BES Principal's Update
August 31, 2026
This Week's Letter Days (see more information below)
Monday- D Day
Tuesday- E Day
Wednesday- F Day (2:00 pm dismissal)
Thursday- A Day
Friday- B Day
At BES we Practice Kindess, Rememember Safety and Do Our Best!
Welcome Back!
I hope everyone had a restful summer! We had a fantastic first week of school and are looking forward to our first full week ahead.
On our first day, we held our "Opening Ceremonies" and introduced an exciting new school-wide positive behavior program: The Monthly Dog House Party (Kindergarten–5th Grade)!
Our School Pledge
Each month, students earn their ticket to the Dog House Party by upholding our school pledge:
Practice Kindness
Remember Safety
Do Our Best
How it Works
Consistent Expectations: This program applies across all school settings—including classrooms, recess, lunch, and special areas—so students hear consistent expectations everywhere they go.
Visual Progress: Every classroom features a visual tracker so students always know where they stand.
Supportive Warnings: If a student struggles to uphold the pledge, staff will provide a gentle reminder. If the behavior continues, a tally is recorded.
Fresh Starts: Tally limits reset weekly. We are starting with higher limits in September to give students plenty of time to adjust as they learn the routine.
Weekly Incentives: Classroom-level rewards (like Fun Fridays and prize boxes) will continue as usual alongside this monthly celebration.
Mark Your Calendars
Official Program Kick-Off: Tuesday, September 1st
First Dog House Party: Wednesday, September 30th
Parties will be grouped by grade level (K–1st, 2nd–3rd, and 4th–5th) to ensure activities are fun and age-appropriate. Our goal is 100% student participation, and our team has spent the last few days practicing these routines with students to set everyone up for success!
Rotating Specials Schedule
Welcome to our New Staff!
We have a few new faculty members to introduce to you this year and are thrilled to have them join the BES Family. I know you will join me in extending a warm welcome to them when you see them.
Mrs. Rachel Jalbert, School Counselor (rjalbert@ctreg14.org), joins us with 10 years of experience as a school counselor at both the middle and elementary levels. She has already been meeting your students in the cafeteria, at recess and will have introductory lessons in classes over the next couple of weeks.
Mrs. Amanda LeCuyer, Occupational Therapist (alecuyer@ctreg14.org), has been a part of Region 14 for a few years and is joining us at BES this year. We are excited to have her on board.
Mrs. Riley Martin-Villalta, Music Teacher (rmartin-villalta@ctreg14.org), joins us with prior elementary music experience in Waterbury Public School. Mrs. Villalta (as the students call her) will be teaching both general music and instrumental music as well as directing our choir program.
Señora Yackira Rodolis, PreK-4th Gr Spanish teacher (yrodolis@ctreg14.org), joins us from the New York Public School system. Spanish is a new special for our students this year and we are excited to see and hear all that they will learn.
🚌 🚗
School Dismissal Manager (SDM) is a secure online platform that streamlines end-of-day dismissal changes, replaces paper notes and phone calls, and ensures every student arrives home safely.
How It Works for Parents
Set Up Your Account: Welcome emails containing login credentials and instructions are sent out at the start of the school year.
Update Daily Routines: Use the SDM app or desktop site to log absences, early pickups, bus changes, or after-school activity schedules.
Observe the Cut-Off Time: All daily dismissal changes must be submitted one hour before our dismissal. That means on regular dismissal days, the cut off time would be 2:15PM, on early release Wednesday at 1:00PM, and on regular early dismissal days 11:55AM. If you have any questions about the time, please call the office. After the cut off time, changes cannot be made in the system and require a call to the main office for emergency situations.
Receive Confirmations: Every time a change is made, an automated email confirmation is sent for your peace of mind.
Why We Use SDM
Enhanced Student Safety: Teachers and staff receive real-time updates and accurate daily dismissal rosters right before the end of the school day.
Streamlined Pickup Lines: SDM optimizes car-rider lines, reducing wait times during peak pick-up hours. This will begin on Oct 1st and more information will be coming.
Fewer Classroom Disruptions: Centralizing changes reduces mid-day phone calls and interruptions to learning time.
How to get support:
Call 203-266-7506 or email Mrs. Rossi (wrossi@ctreg14.org) or Ms. Bing (lbing@ctreg14.org).
During Open House on 9/22 from 6:00 - 7:00 the office will be open for support.
Region 14 and All-Star Transportation uses Stopfinder App
Stopfinder is an easy-to-use, all-in-one app that allows you to have the most accurate information about your student’s bus schedule at anytime from anywhere. You can also create GeoAlerts for your student, which will notify you when the bus has arrived or departed from any location on your student’s route, including their assigned bus stop and school. GeoAlert Alert Zones can be created for individual students allowing you to customize the Alert Zone based on their bus route.
Stopfinder can be downloaded for free from the App Store or Google Play. Directions for the download can be found at
https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1755609913/region14/jwdj7hrikx6ogppkggim/StopFinder70.pdf
Support for the APP: stopfindersupport@all-startransportation.com
Please contact Tina Tanguay, Director of Finance and Operations at ttanguay@ctreg14.org or Cathy Goodfield at catherine.goodfield@allstartransportation.com with any questions.
School Meals
BES PTO
The BES PTO works hard to provide programming for students and families throughout the year. Please consider attending the monthly meetings and helping out with events. The first PTO meeting will be held this Thursday, September 3rd from 6:00-7:00 p.m. at the school. Future meetings will be the 2nd Thursday of each month. We hope to see you there!
Please visit the PTO's website, https://besct.ptboard.com/, for up-to-date information about the programs they are sponsoring. The first event is the Annual Hot Dog Roast on Thursday, September 17th from 4:30-7:30 p.m.
BES Instrument Night
Afterschool Activities
Park & Rec afterschool activities start the week of September 14th. See this flyer for details.