BBRSD Central Office Update
May 19, 2023
Acting Superintendent of Schools
Greetings,
Upcoming Evacuation Drill at Tahanto
Our commitment to school safety and preparation for a variety of emergency situations that could occur at our schools is ongoing throughout the year. To that end, and in partnership with our local police, fire and highway departments, we have updated our evacuation procedures in each of the schools as necessary. I want to specifically bring attention today to an emergency drill that Tahanto students and staff will be participating in early this coming week in which they will evacuate from the school and walk to the back entrance of the New England Botanic Garden at Tower Hill on Main Street in Boylston. This drill will familiarize both staff and students with their updated evacuation plan as well as inform the Crisis Team so that they may make adjustments accordingly. Discussions with both parties have already taken place at the school in anticipation of this event.
The drill, in its multiple layers of planning and preparation, has been carefully orchestrated by the police department, fire department, Tahanto administration, and highway department so that all participants remain safe during this time. Please be advised that for a period of time, a portion of route 70 will be closed and a detour will be set up. The Berlin and Boylston Highway Departments will provide assistance with detours and there will be Police, Fire, and EMS presence throughout the duration of the event.
The Boylston Police Department will be sharing information regarding the road closure and drill this coming weekend and our Tahanto Interim Principal, Ms. Sally Stukuls, will also continue to communicate this information with Tahanto families. I did want to make all of our families aware, however, so that you are not concerned that an emergency situation is taking place at Tahanto and also, that you might share this information with the larger community who are not in our schools. Thank you for your understanding, patience and cooperation as we work to ensure that our schools are given the tools and practice necessary to respond in the event of an emergency.
Arts in Education in the BBRSD Shines
This past week, I had the privilege of attending the high school music concert at Tahanto and touring the art show on display outside the library and throughout the school. In both instances, the incredible talent of our students shone through, and their creative expression and interpretation of music and art was truly a marvel. The gifts that our students possess comes, not only from their hearts and minds, but from the teaching and practice they have engaged in throughout their preK-12 education. It comes from the dedication and commitment of our music and art teachers through the grade levels to instill in them the pure joy of making music, of expressing themselves through the arts, and the sometimes tedious task of “sticking with it” when practice becomes more challenging or the product doesn’t come out “just right.”
I would like to acknowledge this week, Jeffrey Peer, band director at Tahanto for giving our students the gift of performance and Michelle Murray and Shannon McGinty for their efforts to showcase student work for the art show. Many thanks to their colleagues, Jeremiah Gallant (Tahanto chorus), Lauren Kuppens (elementary art), Jackie Bruss (elementary band) and Audrey Thompson (elementary chorus), for all of their efforts to instill the beauty and value of arts education in our students through the years, and for our parents who support and encourage these programs and their importance in our schools.
Respectfully,
Pupil Personnel Department
Shine Initiative - Mental Health Literacy for Parents and Caregivers.
Mental wellness touches on all aspects of our children's lives. The signs of struggle can be subtle and differ in youngsters compared to teenagers.
SEPAC is excited to offer everyone in the district two workshops run by the Shine Initiative on mental health literacy in youth. The goal is to help adults recognize the signs, which can be subtle, that the children and young adults in their lives may be struggling and give them tools better to communicate as well as resources for more help.
The workshop on Monday, May 22, will focus on grades 6-12.
Both workshops will run from 6:30-8 pm and are being held in the Tahanto multipurpose room. A Zoom option is available for those who cannot attend in person.
Shine, and the SEPAC request attendees RSVP if possible at https://bit.ly/SEPACSHINE.
The Shine Initiative in Worcester has been working with young people to destigmatize mental illness and strengthen mental wellness since 2004. Normalizing conversations about mental health is the cornerstone of their advocacy work for youth in the region and beyond.
The workshops, which are open to all, are being funded in part by grants from the Berlin and Boylston Cultural Councils, local agencies which are supported by their towns and the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
Please see the video overview for additional information.
Preschool Openings
We have a few openings in our afternoon preschools at Berlin Memorial and Tahanto beginning September 2023.
· These openings are in the Monday, Wednesday, and Friday afternoon session from 12-2:30.
· Tuition for this program is $252 per month or $2520 for the year.
· A completed application along with the $15 application fee is required.
· These openings will be filled on a first-come, first-serve basis.
· See the application for additional details.
Berlin Memorial Applications can be sent to Sherry Trainque strainque@bbrsd.org
Tahanto Preschool Application can be sent to Sherry Burke sburke@bbrsd.org
Jannel Fitzpatrick
Director of Pupil Personnel
Contact Us!
Email: parentquestions@bbrsd.org
Website: bbrsd.org
Location: 215 Main Street, Boylston, MA, USA
Phone: 508-869-2837