Bentley Homecoming 2026: Traditional Parade Route Restored!

We heard you loud and clear! When we recently announced the shift to an on-campus parade route, our goal was to create a safe, welcoming experience for our students and the broader community. However, your feedback underscored that our traditional route down Belsay and Court Street is a cherished piece of Bentley history that belongs to the whole community.

On Friday, September 11, we are returning to our parade route of years past!

Parade & Game Day Details:

• 4:45 PM—Staging will once again take place at Crystal Field House Ice Arena.
• 5:30 PM—The parade will travel down Belsay Road, turn onto Court Street, and finish at the high school campus.

Join us in lining the streets to honor our 2026 Grand Marshall, Dawn McDaniel, celebrating her decades of unwavering support for our school and community!

Head straight to the stadium following the parade as our Bulldogs take on the Brown City Green Devils, with the Homecoming Queen crowned at halftime.

We apologize for any confusion or frustration the route change caused. Homecoming belongs to all of us—our students, staff, families, and alumni—and we cannot wait to fill the streets with our red and white spirit next week.

Bring your chairs, your loudest cheers, and your Bentley pride. Let's make this a storybook Homecoming to remember!

Whether you are building a house of bricks, donning a red riding hood, or trotting across a troll’s bridge, Bentley’s 2026 Homecoming is arriving early, and the magic kicks off next week with our storybook theme: "Fairytales: Once upon a time..."

Bentley High School Spirit Week & Class Themes

• Tuesday, Sept 8: Fairytale Character Day (Dress as your favorite hero, villain, or storybook legend!)

• Wednesday, Sept 9: Anything But a Backpack Day

• Thursday, Sept 10: Class Colors & Hall Decorating

  • Freshmen and 6th graders (Purple): The Ugly Duckling

  • Sophomores and 7th graders (Red): Little Red Riding Hood

  • Juniors and 8th graders (Green): Three Billy Goats Gruff

  • Seniors (Pink): The Three Little Pigs

• Friday, Sept 11: Full Bentley Spirit Day (Student-only pep assembly on Friday afternoon)

Bentley Middle School Spirit Week Themes

• Tuesday, Sept 8: Dress as Your Favorite Fairy Tale Character

• Wednesday, Sept 9: Mad Hatter Hat Day

• Thursday, Sept 10: Once Upon a Snooze Pajama Day

• Friday, Sept 11: Bentley Spirit Day

Barhitte Elementary School Spirit Week Themes

• Tuesday, Sept 8: Crazy Hair Day

• Wednesday, Sept 9: Dress Like a Staff Member

• Thursday, Sept 10: Grade Fairy Tale Theme

  • Kindergarten: Chicken Little

  • 1st Grade: The Tortoise and the Hare

  • 2nd Grade: Goldilocks & the Three Bears

  • 3rd Grade: Peter Pan

  • 4th Grade: Snow White & the Seven Dwarves

  • 5th Grade: Alice in Wonderland

• Friday, Sept 11: Bentley Bulldog / Red & White Day

Bentley Little Bulldogs Spirit Week Themes

• Tuesday, Sept 8: Crazy Hair Day

• Wednesday, Sept 9: Favorite Character Day

• Thursday, Sept 10: Bentley Bulldog / Red & White Day

Mid-Week Alumni and Powder Puff Games: Wednesday, Sept 9

• 5:30 PM: Annual Alumni Game, followed immediately by the high-stakes Powder Puff Game ($5 admission at the gate as a prom fundraiser).

• Homecoming King Crowning: The King will officially take the crown during Wednesday night's festivities!

Friday Night Lights & Parade: Sept 11

• The Bulldogs take on the Brown City Green Devils under the Friday night lights, with the Homecoming Queen crowned at halftime. Because game day is early this year, the entire school is combining forces to build one massive, community-crafted float!

• We are also thrilled to honor long-time community champion Dawn McDaniel as our 2026 Homecoming Grand Marshall for her decades of dedication to Bentley.

PARADE ROUTE CHANGE & Campus Traffic Details

To keep things warm, welcoming, and safe, the parade route is getting an upgrade. It will launch at Bentley Little Bulldogs, cross the short stretch of Belsay Road into the North Campus entrance, wind through campus, and wrap up at the football field (see included map).

• Best Viewpoint: Park in the athletic lot and walk to the western perimeter of campus to cheer everyone on (see included map)!

• 5:15 PM: Staging for parade at Bentley Little Bulldogs

• 5:45 PM: Belsay Road entrance closes (there will be continued access to the athletic lot from the Court St entrance until 6:15 PM).

• 6:00 PM: Parade begins

• 6:15 PM: Court Street entrance (athletic lot access only) closes.

• 6:15 PM – 6:30 PM: Campus completely shuts down to vehicle traffic for about 15 minutes while the parade clears Court Street entrance. Please arrive early!!

The Royal Ball: Saturday, Sept 12

• 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM at Bentley High School

• Tickets: $15 in advance ($20 at the door)

• Includes a DJ, magical decorations, delicious snacks, and plenty of dancing.

Bring your Bulldog pride, your loudest cheer, and the whole family to our homecoming festivities—let's make this year's Homecoming a fairytale to remember!

Bold Students,

The Bentley Staff want to see every single one of you succeed, but we have reached a critical point. Recently, a significant number of students have been inactive, missing weekly login requirements, and falling behind on assignments.

Our staff spends an immense amount of time continually tracking down students who fail to participate. This takes vital resources away from supporting the students who are actively engaging and doing the work. Education is a powerful tool and a critical investment in your future...it should never be taken for granted.

Having the flexibility of an online program is a privilege, not a loophole. We are well aware that some participants are using this flexibility primarily to maintain outside employment or personal schedules at the expense of their studies. While we understand balancing life is difficult, abusing this flexibility by neglecting your education is unacceptable.

Moving forward, we are enforcing strict accountability. Every student must meet the following requirements each week:

Log into the learning platform consistently throughout the week.
Complete all assigned coursework on time.
Communicate by promptly returning phone calls and emails.

Failure to meet these weekly login and coursework completion standards will result in immediate, non-negotiable disciplinary actions:

Revocation of Work Permits: Any authorization or approval for outside work tied to this program will be instantly revoked.

Program Removal: You will be officially dropped from the program.

Truancy Reporting: You will be reported in accordance with our school policy on attendance

We want you to stay, study, and graduate, but you must meet us halfway. If you want the benefits of BOLD, you must put in the work.

We have allowed too much flexibility in the past, but we can no longer do so. This will be your first and only reminder to take care of your responsibilities as a student.

Thank you!

-Mr. Dickerson-
-Mr. Stone-

Attention Bentley Community:

Our front offices (MS/HS) are the heartbeat of our schools. They are busy places where students seek help, staff coordinate daily operations, and visitors get their first impression of our schools. To ensure a safe, welcoming, and productive environment for everyone, we must maintain a high standard of mutual respect and that starts with how adults communicate in the offices.

Recently, we have experienced an increase in tense interactions, raised voices, and inappropriate language directed at or used in front of our main office staff. (This also includes on the phone interactions)

Additionally, students frequently witness these adult exchanges. When students see parents or adults speaking disrespectfully to educators, secretaries, or administrators…or hear profanity used casually in the office…it undermines the behavioral standards we work hard to teach them every day.

The Impact of Adult Behavior on Students

* Undermining Our Culture: Students mirror what they see. When adults model hostility or disrespect toward school staff, it teaches students that authority figures do not need to be treated with dignity.

* Creating an Unsafe Environment: The main office should feel secure and calm for all students. Volatile outbursts create unnecessary anxiety and distress.

Expectations and Guidelines for Office Interactions

To protect the integrity of our school environment, the following standards are strictly expected of all visitors, parents, and staff:

* Professional Tone: Disagreements and frustrations happen, but they must be expressed calmly and respectfully. Personal attacks, insults, and screaming will not be tolerated.

* Language Standards: Clean, appropriate language must be used at all times. The use of profanity or aggressive phrasing in the presence of students is strictly prohibited.

* Resolution Protocols: If a parent or visitor is upset, we are committed to scheduling a private conference or meeting in a designated space to address concerns constructively, rather than airing them out in a busy, student-filled lobby.

* Identification for check-out: *This is and will always be required (no exceptions) Please have your ID on you when signing out a student*

Consequences for Non-Adherence

While we always prefer collaboration, the safety and well-being of our staff and students come first. Failure to adhere to these standards of respect will result in the following progressive consequences:


* Loss of In-Person Privileges: Individuals who use aggressive language or refuse to calm down will be asked to leave the premises immediately.

* Trespass Warnings: Persistent verbal abuse, harassment of staff, or threatening behavior will result in an official trespass warning from the district, barring the individual from school grounds.

* Law Enforcement Involvement: In cases involving explicit threats, physical intimidation, or refusal to leave school property when requested, local law enforcement will be contacted to ensure the safety of our staff and students.

We are all on the same team, working toward the success and safety of our students. By modeling patience, civility, and respect, we show our students what true community leadership looks like.

Thank you for your cooperation, understanding, and commitment to respectful interactions with our front office staff(s)!

-Mr. Dickerson-
-Mr. Edmonds-
-Mr. Stabile-

Bus stop information has been updated and sent via email to all parents who have had their transportation requests processed. More coming this evening. If you did not receive a "Waypoint" email, then your request has not been processed yet or your contact information is incorrect. Be sure to check your email junk/spam folders! For more information see our Transportation page.

https://www.bentleyschools.org/page/transportation

Dear Families,

Welcome back! We are thrilled to have your students with us for another great school year.

As we settle into our new routines, we need to make a few adjustments to our bus schedules. While your bus stops will likely remain the same, the pick-up and drop-off times will shift around for the rest of the week as new transportation requests are processed.

Here is what to expect over the next few days:

• Each day, around 6pm, we will email you the revised bus times for the following morning.

• The first official time changes will take effect this Wednesday.

• We plan to have all the wrinkles ironed out and a more permanent schedule in place by next Monday.

This is also a reminder to all parents that if we do not have accurate smartphone numbers AND email addresses in ParentVUE, you will NOT be able to receive bus stop information. Please take this opportunity to ensure that this information is accurate as soon as possible!

Thank you for your patience as we get our routes perfectly dialed in for the year ahead!

Wishing you a wonderful week,
The Transportation Department

Bus stop information has been sent via email to all parents who requested transportation this year.
Be sure to check your spam folders! For more information see our Transportation page.

Dear Families,

Welcome to the start of a new school year! We are thrilled to have your children with us, and we are very happy to be able to provide transportation for our students.

To give you a glimpse into our daily operations, we are currently routing approximately 400 students across two different time frames (elementary and secondary) using three buses. Our ultimate goal is always to get your kids to and from school safely and in the shortest amount of time possible.

Creating these routes is a complex process. Every time a new student is added, adjustments must be made to the entire route. When designing these schedules, we have to carefully balance several variables, including:

• Student Age: Providing safe, door-to-door service for our youngest learners (preschoolers and kindergartners).

• Location Safety: Evaluating whether a pickup is on a busy main road (like Belsay or Lapeer) or a quieter secondary road (like Rinn or Roberta).

• Medical Accommodations: Ensuring strict adherence to accommodations for students with medical needs.

Our biggest challenge in creating solid, consistent routes at the beginning of the year comes from families registering their children after our August 18 deadline. Because route creation is a highly connected and time-consuming process, every late addition impacts the pickup and drop-off times for everyone else. 

Because of these ongoing adjustments, our final routes are not quite ready to be sent out today. However, you will receive your child's specific route details via email by Sunday afternoon. 

We kindly ask for your patience, grace, and understanding as we smooth out our routes over the next 10 days or so. It is very much a process, but things will settle into a predictable routine soon.  

Thank you for your partnership and understanding as we work to get everyone to school safely.

Sincerely,

Todd Schultz, Operations Director

Attention Bentley Community,

Please see the form below for t-shirt orders for Homecoming 2026!

You can also pick up a physical copy at any of the Main Offices in the district.

Thank you for supporting our students!

-Mrs. Gaby-