BELL TOP ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
East Greenbush Central School District
39 Reynolds Road, Troy, New York 12180-8695
Telephone: (518) 207-2600  Fax (518) 283-1184
James McHugh
Principal
August 2011
Dear Bell Top Parents, Guardians, and Children,
I am excited to begin the 2011-2012 school year! It is always a pleasure to see our hardworking
students after the summer months and it will be a pleasure to welcome our new students and their
families to the Bell Top School-Community. Each new school year presents many opportunities for
growth and development. Our entire staff will continue to work on creating and maintaining a safe,
supportive, challenging, and engaging environment for all of our students. I hope that you are all
well rested and eager to return to class, begin working, and see all of your friends.
As always, the summer months have been busy in order to prepare for your return. Many of our
staff members have attended various professional development seminars centered on a variety of
educational topics. Staff members have been busy planning their lessons and getting their
classrooms prepared.
I would like to invite all of our parents to attend our Bell Top Elementary School “Back-to-School
Nights” (Open House) which has been scheduled as follows:
o Grades 3 – 5: Thursday, September 15, 2011 from 7:00-8:30 PM
o Kindergarten – Grade 2: Thursday, September 22, 2001 from 7:00-8:30 PM
These evenings provide our parents with an opportunity to meet the staff members that will be
working with their child this school year. On these nights staff members typically provide our
parents with important information regarding the school year, such as: grade level curriculum,
classroom routines, expectations, etc. This night also provides our parents with an opportunity to
ask questions about their child’s classroom, work expectations, routine, etc. These nights do not
provide parents with an opportunity for individual student conferences. Conferences will be held on
November 17th and 30th or as necessary and agreed upon.
I encourage you to regularly visit our school website where you can find many of our district’s and
school’s latest “happenings” such as: classroom supply lists, PTO and principal parent newsletters,
bus routes, school calendar, lunch menus, free and reduced price meal applications, etc.
Our annual “Meet and Greet” for Grade 1 – 5 students and parents has been scheduled for Thursday,
September 1, 2011, from 9:00 – 10:00 AM. This is not mandatory to attend, but provides an
opportunity to allow our students to locate their new classroom, drop off their supplies, and say a
quick hello to staff.
August 31st, September 1st and September 2nd are very busy days for all of our staff members as
everyone is preparing for the opening of school. These days are filled with district and building
meetings, classroom preparations and planning. Staff will be discussing the new Common Core
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Standards, Analyzing and Using Student Assessment Data, Curriculum Mapping, District Policy
Updates, etc.
Just as a reminder, the opening days of school are scheduled as follows:
o Thursday, September 1, 2011: (9:00-10:00) Optional “Meet and Greet” for parents and
students
o Tuesday, September 6, 2011: First day of school for all students in Grades 1 – 5
[Our Kindergarten students will attend school with their parents/guardians by appointment
time only.]
o Wednesday, September 7, 2011: Full day of school for all students in Grades K – 5
o Friday, September 9, 2011: Bell Top’s Ice Cream Social sponsored by our PTO from 6:00
to 8:00 P.M. [Parents/Guardians must accompany their child to this event.]
o Monday, September 12, 2011: String Parent Information Night at Bell Top @ 7:00 PM
o Thursday, September 15, 2011: Bell Top Open House – Grades 3-5 (7:00 – 8:30 P.M.)
o Thursday, September 22, 2011: Bell Top Open House – Grades K-2 (7:00 – 8:30 P.M.)
Due to student enrollment, Bell Top School was allocated an additional section over the summer.
Bell Top’s Classrooms are as follows:
o Mrs. Richardson and Mrs. Ferriero
Kindergarten
o Mrs. Adams
Kindergarten
o Mrs. Gigliello
Kindergarten/Grade 1 Combination Class
o Mrs. Lussier
Grade 1
o Ms. Lyte
Grade 1
o Mrs. Fox
Grade 2
o Mrs. Wilkes
Grade 2
o Mrs. Bennett and Mrs. Cornell
Grade 2/Grade 3 Inclusion Class
o Mrs. O’Connell
Grade 3
o Mrs. Warren
Grade 3
o Mr. Lussier and Mrs. Ferriero
Grade 4
o Mrs. Morgan
Grade 4
o Mrs. Gilligan and Mr. Rivera
Grade 5
o Mrs. Valenti and Mr. Rivera
Grade 5
 Bell Top’s A.M. Arrival and P.M. Departure Policy:
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Parents dropping their child off to school must park their vehicle in the lower parking
lot and then escort their child to the center doors.
Please do not drop children off on Reynolds Road and allow them to cross our bus
entrance area.
Please do not park or pull-in in front of the building (front circle) between 8:40-9:10
A.M. and 3:10-3:40 P.M. as it interferes with our A.M. arrival and P.M. dismissal and it
causes a severe safety hazard for students exiting and entering their buses.
If your child is being dropped off for school after 9:10 A.M., you must accompany your
child/children to the main office so that they can be properly signed in.
Children should not be dropped off prior to 9:00 A.M. There are no available staff
members to supervise children prior to the official start of the school day at 9:00 A.M.
If you arrive at Bell Top before 9:00 A.M., you must remain with your child in the
center foyer area until the morning bell rings.
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o If you need to pick-up your child prior to the PM bus dismissal, please make every
attempt to do so between 3:10 and 3:20 P.M. due to hallway congestion, moderate
parking availability, and the negative impact on your child’s academic time.
o All notes, lunches, materials, etc. should have your child’s full name (first and last)
included on them in order to avoid any confusion.
o Bell Top’s school day begins at 9:10 A.M. and ends at 3:30 P.M. As the school year
progresses the majority of our buses will depart from Bell Top at approximately 3:35
P.M. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at 207-2600.
o At the end of the day, we have a Silent Dismissal so that all staff and students can hear
the announcements. This is necessary due to the logistics of our “load and go”
dismissal and our unique and confined space for all of our buses.
o Students who attend Greenbush Child Care are dismissed from their classrooms at
approximately 3:22 P.M.
o Grade 4 Bus Buddies are dismissed to go assist their “Kindergarten Buddies” at
approximately 3:25 P.M.
o All other students are called for dismissal as their buses arrive here at Bell Top.
o The majority of our buses will depart from Bell Top School at 3:35 P.M.
 School Safety:
o To ensure the safety of our students and staff here at Bell Top School all exterior doors
will be locked at approximately 9:10 A.M. each day. At this time Bell Top goes to our
single point of entry method for all visitors.
o The single point of entry at Bell Top School will remain at the center entrance of our
building. For all individuals that require handicap access to our building, the exterior
doors located by our kitchen area will also be available.
o Each time a guest arrives here at school during the instructional day they will be
required to buzz the main office to gain access to the building.
o All visitors will be instructed to report to the main office to sign-in properly.
o Once a visitor is buzzed into the building, our main office staff will monitor the
visitor’s entry into the school via one of the monitors in the main office.
o When a visitor arrives in the main office they will be required to show a valid ID unless
known by the office staff.
o All visitors to Bell Top will be required to wear a tag that identifies them to all staff
members as a visitor.
o The Bell Top staff understands that all non-staff persons in the building must have this
tag displayed.
o All visitors are required to sign-out of the building in the main office as well. This
procedure allows our staff to properly account for all individuals in the building in case
of an emergency or drill situation.
If you have any questions concerning the opening of school, I encourage you to contact the main
office (207-2600) between 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM during the last two weeks of August.
Please take some time to relax and enjoy your families during the remaining days of summer. I am
sure that this will be a fun and rewarding school year for all.
Best regards,
James McHugh
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