BG eNews
February 10, 2023
Notes from Mrs. Klueppel...
FEBRUARY
2/14 - Willow the therapy dog visit
2/20 - Presidents' Day Holiday (No Students)
2/21 - Willow the therapy dog visit
2/22- Early Release (2:10 Dismissal)
2/24: End of 2nd Trimester
2/27 - Willow the therapy dog visit
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)
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
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.
Reminder:
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.
Valentine Distribution Guidelines
If your child chooses to pass out valentines to his/her class, please ensure you have a list of all students so no one in class is missed. Also, we cannot pass out valentines that have any kind of food items (candy too) attached. We have moved away from food at our parties and such this year and that includes food items on valentines.
Please double check with your child's classroom teacher if you have specific questions about valentine distribution.
5essentials Parent Survey closes March 31
All responses are confidential and will never be connected to you or your child. To take the survey, visit survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois and select the parent survey. A supplement report will also be generated if at least 20 percent of Bell-Graham parents complete the survey.
Thank you for your participation to help us understand the conditions at Bell-Graham to guide improvement.
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.
February Spirit Days
Willow the Therapy Dog
Day one of Willow, our visiting therapy dog was a success. She will be back Tuesday, February 14 for another visit.
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Amy Klueppel, Angelyn Dieckman, or Julianna Harmon for additional information.
Kindergarten Enrollment Closes 2/24
February Empower
BG Shop Volunteers
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.
BG PTO
ASE Volunteers Needed
ASE is underway! If you're able to help from 2:45 to 4:30pm, we could use a few extra hands next week and later this month. Check out the 2023 ASE Volunteer Opportunities to sign up!
Special shout out and BIG THANKS to the 2023 ASE Committee: Lindsay Connell, Vanessa Havlovic, Liz Kara, Megan Martyn, MaryAlice McVean and Stacy Yelaska. These mighty few were instrumental in planning all of the amazing sessions our BG students are enjoying this year. Grateful for these awesome volunteers. THANK YOU!
Please reach out to ASE Co-Chairs
Lauren Dethloff laurene314@aol.com or
Stephanie Galambos stephaniegalambos@gmail.com
with any ASE registration or volunteer questions.
Parent Trivia Night
Trivia Night is Saturday February 25th and will be held at the St. Charles Moose Lodge. Doors open at 6:30pm! The night will include brain tingling trivia as well as amazing Silent Auction and Raffle Baskets up for grabs.
Gather 4 - 10 people and create your team. Come up with a creative theme for your team and decorate your table for additional prizes!! Please fill out this form with your teams information.
This is a 21+ event. Tickets are $30 per person and include light appetizers. A CASH only bar will also be available.
Tickets are on sale now, please click here to purchase. Available tickets are almost gone so don’t delay!
We are looking for donations for our Silent Auction and Raffle Baskets. Do you own a local business that would be willing to donate?? Do you have season tickets to a local sports team and would be willing to donate? If so, please contact Kate Bennett at kate.bennett82@yahoo.com. Thank you for your support!!
BINGO NIGHT
BINGO Night is less than a month away!! Please join us on 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. Save the date for a night of fun, pizza, and prizes! Our fifth graders will be calling out the BINGO numbers that night. (More info will be sent home to fifth grade families). 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!
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.
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
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!
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!
Healthy Snack
Dear parents/guardians,
To keep our brains active and ready to learn each day, you are encouraged to pack a healthy snack for your child each day.
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
Stephanie Hilgers, RN, BSN
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.
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