Sunday, August 26, 2012

Final Preparations

Final preparations are underway as we open the school doors to our students on Wednesday. Our bus drivers are preparing for their first pick-up and drop-off, last-minute preparations of the buildings are being made, and many of our teachers are already in their classrooms preparing for the new students they will greet on Wednesday, August 29th. It's a busy, but exciting time as we look forward to having our students return to us.

Belchertown High School hosted a very successful orientation night on Tuesday, August 21st, for the members of the Class of 2016 and new members of the Classes of 2015, 2014, and 2013. Mrs. Vigneux, BHS Principal, organizes this event each year to help new students find their way at their new high school. Over 100 student volunteers from our current student body came out to assist by providing tours, answering questions, and making their new classmates feel welcome. While the students were out and about after an initial presentation in the auditorium, Mrs. Vigneux stayed behind to answer parents' and guardians' questions about life at BHS.

Monday, August 27th, is visiting day at Jabish Brook Middle School. Students and their parents/guardians are welcome to stop by any time during the day to meet Mr. Ruscio, Principal, and Mrs. Monette, Assistant Principal, along with other staff members. Families new to JBMS will be able to tour the building and ask questions about their new surroundings.

Our athletic teams have begun practices for the fall season. Mr. Marchewka, the Dean of Students and Athletic Director at BHS, hosted a fall parents'/guardians' night on Sunday, August 26th, in order to provide an orientation to our fall sports programs and expectations for student athletes, as well as making sure that everyone is aware of our concussion policy and their obligations with regard to testing and protocols for possible head injuries.

Band camp also began over the last weekend in August, as marching season gets underway. The BHS marching band will perform at the Big E in West Springfield and in the Belchertown Fair parade, both in late September.

We look forward to seeing all our students return to school on Wednesday, August 29th, and to working with families and community members as partners in the process.

If you have any questions about this update, please feel free to call me at 413.323.0423.

Regards, Dr. Houle, Superintendent of Schools

Thursday, August 16, 2012

A New School Year is Upon Us!

It's hard to believe that the summer is almost over! Our new teachers will be starting their first official day on Monday, August 27th. They will attend an orientation session that morning and have the afternoon to prepare for their new classrooms and work spaces.

The rest of the teachers, paraprofessionals, and food service workers will be back for their first official day on Tuesday, August 28th. We will have an opening day kick-off session for all employees where we will introduce new staff, recognize milestones of our veteran staff, and I will share some thoughts about our work for this year. The teachers will also participate in an overview session on the new Educator Evaluation System that we have adopted, aligned with the new state mandates for this system.

Then, the BIG DAY arrives - the return of our students on Wednesday, August 29th! It's always an exciting time as we see everyone back for the business of learning. The final touches on our school buildings, technology infrastructure, and all the other preparations for the day are in full swing. If you have not seen them yet, the bus routes were published in this week's Belchertown Sentinel.

The School Committee met this past week and approved a lot of policies and changes to our school and athletic handbooks to comply with those policies. New handbooks will be uploaded soon to the schools' web pages and we encourage you to take the time to read them and review them with your children.

One of the big changes for this year is our new Wellness Policy. This policy requires that we make some significant changes with regard to foods we serve in the cafeteria as well as what we make available to students 30 minutes before, during, and 30 minutes after the school day. Please be sure to read your school's handbook, when it is published, for more information. These changes are the result of a new law and regulations for healthier options for students throughout the day.

Every family will receive a form with the current contact information that we have on file for you on the first day of school. Please read it over carefully and make any necessary changes to phone numbers, emails, etc. The more accurate our records are, the more likely we are able to communicate with everyone, particularly in the event of an emergency. Our Connect5 notification system is able to contact you by home phone, cell phone, text message, and email. The more information you can give us about how to reach you, the better. Thank you for your prompt attention to this form and its return to school.

Enjoy these last few days of summer! Dr. Judith Houle, Superintendent of Schools

PS - If you have any questions regarding this update, please feel free to call my office at 323-0423.