Bridport Community Newletter

January 11, 2026

Hello BCS Community!

The energy at BCS is truly special right now. I am constantly amazed by the dedication and heart I see from our students and staff every day.

We recently gathered as a team to review the student goals we set at the beginning of the year. It was a joy to reflect on how far we’ve come—we have either met those targets or are well on our way! Seeing this growth has given us so much optimism and excitement for the second half of the school year.

Stay tuned next week for your child's progress report, it will be coming home in an envelope in their backpack on January 30th. This is a great chance to see the progress they have made on academic standards, and approaches to learning. As always, reach out to your child's teacher with questions.

In partnership,

Jenny

1/19 and 1/20- No School

1/22- All School Field trip to UVM for a Basketball Game!

Next week our K-5 students are headed to UVM to watch a women's basketball game against UMass Amherst! This is an incredible opportunity brought to us by Catamount Classroom and we are so grateful. I'm looking forward to sharing this experience with our students, and having a chance to see what a big college looks like. We will be leaving school at 9:15, and returning around 2:00, we get to have lunch in the bleachers!

1/30- Progress Reports Go Home

Please check your child's backpack for it!

2/5 6:00- FOBCS Meeting

2/13- Day of Play

Its never too late to start a new tradition... so in 2026, we are starting/bringing back one!

Each week during community time, one student who has gone above and beyond will get the principal's award! They can get this award for showing our learner profile traits, or putting in extra effort, or being a principled role model. There are so many reasons to celebrate our students.. and this is one of them.

Congrats Nora Lilly for being our first awardee! Stay tuned for next week's recipient... 😀

On Friday, Middlebury College J-Term students who are taking a math course, came to Bridport and played math games with us! They taught us new games, experimented with math manipulatives and showed us that we can all be mathematicians. I can't wait to have them back!

The Most Beautiful Thing by Kao Kalia Yang

Drawn from author Kao Kalia Yang's childhood experiences as a Hmong refugee, this moving picture book portrays a family with a great deal of love and little money. Weaving together Kalia's story with that of her beloved grandmother, the book moves from the jungles of Laos to the family's early years in the United States.

When Kalia becomes unhappy about having to do without and decides she wants braces to improve her smile, it is her grandmother—a woman who has just one tooth in her mouth—who helps her see that true beauty is found with those we love most. Stunning illustrations from Vietnamese illustrator Khoa Le bring this intergenerational tale to life.

These resources are helpful to learn more about Kao Kalia Yang:

Watch Kalia in an author study with the Minneapolis Public Schools:

How to pronounce Kao Kalia Yang

The impossible happens every day in the life of the refugee | Kao Kalia Yang | TEDxMinneapolis

The Power in Sharing Stories | Kao Kalia Yang | TEDxUWRiverFalls

Winter Reading Challenge

K-5 students have recording sheets for our whole school winter reading challenge! We are challenging students to do a combination of reading books and listening to others read to complete the challenge. Students who read or listen to 10 different books, write them on the record sheet and turn them into Ms. Abby will get to pick a prize from the prize bin!

We know that social emotional learning (SEL) is crucial for our students’ success in school and in life, so across ACSD we are working on systems to support strong SEL teaching and learning in our schools. As part of that work, we are using Panorama surveys, research-backed SEL measurement tools. We will use the data we collect with this assessment to reflect on student learning and strengthen our programs and instruction to help all students succeed.

ACSD students have been taking this survey for 6 years now, and we are actively using the data at the school and district level. At BCS , it helps us to know both how students are doing as well as respond with whole class, grade, and individual supports as needed.

This survey will be given to students in grades 3-12 between this week and 2/1. The survey asks students to self-reflect on skills related to self-management, self-awareness, responsible decision-making, relationship skills, and social awareness. We ask that all students participate, because their feedback provides valuable insights to help us improve and adapt. K-2 students do not participate directly in the survey. Instead, K-2 teachers complete an SEL Teacher Perception checklist for each student.

Please notify your child’s teacher as well as Linda Barrett if you wish to opt your child out of taking the survey. Thank you in advance for supporting this important work. If you have any questions please contact me

Jenny

Transition Update from Bridport & Shoreham

In November, the ACSD Board voted to educate Shoreham and Bridport together at Bridport school beginning in August 2026. The Shoreham building will also begin a new chapter, educating preschool students. We want to share the principal update with all members of our community:

Jenny Urban will continue as the full-time principal at Bridport Central School, and Lashawn Whitmore-Sells will join her as a 0.5 principal.
Principal Whitmore-Sells will also be the preschool administrator at Shoreham, working with our preK team to stabilize and grow our early childhood programming by relocating our Bridport PreK classroom to Shoreham Elementary School, expanding preK offerings, and exploring birth-to-3 partnerships to best serve our communities.
Principals Urban and Whitmore-Sells both bring exceptional care for our students and staff, and we are incredibly lucky to benefit from their expertise as we move forward.

Run for School Board!

Help shape the future of education in our community! The ACSD Board will have open School Board seats this year in Bridport, Middlebury, and Salisbury. If you're interested, gather signatures* on your nominating petition and submit the petition and your Candidate Consent form to your Town Office by January 26, 2026.This is also a great time to reach out to encourage someone you think would be a great candidate! Board elections occur on Town Meeting Day, March 3, 2026. Terms are 3 years. You must be 18 or older and a resident of the respective town to run. You'll play a crucial role in enhancing our schools and advocating for every student. Learn more on the Running for School Board page of the Vermont School Board Association website.

* Petitions must be signed by 60 voters or one percent of the ACSD checklist—whichever is less. Petitions and the Candidate Consent Form are available with the links above, at your Town Hall, or the ACSD District Office (49 Charles Ave, Middlebury).

Unlock the power of confident, compassionate girls at Bridport Central and Shoreham Elementary! Become a Girls on the Run Vermont coach so more girls can:

Build the confidence to share what’s in their hearts
Use their voices even when they feel uncertain
Help others to share their thoughts, ideas, and feelings
Develop life skills like clear communication, listening to understand, and resolving conflicts with others

Girls on the Run Vermont’s programs empower girls and give them tools to thrive. Coach a team and watch participants find the confidence to be bold! Girls on the Run is open to girls in grades 3-5. Bridport Central and Shoreham Elementary will have a combined team once more this season. Each school will have 1 practice with their own students, and the second practice each week will combine participants from both schools.

Not a runner? Haven’t coached before? No problem! Girls on the Run VT (GOTRVT) provides training, easy to follow lesson plans, supplies and support for a transformational season. The 10-week spring season kicks the week of March 16th and ends with a celebratory 5K on Saturday, May 30th. Teams meet twice weekly for 90 minute sessions to connect, move, learn and have FUN throughout the season!

Visit gotrvt.org/coach to learn more about coaching or sign up to volunteer. Visit gotrvt.org/programs to learn more about GOTR and to complete the Participant Interest Form. Have further questions? Contact GOTRVT at stephanie@girlsontherunvermont.org or 802-871-5664. Have questions about the Bridport-Shoreham Team? Contact Carrie Harvey at charvey@acsdvt.org or 802-595-6055.