Parents

Bellamy Procedures and Expectations

Bellamy Elementary School Procedures and Expectations

Drop off/Pick Up Procedures: Students can arrive as a bus rider, car rider, or biker/walker at 7:20am. On the first day of school, parents/guardians may escort their students to the classroom in the morning. Kindergarten parents/guardians may escort their students on the staggered enrollment day and the first full day of school in the mornings. After the first week of school, we ask that you say your goodbyes in the car line, at the gate, or at the front door. This will allow students to walk to their classrooms independently.

A change in a student’s dismissal must occur before 2:00pm, either by calling the office at (910)-350-2039 or emailing info.bellamy@nhcs.net. This is to ensure the safe dismissal of students at the end of the day.

Visitor Procedures:

Check-in required: All visitors must sign in at the front office and wear a visitor badge while on campus. This includes during morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up.

Stay in your designated area: Visitors and volunteers should go directly to their assigned location. For the safety and focus of our students, please do not visit classrooms or other areas without prior approval from the front office.
Check-out before leaving: Before exiting through the front or bus-side doors, all visitors must return to the front office to sign out.

Volunteer Procedures:

In accordance with NHCS Schools Volunteer Policy (5015), all volunteers must complete a Level I Volunteer Orientation each year if they plan to assist at school or chaperone a field trip. Please note that some field trips may require Level II clearance for chaperones.

All volunteers are expected to maintain confidentiality at all times.

We deeply value the time, energy, and care our volunteers contribute, and we are always seeking new opportunities for you to connect with and support our school community.

Birthday/Celebration Procedures:

Any treats brought from home (such as for birthdays) must be store-bought and remain in their original packaging. Celebrations will be scheduled outside of instructional time to protect learning.

For the safety and focus of our students, please do not bring or send presents, balloons, or flowers to school. We are also unable to accept delivery service items, including lunch, for students.

Absences/Tardies:

Students are expected to be in school and arrive on time. Upon the day of return from an absence, please send a note to the teacher explaining the reason for the absence. Illness, injury, death in the immediate family, medical appointments, and religious observances are among the valid excused absences. General travel and family vacations will not be excused. Repeat absences or tardies may result in a referral to the MTSS team and/or a conference with administration.

Bellamy Device Policy

Bellamy Elementary School Personal Device Policy

Purpose

At Bellamy Elementary, our top priority is creating a safe, respectful, and focused learning environment. To support student well-being and academic success, personal electronic devices such as cell phones and smartwatches must be kept Away for the Day.

Policy Overview

What’s expected:

All personal electronic devices (phones, smartwatches, tablets, etc.) must be turned off and stored in backpacks upon arrival on campus.
Devices must remain off and out of sight throughout the entire school day, including class time, transitions, recess, and lunch.
This policy is in effect from arrival to dismissal.

Why?

Minimize Distractions: Personal devices often interrupt learning and interfere with focus.
Encourage Social Growth: Keeping devices put away helps students build real-life friendships and communication skills.
Boost Academic Success: Research shows that students learn and achieve more in schools with “Away for the Day” policies.
Promote Safety: Schools have seen an increase in online bullying and harassment occurring with increased device usage.
Support Mental Health: National experts, including the U.S. Surgeon General, have raised concerns about the impact of social media and screen use on children’s mental well-being.

What Counts as a “Personal Device”?

Any personal electronic device that connects to the internet or records, plays, sends, or receives messages or media. This includes:

Cell phones
Smartwatches
Tablets
Laptops
Bluetooth headphones or earbuds
Gaming devices

Note: School-issued devices used during instruction are not restricted by this policy.

Emergency Communication

If you need to reach your child during the school day, please call the front office. We will make sure messages are delivered promptly. Students who need to call home may request to use the office phone.

Family Support

You can help by:

Reminding your child to keep devices off and in their backpack during the day.
Not expecting to receive messages from your child during school hours.
Considering whether a smartphone is needed at this age—if your child needs a phone for before or after school, a basic phone without internet access is often a better fit.

Consequences for Misuse

Offense	Action Taken
1st Offense	Device is confiscated and held in the front office. Student may pick it up at the end of the day. Parent is notified.
2nd Offense	Device is held in the front office for parent pick-up. Parent is contacted and a plan is discussed.
3rd Offense or More	Device held in office for parent pick-up. Parent meeting scheduled. Additional consequences may include loss of device privileges, ISS or OSS. Repeated misuse may result in the student not being allowed to bring the device on campus.

Exceptions

If your child requires a device for a documented medical or educational reason (e.g., IEP, 504, EAP), please contact the school administration to discuss accommodations.

Thank you for your partnership in helping us keep Bellamy Elementary a safe, supportive, and distraction-free place for learning. If you have any questions, please contact us at info.bellamy@nhcs.net.

References and Resources

Bellamy Attendance Alert

Bellamy Attendance Policy

Everyday Matters~ Missing only two days a month can lead to chronic attendance problems resulting in twenty days of learning missed.

NC Law

“Regular attendance by every student is mandatory.” - NHCS Board Policy 4400

Excused Absences

To excuse an absence, a written excuse signed by the parent/guardian must be presented to the student’s teacher on the day the student returns to school. The following absences may be considered excused: personal illness or injury, isolation ordered by the local health officer, death in the immediate family, medical appointment, court proceedings, religious observance, educational opportunity (required prior principal approval), visitation of legal guardian on military leave from active duty.

Excessive Absences

Students missing 10% of school may be referred to the MTSS team for intervention. Conferences may be requested to address attendance concerns. More than 20 days of absences may result in retention.

Further Documentation

Extended absences are monitored by the school social worker. A statement from the healthcare provider may be required to excuse absences. If absences total 10 days(excused and unexcused) per semester, further documentation may be required (health care, court documentation, etc.)

Late Arrivals and Early Departures

Students who arrive late must be signed in by a parent/guardian/adult in the office. Late arrivals and early departures will be monitored and can be addressed by support staff. If needed, interventions may be requested by the MTSS team.

Arrival: 7:20-7:40 Dismissal: 2:35-3:00
Breakfast ends at 7:35
*No pickup or transportation changes after 2:00

Interventions and MTSS

Teachers, administrators, and the student support team are here to support your student(s) and may put interventions in place through the Multi-Tiered Student Support System (MTSS). The purpose is to work together with families to remove barriers to attending school, to celebrate improvements, and work towards attendance goals.

Notification

Parents will be notified at the third, sixth, and tenth unexcused absence. Conferences may be requested to address attendance issues and/or refer to MTSS intervention.

Referrals

“Continued absenteeism may result in the school system notifying the Department of Social Services, juvenile court or the district attorney that the parent or guardian is not cooperating with the school system in addressing the attendance problem.” - NHCS Board Policy 4400

Board Policy 4400

This flier is meant to serve as a policy guide summarizing elementary attendance expectations. For the full policy, view NHCS Board Policy 4400.

Volunteer Information

How To Become a Certified Volunteer at Bellamy

Volunteers are a vital part of the school community at Bellamy.

Here is some important information about volunteering:

Per NHCS Policy, all volunteers must go through volunteer training each school year.
All field trip chaperones must complete a background check. The background check can take 7 to 10 days to complete. Background checks are good for 3 years.

To become a certified volunteer each year you first need to read through the presentation linked below:

https://new.express.adobe.com/webpage/CEj1D2XoaFiIZ

Next you need to take the quiz linked below:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScVWKaIoXTNFKd1ofLKnSmK0P9Y73Xivcdb156cuEM0AGbnyg/viewform

Email when you are finished at info.bellamy@nhcs.net

If you would like to become a level 2 volunteer, you must complete a background check every 3 years. The background check application costs 22.50 and can accessed here:

https://securevolunteer.com/NHC/home

Thank you for your willingness to partner with us at Bellamy Elementary.

Heyward C Bellamy Elementary

Tabs

Bellamy Procedures and Expectations

Bellamy Device Policy

Bellamy Attendance Alert

Volunteer Information

School Lunch Forms

Food Resourcing

Heyward C Bellamy Elementary