Bellingham High School
Bayhawks - August 16, 2021
A Note From the New Principal
Dear Bellingham Students and Families,
It is with excitement and hope that I write this letter to you. I am excited to be re-joining the Bellingham High School community and hopeful for a year of health, safety, and most importantly, learning. Our BHS staff and student leaders are working hard to create opportunities for welcoming and connecting as a school with the ultimate goal of continued strong learning experiences.
Twenty-one years ago, I was able to work with staff and students as we re-imagined what Bellingham High School could be. From that work emerged the Collective Commitments. Three years ago, students and staff engaged in a similar process to create the We [are] BHS theme. And now, we have the opportunity to remember who we are as a community and create a refreshed identity with a new mascot. I hope you will all join us in remembering that we are bigger than our mascot and help us to make our Collective Commitments and We [are] BHS relevant for every member of the BHS family.
Speaking of that mascot and identity, we are happy to share that we will be hiring an artist to help us craft our new logo. The Bayhawks mascot will be rooted in who we are as a school, and we are asking for your input regularly. In our weekly updates regarding all important information about school, watch for a special Bayhawks Logo section.
Respectfully,
Marty Atkins, Principal
In this update:
2 - Schedule and Calendar info
3 - New Student information
4 - Staffing Update
5 - Health and Safety Guidelines
6 - Cameras and Security
7 - Upcoming Dates and Athletics info
8 - PTSA
9 - Attendance
10 - Parking
11 - Bus Transportation
12 - Food Service
+ how to stay connected
1 - Back to School Block Party - Fiesta en la calle
Haga clic en el enlace de abajo para más información
Click the link below for more information
2 - First Day information
School starts at 8:30 AM on Wednesday, Sep. 1. The daily schedule will return to an 8:30 to 3:15 timeframe and we will begin each day with our advisory time. The school calendar can be found here and we will be adding more details to our school website throughout the fall. All students and staff will be required to wear a mask every day while in the building. Please join us in encouraging your children to follow the district and state guidelines; we want to make our primary focus every day to be about learning and building our new Bayhawks identity.
3 - 9th Grade and New Student Orientation
We’re excited to welcome our new students to BHS! With school starting on September 1, we’ve scheduled orientation for Thursday, August 26th. We highly encourage all new students to participate in this important event which includes opportunities to learn about our school, meet classmates, and connect with student mentors. Watch for more details for the day coming your way by email very soon.
3 - Key Information for new students
Registration appointments for new Bellingham High students can be made by calling 360-676-6470 ext. 7110 beginning Aug. 16.
- 9th grade Orientation — 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Aug. 26, includes lunch
- New student orientation (grades 10 to 12) 8 to 10 a.m. Aug. 26
- Parent meeting from 8 to 9 a.m. Aug. 26 (for parents of freshman and other new students)
- Online schedules for new students will be available starting Aug. 26
- School pictures will happen on the second day of school, Thursday, Sep. 2
- Fall Open House — 6 p.m. Sept. 23
4 - Staffing Update
Calvin Atkins, Science
Connie Campbell, Choir
Molly Hayes, High School and Beyond Plan Coordinator
Jennifer Herta, Video Productions and other courses in our CTE program
Emilie Mack, Special Education
Maggie Miller, PE and Science
Debb Myhre, Registrar
Allie Neils-LeMoine, Science
Cory Perrin, School Psychologist
Lindsay Perwack, Multi-Lingual Learners program (formerly ELL)
Keenan Schoen, Counselor (students R-Z)
Elyse Slagle, Math
We may have another one or two announcements about staff coming soon. Stay tuned.
5 - Health and Safety Guidelines
Our two primary goals for the 2021-22 school year are to maximize in-person instruction by keeping kids in school and to minimize the transmission of COVID-19 among students and staff and to their families and our broader community. Our best protections are the COVID-19 vaccine and masks.
Here is the current guidance that we will follow:
- Masks are required inside schools for everyone regardless of vaccination status.
- Masks are optional outside but recommended for crowded events.
- Physical distance should not be a barrier to in-person instruction. Our goal is to have a distance of 3 feet between students in the classroom.
- We will not be doing health attestations for students. We ask that everyone stay home when they are sick.
- We are hoping to expand testing access to every school.
- We will continue to do contact tracing.
- We will continue to focus on handwashing and sanitizing.
6 - Cameras and Security
Over the spring and summer, contractors installed security cameras inside and outside of several of our schools, including here at Bellingham. This project was approved by our community as part of the 2018 school facilities bond. Security cameras will help us maintain the health, welfare and safety of students, staff and visitors, and protect our school’s equipment and beautiful campus.
Cameras are located at key points outside the building for exterior vandalism deterrent and protection, and in some common interior areas such as hallways. Cameras do not record audio, and they will not be installed in classrooms, restrooms or locker rooms or any places where we presume privacy. Recordings will only be available to authorized people. For more information, see policy 6610.
Our district is installing cameras at all of our schools and has prioritized high schools for the first phase. We are excited to see this project coming to our high schools as an important tool in helping keep our school community safe and secure.
7 - Other Key Dates: Bellingham High Activities and Athletics
August 18 Fall Sports Clearance - ASB & Activities Offices, Football: 10:00 a.m. -1:00
Clearance instructions for fall sports: Click on this link to visit our Athletics page.
First Football Practice 3:30 p.m. Turf field
August 19 All Fall Sports Clearance: ASB & Activities Offices, 8:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
August 20 All Fall Sports Clearance: ASB & Activities Offices, 8:00 a.m.-11:30 p.m.
August 23 All Fall Sports Clearance: ASB & Activities Offices, 9:00-12:00 & 1:00-3:00p.m.
1st Practice Times and Locations:
Cross Country 3:00 PM Grass field north end of school.
Girls Soccer 3:30-5:00 p.m. – South Turf Field
Girls Swim & Dive: Location TBD
Boys Tennis 3:30 p.m. Tennis Courts
Volleyball: 3:30-6:30 p.m. Tryouts in gym
Girls Slowpitch: 3:30 p.m. - BHS Softball field
August 26
9th Grade Orientation 8:00 - 1:00
New Students (grades 10-12) Orientation from 8:00-10:00
Parent Meeting 8:00-9:00 a.m.
August 30 Class schedules will be available
September 1 School Begins at 8:30 AM – Our first week’s schedule will be A, B, A
September 2 Individual Picture Day: Schedule will be published to all staff and students.
September 23 Open House from 6:00 PM - 7:30 p.m. for all Parents
September TBD Club Fair during Advisory
2021-2022 Fall Sports Schedules:
All sports schedules can be found by going to www.bellinghamathletics.com
8 - PTSA
We desire to continue our traditions of excellence and we cannot do it without your help. Our PTSA will be working to support learning and make connections. Please join the PTSA and consider serving as an officer or helping with one of the many activities throughout the year. For more information, visit the website https://bellingham.bellinghamschools.org/families/.
9 - Attendance
We commit to supporting students and families around consistent school attendance.
10 - Parking
11 - Bus Transportation
Bus pick-up and drop-off times, as well as bus stops, have changed from last year.
12 - Food Service
Families are still encouraged to fill out the Free and Reduced Price Meal Application for other benefits related to free and reduced status.
You can view the lunch menu here.
Please Reach Out
Finally, don’t hesitate to reach out to share any concerns or requests. Email is the most efficient way to contact us, and we’ll respond as quickly as possible.
Marty Atkins, Principal, Martin.Atkins@bellinghamschools.org
Joseph Doucette, Assistant Principal, A-K, Joseph.Doucette@bellinghamschools.org
Chris Carlson, Assistant Principal, L-Z, Chris.Carlson@bellinghamschools.org
Heather Steele, Administrative Intern, Heather.Steele@bellinghamschools.org
Monica Rasmussen, Principal’s Administrative Assistant, Monica.Rasmussen@bellinghamschools.org
Thank you for the privilege of working with your students each day. We are looking forward to another great year at BHS!
“Go Bayhawks!”