The first day of the 2024-2025 school year is THIS WEEK and we are so excited to see our Bears! To help ensure a smooth start to the school year, we have packed this edition of the Bear Bulletin with everything you need to know to be ready for the BESt first day! You will want to refer back to it often!

The Back to School Blitz & Meet Your Teacher is designed to give families the opportunity to finalize the enrollment process for the year, meet the teacher for a brief hello, and bring in school supplies to lighten the load on the first day of school.

Back to School Blitz & Meet Your Teacher

Tuesday, August 6th,

1:30 - 3:00 or 4:30 - 6:00

• D5 Transportation, ICRC Safari, and other community programs will be onsite for those families needing their services.
• Drop off medications and completed Health Care Plan paperwork with the school nurse.
• Our wonderful PTO will also be set up for back to school spirit wear information and ways you can get involved with the school.

Again this year, homeroom teacher assignments will be emailed to families on the morning of Monday, August 5th. In order to ensure that your child is placed in a homeroom for the 24-25 school year, the following was due by Friday, July 26th, to receive the email notification:

1. Complete online registration for returning students (step-by-step directions are provided HERE or through the link below)

2. Update Proof of Residency: Proof of residency must be provided for all D5 students each year.

THREE proofs of residency are required and must include both of the following:

• ONE property tax bill / Lease / or Real Estate Closing documents AND

• TWO utility bills dated June 1, 2024 or later. (These can be electric, water, sewer, cable, satellite, phone or vehicle tax)

*** Reminder - When a student and his/her parent/legal guardian move in with another family, the parent/legal guardian must still provide proof of acceptable address through the affidavit process. Affidavits must be updated annually.

For updates completed after 3:00 on July 26th, homeroom information will be given out

at the Back to School Blitz / Meet Your Teacher event.

Whether you are new to BES or have been part of the family for several years, please take a moment to review our procedures as they are revised and updated annually. This will help ensure a smooth return to school. Families received a hard copy of our Parent/Student Handbook for the 2024-2025 school year. It is also linked below and on our school website.

2024-205 BES Parent/Student Handbook

A hard copy of the Parent/Student Handbook will also be distributed at Meet the Teacher.

There will be special areas outside of the building that will make the perfect backdrop for first day photos. Two will be located in front of the school in the grassy areas near the entrance. The other will be on the bus loop side of the school for our walkers.

*** Any parents wishing to enter the building to walk their child to the classroom on the first day of school must use the front doors to enter the building and be screened through our Open Gate system. To facilitate and expedite this process, please limit what you carry on your person and in your pockets. We highly recommend limiting items to car keys and a cell phone to take pictures. ***

After the first day, parents wishing to enter the building will be required to go through the main office, sign in through Lobby Guard with a driver's license, and be screened through the Open Gate system to enter the building.

School Supplies: Students do not need to bring all school supplies on the first day of school as we do not want them to have the burden of carrying too much. They can bring them in over the first few days. We have included the list of supplies further down in the newsletter. They are also linked to our website. Students who had school-issued Chromebooks at home over the summer should bring those on the first day of school, fully charged.

Water Bottles & Snacks: Students should bring a leakproof, refillable water bottle daily. Refill water stations are available to students throughout the school. Only water is allowed in the classrooms. Students also need to bring a filling snack each day as sometimes lunches are very early or late and a snack is needed to get through the day. Snacks should be easy to eat in the classroom. (Please avoid items such as fruit cups, yogurt, and snacks that cause messy fingers!)

Attire: Students will have activities such as tours, recess, and PE on these first days, so please wear clothing appropriate for warmer outdoor weather. In addition, packing a light jacket for cooler classrooms is always a great idea. Please put your child's name in all jackets. See the D5 Dress Code here.

Cell Phones & Smart Watches: Students may possess wireless communication devices in school, on school property, during after school activities (e.g. extra-curricular activities) and at school-related functions. However, students may not use wireless devices while on school property during school hours. It is preferred that such devices remain at home. Please make sure your child knows how to turn their device off during school hours to avoid classroom disruption and the device being confiscated (D5 School Board Policy JICJ.)

Staff members will be on duty when the morning bell rings at 7:10 to assist with the unloading of car riders and bus students. To ensure appropriate supervision, students should not enter the school building before the morning bell. Please do not drop your child off if there are no adults outside on duty. Students arriving after the 7:50 tardy bell need to be escorted to the office and signed in by a parent/guardian.

*** Any parents wishing to enter the building to walk their child to the classroom on the first day of school must use the front doors to enter the building and be screened through our Open Gate system. To facilitate and expedite this process, please limit what you carry on your person and in your pockets. We highly recommend limiting items to car keys and a cell phone to take pictures. ***

Bus riders: Students will be unloaded by BES staff at 7:10 and will enter using the main bus loop doors. Once students enter the building, they should report directly to their assigned morning location. (There will be staff inside teaching and supporting this procedure so students know exactly where to go.)

Walkers: Students walking from Milford Park will follow the same entry pattern as bus riders and will enter the building starting at 7:10 using the main bus loop door. Once students enter the building, they should report directly to their assigned morning location. (There will be staff inside teaching and supporting this procedure so students know exactly where to go.) Late students should not walk to school. The only door remaining unlocked after the tardy bell is the main office door. Students arriving after the 7:50 tardy bell need to be escorted to the office and signed in by a parent/guardian. *** Any parents wishing to enter the building to walk their child to the classroom on the first day of school must use the front doors to enter the building. See details above.***

Car riders: At 7:10, BES staff will arrive to the carline and welcome our car riders. Please do not drop your child off if there are no adults outside on duty. Students will need to be ready to exit the car, so practice collecting all needed items (backpack, lunchbox, jacket, etc.) Students will be expected to open their own car door to unload whenever possible. Staff will be available to assist small children. Kindergarten students will enter the building through the red hall doorway. 1st - 5th grade students will enter using the blue hall doors near the cafeteria. All entrances will be clearly marked and labeled with the corresponding grade levels. Students arriving after the 7:50 tardy bell need to be escorted to the office and signed in by a parent/guardian. *** Any parents wishing to enter the building to walk their child to the classroom on the first day of school must use the front doors to enter the building. See details above.***

*** Doors open at 7:10, so to avoid heavy car line traffic and the tardy bell, we highly recommend dropping your child off no later than 7:30am. Inclement weather and heavy traffic are not considered excused tardies.***

Using the image below, the blue/green dotted line shows the entrance/exit for car riders.

• Please note that this is a one-lane entrance.
• Starting at 7:20, cars should use both lanes of the car line to double-stack cars entering BES. There is not a passing lane, so during heavy traffic times, drivers needing to access the parking lot may be required to wait until traffic is moving.
  
• As cars approach the student drop off area, the two lines of traffic will take turns, alternating to merge the two lanes into one line. At this point, anyone needing to park will turn left into the upper parking lot.
• Drivers needing to access handicap parking in the lower lot should have parking placards clearly displayed. Families using the drop off area will follow the traffic flow to the right.
• The exit onto Bickley Road is one lane and is RIGHT TURN ONLY.

This traffic pattern has been developed by the SC Department of Transportation and D5 Safety Officers to assure maximum safety not only for you and your child, but for all drivers on Bickley Road. This also provides plenty of space for cars to line up while waiting for arrival/dismissal of car riders. Please pull as far forward as possible so that we may load/unload multiple cars at once. Also, to ensure the safety of all, please remain in your car at all times. Students should have all items gathered and be ready to exit the vehicle when it stops. If parents need to get out of the car for any reason, please park in a designated parking place to do so.

***SEAT BELTS: If your child needs assistance with the seat belt, please do not step out of the car into the carline. We ask that you use one of the parking lots so you are able to park and safely get out to help.***

At 2:35 our instructional day ends and we begin packing up and starting our dismissal procedures.

Bus riders are dismissed first.

***Kindergarten students will not be released from the bus if a parent, appropriate guardian, sibling or designated individual is not waiting at the bus stop. If an appropriate authorized individual is not at the bus stop the kindergarten student will be returned to the elementary school and parents/guardian notified.***

Walkers: Students walking to Milford Park will be dismissed after the buses depart. School personnel will escort students across the bus drive. Parents meeting their walkers should do so at the benches / waiting area at the bottom of the stairs. We recommend arriving at 2:35.

Car riders: Each family will be issued a set of two hanging car rider tags and two wallet-sized car tags with a specific number for their child. Students will be called by this number, so the school-issued tag will be required for pick up. If you do not have your school-issued car tag (either the hanging tag or the wallet size), you will need to park and come inside the front office with identification to pick up your child. Please make sure your child knows his/her number to help expedite the dismissal process. Students are expected to open their own car door to load whenever possible. Staff will be available to assist small children.

***For the safety of our children, we ask that you pay close attention to and follow the direction of the staff on duty, pull as far forward as you can, and remain in your car at all times while in the carpool line during dismissal.***

***SEAT BELTS: If your child needs assistance with the seat belt, please do not step out of the car into the carline. We ask that you use one of the parking lots so you are able to park and safely get out to help.***

***We are expecting a significant number of car riders this year, so your help with adhering to these procedures and ensuring your child knows his/her number will help improve the efficiency of the car line greatly.***

If you have a rising kindergarten student, or know someone who does, make sure to get them enrolled soon. We need to get all of our newest Bears registered so we'll be ready to the start the school year!

In order to schedule readiness assessments per Proviso 1A.69, Kindergarten students will have a staggered entrance for the start of school. This means that half of the Kindergarten students will start on Thursday, Aug. 8, the other half will start on Friday, Aug. 9. ALL Kindergarten students will attend school on Monday, August 12th. Families will be notified which day their child will start school.

***The staggered entrance is for kindergarten students only.***

• You may set up and/or add money to your student’s account using LINQ Connect (linqconnect.com) or by sending in cash/check to your child’s classroom when school resumes..

• In addition, to apply for Free and/or Reduced Lunch, visit: linqconnect.com

All student cafeteria accounts which had a positive balance at the end of the 23-24 school year within the previous system will be automatically transferred into LINQ. Families should be able to see any available balance before school begins.

For questions or concerns regarding these services, families can email the Student Nutrition department at nutritionservices@lexrich5.org

Make a payment on any outstanding school debt (technology, library and past cafeteria debt) using the District’s RYCOR system at studentquickpay.com/lexrich5

First Day of School: Thurs, Aug 8 (***See Kdg exception noted above)

BES Preview / Curriculum Nights

• Kindergarten: Tues, Aug 27, 5:30 - 6:15
• 1st Gr: Tues, Aug 27, 6:30 - 7:15
• 2nd Gr: Wed, Aug 28, 5:30 - 6:15
• 3rd Gr: Wed, Aug 28, 6:30 - 7:15
• 4th Gr: Thurs, Aug 29, 5:30 - 6:15
• 5th Gr: Thurs, Aug 29, 6:30 - 7:15

Front Office - 803-476-4500

School Nurse - 803-476-4509

Cafeteria - 803-476-4508

School Counselor - 803-476-4534

Library - 803-476-4518

Parent input and feedback are always appreciated. Whether through a phone call or an email, we welcome your thoughts and ideas. The Administrative Team at BES is always available to help in any way we can! You can contact us by calling the main office at 476-4500 or emailing us directly.

Principal Robin Bright rbright@lexrich5.org

Assistant Principal Zach Keister zkeister@lexrich5.org

Assistant Administrator Allison Babb ababb@lexrich5.org

Follow us on social media as well!

Facebook @BallentineElementarySchool

Twitter @BallentineElem

Our Mission…

The mission of Ballentine Elementary School is to join together community, staff, students, and families to ensure that all students are provided a world-class, rigorous education.

Our Vision…

In partnership with the community, staff, students, and families, Ballentine Elementary School will exemplify excellence in education in a positive, safe and nurturing environment in order to prepare our students to be fully participating citizens and leaders. We will foster the development of creative thinking, encourage curiosity and problem solving, promote respect for individual differences and uphold high ethical standards.