September 25, 2025
Dear BSD Community,
I’d like to start with a big shout-out to our principals, teachers, and staff who have worked so hard to launch the 2025–26 school year in a strong and positive way. In my visits to classrooms, I see the incredible work our team is doing to engage students in deep learning.
Just this month, I observed students creating art to introduce themselves to their communities, using mental math strategies to solve complex problems, and connecting together in restorative circles. I also particularly enjoyed watching students analyze the Summer of the Mariposas, a young adult novel and a retelling of The Odyssey, which is intentionally being read in middle schools this year during Hispanic Heritage Month. In every classroom, I saw students who were eager to learn and dedicated educators working together to create rich, inclusive learning experiences. This is the reality of what’s happening in our schools, even if it’s not what we often hear from our Federal or State leaders.
As we enter another politically challenging year in Montpelier and national education discussions marked by continued attempts to cut education spending, privatize education, and suppress equity and inclusion, I want to thank you for your continued support for the work we are doing to challenge, empower, and engage our students.
Tom
P.S. Coffee with Tom is BACK and I will be at the Skinny Pancake this Friday (tomorrow!) at 8AM. From September through May, I will be at the Skinny Pancake once a month from 8-9AM. I will come prepared with some updates, but mostly will just be ready to listen and connect. New this year, I will be joined by other District leaders on a rotating monthly basis. (See the schedule below for more!) Join us and ask questions and provide feedback about the work happening in BSD. Come late, leave early, or stay the whole time; either way, coffee is on us! See you there!
– Sept. 26: Kellie Klassen, Exec. Dir. Student Support Services
– October 24: Lauren Klaffky, Exec. Dir. of School Leadership (subject to change)
– November 21: Russ Elek, Communication Specialist (subject to change)
– December 19: Guest TBD
– Jan 23: Guest TBD
– Feb 27: Nathan Lavery, Exec. Dir. Finance and Facilities (subject to change)
– March 27: Stephanie Phillips, Exec. Dir. Teaching and Learning; & Katherine Grykien, Director of Curriculum
– April 17: Sparks, Director of Equity (subject to change)
– May 22: Guest TBD
P.S.S. We are Hiring! We have three big needs we are working to fulfill: Paraeducators, Bus Drivers, and Food Services team! Learn more, see all of our job listings, or apply today!
NEW OR UPDATED PROCEDURES
Code of Conduct (Updated) – We are in our third year of the BSD Restorative Code of Conduct, which is reviewed and annually updated. Please familiarize yourself with this document for a list of the updates made this past summer.
Support for Transgender Students (Updated) – Last fall, we developed the SUPPORT FOR TRANSGENDER AND GENDER NONCONFORMING STUDENTS procedure. Over the spring, we met with teachers and staff to improve this procedure and have incorporated that feedback. The three main changes were:
- Amending language in the sections for students who did not wish for the name to be changed in PowerSchool, but want to go by a name different from their legal name (Page 2).
- For student athletes, around both participation in sports and changing rooms (Page 4).
- Changing language around including gender neutral restrooms in renovations and new construction from “may” to “will”.
Allergy and Anaphylaxis Procedure (New)
Challenging Curricular or Library Materials (New)
Protected Categories Under Vermont’s Harassment Policy (New) – The AOE has added two new protected categories to the state’s harassment policy and procedures: IMMIGRATION STATUS and CITIZENSHIP. Effective immediately, incidents involving harassment related to these identities will be addressed under our Harassment, Hazing, and Bullying Policy and Procedure, just as we do with all other protected categories. This is an important update to the policy at the State-level that reflects our commitment to the protecting and honoring the dignity and safety of our new American and recent-immigrant community.
ADDITIONAL UPDATES
Hispanic Heritage Month, September 15 – October 15 – Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to recognize and celebrate the histories, cultures, and contributions of Hispanic Americans. It’s an opportunity to honor and uplift diverse stories, voices, and perspectives. Check out this new BSD resource, a Hispanic Heritage Month slideshow inspired from the book “Nuestra America”, complete with video links to learn more about the amazing people inside! Thanks also to EMS Music Teacher Graham Lambert for sharing about the Latin American Connection at City Hall Park which features his band Mal Maiz and highlights Latin American culture creators in Burlington. Below are some more resources to help bring Hispanic Heritage Month into the school community:
- NEA Hispanic Heritage Month Resources
- Smithsonian Latino Center
- Library of Congress: Hispanic Heritage Month
- Learning for Justice: Latinx Heritage Resources
Remembering Don Bissonette – This summer, we lost a great team member. Former EES and EMS custodian Don Bissonette died after a long battle with cancer. As his friend and EES colleague Kara Quinn shared, “He was a dedicated custodian and an important member of our school communities at BSD. There are many staff members and students who will remember him and his silly contests like the golden trashcan and golden broom, and his willingness to even dye his hair pink in an effort to get the kids to clean up their classrooms.” Don is greatly missed. The family is planning a celebration of life to be held on a future date. For more information, please contact Kara.
Annual Survey Results – Did you know that 90% of families that took the Annual Survey feel their child is engaged and supported in their learning? This data point and many more are now available for you to review in the Annual Survey Data Presentation. More than 2,000 students, 600 staff members, and 740 families responded to the survey. We value the perspective and input of every member of our BSD community and the results of the Annual Survey help guide district-level decisions and next steps. Thank you for your participation! PS. Loyola University Chicago is partnering with Chicago schools to implement and evaluate the use of restorative practices with students and staff. A researcher from Loyola University will be using the BSD RP Assessment tools in Chicago, a national leader in the use of RP. We are proud of our work here and BSD is now leading the way for other districts!
BHS Cell Phone Procedures – This is a correction to my recent community message which stated that BHS would implement a fully cell phone-free school starting next school year. In fact, BHS plans to begin a bell-to-bell cell phone-free approach starting in January. We made the decision not to launch the year with this change, but instead to use the fall to prepare staff, students, and families for the transition. Given that our middle and elementary schools are already operating under similar expectations, and that the high school currently restricts phone use during class time, we believe this will be a fluid and natural next step.
BTC Enrollment – The technical center has increased enrollment for the 2025-2026 school year, starting the year with 271 high school students, up from 240 last year and as low as 210 just a few years ago! BTC enrollment declined significantly once the Institute Road campus closed due to the PCB contamination with BTC programs moving into temporary locations. We are now seeing the results of consistency with established locations, leadership, and increased outreach efforts and we cannot wait to open our new spaces at the airport and on Institute Road!
Charlie Cart Spotlight! Chances are your students have come home raving about cooking in class at some point. How do offer students the opportunity to do this? With our Charlie Cart! This month BSD was featured in a Charlie Cart spotlight. Check it out!
IAA is BACK! It feels wonderful to be back together as a community at IAA! We’ve started our weekly Town Meetings, and last week we welcomed special musical guests Nicolas Babineau and Alexis Chartrand, with support from Mark Sustic. As you can see from the photo, many of our students are riding bikes to school each day. It’s exciting to be back in the neighborhood and not relying on buses for daily transportation.
School Nutrition Department Update – Our department was recently awarded a grant from Hannaford Supermarkets to fund a refrigerated trailer. This new resource will strengthen our programs, especially the meal box program at the Intervale Center, by allowing us to safely store and transport more fresh, healthy foods for our students and families. In addition, we’re thrilled to highlight the introduction of Misty Knoll chicken to our menus this fall. Along with this new partnership, we’ll be featuring a variety of seasonal, locally grown products, including melons, broccoli, tomatoes, and more as part of our ongoing commitment to Vermont farms and fresh food for students. Last but not least, we have launched a School Nutrition newsletter!
EMS Teacher Selected to Present at ACTFL – EMS French and Spanish teacher Emily Smith has been selected to present at the annual American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) convention this November in New Orleans, LA. (From the ACTFL website: “The ACTFL Convention is globally recognized as the most comprehensive professional development event for language educators in the United States. This event offers learning opportunities for all language education professionals at all levels and from all languages.”) Her topic is “Personalized assessment: Your students are your best content.” and she will be sharing some of the ways she makes assessment engaging and relevant for our students, framing this work in the ACTFL proficiency standards (our national standards for language learning). She will also highlight student work from our Spanish and French programs at Edmunds Middle School, share successes, and encourage convention attendees to foster joyful communication with their own students. Congrats and good luck Emily!
BSD POLICIES
We continue to work towards updating BSD policies and sunsetting old ones. In the past four months, we’ve been able to work with the board on several polices. You can find these below or on our website.
https://www.bsdvt.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/F23-Capitalization-of-Assets-4.29.25.docx.pdf
https://www.bsdvt.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/F1-Travel-Reimbursement-2.18.25.pdf
https://www.bsdvt.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/D8-Selection-of-Library-Materials.docx.pdf
https://www.bsdvt.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/C15-Student-Conduct-and-Discipline-4.30.25.docx.pdf
https://www.bsdvt.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/C7-Student-Attendance-4.30.25.docx.pdf
https://www.bsdvt.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/C5-Firearms-4.30.25.docx.pdf
https://www.bsdvt.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/C3-BSD-Student-Transportation-policy-3.11.25.pdf
https://www.bsdvt.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/C1-Education-Records-5.15.25.docx-1.pdf
https://www.bsdvt.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/B7-Tobacco-Prohibition-2.4.25.docx.pdf
https://www.bsdvt.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/B3-Alcohol-and-Drug-Free-Workplace-2.4.25.pdf
https://www.bsdvt.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/B5-Employee-Unlawful-Harassment.pdf
Sunsetting Policies – In addition to our significant work of the past three years to bring all of our policies into date, the School Board took action to sunset 29 outdated or no longer relevant policies at the last board meeting.
