BG eNews

JANUARY

1/20-MLK Jr Holiday (NO SCHOOL)

1/20 - 7:00 PM ASE Registration Opens (details below)

1/23-PTO Meeting 2:00PM Bell-Graham Staff Lounge

1/23- PTO Volunteer Appreciation Party

1/27 - CUSD303 2025-26 Kindergarten Enrollment Window Opens

1/29- Early Release 2:35 Dismissal

1/29- Beef Shack PTO Fundraiser

1/30 - PTO Bingo Night 5:30-7:00

FEBRUARY

2/15- PTO Trivia Night 6PM Baker Community Center

2/17- Presidents' Day (NO SCHOOL)

2/18- School Improvement Day (NO SCHOOL)

2/21 - CUSD303 2025-26 Kindergarten Enrollment Window Closes

2/21- End of T2

2/26- Early Release 2:35 Dismissal

2/27- NOON DISMISSSAL, NO LUNCH SERVED Half Day AM ONLY for K-5

2/27- Parent/Teacher Conferences in PM (NO SCHOOL IN PM)

2/28- Institute Day (NO SCHOOL)

• Plan on your child have outdoor recess if the temperature, with windchill, is below 0

• Only students who are wearing snow pants and boots may play in the snow - LABEL AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE

• Students must wear coats at recess when the temperature is below 30 degrees

• Snow needs to stay on the ground: no throwing snow

As we start the second half of the school year, it's a good time to review procedures for the dismissal car line. We are noticing that students are not listening or looking for their rides resulting in long waits. It's cold out there for both students and staff! Working together can make this process more efficient for everyone. Please keep the following in mind.

• Pull off to the side past the car line to attend to any organizing or seatbelts.
• Remain in your vehicle. If your child needs assistance, wait for the dismissal staff.
• Do not enter the crosswalk.
• No cell-phones
• No honking
• Discuss dismissal expectations with your car rider. If we are calling for them multiple times, we may ask you to park or circle back around to keep the line moving.

We use a Visor Tag System. Each family has received 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.

Organic Life is offering Plant Based options alongside traditional entrees on our menu.

This will include Plant Based meatballs, burgers, chicken nuggets, chicken patties and chicken tenders.

Grades K-5 menus will reflect the added options and students will be able to choose "Plant Based Entrée E" in the morning when they choose their lunch entrée in the classroom.

We are excited to take this step to provide Plant Based items to the students! If you have any questions please contact Kathie Travis at 331-228-5711 or kathie.travis@d303.org.

Be sure to send your child with appropriate outdoor clothing for recess. Students have outdoor recess daily unless the outside temperature is below 0. Don't forget to label your child's snow/cold gear (jacket, gloves, hat, etc.) whenever possible.

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 at the end of each month

You can email your child's teacher directly from HAC. After logging in, click on the "classes" image on the top menu. You will be able to view your child's schedule. Each of your child's teachers are listed under "teacher." If you right click on a name, you are given a "copy email address" option.

Bell Graham is committed to supporting all students in showing their BG Best: Being respectful, responsible, and safe. In the past years we have focused on extrinsic rewards with having students purchase items from our BG Shop with their earned BG coins and Bucks. This year we are moving away from this system and looking to reward students with staff, parent, and community connections. In order to do this we are seeking your help. We are looking for parents to volunteer before school or during school to play a game or build legos with students, make a craft, teach students a new skill, such as sewing or crocheting, or anything else you would like to share with our Bobcats. Please sign up today and Dr. Dieckman will be reaching out to you to schedule a date and time for you to share your talents and time with our students.

Thank you for your continued support. We could not do this without you.

BG Monthly Parent Support Raffle

*Remember that you must have a liability waiver form on file before you volunteer. You are welcome to email completed forms to Mrs. Cloy kristin.cloy@d303.org.

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.

We appreciate our volunteers and value your time. When you are in the building for any reason, please be respectful of classroom instruction and do not make unexpected visits to your child's classroom. Thank you for helping us minimize classroom disruptions.

• 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.

The following information is being provided as a reminder of District 303's attendance procedures and how information may be recorded and shared with a student's family throughout the school year.

Health Office Reminders:

Dear parents/guardians, a couple of reminders!

1. Forms

Please turn in your required health forms to the Health Office!

Kindergarten- Physical, Vision, Dental, Health survey

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.

2. Pack a healthy snack to keep our brains active and ready to learn each day! You are encouraged to pack a healthy snack for your child each day.

3. Remember to pack extra clothes if you do not want your child to wear school issued clothes in the event their clothes get soiled. Please send a spare in your child's backpack.

4. ALL MEDICATION, including any and all over the counter medications, vitamins and cough drops need a doctor’s authorization/order to be administered here at school. You can find the form(s) on the district website

HEALTH OFFICE EMAIL ADDRESS

Parents, please send any communication or test results to
bel-nurses@d303.org to ensure that all of our Bell Graham nurses receive this important information pertaining to your student(s)

Thank you for teaming with us to keep our students healthy and in school!

Thank you,

LeeAnna Anzaldi, RN, BSN, PEL-CSN

Kerisa Martini Espinosa, RN

Our Committee Chair Spotlight this week is for our new committee chair, Jill Place! This is Jill's second year at Bell Graham and she has graciously taken the lead of the After School Enrichment (ASE) program! Even though ASE kicks off soon with registration right around the corner, Jill has been planning this year's activities since the summer. Her organization, creative mind and attention to details is sure to make this an exciting month of February at Bell Graham, full of new experiences and programs for the kiddos! We are so thankful for Jill's dedication to the ASE program and Bell Graham!

New Year, new opportunities! Kick off 2025 by expanding your horizons with exciting After

School Enrichment (ASE) classes. ASE is back this February, bigger and better than ever!

Registration opens January 20th at 7:00 p.m. Visit our website to explore all the fantastic classes

available this year ASE WEBSITE . Classes fill quickly, so be ready! The link will be on the ASE website and will be emailed out from Mrs. Klueppel.

ASE - VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

ASE is coming, and we need your help making these classes run smoothly. We need lots of help

after school, so please consider joining us. SIGNUP HERE

Please join us on January 23rd @ 2p for our first PTO meeting of 2025. This meeting will be in person at Bell Graham in the Teacher’s Lounge.

The PTO is excited to get all of our amazing volunteers together and say THANK YOU! If you chaired an event or signed up for a time slot to help set up, take down or volunteer at one of our events - this night is for YOU! In this small and humble way, the PTO Board would like to recognize our army of amazing BG parents. Come join us for light appetizers and camaraderie. Cash bar.

Bell-Graham will be participating in Cougars Reading Club, a reading incentive program sponsored by the Kane County Cougars baseball team. Your child will have the opportunity to improve his or her reading skills while earning a free ticket to a Cougars game, a free hot dog and drink at the game, and participating in a parade on the field before the game. They will also receive a ‘golden ticket’ which gets them and an adult into any home Cougars game for free for the 2025 season.

It is an eight week program divided into four-two week segments. Your child needs to complete one hour of reading per week and record their accomplishments on the parent verification form that was sent home this week. After your child has completed the eight weeks of reading, he or she will get a voucher for games either on Friday, May 16, at 6:30 pm or Sunday, May 18, at 1:00pm. More information will be sent home regarding the games.

Please join us for Bingo on Thursday, January 30th, from 5:30-7:00pm. This is a free event, where 2 Bingo cards will be handed out at the door to each child. Additional cards can be purchased for $1.

Interested in helping out? We are looking for parent volunteers to help run this event.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0C45AAAF23A6F5C16-54256947-bingo

You can also order pizza for the event with the link below. Pizza will NOT be sold during the event. Orders end the morning of January 28th.

https://large-taylor-street-pizza-35062.cheddarup.com

We are still seeking donations. As you continue cleaning out old toys, books or other fun items to make room for new ones, please consider donating them to this event. Donations can be dropped off at the school office or sent with your child thru January 24th. Your support will make a huge difference and bring smiles to many faces. Thank you for helping make Bingo Night a success!

Families, please be sure to stop by the BG Planetarium on Bingo Night! Our fourth and fifth grade students worked hard on their space projects and would love to show them off! After Bingo night, students can take their projects home with them. Thanks for all your support!

TRIVIA NIGHT- 2/15

Trivia Night is Saturday February 15th and will be held at the Baker Community Center. Doors

open at 6:00 p.m. The night will include brain tingling trivia as well as amazing Silent Auction

and Raffle Baskets up for grabs.

Gather 6 - 10 people and create your team. Come up with a creative theme for your team and

decorate your table for additional prizes!!

This is a 21+ event. Tickets are $45 per person and include dinner and two drinks. Additional

drink tickets will be available for purchase. There are only 150 tickets available, so get yours

before they are gone. Click the link below to purchase tickets now!

Trivia Night - Cheddar Up

DONATIONS NEEDED - Are you a Cubs, Sox, Bears, Bulls, Blackhawks or any other sports

team season ticket holder? Do you own a local or small business or are part of a business that

invests back into our community? We are looking for donations for our Silent Auctions and

Raffle Baskets. If you or someone you know is interested in helping us out, please contact us at

bgeblast@gmail.com

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.

• 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.

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.

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

• District 303 Safety and Security site
• ALICE Family Letters