School Information A to V

Absences Assessment Bell Schedule Bells Mill Beacon Bells Mill Spotlight Buses Class Parties Communication Consent And Release Discipline Policy Early Departure Early Dismissals Emergency Closings Emergency Information Enrichment/Gifted And Talented Programming

Enrolling Students Field Trips Grading and Reporting Health Room Illness Immunizations Lost And Found Lunch Loans Lunch And Recess Medications Office Hours Parent Conferences Parent Newsletters Picking Students Up From School

PTA Meetings Report Cards Resource Staff School Objectives Staff list Student Appearance Students Who Become Ill At School School Hours School Supplies Telephone Use Textbooks Visitors To The School Volunteers

ABSENCES - It is the responsibility to of parents to call the school if your child is absent. Bells Mill has an answering machine that will accept these calls during non-school hours. If we have parent volunteers for the Peace of Mind (POM) Program, you will be called if your child is not at school and we have not heard from you. Please volunteer for this important position. Volunteers will be expected to give ½ hour per week or if enough parents offer, ½ hour every two weeks from 9:30 – 10:00 a.m. Please call 301-469-1046 any day your child will not be in school for any reason. Be prepared to tell us your child's name, his/her teacher, and the reason for the absence when you call to report an absence.

When a child is absent or tardy, the parent must send a note explaining the reason. If we receive no note for a tardy or absence, the child will receive an unexcused absence or unexcused tardiness. A note is also required for any child who leaves school early. Students who arrive late or leave early must be signed in/out by a parent. The sign in sheets are found in the main office. Students arriving late must also order their lunch before reporting to class.

Any student who arrives at school late but before the mid-point of the day is considered “Tardy”. If they arrive after the mid-point, they are “A.M. Absent”. Likewise, if a student leaves early before the mid-point of the day, they are considered “P.M. Absent”. If they leave after the mid-point of the day, it is considered an “Early Dismissal”. So, to be concise, if they are in attendance for more than a half day, they are considered present for a full day. If they are in attendance less than a half day, it will be a half-day absence. If a student is present for an hour or less of the school day, they are counted a full day absent from school.

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ASSESSMENT In addition to on-going assessment which takes place in the classrooms, we participate in the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) assessments each year. Students in grades 3, 4 and 5 are administered the Maryland School Assessment (MSA) to meet compliance with the No Child Left Behind Act. Parents do receive individual results for their children during the fall. In addition second grade students will participate in the Terra Nova Test of Basic Skills( formerly CTBS) in March. Kindergarten, first and second grade students participate in the MCPS Early Childhood Assessment Program (MCPSAP-Reading) during the fall, winter and spring. This assessment is used to provide teachers with accurate data to ensure that all students are receiving instruction on their specific level. Second grade students are globally screened in the spring for identification in the gifted and talented program.

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BELL SCHEDULE

Arrival

• 9:00 - arrival of first bus; duty begins

• 9:10 - Students report to class

• 9:15 - School day begins

 Dismissal

• First Bell - Walkers, Georgetown Hill Students

• Second Bell – Students called to line up in the AP room and hallway by bus number

Lunch/Recess

 Half Day Schedule

 Arrival

• 9:00 - arrival of first bus; duty begins

• 9:10 - Students report to class

• 9:15- School day begins

 Dismissal

• First Bell - 12:55 Walkers, Georgetown Hill students

• Second Bell – 1:00 Bus students to AP Room (Aides will cover dismissal)

 Lunch/Recess

In the event that an aide is absent and unable to cover their designated lunch or recess assignment, each grade level team leader will be responsible for coordinating coverage on a rotating basis for the lunch and recess period.

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BUSES Students are picked up at designated bus stops no more than one mile from their home. Parents are responsible for maintaining discipline and safety at bus stops. Inclement weather, traffic accidents, and road construction can cause delays in the bus routes, so the pick-up and drop-off times of each bus may vary somewhat from day to day. Students must follow the bus driver's rules and directions at all times. Questions regarding the buses, bus stops, or bus routes should be directed to the Field Transportation Office Supervisor, Janet Elliott at 301-469-1029.

Any change in your child’s regular transportation arrangement must be explained fully in a note. This note must be presented to your child’s teacher at the beginning of the school day. Sound safety and security practices and time constraints do not permit us to honor telephone requests to change your child’s transportation routine except during an emergency.
 

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CLASS PARTIES Class parties are held twice during the school year for special celebrations: Halloween and Valentine's Day. Parents who do not wish their child to participate in these or other celebrations, including birthday observances, should notify the classroom teacher of their preference.

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COMMUNICATION Families receive a weekly newsletter, Spotlight on Bells Mill, every Friday from the office of the principal. The Bells Mill Beacon is published monthly by the PTA. Your child’s teacher is the first contact regarding classroom concerns. Because of our busy schedules, it is always best to set up an appointment before coming to school for a conference with the teacher or principal. Please take advantage of the Bear Mail system established by the PTA. This is a quick way to be notified of important school information. Letters are sent home in paper form, on the website and also on Bear Mail.

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CONSENT AND RELEASE During the school year, students may be photographed or videotaped for a variety of reasons. Families are asked to give written permission to use the students’ likeness if the material will be used outside of MCPS. A permission form will be sent home at the beginning of the year. Please sign and return the form to your child’s teacher.

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DISCIPLINE POLICY A copy of the School Discipline Policy is sent home with students each September. Parents are asked to read and discuss this policy with their child so that students can continue to work in a safe, comfortable school environment. A copy of the policy is included in this packet. Please keep it so that you can periodically review expectations with your child. A copy of the policy is available on this web site as a PDF - click here to access.

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DROPPING STUDENTS OFF AT SCHOOL It is critical that traffic laws and parent drop-off rules are followed. No cars are allowed in the bus circle (directly in front of the school) during school hours. There is a $250 fine for parking in the emergency parking area, which will be strictly enforced during school hours (8:45 a.m.-3:45 p.m.). Students who arrive at school late (after 9:10 a.m.) should be brought into the school office and signed in by their parents. Tardy students who are not signed in may be marked absent.

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EARLY DEPARTURE Parents must report to the office to sign out the student. No child can be sent to the doors to wait for early parent pick-up. Parents must enter through the front doors, no one should be going directly to classrooms to pick up their child.
 

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EARLY DISMISSALS School is occasionally dismissed early due to teacher meetings or report card preparation. These dates are already printed on the school calendar for the year. The hours for early release days will be 9:10 am to 1:00 p.m. All students must eat lunch prior to going home on an early release day. Students should know where they are to go without having to call home if school is dismissed early for any reason.

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EMERGENCY CLOSINGS School is occasionally closed all day due to unsafe weather conditions or mechanical problems in the school. When the decision is made by the Superintendent of Schools to delay the opening, announcements will be given to TV and radio stations usually no later than 6:00 am. These announcements will give pertinent information regarding the delayed opening of schools. Parents must listen to local radio and TV stations during periods of inclement weather. PLEASE DO NOT CALL THE SCHOOL. In the event of a delayed opening, the school day will end at the regular time unless otherwise announced.

There is always the possibility that our school will have to close early because of water cutoff, loss of electricity, boiler failure, inclement weather, or any one of a number of unanticipated problems. This is important. We urge all parents to be sure that they have made plans for such emergencies when they will not be at home, such as designating a neighbor to receive the child after dismissal or having another responsible adult in the home. In the event of an early closing, students will be sent to their regular after school location unless we receive written notification of alterative plans in advance. On days where there is inclement weather (extreme heat or ice/snow) parents are encouraged to monitor local TV and radio stations for a possible early closing. Again, please do not call the school. TV and radio stations receive notification at the same time we do at school. For additional notification, the following resources are provided by MCPS:

MCPS Newsfeed
Receive alerts to your computer about early dismissals, emergencies, and other news.
Subscribe to newsfeed

E-mail Notification
Sign up for our e-mail news service, QuickNotes. To subscribe, enter your name and e-mail address under "Get MCPS QuickNotes."
Subscribe to QuickNotes

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EMERGENCY INFORMATION Yellow emergency information cards will be sent home the first day of school. These cards must be returned the following day. Please be sure to complete both sides of the card, correct any pre-printed information that is not accurate, and sign where indicated. It is important that information is updated on these cards throughout the year if changes occur. Occasionally there are times during the year when the emergency cards need to be used to make contact with families. Please make sure that both sides are completed and that emergency contact information is included.

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ENRICHMENT/GIFTED AND TALENTED PROGRAMMING All students are given the opportunity to become involved in enrichment activities offered by classroom teachers. Identified students are provided with a differentiated program that may include accelerated instruction, enrichment activities, regrouping with academic peers, and specialized projects or interest groups. Teachers have received training in the William and Mary Language Arts Program, Junior Great Books, and the use of Hands on Equations.

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ENROLLING STUDENTS New students are enrolled at the school by having parents complete enrollment forms at the school office. Immunization information, a copy of a birth certificate, a social security number, and proof of residency for all students new to Bells Mill must be on file at the school before the children can attend school.

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FIELD TRIPS When a field trip is scheduled, each student who is to participate will bring home a permission form giving the date of the trip and the destination. The form must be signed by a parent or guardian and returned to the teacher before the student is allowed to go on the trip. No student will be excluded from field trips for financial reasons.

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HEALTH ROOM A health technician is on duty from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm each school day. It is important for us to have every child's emergency information on file so that we may contact parents quickly if necessary. If your child becomes too ill to remain in class, you will be contacted and asked to pick up your child.

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ILLNESS To prevent the spread of communicable diseases, parents are asked to keep children at home when an illness is suspected. Children who do not feel well have difficulty paying attention or completing assignments. Health room staff is not available to provide long-term care for sick children. Parents must make arrangements to pick up a sick child as soon as possible in the event a child becomes ill while at school. The primary role of health room staff is to provide emergency first aid.

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IMMUNIZATIONS Students are to be immunized in accordance with Maryland State laws before enrolling in a Montgomery County public school. Students may not be allowed to attend school until evidence of immunizations against DPT, polio, measles, and rubella is presented. Students entering kindergarten through fifth grade must have 4 DPTs, 3 OPVs, and 1MMR (after the first birthday and either a second MMR or a second measles vaccine). All students new to Montgomery County must provide proof of a physical examination within the last nine months. Please check with the school health technician if you have any questions about immunizations or health records.

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LOST AND FOUND A lost and found area is located in the school's all-purpose room for items that have been misplaced by students. Clothing and lunch boxes should be labeled clearly with the child's name, as many items are very similar in appearance. Unclaimed articles are turned over to a social services agency at the end of the school year.

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LUNCH LOANS Student SNAP accounts should eliminate the need for lunch money loans. Parents are notified when an account is “running low” and this should be a signal to supplement the account with additional funds. However, if an account becomes exhausted and a student is expected to purchase lunch at school we will attempt to reach a parent to bring money to school. If it is impossible for money to be brought to school, we will loan the money for lunch. The student will be given a note to take home stating that a loan has been made. This loan must be repaid before another loan is made. If a student who has not repaid a prior loan does not have lunch money, we will again try to reach the student’s parent(s) for money to be brought to school. If this is not possible, the student will be offered a cheese sandwich and a carton of milk or glass of water. No student will be expected to be in school all day without the opportunity to eat lunch. The large number of unpaid lunch loans has made it necessary for the development of this policy.

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LUNCH AND RECESS Click here for MCPS lunch menus Students have 30-minute lunch periods and 30-minute recess periods each day except for early dismissal days. Students will have recess outdoors unless it is raining or the temperature is below 32 degrees F. They should dress appropriately on days when the weather is windy or cold; all students are expected to go outside on "outdoor recess" days.

Lunch and breakfast are served daily in the cafeteria. The lunch menu is published monthly and given to each child to take home as a guide in deciding whether to purchase lunch. It is also available on the website. Breakfast is $1.30. The cost of lunch, including milk, is $2.40. Milk may be purchased separately in half-pint cartons for $0.50. School breakfast is offered for all students at a cost of $1.25.

Bells Mill offers a convenient and flexible computerized cash register system in the cafeteria. Each student is issued a PIN number for use in making purchases from the cafeteria. Parents are encouraged to deposit money in their child’s account eliminating the need for students to carry cash.

Students who wish to order a school lunch must place their order with their teacher first thing in the morning. Prepared lunches are ordered from a central kitchen each day and delivered to our school based on this total. Please stress with your child that they must take the lunch that they ordered in the morning.

Bells Mill also participates in the free and reduced price meals (FARMS) program. The cost of reduced price meals for qualified students will be $0.40 for lunch and $0.30 for breakfast. Parents or guardians must re-apply for the program each year. Applications will be sent home the first week of school and given to new families as they enroll. All inquiries, applications, approvals and disapprovals for the program are confidential. Breakfast is not served on delayed opening mornings as lunches begin at 11:00 am.

There is no recess on early release days.

Half Day Lunch Schedule

There is no recess on early release days.

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MEDICATIONS Parents are encouraged to administer medications to their children at home whenever possible. No medication will be administered in school or during school-sponsored activities without written authorization from the parent/guardian and a physician's written order. Any prescribed medication that needs to be administered at school must be in the original bottle and must be accompanied by MCPS form 525-13 (Authorization to Administer Prescribed Medication). All medications must be hand delivered to the school by the parent; under no circumstances will school personnel administer medications brought to school by a student. Over-the-counter medications must be accompanied by a physician's note and are to be administered by the health technician. Please do not send cough drops, throat drops, vitamins, aspirin, Tylenol, etc. to school with your child.

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OFFICE HOURS The school office is open from 8:00 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. each school day.

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PARENT CONFERENCES Two half days are devoted to parent/teacher conferences each November. Teachers ask that parents sign up for a conference time and call to reschedule if they are unable to make their appointment. Parents are welcome to conference with their child's teacher or observe in their child's classroom throughout the year. Conferences and observations must be arranged with the teacher a minimum of one day in advance, as all classes operate on a planned schedule each day.

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PARENT NEWSLETTERS The Bells Mill Beacon- PTA newsletter is sent home with students five times throughout the school year. The Spotlight on Bells Mill is sent home weekly on Fridays and contains important information, reminders, and notices. Please watch for the "blue sheet" in order to stay informed. Parents are also encouraged to sign up to receive BEAR MAIL This system is operated by the PTA and is a great way to receive current and up to date information.

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PICKING STUDENTS UP FROM SCHOOL Once students have arrived at school, they will be released only to their parents or legal guardians or individuals listed on the yellow emergency cards. All students leaving school before the end of the school day must be signed out in the office. If parents want their child to be picked up at school at any time by anyone else, including siblings and grandparents, the parents must send a note to the school stating their wishes and the name of the person who will pick up the child. The person picking up the child should bring picture identification with them to the school office.

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PTA MEETINGS PTA PTA activities are scheduled periodically throughout the year and provide opportunities for families to come together at the school for information, entertainment, and/or socialization. PTA business meetings are scheduled the first Tuesday of each month. A schedule of the exact day and time of each meeting will be published by the PTA. Meetings will also be announced in the Spotlight on Bells Mill and on this web site. All parents are encouraged to attend PTA meetings and activities.

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REPORT CARDS Report cards are distributed four times a year, at the end of each of the nine-week grading periods. The report cards are sent home with students in November, February, and April, and they are mailed home in June. Kindergarten students receive two report cards at the end of each semester.

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RESOURCE STAFF Each classroom teacher conducts an academic program that is designed to meet the needs of students including differentiated enrichment and specialized activities for gifted and talented students. In addition to classroom teachers, Bells Mill has the following resource staff available: art, counselor, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESL), general music, instrumental music, physical education, pupil personnel worker, reading specialist, resource teacher, school psychologist, and speech/language pathologist. Many of these individuals work at our school on a part-time basis.

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SCHOOL OBJECTIVES All Montgomery County Public Schools develop a School Improvement Plan that reflects goals and objectives for the upcoming school year. The plan, developed by a school community group, focuses on increasing reading comprehension through written responses and writing across the content areas. This year we are implementing the Baldrige Tools for School Improvement and will be asking for input from all stakeholders as we develop our school improvement plan.

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STUDENT APPEARANCE We rely on parents' good judgment as to what students should wear to school. In general, students should wear clothes that are safe, do not disturb or distract others, and are appropriate for learning. Hats should be removed when in the school building.

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STUDENTS WHO BECOME ILL AT SCHOOL (See Health Room) Bells Mill has a Health Room located in the main office area. Students who become ill at school may be picked up in the Health Room and should be signed out in the main office. Students who have purchased a school lunch and who leave before lunch time should contact the cafeteria before they leave school that day.

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SCHOOL HOURS The school day for students is 9:10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Students may not enter the building before 8:50 a.m., as adequate supervision is not available.

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SCHOOL SUPPLIES Recommended supply lists for each grade level are available. The PTA also has a few grade level kits available for purchase. Click here for school supply lists

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TELEPHONE USE The school telephones are for school business use only. Students should make all necessary plans and arrangements before leaving home each morning. After school arrangements should not be made during school hours. Students are called to the telephone only in case of emergency. A courtesy phone is available to guests, visitors, and volunteers located across from the Main Office. Students should not use the phone without permission from the main office or his/her teacher.

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TEXTBOOKS Textbooks are furnished to students free of charge with the expectation that all textbooks will be treated with care and returned in good condition. Parents will be charged a replacement fee for any textbook that is lost or damaged beyond reasonable use.

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VISITORS TO THE SCHOOL For the safety and security of our students all visitors to the school - parents, grandparents, volunteers, everyone - must check in at the main office before going anywhere else in the building. If you need to give your child a message, lunch money, homework, supplies, etc. please go to the office. Do not go directly to a classroom for any reason. All visitors must wear identification badges while in the school building.

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VOLUNTEERS Assistance from parent and grandparent volunteers is a welcomed and valuable resource at our school. Volunteers are needed in classrooms, the media center, and cafeteria; please see your child's teacher or inquire in the office if you are interested in volunteering. Volunteers should sign in immediately upon entering the school building and should wear a volunteer badge at all times while in the school for the safety and security of our students.