May 17, 2013

BHS 9th Grade Academy English Classes Cordially Invite You to:

“Make a Change” Community Night!
Tuesday, May 21^st, 5:30-8:00 PM
C Building Classrooms, Burlington High School

We would like to invite teachers, families and community members to come see the great work that our young people have done in the past month researching and addressing issues of race, gender, sexuality, and class. Please join us for a night of community celebration of the projects that our students did for their “Making a Change” unit of study.Refreshments will be served and child care will be provided! Questions? Please contact one of the following teachers:

Joselyn Fletcher Steuch (jfletche@bsdvt.org)
Erika Lowe (elowe@bsdvt.org)
Tammie Ledoux (tledoux@bsdvt.org)

April 21, 2013

The Burlington School District is considering a weekly release Wednesday schedule for the 2013-14 school year for grades K-8, all year. This would replace all other early release days except for two parent conferences. This change is being considered due to a state mandate for restructuring that includes identifying dedicated time for Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) intended to increase student achievement. The information below will explain PLCs, and answer common questions about the changes being considered. The decision on the weekly release Wednesdays will be made by mid-May as we complete our restructuring mandate.

Explaining Professional Learning Communities - Overview

Professional Learning Communities, or PLCs, are school improvement models aimed at improving student learning for each individual student.

The professional learning community is based on a single, simple premise: To be effective, educators must change their focus from teaching to learning. In a PLC, educators have three goals:

Click here to read the full overview and FAQs.

On April 16^th, Mike Gray was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 24^th KidSafe Collaborative Outstanding Service Awards. The organization annually honors outstanding individuals and partnerships who have significantly improved the safety and well-being of children and families in Chittenden County.

KidSafe noted: “Mike Gray has been described as having had a major impact on countless young people and their families in Vermont. His contribution to the BHS community has been described as “profound”; his  knowledge, experience, and skills are considered unmatched. Over the years, Mike has been a critical component in  promoting and improving services, always with the best interest of the kids and families with whom he was working.”

Gordana Pobric has been selected by the Vermont Council of Teachers of Mathematics as a recipient of theOutstanding Mathematics Teacher Awards for 2013. VCTM will recognize Gordana’s accomplishments October 24^th-25^th at the Association of Teachers of Mathematics in New England annual conference in Killington.

Giovanna Yaranga, a Spanish teacher at Burlington High School since August 28th, 1998, has been placed on Administrative Leave pending a criminal investigation. Notification came from the Burlington Police Department that Yaranga was being arraigned today in District Court on a criminal charge stemming from allegations of an inappropriate relationship with a student. An internal investigation will also be conducted. Anyone with any information should contact the Chittenden Unit for Special Investigations, Detective Peter Chapman, at 652-6898.

This deeply upsetting news affects our entire community. Please be assured that the safety of our students is the District’s priority. The District had no evidence of physical improprieties or sexual misconduct by Ms. Yaranga. The faculty, staff and administration are well aware of their obligations as mandatory reporters of child abuse and have and will continue to fully comply with those requirements. Policy and procedures are in place to address personnel behaviors of concern, and hiring procedures include criminal background checks, abuse registry checks and reference checks. 

As we enter the final weeks of school, we continue to focus on improving student achievement. Burlington High School is piloting a student-centered, end of the year studies program (YES Program) for all students that will involve internships, independent studies, and collaborative problem solving in areas of student interest. This pilot enters the concept of learning proficiencies, also known as graduate expectations, as the two communities have been discussing all year. If you are interested in weighing in on this discussion of graduate expectations, you can offer feedback electronically at www.partnershipforchangevt.org, where you can see our first draft and add your voice to the discussion.

To read the full message, click here.