The Bear Bulletin www.lex5.k12.sc.us/Ballentine.

cfm
A South Carolina Red Carpet School
An Exemplary Writing School
2006 State Winner of the S.C. International Reading Assoc. Exemplary Reading Award

The Bear Bulletin

VOLUME 8, ISSUE 1 SEPTEMBER 3, 2009

From the Principal

Robin W. Bright
“Excellent” Report Card
Rating
2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06,
This is the LAST Bear Bulletin EVER!
2006-07, 2007-08 & 2008-09 Well, not really, but it is the last paper version that you will
Closing the Achievement Gap receive! Ballentine Elementary is doing our part to conserve
Recognition 2003-04, 2004-05,
2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08 & our resources. We will continue to communicate school
2008-09 events and other instructional tips through The Bear Bulletin,
just not in paper form. We will update The Bear Bulletin
weekly and post it on our website and also send it electroni-
Calendar of cally to our teachers to send home via email with their class-
room newsletters. This will save approximately 3000 copies per week! That’s a lot of
Events paper! We hope that you will continue to stay abreast of the happenings at BES and join
us as we do our part to make the world a better place!
September
• Sept. 7: Labor Day
Holiday! All schools

•
closed.
Sept. 8: MAP Test-
Car Line
Info
ing Begins, grades
2-5
• Sept. 13: Happy
Grandparents Day!
• Sept. 23: Early Re-
lease Day, 11:40 In response to the many parent requests we have received to address the safety issue
dismissal of the car line entrance and exit, we have consulted with the Richland County Sherriff’s
department, the State Highway Patrol, our District Transportation office and our District
October Coordinator of Security and Safety. As a result, there are two important changes to the
• Oct. 5: Sonic Night, entrance/exit that you will need to become very familiar with.
5-8 p.m. First, there will be a one entrance lane and one exit lane. Orange traffic cones will be
• Sept. 9: Picture placed to help designate the lanes.
Day! Secondly, the exit lane will be a RIGHT TURN ONLY lane during the hours of 7:00am –
• Oct. 12: Student 8:00am and 2:00pm – 3:00pm.
Holiday, Teacher These changes will take place immediately and will be enforced by local law enforce-
Professional Devel-
opment Day ment agencies.

• Oct. 22: Early Re- We also encourage you to explore alternate routes home to avoid long lines at the end
lease Day, 11:40 of Bickley Road. For example, turning left onto Wise Rd and then taking the next left will
dismissal bring you right back up to just past the CVS.
• Oct. 27: Health The most efficient way to get children to school on time and home quickly is to let them
Screening Day ride the bus. In the afternoons, the busses leave school grounds before car line stu-
• Oct. 31: Happy Hal- dents are even dismissed, and most arrive home before 3:15. For more information,
loween! contact our District Transportation office.
THE BEAR BULLETIN PAGE 2

Car Line Info Continued.

Parents who need to park should proceed slowly and with caution when passing others in the car line. Please note
- priority will be given to cars unloading and loading in the car line and you may be asked to wait for traffic to pass
before being allowed to cross.
We are monitoring the traffic around our school in general as this area grows with new businesses popping up al-
most daily. We are hoping that the local community and parents will look into alternate routes that will facilitate
morning and afternoon commutes. Thank you for your input regarding the safety concerns of the carline. We appre-
ciate your cooperation and support as we work to implement these new procedures.

In order for the car line to run as smoothly, efficiently and safely as possible,
please adhere to the following procedures.

Morning drop off

⇒ Students may not enter the school building before 7:10. BES will not provide supervision of students
prior to 7:10 a.m. Staff members will be on duty at 7:10 to assist with the unloading of car riders.

⇒ The drop off area runs the entire length of the sidewalk. When dropping off your child, please pull as far for-
ward as possible, so we can unload multiple cars at one time. Please do not stop in front of the cafeteria
doors. This causes traffic to back up and makes the drop off process less efficient.

⇒ Students may not be dropped off in the parking lot to cross by themselves. You must park in a parking space
and escort your child across the crosswalk. Please note - priority is given to cars in the drop off line and you
may be asked to wait for traffic to pass before being allowed to cross.

⇒ Parking along a curb is not permitted and causes more congestion. In addition, please refrain from using the
handicap spaces unless the child or the parent escorting the child into the building has a genuine need and
proper handicap decals are clearly displayed.

⇒ When exiting the driveway onto Bickley Road, please note that during drop-off times (7am – 8am) you may
only turn right. This will strictly be enforced by local law enforcement.

Afternoon pick up
⇒ The end of the school day is very busy with students and teachers moving through the hallways in prepara-
tion for dismissal. Therefore, for the safety of our children, we ask that you remain in your car in the carpool
line during dismissal. Never leave your car unattended in the car line. This causes traffic to back up and
makes the pick up process less efficient.
⇒ Please refrain from congregating inside the building, the hallways or outside of the school building during
dismissal time as this increases congestion.
⇒ Car riders will be dismissed from the car line only. Teachers will not be allowed to dismiss children from
the classroom or hallways during dismissal time. If a parent wishes to pick up a child before the desig-
nated dismissal time, please follow the early dismissal procedures as outlined in the student handbook.
VOLUME 8, ISSUE 1 PAGE 3

⇒ The loading area runs the entire length of the sidewalk. Please do not leave open spaces, even if your child
is near the car. When picking up your child, please pull as far forward as possible, so we can load multiple
cars at one time.
⇒ When exiting the driveway onto Bickley Road, please note that during dismissal times (2pm – 3pm) you
may only turn right. This will strictly be enforced by local law enforcement.

Thank you for helping to make the car line as

safe and efficient as possible for everyone!

WELCOME BACK!
Dear Parents and Students,
Welcome to the 2009-2010 school year! Another exciting year has been planned at BES
that is sure to be full of wonderful learning opportunities for your child. This year’s theme of
“Doing our part to make the world a better place” will serve as a reminder to us all that it is
up to each one of us to do our part, to make a positive contribution to society in some way.
Whether through recycling at school and at home, increasing our awareness of energy conservation by turning off
extra lights, or by showing kindness to our classmates, we believe that we can make a positive difference in our
world, and it starts with each one of us pulling our weight, doing our part. At Ballentine, the faculty and staff are
committed to making the world a better place and we strive to do our part by being a strong, successful school and
team. We encourage parents and community members to “do your part” and become involved in the school and
our many initiatives!
Our faculty and staff eagerly await the opportunities that a new school year brings. We encourage your participation
in this effort and seek your support and cooperation as we work together to make this our BESt year yet! My door
is always open to you, so please feel free to stop by, call, or email me. If I am not able to talk with you immediately,
I will contact you as soon as possible.
Sincerely, Welcome to Our New
Robin W. Bright
Faculty & Staff
Principal Ashley Briggs – 3rd Grade

Absence Notes Brenna Kendrick – 5thGrade

Annette Farrell – PT Spanish
Parents, please remember that no child can be ex-
pected to be successful in school if attendance is ir- Dawn Reitz – PT Music
regular. A student should be in school every day that Malanda Goode – Custodian
he/she is physically able. Whenever possible, medical,
dental and other appointments should be made for
non school hours. Please make every effort to plan Quick Tips for Success in
family vacations and trips around student holidays and
in-service days. In addition, you must send a note with Parent Conferences
your child when they return to school following an ab-
sence. All absence notes must be sent to the office Write down your questions in advance.
within 3 days of the absence regardless of the reason Don’t hesitate to ask questions.
for the absence. A student is considered truant if they
are absent for 3 consecutive days without a note or if Stay focused on the needs of your child.
they are absent for 5 non-consecutive days without a
note. Truancy will result in a referral to school admini- Take notes.
stration to assist parents in developing a plan to ad- Share information freely.
dress this issue.
Relax! We are in this TOGETHER!
THE BEAR BULLETIN PAGE 4

Be on time!
Being tardy causes students to miss important instructional time. It is imperative that children are
brought to school on time. The school day begins at 7:50 a.m. A student arriving after 7:55 a.m.
will be marked tardy. Students arriving after 8:15 should be escorted to the office by a parent to
sign in and obtain a tardy pass before reporting to class. A written excuse explaining the reason
for tardiness is required. Only valid reasons (car trouble, sick, etc.) will be marked as “excused tardy.” Oversleep-
ing or traffic in the car line are NOT considered “excused” tardies. The principal will notify parents when a child has
ten or more tardies and a conference may be required to develop an attendance improvement plan.

Welcome to Ballentine!
We welcome visitors and guests to our school! We do
require that you stop in the office to sign in and obtain a
VISITOR/GUEST sticker before entering the halls or
classrooms. This is done for the protection of your chil-
dren. Our “open door” policy encourages parents to visit
in their children’s classrooms as long as their presence
does not disrupt instruction. We do ask that you not inter-
rupt instruction to speak with your child’s teacher.
Younger siblings may not be brought to the class-
room during instructional time. Thank you for your
help with this!
…
The TERRIFIC KID for this week is: Molly Salas
STUDENT COUNCIL….. Our first Student Council
meeting is September 11th at 7:10 A.M.
HANDY HELPERS…. Handy Helper applications will
be going out in the next two weeks. Parents, please
make sure you sign your child’s application before
sending it back to Mrs. Weaver. Thank you!
NEW STUDENTS... Welcome to our new students. We
are so glad you are here. You are now in Bear Coun-
try! We are Ballentine!

Elementary District Honor Choir Auditions 2009-2010

Our Elementary District Honor Choir will hold auditions for all interested 4th and 5th graders.
If you were in this choir last year as a 4th grader, you still must audition for this year. This group meets once a week
on Wednesday afternoons from 3:45 - 5:00 at Irmo Elementary.
They prepare fun and challenging vocal music for performances throughout the year.
Some of our previous events have been:
• Singing at the Governor’s Carolighting
• Singing in Washington DC
• Singing in Walt Disney World
• Competing at Carowinds Choral Festival

If you love to sing and would like to explore new and exciting music, you should audition for this Choir! Auditions will
be held at BES the week of September 8-11. If you are interested, please send a self-addressed stamped envelope
to Mrs. Lee.

Ballentine Elementary
School District Five of Lexington and Richland Counties does 1040 Bickley Road
not discriminate based on race, color, national origin, sex or
handicap in admission to, treatment in or employment in its
Irmo, SC 29063
programs and activities. The following persons have been
designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination Phone:
policies: Dr. Angela Bain, Title IX Coordinator, and Marlene (803) 476-4500
Metts, 504 Coordinator, 1020 Dutch Fork Road, Ballentine, SC
29002, (803) 476-8100.
Fax:
(803) 476-4520