Superintendent's Newsletter
2nd Quarter | 2023-2024
Superintendent Update
BCPS Families,
With the completion of the first quarter of the 2023-2024 School Year, I want to take a moment to thank our teachers, administrators and staff for all the support they have provided our students and families over these past couple of months. Parents, if you have not already had the opportunity to meet your child’s teachers to learn about their progress in school, I hope you will do so on Monday, Nov. 6, which is our division-wide Parent-Teacher Conference Day. Open lines of communication are essential for success. Parents and students must feel comfortable discussing with their teachers any concerns or challenges they may be facing.
Speaking of challenges, I would like to again acknowledge the challenges that we all faced over the past several years. The disruptions to our education system during the pandemic were significant, including learning loss for many of our students. I want to assure you that, together, we will overcome these challenges.
It is important for us to recognize that learning loss is not a reflection of anyone's abilities or intelligence, and the path to recovery will be unique for each individual. Our schools will offer additional resources and tutoring opportunities to help students catch up and bridge any gaps in their learning. By working together, we can develop creative solutions tailored to each student's needs. Let us not forget the power of resilience and positivity. Resiliency is not about never falling but about rising each time we fall. I am impressed and proud of the resilience of our students and staff, and I encourage everyone to celebrate the progress made, no matter how small. By fostering a positive mindset, we will inspire and motivate each other to face any challenges that lie ahead.
It will take time, but we can and will overcome these setbacks, one day, one child, one challenge at a time.
As we enter the holiday season, I hope you and your families will remain safe and enjoy spending the time off together.
Best wishes,
Dr. Marc Bergin, Superintendent
2023-2024 Inclement Weather Codes
As we quickly approach the winter season, we wanted to communicate with you about our process for making school weather-related decisions. We live in the fifth largest county geographically in Virginia with many miles of roadway. Due to our large county and geographical diversity, weather sometimes impacts some areas in the county more significantly than others. Student and staff safety is our top priority and the guiding factor in making these decisions. When making the decision to either cancel or delay school, we will communicate as soon as possible as we understand the impact on families.
The following codes will be used this year to communicate with you during times of inclement weather. Families are encouraged to look for official information on the division’s social media pages and website, in addition to announcements being sent through email to all families. To receive email notification, please ensure your child’s school has your updated email and contact information. Codes will also be shared with local media after the division has made the information available through its own communication vehicles mentioned above. We greatly value and appreciate your partnership as we continue to work together throughout this school year.
Closed, Employee Code 1: No Employees Report
All BCPS activities are canceled, including athletic practices and competitions, trips, and any other events in schools.
Closed, Employee Code 2: Essential Personnel Only Report
All BCPS activities are canceled, including athletic practices and competitions, trips, and any other events in schools.
Closed, Employee Code 3: Offices Opening at 10 a.m.
The Supervisor of Transportation will send notification by 11 a.m. regarding if BCPS activities can be held that day.
2-Hour Delay: Schools will open two hours late, and bus routes will be delayed by exactly 2 hours.
*ALL CODES: When students are not present for in-person instruction, offices close at 4 p.m.
Our country is facing an attendance crisis. Prior to the pandemic, eight million students were chronically absent (missing 10% or more of the school year). That number has more than doubled. The adverse social, emotional and academic impact of missing too much school is highest among students and families most affected by educational inequities. Left unaddressed, chronic absence will dramatically increase the number of students struggling with reading, writing and math and escalate dropout rates. Existing attendance and truancy practices are woefully inadequate given today’s unprecedented levels of chronic absenteeism. The influence that the pandemic has left regarding attendance is showing that some parents and students still consider attendance optional. With having students quarantine, missing weeks at a time while still passing, there was an unintended message that it was not important to be in school every day. This mindset needs to shift and Attendance Works has tips and guides to help families.
Find out more about the campaign to advance student success by reducing chronic absence here.
#attendanceworks
Family & Community Engagement
It takes a village to raise a child — and the continued support of that village to help the child succeed in school. It’s why family and community engagement is critical for K–12 schools.
Please see the tools and resources from Hanover Research's and Engaging Families and Communities in K-12 Education for other information here.
Increase Student Achievement
Strong family engagement in schools is strongly associated with faster rates of literacy acquisition among children, increased rates of going on to secondary education, and decreased rates of school dropout. In addition, when families know about and encourage students to take rigorous classes, students are more likely to enroll and score higher on tests.
Improve Attendance and Behavior
15% of public school teachers report student absenteeism as a “serious problem” at their school. Large classroom sizes and students perceiving classrooms as chaotic, uncaring, or boring are associated with student absenteeism. While many schools provide fun incentives to promote good attendance, family and community involvement has been shown to be a more important influence on student attendance.
Enhance Staff Understanding of Family and Community Needs
Schools may wish to involve families and community members in students’ school experience, but not understand their needs, interests, and ideas about partnering. Transparency and open dialogue about school policies and initiatives are necessary to promote family understanding. Partnering with local organizations or community members that understand these differences can be helpful in building community ties and meeting the needs of all student supporters.
Strengthen School Reputation
Schools that engage families and community members see a statistically significant increase in their reputation. When strong family-school-community partnerships result in improved academic outcomes, attendance, and family comfort, the school becomes known as a valuable place to receive an education and student support.
CTE Expo
All 7th grade Bedford County Public Schools students had the pleasure of attending the CTE Expo today at Susie Gibson Science & Technology Center. Approximately 700 students toured the campus, learned more about the career pathways that are available at the school and spoke to local businesses and alumni about how these industries contribute to Bedford County. Students were able to be hands on, ask questions and experience what these careers would be like first hand. We hope that these students see what skill-based opportunities are open to them and will explore them when they reach high school and enroll in courses!
Thank you to Bedford Area Chamber of Commerce and all the vendors, staff and students who made today a success!
What is bullying?
At first glance, it might appear that this behavior is easy to define. A common image of bullying might be of a physically intimidating teen beating up a smaller classmate or one child shoving another inside a hallway locker. While these examples are still considered bullying, it's important to know that bullying behavior can be much more complex and varied than historical stereotypes.
For example, while some bullying is physical and easy to recognize, it can also be social-emotional, occurring quietly and covertly through face-to-face gossip, on a phone, or the internet, causing emotional harm. As a starting point, there are common elements included in most definitions of bullying. Although definitions vary from source to source, most agree that an act is defined as bullying when:
- the behavior is aggressive, unwanted and
- hurts or harms another person physically or emotionally,
- those targeted by the behavior have difficulty stopping the action directed at them and struggle to defend themselves, and
- there is a real or perceived “imbalance of power” which is used to control or harm others; and
- the student demonstrating the bullying behavior can have more “power” in ways such as higher social status, is physically larger, has access to embarrassing information, or is emotionally intimidating, and
- the behavior is repeated or has the potential to be repeated
Types of Bullying
The behavior can be overt and direct, with physical behaviors such as fighting, hitting, or name calling, or it can be covert with emotional-social interactions such as gossiping or leaving someone out on purpose. Bullying can also happen in person or through technology on digital devices like phones, computers, and tablets; and in apps, texts, social media, or gaming.
Intent versus Impact
Some definitions may include that behavior is considered bullying if the intent is to willfully and knowingly cause hurt or harm. However, in some instances intent can be difficult to identify and assess by those involved in the situation: the person doing the bullying, the target, the witnesses, or even adults who receive the reports of bullying. While it is important to address the intention or purpose behind the bullying behavior, it is equally important to look at the impact of the behavior on the target. Focusing on impact verses intent can be useful in situations where the person bullying indicates that, for example, “it was just a joke” or that the target “took it the wrong way.”
Help your Student Identify Bullying
If your child tells you about a situation and you aren’t sure if it’s bullying, use this checklist:
- Does your child feel hurt, either emotionally or physically, by the other child’s behavior?
- Has your child been the target of the negative behavior more than once?
- Does your child want the behavior to stop?
- Is your child unable to make the behavior stop on their own?
If the response to one or more of these questions is “yes,” the more likely it is that the behavior may be considered bullying. You or your student can contact their school counselor or administration so the matter may be investigated.
You can find tools and other information on bullying prevention here.
Calendar Reminders 📆
- 10/19/23 - Report Cards Go Home
- 11/6/23 - Conference Day (School Closed for Students)
- 11/7/23 - Election Day (School Closed for Students)
- 11/22/23-11/24/23 - Thanksgiving Holiday (Offices Closed)
- 12/15/23 - End of 2nd 9 Weeks
- 12/18/23-1/1/24 - Winter Holiday (Offices Closed)