April 12, 2024
Dear BSD Community,
What a sight! I think it is fair to say that Monday’s Solar Eclipse lived up to the hype. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to witness the event surrounded by family, friends, and a number of educators and families in the neighborhood. Throughout the District this week, I have overheard countless conversations about people’s experiences. As people shared, their stories and laughter were full of joy and reflections. It struck me that almost every story I heard centered on the people around them, rather than the actual events of the day. The most important thing for many was who they were with and who they were connected to; more than anything they were sharing about their relationships with others.
It is clear to me that the ability to have meaningful, trusting relationships is essential to our human experience, and to our overall success and happiness. This is just another reason I am proud to work in a school district that has taken this concept and used it as a building block for growth. Priority Area 5 of our Strategic Plan is “Relationship-based Communities through Restorative Practices.” Last month our Director of Equity, Sparks, and our Restorative Practices Coordinator Mika Moore joined our monthly school board meeting to share our progress and continued opportunities in this area.
As you look through this data, please also remember that one of the best ways to help us grow is to take our Annual Survey. This survey helps us to measure progress on our Strategic Plan, inform professional development and training, and identify bright spots and areas of need in our District and in our schools. If you have 10 minutes, we would greatly appreciate your feedback.
In partnership,
Tom
Update on HMS Student in the Hospital – HMS Student Iisha Abdihamid has been hospitalized after being struck by a vehicle on her way to school Tuesday morning. Our team of multilingual liaisons have been in consistent contact with Iisha’s family. Her first few days were very difficult but we are happy to hear things are improving, she is breathing on her own and is fully conscious. HMs Solstice students and staff are making cards for her and may be looking to visit as well. Visitors are welcome and most likely one or both of Iisha’s parents will be there. Right now the family does not need anything but I hope you will keep them in your thoughts, and we will update you if they do need anything from the community. The driver of the vehicle has been found and charged.
Transgender Day of Visibility – Since 2009, the world has celebrated March 31st as Transgender Day of Visibility. Last week, I was pleased to join newly-elected Mayor Mulvaney-Stanek as she issued a proclamation recognizing the international day of celebration. I stand with Mayor Mulvaney-Stanek in support of the Transgender Community: you are seen, you are heard, you are loved.
COVID Guidance Change – BSD follows Vermont Department of Health Guidelines and their guidance recently changed to reflect CDC updates. We will be adopting these new guidelines as well. Most importantly, there is no longer a 5-day isolation recommendation for Covid-positive test results. Instead, people can return to normal activities after respiratory virus symptoms after at least one day (24 hours) if 1) Symptoms are getting better overall and 2) they have not had a fever for at least 24 hours (and are not using fever-reducing medicines).
Randy the Bus Driver GoFundMe – Some of you may know Randy Trayah (aka “Randy the Bus Driver”) who has worked in BSD for many, many years. Both he and his wife have been experiencing significant medical issues, and some friends have started a GoFundMe to support him. Please join me in wishing Randy and his family all the best. I also want to thank Property Services Director Smith and the entire team who have worked hard to support Randy and be flexible and empathetic throughout this time. (Thank you, BSD team!)
Finalists for New School Name for OnTop and Horizon – Big changes are happening in our alternative high school programs. Community members are invited to discover the future direction of these programs as we gather together on May 1st from 6-7:30 pm at St. Marks (1271 North Avenue). Please RSVP to Principal Bobby Riley at briley@bsdvt.org, or reach out to him with questions. Light snacks will be provided, here’s what else you can expect!
- Learn about our innovative student-centered learning model
- Engage in discussions about the latest developments
- Unveiling of the finalists for our new program name
- Opportunity to provide feedback and insights
- Join us for an evening of community, exploration, and inspiration!
Stop the Hate Campaigns – BSD middle school students and staff have been busy working to combat hate speech in schools through learning about antisemitism and islamophobia, engaging in circle discussions, and creating art with positive messages to combat hate. Check out the amazing EMS art pieces that have been created to support this, and the beautiful hall full of posters Sandy Hawks and her student artists created at HMS.
Neurodivergence Workshop – More than 30 people attended our last Community Equity Workshop. Many thanks to facilitators Charlotte Ide, HMS Special Educator, and Eva Edwards-Stoll, BSD alumni and disability advocate, and also gratitude to the educators, students, parents, and community members who came out on a wintry night to learn and engage in valuable dialogue. If you are interested in viewing the content, please check out the presentation. You can also access other materials from our SY 23-24 Community Equity Workshop Series on our website.
IAA Renovations – Construction fencing has been erected and we have begun to drill the geothermal wells that will drive the building’s new HVAC system! So far the noise level has not been an issue inside the building and students love to see the machines at work.
Champlain PCBs – We met with our environmental consultants and the Vermont Department of Conservation to determine what materials should be sampled in rooms where PCBs in the air are above school action levels. It is important to remember that the levels found would not be of concern if we did not have a preschool class at this building. We will be receiving money from the state to pay for the work needed to test and remediate the suspect materials.
Rock Point – Work is moving along quickly to transform the property at Rock Point into a location that can fit both OnTop and Horizons. To help this happen, OnTop students have moved to the St. Mark’s campus for the rest of this school year. We are excited about what this construction means to our community and the students and families we serve.
BTC Students Need You! Roll up your sleeves to help BTC’s phlebotomy students! To become certified phlebotomists, Health Sciences Academy students must document 30 live blood draws. On Saturday, April 20th, from 11:00am-2:00pm, BTC will be holding a blood draw clinic and we’re looking for volunteer patients. The clinic will be held at our location at 4095 Williston Rd. Their phlebotomy instructor, as well as other professional phlebotomists, will be on hand to support the students. (Volunteers should be at least 18 years of age.)
EMS Math Counts! On Saturday, March 30, the EMS Math Counts team won second place overall at States! Congratulations to the team of Bernadette Caldwell, Xavier “Tank” Chandler, Britta Fitzgerald, and Maelyn Slavik, on an outstanding performance! There were also some noteworthy performances in the Countdown Round: Tank Chandler, Kaz Skalka and Maelyn Slavik all competed, with Tank taking second place overall. The top four finishers in the Individual competition qualify to go to the national Mathcounts competition, which will be held this year in Washington, D.C. from May 10-14. Both Tank (1st place Individual) and Kaz (3rd place Individual) will be representing Vermont this year at Nationals. Congratulations, Tank and Kaz! We’re rooting for you!
Champlain Assembly – Champlain alumni and current BHS students Mimi, Gillian, and Rukiya returned to their former elementary school to talk about their school journeys. All three will be playing sports in college and joined the students to share what it means to be able to do something they love at a high level and how their school career has helped them get there. The elementary students loved being visited by the high school student-athletes and you could tell that BHS students loved coming “home” to visit.
Mayor Mulvaney Stanak at IAA! Ms. Holly’s IAA kindergarten students were very interested in talking about the new mayor of Burlington. They were especially excited to learn she would be the first woman mayor of Burlington. Ms. Holly’s class wrote a congratulations letter and invited her to visit, and she did! During her visit, she shared her plans, answered questions, and invited IAA to help her with a “Kids help clean up Burlington day”! Thank you, Mayor!
BTC Health Care Competitions – Introduction to Health Care and the Health Sciences Academy programs attended the HOSA Future Health Professionals leadership conference last month. Our students came away with several competition victories qualifying them for the national competition in Houston this June. Congrats BTC students!
- Behavior Health: Gold-Emma Edenfield–CHS
- Health Career Poster Display: Gold-Sophie Avery and Hannah Sheparson-CVU
- Nursing Assisting: Kaelynn Sandvil-Silver-BFA Fairfax
- Pathophysiology: Gold-Kagan Whiteman -BFA Fairfax; Silver-Amelia Novak-CVU; Bronze-Stella Holmes-BHS
- Prepared Speaking: Gold-Brianne Gallas MHS; Silver-Emily Greenfield-SBHS
- Research Paper: Whitney Ross-Rice Memorial
- State Officer Selection for 24-25: Brianne Gallas-MHS; Abby Fitzpatrick-SBHS
C.P. Smith School Play Was A Smashing Success – More than 60 C.P. Smith students participated in our school play on the big stage at HMS! The production of Frontier Express, was a smashing success with top-notch performances by our cast of 4th and 5th graders, our 2nd and 3rd-grade chorus members, and our amazing student stage crew! Special thanks to our parent and guardian volunteers, our partners at the Very Merry Theatre Company, and our PTO and generous donors who made this positive experience possible for our students!
Winter Sports Recap! Congratulations to BHS junior, Sage Wyndorf, for placing 2nd overall (1st place in Rail Jam, 2nd place in Giant Slalom) in the female division of the VPA Snowboarding Championships; Wyndorf’s performance with the SBHS/BHS Snowboarding Co-op team follows up her first-place performance from last year; SBHS/BHS placed 3rd overall in the State.
Boys Basketball (14-10) had its best season since 2017 and made history along the way. Despite a narrow 66-63 defeat against top-seeded Rice Memorial in the D1 State Championship game on February 29, your Seahorses became the first #6 seed to advance to the title game in history; the Cinderella run included wins against #11 Brattleboro (101-56), #3 St. Johnsbury (70-58) and defending state champion #2 CVU (59-56)
Our reign at the top of the ranks for our Girls Nordic Skihorses has ended after three consecutive titles. Our girls finished 4th overall in D1, but our boys continue climbing the ranks, finishing 5th overall. Great season for Nordic Ski!
Girls Basketball (16-6) had its best season since 2010 when they entered the VPA D1 Playoffs as a #2 seed. This year, your #3 seeded Seahorses received a first-round bye and defeated #6 Essex (60-41) in the quarterfinals before suffering a narrow defeat to State Runner-Up #2 St. Johnsbury (45-42)
Boys Hockey entered the VPA D1 Playoffs as a #10 seed and suffered a first-round defeat (5-0) at the hands of #7 BFA-St. Albans; your Seahorses finished the season 7-13-1
Bowling entered the Championship Tournament as a #8 seed and suffered a first-round defeat at the hands of #9 Fair Haven on Saturday, March 2
Alpine Ski competed in the State Championships at Burke Mountain on March 4 and 5. Our boys placed 10th overall in the state; Stella Holmes finished in the Top 25 on the girls side
