Firefly Family News
Week of July 22, 2024
Week in Review
It was great seeing all our track 1, 2, and 3 families at Open House this week!
Announcements
Arrival
Beginning this week, all students, including kindergarteners should enter the building independently. Staff will be available to assist students to their classrooms should they need any help or support. Thank you!
Track 4 families will have the chance to walk students to class during arrival time their first week of school.
N. McLaurin Lane
Under no circumstances should students be dropped off or picked up on N. McLaurin Lane in front of the school. Please use the carpool loop.
Vehicles should not make a U-turn on N. McLaurin Lane. Vehicles should use the roundabout (traffic circle) around the giant oak tree on N. McLaurin to circle back and get in the carpool line.
From the school social worker, Mrs. Schroeder...
Attention: Track 4!
2024-25 School Year Update
The first day of school for track 4 is July 29th!
2024-25 School year information for ALL families
The 1st Day for tracks 4 is July 29th, arrival time between 8:45 - 9:10am, dismissal is 3:45 - 4:00 pm.
All track 4 families are welcome to walk students to classrooms through Aug. 2nd
All rising 1st - 5th grade students should have received their teacher assignments, welcome letters, and supply lists with report cards on the last day of school for their track. If you were not at school, you may pick the report card up at the front office.
Room #’s for all track 4 classes are pictured below - we will also have room numbers posted in the lobby with staff to assist as needed.
Please be sure that your child's teacher knows how your child will be getting home from school.
1st Day of School Room Assignments
Information for NEW families Grades 1-5
- New families should receive email communication from their teachers during the 1st week of July
- We will have room #'s in the lobby on the 1st day and will have staff ready to welcome you and guide you in the right direction
- If you need carpool/walker tags, you will be able to get these in the lobby on the 1st day.
- We will be prepared to assist with medications and other forms on the 1st day.
Rising Kindergarteners
We are SO excited to have our kindergarten fireflies join us!
All kindergarten families should have received an email containing your staggered entry date. If you did not receive this email, please call the school. Families will learn their teacher assignments on the staggered day.
CLICK HERE for information about staggered entry. CLICK HERE for the Spanish version.
Repeat Items
General Transportation Reminders
If your child will be going home on a different method of transportation, please send a written note to school with your child containing this information.
For emergencies that occur during the school day, please call the office at 919-557-1120 to inform the school of the emergency transportation change. Changes over the phone should be for emergencies only, and require an administrators' approval.
Please make sure you put the names of any individuals permitted to pick up your child on the student information card (locator card).
Anyone coming to pick up a child from school will be asked to present a photo ID.
Carpool/Walker Reminders
Families will keep the same carpool/walker tag numbers from year to year.
Only families who live in the Ballentine Farms subdivision are permitted to be walkers.
Families picking their children up from school in a vehicle should consider themselves carpoolers and utilize the carpool line. Please do not park on the streets and walk to collect your children to avoid waiting the extra few minutes in the carpool line.
Walker tags can be used as a carpool tag.
Parents walking to pick up students will wait in the grassy area with the bike rack. Staff will retrieve your walker tag, and bring your children to you.
Please do not park in the carpool loop during arrival or dismissal.
Please do not drop students off along N. McLaurin. All students arriving in vehicles should be dropped off in the carpool loop.
Students should exit and enter the vehicle on the passenger side of the vehicle.
If your student needs assistance with buckling their restraint or seat belt, please pull into the parking lot where you can safely get out of your vehicle to assist your child.
If you forget your carpool tag, please park in the parking lot and come to the front entrance.
If the carpool line extends onto N. McLaurin, please continue down McLaurin, past the school, and use the roundabout around the giant oak tree to circle back and get in the carpool line.
Do not make a U-turn on N. McLaurin to get into the carpool line.
Bus Transportation
We encourage all families to utilize the Here Comes the Bus app to track bus stop times, and track your child's bus.
Bus times may vary at the beginning of the school year. Bus times may change with the start of track 4, and the start of the traditional schools.
Registered year-round calendar bus riders should have received an email on June 20 with detailed information about bus stops and estimated pick-up and drop-off times. That information also can be found in PowerSchool. Contact your school or transportation customer service at 919-805-3030 if you have questions. Discuss with your child the importance of appropriate behavior on the bus to help protect everyone in and around the bus. Misbehavior on school buses is subject to disciplinary action.
New bus delay notification system
Starting this school year, parents of students who ride the bus now can receive up-to-the-minute notifications via text and/or email when their child’s bus is delayed. To receive these messages, you will need to make sure you have given permission to receive text and/or email notifications via SchoolMessenger. You can also check for bus delays by clicking on the Live Bus Updates link on your school’s transportation page, or by visiting
Attendance and Early Pick-ups
At Ballentine Elementary, we believe that excellent attendance is extremely important for each child to achieve their greatest potential. When students are absent, late, or leave early, they miss instructional opportunities. We understand that appointments sometimes cannot be avoided, illness happens, and unexpected events may cause your child to miss school. However, we hope you will make every attempt to get your child to school everyday for the full day.
Early pick-up ends at 3:15 pm. Please do not attempt to pick-up children from school between 3:15 pm and dismissal at 3:45 pm.
2024-25 Supply Lists
Hard copies of supply lists were included in report card envelopes along with welcome letters from teachers.
School Meals
Elementary School Meal Prices for 2024-25 school year have increased:
Breakfast: $1.75
Lunch: $3.50
Free or Reduced Price meals:
To receive free or reduced-price meals for the 2024-25 school year, families must submit a meal benefits application online at MySchoolApps.com. Paper copies will be available at your school’s office. For families who completed the 2023-24 meal benefits application, the benefit continues for their student's first 30 school days of the 2024-25 school year.
Student Chromebooks
Students in grade K, 1, and 2 will have access to a classroom device that will stay at school.
Students in grades 3, 4, and 5 will continue to be assigned their personal device which is generally transported between home and school.
New Visitor Management Quick Pass
Effective this month, Verkada has released an upgrade to our “Guest” platform that will allow approved, vetted visitors/parents to create a “quick pass” QR code on their smartphones that can be used during the signing process in order to expedite the process on future visits.
Returning Guests
How to get a Guest Pass as a returning guest:
A guest needs to sign in once.
A Guest Type must require contact information.
Via text, guests will receive a link associated with their visit. Guest passes can be downloaded to mobile wallets from this page.
Via email, guests will see a link to sign out. When guests follow the sign-out link, they will be taken to a page where they can download a Guest Pass valid for future visits.
Expiration: Guest Passes will last 1 year since they were last used. Guest Passes that have not been used for more than 1 year will expire
Community Resources for Student Concerns or Emergencies
If you have a student mental health concern or emergency after school hours, please utilize the following community resources.
Alliance Behavioral Health Crisis Line - 877.223.4617 (24 hours a day/7 days a week)
Holly Hill Hospital - 919.250.7000 or 800.447.1800
Call 911
Visit your local emergency department
Important Dates
- July 26: Track out day for track 3
July 29: First day of school, track 4, grades 1-5
July 29-August 1: Kindergarten staggered entry days, track 4 - students come only on their assigned day.
August 5: First full day for kindergarten, track 4
August 8: Open House for track 4, Grades 1-5, Sessions at 6 pm and 6:45 pm
August 16: GLOW Party for tracks 1 and 2
August 16: Track out day for track 2
August 19: Track in day for track 3
August 30: GLOW Party for tracks 3 and 4
September 2: No School, Labor Day holiday
September 6: Track out day for track 1
September 9: Track in day for track 2
September 27: Track out day for track 4
September 30: Track in day for track 1