Dear Parent/Guardian,

We believe it is imperative that parents and high school educators communicate regularly to discuss learning progress.   Therefore, Bethel High School will be holding Parent-Teacher Conferences on Thursday, March 21st, from 6:00 to 8:30 p.m. and Friday, March 22nd, from 12:10 to 2:30 p.m. parents may choose an in-person conference or GoogleMeet. 

Teachers will be available to meet individually with parents/guardians (students are encouraged to attend as well) to discuss progress.  Each ten minute conference will take place at BHS.  

Once again, all conferences will be scheduled through our online scheduling system.  The system will open at 8 a.m. on Monday, March 4th.  Please follow this link https://pickatime.com/BethelHS to login. Please note: for your first login, enter your email address and click "Login/Create Account.” For further directions please see page two of this document. If you have any questions, please call the BHS main office @ (203)794-8600 ext 0.  

Administrators, school counselors, social workers, the school psychologist and other support personnel will be available in their respective offices.

There will be early dismissals on Wednesday March 20th through Friday March 22nd. 

We look forward to seeing you.

Sincerely,

Chris Troetti 

Principal

Science Opportunities for Students:  

The Virtual River Research Program is for students who are interested in a mostly virtual experience with optional in-person components. The group will meet once a week after school via Zoom. One demonstration day at the Harbor Watch Lab in Westport, and one field testing day are available as part of the program. This program runs Tuesdays from March 5 - April 2. Registration is open!  This science internship program for high school students interested in water quality and the environment will include weekly sessions of instruction with a Harbor Watch scientist. There is no cost for students to participate in this program and no prior experience is needed. 

The Nuvance Research Program at The Rudy L. Ruggles Biomedical Research Institute is a summer

research experience where students “learn by doing” and work to broaden their students’ understanding of the research process and highlight possible career paths by providing an authentic experience working in an active research lab. The program provides an opportunity for students to work with a senior scientist in order to learn or improve technical skills and obtain a basic understanding of the biomedical research field.  The program emphasizes hands on laboratory experience and training in pipetting accuracy, bacterial growth, protein lysis and quantitation, agarose gels, electrophoresis, western blot analysis, fluorescent microscopy, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), enzyme-linked immunosorbent (ELISA) assays and tissue microarrays/staining. Students must currently be juniors or seniors in high school at the time of application in the spring of 2024 (class of 2024 or 2025 only) AND must be a minimum of 16 years old on June 1, 2024. Please note that students must meet BOTH class and age requirements.

Students interested in either program should email Mr. Turek at turekr@bethel.k12.ct.us for registration information. 

Character Strong Tip of the Week:  

Do you think of yourself as a good listening partner?  When someone is telling you something that is important to them, are you able to establish eye contact without looking at your phone?  Can you restate back to them what you heard them say and how they feel about the topic?  Do you avoid the temptation to interrupt them and give advice about how to fix their problem?  This is called being an active listener.  Try it next time someone you care about is talking to you about something they feel is important, they'll really appreciate it.

If you are interested in volunteering in our community, click here to learn more about the Bethel Community Cares Coalition.

Are you interested in attending a virtual Character Strong lesson?  Please email Tom Salvador for more information on upcoming virtual sessions.

For more information about the Character Strong program, please visit the BPS EI website.

Free/Reduced Lunch Application 

Working papers are available all year long from the Main Office @ BHS.  Please read this important letter.

The process is as follows:

1. The student gets a job.

2. 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.

3. 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.