Welcome Leslie Bell Families

☀️ I hope your summer was perfect

🙉 And now it's time to get ready for... the greatest year ever!

Staff members have been working hard throughout the month of August to welcome our students back on Wednesday, August 23rd! Everyone is excited to see you soon! 👋

Welcome to the start of the 2023-2024 school year at Leslie Bell Elementary! We are excited to welcome everyone back! I hope you are enjoying the last few days of summer. I also hope you are relaxed, recharged and ready to start a new school year. I am so delighted that you are part of our amazing learning community. I welcome and value your positive energy and dedication to excellence in education, and I look forward to working with you and your children again this year.

All signs point to another incredible and productive school year. Our devoted staff is already planning and preparing for your child(ren). Our office team has been registering new families that we can't wait to join to our Minutemen family. Our hard working custodians and maintenance have spent the entire summer thoroughly cleaning the facility and preparing to welcome families on Monday, August 21st for our Open House from 5:00-7:00 p.m.

Attendance is essential for learning. By law, all children must attend school from the age of 7 until the age of 17. Parents/guardians are accountable for the attendance of their child. The District will inform parents/guardians of their student’s absence and support families when attendance becomes a concern. It is the responsibility of the student to make up work due to an absence. Students who wish to participate in school-sponsored activities must attend school the entire day on which the activity occurs, unless the principal has pre-approved the absence based upon special circumstances. The administration makes the final determination regarding whether an absence is excused or unexcused.

Absences

An absence for any reason will be counted as an absence. No distinction will be made to determine if the absence was excused or unexcused, however there is a distinction between verified (V) and unverified (A). The administration may request documentation to determine whether an absence is verified or unverified. Verified absences will have a note from a doctor, court, etc. Parent notes are not accepted to verify an absence.

Students will be required to maintain a 90% attendance rate, with the exception of verified absences. Disciplinary actions could follow if a student does not maintain this rate. This will be determined by the building principal. Students who miss twenty (20) consecutive calendar days will be dropped from enrollment. Lex La-Ray students who miss ten (10) consecutive calendar days will be dropped from enrollment.

It is the responsibility of the student to make up work with teacher support when a student is absent. The timelines for turning in make-up work will be one day for each day missed. Students who do not complete missed assignments in the time stated may be required to attend tutoring outside of the regular school day.

Parents must report a student’s absence by 9 a.m. on the day of the absence. The school will contact parents who do not report a student’s absence by the designated time. When a student is released early from school to a parent or guardian, it constitutes an absence. In general, prior notification is required when a student is dismissed early and the student must be checked out through the office.

Staff will be at Leslie Bell from 5:00-7:00 on Monday, August 21st anxiously awaiting to meet their new students!

Classroom teachers are listed on the parent portal where your enrollment was completed.

This is an amazing opportunity to meet your child's new teacher, tour the building, turn in any missing paperwork to the office, and drop off your child's school supplies before the first day of school.

After visiting with your child's teacher please head to the cafeteria for additional information!

In the cafeteria you will find...

- Lunch envelopes to add money to your child's lunch account

- Free and Reduced Lunch Forms

- PTO information

- Boy Scout sign ups

- Girl Scout sign ups

- 4-H sign ups

- Compass Health information

PTO will be participating at the Back to School Night event. They will have a table set up with information about joining our ECC & LBS PTO.

PTO will meet the first Wednesday of every month. The first meeting for the year will be on Wednesday, September 6th at 6:00 p.m. in the Leslie Bell library.

September Upcoming PTO Dates:

September 15th- Family Fun Night-- Football Tailgate, 5:00-6:30 p.m.

September 29th-- Fund Run Event (parent volunteers will be needed to host this event)

Your child's teacher will be communicating with you weekly about the events in their classrooms, standards and units that are being covered, and helpful information about how you are able to help at home throughout the school year to increase the success of your child's academic growth. The communication may be both electronic and/or paper copy. Please check your child's backpack daily and ensure that your child's teacher has the most up to date email that you check regularly.

Staff are contracted each day from 7:30-3:15. Families and staff are encouraged to communicate during this time frame. If the time is after hours, staff will respond during the next school day.

Our staff does not only have a commitment to helping students reach their maximum potential but strive to continue to partner with families to assist and encourage success of all students.

Per our District Parent/Student Handbook:

School hours- 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Students may enter the building starting at 7:35 a.m. Staff will be on duty beginning at 7:35. The school day officially begins at 8:00 a.m. Students will be released at 3:00. Please note the first few days of school take a little longer to load vehicles and buses. Our staff is working incredibly hard inside the building to ensure all students exit safely and efficiently.

Car rider students may only unload and load at the south end of the building at 20th and Monroe in the car rider line. Parents are expected to stay in their vehicle during drop off and pick up times and not park. Car rider drop offs or pick ups are not allowed at the crosswalk or in the bus lane.

Buses will drop students off in the bus lane beginning at 7:35 and pick up students at 3:00. Cars drop offs and pick ups are NOT allowed in the bus lane for student safety purposes.

Walkers will exit the front door of the building at 3:00. All students are expected to walk on the sidewalk and use the crosswalk with staff assistance if needed as traffic on 20th street is quite busy in both the morning and afternoon. Parking in the alley across 20th Street is discouraged because of the safety concern with students walking through the alley to get home. Students are not allowed to be dropped off at the crosswalk. Car drop offs may only occur in the car rider line.

If your child arrives late to school, an adult must accompany the student to the office and sign them in.

As a reminder per our District Parent/Student handbook, the Leslie Bell office must be notified of any changes to your child’s dismissal procedure by 2:15 p.m. This is a safety measure put in place to ensure staff is informed in plenty of time to prepare for dismissal and ensure your child goes home the proper way.

Student Breakfast

Full Pay- $ 2.30

Reduced- $ 0.30

Student Lunch

Full Pay- $ 3.00

Reduced- $ 0.40

Lunch money may be turned into the LBS office. The school has lunch money envelopes to designate the amount to put on your child(rens) lunch account. We are encouraging all families to complete a free and reduced lunch form. These forms will be available at all buildings throughout the district and will be available at Open House. Only one form is needed per family.

Please help welcome our new staff members this year!

Libby Juneau-- Kindergarten

Alyssa Hunsaker-- Kindergarten

Jenny Hidy-- Kindergarten

Brooke Teeter-- 1st Grade

Joni Worth-- 1st Grade

Cecelia Gimmarro-- 2nd Grade

Emma Martin-- 3rd Grade

Lauren Twyman-- 3rd Grade

Beth McCrary-- 4th Grade

Sarah Nuelle-- Art

Julie Paul-- Special Education Paraprofessional

Makenna Young-- Special Education Paraprofessional

Same great face with new places!

Kaitlyn Norberg-- Special Education Teacher

Makaela Young-- Recovery Room Paraprofessional

This school year, Leslie Bell Elementary staff and students will particulate in a new curriculum called Zones of Regulation. The goal of the curriculum is to teach children about self-regulation and how to strengthen their self-regulation skills. Self-regulation can go by many names, such as self-control, self-management, and impulse control. Self-regulation is an essential skill in life, and in all learning environments. Children who can regulate their own emotions and attention are better ready to learn and thrive.

Zones of Regulation groups all the ways that children feel and act into four “Zones”.

• Blue Zone — when your body is running slowly, such as when you are tired, sick, sad or bored. Green Zone — when you are ready “good to go.” You feel happy, calm and focused.
• Yellow Zone — when you feel your engine running high, such as when you are frustrated, overwhelmed, silly, wiggly, excited, worried, anxious, or surprised.
• Red Zone — is when you have “flipped your lid.” You have extreme feelings such as terror, uncontrolled anger, aggression, or elation.