BG eNews
December 8, 2023
Notes from Mrs. Klueppel
DECEMBER
12/12 - PTO Portillo's Restaurant Fundraiser see details below
12/25-12/29 Winter Break
JANUARY
1/1-1/5 Winter Break
1/8 - Teacher Work Day (No Students)
1/9 - School Resumes
1/15 - Martin Luther King Jr Holiday (No Students)
1/24 - 2:10 PM Early Dismissal
Student Handbook & Electronic Devices in School
2023-24 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
Outdoor Clothing
Please be sure to send your child with appropriate outdoor clothing for recess. Students have outdoor recess unless the outside temperature is below 0.
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.
Cold Weather and Tardy Arrivals
Message from Mr. V. in the LRC
Students are losing and breaking headphones at an alarming rate.
Headphones are a great gift idea this holiday season.
Organic Life Lunchroom Supervisors Needed
Organic Life, the K-8 Food Service provider for CUSD 303 is looking for candidates to serve as Cashiers, Food Service Workers & Lunchroom Supervisors for the 2023-2024 school year.
Please contact Patricia Burton at 331-228-5242 or patricia.burton@d303.org for more information.
WATCH D.O.G.S. Program is Back!
Questions about WATCH D.O.G.S? Contact Eric Martin at emartin@amsted.com.
**NEW** You will be able to access results electronically
Upon completion, results will be accessible from your child’s i-Ready dashboard
Please note that the For Families diagnostic results report is now easily accessible from your child’s i-Ready dashboard upon completion of their diagnostics. In lieu of being backpacked home, this will be considered the primary method for providing these results to you. Please click here for directions on how to access the report.
Student Council Dec. Spirit Week
Draft Boundary Maps Now Available
Bell-Graham Attendance Line
Call 331-228-2100 or email Mrs. Cloy
- Absences should be called in by 7:45 AM
- You can leave a message 24 hours a day
- State your child’s name, their teacher's name and the reason why your child is out.
- If they are ill, please list their symptoms.
You are also welcome to email absence information to Kristin Cloy in the main office.
Prearranged Absence Form:
Prearranged absence forms are to be used for absences known in advance such as a planned vacation.
BG Best Shop Needs your Help!
Volunteers Needed for BG Best Shop
Volunteer Process
We appreciate our volunteers and value your time. When you are in the building for any reason, please be respectful of classroom instruction and do not make unexpected visits to your child's classroom. Thank you for helping us minimize classroom disruptions.
Health Office
RSV
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
ALL MEDICATION, including any and all over the counter medications, vitamins and cough drops
need a doctor’s authorization/order to be administered here at school. You can find the form(s) on the district website.
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.
Thank you,
LeeAnna Anzaldi, RN, BSN, PEL-CSN
Kerisa Martini Espinosa, RN
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)
BG PTO
COMMITTEE CHAIR SPOTLIGHT
HOLIDAY MARKET - THANK YOU
Our annual Holiday Market was a HUGE success (your kids were the cutest picking out the perfect gift for you and wrapping it just so!), and we could not have pulled it off without all the wonderful families and companies that donated towards the event. We would like to sincerely thank:
The countless families that donated their time and gifts;
Bark Box for dog toys;
Ghoulish Mortals for fun dad gifts;
Harbor Freight for tools for dad;
Hoarders Trading Post for a bunch of records;
Just for Paws for TONS of dog treats;
Learning Express Geneva for a HUGE box of toys;
Oriental Trading for fidgets;
Red Barn for loads of adorable toad dog chews;
Town House Books for books for dad; and
Tractor Supply for an array of items.
RESTAURANT FUNDRAISER - 12/12
BG COOKIE EXCHANGE - COOKIES NEEDED 12/21
Our Staff Appreciation event for December will be a holiday cookie and baked goods exchange on Friday, December 22nd, and we need your help! We want to make sure all of our wonderful staff has plenty of treats to enjoy this holiday season! Sweet treats can be store bought or homemade. See the signup for more details COOKIE SIGNUP
SHOUT OUTS
Did your kiddo make an awesome play at their baseball game? Did they win an event in gymnastics? Is it their birthday? Do you just want to make a random day special for them? Send them a SHOUT OUT!! For $10 you can have 5 pictures along with a message displayed on the TV screen outside of the LRC for an entire day. After making your purchase in the Square Store, please send an email to Alicia Flint at aliciafulgencioflint@yahoo.com with your pictures, message and date to be displayed. Pictures MUST be sent 7 days prior to the desired display date or we cannot guarantee your message will be loaded in time.
https://bell-graham-pto.square.site
WEBSITE
For additional information on the PTO please visit our website or our Bell Graham Elementary PTO Facebook page.
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Any questions or comments? Please email the PTO at bgeblast@gmail.com. All comments or questions will be discussed at our monthly Board meetings and responded to accordingly.
5th Grade Winter Band Concert 12/18
Holiday Breakfast Fundraiser with Koda!
Join K-9 Koda on Saturday December 23rd from 7am – 10am at the Congregational United Church of Christ, located at 40W451 Fox Mill Blvd. for a morning of fun. Koda is helping support the Elburn-Campton Hills C.E.R.T. group by hosting a pancake breakfast. The breakfast is by donation and will include pancakes, eggs, sausage, orange juice, and coffee. Santa Claus is making an early trip to Campton Hills and will take photos with each child in attendance and give them an early Christmas gift. C.E.R.T. is made up of volunteers who receive specialized training and aid Elburn and Campton Hills during emergencies, including weather disasters, accident scenes, and searches. Help Koda support this amazing organization!
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
Leaving Early
PICKING UP YOUR CHILD EARLY?
Please call the office when you are 5 minutes away and we will have your child ready and waiting for you at the office. You will have to press the buzzer to come inside the vestibule to sign them out on our iPad. 331-228-2100
Car Tags
For car riders, we use a Visor Tag System. Each family should have received a car tag that has the family last name and the class codes of students in the family. The use of this visor tag expedites our car rider line tremendously as staff members are able to get students ready for their cars as the cars pull up! Please display the tag on your passenger side visor, or passenger side window, so that it is visible to the BG staff as you pull through the pick-up line.
If you need additional visor tags, please email Mrs. Kirincich.
Therapy Dogs
Morning Arrival Therapy Dogs
Please reach out to Dr. Dieckman or Julianna Harmon if you have any questions.
Upcoming Early Release
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