Greenfield High Stuffy-Staff-Update

Happy First Day of Fall!

I hope everyone had a wonderful long weekend and got outside to enjoy the sunshine and crisp autumn air.

As the seasons change, please help your child dress for the weather by packing extra clothes and shoes. We head outside for recess every day unless it is pouring rain, thunderstorming, or below 0°!

Now that we’ve been in school for a full month (!), it’s been amazing to see all the learning happening across our building. Last Monday, the Bridport staff gathered to reflect on our first four weeks and define our shared community values. After great collaboration, we selected four core values: belonging, growth, empathy, and curiosity.

This week, Lashawn and I are taking a "road show" to every classroom to explore what these values mean with our students and begin gathering their ideas for our whole-school rules and expectations.

Thank you, as always, for your continued support!

Warmly,

Jenny

SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

Time out of school negatively affects your child’s progress. Students should be kept home only for reasons of illness and family emergencies. State Law requires that children from ages six to sixteen attend school for the full number of days outlined in school calendars. Permission from the Principal must be obtained before a child can be removed from school for reasons other than illness or family emergencies. If a student is going to be absent, please call the school between 7:30 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. to notify us of your child’s safe whereabouts, messages can be left prior to 7:30 a.m. If we do not hear from you, we will need to call and verify your child’s absence.

If your child will be out for a non-illness reason, you must get prior permission from the principal for 1-2 days, any absence longer than 3 days needs approval from the Superintendent.

Dear Families,

As we settle into the school year, we want to share a quick reminder about school bus safety and expectations. Riding the bus is a privilege provided by the district, and keeping our routes safe, calm, and efficient requires a team effort between the school, our drivers, and our families at home.

Please take a few moments to review these key guidelines and talk with your child about the importance of listening to and following the bus driver's directions at all times.

Core Bus Expectations

To ensure a safe trip to and from school, all students are expected to:

• Listen to the Driver: Bus drivers are in charge at all times for everyone's safety.

  
  

• Be Respectful: Use quiet voices and respectful language (no loud noise, shouting, or foul language).

  
  

• Stay Seated: Remain in your seat and keep the center aisle completely clear.

  
  

• Keep Safe: Keep all body parts inside the bus windows, and never throw items inside or out of the bus.

  
  

• Keep it Clean: Take all personal items and trash with you when you exit.

  
  

• Food & Drinks: Only water bottles are allowed on the bus—no food, other beverages, or candy.

  
  

• Electronics: Cell phones and personal devices must follow our school's grade-level device policy.

  
  

Important Notes for Families

• Kindergarten & First Grade Pick-up: An adult or older sibling must be visible at the stop to meet Kindergarten and First Grade students. If no one is present, the bus will not wait; the driver will contact the school, and we will reach out to you to arrange a resolution.

  
  

• Notes Required for Route Changes: Students must ride their assigned bus unless they bring a written note from a parent/guardian to their teacher at the start of the day.

Maintaining Safety

Safety on the bus is taken very seriously. Unsafe behaviors—such as disobeying the driver, physical aggression, bullying, or creating dangerous disturbances—will result in an incident report to the principal. Corrective actions may include parent phone calls, behavior support plans, or suspensions from bus transportation.

Thank you for partnering with us to keep our school buses safe, friendly, and comfortable for every student!

Wednesday September 30th- Shelburne Farms comes to visit!

Thursday October 1st- 6PM - Friends of BCS Meeting

Monday October 5th- 5:30-7:00PM- Open House!

Wednesday October 7th- All School Field Trip to Champlain Orchards!

- Early Release Day

Across our district, we are facing significant transportation challenges caused by driver shortages on multiple bus routes. You can find revised bus routes here based on Week 1 changes, and also in your principal’s newsletters. We hope the changes we made in Week 1 will offer stability moving forward and we will continue to make adjustments as needed and hope to get back to our normal bus routes as quickly as possible. However, we are also working to capture the full impact this challenge has had on our families as we escalate this situation to the the Secretary of Education and BetCha’s parent company, STA. Please use this form to document the impact any bus disruptions had on your family so that we can act on and/or pass along the information as we seek resolution.