Belmont Elementary School
6097 Belmont Ave NE
Belmont, MI 49306
616.863.6362
Dear Belmont Families,
We just completed our first five-day week of school, and it was awesome! Students are embracing the routine and learning opportunities presented to them each day. We couldn't be more proud of our RAMS and love seeing them be Respectful, Accountable, Motivated, and Safe every day!
Last night, our PTO hosted a fundraiser at Trailside Treats. It's always fun to see our school community out and about, and last night was a great night for ice cream! We hope to see lots of families at our next PTO event on Friday, September 26. We REALLY like ice cream, and two dessert trucks featuring frozen sweetness will be available for purchase that evening.
If you can't tell, our PTO is very active and always looking for ways to support and bring our school community together. On Monday, September 15, we will launch our Shine Bright Fundraiser. Students will come home with Shine Bright information that day, but you can also preview it below. Thank you in advance for promoting and sharing how others can support our Shine Bright campaign. It takes a village, and we are so thankful for ours!
As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
With gratitude,
Rachel DeKuiper, Principal
rmdekuiper@rockfordschools.org
616.863.6362
Belmont PTO Bulletin
Shine Bright Launch Day is just a few days away! If you do nothing else this weekend, please watch the awesome promotional video linked below, which was created by the PTO board. There is also information about how businesses can sign up to be a sponsor and how students can get pledges. It's a great time to Shine Bright!
Shine Bright Promotional Video
Shine Bright Sponsorship Letter
99 Pledges in Three Easy Steps
Please feel free to email Belmont6097@gmail.com for additional information about any of our PTO happenings! You can also scroll down for a one-page overview of all you need to know about Shine Bright. For updates in real-time, please follow our Belmont PTO on Facebook. We appreciate your support and thank you for helping us SHINE BRIGHT!
Beginning of Year Assessments - nWEA
Our beginning-of-year assessments are wrapping up today! All students take the NWEA-MAP test three times a year. This serves as a universal screener and helps us identify which students may need a secondary screener. From there, we determine who may need different levels of intervention. For a detailed overview of the process, please review the RtI letter linked below that was shared with you last week. Also, please know NWEA family reports for all students will be coming home next week. Our RtI team will also be contacting you next week if your student qualifies for interventions. Thank you for your patience with the process, and please let us know if you have any questions.
1st Place spirit wear
Our PTO is using a new spirit wear vendor. We now have an online store that is open year-round, with 10% of sales going back to our PTO. They are currently running a "Back to School" promotion with 25% off through September 23 and free shipping on orders over $75. Please click on the link to shop and support Belmont Elementary!
Belmont Elementary Spirit Wear Store
Student Drop-off and pick-up reminders
We love seeing our students every morning and want them to enter and exit the school building safely.
Here are a few reminders for those who are dropping their children off in the morning:
- Please form a single line next to the sidewalk on the south side of the building and pull forward as far as possible (until the sidewalk ends).
- Please avoid large gaps between vehicles.
- Students may never exit the vehicle until it is completely off the main road and must exit on the sidewalk side.
- We will have staff present to help younger students out of their vehicles and guide them to the main entrance.
- Drivers should remain in the vehicle.
- If a driver needs to exit the vehicle, please park in the parking lot and help your student cross safely to the sidewalk.
- There are NO left turns out of the parking lot during morning drop-off.
The end-of-the-day pick-up line is quite a bit busier. We are doing our best to get your child to you as safely and efficiently as possible. Here are reminders for end-of-the-day pick up:
- Please form two lanes and pull ahead as far as you can (until the sidewalk ends).
- Please remain in your vehicle and have your child's last name displayed in the window.
- A safety will walk your student to their vehicle.
- Please avoid large gaps between vehicles. We are trying to avoid a long line of cars on the road.
- If you choose to exit your vehicle, please park in a parking spot.
- Vehicles should never be left unattended in the pick-up line.
- There are NO left turns out of the parking lot during afternoon pick-up.
Thank you for having your parent pick-up sign displayed in your window during pick-up. If you still need a sign, please call the office. Thanks!
Hand2hand - free weekend food for kids
We would like to offer your student the opportunity to participate in a program called "Hand2Hand". This program helps provide a student with food for the weekends and is intended for families who currently may be experiencing a financial burden.
Here's how it works: At the end of each week, students who are signed up for Hand2Hand will receive a minimum of 10 food items in a bag. These food items will be a combination of breakfast, snacks, and lunch or dinner items.
There is no cost to participate! If you sign your student up to receive Hand2Hand, they will continue to receive the weekend bag of food each week throughout the school year. Bags will be discreetly delivered to your child at school.
If you feel like your child would benefit from this opportunity, please complete the form linked below. (You will need to complete one form for each of your children.) If there comes a point when you no longer need the assistance, alert your school office. It will take at least two weeks to receive your first bag. If you do not receive a bag, please contact your school office.
Hand2Hand Permission Slip
*Please note: if your student or another family member has food allergies, it will be the responsibility of the parent/guardian to check the contents of the bag each week to ensure the food doesn't contain ingredients that could cause an allergic reaction.
Attendance/Illness Communication
Please contact the front office when your child will be absent, tardy, and/or picked up early by calling 616.863.6362. We appreciate you communicating directly with them so that they can let teachers know in real time.
When appropriate, please give us a brief description of why your student is absent (stomach flu, headache, respiratory infection, etc.). This allows us to respond to student/staff illness and do additional cleaning when necessary.
If you choose to send an email, please make sure you include both Holly and Katie in the front office. Their email addresses are hcombs@rockfordschools.org and ktrolla@rockfordschools.org. Teachers don't always get a chance to check their emails during the school day, and we appreciate your help with this!
Free Breakfast and Lunch at Belmont
As you may be aware, the state budget that funds Michigan Meals is not yet finalized. We are hopeful that we will know the funding status of this program by October 1st.
RPS will be providing free breakfast and lunch through September 30th, but there is uncertainty about whether free meals will continue after this date.
Students who do not qualify for free or reduced meals may be charged for breakfast and lunch starting on October 1 if the Michigan Meals budget is not approved. Because of this, families are encouraged to fill out the Education and Meals Benefits application linked below.
Upcoming Events:
September 12 &13 - Mrs. VerMerris to sing "Ode to Joy" with GR Symphony Chorus
September 15 - Shine Bright Kickoff Assembly for Students
September 19 - Popcorn Day!
September 22 - School Picture Day!
September 24 - Early Release Day
September 25 - Student Wellness Survey (4th and 5th Grades)
September 26 - PTO Fall Family Fun Night with the Bumblebee Ice Cream Truck (6 pm - dusk)
September 28 - Shine Bright Fundraiser Ends!
October 1 - Student Count Day
October 2 - School Custodian Day - Thank you, Jaquelina and Kelli!
October 8 - Belmont PTO Meeting @ 6:30 pm
October 15 - Early Release Day
October 17 - Shine Bright Celebration at Belmont!
October 21 - Culver's Fundraiser (wear costumes!)
October 29 - Early Release Day
October 31 - Outside Halloween Parade - Families Welcome (time TBD)
Student Wellness Surveys
The health and safety of our students is our top priority. To help identify students in need of additional support services, a universal mental health survey will be administered to all DK-12 students. Survey responses will be used to connect students with appropriate resources, including school health professionals (such as a school social worker, school counselor, and mental health liaison), who may offer additional screening to determine specific concerns and provide assistance to students and families.
Please find linked below letters for students in specific grade bands. You are encouraged to read through the information and reach out if you have any questions.
DK-3rd Grade Parent/Guardian Letter
4th-5th Grade Parent/Guardian Letter
Thank you in advance for partnering with us.
Standard Response Protocol (SRP)
HB 4096, the Revised School Safety Code, has been introduced to provide common language for schools during emergencies. Here is an overview of the FIVE actions schools may take when addressing emergencies.
LOCKDOWN - The term "lockdown" should be used when there is an existing threat in or at a school building or a threat is expected to arrive in or at a school building imminently. Secure in a room, confirm the door is locked, and move to a place of cover away from the door and any windows.
SECURE MODE - Determined when a LOCKDOWN, as described, is not necessary, but heightened security and awareness are needed due to a potential EXTERNAL threat. Instruction continues in a normal manner, but access to the school building and movement within the building is highly restricted.
SHELTER - This is used when it is safer to be inside the building than outside. Common situations where this is used would be severe weather approaching or some type of hazardous materials incident in proximity to the school.
EVACUATION - Deals with the need to evacuate the building as it is no longer deemed safe to occupy for any variety of reasons, like fire, chemical spill, gas leak, etc.
HOLD - Hold is utilized when there is a need to have students and staff remain in their classrooms as staff address a concern or issue (medical, student in crisis) in a hallway or common area. Students are released when the office announces all clear.
For more information about our SRP resource, please visit the https://iloveuguys.org/ website.
Transportation and busing
If you have questions about bus routes or times, please call the transportation office at 616-863-6328 or e-mail the director of transportation, Matt Puett, at mpuett@rockfordschools.org.
Transportation is also encouraging RPS families to get the My Ride app on their phones. For more information on this, please click on the RPS Transportation link below.
Water Bottles
We have added additional water bottle filling stations at Belmont. We now have five in the building. Students are HIGHLY ENCOURAGED to bring a labeled water bottle to school so that they have easy access to filtered water throughout the school day. We also appreciate when water bottles come to school already filled. This cuts down on the wait time at the water bottle filling stations. Thank you for your help with this!
Volunteer opportunity
It is time to fill the halls of Belmont Elementary with the wonderful smell of popcorn! In the link below are all the dates and times when volunteers are needed. Please only sign up for dates that you know you are available. When signing up, please don't include the name of your child(ren). Adult names only on the sign-up, please. Thank you so much for signing up and taking the time to help. Belmont kids LOVE popcorn day!
Volunteers are also asked to complete a volunteer form when working with students. If you plan to volunteer in any capacity this year, we recommend filling out the form now. Please check out the Belmont PTO Bulletin for two more volunteer opportunities: Recess Rams and Lunch Rams. Please do not include the names of students when signing up for these opportunities. Thank you!
popcorn Days...how to order and pay!
Once a month, Belmont Volunteers are popping popcorn for .50 cents a bag. You can also prepay $4.00 and receive one bag of popcorn each month for the entire year. Want two bags of popcorn every month? Pay $6.00 for the year. What a deal!!
Popcorn will be dispensed by teachers before the end of the day.
Popcorn days are scheduled for Sept. 19, Oct. 24, Nov. 21, Dec. 12, Jan. 16, Feb. 20, Mar. 20, Apr. 17, and May 15.
Please pay via Venmo @BelmontPTO (look for the sunshine) and please include your student's name. Paper forms were sent home with students last week. Those can be turned in with cash or check if you prefer. Please make checks payable to the Belmont Elementary PTO. Thank you!!
Student cell phones and smart watches
- Students with a cellphone may not use them during the school day, and they should be stored in the child’s backpack at all times.
- Please do not text or call your student on their device during the school day. Communication should go through the office.
- Students with smartwatches should have their device set to school mode, which disables distracting smartwatch features—like calls, messages, and games—while keeping essential safety tools active.
- Students should not be wearing earbuds or other noise-canceling headphones unless it is a documented accommodation.
Thank you for your help with this!
Best Things We've Seen!
Belmont teachers and staff are using a bulletin board to recognize and celebrate, "The Best Things We've Seen This Month". Areas of emphasis include: Friendship, Kindness Squad, Readers, Spreading Smiles, Safe Choices, Motivated, Respectful, Sharing, Accountable, and Encouragement. If you visit our building, this positive board will be the first thing you see after walking through the vestibule. We've got great students and couldn't be prouder!
Student device management and fees
Students in RPS are afforded the opportunity to access and enhance some learning activities through district-provided Chromebooks. Thanks to the support of the 2019 school bond proposal, RPS has been able to support the scheduled purchases of instructional technology for student use. Last year, elementary students received new devices, and this year all secondary Chromebooks are new. Thank you!
To preserve the quality of student devices as long as possible, we educate students about proper care and charge for repair when avoidable damage occurs. Like a textbook, each student is assigned a Chromebook and responsible for proper care. If a device is damaged or lost, a charge will be issued against the student's Family Access account. The charge will reflect Rockford Public Schools' cost to repair or replace the device. It is our hope that the layered approach of informing parents/guardians, educating students, and assigning fees when necessary, will assist to promote a decrease in the amount of overall damage to student devices and increased consistency of student accessibility to learning activities.
Should a student device be damaged, the initial fees are as follows:
Chromebook:
- Broken Screen $30
- Broken Keyboard (missing keys, etc.) $30
- Damaged Chassis/Lost Device $200
- Power Supply (Lost or Not Returned) $15
iPads:
- Screen Repair $110
- Broken/Lost Device $299
During the summer of 2025 all devices were inspected to ensure that they are ready for distribution. School personnel will be diligent about communicating device care expectations to students and we ask that parents and guardians reinforce proper care expectations as well.
During the year if a device requires repair, a district technician will review the damage and decide if a charge is necessary. Normal scratches and wear are expected and will not incur a charge. Any fees assigned will generate an email notification to parents/guardians.
District Calendar Overview
