We Are Bremerton!

Hello Bremerton families and community,

There is something about October in Bremerton. The weather starts to turn, the evenings get darker, and our schools settle into the rhythm of the year. Across the district, students are learning, competing, creating, performing and finding their place in their school communities.

This fall, I have also had the opportunity to see and hear positive results from the leadership of Katie Mizak at Bremerton High School, Renee Murphy at Mountain View Middle School, and Amber Nygard at Kitsap Lake Elementary. Each of these new leaders have brought a strong focus on students, staff and school culture, and it is encouraging to see that work is already taking hold in their schools.

We are also beginning to see some encouraging results at BHS from our work over the last two years. Our preliminary four-year graduation rate has increased from 73.9% two years ago to 81.4% this year. That is a significant change, and it represents more students reaching an important milestone. We are also seeing an overall increase in students taking Advanced Placement (AP) exams, 125 students to 153 students, and our AP scores, from 24-25's average of 2.78 to 3.12 in 25-26. This is one more indication that more students are accessing and succeeding in challenging coursework.

These results belong to our students, families, teachers, counselors, principals and staff who show up every day and keep pushing forward. There is still important work ahead, but these wins signal a district that is on the rise!

October is a great time to be in Bremerton. I personally like to get out to some of our smaller coffee shops, get my hot drink, and head out to see what is happening in our classrooms. There is so much to be excited about this year and we are just getting started!

Thank you everyone for all of your support for BSD!

Dr. McSheehy

Superintendent

Photo: Dr. McSheehy greets Mountain View Middle School students on the first day of school.

Our elementary schools participate in the Kindergarten Family Connections - also known as Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS) transition process.

During the first week of school for the District, kindergarten students and their guardians are invited to the school to have an individual meeting with their kindergarten teacher. During this meeting, the teachers get to know the student and family, and our youngest learners get to see their classroom and school and learn specific routines of their classroom.

We invite you to view a few highlights from the first day of school at Kitsap Lake Elementary on September 3.

As part of our district’s bond construction work, BHS student parking is moving to accommodate temporary district bus parking while our new Consolidated Facilities Building is built.

Beginning in mid-October, student parking will move to the upper lot at 11th Street and Ohio Street (near the BHS reader board). The lower BHS lots between Lincoln and Ohio Avenues will temporarily house our school bus fleet and transportation operations. Parking passes are not required for students or guests.

For more information and a FAQ, please visit bhs.bremertonschools.org/parking

Bremerton High School’s NJROTC Knight Company was recently honored to present the colors at the 53rd Change of Command ceremony for the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility.

After delivering a standout performance at a previous event, our cadets were personally requested to perform at this historic ceremony inside the Controlled Industrial Area. Standing before distinguished leadership—including Vice Admiral James Downey and Rear Admiral Scott Brown—the Cadets represented BHS with military precision during the transfer of leadership from Captain Crinklaw to Captain Sumsion.

Serving in a high-security, restricted area was a major responsibility, and our cadets handled it with exceptional poise and professionalism.

Please join us in congratulating Cadets Elizabeth Woodriff, Orion Dockery, Jesse Arellano, Jayden Lund, and Sirius Dockery for setting such a high standard for BHS and the Knight Company!

POLICY NEWS:

The following policies were adopted by the board:

• Policy 2161- Special Education and Related Services for Eligible Students

• Policy 2410- High School Graduation Requirements

• Policy 3120- Enrollment

• Policy 3115 Students Experiencing Homelessness- Enrollment Rights and Services

The following procedures were adopted by the board:

• Procedure: 1400P(2)- Meeting Conduct and Order of Business — Community Input and Communications

• Procedure 2161P- Special Education and Related Services for Eligible Students

• Harassment, Intimidation or Bullying (HIB) Incident Reporting Form

OTHER AGENDA ITEMS:

• 2026/2027 Board and Superintendent goals and priorities

Join us in-person or online!

Questions about board highlights or the board website "Community?" Please contact marlaina.simmons@bremertonschools.org.

Throughout the month of September, we shined a a spotlight on our newest team members on District social media!

We invite you to visit and follow the District's Facebook or Instagram pages to view all of our new staff shout-outs and learn about the many great things happening across our schools!

Email: communications@bremertonschools.org
Website: www.BremertonSchools.org
Location: 134 Marion Avenue North, Bremerton, WA, USA
Phone: 360-473-1000

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