BG eNews

AUGUST

8/23 - New Family PTO Welcome Breakfast (Details Below)

8/27 - PTO Meeting 1:30 @ BG

8/28 - Early Release 2:35 Dismissal

8/29 - Buona Beef PTO Fundraiser

8/30 - Institute Day (NO STUDENTS)

SEPTEMBER

9/2 - Labor Day Holiday (NO STUDENTS)

9/5 - PTO Welcome Back Picnic

9/10: Grades K-2 Curriculum Night (Details Below)

9/10- Salsa Verde PTO Fundraiser

9/11: Grades 3-5 Curriculum Night (Details Below)

9/16 - Picture Day (Retakes are on 11/4)

9/25 - Chipotle PTO Fundraiser

Arrival Time:
All students should arrive between 8:50-9:05am and will enter the building through the front doors. Doors open for arrival at 8:50 am. Please do not drop your child off or let your child out of the vehicle prior to this time. In the event students arrive after 9:05 am, parents will need to walk their child up to the front entrance to sign their child in.

Car Riders & Car Tags:

We use a Visor Tag System. Each family will receive a car tag that has the family last name and the class codes of students in the family. The use of this visor tag expedites our car rider line tremendously as staff members are able to get students ready for their cars as the cars pull up! Please display the tag on your passenger side visor, or passenger side window, so that it is visible to the BG staff as you pull through the pick-up line.

If you need additional visor tags, please email Mrs. Kirincich.

Arrival Walkers:

Starting Monday, the designated kiss & go spot for parents to part from their walkers is the grass in front of the bus circle. Students are to walk around the bus circle on the sidewalk or cross at the bus circle crosswalk with a staff member.

Dismissal Walkers:

Starting Monday, the designated meeting spot for parents to meet their walker is the grass in front of the bus circle, or at the bike rack. Walkers are escorted past the bus circle to the bike rack.

Vision: Each Student Will Have the Skills Needed to Participate in Grade Level Work (academic, social, emotional).

Mission: As a community we foster a culture that values and celebrates the whole child by empowering collaborators, risk-takers, and problem solvers.

Core Values:

1. Trust: Trust is assuming competency and feeling safe in professional relationships.

2. Collaboration: Working together to achieve a common goal by relying on, supporting, and challenging one another

3. Integrity: Holding oneself accountable for your actions and words.

9/10: Grades K-2

Families are welcome to attend either session listed below.

• Session 1: 5:30-5:55
• Session 2: 6:05-6:30

9/11: Grades 3-5

Families are welcome to attend either session listed below.

• Session 1: 5:30-5:55
• Session 2: 6:05-6:30

Our lost & found is conveniently located in the lunch room where every student has a daily opportunity to look for lost items. Please encourage your child to check for misplaced items. Don't forget to label as much as possible. We regularly donate unclaimed items with no names on them.

• Absences should be called in by 7:45 AM
• You can leave a message 24 hours a day
• State your child’s name, their teacher's name and the reason why your child is out.
• If they are ill, please list their symptoms.

You are also welcome to email Mrs. Cloy in the main office. kristin.cloy@d303.org

Please call the office when you are 5 minutes away and we will have your child ready and waiting for you at the office. You will have to press the buzzer to come inside the vestibule to sign them out on our iPad. 331-228-2100.

If you are visiting the school, for any reason, you MUST have your ID with you. Your ID needs to be scanned before you are permitted to enter the building.

If you intend on volunteering at any point this school year, the office MUST have a liability waiver form on file for you. Please do not sign up for any volunteer opportunities unless you already have a form on file for this year. This is an annual form that needs to be completed every school year. You are welcome to email completed forms to Mrs. Cloy kristin.cloy@d303.org.

Field Trip volunteers will have to follow additional steps to volunteer.

9/16 is Picture Day Additional information coming soon.

11/4 is Retake Day

Please turn in your required health forms to the Health Office! If you are missing any health records you will be contacted in the next week.

Kindergarten and Students new to Illinois- Physical, Vision, Dental, Health survey Students who are new to Illinois need to have these on Illinois forms.

2nd Grade- Dental

3rd Grade- Updated Health Survey

All of the forms are linked here for your convenience or you can go to the District Website and find them in the parent section under Forms. We will be sending home letters to the students who have missing medical records after Labor Day weekend.

Please reach out if you have any questions. Feel free to send any communication, including health forms, to bel-nurses@d303.org to ensure that all of our Bell Graham nurses receive this important information pertaining to your student(s)The health office direct line is 331-228-2104.

Thank you!

Kerisa Martini Espinosa, RN
LeeAnna Anzaldi,MSN, RN, PEL-ILSN

• 1 lunch with a loved one per student per school year for bday (1 TOTAL, not 1 with grandma, 1 with aunt, 1 with mom )
• ONLY bring food for your child and/or yourself. No sharing food/treats with friends at the lunch table.
• Stay for lunch ONLY, recess is not included
• Bring your ID for check in. No ID, no entry
• You do not need to give advance notice, but are welcome to email the office the day of to speed along the check in process.

Click here to see what time your child eats lunch.

NEW FAMILY WELCOME BREAKFAST - 8/23

Families who are new to Bell Graham are invited to breakfast on Friday, August 23rd at 10:00 a.m., hosted by the BG PTO. Come find out how to be an active member of the PTO and BG! Coffee and breakfast items will be served. Small children are welcome as well.

AUGUST PTO MEETING - 8/27

Our first PTO Meeting of the new school year will take place on Tuesday, August 27th. Please join us in the teacher's lounge at 1:30 p.m. to learn more about what we have planned for this school year and how you can help!

We will be presenting the 2024-2025 Budget and updated Bylaws for vote. To request a copy of either before the meeting, please email bgeblast@gmail.com.

CHESS CLUB

The Bell Graham Chess Club is open to Bell Graham students in grades 1-5. Students will receive strategic chess instruction in a fun, welcoming environment and will benefit from the program for years to come. Meetings are on Fridays from 3:30-4:30p. Our first session will run September 20 - November 15. Click here to sign up!

FRONT OF THE PICK UP LINE/ PARKING SPOT RAFFLE

Tired of waiting in the BG pickup line? Cruise to the front of the school each day right at pick up time by entering to win a FRONT of the line pick up spot for dismissal!!! Tickets are $20 each. We are also raffling off a VIP parking spot for BG events to one lucky family! No more parking in the lawn if you win! Tickets are $10 each. Drawing will take place at the Welcome Back Picnic. Enter as many times as you'd like! Sale ends Wednesday, September 4th.

SPIRIT WEAR

The annual BG Spirit Wear Sale is here and it’s time to get your BG Bobcat spirit wear! Spirit

wear is great for school events, school spirit days and to make those morning outfit decisions easy. Volunteer at the school? What a great way to show BG love while you’re there! And the best part...proceeds from the sale will support Bell Graham! Now that’s a win-win.

The web store is open and accepting orders...but act fast, as the sale ends August 30th! Start shopping NOW by clicking here!

ART CLUB

Art Club is a weekly class held after school where students learn how to draw complex objects by breaking them into foundational shapes. Children will learn how to deconstruct an image and then reconstruct it. It runs from September 17th - October 22nd and is open to K-5. Classes are on Tuesdays from 3:30-4:30 pm. Click here for instructions on how to sign up!

PTO DUES

Please don't forget to pay your PTO Dues on PushCoin. PTO Dues are $25 per FAMILY. These

dues help fund so many of the programs that the PTO sponsors throughout the year. Paying your PTO dues also grants you access to DirectorySpot. Thank you for your support!

SHOUT OUTS

Did your kiddo make an awesome play at their baseball game? Did they win an event in gymnastics? Is it their birthday? Do you just want to make a random day special for them? Send them a SHOUT OUT!! For $10 you can have 5 pictures along with a message displayed on the TV screen outside of the LRC for an entire day. After making your purchase in the Square Store, please send an email to Alicia Flint at aliciafulgencioflint@yahoo.com with your pictures, message and date to be displayed. Pictures MUST be sent 7 days prior to the desired display date or we cannot guarantee your message will be loaded in time.

SHOUT OUTS PAYMENT

STAY CONNECTED

Check out these great ways to stay connected and find out more information on the PTO!

Bell Graham PTO Webpage

Bell Graham PTO Facebook page

Bell Graham Monthly Calendar

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Any questions or comments? Please email the PTO at bgeblast@gmail.com. All comments or questions will be discussed at our monthly Board meetings and responded to accordingly.

We are happy to report that we will have a therapy dogs visiting us again this year. Please reach out to Dr. Dieckman or Julianna Harmon if you have any questions.

CUSD 303 uses PushCoin for all financial transactions including registration fees. Parents can add money to their student's "Wallet" to be used to purchase food for lunch, or to purchase items from the webstore like: field trips, summer camps, community events and to make donations.

https://district.d303.org/tools/pushcoin

To apply for a Fee Waiver, please visit the Fees & Fee Waiver page.

For Fee Waiver assistance, please call 331.228.4927.

The elementary and middle schools food service vendor is OrganicLife.

2024-25 Lunch & Breakfast Meal Prices

Monthly online menus are available.

If you believe your household qualifies for free or reduced meals based on the current USDA Income Eligibility Guidelines, please complete the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) application. To obtain a form in another language, please visit the USDA Free Free and Reduced application site.

Determination letters will be mailed once the application has been processed. Please retain the letter for your records.

Students directly certified by the State of Illinois in July will not need to complete a Food or Fee Waiver application.

For Food Waiver assistance, please call 331.228.6529.

Mrs. Amy Klueppel - Principal

Website: bellgraham.d303.org
Location: 4N505 Fox Mill Blvd St. Charles, IL 60175
Phone: 331-228-2100
Facebook: facebook.com/BellGrahamElementary
Twitter: @BellGrahamD303

Interested in supporting the Park District’s Before the Bell program at District 303? They’re seeking additional staff to assist students in grades K-5 from 6:45-8:45 a.m. during the school year. This could be a great opportunity for parents with flexible morning hours or high school students who have first period off. Application information is at www.stcparks.org/jobs or contact Jaz Lara at 630-513-4331 or at jlara@stcparks.org.