October 14, 2022 Newsletter

Bethel Public Schools E-News 

“Our Primary Purpose is to Improve Student Achievement”

This Week's Content

Superintendent's News

Christine Carver, Ed.D.,

Superintendent of Schools

Dear Parents, Guardians, and Community Members,

Inclement Weather-School Closing/Delay/Early Dismissal Decisions

In New England, the winter weather can be a challenge.   I often get questions as to what factors are considered when determining whether or not we will have a delay or school closure.   The safety of our students and staff is always our first priority.  Every attempt is made to operate the schools.  However, in our judgment, whenever it is not safe to operate the buses, schools will be delayed or closed based on conditions and forecasts.

Factors that are considered are the timing of the storm, severity, temperature (which affects the effectiveness of the road treatments and potential for black ice), length of the storm, and total accumulation amounts.  The clean-up or residual effects of the storm are also a factor in the decision-making. 

Here is the general decision-making format that is followed:   

As you are aware, we try to make decisions as early as possible.  If we know that there will be a significant impact, I try and give families as much notice as possible, often the night before but at times the weather is unpredictable and we need to revise plans based on conditions.   While the system is not perfect and I sometimes get it wrong, it is very comprehensive and I try to err on the side of caution. 

Also, please be sure to be prepared and develop alt. plans for weather-related school closings, delays, and early dismissals and discuss the alt. plans with your children.

 

Want to be the first to know when school is delayed or canceled in bad weather?   Follow me on Twitter at: @BethelCTSuper or on Facebook at: Bethel Public Schools


Turf Field Ribbon Cutting & Thank You to the Donors!

A ribbon cutting was held on Monday for the new turf field.  I hope you were able to join us.  It is quite impressive!  We want to thank the donors for this very kind and generous donation.  Please view the thank you video created by our staff, coaches, and students.  Turf Field Thank You Video and the photos posted on flickr.

Brotherhood In Action - FOOD DRIVE

As the holiday season approaches, we are reminded of our families in need.  Brotherhood in Action, a Bethel nonprofit that provides food to families in need has reached out to us for help in providing food baskets for the holidays.  If you are able, we are asking our students to bring nonperishable food to school by November 1st.  There are food bins set up in each school. See flyer in flyer section.

Do you want to be the first to know when school is delayed or canceled in bad weather? Follow me at:  @BethelCTSuper In order to enhance communication with parents, in addition to our Twitter feed, we have a Facebook page at Bethel Public Schools, and Instagram at @christinelcarver  We post photos of school and district events, general communications, and school closing/delay information. Please “like” our page!  Also, be sure to check out our bethelpublicschools Flickr page

This Week's Updates & Reminders

Recruit Fall 2022 (1).pdf

Join Winter Guard - New Members Welcome!

Bethel Winter Guard - Grades 2-8

Grades 2-5 Next Practices - Wednesday, 10/19 & Friday, 10/21, 3:30 - 5PM, Johnson School Gym 

Grades 6-8 Next Practices - Wednesday, 10/19 & Friday, 10/21, 4:30 - 6:30 PM, BMS Gym

See flyer for details and contact information.

2022-2023 Bethel Central PTO Family Membership

The Bethel Central PTO was established to bring together the 5 school PTOs and also allow families with children at multiple schools to only pay one set of membership dues and automatically become a member at all the schools their children attend.

All proceeds from our memberships get put to use in our district. Here are a few things that we are able to provide:

Trick or Treat Street - Greenwood Avenue

Annually, the Bethel Chamber of Commerce sponsors Trick or Treat Street.  This year it is on Saturday, October 29th from 1:00 to 3:00 PM, Greenwood Ave.  It is a tremendously fun event, with a costume contest at the conclusion at the Municipal Center at 3 PM.    This is a great family event.  Hope to see you there!

SCHOOL HEALTH REMINDER

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. 


Flyers, Fundraisers &, Community News & Events 

PTO Membership

See flyer for details and QR Code

Bethel Central PTO

BHST Boosters Membership 2022-23.pdf

Dinner’s Ready Fundraiser

Bethel High School Theater Boosters 

Orders DUE ON OCTOBER 17

GotSneakers?

BHS Football Fundraiser

9/19 - 11/23

Recruit Fall 2022 (1).pdf

Join Winter Guard - 

New Members Welcome!

Bethel Winter Guard - Grades 2-8

doc05137720221013132339.pdf

FOOD DRIVE

Brotherhood In Action

10/14 - 11/1

Not So Spooky 2022.pdf

NOT SO SPOOKY ANYMORE

October 23, 2022

CVH ANIMAL SANCTUARY

Treat Street

Trick or Treat

October 29th, 1 PM - 3 PM

Greenwood Avenue

Bethel Chamber of Commerce

Spooktacular Flyer.pdf

Sanctuary Spooktacular

October 29th, 2 - 4 PM

CVH Animal Sanctuary

Register Online

Author Visit

FREE EVENT

DRIVE-THRU

Flu Vaccine Clinic

October 15, 2022

AUTO-SERVICIO

CLINICA DE VACUNAS CONTRA

 LA GRIPE

Affordable Connectivity Program

The Affordable Connectivity Program is a Federal Communications Commission program that helps connect families and households struggling to afford internet service.  This new benefit  provides a discount of up to $30 per month toward broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on qualifying Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers.

Eligible households can enroll through a participating broadband provider or directly with the Universal Service Administrative Company (USAC) using an online or mail in application.

You can learn more about the benefit, including eligibility and enrollment information, by visiting www.fcc.gov/ACP, or by calling 877-384-2575. 

Bethel Public Schools App

Check out the App for the Bethel Public Schools. If you go into your App Store and type in Bethel Public Schools, you should be able to install it for free. The App can provide you quick mobile access to information commonly requested.  

 

Our calendars, time schedules, social media feeds, athletic schedules, district social media, lunch menus, etc. are all in the App. You can even call the schools from the App.

 

After you download the App, you will be prompted to select the schools from which you want to get information. Essentially, this is the "news", push notifications, and the "events calendar". This is a screenshot of what the App looks like.

Bethel Public Schools Flickr Page


Check out the photos on the Bethel Public Schools Flickr page!  Dan DeBlois, District Photographer, will post photos on Flickr throughout the school year.  Follow @DanDeBlois on Twitter to be notified when the photos are posted. 

 

We post photos taken by our staff. The photographs are from various school events open to the public. Sports, Concerts, and Musicals are some examples. We will be regularly including more events. On Twitter follow @DanDeBlois for updates on event postings.  Go to flickr and take a look. 

BEtv - See what's new this week! 

The latest Board of Education Meetings can be viewed here.

http://devos2.bethel.k12.ct.us/Show-Videos?g=f87c9047&page=1&filter=vod


Check out our full lineup here

https://sites.google.com/bethel.k12.ct.us/betv/home

Watch when you want to watch. Go to our Video On Demand Channel

http://devos2.bethel.k12.ct.us/show-videos?g=4d17c1b509fc&page=1&filter=vod

If you don't get us on Comcast cable, Channel 97, you can still see all our programming streaming live at 

http://dv2.discovervideo.com/play/?id=xw3838k&player=291&type=flash

Board of Education Policy Updates

The Bethel Public Schools, as a learning community devoted to the academic and social growth of our children, creates educational opportunities that inspire competence, creativity, teamwork, and a drive to excel. In an environment of trust and respect, high expectations for student performance are evident in the discussions, actions, and policies of the Board of Education. Board of Education policies can be found on our district website. As a way to increase communication about Board of Education policies, we include Board of Education policy updates in this section of our newsletter as they are approved by the Board. You can find the Board of Education policies on the district website at Bethel Board of Education Policies 

Recently Revised/Reviewed Policies & Regulations: 


School Closing/Delay Information

In the morning when it is necessary to close school due to inclement weather or have an unscheduled early dismissal due to forecasted inclement weather for the afternoon, the “Schools Closed” or “Early Dismissal” announcement will be made over the following radio, television stations, websites, Twitter, and text message via our SchoolMessenger communication system.  

             WLAD                 AM      Danbury 800 on the dial

             WINE                  AM      Brookfield         940 on the dial

             WICC                  AM      Bridgeport         600 on the dial

             WEBE                     FM      Bridgeport         108 on the dial

             WEZN                 FM      Bridgeport         100 on the dial

 

TV Channel 3, TV Channel 8, & TV Channel 6.

 

Bethel Public Schools Website – www.bethel.k12.ct.us

Connecticut Weather Website – www.ctweather.com

Twitter - @BethelCTSuper

 

When school is in session for the day and it is necessary to have an unscheduled early dismissal (click for times) due to weather or other emergency an “Early Dismissal” announcement will be made.  You will be notified by our automated message system, SchoolMessenger, via voice, text message, email, and appropriate announcements will be made over the above radio, television stations, websites, and Twitter. 

 

*Therefore, it is important your contact information is accurate and you update your contact information promptly if this information changes. If during the school year any of your demographic information were to change, you can update it at any point by contacting your child’s school directly.

 

The SchoolMessenger caller ID for all phone notifications is: (855) 326-1797.

**Please add this number as a contact in your phone so you can easily identify the call is coming from the Bethel Public Schools.

 

Please Note:  There will be no school activities, including athletics, on days when school is closed due to inclement weather.

 

 

For emergency announcements, SchoolMessenger notifications are sent out as soon as decisions are reached. Being on the notification list is not a substitute for monitoring your local media (radio, TV and so on) in situations where a delay in opening or school closing is an obvious possibility (such as when the weather forecast calls for snow). The BPS website, is updated as media calls are made.

 

 

Please note, although the district does not charge you for this service, it does not pay for text message charges that may be incurred by you for sending or receiving text messages. Check with your wireless carrier for possible charges. 

 

SchoolMessenger alert for Text messages

For all NEW parents/guardians: 

Reminder to New BPS Parents/Guardians - SchoolMessenger:

The district uses the SchoolMessenger notification service to send important information to families through phone calls, emails, and text messages.

To comply with wireless carrier requirements and protect against unsolicited text messages, you may receive a text message on the wireless cell phone number which the district has on your file, requesting that you "opt-in" to receive important information from the district via our SMS text messaging service.

The message you receive will come from our 'short code', 67587 and read similar to the following:

"Bethel Public School messages. Reply Y to subscribe or STOP to cancel. Msg&data rates may apply. Msg freq varies. Visit schoolmessenger.com/txt for info"

So that you may continue to receive these important messages, we encourage you to reply with "Y" or "Yes" when you receive such a verification message. If you do not reply, you will not receive any further text messages from our schools.

To opt-out of all text messages from SchoolMessenger, visit http://www.schoolmessenger.com/txtmsg/ or reply with "STOP" to the opt-in message that you receive. If you opt-in, but later decide to opt-out, simply send "STOP" to 67587.  You may also reply "STOP" to any message from our organization.

Please check with your wireless carrier for information about your mobile service plan and any possible charges related to text messaging.  Our organization does not reimburse for any charges associated with sending or receiving text messages. See flyer for details/QR Code.

SchoolMessenger Call-In Message Retrieval

As you know, our automated message system, SchoolMessenger, allows us to communicate important information to parents, guardians, and staff via voice, text message, and email.  Our SchoolMessgenger account now has a Call-in Message Retrieval feature.

 

The Call-In Message Retrieval feature is a powerful option that allows SchoolMessgenger phone call recipients to dial a toll-free number where they can replay previous phone notifications that they may have missed, or someone else answered the call, in cases where a cell phone call was dropped before the message could be completed, the reception was poor and/or the recipient was unable to understand the message.

 

The SchoolMessenger caller ID for all phone notifications and Call-In Message Retrieval is:   (855) 326-1797

 

*Again, please add this number as a contact in your phone so you can easily identify the call is coming from the Bethel Public Schools.

Please Note:  When a recipient wants to call into the system to listen to a message they might have missed, they simply hit re-dial on their phone, and, if their caller ID is not blocked, the system will identify them and play back the most recent 10 calls to that number from the past 30 days - including the time/date that the message was sent.

 

If the recipient has their caller ID blocked, the system will prompt them to enter the number that received the original call, after which the system will replay the recent messages to that number.

School Lunch Program 2022-2023

As was communicated in a separate email and on social media, the schools have opted into Shool Meals Assistance Revenue for Transition (SMART) funds.  These funds provide meals (breakfast and lunch) at no cost for all students at the beginning of the school year (anticipated through December).  Even though lunch will be free at the beginning of the year, it is important that all families who might qualify for Free or Reduced Lunch submit an application as soon as possible.  Please read the email which was sent for more information.    Español. Português. 

BPS School Resource Officers

School Resource Officer's Program Goals & Objectives

Assignment of a uniformed law enforcement officer to a school by the Police Department to work in cooperation with the school administrators, students, staff, parents, and community members in the following areas:

We would like you to meet our School Resource Officer Team for 2022-2023

Our School Resource Officer's biographies can be found on our website at BPS Resource Officers

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, 203-794-8613   1 School Street, Bethel, CT 06801 

Section 504 District Coordinator:  Dr. Christine Sipala, Director of Special Education & Pupil Services,  203-794-8616 , 1 School Street, Bethel, CT 06801