Belmont Elementary School
6097 Belmont Ave NE
Belmont, MI 49306
616.863.6362
Dear Belmont Families,
"Sunsets are proof that endings can be beautiful too," Beau Taplin, author and poet. As we come to the end of the 2024/25 school year, I hope you and your children have a chance to reflect and celebrate all of the beautiful moments from this school year, and there were many. There were the lightbulb moments when students figured out a difficult problem, imagination moments when student creativity took learning in a new direction, and collaboration moments when we were all learning and growing together. Belmont students have a lot to celebrate and I hope that they use the summer months to read their favorite books, explore the great outdoors, connect with family and friends, and enjoy all that our community and world have to offer.
With gratitude,
Rachel DeKuiper, Principal
rmdekuiper@rockfordschools.org
616.863.6362
Upcoming Events:
May 30 - Field Day was AWESOME! Thank you, Mr. B and all the volunteers!
May 31 - Reading Rocks in Downtown Rockford; Belmont Rockin' Reader Awards at 10 am at Krause Memorial Library.
June 4 - Last School Store!
June 5 - 5th Grade Graduation and Half Day of School; Dismissal at 11:55 am
June 6 - Half Day and Last Day of School; Dismissal at 11:55 am
June 5 and June 6 - half days
Thursday, June 5th and Friday, June 6th will be half days of school. Elementary students will be dismissed at 11:55 am and lunch will not be served on those days.
Mrs. Noakes
Mrs. Noakes has been shaping young minds for many years at Belmont Elementary. Next year, she is heading to Edgerton Trails to teach the 4th Grade Outdoor Education Class. We will miss her and wish her the very best! We also made her promise to visit and continue helping us develop our own outdoor education space at Belmont.
We are also excited to welcome Mrs. Westveer to the Belmont team. She has been teaching third grade at Parkside for several years and is excited to work with Mrs. Bates next year. She has already visited our building and is very excited to join the Belmont community.
Mileage Club
We had a record number of participants in Mileage Club this year! Mileage Club members spent a great deal of their recess time walking and running around the field. Mrs. Alderink did a great job of organizing this opportunity and delivered prizes to several participants today. All Mileage Club members were recognized this week and celebrated with a FREE pizza certificate. Well done, kids!
Lost and Found
Pictured above is one of three tables filled with lost and found items here at Belmont. We will be donating any unclaimed items the week of June 9. If you are missing something, please stop by the school and take a peek. We will also be encouraging students to stop by the tables and claim their stuff. Thank you for your help with this!
Belmont PTO News
If you don't already, please consider following the Belmont PTO on Facebook. They keep our Belmont families connected with lots of important information, including summer playdates! We have a great group of committed parents/guardians who are always looking for additional PTO members. A BIG thank you to our PTO for an awesome 24/25 school year!
Belmont Elementary Facebook Page
Thank You, Belmont Volunteers!
We tried to catch as many volunteers as we could on Field Day, but know that we missed several. If you have volunteered at Belmont this school year, please look for a little thank you to come home with your child next week. We are VERY grateful for our Belmont families!
Belmont's Rockin' Readers
Tomorrow, May 31st is Reading Rocks in Downtown Rockford. We have 12 Rockin' Readers (one per class) who will be recognized at 10 am that morning. Congrats to August, Molly, Emma, Kinsley, Brenna, Christopher, Shae, Madison, Leona, Harrison, Grier, and Everly!
Reading Rocks starts at 9:45 am and ends at 1 pm! This event is a great way for your child to celebrate reading while also participating in crafts, meeting authors, visiting the Book Bus, and shopping the used book sale at the library!
KDL Summer Wonder
At Kent District Library, we understand the importance of summer learning, and we’re thrilled to bring back our Summer Wonder Reading and Learning Challenge in 2025. The challenge is fun, simple, and free! Here are a few of the highlights of KDL’s 30-day summer challenge:
- It’s the same 30-day goal for all ages—just one convenient log for every family member that encourages learning through the summer.
- Completion can be tackled without making regular visits to the library. Tracking progress is simple by using paper logs, KDL.beanstack.org, or the Beanstack mobile app.
- The program incorporates not only reading but a variety of at-home activity prompts, from writing to science experiments.
- Fun in-person events and performances happen every week at our branches, and count toward your 30-day goal! Visit kdl.org/summer for all the details.
Summer Wonder Flyer and Logging Sheet
Girls on the Run
Our Belmont Girls on the Run team had an awesome race day! These girls trained for a 5K and crushed their goals! Girls on the Run is So Much Fun!
Kids Fun Run
Rockford Book Bus - Summer 2025
The Rockford Book Bus is getting ready for another summer of fun. Neighborhoods can start signing up using the link below. The Book Bus will also make regular stops at Belmont Elementary. Our PTO does a wonderful job of turning those school stops into "Summer Playdates" for our students. We can't wait to embrace another summer of reading adventures on the Rockford Book Bus!
Well minded matters - Summer Edition
Soon our students will be on summer vacation and enjoying all that Michigan has to offer during this season. Please find linked below a variety of resources to help you make the most of summertime with your children.
Well Minded Matter - Summer Edition
Dk/K Information
If you know of a Belmont family that was unable to attend the DK/K Information Night, please share the link below with them. We look forward to welcoming new families next school year and want to do all we can to answer their questions. Thank you!
Belmont DK/K Information
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.
Family School Culture Survey Results
Please find linked below the school culture survey results from earlier this year. We had 50 families complete the survey and appreciate their feedback greatly. These results have also been shared with our Belmont staff and our Belmont PTO. We are reflecting on how we can improve in some areas and look forward to partnering with you in the process.
Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. Let's finish the year strong and make the last week of the 2024/25 school year count!
School Culture Survey - Family Results
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
Student Clubs
Student Clubs are wrapping up at Belmont Elementary. We had a lot of students participate and couldn't be more proud of our leaders. Getting a student club "approved" is quite a process, but our students didn't hesitate and worked hard to make these opportunities a reality. We have two more clubs wrapping up next week (Go Soccer, Soccer Club on Monday and Mini-Book Club on Wednesday). Our Wings of Fire Club wrapped up this past Tuesday. Students in this club made some pretty amazing dragons together and I loved listening to them talk about the characters in this book series!
Belmont Brew Crew
Our PTO was kind enough to award a LEG (Learning Enhancement Grant) to Miss
Sweigart for a student-run coffee cart. The Belmont Brew Crew has been doing a great job at preparing and delivering both hot and cold beverages each Friday. Students continue to sharpen their reading, math, and customer service skills. As you can imagine, both students and staff enjoy their weekly visit from the Brew Crew immensely! Thank you to our PTO and Miss Sweigart for supporting this fun learning opportunity for our students! 
