Bellerive Bulletin

Dear Bellerive Families,

What a wonderful first week of school we’ve had at Bellerive! Our classrooms and hallways were full of energy as students reconnected with friends, met new classmates, and started diving into their learning. Thank you for your partnership in helping the year begin so smoothly. Your support with routines, arrival and dismissal, and all the “first week details” makes such a difference.

This year, our theme is Under the Sea: A Sea of Leaders. While the decorations are fun, what’s most exciting is seeing our students already stepping up as leaders. They are showing kindness, responsibility, and teamwork from the very start. I’m looking forward to all the ways we’ll continue to grow together this year.

Please take a few minutes to read through this newsletter for updates and upcoming events. We look forward to seeing you at many of them.

With gratitude,

Dr. Joey Kneer

Principal, Bellerive Elementary

Friday, August 29

• PTO Back-to-School Picnic: 6:00 to 7:30 pm , Millennium Park

Monday, September 1

• No School for Labor Day

Check out the new Bellerive Library IG page! Follow for book buzz, library happenings, and more! Click the link to follow https://www.instagram.com/bellereads_books/

Direct link to order books - Click here!

Click here if you do not wish for your student to attend this event.

Click here for a direct link to sign up as a Bellerive Library volunteer!

You must also follow the steps in the section above to become an approved Parkway Volunteer.

Picture Day is coming soon This is your opportunity to capture a special school memory of your child and receive high-quality portraits you’ll treasure for years to come.

Picture Day: Monday, September 22, 2025
Pre-Order Online: www.WagnerPortraitGroup.com
Pre-Order Password: 6B5Y9T6W
Direct link (click here)

Pre-order online using the link and password above. Thank you for supporting our school and helping us make Picture Day a success. We look forward to seeing those smiling faces on Monday, September 22, 2025!

Click here for a direct link to order tickets!

These shirts will be worn throughout the year to show your Bellerive spirit! The shirts will be your child's grade-level color (e.g. Kindergarten--Purple), and adult shirts will be black. We encourage every child to have one.

Youth Sizes = $9.00

Adult Sizes = $12.00

* T-shirts run on the small side. A youth small is (ages 6-8). A youth medium is (ages 10-12). A youth large is (ages 14-16). A youth extra large is (ages 18-20).

Parents must order through the online payment system, accessible through Infinite Campus. Additional instructions can be found here!

Thank you for helping us start the year on such a positive note with arrival and dismissal! Your cooperation during the first week made arrival and dismissal run more smoothly, and we truly appreciate with your support in keeping everyone safe. To continue building on that success, please review the following guidelines. These routines will help ensure that arrival and dismissal remain safe and efficient for all students, staff, and families.

We kindly ask for your cooperation in keeping car drop-off running smoothly while avoiding traffic back-ups on the street. To help with this, please do not make a left-hand turn into the car drop-off or pick-up lane. At arrival, turning left cuts off other cars who have been waiting patiently and causes a traffic backup on Rue de Fleur, holding up neighborhood traffic.

If you drive to Bellerive from the north, please refer to the map below for alternative routes through the neighborhood that will allow you to make a right-hand turn into the drop-off and pick-up lane.

Remain in Vehicles: 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.

No Parking: 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.

Early Pick-Ups: 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.

Pick-Up Signs and Family Numbers: 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 and 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 complete this Google form 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. Display your car sign with your family number in the pick-up lane.

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

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

7. 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.

Cell phones and personal technology, including smartwatches, tablets, and laptops, are expected to be turned off and put away all day at all K-12 schools.

Earlier this year, Parkway announced stricter cell phone and personal device restrictions for the 2025-2026 school year based on input from teachers and families. However, a new Missouri law now requires a complete ban on the use of cell phones and personal devices during the school day.

The policy around cell phones is not new for Bellerive Elementary School. Students have always been required to keep their cell phones in their backpacks during the school day. The change for Bellerive is that students may not wear Smartwatches. Previously, students were allowed to wear smartwatches as long as they were not used as a communication device, but under the new Missouri law, all smartwatches must be kept in backpacks.

If your child has a cell phone or smartwatch, now is the time to talk to them about this policy. As a family, you will need to decide if the devices will stay at home or if they will be stored in backpacks.

Click here to learn more details and review answers to frequently asked questions.

Parkway has transitioned to a new volunteer system called Volunteer Tracker through Raptor Technologies. While current volunteer information has been uploaded, all volunteers—new and returning—must complete a new application in the system.

Click here to compete your Volunteer Application

Why should you register and become an approved volunteer? You must be an approved volunteer in order to attend any part of a school field trip. This includes chaperoning or simply stopping by. Anyone not registered and approved as a Parkway volunteer will not be allowed to participate or be in proximity to any field trip activities.

You can find more information and access the application link on the Parkway Volunteer page. Thank you for your continued support and involvement at Bellerive!

Please join us for this parent event!

Open House for Parents Grades 1-5: Thursday, September 4, 6 to 7:30 pm (Parent Only Event)

• Doors Open--6 pm
• Presentation in Gym--6:15-6:30 pm
• Classroom Presentation #1--6:35-7:00 pm
• Classroom Presentation #2--7:05-7:30 pm

Half-Day Dismissal: Wednesday, September 10 (1:05 pm dismissal)

Board of Education Meeting: Wednesday, September 10, 7 pm, Welcome Center

Girl Scout Info Night: Thursday, September 11, 6:30 pm

School Picture Day: Monday, September 22

Board of Education Tax Rate Hearing: Thursday, September 25, 6:30 pm, Welcome Center

Board of Education Meeting: Thursday, September 25, 7 pm, Welcome Center

Bellerive PTO at City2 Soccer Game: Sunday, September 28