Belmont Newsletter

Dear Belmont Families, 

As a school, we have a lot to celebrate!  Belmont RAMS are Motivated, and we are seeing evidence of this every day!

Our teachers and staff have been reflecting on our Mid-Year NWEA data and are planning for continued student growth and success.  Belmont's schoolwide median data grew by 10% from fall to winter in math. In reading, we also experienced strong median growth, with an increase of 7%. Each grade level at Belmont has a unique data story. While we are excited to celebrate our winter achievement and growth, we recognize that behind each data point is a student. Teachers have been working hard to use the data in meaningful ways with a focus on all students learning and growing at high levels.  We are committed to educating the whole child and working hard to ensure students grow not just academically, but socially and emotionally as well.

We have a lot to celebrate at Belmont!  Let's keep the momentum going, learning and growing together!

With gratitude,

Rachel DeKuiper, Principal

rmdekuiper@rockfordschools.org

616.863.6362

100th Day of School

Our kindergarten and first grades had a great time celebrating the 100th Day of School!  We loved watching them embrace 100 days of learning. Here's a quick peek at our first-grade 100th Day shirts! These students sure have fun learning together!

Mrs. Murdock's Class

Mrs. Miller's Class

REF's The Taste 

The Rockford Education Foundation invites you to The Taste on March 5, 2026. This is REF's annual signature event, serving up amazing support for education through great food, drinks, and community partnership.  The Taste hosts many local restaurants and businesses. Learn more, sign up to sponsor or purchase tickets online.

Winter Conference sign-up

Conferences are coming up quickly!  All conferences will be held in person this year; however, you can certainly arrange a virtual or phone conference with your student's teacher if you prefer. There are THREE ways to schedule a conference:

1. Book a conference by going to schoolbookings.net and entering the event code: 2kegb

2. Or book a conference by clicking this link: https://www.schoolbookings.net/code/2kegb 

3. Or book a conference by scanning this QR code:  

*Please note that Mrs. Westveer has reached out to her families already about scheduling conferences next week.  Thank you for your flexibility and understanding, as Mrs. Westveer will not be available for conferences on February 24 and 26.

March is Reading Month

March is Reading Month is just two short weeks away!  We look forward to sharing our theme along with engaging reading activities, logs, and rewards!  We've been lucky enough to have some local businesses donate items to support our readers. Pumphouse and Tropical Smoothie are getting in on the fun with individual student incentives, and Whitecaps tickets will once again be available to our Belmont students and families if we meet our schoolwide reading goals!  More information coming soon...

Volunteer Form and field trips

Spring is Field Trip Season!  If you are planning to attend or hope to attend a field trip with your student, please consider filling out the volunteer form linked below. Volunteers are asked to complete a volunteer form EVERY year when working with students individually or in small groups. This includes special events, game days, field trips, etc. Thank you!!

RPS Volunteer Form

RPS Whitecaps night

You're invited to support Rockford Public Schools and kick off your summer with the West Michigan Whitecaps!! Enjoy a fun night out and know that a portion of each ticket bought will be donated directly back to our schools.  Game information: Tuesday, May 19th at 6:05 pm.  Ticket prices are $20.50 per ticket or $26.50 with a hotdog and soda included.  For more information or accessible seating needs, please contact Tyler Glave at TylerG@whitecapsbaseball.com.  To purchase tickets please click on the link below.

Purchase Whitecaps Tickets Here

Superintendent Sub for a day!

Winter Weather

Rumor has it that snowflakes may start flying on Sunday!  With that said, we want to make sure our students are prepared for outdoor recess this winter.

• It's "Chilly" when the temperature is between 50 and 60 degrees. Students should have long sleeves and pants. Some students will also need a sweatshirt or coat to be comfortable. Shoes and socks are a must!
• It's "Cold" when the temperature is between 33 and 49 degrees. Most students will need layers on the top and bottom to stay warm. Students might also need a hat and gloves. If it's wet or snowy outside, then boots are recommended.
• It's "Extremely Cold" when the temperature is between 1 and 32 degrees. Multiple layers are needed when kids go outside. Boots must be worn outside. Students should have shoes for indoor wear.

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. If you need any winter weather gear for your child, please let us know. We have resources that we are happy to utilize to keep our students safe and warm. Please reach out to Holly and Katie in the front office at 616.863.6362 if you need anything. 

winter gear - label everything

To avoid your student’s clothing from going into the lost and found, PLEASE LABEL EVERYTHING!!! Label all coats, boots, mittens, hats, etc. Labeling items will ensure they will bring it back home!

ALL students should have a change of clothes in their lockers.  We only have a few extra clothing items for students to borrow and bring back. We tend to run out as the year goes on.

Cannonsburg Ski Area Punch Cards

Cannonsburg’s punch cards offer DISCOUNTED LIFT tickets so that students in kindergarten through 12th grade can enjoy winter to the fullest. Punch cards also offer discounts on rentals and private lessons! 

Punch cards can be purchased during office hours at Cannonsburg Ski Area. You can also purchase punch cards anytime online!

To purchase a punch card online, please follow the steps below:

• Go to the website link: https://cannonsburg.com/cart/  
• Click on the C-flake icon for the type of punch card you would like to purchase. 
• Fill out information, INCLUDING the sponsor and school name. 
• Belmont's sponsors this year are Keith and Kristin Long.  Thank you, Longs!

If you have any other questions, please email info@cannonsburg.com

Punch Card Handout

Girls on the Run

Girls on the Run registration opened December 1st and will be available through December 11th - it will reopen on the 15th if there are still spots available. If you are interested, contact us! We can see if there are still spots available before the program starts. 

Practices will begin in late February and run through mid-May, with our celebration 5K on May 16th at the GVSU campus. Practices take place on Mondays and Thursdays from 3:45 PM to 5:15 PM.

Your registration includes the full 10-week program, race entry, a program shirt, a medal, and a special end-of-season gift.

This year’s theme, Hello Bold Heart, focuses on building confidence and empowering girls to share their thoughts, feelings, and ideas. The program is open to girls in grades 3–5.

We have an amazing coaching team with two full-time and two part-time coaches, and we’re always excited to welcome more! Coaches complete a training course and a background check to ensure a safe and supportive environment for all participants.

To sign your daughter up, click here. We can’t wait to get started!

Contact Dana Green if you have any questions - danagreen18@gmail.com

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 officer 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!

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!

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.

RPS Transportation

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 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!

School Assistance Program (SAP)