The elementary school day begins at 8:05 AM. Students should be in their classrooms and ready to learn at that time. Students arriving after 8:05 AM will be considered tardy and will need to stop in the office for a tardy pass before going to class.

Students participating in breakfast or morning clubs may enter the building beginning at 7:45 AM. Our Walking Club and Reading Club will begin on Monday, August 17th. Additional information about after-school clubs will be shared later in the school year. Usually they start after Labor Day.

All other students may enter the building starting at 7:55 AM.

The school day ends at 3:07 PM.

Please review the drop-off and pick-up map below to help ensure a safe and efficient start to the school year. Additional arrival and dismissal details will be shared as we get closer to the first day of school.

All students who walk, ride bikes, or use scooters will continue to use designated sidewalk routes for arrival and dismissal. This system worked very well last year and will remain in place.

Students will enter campus using the sidewalk that connects Rachel Snowden Drive to the southeast corner near the 1st Grade entrance. This route provides direct access to bike/scooter storage and grade-level playground lines.

In the morning, students will cross Rachel Snowden at 171st Street and then follow the north sidewalk to the new entrance sidewalk.

In the afternoon, all students will cross at 169th Avenue and Rachel Snowden with Safety Patrol support. Students should not use or cross near the main pick-up and drop-off entrance on 171st Street at any time after school.

These procedures help maintain student safety and reduce traffic congestion during dismissal.

At Stratford Elementary, we value strong communication and partnerships with our families and community. Throughout the school year, we will share important information through our weekly newsletter, The Stratford Scoop. This newsletter will be emailed each week and will include upcoming events, important reminders, celebrations, and other school news. We encourage all families to take a few minutes each week to read through it and stay informed.

Families will also receive The Badger Update, a district newsletter from Stacy Hawn that provides important information and updates from Bennington Public Schools.

In addition, we invite you to follow Stratford Elementary on social media for daily highlights, announcements, and photos of the great things happening in our school. You can find us on X (formerly Twitter) at @Stratford_Elem.

Students are invited to eat breakfast and lunch at school daily. Daily breakfast prices for the 2026-2027 school year will be $2.15. Breakfast will be served from 7:45 to 8:00 am daily. If your child eats breakfast, they will not have time for a morning club. For lunch, students can enjoy our cafeteria options or bring a lunch of their own. Daily lunch prices for the 2026-2027 school year will be $3.05. If your child brings a cold or “packed” lunch from home and gets milk from the school, their account will be charged only for the milk.

Families also have the option to purchase semester snack milk for their students. The cost is $53.40. This is separate from our lunch program and can be paid online. Students can get another milk during their class "snack time". Please see the attached document for more information on snack milk prices. All payments for lunch and snack milk will be done at myschoolbucks.com. Once you log in, go to the school store and look for the carton of milk. The first few days of school, kids will be offered a snack milk. No snack milk will be given out to students unless it has been paid for starting Monday, August 17th @ Stratford. 1st semester snack milk will completely shut off for the district on Friday, August 21st @ 4:00 PM. You will no longer be able to purchase it; NO exceptions.

Parents, please take a moment to speak with your children who will be using the playground during the summer and after school this coming school year.

Golf carts and dirt bikes are not permitted on sidewalks or grassy areas. These should remain parked in the designated lot.

Electric scooters are allowed on sidewalks only, but they must stay off all grass areas.

Thank you for your support in helping keep our campus safe and well cared for.

All information regarding upcoming Bennington community events, sports camps, and activities are posted on our district website, and shared through the weekly district newsletter, the Badger Update.

If you wish to have your event or activity shared, please click here to complete a google form. For questions, please contact the District Communications Coordinator, Stacy Hawn, at shawn@bennps.org.

The Bennington Public School District does not discriminate on the basis of sex, disability, race, color, religion, veteran status, national or ethnic origin, age, marital status, sexual orientation, pregnancy, childbirth or related medical condition, or other protected status in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Students: Mr. Dan Bombeck, Director of Student Services, 11620 North 156th Street, P.O. Box 309, Bennington, NE 68007 (402) 238-3044 (dbombeck@bennps.org). Employees and Others: Dr. Matt Blomenkamp, Assistant Superintendent 11620 North 156th Street, P.O. Box 309, Bennington, NE 68007 (402) 238-3044 (mblomenkamp@bennps.org). Complaints or concerns involving discrimination or needs for accommodation or access should be addressed to the appropriate Coordinator. For further information about anti-discrimination laws and regulations, or to file a complaint of discrimination with the Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education (OCR), please contact the OCR at 601 East 12th Street, Room 353, Kansas City, MO 64106, (800) 368-1019 (voice), Fax (816) 426-3686, (800) 537-7697 (telecommunications device for the deaf), or ocr.kansascity@ed.gov.

The Bennington Public School District is committed to offering employment and educational opportunity to its employees and students in a climate free of discrimination. Accordingly, unlawful discrimination, harassment and retaliation of any kind by District employees, including, co-workers, non-employees (such as volunteers), third parties and others is strictly prohibited and will not be tolerated.