Bridport Community Newsletter

Happy Sunday!

Last Friday marked Day #20 of the school year! It’s hard to believe it’s only been 20 days—we’ve already accomplished so much, and the energy in our school community feels wonderfully joyful.

This past week, Lashawn and I went on a classroom "road show" to talk with students about school-wide rules and expectations. Lashawn also read Be Happy: A Little Book for a Happy Life by Monica Sheehan to spark discussions about being true to yourself and following your passions. Hearing the students' ideas for our school rules was fantastic, and it was a great opportunity to connect with every grade level.

Looking Ahead to This Week:

• Shelburne Farms Visit (Wednesday): Representatives from Shelburne Farms will visit each classroom for some hands-on, apple-themed cooking and baking. Later that afternoon, we will host a school-wide taste test to vote on our favorite recipes. (Rumor has it one class even gets to make cider!)

  
  

• Fall Screenings: We are wrapping up our fall screening window, where students have been demonstrating their skills in math and literacy. I’m eager to dig into the data so we can tailor our instruction and help every student grow.

  
  

Next Week:

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

- Wednesday October 7th- Early Release

As always, please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions.

In partnership,

Jenny

Dear Families,

Earlier this year, our district shared an overview of our ACSD safety practices and our efforts to keep our community safe. You can find that information here. At BCS we practice safety drills designed to ensure that our students and staff are familiar with how to be safe in an emergency. Some months, we practice what to do if we need to evacuate the building. Other months we practice what to do when unsafe people or hazards enter our school - the response to these events are called “Options-Based” responses.

We are required to practice two options-based drills - one in September and one in January. Options-based drills introduce students to various strategies in response to a threat, such as how to respond to cues and listen to and follow safety directions from a trusted adult at school. Please know that all options based drills are trauma informed and age appropriate. This means the drills are performed in a way that is sensitive to the emotional well-being of our students.

We will be holding our first options-based drill on 9/29

During an options-based drill, all of the perimeter doors to the school building will be locked and will remain locked until the drill has been completed. To enable everyone to remain safe, no one will be allowed to enter the building or leave the building until the drill is completed.

We know that this is an emotional topic for parents and caregivers and want to assure you of a few things:

• The adults in our building work together to plan and ensure students feel safe and we remind them that the drill is practice.

• We talk with students in a developmentally appropriate way before and after each drill and our practice is developmentally aligned.

• We are available to support families. We will share resources below to help you talk with your child about these experiences and invite you to reach out at any time.

I want you to know about this safety exercise in advance so you can talk with your children about it when they come home. Here are a few resources to support those conversations:

1. Talking with Your Children about Safety Drills (Johns Hopkins)

2. Talking with Children about Violence: Tips for Parents and Educators (NASP)

If you have questions or would like to connect please reach out to me directly

Thank you,

Jenny

Our school community is always looking for caring, enthusiastic individuals to join our list of guest teachers and staff. Substituting is a wonderful, flexible way to stay connected, support our incredible students, and ensure our classrooms continue to run smoothly when staff are away. Whether you can cover a full day or just a few hours a week, your time makes a tremendous difference for our teachers and kids. If you or someone you know is interested in stepping in to support our school, please reach out to the main office for quick details on how to get started!

Thursday Oct 1- FOBCS Meeting -6PM - Library

Monday Oct 5- Open House- 5:30

Wednesday Oct 7- Field Trip to Champlain Orchards

-Early Release Day

Oct 22 & 23- No School

Oct 29 - Picture Day

Each Friday at BCS, we have all -school meeting. This looks like all students and teachers joining together in a circle to celebrate eachother, play a game and build our community. It's also a chance to shout out the awesome-ness we see everyday!

I have the privilege of handing out the "Principal's Award" to students who go above and beyond to include others, follow the rules, and give their best effort on learning. Check out some of the recipients so far!

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.