Bulldog Paw Prints

The new start date for accelerated math will be Tuesday, August 29.

We have been waiting for the bus routes to be finalized and for the information to become available. I'm just as eager to have them as you are, and I really appreciate how patient you all have been. Thank you for that.

We have been told they will be available today (August 23rd) in PowerSchool. If your child is a bus rider, please make sure to check PowerSchool for the bus number, the bus stop and the pickup/drop off time. Please have your students at the bus stop at least 5 minutes before the scheduled time to ensure they don't miss the bus.

The opening days with teachers were absolutely wonderful, and we are all excited to get the year started. We had a blast on Monday as we went into our neighborhoods to welcome all of our new Bulldogs with some cheers and a Bulldog yard sign.

The meet and greet was well-attended, and I'm grateful that so many of you were able to stop by the back-to-school celebration as well. I had a great time reconnecting with you and with your children. There was such an atmosphere of positivity and excitement, and it was a fantastic way to kick off the school year!

Thank you to the PTA volunteers who helped plan the party and for donating all of the yard signs to our new students.

All staff members will be outside during arrival on our first few days of student attendance to help and support. I wanted to put the entrance doors out one more time for review.

See you Friday morning!

Door 2: Mrs. Donnelly (Erickson), Mr. McDermott, Ms. DeWitt

Door 3: Mrs. Barnick, Mrs. Cardinal, Ms. Latus

Door 6: Mrs. Stanton, Mrs. Fulton, Mrs. Steiner

Door 7: Mrs. Heun, Ms. Weist, Mrs. O’Hearn

Door 8: Mr. Linko

This map will help you identify the location of each entry door.

I am excited to be back with the full staff tomorrow, and we have two very full days. Our plans for Monday and Tuesday will introduce us to an exciting year ahead and prepare us to support our students in the best way possible. Our meet and greet on Monday is still in place, and we are eager to welcome all of you back to the school. Our PTA has also planned a start-of-year welcome party for all of us to reconnect as a Belle Aire community. That is still set to take place on Monday starting at 3:30, so please plan to meet at the front of the school near the butterfly garden (southeast corner of the property by the kindergarten entrance).

You have, no doubt, learned of the predicted hot temperatures that lie ahead for us this week and have most likely read Dr. Russell's email about a potential delay to the start of the year. A potential delay like this is something that we haven't navigated before, and I know it wouldn't be ideal for all of the plans you have put in place for your family. It is important, though, that we keep all of our students and staff safe. Dr. Russell is closely monitoring the weather with the Board of Education. A final decision on whether it is safe to have in-person instruction will not be made until Monday or Tuesday when we have a better understanding of what the actual temperatures will be. The District is currently planning for multiple contingencies and will send out a message early next week.

I've already sent information to you regarding daily arrival, and I wanted to share dismissal information with you today.

All students who are not scheduled to remain in the building at the end of the day, will leave campus at dismissal--2:00 p.m. on Monday and 3:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday.

Bus-riding kindergarten students will be escorted to their assigned bus at the end of the day, and Champions will escort any of their kindergarten students to the gym each day. Students who are meeting parents will be exiting the same coatroom door that they enter each day, and any walkers/bike riders will exit the same door that they enter each day to head home. Students who are being picked up in the main parking lot's circle drive will exit their coatroom door and wait for you on the front sidewalk area. Parents who are picking up students in the circle drive should not exit the vehicle. Instead, please pull forward as cars in front of you leave.

Please do all you can to make sure your child understands your family's dismissal plan each morning (meeting outside of the door, meeting at a specific location on the property, being picked up in Herbert Circle, taking the bus, being picked up in the main parking lot, going to Champions, walking home with brother/sister, etc.). This step helps keep student anxiety low and supports a smooth dismissal process.

Students may return to the playground after school hours and/or on the weekends. This will be done at family discretion, as our district playgrounds also function as community parks outside of school hours.

The following message was sent out to our community on Wednesday in anticipation that our playground may not be completed by Wednesday. I will be talking with staff on Monday and Tuesday to share plans of how outdoor recess will work until the playground is completed. We will be outside for recess as weather permits, and safety will be a priority. Students will have a variety of activities available, and they will not be playing anywhere near the construction site.

Dear Belle Aire Families and Staff,

We hope you are enjoying the final days of summer vacation and are excited to have students return on August 23 for the first day of school! The purpose of this communication is to provide an update on the status of the playground project. As you are aware, we provided updates on all of our playgrounds in the most recent parent newsletter, Communicate 58, last week (we have also shared updates throughout the summer at Board of Education meetings). In that newsletter, we shared that construction is running behind schedule. Along with Belle Aire’s playground, contractors are working on seven other District 58 school playgrounds this summer, funded through a combination of state grants, PTA fundraising, and District monies.

First and foremost, the District would like to thank the Belle Aire families and staff for all of the support they have given to this project. We recognize that hearing the project is delayed and may not be ready for the start of the year can be frustrating. We are also frustrated with the delay and are working closely with the installer and our architectural firm to get the project completed as soon as possible. The District intended to have the project done by the first day of school.

The project is delayed due to the labor shortage and the contractor’s inability to secure more workers. The company that is being used for some of the playgrounds (including Belle Aire) has completed playground work in our District before, and we have not had any issues. The company has also completed playground work in several other districts. They were the low bidder as part of the public bidding process; however, their current work is not up to par with previous work in terms of completing the job by the start of the school year.

We anticipate the project to be finished by the end of the month (just a few days after the start of the year). We will continue to do everything possible to push the project forward. We strongly believe that playgrounds are important and want this project completed. Again, while our goal is always to complete construction by the first day of school, unfortunately, that is not always possible.

During construction, to ensure that students get outside and play during recess, the Belle Aire team will organize activities and have equipment available. While there will not be access to the playground equipment during the construction timeline, Belle Aire has planned for additional outdoor space and additional activities and field-based equipment to ensure activities (weather permitting) during both lunch and grade level recess. The Belle Aire newsletter will provide updates to families on progress as well as communicate any known adjustments to outdoor spaces should they occur.

Additionally, we have worked with the contractor to ensure that arrival and dismissal are not impacted for students and families. As always, safety is our top priority that we must manage with the proximity of trucks to the building. During construction, proper safeguards will be put in place to ensure that students, staff, and families are safe such as no vehicular movement during recess times. Additionally, the construction operations will not impact arrival or dismissal.

We will keep you informed of any updates on construction and a ribbon-cutting ceremony. We are excited about the changes and opportunities for our students with the new playground! We can’t apologize enough for the delay and will do everything we can to expedite the work so this project is completed promptly. Should you have any questions, please feel free to reach out.

Sincerely,

Dr. Kevin Russell Mr. Brent Borchelt

Superintendent Principal

Mr. Kevin Barto Mr. Todd Drafall

Director of Buildings & Grounds Chief School Business Official

Progress continues to be made on the playground! The foundation is in, and the new equipment is being installed. There is still plenty of work to be done, and plans are that everything will be completed by our first day. We will continue to receive updates from the contractors on scheduling and completion. Anyone visiting the property to see the progress should remain outside of the safety fence and use caution. There is loose gravel on some of the blacktop areas.

Our first day of school is Wednesday, August 23, and we will begin our regular arrival procedures.

Students may arrive at Belle Aire School each day beginning at 8:05 a.m. when adult supervision begins. In order to assist with a timely and safe arrival process, the school playground will not be used by students before school. Upon arrival, students should head to their assigned door to visit with their peers and the adult supervisors. A bell will ring at 8:15 a.m. and students will begin to enter the building. Students who arrive after 8:15 a.m. should enter through Door 1, the main entrance.

The door that students will be assigned to will lead directly into one of our coatrooms. Belle Aire doesn’t have any lockers or cubbies in classrooms, so each coatroom is used to stow student backpacks, lunch boxes, and coats during the day.

Once you receive the name of your child's teacher on Monday, you will be able to Identify which door your student will enter each morning.

Door 2: Mrs. Donnelly (Erickson), Mr. McDermott, Ms. DeWitt

Door 3: Mrs. Barnick, Mrs. Cardinal, Ms. Latus

Door 6: Mrs. Stanton, Mrs. Fulton, Mrs. Steiner

Door 7: Mrs. Heun, Ms. Weist, Mrs. O’Hearn

Door 8: Mr. Linko

This map will help you identify the location of each entry door.

Please take a moment to read the procedures below, and be sure to share them with anyone who may be driving your students to school - parents, grandparents, caregivers, neighbors, etc.

There are two designated drop-off areas for those arriving by car. One is in our parking lot, and the other is Herbert Circle. Should you decide to park and walk your children to the entry door, you may park on the west side of Belle Aire Lane (so you're facing Ogden) or in an open parking spot in our lot. Parking next to the school's sidewalks or on the perimeter of the lot is prohibited as it blocks and disrupts traffic patterns.

Main Parking Lot Drop-Off Zone:

There are two turn-in lanes available upon entering the school's parking lot. The first, most southern lane should only be used if you intend to park your car in an open spot. Parents who are dropping off students should use the second entrance (the one after the small median), which directs you to the circle drive in front of the school.

We treat the drop-off zone like the curbside drop-off at the airport, and it can be dangerous because of moving traffic. The circle drive splits into two lanes at the sidewalk. The right lane nearest the sidewalk is where students should exit vehicles; the left lane is for passing/moving traffic exiting the lot. Students are the only ones who exit the vehicle in this area. Adults who exit the vehicle in this area are putting themselves in danger and disrupting our drop-off procedure for all families behind them. Please be aware of your surroundings, check your mirrors and stay off of your cell phones.

When entering the drop-off zone, pull as far forward as possible at all times. We need to use the entire drop-off zone as a unit. If you are the first/only car in the zone, we ask that you still pull up all the way so that cars that arrive behind you are able to drop-off as well.

Students should only exit the vehicle from the passenger side and when the vehicle is next to the sidewalk.

Herbert Circle Drop-Off Zone

Vehicles should follow the typical, counter-clockwise traffic pattern of entering and exiting the circle. Students should exit the passenger side of the vehicle and walk along the guardrail until they reach the path to the school. Student walkers must use the paved path (outside of the guardrail) to enter campus rather than walking through Herbert Circle.

Please do everything you can to prepare your children to exit the vehicle quickly and always on the passenger side.

If you need to exit your vehicle to assist your children for any reason and/or for any amount of time, please use the parking spaces and not the circle drive drop-off zone.

Here is a short video to help you see our entry/departure areas.

Over the summer, administrators and staff from each building again participated in a workshop centered on Shawn Achor’s two books, The Happiness Advantage and The Orange Frog. In these two books, Shawn Achor reveals how rewiring our brain for happiness helps us achieve more in our careers and our relationships (source: The Happiness Advantage). In The Orange Frog, the main character is a frog named Spark who turns “orange” among an island of green frogs. Spark is a positive outlier, adaptive with an optimistic mindset open to change. Spark provides social support for the rest of the team — not causing transformation per se, but guiding others to find it within themselves.

Several staff members who participated in the summer workshops shared that the work is transformational, and the three staff from Belle Aire who attended are excited to spread their learning. They walked away from the training with the tools needed to change mindsets, spread joy and maintain a positive attitude. We are excited to see how this learning positively impacts our students--both socially-emotionally and academically.

Mondays will continue to be "Orange Frog Mondays" with district staff wearing orange as we unite our efforts in maintaining a positive mindset throughout the year.

LUNCH

We will be hosting two lunch periods again this year.

Students in grades K, 1, 2 will eat lunch at 11:30 a.m. each day.

Students in grades 3, 4, 5, 6 will eat lunch at 11:50 a.m. each day.

Students will need to bring a lunch with them to school each day, as we do not have a hot lunch program. As a bonus, however, the PTA hosts a fun lunch (pizza and chicken strips/hot dogs) roughly twice each month. More details and ordering information can be captured when your family registers for the PTA.

SNACK

Please make sure your child has a snack each day. Snack breaks should consist of nutritious food choices such as fruits, vegetables, and other portable snacks (items that are finger-held for consumption). This aligns with Policy 6:50. The health and safety of our students are our highest priorities. Therefore certain snacks or foods may be prohibited in your child’s classroom due to food allergies. The health office and I will communicate out any food items that are prohibited in a given classroom or grade level. A daily snack can be provided for students who qualify for free/ reduced lunch.

All Kindergarten and 6th Grade students need a current physical and updated immunizations no later than October 1st. The medical forms can be dropped off at school during office hours or you can email a readable photo to the nurse at mmcgarry@dg58.org

As the school year begins, I wanted to call your attention to Policy 7190 about device usage in school. The policy states:

During the school day, personal electronic devices should be turned off or silenced and out ofsight, including those that are able to connect wirelessly to other devices (e.g. Bluetooth,Airplay), unless a supervising staff member directs otherwise. Students may use personalelectronic devices before or after school in a manner that is consistent with this policy and does not disrupt the educational process. District issued devices may be used during the school day in a manner that is consistent with this policy and does not disrupt the educational process.

Thank you, in advance, for reviewing this with your child!

There are a number of details that are still in the works, but I wanted to pass the basics to you. More information will come your way on these and other topics soon.

*This year's teacher assignments will be released on August 14. I will be sending information about accessing that information in a stand-alone email.

*Students attending seventh or eighth grade accelerated math in a different school will begin that on Friday, August 25. You will receive specific details in a communication directly from the curriculum office midweek.

*Students attending gifted education (Grades 4-6) will begin traveling to Henry Puffer for that program during the week of August 28. You will receive specific details in a communication directly from the curriculum office midweek..

*Please contact the school office (630-719-5820) with any questions as our first day approaches.

We will be inviting you to various events throughout the year. Some of these events will be at the very start of the school day, some will be at the end of the school day and some will be outside of school hours. We hope that you will attend them whenever your schedules allow.

I would like to invite all of you to our first all-family events that will be held on August 21, 2023.

The first event will be an open house and meet and greet and will offer you the chance to see the school and meet your new teacher. Please enter through the main entrance, and we'll help you get to the right place. This event is set from 2:45 - 3:30 p.m. This will be a great opportunity for all of our families to head to the school, meet with your new teacher(s), and start reconnecting with your neighbors and with us. Feel free to come and go as your schedule allows within those 45 minutes. School supplies can be brought to the classrooms on this day as well.

In addition to the meet and greet, we are tentatively planning a PTA-sponsored event that will take place outside of the school starting at 3:30 p.m. More details and information will be coming your way soon.

I've attached an additional copy of next year's calendar:

2023-2024

Monday, August 21: Meet and Greet (2:45 p.m.); PTA Event (3:30 p.m.)

Wednesday, August 23: NO SCHOOL

Thursday, August 24: NO SCHOOL; SCHOOL OFFICES ARE CLOSED

Friday, August 25: First Day with Students (Full Day)

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Monday, September 4: No School (Labor Day)

Tuesday, September 5: Curriculum Night (6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. -- Details to come)