Paw Print
Belmont Elementary: A PAWSitive Place to Learn!
Fall Pictures Will BE Coming Home in Backpacks on Tuesday!
The PTO Spirit Wear Store is OPEN for Business!
OOOOOOH! Fall Fun Day is Coming Soon!
Students are invited to wear a Halloween costume to school! They will stay in costume for the first part of the day, so it's important to choose a costume that allows them to move freely and see clearly so they don't miss out on any of the fun (and other school responsibilities.) Costumes should be interesting and not too scary. Please do not include blood, guts, gore or weapons of any kind. Accessories may stay at home and be saved for Halloween night trick-or-treating. (Don't forget to coordinate your face mask!)
Wait, what? Adults aren't coming inside to host a party? Nope, but families are invited to join us out back around the track for the most amazing costume parade. Word is that the weather is expected to be lovely, so we'll give it a go! (If it's raining, it'll be a no go.) The parade will be from 9:45-10:00 a.m. Bring a lawn chair if you'd like and park yourself around the inside of the track and we will march on past. You'll have a front row view of all of our little monsters, movie stars, scientists, musicians, scarecrows, animals, super heroes, creators, book characters, princesses, toys, riddles..............oh, my goodness! I can hardly wait!
Build a Bag of Treats back by popular demand! Parents are invited to visit this link to sign up to TREAT THE CLASSROOM! Treats and trinkets will be collected to add to individual student bags to be sent home at the end of the day. Signing up allows us to appropriately plan for each classroom. Thank you so much for contributing to our Fall Festivity!
Read with BE! (Featuring Mrs. Weeks)
We LOVE reading at BE! Every person on our team has grown into a reader at some age or another. So we're excited to share our love of reading with your children through our new endeavor- Read with BE! Our goal will be to post a new read aloud to our Read with BE! page found under the FAMILY tab on our website most Fridays. Then whenever your child is looking for a new book to enjoy, perhaps they'll find it fun to explore a book with one of our team members. Everyone gets to pick their own favorite to share, so hopefully throughout the year, you'll find some new favorites, too.
Please enjoy, Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon, written by Patty Lovell, and read by Mrs. Weeks, Fourth Grade Teacher.
Thank YOU for Sharing Your Children with Us this Quarter!
Our team had a heavy load of professional development this morning as we completed our yearly mandatory reporting training presented by Sunflower House, and also our Jason Flatt Act suicide awareness training. So many of us have had difficult encounters with supporting children through abuse or dealing with suicide in our own families. The mental health of our students is something we take quite seriously. Seriously taking care of our own mental health is important, too. As tough as it always is to focus on sensitive topics, we do it. And we do it for your kids and ours.
On Monday, we'll continue our professional learning with topics of reading and student collaboration team work. Last week I shared information about our Tiers and how our students need different amounts of support (remember the boxes) to get in the learning game. The same is true for social emotional behavior needs.
In order to best identify which students are truly in need of emotional and behavioral support in the classroom, it's important that students who are capable of expected behaviors....behave appropriately. This is a great time to have a talk with your children to remind them that at school, all of the adults are "in loco parentis" or acting in the best interest of the children in the absence of parents. Although students do need time to develop trusting relationships with adults, they need to remember that the best way to stay safe in groups as large as our school community, especially in an actual safety crisis, would be listen to the adult helpers, and do what is asked of them. Students did a great job with this during our fire drill on Thursday. They easily realized that it was an important time to be alert. I want them to understand that their attention and expected responses are necessary all of the time. And truly, the less time we spend getting through the talkity talking, the more time we have for the fun stuff!
We have so many opportunities throughout the day to practice, and with multiple adult helpers...bus drivers, paraprofessionals, custodians, lunch supervisors, classroom teachers, specials teachers, substitute teachers...and the list goes on. At Belmont, I promise you that I will not employ someone who hasn't been vetted through a background check, completes multiple team trainings, and who has a heart for kids. We believe that every person on our team is responsible for all of our students. To be quite frank, that's hard when any one of these people is faced with less respectful behaviors from a student who thinks that they only need to show expected behaviors for their classroom teacher...and maybe me. That's not safe. And it's disappointing. I literally had a really great kiddo from a really great family tell me ,"You're not my guardian. Why should I listen to you?" She thought it was funny, and although she responded quickly to direction, and I know that I can trust her to listen and make safe choices when I need her to do so...we weren't the only ones around. There's always someone (usually younger) listening, and learning from expected and unexpected choices they see and hear around them. So. Why am I telling you this? Because I'm asking you to talk with your kids and remind them of your expectations for them. I know that as parents you want your kids to represent you and your family through respectful words and actions. I know that as parents you want your children to be safe at school. I know that as parents you expect your children to follow through on school expectations both academically and behaviorally. As a school team, we want the same thing. We want to know that we can keep everyone safe in large groups because when a quiet to listen signal is given, it is respected so that information or directions may be quickly shared and we can get back to the fun stuff. In every classroom, whether it's with the general classroom teacher or a substitute, a specials teacher or a paraprofessional, the adult teaching wants to get successfully through the lesson without disruption, interruption, and sidebars. We're all so very happy to be back together in our school settings, but we need every possible minute to take care of actual emotional needs, engage in quality learning activities and TEACH. So thank you again, for setting your child, and your child's classroom up for success this quarter by being clear with them about your expectations. I believe that children grow best when we provide that consistent structure in a calm and patient way....like a steel box with a velvet lining. It's strong AND comforting. That's our goal with school-wide expectations. We teach, model, practice and celebrate. Together.
We believe that children need structure and routines, and that although children also need to be heard, to be offered controlled choices and allowed a wide variety of ways through which to best learn and show their understanding; children still need adults in their lives to make the big decisions and keep them safe. It works the same way in your home. You are the parent, not the friend. You love your children, you have fun with them, you teach them and you are responsible for them. At school, the adults will be making the decisions, giving the directions, and are responsible for safety expectations. Sometimes, just like at home, the answer is going to be "no," the option is not going to be a "sure, right now" and our mutual Bulldog is going to need to learn how to accept and move on. And now we're all the way back around to listening to the adult helpers. All of them.
I've always told my own kids and many of my students that all of our words and actions are either helpful or hurtful. We can help ourselves and others around us or we can be hurtful to ourselves or to others around us. It's truly that simple. So I guess, instead of this long diatribe, I could have just said that i'd love it if you would support your child and his or her classroom by helping them choose the helpful over the hurtful. Always. We're not quite there yet, but we're sure working on it! Thanks for all you do, parents! So happy to BE on this journey with you!
Coming Up at BE:
October 18 Professional Development Day - No School
October 22 Grade Reports will be posted in Skyward Family Access
October 29 Fall Parade, 9:45 - 10:00 a.m.
November 16 Picture Retake Day
Visit the BE Online Calendar of Events (by clicking on the button below) for a more complete list of activities!
2021-2022 Lunch Schedule
11:25-11:52 1st Grade
11:55-12:22 3rd Grade
12:05-12:32 2nd Grade
12:35-1:02 4th Grade
12:45-1:15 5th Grade
*Student lunches are FREE for the 2021-2022 school year!
**We do not have space for lunchtime visitors this year. Thanks for understanding.
schoolNEWS ALERT
Sign up for Text Alerts
Receive emergency information, school closings, early dismissals and administrative reminders on your mobile device. This text and email service is free, but check with your mobile provider as text messaging and data rates may apply.
To subscribe >> Click Here
Community partner Country Club Bank is providing support to ensure this service is available in USD 232.
You'll find us at:
Email: phargrove@usd232.org
Website: be.usd232.org
Location: 5805 Belmont Drive, Shawnee, KS 66226, United States
Phone: (913)667-1810
Twitter: @BEBulldogs