Dog Days Almost Over!

Meet Jersey the Bulldog, the unofficial West Belden mascot!
Jersey belongs to one of our very own third graders, and can
often be seen sauntering around the WB campus at dismissal.

Principal’s Corner: Welcome Back

Dear West Belden Students and Parents:

On behalf of the faculty and staff at West Belden, welcome back to the start of the 2010 – 2011 school year! We look forward to seeing our new and returning students and are eager to partner with you to make your child’s learning experience at West Belden a positive and successful one.

While many familiar procedures will be back at West Belden this year, we are also excited to share with you some programs and initiatives that will be new for the upcoming school year. Below is information on new and returning programs for the 2010 – 2011 school year.

Entrance Procedures
The first bell rings at 7:55 each morning. Students in grades K – 1 and room 002 enter in the primary wing first floor door. Students in grades 3 – 8 and in room 107 enter through the gym door. The final bell each morning will ring at 8:10 and students should be in their classrooms ready to begin morning work.

School/Home Communication
• Thursday Folders
West Belden will begin its Thursday Folder program on Thursday, August 26th. Faculty and staff will send home important notices about school events and activities that occur throughout the year. This will be one of our primary methods of communicating comprehensive information about monthly meeting reminders and upcoming events.
• School Website
Through the use of the web site www.westbelden.com, parents will have access to a wealth of resources and information. Powerschool is a web-based grade management system that permits parents and students to access grades on a daily basis for all subjects. The school website will also provide links to teacher sites for students in grades 4 – 8. These sites will provide additional information on homework assignments and upcoming classroom events.

Mandatory Orientation
There will be three mandatory orientation sessions for the 2010 – 2011 school year. We invite you to attend one orientation session so that you can meet the Director; visit your child’s classroom; receive the student/parent handbook and learn school and classroom procedures. All orientation sessions will begin promptly at 5:30 in the gym.
1st – 3rd grade – August 30th, 2010
4th – 6th grade – August 31st, 2010
7th – 8th grade – September 2nd, 2010

Character Education Program
West Belden will be participating in a national character education program entitled, Character Counts! The program will be a school wide initiative and will focus on the following character traits: respect; responsibility; trustworthiness; caring; citizenship; and fairness. For more information on Character Counts! please visit the school website or charactercounts.org.

After Care Program
The After Care Program is back once again at West Belden and will be held Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 3:30 – 5:30 and Wednesday afternoon from 1:50 – 5:30. We will also host the after care program on 11:30 dismissal days from 11:30 – 5:30. The cost of the program is $10.00 per day for one child; $15.00 per day for two children; and $20.00 per day for three or more children. Full payment must be made the final week of each month for the following month. (i.e. payment for September should be made 8/30 to 9/3)

This is an exciting time as we begin a new school year. We look forward to partnering with you to make your child’s educational experience a successful and rewarding one. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at (773) 637-9430.

Sincerely,

Kristin Baldino
Director