BCIT MEDFORD NEWSLETTER
February 2018
Principal's Message
The second semester is nearly halfway through the 3rd marking period as we head into March. Students should be fully entrenched in their course work and have a solid understanding of their teacher’s expectations. 3rd Marking Period Interim reports will be posted in the Parent Portal the week of March 13th. As always, please email any your children’s teachers if you have any questions or concerns.
March and April are very busy months ahead with several activities. As we head towards spring break, remember to visit the BCIT Medford calendar on our main page for all upcoming events.
Mike Parker
PrincipalA Message from your Superintendent
Dear BCIT Families:
This past week, school districts across the nation and residents of the US hold heavy hearts after the tragic shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Fourteen students lost their lives, along with three brave staff. Lives were snuffed out due to a senseless act that cut short the bright futures of talented and vibrant young men and women as well as accomplished staff. We hold these families in our thoughts and give gratitude for the gift of our children and staff. We can only ask the question 'why?' This is the 19th school shooting within the past year. This begs the question, what are school districts doing across the county to assure the safety of our students, staff and visitors?
To this end, I wanted to take this time to share what both the BCIT and BCSS School Districts have done over the past 4 years to address the safety and security of our students, staff and visitors. The Board of Education has committed over $2 million to address building upgrades, procedures and the hire of security personnel to assure that there is a safe learning environment. The following is a list of some of key actions that have been taken over the past four years:
- Purchase of a visitor management system – kiosks at the entrance of the buildings
- Purchase of a comprehensive camera system in all buildings
- Hire of building security teams inclusive of former law enforcement officers and correctional staff
- We are fortunate to have school resource officers through a partnership with local law enforcement in each of the BCIT high schools and seasoned security in BCSS buildings
- All outside doors have been replaced and are part of a buzz-in identification and keyless entry system
- All outside windows near entrances have been equipped with 3M protective coating to absorb impact of any projectiles
- All classroom and other inside doors have had locks changed to keyless entry, which now allows those inside the room to lock the doors in the event of an emergency (not the case in Parkland, FL)
- All staff and students have been issued ID cards and staff issued proximity fobs to enter building and classrooms
- Administration engage at the beginning of each school year in security training for staff, inclusive of online exercises.
- Administration updated the student code of conduct
- Administration updated the emergency evacuation/response procedures in each building
- Administration runs monthly emergency drills including intruder and shelter in place
- As one of the 30 career majors at BCIT, the Law and Public Safety program includes as part of the curriculum a deep respect for the law and law enforcement while promoting appropriate training on personal and public safety
Though not an exhaustive list, the administration is constantly looking at upgrades to procedures or facilities based on what is learned from each unfortunate school tragedy. One thing is certain: we are grateful for our Board of Education, the students entrusted to us whose bright futures await them, the staff who are dedicated to their profession and our administration who assure the safety and physical and educational wellbeing of all in the buildings over which they have oversight.
Sincerely,
Dr. Christopher Nagy
Superintendent of Schools
Click HERE for Dr. Nagy's BCIT web page & blog
We have New Staff Members!
BCIT Foundation Designer Bag BINGO
BCIT Foundation - Get your seat for Designer Bag Bingo on Thursday, March 15 at the Westampton Campus
The BCIT Foundation's next Designer Bag Bingo fundraiser is set for Thursday, March 15, at the Westampton campus. These popular events sell out fast, so lock in your reservation for a fun time, chances to fabulous prizes, and two enviable 50-50 cash pots! We give away Coach, Kors and Spade prizes -- plus more than 20 door prizes!
“Party of 8” reservations are guaranteed to a table by themselves; players who reserve 7 or fewer spots will find seats on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Thu., March 15 in the Westampton Atrium
- 6 pm Doors Open, 7 pm Games Begin
- $30 per person for Admission Plus 10 games
Mark your Calendars!
Thursday, May 10, 2018, at the BCIT Medford Campus
Doors open at 6pm, play starts at 7pm
Come Join us and possibly win some very beautiful prizes!
Poetry Out Loud Regional Recitation Contest
~BCIT Medford Heroes~
At the January 25th board meeting, our Board of Education recognized two heroic BCIT students for acts of bravery in the community. Congratulations to BCIT Medford students Chase McIntyre and Anthony DiCarlo for their selfless acts of heroism.
Student Activity Organizations
BCIT-Medford offers a wide range of student activity organizations. We recommend and encourage all students to become involved in at least one club/organization. Feel free to contact the staff advisors and see how you can become involved. Additional information may be found on the school website under Student Life. Click HERE to view our student activities.
Our Winter Sports season is just finishing up with both boys/girls basketball competing in the state playoffs this week. Our Spring Sports season begins this week as well. All student-athletes wishing to participate in athletics at Medford Tech must register online, please check Mr. Pappler’s website for athletic links and more information. All student-athletes and his/her parent/guardian must sign and submit all required medical forms to the Nurse’s Office at least 3 weeks prior to the start of the sports season in order to participate. More information is available on the Athletics website.
Please come out and support our Jaguar Athletic Teams. The baseball/softball teams compete on the back fields on campus. For schedules to all events and games click HERE
Recently our girls basketball team won the Independence Division Championship.
Congrats to senior boys basketball player Nate Conyer who recently scored his 1,000th point.
Congratulations to our seniors from the Medford Campus Girl's Basketball team who were honored January 31st, by the Al Carino Girls Basketball Club of South Jersey, for being team captains and unsung heroes.
Taylor Thompson, Dasia Wright, Sionnie Mathis, Sha'Kera Hilton, Jordynn Thompson and Tiara Bell are with Coach Kenney at the Crowne Plaza in Cherry Hill.
Student-Athlete Information
Any senior student-athlete wishing to compete in the NCAA Division I or II must complete an application through the NCAA. Click HERE to register. You must complete this process to receive any type of athletic scholarship money! Student athletes are reminded to send their SAT and ACT test scores to the Eligibility Center by entering the code “9999” in the box when registering for the tests. Any senior student-athlete wishing to compete in the NAIA level must register through the NAIA Eligibility Center. Click HERE to register. You must complete this process to receive any type of athletic scholarship money!
Medford Tech Apparel
Please check out our online spirit wear store to get your Medford Tech apparel. It can be customized for any academic, career major content area, club/activity or athletic team. The items are shipped directly to your house. Please click HERE to take you directly to the online store.
Enter Promo Code Mar18 NOW through March25th and save 20% off $100.00!
Discovery Night 2018
Thank you to everyone who came out February 22nd for Discovery Night to our Medford Campus! Our staff, students & future BCIT students explored our CTE classrooms while learning more about our clubs and activities.
Academy of Performing Arts Student Performance.
Congratulations Medford Robotics!
Team 7662B competed in the NJ State VEX Championship on Saturday, February 24th. The team was presented with the Create Award, for their unique robot design. Congratulations to Team 7662B! Team members are (from left to right) Jacob Titus, Lauren Romano, Katelyn Liberton, Jaxson Bonsall, and Nathan Mehta (not pictured).
PARCC TESTING All students who are currently enrolled in English I, English II, or English III will take the Proficiency Based Assessment in English Language Arts. All students who are currently enrolled in Algebra I, Geometry, or Algebra II will take the PBA (Performance‐based Assessment) in Mathematics. Students will begin testing in the April. Please check the BCIT Medford website for testing dates.
MySchoolBucks
Medford Tech is happy to announce that our online payments are currently active for General Obligation (ID’s, books, etc.) and Student Activity payments.
To make an online payment please click HERE and create a MySchoolBucks account. Then find your product and make a payment. We encourage all students to make their payments via MySchoolBucks.
MySchoolBucks is NOT for lunch payments. Do NOT make payments for lunches on MySchoolBucks.
For Online Lunch Payments, PLEASE Click Here