June 7, 2024
BHS NEWSLETTER
Check out the BHS Important Links Guide if you have questions about Bethel High School.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
June 7 - Mandatory Graduation Rehearsal for all Seniors @ 12:15 - Track and Field Training Center
June 10 - Final Exams / Make-ups June 11 *Click for details*
June 10th - Graduation @ 6 p.m.
June 11th - Graduation Rain Date - Last day of School Early Dismissal K-12
The district calendar can be found here
Dear Bethel High School Students, Parents, and Guardians,
The year is winding down very quickly! Please see below for a few important reminders for seniors and underclass students.
Seniors there is a mandatory rehearsal @ 12:15 pm today. Students must report to the Track & Field Training Center for rehearsal.
June 10, 2024, seniors must report to the Track & Field Training Center at Bethel High School promptly at 5:00 p.m. Unless they are dropped off, all seniors must park at Bethel Middle School. Seniors should have lunch before they arrive. Guests will be admitted at 5:00 p.m. Each guest must present a graduation ticket upon entering. Full Graduation details are linked here.
Final grades will be stored to PowerSchool on June 11th, report cards following shortly thereafter. Details regarding summer school will be posted in our final newsletter on June 11th.
Chris Troetti
Principal
Attention Juniors, it's time to schedule your Senior Photos!
Senior appointment availability is opened one set of dates at a time, so please check the website periodically for updated information. Your school has specific yearbook deadlines for senior portrait submission and your senior portrait schedule is based on those deadlines.
Scheduling your session as soon as possible will ensure that you secure a spot in the yearbook and allows ample time for retakes (if desired). By signing up early, you’ll have the advantage of more options and flexibility in choosing the image that best represents you.
Safe Driving in Parking Lots:
We have seen an increase in fender benders in our parking lots. Most students have done the right thing and reported the incident to the main office and/or Officer Broad. However, there have been a few cases where the student or adult has left the scene of the accident. We understand that accidents happen as many of our drivers have just begun driving. Please remind your students that if they have an accident they must report it immediately. Thank you for your for your partnership in this matter.
US News and World Report
BHS is once again ranked as a top HS in the State and Nation. In fact, this year, we have earned our highest rank ever (#33 in the State and #1709 nationally). The only schools who ranked higher than BHS in the SWC, are Weston and Barlow. Congratulations to all on this outstanding achievement!
For specific details please follow this link: US News
Grad&Dad BEF Fundraiser 2024 (1).pdfVOLUNTEER 58TH JOHN DEMILLE FIRECRACKER 8K.pdfBring Me Back Home.pdfSummer Enrichment Reading Flyer.pdf[Original size] Bethel Youth.pdf
Summer Science Programs for High School Students
Summer River Research Program
Join Harbor Watch staff for this 4-day program based on our river monitoring and trackdown projects. Work in a local river to test for pollutants, complete field and lab work, and learn what it is like to be an environmental scientist.
Dates: June 24-27 OR July 15-18 (choose a session)
Time: 9am - 11am
One-step registration form: Click Here
Biological Embayment Study
Formerly the "Summer Fish Study"
This program runs every Friday in the summer. Hop on board once or sign up for multiple trips to catch, identify, and release aquatic species in Norwalk Harbor. During 3-hour sessions, students will work with Harbor Watch staff and college interns to collect data about fish and invertebrate populations.
Two-step registration form: Click Here
For Classrooms: Harbor Watch Virtual Lectures
Bring a Harbor Watch topic into the classroom: these Zoom lectures allow students to hear about an aspect of water quality science and ask questions about the topic in real time. Teachers can get more information or sign up at the link below.
One-step registration form: Click Here
Do you Yoga?
Ah Ha Yoga has been a staple at Bethel High School since 2014. In fact, students at BHS have an opportunity like no other students in the state of CT: To take a semester of Yoga for credit…How amazing is that?! I have been teaching yoga for 11 years with over 3500 hours of teaching and have had many students here at BHS take this course more than once.
Yoga is a powerful tool for teenagers to help them find calm and balance amidst the chaos of daily life. Yoga is not simply a physical endeavor, but it is one that addresses all of the other dimensions of health (mental, emotional, and social) and it empowers teens with increased emotional intelligence.
From simple breathing exercises to mindful movement sequences, students will experience and cultivate self-awareness, self compassion, and resilience, as well as physical strength, cardiovascular endurance, and of course, flexibility. And by the way, you DO NOT need to be flexible to practice yoga! Touching your toes is not the goal; it's the journey getting there.
All students are eligible to take this elective course and it will be unlike any other course you have ever taken.
~Namaste
Ms. Kaye
Character Strong Tip of the Week:
The end of the school year is here and summer offers the chance to catch your breath and recharge. What will you do; read a book, go swimming, paint a picture, play a musical instrument, garden, go jogging, go to the shore, meet a new friend? Healthy coping choices bring peace and help a person relax. This allows one to get quality sleep at night and have a better disposition by day. Take a break this summer. You deserve it.
If you are interested in volunteering in our community, click here to learn more about the Bethel Community Cares Coalition.
For more information about the BPS emotional intelligence program, please visit the BPS EI website.
IMPORTANT HEALTH OFFICE INFORMATION
Student Medications
If your child has any medication in the school health office it MUST be picked up on or before Tuesday, June 11th, before 11:00, by a parent/guardian. EpiPens and inhalers may remain in the health office to be used next school year.
2024 - 2025 school year information: If your child needs medication administered i.e. daily medication, EpiPen, inhaler, any over-the-counter medications, etc., a new/current "Administration of Medication by School Personnel" form is required; this form can be found on the Bethel Public School District website by going to "Departments" - "School Health" - "Forms"
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 Grades 7 and 10 must have a mandated health assessment dated on or after July 1, 2023 in order to be compliant.
These forms can be found below:
STATE OF CT - HEALTH ASSESSMENT RECORD: Age 5 - Grade 12
Your child can also pick up a blank form during the school day at either the BMS or BHS Health Offices.
Because the school district must comply with the state regulations, your child will not be allowed to enter school on the first day of the 2024 - 2025 school year, 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.
Bethel High School
Nurse Lisa Davenport, RN
Nurse Jill Kurtz, RN
300 Whittlesey Drive
Bethel, CT 06801
Phone: 203-794-8600 ext. 1262
Fax: 203-830-7350
davenportl@bethel.k12.ct.us
kurtzj@bethel.k12.ct.us
Working papers are available all year long from the Main Office @ BHS. Please read this important letter.
Click this link for this important letter regarding summer employment for minors
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 $15.69), 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