Belmont Elementary School
6097 Belmont Ave NE
Belmont, MI 49306
616.863.6362
March is reading month!
It is hard to believe that March is upon us! We are excited to promote reading for JOY all month long at Belmont Elementary! Please notice the calendar with "Spirit Days" below. We would love your child(ren) to participate as we grow as a community that values reading!
On Monday, March 3, students attended a "Get Your Paws on a Good Book" assembly and received both a bookmark and a reading log. For every 10 minutes that students read, they will color in a pawprint on that log sheet. After they’ve read two hours, they will turn in that sheet and add a larger pawprint to our “Thank You for PAWsing to Read” chart.
At the end of each week, students will be recognized for helping us reach our schoolwide goal of reading 1,000 hours in March!
Thank you in advance for supporting our students as they grow as readers!
Rachel DeKuiper, Principal
rmdekuiper@rockfordschools.org
616.863.6362
Get Your Paws on a Good Book and READ!
Here are a few fun March is Reading Month read-alouds that support our theme!
My Dog is Kinda Rude Can I Be Your Dog? Cool Dog, School Dog
Also, mark your calendars for Friday, March 21! This is the day that our "One Book, One School" title will be revealed! Each family will get a copy of the book along with a reading schedule and bookmark! We can't wait to wrap up March is Reading Month as a school community that reads and grows together!
Upcoming Events:
March 3 - Reading Month Begins!
March 5 - Book Bingo and Art Show
March 6 - Kids Have Rights Classroom Presentations (K-4th)
March 7 - Reading Month Spirit Day - WEAR A HAT!
March 12 - Early Release Day
March 12 - PTO Meeting
March 14 - Reading Month Spirit Day - WEAR STRIPES or POLKA DOTS!
March 18 - DK/Kindergarten Information Night at Belmont
March 21 - Reading Month Spirit Day - BRING A STUFFY TO SCHOOL (small stuffed animal)!
March 21 - Popcorn Day
March 21 - March is Reading Month Culminating Activity: One Book, One School!
March 26 - Early Release Day
March 28 - Reading Month Spirit Day- DRESS LIKE YOUR FAVORITE BOOK CHARACTER!
March 31 - Reading Logs DUE - Will we meet our 1,000-hour goal?
RHS Presents: Seussical the Musical!
Oh me, oh my! It's time for a show!
A musical marvel - you simply must go!
At Rockford High, on stage so bright,
A magical tale will take flight!
For two whole weekends, eight times in all,
The stage will be buzzing - oh, what a ball!
The Whos and the creatures, the music, the fun,
A Seussian story for everyone!
So grab your tickets, don't delay,
The Cat in the Hat says, "Come this way!"
A world of wonder, big and small -
At Rockford High, come see it all!
Get your tickets TODAY!
Dk/K Information Night - March 18, 6-7 pm
This information night is for parents/guardians only and will serve as an opportunity for parents/guardians to meet the teachers and see the school. This event includes opportunities to learn more about the screening process and our Developmental Kindergarten and Kindergarten programming.
Please make other arrangements for your child(ren) for the Parent/Guardian Information Night as there will be an opportunity in August for them to meet their teacher and visit their classroom prior to the first day of school.
New student Enrollment is open!
New student enrollment for the 2025-2026 school year is now open! We welcome our new class of Rockford Rams! The district encourages families to enroll their future Developmental Kindergarten or Kindergarten student PRIOR to June 1, 2025, to take advantage of an early, required placement screening. Children who turn five years old on or before December 1, 2025, are eligible to enroll for the 2025-2026 school year. Current Developmental Kindergarten students do not require an additional enrollment. Please see the flyer below or visit rockfordschools.org/enrollment/ for more details and enrollment procedures.
Drop-Off and Pick-Up
When dropping students off in the morning, please remember the following:
- Doors (main entrance only) open to Belmont students at 8:25. Students dropped off by families in the morning will now enter through the main entrance.
- Vehicles should form a single line along the sidewalk and pull ahead as far as they can (until the sidewalk ends).
- Drivers in this line must stay in their vehicle and continue to pull forward when space allows.
- Students may not exit the vehicle until the vehicle is completely off the main road and at a complete stop.
- Students must walk on the sidewalk to the main entrance.
- Please keep your goodbye routine short and sweet.
- If you have to pull off and wait on the main road, please consider putting your hazard lights on.
- If the driver is exiting the vehicle, they must park in a parking space and walk their child to the sidewalk.
- Another option for morning arrival is to use the lot next to Book Comp across the street and let our crossing guard safely guide students to school at 8:25.
When picking your students up at the end of the day:
- Please form two lanes and pull ahead as far as you can (until the sidewalk ends).
- Please have your child's last name displayed in the window.
- If you need a new yellow sign for your vehicle, please let us know ASAP. These signs help us stay efficient and safe when getting students to the correct vehicle.
- Please avoid large gaps between vehicles. Pull ahead whenever space allows.
- If you choose to exit your vehicle, please park in a parking spot. You should not be exiting your vehicle if you are waiting in one of the two lanes.
- Some families have chosen to pick up their upper elementary students from the Book Comp lot across the road. This is another option and we have a wonderful crossing guard that will help students safely cross the street to you.
GRASP IS BACK!
GRASP is a correspondence program for students in Kindergarten through 8th grades which helps students maintain reading and math skills while they are on summer break. Enrolled students will receive a packet of materials with a booklet containing nine lessons. It should take your student approximately one hour to complete each weekly lesson. They can complete one lesson a week or work at their own pace, as long as all lessons are submitted before August 8th. The students can mail the lessons to GRASP for scoring and the results will be returned to them, via the email provided. Or, new this year, lessons can be scored with a parent/guardian cell phone instead of mailing them in! Details regarding this process will be sent in May to the email provided on the order. There is also an online version of GRASP for students in 4th through 8th grade and these students will also receive results via the email provided.
Students who complete and submit at least seven lessons with 70% accuracy are awarded a certificate. Those who complete and submit all nine lessons with 70% accuracy will receive a medal! Certificates and medals will be distributed by your student’s school at the beginning of the next school year.
Please order your student’s CURRENT grade level. If there are extenuating circumstances, order the level that is appropriate for your student. The fees for the summer of 2025 are $26 for one subject or $48 for both subjects for each student. You can enroll your student for the book version (grades K-8) or the optional online version (grades 4-8) by completing the registration and payment online.
Student Absences and attendance letters
Absences MUST be called into the office 616.863.6362. If you need to email an absence, please email both Holly and Katie at hcombs@rockfordschools.org and ktrolla@rockfordschools.org.
Please leave a message on our general voicemail box if you are calling after hours. Whether you are reporting an absence on our voicemail or speaking with Karen or Jamie we need to know the following things:
- Student's name and teacher
- Reason for absence - if it is an illness we need to know the symptoms of the illness - vomiting, coughing, fever, cold, diarrhea, lice - whatever the reason may be
The Kent Intermediate School District (KISD) has given schools within Kent County additional guidance on how to communicate attendance concerns. Their "Strive for Less Than Five" campaign is detailed in the linked video. When absences exceed five and ten days respectively, you may receive a letter. If attendance continues to be a concern, a truancy referral will need to be made and families might need to meet with the school to create an Attendance Improvement Plan.
Belmont...It's wet, muddy, and still chilly!
Please make sure your child is ready for outdoor recess every day. Here's a quick checklist of recommended gear:
- Boots (recommended for wet and muddy field)
- Shoes (recommended for after recess/indoor wear)
- Warm Coat (must have...NO BARE ARMS WHEN IT'S BELOW FREEZING!)
- Hat (recommended, but hoods are good too!)
- Mittens/Gloves (must have...thank goodness for pockets when we lose one!)
Students will go outside for recess as long as the temperature (including wind chill) is above zero. When they do go outside, they need to be dressed appropriately.
Belmont Book Bingo and Art Show
Thank you to all those who volunteered to make the Belmont Book Bingo night and Art Show a success! We enjoyed celebrating our students as artists and readers! Special shoutout to our PTO and to Mrs. Brown, our wonderful art teacher. We are blessed with the best school community!
It's Yearbook Time!
Please use the link and code below to place your yearbook order. These are great keepsakes and students absolutely love looking at them.
To order yearbooks you can go to YBPay.com or click this link: Order Yearbooks | Lifetouch Yearbooks The Belmont Yearbook ID Code is 14576125.
Thank you!
Belmont's Annual Education Report:
Belmont's Annual Education Report for the 23/24 school year is now linked to the Belmont page on the district's new website. You can find the report linked at the top of the black textbox in the bottom right-hand corner. Paper copies are available upon request from our office. Please let Holly or Katie know if you'd like a paper copy of this report. Thank you!
Belmont's Annual Education Report - 23/24
Earth Day Poster Contest
Mrs. Dzirbowicz, RPS Outdoor Educator, wants to let students know about the Earth Day Poster Contest. The EGLE (Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy) invites students in kindergarten through 5th grade to enter the annual Michigan Earth Day Poster Contest! Prizes are awarded to 1st and 2nd place winners in each grade. For more information, click HERE. Entries are due by March 31.
Relationship skills
Classes at Belmont are heading into their fourth unit in TRAILS with a focus on relationship skills. We are excited to build upon what we have learned about thoughts, feelings, actions, and empathy in previous units.
lunchroom Rams
In addition to our Recess Ram program, we are also looking for volunteers to help in the lunchroom. With the weather getting colder, we are hoping to have extra hands in the lunchroom AND in the hallways after lunch with students getting their winter gear on. Thank you in advance for considering! We appreciate our Belmont families more than you know!
Recess Rams
Our students love it when Recess Rams are on the playground! So if you want to build a snowman or just play with some awesome kids, sign up to be Recess Ram!
Volunteers should always check in at the main office and grab a Recess Ram vest before heading to the playground. To sign up for Recess Rams, please click on the link below. THANK YOU for sharing part of your day with us...our students love seeing you at recess!
