Student Handbook

It is a pleasure to welcome you to a new school year at Belmont Central Elementary! Whether you are returning to our school
community or joining us for the first time, we are excited to partner with your family in making this a year of growth, achievement,
and memorable experiences.

As principal, I am incredibly proud of the dedicated teachers, staff, and students who make Belmont Central such a special place.
Every day, our team is committed to creating a positive learning environment where students feel safe, respected, encouraged,
and inspired to do their very best.

At Belmont Central, we believe every child has unique strengths and the potential to achieve great things. We are committed to
providing engaging, high-quality instruction while developing confident, resilient learners who think critically, embrace
challenges, and make a positive impact. Our mission guides our work each day:"Together we will provide opportunities to be role
models who inspire and facilitate the development of diverse students as 21st Century learners."

Partnership is essential to fulfilling that mission. We know that when families and schools work together with a shared purpose,
students experience greater success both academically and personally. We value your involvement and encourage open
communication throughout the school year.

Thank you for choosing Belmont Central Elementary and for allowing us the privilege of being part of your child's educational
journey. We are grateful for your trust and support and look forward to an amazing year of learning, collaboration, and
celebration. If there is ever anything I can do to support your family, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Together, let's make this school year one of our best yet!

Kristin Kiser
Principal

School Hours
7:30 - 2:25
Bus Rider/Walker Dismissal - 2:25
Car Rider Dismissal - Begins at 2:30

Enrollment
700 students

Vision
Our students will be lifelong learners, critical thinkers, and responsible leaders in a global society.

Mission
Together we will provide opportunities to be role models who inspire and facilitate the development of diverse students as 21st century learners.

Colors
Red and White

Mascot
Eagle

Parent Conference Days are currently scheduled for October 15 and March 11. More information will be coming about
procedures for Parent Conference Days. Throughout the school year, parents can schedule a conference with a teacher as
necessary to discuss academic, behavioral, and social-emotional needs.

The Infinite Campus Parent Module provides students and parents a secure website to access grades and attendance. For information or assistance with setting up Infinite Campus Parent Access, please see the receptionist.

Schoology is the GCS Learning Management System (LMS) and is accessible by parents to view assignments, grades, and lesson material.

Automated phone calls will be sent home weekly to update parents about news at Belmont Central.

Our school website is frequently updated to keep students, parents, and the community in the loop on important announcements, news, and events at Belmont Central Elementary.

Our Facebook page is updated regularly. Please visit it at www.facebook.com/BelmontCentralElementary.

Information about bus changes (delayed route times, driver substitutions, etc.) will be sent via Blackboard messaging texts as well as emails and Facebook posts.

Student drop-off begins at 7:10 AM via the front parking lot. We strongly encourage all students to arrive by 7:25 AM to ensure that they have time to get settled and so that instruction can begin on time. Breakfast is served from 7:10 - 7:25. The tardy bell rings at 7:30, and instruction begins. 

After 7:30, students are tardy and parents must come into the school to sign-in their child.

At the end of the day, bus riders and walkers will be dismissed first, with car riders last. A "walker" is a student who lives near the
school campus and is walking to their residence. We strongly discourage students from walking to meet their transportation at a
location other than our school grounds or at FourSquare Church. It is a safety issue because no one is supervising your child once
they leave our school grounds. This also applies to dropping students off at a location other than our school grounds or the
church.

***No student checkouts after 1:55 pm.

Second and Third grade car riders will be picked up at the front circle. Fourth and Fifth grade car riders will be picked up at the bus circle. All families will be given car tags for the dismissal line. This tag must be visible on the dashboard in order to pick up your student at dismissal. 

Any changes to afternoon dismissal must be submitted in writing to the teacher. If we do not receive notice in writing, we will have to send your student home according to how they normally leave school each day. If you fail to send in a note about changes, please call by 1:00 pm so that the message can be delivered to the teacher.

Belmont Central Elementary School provides morning and afternoon bus transportation in conjunction with the other schools
in the feeder area. Our buses are coordinated by BCE/Page administration and South Point High School Business Manager
Ericka Garris. Please become familiar with your child's bus number and driver's name as it will be helpful should you need to contact the school about a bus issue.

To have a student added to a bus route during the school year, a written note must be sent to the office with the student’s name,
grade, and teacher name along with address information. A 24 hour notice is required to be added to a bus route.

Students are expected to follow bus safety rules while they are riding the bus. If a student is not following the expectations for
riding a bus, a student will receive the following disciplinary action steps:

1. Conference with Administration
2. Lunch Detention
3. Bus Suspension

At Belmont Central, we believe that going to school is a student’s job. We feel that a day missed in school is comparable to a parent
missing a day of work. It is logical to assume that academic material covered in a school day would never again be re-taught in
as much detail.

According to the Gaston County School Attendance Policy, after 12 absences, the student does not meet the 94% attendance
requirement for promotion to the next grade level. Students must be in attendance at least 168 days. Only 12 absences, including 
excused and unexcused absences, are permitted each school year.

We will use the Parent Link calling program to contact parents when absences occur. Please contact the school if phone
numbers change, so that we may contact you. 

Please observe the following procedures regarding necessary absences:

• All absences are coded unexcused until a note is brought to school. 
• Bring a note to the teacher WITHIN 3 days of absence stating: child’s first and last name, date(s) & reason for absence. 
• Excused absences include: personal illness, death in the family, court, educational opportunity, doctor appointment and religious holidays. 
• Check with the office for requests for educational opportunity absences. By GCS policy, they must be requested in advance of the absence. Please note that requests for educational opportunity absences must be learning opportunities for students that are related to standards. Family vacations will not be approved. 
• Students are not authorized to leave campus at any time during the school day without permission of school officials. 
• Parents may write notes up through the 10th absence or tardy. 
• After that, parents will need to provide doctors’ notes. After 7 unexcused absences, the school social worker may seek legal mediation through the court system. 
• Gaston County Schools sends home letters informing parents after students have missed 3, 6 and 10 days of school.

Standards Based Grading: Grades 2, 3 and 4
Students in second, third, and fourth grade receive report cards that are standards-based and show how they are progressing in the curriculum. Grades for second, third, and fourth students can be accessed via Schoology. For more information, please see the
Standards-Based Grading handout sent home with this handbook to second, third, and fourth graders.

Grade 5
Students in fifth grade receive letter grade report cards each nine weeks. Teachers enter their grades online in Infinite Campus.
Parents can obtain log-in information from the office about how to access their child’s grades online. Our teachers follow the Gaston County Schools Grading Policy, which has a ten point grading scale:

A = 100 – 90
B = 89 – 80
C = 79 – 70
D = 69 = 60
F = 59 and below

Honor roll is also recognized at the end of the school year for those students in grade 5 who have maintained their grades for the entire year. A child that receives all As for the year is on “A Honor Roll.” A child that receives a combination of As and Bs for the year is on the “A/B Honor Roll.”

Breakfast and Lunch are offered daily in all schools.

A complete school breakfast consists of: an entree made with grain and/or protein, fat free or 1% milk, and fruit and/or juice.

A complete school lunch consists of: an entree made with protein and/or grain, fat free or 1% milk, vegetable, and fruit.

Gaston County Schools maintains a computer system that accounts for students and their cafeteria spending. Check, cash, or money order can be accepted in the school cafeteria. Parents/Guardians may utilize Family Portal Link https://linqconnect.com to pay with their credit or debit card.

Gaston County Schools follows the NC Healthy Schools initiative. Parents are asked to send in healthy snack and lunch options; we recommend that students do not bring sodas or energy drinks for snack or lunch. Students are asked to have a water bottle for their day that contains water.

2026-2027 Meal Prices

Ice Cream
Ice Cream is distributed on Fridays by the classroom teacher after lunch. Students who wish to purchase ice cream must do so by the semester or the year ONLY. Ice Cream for the semester is $12.50 or $25 for the year. Ice cream can be paid for using schoolcashonline.com beginning August 12. No cash accepted. First Ice Cream Friday will be September 18.

Keeping students and staff safe at school is our top priority. Therefore, we conduct monthly fire drills, tornado drills as
scheduled by the state, metal detecting in accordance with GCS policy, and three lockdowns per year, and have a full-time
School Resource Officer on campus. We believe it is important for our students to develop situational awareness and to know
what to do in the event of an emergency. All safety drills are conducted in accordance with the Gaston County Schools
Emergency Plans.

In order to maintain safety at Belmont Central, all visitors to campus must check in at the front office upon arrival and
receive a "Visitor" badge, which is to be worn at all times while on school grounds. To receive a "Visitor" badge, you must
present your driver's license for scanning.

Parent Lunch Guests: We’re excited to welcome families to join their children for lunch again this year! Due to our growing enrollment and the number of classrooms per grade level ( 2 more additional classrooms), we will follow a rotating schedule to help ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience for everyone:

Parent lunches begin September 8 and end on April 29. 

• Monday– 2nd Grade Students and Parents 
• Tuesday-3rd Grade Students and Parents 
• Wednesday-4th Grade Students and Parents 
• Thursday-5th Grade Students and Parents

Please note that parent lunch visits are not available on Fridays to allow for school events and scheduling needs. All parent visitors
must sign in at the front office before heading to lunch and will eat with their child in the designated lobby area. For safety and to
minimize disruptions to learning, parents should remain in the lobby area at all times; students will walk themselves back to class when lunch is over. Due to space limitations, we kindly ask that lunch visits be limited to no more than two guests per student and that guests adhere to student’s lunch time so they may not miss instruction. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding to help us create a safe, welcoming, and well-organized lunch experience for our students and families!

Please read and discuss the Gaston County Student Code of Conduct with your students. We will not tolerate unsafe
behavior which causes a disruption to the learning environment. Students are to respect other students' and staff members'
property and privacy.

The administration reserves the right to handle discipline issues in accordance with the GCS Student Code of Conduct,
including consequences ranging from an administrative conference to out-of-school suspension.

Dress Code. Students should come dressed according to the guidelines in the Code of Conduct. A student's appearance should
not be distracting to other students nor should  it be disruptive to the learning environment. Students should wear tennis shoes on days that they have PE.

Cell Phones and Smart Watches. Student cell phones and smart watches must be off and out of sight during the instructional day.
Devices that are out at inappropriate times may be confiscated and turned into the office for parent pick-up.

Field trips are an important way to extend the educational experience of students. Throughout the year, grade levels will
take field trips to locations in our community and state. Students are required to ride school-provided transportation (bus) to and
from field trip locations. Additionally, students are expected to follow the GCS Code of Conduct while on field trips.

Students must have a signed permission slip in order to attend field trips, and parents can pay any fees associated with trips
via cash, check, or https://schoolcashonline.com. Due to space limitations of groups, only parents who will be acting as
chaperones (and have an approved volunteer application on file) will be permitted to attend field trips.

Medication will be administered to students only if parents have provided written permission on an Authorization of Medication form supplied by Gaston County Schools that is also signed by the student's physician. Medication must be in an updated prescription bottle with the label stating the student's name, dosage, and instructions. Students should never be in possession of medication, even over-the-counter medication, while on school grounds. Authorization of medication forms can be picked up in the front office.

There will be three planned parties during the school year: Halloween, Christmas, and Valentine's Day. Treats may be given
for other holidays. Parents will be invited to attend the Halloween and Christmas parties. Valentine's Day parties will be for
students only.

Students are not allowed to receive flowers or balloons at schools. We are also unable to share student information for birthday party invitations. Teachers are only allowed to distribute invitations for birthday parties if all students in the class are receiving an invitation.

Parents are allowed to send in one store-bought treat for a student's birthday. The treat must be include a visible ingredient list so we can check for potential allergens and ensure the safety of all students. It should be dropped off in the office and will be given to the teacher to give to students after their lunch time. At Belmont Central, we know that birthdays are very exciting and important to students, so we recognize students' birthdays via the morning announcements and a visit to the Principal’s Office for a few treats! We cannot allow deliveries (balloons, flowers, etc.) to students at school on birthdays or other occasions.

Additionally, Belmont Central recognizes students of the month for each class each month. Student incentive celebrations will be held for students who have maintained their academic work and behavior.

All Gaston County Schools are required to file an Asbestos Management Plan. This plan outlines areas at school sites where asbestos is located. The Asbestos Management Plan for Belmont Central Elementary School is available for your inspection in the front office, should you wish to review it.

Information regarding specific school system policies can be found on the GCS website (www.gaston.k12.nc.us) by hovering over the Board of Education tab, then click on the Policies link displayed.