Bellevue Community Schools

Snow Days As the weather gets colder we are beginning to see snow in the forecast. While winter in Michigan is beautiful, it can also create some hazardous traveling conditions. These conditions can sometimes impact school. At Bellevue Community Schools we understand that a snow day may be great for the students, but it makes life harder on families who must now think about child care. That is why when there is enough evidence to support an early call we will make it. Unfortunately, mother nature does not always cooperate and there are storms that come in late at night or early in the morning that surprise us. When this happens Bellevue has a process for thinking through if it is safe for school to open. We begin by coordinating with local road crews. Bellevue Community Schools spans three different counties in Michigan, so we talk with Barry, Eaton, and Calhoun counties. All three of these countries operate differently, so it is very possible that some roads in Barry county are clear and roads in Eaton county are still being worked on. Next, we talk with other school districts to see what their conditions are like. Finally, we consider the temperature. If the temperature with wind chill is below 20 degree Fahrenheit it is not safe to be outside. We try to do all of this before 5:00 am. If the majority of the roads are not safe we will send out an email, text message, phone call, and social media alert. We will also inform television stations: WWMT TV-3, WLNS TV-6, WOOD TV-8, WILX TV-10, WOTV TV-41, FOX TV-47, WLAF TV-53 and radio stations: WMMQ 94.9, WBXX 95.3, WUFN 96.7, WNWN 98.5, WKFR 103.3, WJXQ 106.1, WRKR 107.7, WBCK 930, WKMI 1360. Winter is coming, and with it all the joys that are unique to our great state. While it can create hazardous conditions, Bellevue Community Schools is committed to making sure all students can attend school safely. Go Broncos! Dr. Mark McGarry

First Quarter Honors at the Junior/Senior High School Congratulations Broncos!

No School Tuesday, November 15 CAAC and Math & Science buses will still run from the High School.

No School Tomorrow November 15, 2022 CAAC and Math & Science bus will still pick up from the High School.

We have need to do another round of voting for our the Bronco Logo. After going through the data we noticed that people had the ability to vote multiple times. This meant that one person could influence the results of the survey by voting for the same image more than once. We want to make sure that everyone’s vote counts equally, so we are going to reopen the survey through Thursday, November 17. Please limit votes to one vote per person, so the results will reflect the community’s voice. The survey is now live on Facebook and on the district webpage. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSco9-_9w4Rg2xHYZiaL15YnyacMld_KZHGLEafpwC3qg5wicQ/viewform Go Broncos! mcgarrym@bellevue-schools.com

Child Tax Credit Families with no income or low income could get at least $3,000 per child with the Child Tax Credit, plus $1,400 with the third stimulus payment - even if they have never filed taxes before (and if they have not yet already filed taxes this year. There is an easy form for people to file on their mobile devices in 15 minutes or less in English or Spanish. People have until November 15 to sign up this year at Get CTC. https://www.getctc.org/en

New Bronco Logo We have need to do another round of voting for our the Bronco Logo. After going through the data we noticed that people had the ability to vote multiple times. This meant that one person could influence the results of the survey by voting for the same image more than once. We want to make sure that everyone’s vote counts equally, so we are going to reopen the survey through Thursday, November 17. Please limit votes to one vote per person, so the results will reflect the community’s voice. The survey is now live. Go Broncos! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSco9-_9w4Rg2xHYZiaL15YnyacMld_KZHGLEafpwC3qg5wicQ/viewform

Bronco of the Month Bellevue Community Schools is looking to lift up our amazing staff. The below survey will live and on our website. We encourage community and staff to highlight our amazing staff members. Once a month two nominated staff members will be randomly chosen to be spotlighted. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScHBMbAN2WfoWbcYYj9rWqMFJZG4wB4dgvStvSPBnDJzp2EmA/viewform

This week we had to cancel a bus route twice, and during those messages I mentioned that we are working to fix the problem. It is easy for people to say that they are trying, but it is often hard to see the process. I wanted to share some of the solutions we have considered. Thank you to all the community and staff who have helped with this brainstorming process by providing feedback and suggestions. Our first consideration was a past practice of combining our town route with whatever route was being canceled. However, we already folded our town route into our current five routes, so this was no longer an option. Another consideration was combining some of our existing routes, but this could extend the routes to almost two hours. We did not feel this was healthy for students, so are not considering this option. We then considered doing a double-run. This is where a driver finishes one route and then immediately does another route. This could lead to some students not arriving to school until 9:00 am or getting home until 6:00 pm. In each instance we have continually come back to needing to find additional substitute drivers. We are blessed that some people who stepped up and are willing to drive, but they need to be properly certified. We are in the process of finding a CDL trainer for those willing to be drivers. This is great news for the district. Additionally, we are working to make sure there is staff available earlier, especially at the elementary, to support families if a route is canceled. We know the route cancelations have been an inconvenience and add a sense of uneasiness. That is why were are working hard to consider all possibilities. Please contact me if you have additional ideas or are interested in being a substitute bus driver. When we work together, there is nothing we cannot do. Go Broncos! mcgarrym@bellevue-schools.com

Happy Friday, With the election next Tuesday we wanted to make sure you knew all the write-in candidates running for various positions. Bellevue has five (5) write-in candidates running for Board of Education seats in addition to the three (3) who will appear on the ballot. If you would like an opportunity to meet some of the candidates before voting on Tuesday, Bellevue Community Schools is hosting a Meet the Candidate night on Monday, November 7 at 6:30 pm in the Jr/Sr High library. We hope to see you there. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1PbNQr3m8P5wFvQV1FiIVmeVzLD8tPOmW/view?usp=sharing

Good Evening Broncos, We deeply apologize for the inconvenience, but both our driver and sub drivers are unavailable tomorrow (11/4/22). As result, there will be no AM or PM run for Route 3. We understand this is two days in a row and that this is a burden. Please know we actively looking for additional substitute drivers. If you are interested in becoming a driver, please let us know at 269-763-9432. As a reminder, Route 3 is typically bus 15-1 and serves north west of Bellevue which includes Hill Rd/5 Point Hwy/M66/Cox Rd/Stoney Point. Dr. McGarry Superintendent

Good Evening Broncos, We apologize for the inconvenience, but both our driver and sub driver are unavailable tomorrow (11/3/22). As result, there will be no AM or PM run for Route 3. As a reminder, Route 3 is typically bus 15-1 and serves north west of Bellevue which includes Hill Rd/5 Point Hwy/M66/Cox Rd/Stoney Point. We continue to look additional drivers. If you are interested in becoming a driver, please let us know at 269-763-9432. Dr. McGarry Superintendent

Stampede Correction: There was a calendar error in this week's Stampede. Bellevue students do have school on November 21 and 22. Thanksgiving break is November 23-25.

Halloween is always a great time at Bellevue Community Schools. Our Culinary Crew really knows how to do things right.

Halloween is a wonderful community holiday. It is a time to meet your neighbor and get candy! In children’s (and adults’) excitement to get candy it is important to keep in mind some important safety tips. Please make sure all young children are accompanied by an adult. Consider reviewing the route older children will take, if going without an adult, and agree upon a specific return time. Remind children to only go to homes that are well lit and familiar. As adults, if we are driving it is important to remember: Watch for children walking on the roadway, medians, and curbs. Enter and exit driveways and alleyways carefully. When we watch out for one another we guarantee a fun and safe Halloween experience. Go Broncos!

Great news Bronco family, One of our sub drivers rearranged their schedule to make sure our students have a ride to school tomorrow morning. We deeply appreciate her dedication to students' education. Route 3 will run as normal in the AM and PM tomorrow (October 26).

Attention Bronco Families: We deeply apologize, but Route 3 (Mrs. Vicky's route) which consists pf areas north west of Bellevue (Hill Rd/5 Point Hwy/M66/Cox Rd/Stoney Point/Hardware store) will not be able to run in the AM tomorrow (October 26). Route 3 does have a driver for the PM drop-off.

It is not too late to let your vote be known for the updated Bronco logo. The survey will close this Friday (October 28). https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSejA2m0XGIcRUz-l3E2k1Kn4EnzzRI4qSx5qtFnkJub2ZsAOQ/viewform?vc=0&c=0&w=1&flr=0

Dear Bronco Families, It is our goal to be open and transparent in all that we do. We appreciate how the community came together yesterday and supported students and staff when we needed to cancel an afternoon bus route. While we hope this is not a regular occurrence, it became clear to us that we have not adequately communicated our bus routes or drivers. Our hope is it to rectify this by providing the below descriptions**. Please also know that bus information is located in the Skyward Parent Portal. I also encourage families to occasionally be at the bus stops, to meet our amazing and hard working bus drivers. Route 1: Driver: Rachel Pennock Bus #: 15- 8 Description: East of Bellevue - Hall Rd./ Battle Creek Hwy then West of Bellevue- Battle Creek Hwy/Huff Rd/Jones Rd/Love Rd. Route 2: Driver: Mike Day Bus #: 08-12 Description: North of Bellevue - Ionia Rd/Young Rd/Follett/Kalamo Route 3: Driver: Vicky Sandberg Bus #: 15-1 Description: North West of Bellevue - Hill Rd/5 Point Hwy/M66/Cox Rd/Stoney Point Route 4: Driver: Michaela Ultz Bus #: 15-3 Description: All south roads of Bellevue - 12 Mile Rd/14 Mile Rd/15 Mile Rd/16 Mile Rd/R Drive/P Drive/Ionia Rd/Burton Route 5 Driver: Geoff Boden Bus #: 14-16 Description: West of Bellevue - Tasker Rd/M66/Keyes/Day Rd/ Jenkins Rd/Wolf Rd Go Broncos! Dr. Mark McGarry Superintendent mcgarrym@bellevue-schools.com **These are not all of the roads that drivers go on their route, but a general location and well known roads.

Dear Families, Due to a shortage of bus drivers, route 3, Bus 15-1, will not run this afternoon. We understand this is an inconvenience. If your child rides route 3, Bus 15-1, they will need to be picked up after school today. This is normally Mrs. Vicky's route. Dr. Mark McGarry Superintendent