Superintendent's Scoop
Dr. Manno's E-Brief, Oct. Edition, #4, 2017-18 School Year
October 2017, Edition #3
A Message from the Board of Education and Superintendent of Schools
Dear BCSD Families and Residents,
We hope your children launched into a positive and productive year of learning.
BCSD is very fortunate to have Parent and Community Organizations that support our schools and students. You probably receive correspondence from your child's school-based parent organization or from our Special Education Parent Teacher Association (SEPTO); however, we also have a number of District-level foundations or organizations that meet various District-level needs with broad parent participation. Below is a brief description of the value that each organization brings to the district. If you are interested in receiving periodic updates from any/all of these organizations, please opt in by clicking the button below this message.
FOUNDATION FOR BEDFORD CENTRAL SCHOOLS is the booster club for the classroom. It broadens academic learning opportunities for all students in our district. Funded projects include enrichment programming for elementary school students, professional development for teachers including certification for new AP courses, and a book drive to enhance K-8 classroom libraries. Learn more at www.foundationbcs.org.
FOUNDATION FOR ARTS, MUSIC AND EDUCATION ("FAME") is the booster club for arts education at BCSD. It provides students and teachers with support by filling budgetary gaps for the arts. It funds enrichment through grants for innovative ideas; unique opportunities through artists-in-residence programs and field trips; vital classroom learning materials; scholarships for students; and transformative change through large-scale capital projects. Learn more at www.bedfordfame.org.
FOX LANE SPORTS BOOSTER CLUB supports athletic programs and student athletes throughout the BCSD by funding projects at all of the schools and in all of the sports in which our students participate. FLSBC’s past efforts include field improvements, dugout renovations, and a vastly enhanced weight room at FLHS amongst many other projects. In the future, the FLSBC hopes to increase community awareness and support for our local teams, thereby increasing community and school pride. To learn more or join, please visit us on the web at www.foxlanesportsboostersclub.com.
As always, to keep informed, check out our District Facebook Page, Twitter Feed, and our school and parent association web pages/newsletters. Also, subscribe to our events calendar and athletics calendar.
Sincerely,
Brian Sheerin, President
Michelle Brooks, Vice President
Bill Canavan
Colette Dow
Pam Harney
Edward Reder
Beth Staropoli
Dr. Christopher M. Manno, Superintendent of Schools
Program Highlight: Assistive Technology in BCSD
The Assistive Technology department has been off to a great start this year! In addition to Margaret Browning-Barnickel, we now have Erica Rogan joining the AT team. Erica brings with her experience and expertise in the area of AAC (Alternative and Augmentative Communication) as a Speech and Language Pathologist. The AT team has been focusing on making sure that all students with AT on their IEP are equipped to tackle curriculum.
The AT team is also busy rolling out district-wide Universal Design for Learning (UDL) tools to promote best practices and access to the curriculum in a proactive and flexible setting. UDL supports inclusive opportunities, independence, and access for all students. UDL encompasses environmental supports as well as technology. The team is excited to begin introducing Read & Write, which is a robust literacy support tool that is accessible on Google apps and the internet. This one extension provides ample opportunities to access a variety of tools to support all three principles of UDL: Multiple means of engagement, multiple means of representation (of material) and multiple means of action and expression. This tool is now available to all students in the district. Read & Write provides speech to text, text to speech, dictionaries (word and picture), translations, research support tools, and more! Professional development started this summer with the entire administration team, and is now continuing in each our our school buildings. Teachers and Administration alike have been excited for this opportunity to learn a new tool that can support independence for all of our learners!
Erica and Margaret are also happy to announce that they will be presenting at the annual New York State Computers and Technology in Education (NYSCATE) conference in November. David Gee, our Director of Technology, will also be presenting. Margaret has also helped to plan, and will be presenting at the BOCES AT Summit that is happening in October.
We are thrilled with these exciting UDL opportunities for our district, and continue to look forward to expanding opportunities for our learners!
Board Meeting Presentations
We have planned some important presentations and topics for our Board meetings throughout the coming year and we will likely add additional presentations as the need arises.
Here is our tentative schedule of presentations:
October 18th - Student Recognition and 2017-18 District Goals and Objectives Presentation
October 25th - Annual Audit Presentation; Student Achievement Briefing
November 15th - Report on MKES ESOL Program and Recommendations
November 29th - Director of Special Education's Entry Report
December 13th - New Course Proposals Overview for Fox Lane High School
December 20th - District Goals Fiscal Impacts Report for 2018-19 Budget
January 17th - Budget Advisory Committee Report
February 28th - Presentation of the Superintendent's Budget; Space and Enrollment Advisory Committee Report
March 14th - Mid-Year District Goals Progress Report
March 21st - Student Achievement Advisory Committee Report
April 11th - Student Musical Performance Highlight
April 18th - Curriculum Presentation
May 2nd - District 2018-19 Budget Hearing; Tenure Awards and Celebration
May 30th and June 13th - Student and Staff Recognition
Emergency Closing/Delayed Opening Procedures
In the event of inclement weather or other circumstances that would cause the closing of schools, a delayed opening, or an early school closing, communication with staff and families occurs in multiple and redundant ways.
Families and staff members will get notified via phone, email, and text using our School Messenger system. Please make sure your school has up-to-date contact information .
The District also posts delay, early dismissal, or closing information on the District Website, BCSDTV, and uses WHUD, News 12, NBC-TV, CBS-TV, FOX 5, and ABC-TV to broadcast school closings, late arrivals, and early dismissals.
On days when inclement weather is predicted, the decision to close school could be made the evening prior. If not, the decision-making process begins at 3:30 a.m. and includes research on weather conditions, assessment of site conditions for our schools, consultation with the highway departments of our towns, and a conference call with regional superintendents of schools. A decision will be made by approximately 5 a.m. and the communication process will be initiated.
Some important information:
- A "Delay" means a 2-hour delay for students and staff. Students report to their bus stops or arrive at school 2 hours after normal time.
- When a "Delay" is called, please continue to be alert for communications, as a "Delay" can become a "School Closing."
- For "Early Dismissals," the earliest bus runs for the high school/middle school would begin at 10:20 a.m. Elementary students would be dismissed at 11:30 a.m.
- If schools are closed, facilities are not available for use for after-school or evening activities by internal or external organizations; therefore, all after-school activities are canceled, with the exception of after-care occurring in schools.
- For "Early Dismissals," staff members are dismissed after students have left the campus.
- If schools are closed or there is an early dismissal on a Friday, please check the District website for the status of weekend activities.
What happens when bad weather is expected?
When inclement weather is expected, the process of evaluating BCSD's opening status begins many hours prior to that phone call. The day and evening prior, the Superintendents receives frequent notices from Fleet Weather, the District's weather service, and utilizes other weather forecasting tools, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Weather.com, and other local sources.
The morning of a potential weather event begins at 3:30 a.m. with the Superintendent of Schools again reviewing weather data from various sources. The District Facilities Director collects information from regional road departments, and about conditions at each district school facility. The Superintendent and Facilities Director talk before 4:30 a.m. The Superintendent participates in a regional Conference call with Northern Putnam-Westchester Superintendents at 4:30 p.m. The Superintendent not only needs to consider conditions in BCSD communities but also must consider decisions of surrounding school districts.
A decision is made by approximately 5 a.m., and then the work begins. The Superintendent crafts the appropriate message and records and scripts the message to be sent in English and Spanish. A complex communication system is enacted, including text messages, emails, and phone messages to administrators, service providers such as transportation services, food services, and buildings and grounds staff, news media, private schools, before-school program providers, and of course notification to families via phone, email, text, BCSDTV, and the District website. Each of these steps is assigned to specific individuals and are carefully coordinated and executed.
If all goes well, the Superintendent and others involved in the decision are enjoying a cup of hot coffee by about 5:30 a.m. or so. Decisions and correspondence must occur at this early hour because buses begin to roll on a normal day by 6 a.m.
We hope this is helpful to our families and community members to know and understand what is involved in a weather decision.
Cultivating curiosity and passion for learning.
Providing challenging educational opportunities.
All students achieving their full potential.