May 1, 2025
Dear BSD Community,
With six weeks left in the school year, we are in the final stretch. As I shared with staff last week, I continue to be inspired when I look at what is happening in our school district. From students at IAA responding to hate with LOVE, to BTC students taking home major awards, BHS students beating some of the most selective private schools in the country while winning the New England Ethics Bowl, Sam Jackson and Lizzie Leonard being recognized for their professionalism and service from KidSafe Collaborative, and Bobby Riley being named High School Principal of the Year by the Vermont Principals Association, it is clear that BSD is making a difference.
It is clear our impact is extending beyond BSD. On Wednesday, WCAX visited the high school to interview students about their plans for next year. I hope you will join me in congratulating Nichole, Nelly, Gus, and Oscar on their decisions to attend Vanderbilt, Champlain College, Bowdoin, and Brown. During the visit, staff and the reporter joked that these students are already smarter than we are. We know that they will continue to make us proud.
Since arriving in 2020, I’ve believed that BSD’s commitment to supporting historically underserved and marginalized students is our most vital work. Just before break, the State of Vermont certified to the Federal Government that all schools are complying with current diversity, equity, and inclusion laws. While I had hoped for a stronger statement initially, this confirmation reassures me—and other superintendents—that our work is supported at the state level.
I hope you, too, feel confident in BSD’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion. Over the past month, we’ve hosted Reading to End Racism in every school, celebrated Black female leadership through “Sharing Our Stories,” and sent 10 educators to a Dismantling White Supremacy in Schools conference. Our leadership team also held a full-day session focused on anti-racism and restorative practices, helping us reflect on how bias impacts student learning. We’ve seen, both through self-reflection and family and student feedback, that bias often results in lower expectations for students of color—and ultimately, for all students. This foundational work continues to be key as we further our efforts to provide excellent and deep learning for every BSD student.
Moving forward, this month, our Department of Multilingual Learners will host Vermont’s only statewide conference dedicated to supporting multilingual learners (if you are a Vermont educator, you will not want to miss this FREE conference with professional learning credits… register today!) These are just a few examples of us living our values every day. Thank you for your continued support of this work.
In partnership,
Tom
P.S. Next week is Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week in BSD. I hope you will join me in thanking everyone in BSD who works so hard to support students throughout the year! I am so grateful to work with a team that is dedicated to deep learning, student empowerment, and student success. Thank you BSD Team!
Welcome New Hires! This has been an exciting few weeks in BSD. The board unanimously approved three hiring recommendations for the District. At Edmunds Elementary, Michelle Basile has been named the new principal, effective July 1. She was a principal in California for 10 years and is currently serving as an Interim Assistant Principal at Orchard School in South Burlington, Vermont. The board also approved Lauren Klaffky as our next Executive Director of School Leadership. Lauren has deep experience with coaching, mentoring, and supervision of principals and district leaders for districts ranging in size from 3,800 to 13,000 students. She will take over the role from long-time BSD leader Bonnie Johnson-Aten, who is retiring in June (congrats Bonnie!). And last but certainly not least, we are thrilled to welcome back Katherine Grykien to BSD! Formerly an Assistant Principal at EMS, Katherine will now serve as BSD’s Director of Curriculum, supporting the department and leading our efforts around multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS). All three will join BSD’s leadership in July… welcome!
BTC State AOE Data Measures Report – On Friday, April 4th, the Vermont AOE released BTC’s final data measures for the 23-24 school year. The center exceeded all of its negotiated targets. In addition to this good news, the center is going into its third Perkins grant cycle without having to submit an improvement plan to the AOE. This allows more flexibility in how the center uses its federal Perkins grant allocation. The number following the quality measure is how the center did in comparison to the negotiated target:
- 4 Year Graduation Rate: +3.11%
- Literacy Proficiency: +7.47%
- Math Proficiency: +4.32%
- Science Proficiency: +26.3%
- Post-Program Placement: +2.14%
- Non-Traditional Student Concentration: + 8.47%
- Tier 2 IRC Attainment: + 48.91%
- College Credit Attainment: +63.92%
- Work-Based Learning: +16.67%
Elementary Math Pilot – We continue to investigate and improve our math instruction and the materials that support it. The Grades 3-5 math workgroup is continuing the pilot of IM (Illustrative Mathematics) materials, and feedback collected from the workgroup through May will be used to develop a plan for expanding the work of the pilot for 2025-2026. So, while we will not adopt new materials next year, we are in the process of shifting materials and practices.
ESY Is Hiring – The ESY program is still seeking to hire three more special education teachers for K-5 students. The program for elementary students will be hosted at Flynn again from 9-12 with teachers working 8:30-12:30pm Mon-Thursday for five weeks… it’s a great way to earn more than $3,000 (before taxes)! Please apply here if interested or see this document for more info.
Kindergarten Registration – Kindergarten registration closed on February 28, with a total of 219 students registered, 14 fewer than at this time last year. Due to a higher concentration of students living south of Main Street, 12 students will not receive their first-choice schools of Edmunds or Champlain. We’re also seeing a notable shift in where students live: only 41 registered kindergarten students reside in the Old North End (ONE), a significant decrease from previous years. This decline is impacting enrollment at IAA and SA, as most families continue to prefer their neighborhood schools. That said, just over 20% of students who selected a magnet school as their first choice do not live in the ONE.
Federal Funding – Last Friday, the U.S. Department of Education (US DOE) reversed course and rescinded all previously granted ESSER late liquidation requests. BSD had previously received approval to use ESSER funds beyond the standard liquidation period in order to complete the IAA renovation. This latest federal action places over $3 million of federal reimbursement in jeopardy, including funds that BSD has already spent. BSD has submitted a waiver application to AOE to access reimbursement for these funds and we are committed to completing this project, even if we do not receive reimbursement. Vermont Public reported on this as a statewide issue.
Flynn Students Have Become The Teachers – Do you know the difference between Reversible and Irreversible Changes? Thanks to these Flynn Elementary Second Graders, now you do!
BHS and VYCC – Over April Break, five Burlington High School students made a meaningful impact through a community service partnership with the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps (VYCC) and Green Mountain Habitat for Humanity. These students not only gave back to the local community but also explored potential career paths in agriculture and construction. While working with VYCC, they helped prepare garden beds in a hoop house for tomato planting—part of VYCC’s Health Care Share program, which distributes fresh, local organic grown produce to families in need and/or that would medically benefit from this produce. The students also contributed to an affordable housing project in Winooski, painting interior spaces of a new triplex. During their time on-site, they participated in an informational interview, toured the construction project, and gained valuable insight into the work Habitat for Humanity does to build safe, affordable housing. This hands-on experience reflects the missions of both VYCC—to inspire young people to make a difference—and Habitat for Humanity—to bring people together to build homes, communities, and hope.
SA, HMS, and BHS at Statewide Youth Gathering – On April 11, select students from Sustainability Academy, Hunt Middle School and BHS attended the Education Justice Coalition’s first annual Statewide Youth Gathering. At this event, students got the opportunity to attend social justice workshops and network with other youth from across the state. The Sustainability Academy students also facilitated a workshop on topics like combating Islamophobia, LGBTQ+ representation, and Immigration Rights. Thank you student leaders for representing BSD at this exciting event!
Graffiti: Art or Crime? Students in English II explored the question: Is graffiti art or a crime? They learned about its history, the various styles and forms it can take, and the different motivations behind it. As a culminating project, students wrote about what they learned and tried their hand at making graffiti with positive motivations.
EMS Learns about Ramadan from Students – During an assembly at EMS, BSD’s Arabic multilingual liaison, Seham Alsakkaf, along with students Giga, Summaya, and Jamal, gave a presentation about Ramadan and Eid to the middle school students. Their presentation reflected on what Ramadan means to Muslim children and highlighted the positive habits it encourages, such as patience, generosity, and self-discipline, which help build a strong foundation for lifelong values. Giga also wished all Muslim students a joyful “Happy Eid” to those celebrating, and shared pictures showing how her family celebrates the holiday, offering a personal and heartfelt glimpse into her traditions.
Blankets of Hope – Stacey Fitzpatrick, a special educator at Champlain, has brought a project to life at Champlain, partnering with the organization Blankets of Hope. More than 300 blankets will be delivered to people around our community in the next few weeks. As Mr. R noted: “their vision is to live in a world united by love. YES! Agreed. If we enter every exchange or interaction with the people we meet with this vision as our common agreement we can live in a better world. Let’s do more of this.”
BTC and Expanded Learning – The Digital Media Lab at BTC has been partnering with Future Fields Studio and BSD’s Expanded Learning department to offer the Make Music Club to HMS and EMS students. The club and community collaboration is supported by the Community Schools grant that was awarded to the Office of Equity and is being managed by maria davies, as well as the VT Arts Council Artists in the Classroom and Music Drives Us grants. The club has brought middle school students together with high school mentors at BTC, and has included realworld community connections with professional musicians and music producers. Students create beats, track vocals, and produce songs collaboratively in the lab studios of the Digital Media Lab using a combination of industry-standard equipment and audio workstations.
SA Student Supports Baby Product Exchange – Calliope Donforth, an SA 5th grader, presented during SA’s April Community Meeting about work they have done to support Vermont Connector’s Baby Product Exchange. Principal Oropeza reached out to Founder Wendy Rice after she posted in Front Porch Forum looking for mathematicians interested in sustainability. SA students were up to the challenge! You can see Calliope’s presentation here: Weight, Volume & Reuse.
First Race at New Track! Yesterday we hosted our first race on the brand new track and we are happy to report that BHS won the 4/800! Athletics Newsletter #14
Volunteer Opportunity to Support Deeper Learning– BTC’s Health Science Academy students are working on their phlebotomy certifications. Each student is required to complete 30 venipunctures, in addition to passing the certification tests. Volunteers are needed (please sign up today) for students to reach their required number of blood draws. All blood draws are done under the supervision of a phlebotomy instructor from the UVM Medical Center, as well as the HSA teacher. The amount of blood drawn is equal to what you would experience if you’ve had any lab work done as part of your medical care. It is not a pint of blood like a blood donation with the Red Cross. There are several times you can volunteer to help the students reach their goals (walk-ins welcome, but sign-ups are helpful too):
| Blood Draw Dates and Times | ||
| Date/Day | Time | Location |
| 5/2 (Fri.) | 5-7pm | BTC, 110 Cherry St. |
| 5/14 Wed.) | 5-7pm | BTC, 110 Cherry St. |
Community Dialog Night – Last month, Burlington Partnership for a Healthy Communities’ program “HealthyBTV” partnered with EMS and HMS youth prevention groups to host events for the community to come together over dinner and conversation to discuss challenges and opportunities to prevent substance misuse and foster youth resilience in Burlington. More than 55 local youth and adults come out to the schools to share their experiences and perspectives on local issues. Check it out!
