Bel Aire Elementary School : Newsletter

Bel Aire Bear Newsletter -
Sept. 1, 2010
Vol. 24

Band Begins Sept. 7th.

5th Grade Band
Welcome to Band

5th Grade Parents, please click on the Welcome link above to read the letter from the band teacher, Jeb Gist. Your child's teacher will send a roster of band members to you via email.

Back to School Night
Sept. 16, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Meet your child's teacher and learn about plans and expectations for the year.
This is a grown up only event.

School Site Council Election
School Site Council

Each school in our district has a school site council. The council is comprised of five parents, 4 staff members and 1 community member. Each member serves for two years on the Council. The council meets monthly on Mondays at 3:00. The purpose of the group is to work closely with the principal and teachers in the development of a site plan that targets specific areas for improvement. Those areas are determined in two ways. Each year our Board of Education sets "priorities", such as writing across the curriculum, using Smartboard technology, etc. Each school develops a plan to address and implement those priorities. In addition, the site council surveys parents at the end of each school year. Parents give their feedback on existing programs and that input is used to plan for the future.

Currently we have three parents and one community member who will continue their second term on our council: Tina Warren, Kim Logie, Sarah Spalding and KT Butler. We have two parent openings. Parents are elected by parents to serve on the council. At the end of last year six parents submitted their names for consideration: Loren Block, David Buechner, Diane Keenley, Kris McIntosh, Melissa Prentis and Russ Shelton. If any other parent would like to be considered, please call the office by the end of the week. You will need to write a short statement about yourself. Council members are expected to attend every meeting. Therefore, we will elect two alternates, in case elected council cannot fulfill their duties.

We plan to hold the parent election the week after Labor Day.

Thank you so much for your interest. Thank you to all our parents who are so willing to give of their time for the betterment of all.

International Day of Peace - Sept. 21st

September 21st is the worldwide celebration of the International Day of Peace.

To commemorate this day, Bel Aire students will be participating in a global collaborative project entitled "Pinwheels for Peace." Each student is creating a pinwheel and writing about what peace means to them.

On Sept. 22nd, an installation of the school's pinwheels will be on display.

Bel Aire's 435 pinwheels will be among millions whirling throughout the world spreading thoughts and wishes for peace!

To learn more click here Pinwheels for Peace

Bel Aire Spelling Bee Finals
Sept. 22 and 23, 12:15-12:45

Each year 4th & 5th Bel Aire students participate in the Marin County Spelling Bee. You children are already gearing up for this event! Each class is having classroom competitions. The classroom winners will then compete in the all school spelling bee which will be held Sept. 22nd and 23rd, 12:15-12:45, in the MPR. Parents are welcome, but must arrive on time. Doors will be closed when competition begins.

Picture Day is Sept. 27 & 28
Make up day is Oct. 1

Save the Date for Grade-level Fun Nights!

Thursday, Sept. 30 - 5th Grade - theme: Rock Stars
Wednesday, Oct. 6 - 4th Grade - theme: Hoedown
Wednesday, Oct. 13 - 3rd Grade - theme: Fiesta

These events will 6:00-7:30 p.m. More information in the next newsletter.

Attendance

Good attendance is very important, and we appreciate your efforts to get here on time every day! (Class begins at 8:05 a.m.)

It is equally important to stay home when sick. If your student is ill, or will be absent or late for any reason, please contact the school office.

You may call or email: 415-388-7100 ext. 3104, or lnazarian@reedschools.org

Bring Your Lunch from Home, or . . . . .
There are no lunches provided by the school. Click link to order.
Order Kid Chow
(We always recommend that you bring a big snack from home.)

Click on the photo above to see who got Caught Being Good.

Reuse Your Old Lanyard
4th and 5th Graders, bring your old Bel Aire lanyard to school for a bonus!
This year Bel Aire will be increasing recognition of good behavior and achievements. One type of recognition involves lanyards, so bring yours in, and start getting recognized! (Plus, reusing creates less waste for the landfill.)

If you're new, or you don't have your old lanyard, don't worry! You'll still be included.

PTA NEWS

Dear Bel Aire School Families: September 2010

On behalf of the Bel Aire PTA, I would like to welcome you back to school! This is going to be a wonderful and exciting year. I have listed below some important upcoming events. Please review the dates and let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Mary Bender, Bel Aire PTA Site Chair, mmbender@aol.com

UPCOMING PTA EVENTS

5th Grade Party (5th graders and their parents): Thursday September 30th at Bel Aire**

4th Grade Party (4th graders and their parents): Wednesday October 6th at Bel Aire**

3rd Grade Party (3rd graders and their parents): Wednesday October 13th at Bel Aire**

**More to come on the grade-level parties**

RUSD Book Fair- October 12th - 15th, Del Mar School

BACK TO SCHOOL PARENT CHECKLIST

BIRTHDAY BOOKS: Let's grow our library and celebrate your child's birthday. With your donation, our librarian, Diane Darrow will purchase a book, make it "shelf ready" for the library and place a commemorative bookplate inside with your child's name on it. Your child will be the first to check out his/her new book. This program is our library's primary source of funds for new books. We encourage everyone to participate to build our collection. Suggested Donation Amount: $25.00

YEARBOOKS: This year's yearbook promises another all-color, fun-filled book of school day memories. Reserve your child's copy today. Yearbook: $25.00

PTA MEMBERSHIP: Please join the PTA to support programs and activities including Assemblies, Parent Education, Staff Development, Plays, Lunch, Enrichment Activities, Author's Day, Library Assistance, Field Trips, Scholarship Programs and much more. Help us grow to 100% participation. Forms are in the office. Questions? Contact PTA Membership - Melissa Prentis at melissaprentis@yahoo.com

Annual Family Membership Dues: $20.00

CLICK ON THE LINKS to purchase any of the above.

HOT LUNCH PROGRAM - KID CHOW: Kid Chow will be offering its menu Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday. Thursdays will be a PTA-sponsored Pizza Day Fundraiser offered to all students. All ordering can be done online at www.kidchow.com.

The Foundation raises critical funds to ensure the continuation of Art, Foreign Language, Music, Library Services, P.E. and Technology across our schools.

$1.4 Million Goal - Last year the parents, grandparents, neighbors and businesses in our community stepped up and helped us meet our $1.4 million goal - thank you! We need to do it again this year to continue to provide exceptional programs for our kids. Look for information throughout the year on how you can help, starting here: FRS LINK

First-Ever Golf Fundraiser on Oct. 11 - Join us at the Foundation Golf Par-Tee for a day of golf, games & prizes (including a $15k dream vacation to Scotland!) at StoneTree Golf Club. Guests are welcome. Space is limited and tickets are selling fast so register today!

2010/2011 Directories Now on Sale - We all know how important the Directory is, making it easy to find classmates and parent names with class lists, phone numbers, email addresses and teacher emails. Buy one for your home, your car and office today! If your personal contact information has changed or if you are a new family to the district, update your information here.

Buy a Family or Business Ad in the Directory - Support our schools and place a family or business ad in the directory. Deadline is September 3. Get forms here.

Sign-up and RENEW with eScrip - Register your credit and grocery cards and The Foundation receives a percentage of all purchases at participating merchants like Paradise Foods, Safeway, Mollie Stones and Round Table. You MUST RENEW YOUR SAFEWAY CLUB CARD EVERY YEAR. This program costs nothing and contributes over $30,000 to The Foundation each year. Make your everyday purchases count and register or update your cards today!