SAT/PSAT Testing Day, Wed., March 22, 2023

Please read this important memo regarding this special school day.

We highly recommend that all students use their BPSD issued Chromebooks in order to have consistent access to the BPSD-wifi.   Personal devices cannot be maintained by BPSD personnel.  All students have been issued BPSD Chromebooks.

Special thanks go out to the wonderful ladies that organized the recent formal gown exchange, including

volunteers from NJROTC: Heather Burns, Norma Ledan, Sophia Lino, volunteers from Newtown Savings Bank,

parent volunteers Joanna Lombardi, Laura Falstoe, Jennifer Lewis, and Olga Mejia who also serves on the 

Danbury Zoning Commissioner, on the Board of Directors of The Dominican Community Center, and Council Member of The School Readiness Program.

Together they collected $735 for the Post Prom activities.  The event was very successful with over 500 dresses exchanged this year, helping many students prepare for the upcoming NJROTC Military Ball and the proms.

Finally, they donated 3 large bags full of dresses in support of a fundraiser for Sandy Hook Promise and The Center For Empowerment (formerly the Women's Center in Danbury), and 

3 car loads of dresses to the New Milford High School Key Club who lost all their dresses in a fire!

The Chairwoman of the event was Mrs. Dawn Fawcett, and we commend her as a key leader that makes our community such a wonderful place.

The Center for Empowerment and Education, formerly known as the Women’s Center of Greater Danbury, has been working with students in the Bethel Public School system for many years providing educational programs on a wide variety of programs including healthy relationships, sexual harassment, and online safety.  The Center for Empowerment and Education is a member agency of the Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence and has been providing services to victims of sexual assault and domestic violence in the Greater Danbury area since 1975. The Center has offered sexual assault prevention and awareness programs in community schools for over twenty years.

Since October 1, 2016, all local and regional school districts in Connecticut are required to implement sexual assault awareness and prevention programs in grades kindergarten through twelve, as per Section 17a-101q of the Connecticut General Statutes. The Department of Children and Families (DCF), in collaboration with the Connecticut State Department of Education (SDE) and Connecticut Alliance to End Sexual Violence, have developed a framework as well as performance indicators for these programs. 

Bethel High School is partnering with the Center for Empowerment and Education and their education team to provide programs to our Grade 9-12 students that align with the guidelines set forth in the state-wide framework. You can learn about the Center from their website: https://thecenterct.org

Please see below the programs that will be offered in each grade level:

9th Grade via Health classes: 

Healthy Relationships & Dating Violence

In the United States, 1 in 3 teens is a victim of sexual, emotional, verbal or physical abuse by a dating partner. This program analyzes the root cause of this issue, power and control, and sheds light on unhealthy relationship dynamics. Students will learn to identify “red flag” behaviors and where to seek help for themselves or a friend.

Cybersafety 

This program on cybersafety teaches students about online dangers such as bullying, online strangers, sexting, geotagging, etc., as well as what they can do to stop these behaviors and protect themselves. This workshop helps students understand what sexting is, why it happens, and the legal, social, and emotional consequences associated with it. 

11th Grade via Health classes: 

Got Consent? Addressing Sexual Assault

This program helps students understand sexual assault by explaining specific laws, statistics, and debunking myths about perpetrators and victims. Our interactive clicker technology allows teens to anonymously input answers for all to see, creating a meaningful and profound discussion. Through activities and conversation, students learn what consent is and when it can and cannot legally be given. Students will learn of the options and resources available in the aftermath of an assault. 

Flirting or Hurting? Addressing Sexual Harassment

This program about sexual harassment focuses mainly on understanding and communicating personal boundaries. Students identify the difference between flirtatious behaviors and sexual harassment, along with the continuum of harmful acts that can constitute sexual harassment. Students learn laws and consequences associated with harassment.

12th Grade (Spring 2023 during Wildcat Time): 

Know Before You Go

This program is for students in 12th grade and explores campus sexual assault and the importance of consent. Analyzing campus culture and social norms, students will learn to identify behaviors, attitudes, and customs which lay the groundwork for sexual violence to flourish. The second half of this program will focus on empowering students to be “upstanders” in potentially harmful situations. Attendees will gain tools that will allow them to intervene in safe, non-violent ways to help end sexual harassment and sexual abuse. Students will also learn about Affirmative Consent and the policies and laws in place regarding college campuses’ response to sexual assault.

If you do not wish for your child to attend these programs, please notify BHS Asst. Principal, Mari Lerz at (203) 794-8600 ext. 1400.  

If you have any questions about the programs, contact Michele Cousens (she/her/ella) 

Prevention Education Coordinator, The Center for Empowerment & Education, 2 West Street, Danbury, Connecticut 06810 Phone (203)731-5200 x251, michele.c@thecenterct.org 

The BHS Pathways Program is designed to connect students with specific interests to a concentration of study. This program allows students to increase their depth of knowledge, participate in internships and/or other varied experiences and provides them with an opportunity to earn a certificate upon graduation.  There are six Pathways:

Arts Pathway

Education

Global Studies

Business

Healthcare

Career Technical Readiness

If a student is interested in signing up for a particular Pathway, we ask that he/she fill out the Pathway Sign-Up Form.  Please note: To ensure students in the senior class qualify to complete a Pathway, they must sign up before the end of November during their senior year. Any student in the graduating classes of 2024, 2025 and 2026 can sign up for a Pathway throughout each school year.

If you have further questions about the Pathways Program, please contact Mr. Troetti, BHS Principal: troettic@bethel.k12.ct.us or 203-794-8600 ext. 1402.

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 $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.

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.