Bear Bulletin
Week of August 15
Welcome! First Day Need-to Knows
Capture the First Day!
New Safety Procedures - OpenGate
After hugs are given and first day pictures are taken, we ask that you allow your child to walk into the school independently. This assists us in keeping our school secure and allows your child to develop independence.We will have many staff members posted throughout the building to assist students as needed.
As we continue to refine our safety procedures, a new layer added to all D5 schools is the OpenGate Weapons Detection System. All visitors seeking access to the building will be screened through the OpenGate devices. This will be set up at the front doors of the school. 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. All other items/bags should be left in your car.
We appreciate your patience as we are implementing this new procedure.
Morning Arrival
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. (This will be taught and practiced on the first day of school.)
- 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 parent 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 the OpenGate devices.
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 should always exit from the passenger side of the car.
- Parents are asked to stay in the car at all times.
- While 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.
- Students arriving after the 7:50 tardy bell need to be escorted to the office and signed in by a parent/guardian.
- Any parent 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 the OpenGate devices.
*** 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.***
What to Bring and Wear
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.
Water Bottles & Snacks: Students should bring a leakproof, refillable water bottle daily. Refill water stations are available to students throughout the school. Students also need to bring a 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.
Important Cafeteria Information for 2022-2023
The cost of meals for the 22-23 school year are as follows:
- Student breakfast: $1.50
- Student lunch: $2.85
- Free/Reduced breakfast: $ .30
- Free/Reduced lunch: $ .40
- Adult breakfast: TBD
- Adult lunch: $4.90
Use the following link to set up & deposit funds into your child's lunch account - www.K12paymentcenter.com. You may also send in cash or check. To ensure the money is directed to the cafeteria and is put in your child's account, please place the cash/check in an envelope with your child's full name on it and write "Cafeteria" on the envelope.
Free/Reduced lunch applications are processed online only, www.lunchapplication.com.
staggered start for kindergarten students
In order to schedule readiness assessments per Proviso 1A.69, Kindergarten students (only) will have a staggered entrance for the start of school. This means that half of the Kindergarten students will come on Tuesday, Aug. 16, the other half will come on Wednesday, Aug. 17.
ALL Kindergarten students will come to school on Thursday, August 18th.
Parents of Kindergarten students received student-specific information indicating which day your child will start school. This only applies to Kindergarten students.
- If your child is scheduled to start on Tuesday, Aug 16, s/he will come on Tues, Thurs, and Friday of that week (not Wednesday.)
- If your child is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug 17th, s/he will come on Wed, Thurs, and Fri of that week (not Tuesday.)
- Any parent 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 the OpenGate devices.
If you do not receive a postcard, or need to confirm which day your child should report to school, please call the school at 476-4500.
This staggered start applies to Kindergarten students only.
All other students in grades 1 - 5 will report as scheduled on August 16.
Car Line Traffic Flow
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.
- If accessing the parking lot, you will need to wait on Bickley Road until you are able to fully enter the driveway.
- Cars should use both lanes of the car line to double-stack cars entering BES. There is not a passing lane, so 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 merge into one line.
- Please be courteous and alternate cars in order to facilitate this "zipper" pattern.
- 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.
- Please pull as far forward as possible so that we may load/unload multiple cars at once.
- 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.
- The exit onto Bickley Road is one lane and is RIGHT TURN ONLY.
This traffic pattern has been developed with the assistance of the SC Department of Transportation and the 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.
***SEAT BELTS: If your child needs assistance with the seat belt, please use one of the parking lots so you are able to park and safely get out to help.***
Afternoon Dismissal
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 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 has been issued a car rider tag 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. This year each family received a sheet of tags for the car line - 2 hanging tags and 3 smaller "ID" tags. We will accept any of these. If you do not have your school-issued car tag, 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 his/her seat belt, please 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. To avoid the car line, consider letting your child ride the bus. The buses leave campus before the car line starts. This is a great way to get your child to and from school quickly!***
Date Correction
Meet the Admin Team
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. We look forward to having you as part of the BES family!
Principal Robin Bright rbright@lexrich5.org
Assistant Principal Zach Keister zkeister@lexrich5.org
Assistant Administrator Allison Babb ababb@lexrich5.org
Mrs. Bright
Mr. Keister
Mrs. Babb
Student breakfast: $1.50
Student lunch: $2.85
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.