easiest way to let your child shop the Fair independently is by creating a Book Fair eWallet through our school homepage. It’s easy to set up and easy for family and friends to add funds.

With eWallet, you’ll also have the chance to contribute to Share the Fair™—the giving program that supports students at our school who need help buying books. Consider participating so that no child leaves the Fair empty-handed!

Preview the books coming to the Fair by taking a 360° virtual tour via our school’s Book Fair homepage and explore the titles, watch video book trailers, and more.

We can’t wait to see you at the Fair and help every student discover a book they’ll love!

Happy reading,

Jennifer Lupo

Principal

Belle River

PTO upcoming events

10.19-10.23 ~ Candy Donations for Trick or Treat around the River
10.19-10.23 ~ Boo Grams sold for $1.00 each
10.27-10.28 ~ Boo Grams delivered
10.22 ~ Teacher Breakfast and Dinner for Conference ~ Parent donations are welcome (table cloths, snacks, desserts, paper products, pop/water)

Halloween Guidelines

Classrooms will celebrate Halloween on October 30th, which is a half day of school. Following are some guidelines for the day.

Normal instruction, teaching, and learning will be occurring in the classroom most of the school day. In addition, students are expected to participate in normal school activities and classes (i.e. recess, physical education, art, etc.).
Students may come to school in costume for the day. These costumes must be simple and comfortable for the students to wear the entire day. Costumes cannot be changed at school.
Costumes cannot be too scary, gory, or violent in any way. This includes any accessory item.
Toy guns, knives, arrows, swords, chains, or any other toy weapon accessories cannot be brought to school.
For safety and accountability reasons, masks that fully cover the face cannot be worn at school.
Light makeup and/or hair color are allowed, but must be applied before school, not during the school day.
Teachers will send information about volunteer opportunities for parents if they need assistance in the classroom for Halloween activities.

Belle River General Information

Principal: Jennifer Lupo

Office Staff: Administrative Secretary – Mrs. Shannon Drinkwine

Office Paraprofessional – Tammy Randall

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL –Tuesday, September 8 (Half Day of School, Dismissal at 12:08 p.m.)

SCHOOL HOURS - The school day begins at 8:45 a.m. and ends at 3:39 p.m.

HALF DAYS FOR STUDENTS - Dismissal at 12:08 p.m.

PLC EARLY RELEASE WEDNESDAYS – School ends early at 1:39 p.m. Please refer to the school calendar for dates.

PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES - Thursday, October 22nd

ARRIVAL PROCEDURE – BEGINNING OF THE DAY

Students are asked not to arrive at the building prior to 8:35 a.m., as supervision is unavailable.
Latchkey is available for students who need to arrive before 8:35 a.m.
Students will enter and exit through their assigned doors as follows.

5th and 4th grade through door 1
Kindergarten and 1st grade through door 4
2nd and 3rd grade through door 11

Any arrivals after 8:45 a.m. must enter through the main office doors.

If you drive your child to school, the designated “Student Drop-Off Area” location (end of the sidewalk leading up to the building) must be used when dropping off your student. The circle drive is for buses only. Students enter the building through grade level assigned doors.

DISMISSAL PROCEDURE – END OF THE DAY

If someone other than a parent is picking up a child and is not on the emergency card, a signed note must be provided by the parent authorizing this release.
Students will not be released to persons on the emergency card before dismissal time, unless prior arrangements have been made with the parent/guardian.

CHARTWELLS FOOD SERVICE PROGRAM

Breakfast and lunch are offered free of charge. Menus can be viewed on the Nutrislice app or through this link: https://eastchinaschools.nutrislice.com/menu/belle-river-elementary-school/breakfast

SKYWARD

Skyward is our student database. You can access your child’s information through Skyward Family Access. If you do not know your Skyward username and password, please contact East China School District Administration Office at (810) 676-1000.

THE BELLE RINGER

Our school newsletter, The Belle Ringer, is a valuable home-school publication that contains important information about programs, special events, schedules, dates for holidays, classroom highlights, and more. At the beginning of each month it will be sent via Skyward messenger, posted to our school Facebook page and to the Belle River district webpage.

ABSENCE PROCEDURE

If your child is absent from school due to illness or other reasons, you must notify our attendance line at (810) 676-1066 (24-hour hotline) by 9:30 a.m. All absences must be called in with the reason for the absence. Absences are verified by the office each morning.

EARLY DISMISSAL PROCEDURE

Parents will be notified in advance if an early dismissal is scheduled. If early dismissal is required due to weather conditions or emergency situations, every effort will be made to notify parents. Please keep emergency phone numbers on your child’s emergency card current.

LATCHKEY PROGRAM

A latchkey program is available at Belle River Elementary for parents who require supervision for their children before and after school. Latchkey hours are 6:30 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. and 3:39 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Latchkey is also available on half days. For additional information and to make latchkey arrangements, please go to the Latchkey information page on the ECSD website.

SUPPLIES

All students will be supplied with basic classroom supplies. A suggested list of additional classroom supplies was sent to families with classroom placement letters. For safety reasons, gym shoes are required to participate in physical education class.

SNACKS

Students are encouraged to bring a healthy snack each day that can be eaten independently within 10 minutes. Healthy snacks include fruits, vegetables, cheese, pretzels, goldfish crackers, nut-free granola bars, popcorn, etc. Dessert foods such as candy, cookies, and cakes should not be sent in for snack time.

BIRTHDAY TREATS

We love celebrating our students' birthdays, but we must prioritize student safety, health, and instructional time. If you would like to send a treat to school with your child, we encourage fun, non-food items instead. Great alternatives include stickers, pencils, bookmarks, or a book donated to the classroom library in your child's name. Thank you for your cooperation in keeping all of our students safe and healthy!

IMPORTANT: Emergency cards will be sent home with your child on the first day of school. It is important that the Emergency Card be updated and signed for each child and returned by Thursday, September 10, 2026.

Open House ~ Tuesday, September 15th - 4:30-6:00 p.m.

Picture Day ~ Friday, September 17th

Picture Retakes will be Monday, October 26th.

Thank you for your cooperation in creating a safe, organized school for our students.

Skyward Family Access

Using Skyward to Access Your Student's Information

Using a secure Login ID and password, you can log into Skyward Family Access and view your students’ data, such as progress reports, attendance records, report cards, transcripts, lunch information and more. Your one login to Family Access allows you to view data on all your enrolled students in the district, even if there are multiple school sites.

How to log into to Skyward Family Access:

Go to the ECSD website: https://www.eastchinaschools.org/
Click on the Parent Resources tab and scroll down to Skyward Family Access Login.
Enter your Login ID and Password on the Skyward Family Access login screen.
Reminder, your login is login is parent first name, a period, parent full last name.

Positive Behavior Expectations

At Belle River, we believe that every child deserves to feel safe, valued, and ready to learn each day. When students feel comfortable and supported, they are more confident to try new things, make mistakes, ask questions, and do their very best academically.

Our Positive Behavior System helps us create this kind of learning environment. We teach students that positive behavior is not just about following rules—it is about being kind, respectful, responsible, and ready to learn. These skills help children build strong relationships, solve problems, make good choices, and become successful learners.

To help make expectations clear and consistent, our school uses a Behavior Matrix. The matrix shows students what positive behaviors look and sound like in different places and situations throughout our school. We will teach, practice, recognize, and celebrate these behaviors so students know what is expected and feel confident putting these skills into action.

We know that children learn best when the adults in their lives work together. Families play an important role in helping children understand the value of kindness, respect, responsibility, perseverance, and making positive choices. We encourage you to talk with your child about the expectations on our Behavior Matrix and celebrate the positive choices you see at home and at school.

Together, we can help our children grow into confident, caring, and responsible learners while creating a school where everyone feels safe, included, and ready to learn.

Thank you for being an important part of our school family and for partnering with us to help every child succeed.

We are one team, with one mission, to be our best together.