Bobcat News
November 2020 Newsletter
Bell Manor Elementary School
Principal's Corner
We are nearing the end of the second six weeks - time is going so quickly!
Thank you for supporting your child's learning - whether it is in-person or online, we appreciate your partnership. We understand the various parameters this year is faced with, and we are dedicated to ensuring that your child continues to learn in either learning environment. Please continue to communicate with your child's teacher(s) and check your child's grades online in Home Access Center (HAC). If you need assistance with your HAC login, you may contact Laura Stacey in our front office at laurastacey@hebisd.edu or 817-399-3466.
Part of ensuring your child has the best educational opportunity is limiting their early releases and checking out your child before dismissal. If you are needing to pick-up your child prior to dismissal for a doctor's appointment or personal reason, please do so before 2:30 pm. Our front office will limit early releases after 2:30 pm to only family emergencies so they can prepare for dismissal. While we are following our campus safety protocols with staggered release at the end of the day, we understand that the car line can seem long. Please refrain from requesting your child be released before dismissal due to not wanting to wait in the car line. PreK-2nd Grades are dismissed at 2:50 pm; 3rd-6th Grades are dismissed at 3:05 pm. If you need to pick up multiple grade-levels, you are welcome to wait until the later dismissal time.
Attendance is an area of growth for our school. Our school-wide goal is 97%. We missed earning state distinctions by 0.1% because of attendance last year. Students with excused absences can still participate in their classes through asynchronous learning in their Canvas on the days they are absent. We appreciate your support in helping our students to learn and grow by making sure school is a priority.
I am so thankful for our entire Bobcat family and partnering with parents, students, staff, and community members! Thank you for being part of this BME family. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
With Love & Bobcat Pride,
Mrs. McCarty, Principal
4th Grade Fun
1st Grade Flashlights
Thank you, Mr. Reyna
Upcoming Events
October 28-November 20 - HEB ISD Parent & Community Survey
www.hebisd.edu/survey (more information below)
November 3 - No School for Students
Staff Professional Development Day
November 10 - DBA
4th Grade - Writing DBA 1
5th Grade - Reading DBA 1
November 12 - K-2 Virtual Family Literacy Night
See the flyer below for registration information.
November 13 - Early Dismissal and End of Second Six Weeks
PK-2nd dismisses at 11:40 am --- 3rd - 6th dismisses at 11:50 am
November 16 - PTA Membership Meeting
Email Bell.Manor.Elem.PTA@gmail.com for the Google Meets Link to attend.
November 17 - DBA
3rd-6th Grades - Math DBA 1
November 19 - K-2 Virtual Family Math Night
More information to come!
November 23 to November 27- Thanksgiving Break - No School
December 2 to December 16 - PTA Virtual Scholastic Book Fair
More information to come!
HEB ISD Parent & Community Survey
The HEB ISD parent survey is open October 28-November 20! If you received an email with a link to take the parent survey, using that link will make sure you don't receive any extra reminder emails. If you don't receive an email, don't worry – just use this link:
We want to hear from you! The feedback from everyone who takes the survey is combined into a report for each school, plus an overall report for the entire district. The information lets us know how your school year is going and which topics are most important to you.
K-2 Virtual Family Literacy Night - November 12
Join us for our first virtual K-2 Family Engagement event! Bell Manor is partnering with our District's Community Outreach Department to prepare materials and resources for parents to support their Kindergarten-2nd grade students in reading.
November 12, 2020
5:00 pm OR 5:45 pm - both sessions are the same information
To register for the event, click here.
Click here to read the K-2 Virtual Family Literacy Night information in a language other than English:
Returning to Campus
We are looking forward to welcoming students who are returning to traditional learning on November 13th. Please review the arrival/dismissal map and the video from our Assistant Principal, Mrs. Coulter.
NEW:
- Temperature checks may be at the front door due to weather affecting the thermometers at the car.
A few reminders:
- The building opens at 7:30 am - for your child's safety, please do not leave your child unattended prior to the building opening.
- All students will need a temperature checks
- All students must wear a mask on-campus
- PK-2 students are dismissed at 2:50 pm
- G3-6 students are dismissed at 3:05 pm
Feedback
Please share what we are doing well and areas of opportunity! Together, Bell Manor will bloom!
https://forms.gle/MYz8Mc44EiZoTBQ6A
Positives:
- Thank you for helping my Kindergartener feel welcomed when they were new!
- The drop-off line has been done by 7:42-7:43 am the past few mornings!
- We want to thank you and ALL the teachers for all the work you have put in this week! We look forward to learning more as we go! Just wanted to show off our learning stations!!
- Much better start today! We got this ⭐️
- Thank you for being awesome & knowing just what these kiddos (& their families) need! I know you have been hard at work for some time now. Our family (& community) sends you good vibes and lots of prayers your way. I'm sure there are some defeating moments - just remember we are thinking of you and most grateful for all you do!
Areas of Opportunity:
Why aren't we dismissing from the back of the school like last year?
In order to support the guideline of not congregating, we are dismissing directly for students' homerooms. While it may take a few extra steps for your child to get to the front, our staff inside the building are supporting their physical distancing while they travel in the halls. Another positive is that our students and teachers are already in position for any rainy day dismissals.
I can't get into my kid's Canvas account!
Please email me directly if this is still an issue - kerimccarty@hebisd.edu or you can email our Campus Technology Assistant at barrythigpin@hebisd.edu
Teachers are doing both online and in-person - how is this fair?
As enrollment numbers change with in-person and online learners, we are having to pivot class configurations to simultaneous classrooms. This assists some of our classes with keeping in-person class sizes lower, while still providing quality instruction to online learners. TEA requires PK-2 online learning to be asynchronous, while HEB ISD is requesting synchronous opportunities during the day. Our PK-2 teachers schedules may change as we continue to adapt to the ebb and flow of parent decisions for traditional/online learning. Many of our G3-6 classrooms have been functioning successfully in simultaneous learning environments since September 8th. If you have a particular concern in a grade-level, please email me at kerimccarty@hebisd.edu.
I have a 2nd grader and a 6th grader to pick up, when am I supposed to pick them up if they are dismissed at different times?
You are welcome to make one trip to pick up both students at 3:05 pm. The 6th grader will be picked up near the front entrance and the 2nd grader will be picked up at APod.
TRANSITIONING FROM ONLINE LEARNING TO TRADITIONAL LEARNING
You can switch to online learning at any time, but you can only transition from virtual learning to traditional learning at the six weeks mark. The school must be notified of the need to transition two weeks prior to the six weeks mark. Please see the deadlines below by which you must submit your requests. All requests will be submitted through this form - Click Here.
News from the Nurse
Is it safe to Trick-Or-Treat?
- Click here for more information.
How do I clean my face mask?
- Bandannas and masks made of fabric, such as cotton, can be washed in your regular laundry using hot water.
- Disposable, blue surgical masks cannot be laundered or cleaned and should be thrown away when it is visibly soiled or damaged.
- After laundering your fabric masks, tumble dry them in the dryer on a high setting or air dry.
- You can also hand wash your mask, using hot, soapy water. Scrub the mask for at least 20 seconds, and dry them on high heat in the dryer or air dry.
Nurse Erin Moore, R.N.
817-399-3457
News from Art, Music, & PE
Music - 6th grade students - the last day to order a t-shirt for the musical, "The Aristocats", is November 6th. Contact Mrs. Merritt for assistance: StacyMerritt@hebisd.edu
PE - Students on campus will need to bring a reusable water bottle to school.
Reading Connections
PK-2nd November Beginning - English
PK-2nd November Beginning - Spanish
Thank You, BFD!
October Teacher of the Month
Pre-K & the Principals
Thank You, BFD!
3rd Grade Learning
Thank You, HTeaO!
November Lunch Menu
For the November Menu, visit Child Nutrition.
Attendance Matters
Missing just 1.5 days of school a month- Let's do the math...
One school year = 175 days of school for students
Kinder-12th Grade = 13 years of schoolMissing 1.5 days a month x 9 months= 13.5 days a year
13.5 days a year x 13 years = 175.5 days of school
This is a whole year of school missing from your child's education!
Helpful Tips for Awesome Attendance
- Remind your child that school is their first and most important job!
- Communicate the importance of regular school attendance so they are hearing the same message at home as they are at school.
- Have a daily bedtime and morning routine. This healthy habit results in less sickness and maximum learning. See below for recommended hours of sleep.
- Official attendance is taken at 10:00 am. Tardies and early release count as being present for a partial day.
- A doctor's appointment for a couple hours does not justify missing an entire day of school. Bring students to school before or after a doctor's visit so they can get partial credit. Make sure to bring the doctor's note so it is excused. Check out your child's schedule below to schedule appointments at ideal times such as lunch and recess.
- If a student is running a fever, vomiting, or has diarrhea, they need to be kept at home. If they do not have these symptoms, send them to school.
- Always send a parent or doctor's note when absent within 72 hours so it is an excused absence. Did you know that work missed during unexcused absences can be only be graded for a maximum of 70% credit? See the Student Code of Conduct link below.
Schedules
H.E.B.I.S.D. Student Code of Conduct
How many hours of sleep should our students get?
Parent Academy
Hurst -Euless -Bedford Independent School District's Parent Academy was developed to help parents and guardians become full partners in their children's education. They are offering free, virtual courses, family events, and activities that will equip families with new or additional skills, knowledge, resources, and confidence. Get information and register online at (https://sites.google.com/hebisd.edu/parent-academy/home)and start taking classes right away. Topics include parenting support, taming your toddler, and parenting the strong willed child.
Bell Manor School-Wide Behavior Expectations & Areas of Excellence
1. Respect- Everything you say and do is KIND.
2. Behavior- Keep your hands, feet, and objects to yourself.
3. Responsibility- You are responsible for your own learning. The teacher is responsible for your learning and safety; the teacher is the boss.
You may see some symbols in your child's MOOSE to celebrate areas of excellence.
Star - working hard
Heart - Kind to others
Check with a plus - Met a goal
Thank you for supporting our learning environment!
Join Bell Manor PTA
PTA needs your support! Every member and voice vounts!
If you haven’t already, please go to joinpta.org, select HEBISD, select Bell Manor Elementary and help us reach our goal!
Memberships are under $10/each and goes to help fund so much at our school!
If you need to send in cash please do in an envelope addressed to the pta with names and emails of each member (student, parent, grandparent,etc).