Supt's Scoop
Dr. Manno's E-Brief, March, Edition, #9 2017-18 School Year
A message from the Superintendent of Schools
Dear BCSD Families and Community Members:
This month we held three Parent Forums on School Safety. Thank you to everyone who attended. We understand that the nature of being a busy parent doesn't always allow attendance at events due to conflicts. Therefore, I am providing this summary of the meetings and a link to the presentation provided during our forums.
There were three parts to each forum:
An overview of safety and security efforts and initiatives from District, School, and Law Enforcement perspectives.
A briefing from our Security Consultants, Altaris Consulting Group.
A Question and Answer Panel.
At this time, we are in the process of synthesizing our questions/answers and preparing a document we will post on our website along with the presentation.
We all are deeply saddened and disturbed as a result of the violence that took place at Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS in Parkland, Florida on February 14, 2018. We are all further concerned by the over 200 school shootings that have occurred since Sandy Hook in 2012.
Our Parent Forums on School Safety were intended to reassure our families that much has been done to improve safety and security here in BCSD since Sandy Hook. We continue to evaluate threats and identify areas for improvement. Many of these efforts are visible. Some are purposely not visible.
First, we know that preventing, planning, and responding to school violence only happens in the context of strong relationships:
Being cognizant of student relationships and student's social, emotional and mental health needs; and,
Nurturing trusting and strong relationships between and amongst students, faculty, administration, parents, and families, community support organizations, and, importantly, law enforcement.
Open relationships with our community promote an environment of “See something, say something,” which is perhaps the most powerful lever in preventing school violence. In studying incidents of school violence, in practically every case, someone had information that could have helped to prevent the incident. I hope everyone is aware of our Anonymous Alerts system, which allows anyone to provide information of concern to the schools. This can be accessed directly from our website.
Our strong relationships with first responders, especially law enforcement, and our relationship with experts in the field of school safety, enable us to constantly improve our likelihood of preventing school violence, and our ability to respond effectively should an incident occur. Recently, the District has worked with the police departments in all three of our jurisdictions to implement a plan to increase police presence in and around our elementary schools. We have provided office space in each of our schools for police officers and access to visit our schools, walk the halls, and use the office space for routine work.
During our forums, we talked about a number of structures we have in place to ensure effective communication, strong relationships, continuous improvement of security infrastructure, and proper training and preparation of school personnel.
Last year, BCSD initiated a District First Responders Safety and Security Task Force, which consists of school personnel, fire and EMS personnel, law enforcement, our security experts, as well as local and regional mental health resources. We meet several times per year for the purpose addressing issues of safety and security. As a result of the Task Force, we implemented Incident Command System Training and Active Shooter Training for all of our Administrators. Administrators have also participated in a Threat Assessment Workshop given by the Westchester County Police Department at PNW BOCES and we are using this experience to enhance our Threat Assessment work in schools.
BCSD also maintains an internal District Emergency Response Team to address District-level issues of safety and security. Each school maintains a School Emergency Response Team (SERT) which ensures school personnel receive training and have the opportunity to practice safety and security protocols.
SERTs are trained in the Incident Command Model, the same system that emergency responders use when responding to incidents. SERTs run through regular drills and tabletop discussions using various protocols. Our SERTs train twice each year and then turn-key the learning to the staff of the buildings.
As important as physical security, is our attention to promoting and monitoring the social and emotional wellness of our students, and providing the right supports for students when necessary. We are constantly working to improve this by monitoring students who may be in distress or at-risk. This year in the Superintendent's budget. I recommended the addition of a Student Assistance Counselor at FLMS, and an additional Guidance Counselor at FLHS.
BCSD has been involved for over a year in a facilities analysis to identify Infrastructure improvements to improve safety and security. A number of these improvements have already been done, while others are in discussion or being planned. We can’t discuss the specifics of these as doing so could undermine our security efforts.
We hope this information is helpful and provides some sense of comfort for our families. BCSD will constantly work to evaluate and improve safety for our children.
Best Regards, and In Service,
Dr. Christopher Manno, Superintendent of Schools
A Message about Spring Testing for Students
From Dr. Joel Adelberg, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction
Dear Parents and Guardians,
The purpose of this letter is to remind families that April marks the start of the annual season for state testing. Each spring, New York State mandates the administration of ELA and Mathematics Tests to measure student progress toward meeting the Common Core Learning Standards. Since the initial administration of these tests, and especially over the course of the last few years, we have been deepening our understanding of these standards, and have been revising and refining our curriculum, instruction and classroom assessments, all in an effort to raise student learning, growth and achievement. Following the release of last year’s test results, we have worked to understand how student progress is being assessed on these tests and have taken action to match appropriate learning experiences to our students in ways that best support their growth.
This year, the Grades 3-8 ELA and Math Tests have been shortened from three days to two days each.
Our district’s expectation is that all students will take these tests, as they provide us with valuable information on student performance and our commitment to align classroom instruction to the standards. We learn quite a bit about our students and our instructional practices from the results we get from these tests. We do recognize that some parents will have their children “refuse” to participate. If this is your intention, it is important that we are notified in advance to be able to support your child. We will need a written statement of “refusal” by a parent, received by the school, at least two days prior to the scheduled state assessment. Please make sure the particular test you’re having your child “refuse” to take is noted on the letter to your child’s principal. We will make every effort to find an alternative place for your child during the testing period. We will not offer alternative instruction during the testing time, so your child should come to school with books to read and/or homework to complete. If we receive student “refusals” the morning of the test, we will not be able to accommodate these children in an alternate site and they will have to sit in the classroom with their peers taking the test.
The tests are challenging and rigorous, and as a result, we have tried to increase students’ knowledge, comfort, and familiarity with the sophistication of the tests. As in past years, we anticipate that there may be questions about the tests, why they are required, who has to take them, and when. There are additional resources for parents available online from the New York State Department of Education. Please reference these updated handout and FAQ with information about the 2018 assessments, including details about the reduced number of testing days.
Parents often ask how they might best prepare their children for these tests. Since these tests cover a year of curriculum and learning, the best preparation relates to promoting students’ readiness to “show what they know”. This means a good night’s rest, a healthy breakfast, and lots of positive reinforcement. Students shouldn’t cram or stay up trying practice questions the night(s) before the tests. We know our students try hard, and will do the best they can—and that is what we expect.
Should you have additional questions, please contact your child’s teacher, assistant principal or principal, or feel free to contact me.
We are grateful for your support as partners in the learning process.
What's Happening in BCSD?
The 8th Annual BCSD Elementary BikeRun is Sunday, May 20, 2018 - Registration opened Monday, March 12, 2018!!
We're pleased to announce the 8th Annual BCSD Elementary BikeRun will be held on Sunday, May 20, and registration opens Monday, March 12. The BikeRun will be held on the Fox Lane Campus and begins at 8 AM on May 20. Please mark you calendars - registration will close when we reach capacity of 400 BCSD elementary students. BikeRun as always will be a fun filled day for the whole family - with food, activities, music and festivities!
All Kindergarten through 5th grade students attending BCSD elementary schools (Bedford Hills, Bedford Village, Mount Kisco, Pound Ridge and West Patent) are welcome and encouraged to participate. Registrations are on a first-come basis and limited to just 400, so if you intend to register your children, please do so on March 12 - we reach capacity quickly! All registrations are accepted online. For more details, visit the BCSD BikeRun website at http://bcsdny.org/k5bikerun.
Over the past seven years, BikeRun has donated more than $10,000 -- $2000+ per elementary school -- to BCSD physical education programs. Due to both successful registrations and generous sponsors, we are very pleased to be able to give back to the PE programs who help our students stay moving! The BikeRun is the only health and wellness event that unifies all five BCSD elementary students and their families, with 1000 people expected on campus the day of the event.
Parents, please note:
- Participants provide their own bike, and helmets are required (no exceptions)
- Kindergarten students are welcome to use any sort of wheels – tricycles welcome!
- Modified heats are available for students with special needs. BCSD is an inclusive community and there will be accommodations for students requiring support at the event. Please email bcsdsepto@gmail.com by March 23rd, 2018 with your contact information and we will follow up on the accommodation plan for your student.
Please help us communicate better and to reach as many families as possible:
o If you no longer have a child in a BCSD elementary school, help spread the word to others in our community about what a great event BikeRun is!
o If you know of a new family in a BCSD elementary school, please respond with "add them" in the subject line and send us their email address.
Please register your children online beginning Monday March 12 and at the link here: http://bcsdny.org/k5bikerun