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:
All of the Western Connecticut school districts contract with a meteorologist. The meteorologist provides us with a detailed description of the weather, timing, and potential impact on our communities.
To determine the impact on the decision to delay, close, or have an early dismissal, on the morning of the weather event, I consult with both the Highway Department of the Town of Bethel to determine road conditions and their ability to ensure safe conditions and with our Supervisor of Facility & Security Operations to determine the school campus conditions and the ability to ensure safe conditions within the school campus.
Next, I join a conference call (4:25 AM) with all of the area Superintendents and the meteorologist to receive a weather update and regional impact and each district indicates their plan for the day.
Then I contact our Supervisor of Facilities & Security Operations, the Principal of St. Mary’s School, and my Assistant to get the message out (via social media, emails, text messages, TV & Radio).
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
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:
Scholarships for our Bethel High School Senior Members on their way to college.
A Bus Driver Appreciation Breakfast to say thank you to our bus drivers.
Support for Post Prom activities As a thank you for becoming a member, the Central PTO publishes an Online Family Phone Book exclusively for PTO members.
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
Dinner’s Ready Fundraiser
Bethel High School Theater Boosters
Orders DUE ON OCTOBER 17
GotSneakers?
BHS Football Fundraiser
9/19 - 11/23
Join Winter Guard -
New Members Welcome!
Bethel Winter Guard - Grades 2-8
FOOD DRIVE
Brotherhood In Action
10/14 - 11/1
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
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:
Regulation – 5131.911 – District Safe School Climate Plan – 10-21-21
Policy/Regulation 5118 - Nonresident Students - 10-21-21
Policy/Regulation 1140 - Distribution of Materials- 10-21-21
Policy 1170 - Recognition of Citizens, Staff Members, Members of Board of Education, Students- 10-21-21
Policy 1312 - Public Relations- 10-21-21
Policy 3524.2 Green Cleaning- 10-21-21
Policy/Regulation 5141.3 - Health Assessment and Immunizations - 10-21-21
Policy 5131.911 - Bullying & Teen Dating Violence Prevention and Intervention - 11-18-21
Policy/Regulation 1220 - Citizens Advisory Committee- 12-16-21
Regulation 1221 - Citizens Advisory Committee for the BOE- 12-16-21
Policy 1331 - Smoking in School Facilities- 12-16-21
Policy 1411 - Law Enforcement Agencies- 12-16-21
Policy/Regulation 4118.231 Drug, Alcohol and Tobacco-Free Workplace - 12-16-21
Regulation 2232 - Electronic Records and Information - 2-15-22
Policy 5141.231 - Chemical Health Policy for Student-Athletes - 2-15-22
Regulation 5111 - Admission - 3-24-22
Policy 1416 - Fiscal Authorities 4-21-22
Policy 1700 - Otherwise Lawful Possession of Firearms on School Property - 4-21-22
Policy 2000 - Concept and Roles in Administration - 4-21-22
Policy 2111 - Equal Employment Opportunity - 4-21-22
Policy 2112 - Professional Learning - 4-21-22
Policy 2113 - Grievance Procedures - Title IX - deleted 4-21-22
Policy 2130 - Job Descriptions - 5-19-22
Policy & Regulation 2131 - Superintendent of Schools - 5-19-22
Policy 2141 - Recruitment and Retention of the Superintendent of Schools - 5-19-22
Policy 2142 - Evaluation of the Superintendent - 5-19-22
Policy 6162.52 - Student Privacy (PPRA) - 6-21-22
Policy 6162.51 - Student Surveys (deleted) replaced with Policy 6162.52 - Student Privacy (PPRA) - 6-21-22
Policy 6141.51 - Enrollment in an Advanced Course or Program and Challenging Curriculum - 6-21-22
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:
Law Enforcement - To help maintain a safe and secure environment that will be conducive to learning. To help prevent crime and violence in our schools and on our school grounds. To help decrease criminal offenses committed against persons and property in and around schools and to help enhance overall safety
Education- Counseling - To promote positive attitudes regarding the police role in society and to inform students of their rights and responsibilities as lawful citizens. To help students learn more about the law and the criminal justice system
Law Enforcement - Education - To establish a liaison with school personnel in a cooperative effort to prevent disruptive or violent behaviors.
School Official - SRO’s are considered school officials in the capacity of district and school safety.
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