Thomas M. Balliet Elementary School

September 2020

Dear Balliet Families:

Welcome back to our returning Balliet families and welcome to our new Balliet families! In these unprecedented times it is more important than ever to come together as a family to support the work that is before us all on behalf of our amazing students! I am proud of our Balliet families for all efforts that were made to continue to engage our students in their learning. Our Balliet team is energized and ready to continue the work of providing your child with quality teaching and learning experiences remotely. Our Educators have been working tirelessly throughout the summer to plan for robust remote learning. We will continue with our Balliet mission which is to engage, inspire and educate every student! Our vision- “Children are our greatest Educators”.

Educators will deliver differentiated and engaging remote instruction utilizing technology, student choice, and collaboration. Your child will be valued and inspired to do his/her personal best. The school administration and faculty will focus on high academic achievement and proficiency for all students. Students in grades 2-5 will be instructed by both grade level teachers one for ELA/Social Studies and the other for Math/Science. This year we will continue to offer Art and Music!

We need your help to accomplish this mission! Please see the following bulleted items.

• Fill out the parent Emergency Form online- https://bit.ly/spsfamilypacket
• Make sure your child attends remote school on time 8:30-3:30 daily, dressed appropriately (uniforms are not mandatory during remote, but encouraged for routine). Attendance will be taken daily. The Attendance Policy still applies.
• Create a space for learning at home (eliminate distractions)
• Check in to support student engagement with all learning
• Communicate with your child’s teachers
• Support students log in to Schoology- utilize this platform for communication

There will be many virtual opportunities during the school year for families to get involved in our school community. We began with Student/Parent Orientations and there will be many more activities! We look forward to having you being a part of as many of these events as possible!  We also invite you to be a part of the Balliet PTO. Let’s keep parent engagement going! Please speak to our Parent Facilitator, Mrs. Matrow, or the PTO President, Christy Webster to see how you can get involved.

Explicitly teaching our Balliet Core Values of Bee Kind.. Bee Safe.. Bee Smart supports all of us in making our vision a reality. In your packet you will find the PBIS Matrix with definitions of our Core Values & Expectations for the school. We ask that you review these with your child prior to remote school starting and help us reinforce them throughout the school year. All Balliet Staff will positively reinforce Beehive expectations by giving students Balliet Bucks when they see students exhibiting their core values.

Below are important reminders!

• Our first day of school for Grades 1-5 is Tuesday, September 15, 2020. Kindergarten begins on Monday, September 21st and Preschool begins on Monday, September 28th.
• Balliet Student/Parent Orientation Day September 11- Grades K-5; September 14 Preschool. Schedule with times and Zoom Orientation Links are posted on the school website. Go to Events, Orientation Schedule- Links. If you cannot attend the Orientation, a recording will be posted on the school website.
• I encourage you to view our school page via the Springfield Public Schools website. We will post as many things electronically as possible.
• The monthly school calendar will also be posted on the website at the beginning of each month. It will provide information on school activities, events, and other important dates. The Balliet Family Newsletter from the Parent Facilitator will also be posted.
• Check out our school sign, located in the front of the building, for important dates as well.

All the Best,

Principal Montano