There are foods that help power our students' brains and bodies for the whole day! There are also foods that may make students feel energetic for only a short time. After that, they leave students feeling sluggish and foggy-brained. By choosing and packing foods that are complete, nutrient-rich and healthy, we power our students' brains to think and learn and explore. Healthy food fuels students' bodies to run, play and adventure!

A good guideline to follow when choosing healthy foods is to choose foods and beverages that are low in fat and sugar and are minimally processed. Snacks that are especially good for kids (and adults!) are fruits and vegetables, low-fat dairy products such as milk and yogurt, and whole-grain foods including whole-wheat tortillas, bread, and cereal. Lean meats, eggs, and nuts in small portions can be healthy snacks, too.

Processed, less-healthy snack foods such as chips, sugary drinks, pop, candy and cake are OK to eat once in awhile but should not be offered every day. These foods usually have a lot of extra and unnecessary fat, calories, salt and/or sugar.

We are looking forward to making our school the healthiest it can be so our students can do their best work!

Adapted from Michigan Nutrition Standards- Healthy Snack Letter

All students in Kindergarten through Grade 6 will be participating in Winter NWEA testing. The testing will take place from Monday, November 29-Friday, December 10. Individual grade levels and teachers will communicate with their families the actual date within that window that your son or daughter will be participating in testing.

Please help prepare your child for testing by getting a good night's sleep and encouraging him/her to do their very best!

Bellevue Elementary School is sponsoring a spirit gear drive starting next week. More information will be sent home next week and please check our app for details. 10% of every purchase directly supports Bellevue Elementary School students. Unfortunately, items will not arrive in time for the holidays but we have been hearing that families are in need of fresh looking gear!

Last week, we had our first flurries. Winter is coming. Please make sure to send your child with cold weather gear to help keep them warm. We encourage your child to have a winter coat, a hat, and gloves/mittens. We do not need snow pants yet, but now is a good time to try on your old pair and buy some new ones. Don’t forget to label all gear with your child's name!

Every Tuesday morning, high schoolers travel to our elementary school to spend time time with our students in Kindergarten, 1st & 2nd Grades! In their partnerships, high school students read aloud and practice literacy skills with our junior broncos!

Basketball season is here! As many of our students get back onto the court, some sixth grade students have elected to participate in a different, or perhaps additional, way to play basketball. All sixth grade students were recently offered the opportunity to participate in the Detroit Pistons Math Hoops Program. Mrs. Lafayette kicked off the program with a Detroit Pistons prize drawing and an unboxing celebration, complete with brand new board games and player cards! Participants signed a sportsmanship contract and will be drafting their NBA and WNBA players soon!

Math Hoops promotes addition, subtraction, multiplication and division fact fluency. Students learn fundamental math skills through direct engagement with their favorite NBA and WNBA players’ statistics, competing in an in-class basketball league against their peers. They also have an opportunity to development their understanding of percentages and decimals, while making strategic decisions based on mathematical logic and probability.

We look forward to what the 2021-2022 season brings!

Your child is invite to attend our upcoming holiday shop! More details will come specifically for your child. This experience enables kids to purchase their own special holiday gift for family and friends and they love the opportunity.

We are very excited for this program and all it offers. Adults volunteers play a vital role int he success of the holiday shop. Parent volunteers are need to help run the shop! We realize the holiday season is a busy time for everyone, but we would appreciate your help and support. Please click the button below to sign up if you can donate some time during our shop. A background check must be completed and on file for all volunteers.

P.S. Grandparents are welcome to help too!

Thank you,

Junior Bronco PTSO

JuniorBroncoPTSO@gmail.com

As a requirement set forth by the state of Michigan, public schools must establish an educational goal expected to be achieved for the 2021-22 school year. At Bellevue Elementary School, our educational goal is to maintain/increase the number of students proficient on the NWEA MAP Growth Reading Assessment from Fall 2021 to Spring 2022.

The staff at Bellevue Elementary is committed to achieving this educational goal by engaging (at a minimum) in the following strategies:

• Use of newly developed district approve curriculum

• Tier II Interventions in 2nd, 4th and 5th grade

• Intentional use of classroom data

• Increased expectation and encouragement of at-home reading

• Use of IXL in the classroom

• Instructional coaching support

On October 5th, the Bellevue Fire Department spent time with our PreK-3rd grade students teaching them about fire safety.

Students can stay after school to enjoy a dance just for them! $10 per student will get them access to the fun and include a pizza dinner. Parents can take the time to get some holiday prepping done. Students must be picked up at 6:00!

STARBASE is a premier educational program, sponsored by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. At STARBASE, students participate in challenging “hands-on, minds-on” activities in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). They interact with military personnel to explore careers and observe STEM applications in the “real world.”

At the end of each marking period, we will celebrate each and every one of our Bellevue Bronco students! We know kids are kids and not every single one of them meets our expectations every single day. However, as a school community, we need to honor and celebrate each member of our community to make them feel valued and foster that sense of community.

Friday, October 15th marked the end of the first marking period & students worked hard to meet our expectations of being safe, responsible and respectful. We celebrated with students in the following ways:

• Every student received a donut & a glass of apple cider freshly pressed with apples donated by our Kids Hope volunteers
• Every student decorated a paper pumpkin to add to our school display, “Kindest Pumpkins in the Patch"

"Bronco Bragging Bricks" are filled out by staff to recognize our students for going above and beyond in the classroom, with their peers or for their school community! Students will be recognized for excelling at our school-wide expectations of being safe, responsible, and respectful. At the end of each week, a few bragging bricks will be drawn and the students will receive a ticket for a free ice cream! Bricks will be put on display in the building outside of the library! Bronco Bragging Brick recognition begins next week... be on the lookout!

Our organization meets on the 2nd Tuesday of each month thru May in the elementary cafeteria area at 6:00 P.M. We’d love to see new faces to help us bring some fresh energy! You can find us on Facebook @juniorbroncoPTSO or email us at JuniorBroncoPTSO@gmail.com.

PTSO's Upcoming Events to Remember

Santa's Secret Shop- December 6-10

Parent's Night Out- December 15 3:00-6:00 P.M.

Our 2nd Graders in Mrs. Dye's and Ms. Van Dis' classrooms were able to learn about pollination and what goes on with apple trees during each of the four seasons in Michigan. Students, teachers, and chaperones also enjoyed cider and donuts!

In order for students to be college and career ready, it is important that they have strong literacy skills. The ability to read is necessary for success in all subject areas and has a direct impact on a student’s educational success.

In 2016, Michigan’s state legislature passed the Read by Grade Three Law to ensure that children who exit third grade are reading at or close to grade level. Based on this 2016 law, third grade students must achieve a minimum score of 1252 in English Language Arts on the state M-STEP assessment in order to be promoted to the fourth grade. Last year, the Read by Grade Three Law was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic and school closures, but this year the law remains in place, unless we hear differently from the Michigan Department of Education.

Every students' reading progress will be closely monitored throughout the school year. If you child is not reading at his/her current grade level, an individualized reading improvement plan will be created. Your child's teacher and school will work with your child to find where your child needs support in his/her reading development and create a plan to support him/her.

You will continue to receive updates on the Third Grade Reading Law from the school moving forward. As your partners in education, we are here to support you. Please see the following video and the attached “Facts for Families” document to access more information about the Read by Grade 3 Law.

Download the app on Android: https://bit.ly/3rk7fFi or iPhone: https://apple.co/36Q6hHe.

It’s a well established fact that parent engagement plays a vital role in student outcomes. One of the primary ways to increase that engagement is through communication, and the Skyward Family Access utility can be a powerful tool. This brief (~90 seconds) video walks parents through the process of downloading, deploying, and using Skyward Family Access. If you are not signed up for Family Access, please contact the Elementary Administrative Assistant, Jennifer Munster by calling the office at (269) 763-9435.