Raider Record
April 17, 2020
There is No Normal…. And that is OK.
In this pandemic, there is no normal. Teachers want to know if their lessons are good enough, if their offerings match those of colleagues. Parents are looking to social media to see if their homeschooling and daily life is structured enough. Some students are hoping to get more assignments from teachers, other students haven’t even opened their computers.
In my Psychology and Sociology classes, we discuss what makes a community. We discuss culture, norms, and even taboos. All communities use norms to help build the day to day arrangement of their members. In class we brainstorm norms for our school community and list them on the board: BHS Collective Commitments, be in the classroom when the bell rings, raise your hand and participate in class, do your homework, don’t stand or stop in the middle of the hallway, always walk on the right side of the stairs.
In this historic time, our school community’s norms have changed. In our own homes, it doesn’t matter if someone stops in the hallway… there is still room to move around them. There are no bells to break up a day into smaller parts. But the one norm that still stands, even with our community spread across the county, is our Collective Commitments.
CC#1- Take care of this great place. Right now, BHS students and staff are taking care of our greater community by staying home and staying safe. We are sacrificing our in-school community for the greater health of all around us.
CC#2- Do quality work. There is not a single staff member at BHS who went into education so they could sit in their home office or at their kitchen table and attempt to convey their passion for their subject to empty space, hoping that students will listen later. As staff gathers in virtual meetings multiple times a week, I have not seen anyone who is excited about our situation. But we have teachers working harder than ever, putting in countless hours exploring their in-class curriculum and paring it down to a feasible distance learning experience. And many BHS students have jumped right into this new learning, showing their focus on quality as well.
CC#3- Treat everyone with dignity and respect. I am SO very proud to be a member of the Bellingham Public Schools. BHS is living CC#3 by recognizing all our community members are in different situations and that no one situation is more valid than any other. I have been in contact with students who are asking for additional assignments as they have time and interest and other students who haven’t even started their work because they tend to their siblings during the day. And I have been in contact with students who are grieving family loss and are unable to focus on any assignment. Our staff is currently dedicated to giving grace, meeting all students where they are currently, not where we want them to be.
There is no normal right now. There is no need for teachers, parents, or students to look to others to see if what they are doing looks similar. Instead, focus on the Collective Commitments: Take care, do quality work (whatever that work may be), and treat everyone (including yourself) with dignity and respect.
Stay well.
Kristin O’Malley
Social Studies
BHS - This Week in Video
Please check out today’s Red Raider Report: https://bellingham.wistia.com/medias/c0wjnlvpy7
Other videos highlighted this week:
WE [volleyball] BHS: https://bellingham.wistia.com/medias/bjhckb63x9
WE [dance] BHS: https://bellingham.wistia.com/medias/d17a1qbnon
WE [swim] BHS: https://bellingham.wistia.com/medias/0xdoohdx67
Don’t forget to submit a picture for At Home Red Raider Friday and turn on your porch light at 8:20 in support of the class of 2020.
WE [are] BHS
Teacher Office Hours - Spring 2020
Student Technology Help Desk - Office Hour
Updated AP Testing Information
Hello Raider Students Enrolled in AP Classes!
As you likely know, the College Board has moved its May testing model from a traditional three-hour test taken at school, to a forty-five minute free-response, individual assessment taken online at home.
Yearbook News!
Yearbooks will be available and can still be purchased online via this link: https://wa-bellingham.intouchreceipting.com/
(this link is also available via the BHS website under Activities/Yearbook)
Distribution logistics will be worked out at a later date.
Spring Sports Athletes
Hey all you spring sports athletes…we want your photo for the yearbook! The yearbook staff would like to do a shout-out to all of you by including your photo in the spring sports section. Please take a photo of yourself wearing your uniform (if you have it) and/or with sporting equipment for your sport (golf clubs, tennis rackets, bats, running shoes etc) and email them to Ms. Steele (heather.steele@bellinghamschools.org) no later than Friday, April 24. Thanks! We look forward to getting your pictures!
Resources for Students and Families
"Book Talks with Bach" (Mr. Bachmeier - Library Media Specialist)
Check out "Book Talks with Bach" for Mr. Bachmeier's latest book reviews and recommendations. Students and staff can even sign in with their school email account to post their own book reviews!
Be well, and keep on reading.
Q: How do students return library books, textbooks, and/or computers?
A: We will continue with remote learning until June, and by then we will have more information about how students return books and computers to the school.
Please stay tuned to school communications (email, school messenger calls, Raider Record Weekly Newsletter, etc.) for details about computer and/or book returns.
Keep on reading,
Mr. Bachmeier
Get Help Quitting
Career and Community Events
The Scholarship Bulletin is updated. Take a look!
On the BHS web site. Go to the Student tab, click on the Career Center and open the scholarship link.
Applications are posted for:
· Whatcom Women in Business
· B.A.S.E Scholarship
· Ewing C Kelly
· Scott H Carlson Memorial
· Trans Ocean
Apply for our fall 2020 Career and Technical Scholarship (CTS). Incredible scholarship opportunity for students interested in pursuing high-demand trade, STEM and health care careers through a certificate, apprenticeship or associate degree program at Washington's 34 community and technical colleges.
Email Connie Kelly with questions...
Bellingham High School
Email: megan.atkins-voth@bellinghamschools.org
Website: https://bellingham.bellinghamschools.org/
Location: 2020 Cornwall Avenue, Bellingham, WA, USA
Phone: (360) 676-6470
Facebook: facebook.com/bellinghamhs