• In October of 2011, 400 Belding students from grades 3-8 watched the opera performance of  Cinderella at Lane Tech High School (sponsored by the Lyric Opera of Chicago)
• On March 2^nd, 2012, nearly 600 students from grades K-8 watched a performance by Piel Morena Company which used dance to promote unity, respect and kindness.
• Over 100 students participated in field trips to the Chicago Botanic Garden, Noble Horse and North Park Nature Center.
• 15 students received vouchers for eye exams and eye glasses
• As of March 2012, 10 students meet every month with an asthma specialist from the MOBILE CARE Foundation. The goal of the foundation is to provide regular treatment, education and medicine to our students.

Teacher Reps:   Michael Westfall and Jean Caldwell

Non-teaching Staff Rep:  Cindy McTigue

Community Reps:    Jihan Abutaleb  and Janine Kostelny

Parent Reps:       NOTE:  Here is where it gets interesting and complicated and involves a four way tie.  Three parent reps were clearly elected:    Margarita Munoz,  Lynn Ankney:, and David Ross

The election resulted in a four-way tie for three available remaining parent rep seats.  Three representatives were selected in a tie-breaker drawing at a special session of the LSC held on April 25:   Patrick Mead,  Aaron Parker, and   Jennifer Bohrer.

5:50 p.m.—Arrive at Belding and sign up for three LABS.  You must have a ticket for each lab activity you want to attend.

6:00—6:30 pm LAB #1;     6:30—7:00 pm LAB #2;    7:00—7:30 pm LAB #3

For every Box Tops for Education coupon you bring in, we receive a rebate from Box Tops. These little coupons add up fast! Classroom contest are going on right now! Bring in your Box Tops to your classroom.

Shop at  ww.boxtops4education.com -

Belding will receive a donation of up to 15% of your purchase — at no extra cost to you. Log on to www.boxtops4education.com and sign up as a Belding supporter, and start earning more for our school right now!

• NO SUGARY SWEETS, CANDY, CUPCAKES, or FOOD of any kind. Instead of a food treat, consider bringing stickers, pencils, or another small token or treat your child can distribute to their classmates.
• Instead of gifts consider sending a favorite picture book or poem of your child. Consider donating the book to the classroom library as a special “birthday gift” to the class. Other students will enjoy reading the book after your visit.

Belding School is participating in Chicago’s “Go for the Gold in Food and Fitness” campaign.  As part of this campaign we are working to eliminate candy, cake and cupcakes from our school day. Feel free to enjoy those treats at home on special occasions. At Belding we are working to make our celebrations healthy!

Friends of Belding is pleased to offer you an easy and cost-effective way to purchase school supplies for next school year. The Belding teachers have created uniform supplies lists for each grade, so you only need to select which grade(s) for which youre purchasing supplies.

There’s just one catch: all orders must be done online and completed by March 30^th, 2012

The upside? There are many:

1.       Super quick

2.       Name brand supplies

3.       Early ordering takes advantage of volume discounts

4.       Small fundraiser for Belding

5.       NO running around prior to back-to-school time

6.       Supplies are delivered directly to Belding before the beginning of next school year

Here’s the link:  www.shopttkits.com, use school code 40492

Questions? Give a holler to ContactFriendsOfBelding@gmail.com

The World Fit Walk is a simple program that begins on April 9th- the day we return after Spring Break. Your child will walk in Physical Education on the school grounds, 40 minutes a day, for six weeks ending on May 25th. S/he will have the opportunity to earn World Fit and President’s Council certificates and Olympic-style medals.

This six week Walk is in its third year in nationwide. It is the incredible success of the Walk to date that convinced me to join the action and get our students involved in this fitness challenge. Below are the details of the Walk that will answer your questions.

The health and fitness of Belding School students needs attention both during AND after school. Please notice as you read, how parents can be involved. I hope each family will embrace the World Fit Walk at home as we are embracing it here in school.

The Faculty and Staff at Belding School appreciates the families of our students and we look forward to your interest and support for the World Fit Walk at our school.

Sincerely, Ms. Hale  (PE Teacher)

What is World Fit? World Fit is a non-profit organization that focuses on fitness and exercise in the lives of middle school students. Each school is assigned an Olympian or a Paralympian athlete to act as a mentor and role model. The Olympian will come to our school to deliver an inspirational speech to motivate the students. The World Fit mission is to mobilize these inspirational world athletes and leaders to create a culture of fitness for children worldwide that will overcome serious lifelong health consequences.

How does World Fit work? Each student that participates in World Fit tallies his/her physical activity on the website  (www.worldfit.org). We compete with other schools in the area to see which school completes the most activity. The friendly competition and the Olympic spirit along with the support of you and our school make World Fit a winning combination.

Why are we doing this? The short answer: for the first time in decades, children are not expected to outlive their parents! Obesity rates have tripled since 1980 and studies show obese children between the ages of 10 and 13 have an 80% chance of becoming an obese adult. In addition, healthcare costs are rising because of obesity ($147 billion annually). We need to break this cycle and help children get on the right path to lifelong fitness and health. Students tell us World Fit has helped them in class with mental clarity, some report weight loss, others have more energy and much more.

What’s YOUR role? There are a few things that you can do as a parent to support your child’s World Fit initiatives. You can walk with your child and help him/her earn “buddy miles”. This is also a great way for you to spend time with your child and to also get some exercise in the process. By registering as a World Fit Buddy, you can log in your own miles for walking or sports and you can donate half of them to any student who is registered in the World Fit Walk. You get the benefit of the exercise and the student and school get the benefit of your miles! However, we hope you will consider walking with your child to show support of his/her participating in the World Fit Walk. With your support, we hope World Fit is the beginning of a lifelong commitment to health and wellness.

For more information, please visit the World Fit website at www.worldfit.org.