Superintendent's Newsletter
2023-2024 School Year
Welcome Back Students!
We are very excited to welcome all of our new and returning students next Monday! I hope our students and staff had the opportunity over the summer months to relax, rejuvenate, and recharge with family and friends. As we begin the 2023-24 school year, we remain committed to Building Citizens and Promoting Success in following the goals of our strategic plan, which are to ensure high academic expectations within a safe and supportive learning environment, guided by exemplary teachers and support staff and in partnership with our parents and community. If you are not already a member of your school's PTA, please consider joining and stay involved in your child's school. Please take a moment to review the information in this newsletter to stay informed, and I look forward to working with you this year. Now, let's get to learning!
-Dr. Marc Bergin
Welcome New Staff & Administration
Earlier this week I had the pleasure of welcoming new staff members to the school division as part of our New Hire Orientation. As I shared with our newest employees, it is every staff member's responsibility to ensure our students are safe, supported, and engaged in their learning every day. Congratulations to the following principals who are either new to Bedford County Public Schools or new to the leadership role:
- Katherine McNeely - Principal, Big Island Elementary School
- Dr. Jeff Guerin - Principal, Huddleston Elementary School
- Andy Bliss - Principal, Goodview Elementary School
- Curt Hetherington - Manager, Alternative Education Center
Parent Back to School Checklist
The Parent Portal (located under Quick Links) is a resource that allows parents to check their student's attendance and grades, and keep information updated. If you are new to our division or should you need to update your student's information, set up your free account today.
2. Annual Registration
Registration forms are located on our website here and must be completed annually to verify and update student information. If you are registering a returning student and you are unable to locate their snapcode, please contact your student's school.
3. Athletics
Participation in BCPS athletics is governed by the regulations of the Virginia High School League (VHSL), All requirements can be found at VHSL Website, or by visiting our website.
4. Transportation
Thank you for your patience and consideration in the first few weeks of school with the adjustments to our transportation schedules. Each school year transportation routes have to be adjusted to accommodate the influx of new students and/or new routes. To ensure your child's transportation both to and from their school is correct, please contact your child's school or email transportation@bedford.k12.va.us
5. Nutrition Update
The School Nutrition Department has converted to a new online student management system beginning this school year. LINQ Connect will be replacing the MySchoolBucks platform that was once utilized by the district. LINQ Connect is a secure, online portal that allows families to:
- Make an online payment to their student’s meal account
- Remotely monitor their student’s accounts
- Set up automatic recurring payments
- Set up low balance email message alerts
- Submit an online application for free and/or reduced meals
Please see the FAQs on how to create an account in the portal for student account management.
Safe School Update
As we finalize preparations for the 2023-2024 School Year, we want to assure you that the safety of our students, staff, and visitors remains our top priority. We are committed to partnering with you and our entire BCPS community in providing a safe and supportive learning environment for all of our students.
Each school will be conducting safety drills throughout the year to ensure everyone is prepared and knows what to do in the event of an actual emergency or crisis situation. We wanted to communicate the three different school lockdown protocols that we practice, so that you will be aware and can speak with your child at home about the importance of practicing these drills correctly.
Perimeter Lockdown - For situations such as a non-immediate, potential community threat.
Low Level Lockdown -For situations such as a non-immediate, potentially more serious, community threat or a Bedford County Sheriff's Office drug-dog search.
High Level Lockdown -For situations such as an immediate, community or on-campus threat.
You can continue to expect that your child’s principal will communicate any lockdown drill at a minimum of 24 hours in advance of conducting the drill. If the school needs to implement any non-drill lockdown procedure, parents will be notified as quickly as possible.
Working with the Bedford County Department of Fire and Rescue and the Bedford County Sheriff’s Office, our school division has developed a reunification plan to be followed in the event that a crisis situation arises that requires an off-school-site reunification with parents. Each school will be assigned a designated reunification site.
While we genuinely understand the desire for parents to immediately report to the school when there is a crisis situation, we ask that parents await communication from the principal or the school division about the crisis as well as specific reunification information, when pertinent. This will ensure that roadways and school entries are not congested for first responders, as well as for BCPS buses needed to transport students to the reunification site.
We cannot stress enough how much we value your partnership in working together in ensuring a safe and supportive environment for our students.
Download the BCPS App for Student/Parent Notifications
We strive to provide frequent and timely communication between students, staff, and parents through a variety of technology tools. The BCPS App is designed specifically for timely communication about important information, including school delays and closures due to inclement weather, and allows users to filter information for specific individual or multiple schools. Search “Bedford County Public Schools” in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Please contact your child's school if you have any questions or need assistance with using the BCPS App.
Elementary School Updates
Students in Kindergarten through Second Grade will notice the report cards read differently this school year. K-2 students will have an updated grading scale that rates the student's skill level as follows:
- Mastery - student is able to consistently preform the task or demonstrate understanding independently and without support in multiple demonstrations,
- Sufficient Progress - student is able to perform the task or demonstrate understanding with some struggle or need for improvement,
- Insufficient Progress - student is able to perform the task or demonstrate understanding with significant support and room for improvement or is unable to demonstrate understanding; and
- Not Introduced - the skill has not yet been introduced.
In previous years, grades 3-5 had report cards that all were the same. However, this year grades 3, 4 & 5 will each have a different report card template. These report cards will show the standards specific to the grade level. Also, comment sections will appear on page 2 of the new report card for grades 3, 4 & 5 so families have the ability to monitor their child's behavior and social/emotional growth over the course of the school year.
Updated Reading Curriculum
Students in Kindergarten through 5th grade will have a new reading curriculum known as "Benchmark Advance." Families may receive a letter at the beginning of the year explaining the program. In addition, families will receive home/school connection letters at the beginning of each unit explaining what the students will be learning. Benchmark Advance has a student book that will be sent home called "My Reading and Writing." This gives families additional information about how they can support their student in developing important reading skills at home. Should you have any questions regarding this new curriculum, please contact your student's school.
Attendance Matters!
1st Quarter Important Dates
While you can find BCPS School Calendar here, we would like to inform you of some upcoming important dates during the first grading period:
- 8/14/23: First Day of School
- 9/4/23: Labor Day Holiday (BCPS Closed)
- 9/14/23: School Board Meeting (SRHS)
- 10/12/23: End of 1st 9 weeks
- 10/19/23: Report Cards Go Home
Come Work For BCPS
Our Human Resources team has worked diligently over the past several months to hire new staff to achieve a 99% fill rate! We still have a few openings, so please help spread the word. We offer competitive wages and great benefits! Please consider coming to work for Bedford County Public Schools in any of the following positions:
- Substitute Bus Drivers
- Substitute Teachers
- Custodians
- Nutrition Workers
- Secretaries
- Instructional Paraprofessionals
- Special Education Paraprofessionals
A full list of job openings can be found here.