August 25, 2023
BHS NEWSLETTER
Check out the BHS Information Guide if you have questions about Bethel High School.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Mon., Aug. 28 First day of 2023-2024 School Year - Full Day
Mon., Sept. 4 Labor Day - No School
Sat., Sept 9 Quest for the Best @ 6 PM
Wed., Sept 13 Open House @ 6 PM
Dear BHS Staff, Students, Parents & Guardians ~
We are thrilled to begin another school year at BHS. To our seniors, as you approach your final year of high school, we look forward to helping you prepare for the next phase of your life! To our sophomores and juniors, we wish you great success as you embark on another year of high school. Finally, please join me in welcoming the class of 2027 to the BHS community. We look forward to getting to know all of you!
A few reminders for opening day, Monday, August 28th:
School begins promptly at 7:30 am. Students are able to enter the building at 7:10 am.
Please see below for drop off guidelines (front and back).
Do not drop your student off anywhere along Whittlesey Drive
Rear Parking Lot Drop Off Map (You must pull forward and drop off near the Cafeteria)
Please note, during pickup, there is no parking along the sidewalk in the upper senior lot. Parents must park in the lot.
If you have not done so already, please review all important documents sent before school.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact us.
I wish you and your family all the best during the 2023-2024 school year. I look forward to seeing you throughout the year.
Sincerely,
Chris Troetti
We are excited to continue to offer incoming freshmen, sophomores, and rising juniors an online tracking system for community service hours, called x2VOL. This paperless system allows students to enter community service hours online at any time, as well as check for volunteer opportunities. Please note, freshmen will receive x2VOL training at the start of the school year.
Please take note:
- Instructions for Tracking Community Service Hours
Mark your Calendars!
Picture Day is here!
Class of 2024 - Senior portrait appointments are still available!
Click here to schedule
Customer flyer for drivers 2023.pdfNurse's Office
NON-COMPLIANCE:
The Connecticut General Statutes (Section 10-204a and Section 10-206) require local boards of education to ensure that each child attending school be adequately immunized and have an up-to-date health assessment (physical) on file. The Bethel Public School District requires that all students who enter Grade 10 have a mandated health assessment dated on or after July 1, 2022 in order to be compliant.
These forms can be found below:
STATE OF CT - HEALTH ASSESSMENT RECORD: Age 5 - Grade 12
Because the school district must comply with the state regulations, your child will not be allowed to begin 10th grade on the first day of the 2023-2024 school year, 8/28/23, unless you provide the school with an updated health assessment and/or documentation with the necessary immunizations completed before that date.
Please provide the proper documentation to your child’s school; paperwork can be mailed, faxed or emailed to your child’s school.
PARENTAL/GUARDIAN RESPONSIBILITY:
It is your responsibility to alert the health office of your child's school if your child requires medication. Parents/guardians are responsible for dropping off their child's medication (i.e. EpiPens, inhalers, diabetic supplies, etc) at the start of each school year and replacing this medication upon expiration. These medications must be accompanied by the doctor's orders which must be signed by both the doctor and parent/guardian.
Failure to have the medication and doctor's orders in the health office will result in your child not being able to participate in athletics, field trips, school activities etc.
*** Please also note that physicals for athletics are only valid for 13 months. It is your responsibility to make sure that your child’s physical is updated so that they are able to continue participation in their chosen sport.
Working papers are available all year long from the Main Office @ BHS. Please read this important letter.
The process is as follows:
The student gets a job.
Employer gives the student a “Promise of Employment”. This letter MUST have ALL of the following information: the business information (preferably on company letterhead), hourly wage (currently minimum wage is $14.00), the hours per week and a DETAILED list of tasks (no vague descriptions like ‘cleaning’ are permitted). If the letter does not have all that information, we cannot issue Working Papers.
Student emails or brings a copy of the Letter of Intent to Hire to the Main Office at BHS – call first (203-794-8600 opt. 0) to make sure someone is available. Secretaries prepare the working papers and give them to the student.
Please don’t wait until the last minute as this may impact your start date at your new job.
Exceptions to the need for the ED-301(Working Papers)
1. If the employer is a licensed summer camp, a municipality, state or federal employer, Working Papers are not required BUT the same prohibitions for time/days of work apply – especially with 14 and 15-years old. The prohibitions for the hazardous tasks which apply to all minors also apply – see the Hazardous Occupations Orders in the Manual. Working on roofs, use of certain machinery etc. are all prohibited.
2. Agricultural Jobs – We do not issue Working Papers for minors to be employed on farms. When we say agriculture or farm work, we are implying work that is directly related to the function of the farm: dealing with animals, planting, picking product etc. If you get this kind of job, you must simply provide proof of age (14-17) to the employer and if you are under 16 years old, you are not permitted to use ladders or power-driven equipment.
PLEASE NOTE that this ceases to be agriculture when it is work in retail stores (not just a produce stand on the side of the road). If you are working in a STORE like a garden center, this is not agriculture and does require Working Papers.
3. Minors under 16 do not work AT ALL ANYWHERE (including agriculture) during the school year, EXCEPT that a 15-year-old may work in a Grocery Store as a cashier, bagger or stockperson and only on a Saturday for no more than 8 hours. Work is restricted to periods of school vacation (defined as when school is out of session for 5 days or more) and never on a day followed by a school day.
· At 14 we issue Working Papers for a minor to work as a caddy or in the pro shop of a private or municipal golf course during school vacations.
· At 15 we issue Working Papers to work in retail as a cashier, bagger or stock person during school vacations or for the grocery store exception during the school year.
Nondiscrimination Statement
The Board of Education complies with all applicable federal, state and local laws prohibiting the exclusion of any person from any of its educational programs or activities, or the denial to any person of the benefits of any of its educational programs or activities because of race, color, religion, age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, alienage, ancestry, disability, pregnancy, genetic information, veteran status, or gender identity or expression, subject to the conditions and limitations established by law.
It is the policy of the Board that any form of discrimination or harassment on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, alienage, ancestry, disability, pregnancy, genetic information, veteran status, or gender identity or expression, or any other basis prohibited by state or federal law is prohibited, whether by students, Board employees or third parties subject to the control of the Board. The Board’s prohibition of discrimination or harassment in its educational programs or activities expressly extends to academic, nonacademic and extracurricular activities, including athletics. It is also the policy of the Board to provide for the prompt and equitable resolution of complaints alleging any discrimination on the basis of protected characteristics such as race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, alienage, disability (including pregnancy), veteran status, or gender identity or expression.
Title IX District Coordinator, Dr. Kristen Brooks, Assistant Superintendent, 1 School Street, Bethel, CT 06801, 203-794-8613 Section 504 District Coordinator, Dr. Christine Sipala, Director of Special Education & Pupil Services, 1 School Street, Bethel, CT 06801, 203-794-8616