Bel Air News

Monday - September 30th

- school in session

- Soccer Skills - 3:20-4:20pm

- Twist, Turn, Solve: Master the Rubik's Cube - 3:20-4:20pm

Tuesday - October 1st

- school in session

- Elementary Chess Club - 7:40-8:20am

- Bel Air 4th and 5th Grade Choir - 3:20-4:20pm

- Girls on the Run - 3:15-4:45pm

Wednesday - October 2nd

- School in session

- Broadway Bounds! Afterschool Theater Class - 3:20-4:20pm

- Intro to Spanish - 3:20-4:20pm

Thursday - October 3rd

- School in session

- Go Solar! Kidz: Solar Cars - 3:20-4:20pm

- Girls on the Run - 3:15-4:45pm

Friday - October 4th

- NO SCHOOL

2024-2025 School calendar

Monday - October 7th

- school in session

- Soccer Skills - 3:20-4:20pm

- Twist, Turn, Solve: Master the Rubik's Cube - 3:20-4:20pm

Tuesday - October 8th

- school in session

- Elementary Chess Club - 7:40-8:20am

- Bel Air 4th and 5th Grade Choir - 3:20-4:20pm

- Girls on the Run - 3:15-4:45pm

Wednesday - October 9th

- School in session

- Broadway Bounds! Afterschool Theater Class - 3:20-4:20pm

- Intro to Spanish - 3:20-4:20pm

Thursday - October 10th

- School in session

- Go Solar! Kidz: Solar Cars - 3:20-4:20pm

- Girls on the Run - 3:15-4:45pm

Friday - October 11th

- School in session

Dear Bel Air Families,

We want your child to be successful in school and that means supporting and encouraging their whole development. While excelling in academic classes is important, children also need skills to take on learning challenges, make good decisions, manage strong emotions, and get along with others.

This week, we’ll begin Second Step® Elementary, a research-based social-emotional learning program designed to improve children’s social-emotional skills. Second Step skills and concepts are designed to help children both in and out of school.

Four units will cover the following:

Growth Mindset & Goal-Setting: Children learn how to pay attention and manage distractions, develop a growth mindset, and apply goal-setting strategies to their social and academic lives.

Emotion Management: Children learn how to identify and label emotions and use emotion management strategies—including stress management for older students—to calm strong feelings.

Empathy & Kindness: Children learn how to recognize kindness and act kindly, have empathy for others and take others’ perspectives, and recognize kind acts and empathy as important elements of building and maintaining relationships.

Problem-Solving: Children learn how to identify and state a problem, recognize if a problem is an accident, and use the STEP problem-solving process:

S: Say the problem

T: Think of solutions

E: Explore the outcomes

P: Pick a solution

You’ll receive weekly communications from your child’s teacher to help you reinforce Second Step language, skills, and goals at home. If you have any questions about Second Step Elementary, please don’t hesitate to contact me or your child’s teacher for more information. Thank you for your support as we work to build a safe and supportive school community.

Sincerely,

Dawn Wiegand

Principal

Bel Air PTA Fundraiser Update

Thank you for your generous donations supporting the Bel Air Parent Teacher Association Fundraiser! Our goal for this fundraiser is $35,000 and runs through Thursday, October 3. Learn more about the fundraiser and donate here: https://belair.givebacks.gives/476153

Bel Air Specialist Teachers are getting in on the fun! When we reach $10,000 as a school, students get to graffiti the Specialists!!!

UPDATE: We have reached $10,000 as a school, so students get to graffiti the Specialists!!!

When we reach $20,000 as a school, Specialists will have a Wacky Dress Up Day!

Your student's school pictures are ready for viewing. Please use the information below to view and order pictures.

Yearbooks will be ordered through Lifetouch again this year. Use the link below, or click on the image, to place your order.

Lifetouch Yearbooks on sale now.

$16.00

Order early by using the link or by going to: ybpay.com

School ID: 1502325

Hello Orchestra Families!

We are excited to get the orchestra year kicked off this coming week. The first in-school lessons will start on Friday 9/20. Please check your email for your child's in-school lesson day. Students do NOT need an instrument for the first lesson.

Rehearsals are at Highview MS at 7:30AM. Rehearsals will begin the following week on these dates:

4th Grade Summer Start Orchestra on Friday, Sept. 27

5th Grade Orchestra on Monday, Sept. 30

4th Grade Fall Start Orchestra on Wednesday, Oct. 2

Students need an instrument, 1" binder and pencil for all lessons and rehearsals. The only lesson that your child will not need an instrument for is the first lesson. Please, send your child with their orchestra binder and a pencil on the first lesson day.

Community Education offers a variety of before- and after-school and non-school day activities for students. Activities may include art, chess, Rubik's cube, robotics, Spanish, sports, theater, yoga and more! Check out the upcoming offerings at your school here.

Reduced fees and financial assistance:

Youth within Mounds View Public Schools boundaries who qualify for educational benefits receive a 50% discount on qualifying enrichment and activities fees. Questions? Call the Community Education Hotline at 651-621-6020.

The City of New Brighton is seeking input from District families as they work to create a Safe Routes to School plan. The plan will recommend ways to make walking and biking to school easier, safer and more comfortable for students and families at [insert your school name].

Please share your thoughts in this quick survey before October 15.

In addition to the survey, you can also use this interactive map to comment on opportunities and barriers to safely and comfortably walking and biking to school. You can also share your existing walking and biking routes.

THE IMC (LIBRARY) IS IN NEED OF VOLUNTEERS!!!!

NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY!

Some of the great perks of working in the library - UNLIMITED book checkout and the opportunity to work with all the fabulous students and staff here at Bel Air.

If you are a parent or grandparent who would like to volunteer or would like more information about volunteering, please contact me via e-mail at: ann.tillmann@moundsviewschools.org

We're back at it! With the return to school, some students may show an increase in anxiety. What does this mean? What can you do to help? Read the latest blog from the District's Student Support Team for more information.

The Mounds View Public Schools Curriculum Advisory Committee is seeking representatives to serve on the committee for the 2024-2025 school year. Committee members work in partnership with the district and community to gain knowledge and provide feedback about curriculum and other instructional issues. If you are interested in applying to be a part of the CAC, please complete the Mounds View Curriculum Advisory Application. The application will close on Friday, October 4th.

Please see the Mounds View Curriculum Advisory website for meeting dates, past topics, and other important information regarding the committee. If you have questions, please contact Heidi Saari at 651.621.6059 or by e-mail at heidi.saari@mvpschools.org

It is the school’s expectation that cell phones remain in the student’s backpack throughout the day, including while on the bus. If a student brings a device and it becomes a distraction to their learning or the learning of others, or if it impacts the security or privacy of students, the following will occur:

• A parent/guardian will be notified.

• The device may be held in the main office until the end of the day.

Devices should not be used as a method of communication during the school day. Necessary communication between home and school, and a student and family, should be directed to the front office or the classroom teacher. As with anything of value, the school is not liable for theft or damage.

Students should not bring personal items such as toys, card collections, or any similar items to school. These items may be misplaced or stolen and can be a disruption to learning. If a teacher wishes to have students bring such items to school for a special event, parents will be notified. We appreciate your support.

.LIBRARY VOLUNTEERS. IF you know of a parent OR grandparent who might be interested in volunteering in the library, PLEASE send them my way. Currently, I have only a few volunteers this year. I am flexible scheduling and can even do a month by month or even week to week basis.

Did we send you one-too-many text messages that caused you to reply ‘STOP,’ in frustration? If so, please know that replying ‘STOP’ to a single text message automatically unsubscribes you from receiving all future text messages from any school or District office. Please consider resubscribing so you can receive future emergency notifications, and we’ll do our best to limit our text messages to critically urgent information that is as targeted as possible. To resubscribe, simply call or email any school main office and ask to be resubscribed to all text messages.

Parents, you can now add your child's cell phone number to ParentVUE so they can receive text messages and robo-calls about school closings, significantly delayed school buses, emergencies and other alerts. To subscribe your student to these occasional urgent messages, read the easy instructions here.

2024-2025 Bel Air Elementary Parent Handbook

Link here

Riding the Bus and Food/Drink

While riding the bus, students are expected to keep all food and drink in their backpacks. This expectation prevents choking incidents, exposure to life-threatening allergens, and promotes bus sanitation.

Building Security Procedures

A visitor screening system helps track visitors and volunteers at each school, providing a safe and monitored environment for students and staff. When parents come to pickup their child(ren), or visitors check in, they will be asked to present a valid state issued ID for entering into the system.

Phone Numbers/Staff Directory

Staff phone numbers and email addresses are available on the Bel Air Website at: Bel Air Staff. To reach a teacher via email: firstname.lastname@mvpschools.