BG eNews
February 24, 2023
Notes from Mrs. Klueppel...
FEBRUARY
2/24: End of 2nd Trimester (Report Cards on HAC on 3/8)
2/28- BG Shopping Day
2/28 - PTO Feb Restaurant Fundraiser at Chums Shrimp Shack
MARCH
3/3 - Teacher Work Day (No Students)
3/8 - T2 Report Cards available on HAC
3/22 - Early Release (2:10 Dismissal)
3/24 - BG Shopping Day
3/27 - 3/31 - Spring Break (No Students)
Want to Volunteer at BG this year?
Please read our volunteer protocol. Take note that the requirements are different based on if you are a one time volunteer or repeat volunteer.
5essentials Parent Survey closes March 31
Bell-Graham Families,
The 5essentials Parent Survey is open through March 31. All responses are confidential and will never be connected to you or your child. To take the survey, click here and select the parent survey.
Thank you for your participation to help us understand the conditions at Bell-Graham to guide improvement.
For more information on the 5essentials survey and to review sample questions, visit the District 303 Feedback and Surveys page.
Health Office Update
-Ms. Hilgers
REMINDERS about transportation home
- If a student is not a bus rider, they CANNOT ride home on a friend's bus.
- A student MAY NOT ride another bus other than the one you are assigned.
- Please remind your child (each day if necessary) how they are going home.
If there is a change to your child's dismissal plan you must contact the office. Please do not contact your child via their phone or watch to relay the change, we can only honor a change in dismissal plans if the front office is contacted. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.
I forgot something...can I call home?
We have students coming to the office repeatedly for items forgotten each day. Please make sure to remind your student before they leave home to check if they have everything...lunch, chromebook, homework, tennis shoes, etc. This way they are prepared for the day and can focus on what is happening in the classroom.
Willow returning in March
Willow, our therapy dog has been a huge hit in supporting students. We have decided to have her visit two days a week, starting in March. The days are Monday and Thursday. The exact dates are below.
- Monday, February 27
- Thursday, March 2
- Monday, March 6
- Thursday, March 9
- Monday, March 13
- Thursday, March 16
- Monday, March 20
- Thursday, March 23
Please reach out to Angelyn Dieckman or Julianna Harmon if you have any questions.
Save the date
We have partnered with Riverview Child and Family Therapy to provide two free parent evenings in April and May. Both sessions will be approximately 1 hour long and be presented in the school Cafeteria by a licensed clinical professional counselor. Please see below for the topic of each evening.
Date: Monday, April 10
Time: 5:00-6:00 pm
Building Resiliency: Supporting a "Growth Mindset"
Parents want their children to be successful when moving through life's "ups and downs." Helping to support resiliency through challenges can teach them how to be more confident in themselves.
Date: Monday, May 8
Time: 5:00-6:00 pm
10 Tips for Supporting Healthy Emotional Development
Learn easy, doable strategies that guide the development of positive mental health in our students. Ideas support decreasing family conflict, building independence, and identifying and moving through challenging emotions.
Please reach out to Angelyn Dieckman if you have any questions.
Lunch with a Loved One Guidelines:
- 1 lunch with a loved one per student each year
- Only bring food for child and/or yourself
- Stay for lunch ONLY, recess is not included
- Bring your ID for check in
car drop off line reminder
To help expedite our morning drop off, please remain in your vehicle. There is no need to park your vehicle and get out to help your child out of the car. We have BG staff outside that happy to assist your child. Be sure to give your send off hugs/kisses before you enter the drop off line. Thank you for ensuring our car lane moves quickly so that our students can arrive on time.
ELECTRONIC DEVICES IN SCHOOL
We are noticing many students coming to school with phones and SmartWatches. Please be aware of our School Board Policy for phone and Smartwatch usage during school hours:
2022-23 Elementary School Handbook
ELECTRONIC DEVICES IN SCHOOL
Phones/Smart Watches
Students are extended the privilege of possessing phones/smartwatches on school grounds;
however, their use is limited to after-school dismissal and non-school days. These devices must be in the off position, or not used once the student arrives on campus until the end of the school day.
Bell Graham Store is looking for donations!
The BG Store is always looking for fun new items to add to the case. If you are out shopping and find a great deal that you can't pass up, please consider donating it to the BG Store. Make sure to check out all the after-holiday sales for great deals on items as well. The BG students and staff thank you for your support.
OR
Please consider donating one of the items identified in the Amazon Bell Graham Store site. Click on the link below, add the item to your cart and it will ship right to BG on your behalf.ALL Bell Graham students appreciate your donation.
Thank you for the Donations
Thank you to all of the parents that have donated to the BG Shop. The students and I sincerely appreciate your thoughtfulness.
Special thanks to:
The Kempff Family
The Herman Family
The Schmidt Family
The Bergstresser Family
And to the many families who chose to donate anonymously
BG Shop Volunteers
February Empower
BG PTO
No Cook Night
Thank you to all the families who came out and supported our January restaurant fundraiser. We are excited to announce our February restaurant fundraiser is Tuesday, February 28, at Chums Shrimp Shack!
For Sale
We are excited to be able to raffle off 4 FRONT ROW seats to the 3rd and 5th grade Curricular (Music) Programs on 3/15. Tickets are $10 each. Please visit our Square Store to purchase your ticket today. Sales end on 3/12.
Home | Bell Graham PTO (square.site)
Chess Club
Spring chess club signup is here!!! The BG PTO would love for your student(s) to learn how to play chess or challenge their existing skills. No experience is necessary. Spring Chess Club dates are March 10th, 2023 to May 19th, 2023. Classes are on Fridays from 3-4pm (no class on 3/31 and 4/7). Please use the flyer for instructions on how to register through our vendor Chess Scholars. Any questions, contact Ruchi Shah at rahulandruchi@gmail.com
BINGO Night
BINGO Night is next Thursday, March 2, from 6:00-7:30pm. This is always a fun, family event that kids and parents enjoy. Bingo cards will be sold for a $1 each at the door on bingo night. This year we will also be selling pizza. You can preorder a Taylor Street 16” double dough pizza for $20 or buy slices that night. The slices will be first come, first served. You can also preorder a 10” gluten-free whole pizza . Tuesday is the last day you can preorder whole pizzas for Bingo Night. Use the square link to preorder your pizzas.
If you have any new or like new toys that you would like to donate for bingo prizes, there is a bin in the office where you can drop them off in. Thank you so much for your support. We really appreciate it!
Parents, we need your help to make Bingo Night a success. Please review the sign-up genius and sign up to help. Thank you so much for your support!
Talent Show
Live from the Red Carpet,
Bell-Graham PTO presents….
The Bell-Grammies
Talent Show
Sunday, March 19th at 3:00pm
St. Charles North High School
255 Red Gate Road
Acting, Cheerleading, Comedy, Dancing, Singing and more . . . .
Be Creative and share your talent!
Guidelines for the talent acts….
2ish minutes per act
Only one act per student (unless in a large group act)
No outside participants allowed, only Bell-Grahamers
Music and dress must be grade school appropriate (no swear words or suggestive music--check out Kidz Bop!) If you are unsure, it probably means you should pick something else!
Dress Rehearsal:
ALL ACTS must attend dress rehearsal on Thursday March 16th
Rehearsal times will be assigned and communicated via e-mail
All performers must attend rehearsal in costume and bring any props
ALL acts interested in performing in the Talent show must complete the questionaire and submit no later than March 6th. Acts will be accepted on a first come first serve basis. The number of acts may have to be limited based on time constraints. Please note, we will only allow a song to be used 2 times, again first come first serve! So if you are thinking about using a popular song get your registration in ASAP!!!
Wondering what kind of acts do we want? Tumbling, stand up comedian, dancing, musical instruments, perform a skit, magic tricks, show off an athletic talent, juggling…
**** PLEASE submit your music and direct any questions related to the talent show via e-mail to Jessica Westerfield joshjess3@gmail.com.
PTO Meeting
Please join us for our last PTO meeting of the school year. Our meeting will take place on Wednesday March 22nd at 7pm on Zoom. We hope to see you there!
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85494509489?pwd=OElXaU9GWVNZbExrOUR3dzhOWmhsUT09
Meeting ID: 854 9450 9489
Passcode: 070955
Website
For additional information on the PTO please visit our website or our Bell Graham Elementary PTO Facebook page.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Any questions or comments? Please contact our PTO President Kate Bennett at kate.bennett82@yahoo.com or 630.461.7606.
PTO February restaurant fundraiser 2/28
Cops Vs Kids Basketball 3/18 - Reg. Required
Volunteer Protocol
Watch D.O.G.S.
Health Office
There has been an increase in RSV in the community. According to the CDC, the respiratory syncytial (sin-SISH-uhl) virus, or RSV, is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. Most people recover in a week or two, but RSV can be serious, especially for infants and older adults. RSV is the most common cause of bronchiolitis (inflammation of the small airways in the lung) and pneumonia (infection of the lungs) in children younger than 1 year of age in the United States. People infected with RSV usually show symptoms within 4 to 6 days after getting infected. Symptoms of RSV infection usually include
Runny nose
Decrease in appetite
Coughing
Sneezing
Fever
Wheezing
These symptoms usually appear in stages and not all at once. In very young infants with RSV, the only symptoms may be irritability, decreased activity, and breathing difficulties.
According to CUSD 303 absence guidelines, students must be 24 hours fever free prior to returning back to school. A fever is a temperature of 100 degrees F or greater. Students with a persistent, productive cough must remain home as well. Masking remains optional for all students.
There are steps you can take to help prevent the spread of RSV. Specifically, if you have cold-like symptoms you should
Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your upper shirt sleeve, not your hands
Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
Avoid close contact, such as kissing, shaking hands, and sharing cups and eating utensils, with others
Clean frequently touched surfaces such as doorknobs and mobile devices
With cold, flu and respiratory illnesses upon us here is a reminder of the Covid protocols:
Thank you for teaming with us to keep our students healthy and in school!
REMINDER!
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. We will be sending home letters to the students who have missing medical records after Labor Day weekend.
Thank you,
LeeAnna Anzaldi, RN, BSN, PEL-CSN
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)
Car/Backpack Tags
Car Visor Tags:
For car riders, we use a Visor Tag System. This helps move our pick-up line quicker. If you need additional visor tags, please email Mrs. Kirincich.
Backpack Tags for K-1
K-1 students were given a set of 4 backpack transportation tags from their classroom teacher in August. If you are in need of additional transportation tags, you may order them directly here.
Outdoor Clothing
Please label your child's jacket, gloves, hat, etc. whenever possible. It helps us return items to their owner when they end up in lost & found.
How to Report Absences
Picking up your child early?
How to Report Baker Station Absences
If your child will be absent on a day they would normally attend Baker Station, you need to email your site directly bellgraham@stcparks.org or email Angela Coppola, Baker Station Coordinator at acoppola@stcparks.org , ALL absences must be reported by 12:30pm on the day of your child’s absence. The St. Charles Park District and Baker Station staff does not receive this information from the individual school sites.
Last PTO Meeting this Year
Wednesday, Mar 22, 2023, 07:00 PM
undefined
Building Resiliency: Supporting a "Growth Mindset"
We have partnered with Riverview Child and Family Therapy to provide a free parent evening in April. The session will be approximately 1 hour long and be presented in the school Cafeteria by a licensed clinical professional counselor. Please see below for the topic of the evening.
Building Resiliency: Supporting a "Growth Mindset"
Parents want their children to be successful when moving through life's "ups and downs." Helping to support resiliency through challenges can teach them how to be more confident in themselves.
Monday, Apr 10, 2023, 05:00 PM
Bell-Graham Elementary School, Fox Mill Boulevard, St. Charles, IL, USA
10 Tips for Supporting Healthy Emotional Development
We have partnered with Riverview Child and Family Therapy to provide a free parent evening in April. The session will be approximately 1 hour long and be presented in the school Cafeteria by a licensed clinical professional counselor. Please see below for the topic of the evening.
10 Tips for Supporting Healthy Emotional Development
Learn easy, doable strategies that guide the development of positive mental health in our students. Ideas support decreasing family conflict, building independence, and identifying and moving through challenging emotions.
Monday, May 8, 2023, 05:00 PM
Bell-Graham Elementary School, Fox Mill Boulevard, St. Charles, IL, USA
Bell-Graham Resources
Bell Graham Elementary School
Website: bellgraham.d303.org
Location: 4N505 Fox Mill Blvd St. Charles, IL 60175
Phone: 331-228-2100
Facebook: facebook.com/BellGrahamElementary
Twitter: @BellGrahamD303