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Message from the Principal

December 9, 2024

Greetings, BHS Families & Community Members. I hope you've been enjoying the snow that's come to the valley. I know that for our students and families who like to get out on the slopes, this weather is a reason to celebrate.

Amazingly, we've almost reached the end of 2024. School tends to feel a bit more bustling as we enter December, with classes often tackling large projects, presentations and assessments as a semester nears its end. This is a great time to reflect on how the semester has gone, what work is on deck, and when projects are due -- and to help your child set priorities and manage their time when it can feel like there are many demands all at once. And of course, this is also a wonderful time to celebrate progress, growth, and all that has been learned.

The first semester will end on Friday, January 10, soon after we return from the December break. I always encourage families and students to review where things stand at the beginning of the break, so that students can return in January with clear goals and priorities for how to end the semester strong (and potentially use the time away to "dig out" from missing or late tasks). Remember, if you or your student ever have any questions about an assignment or grade, start with the teacher who assigned it; email often works best to get a quick response, but phone conversations and conferences can also be scheduled any time. Getting these communications out before the break is best, though, since teachers will be on vacation, too!

Finally, a quick word about attendance. The holiday season is a time when families schedule travel, sometimes prior to or running beyond the start and end of the district's vacation days. Please keep in mind that the state of Vermont has created more stringent guidelines around the coding of attendance, narrowing what kinds of reasons for absence can be counted as "excused" by schools, regardless of parent communication. Elective travel or extended vacations are not something schools are able to mark as excused, even with parent letters. I know this can cause frustration, but we must abide by the rules, which come from beyond the school or district. I say this so you know that our beloved Attendance Coordinator is not responsible for this determination; please direct any concerns or questions around attendance marking to me in these kinds of situations, and I'll be happy to talk through what's possible.

Thank you, as always, for your support and for your investment in our school.

With appreciation,

Sabrina Westdijk

BHS Interim Principal

ANNOUNCEMENTS & UPCOMING EVENTS

NO SCHOOL

12/23/24-1/1/25

All BSD schools will be closed from Monday, Dec. 23rd through Wednesday, January 1. Schools will be back in session on Thursday, January 2. We wish you a joyful and healthy holiday season, and a happy New Year.

ICYMI: Mark Your Calendars

End of Semester 2: May 28, 2024
Start of Year End Studies (YES) Program: May 29, 2025
YES Presentations of Learning: June 11, 2025 (last student day)
BHS Graduation Ceremony: June 12, 2025

Winter Concert on 12/19

DtBHS Cafeteria, 7-8:30pm

News from the Music Department

BHS Music is entering our busiest season of the year and congratulations are already in order for several students!

On Saturday, six students traveled to Hartford HS and participated in the New England Solo & Ensemble Festival. Each student performed a solo for an adjudicator and will be receiving a score that determines their eligibility for the New England Music Festival (Connecticut) in March. Congratulations to Arlo Bolles, Siena DeMink, Louis Napolitan, Lincoln Safran, Lyla Trigaux, and Lisa Zhou-Hackett!

Lyla Trigaux will be performing the role of Ariel in Lyric Theater's production of The Little Mermaid at The Flynn in April! Lyla also played Dorothy in Lyric's production of The Wizard of Oz last spring. Congratulations Lyla!

The majority of the cast of Matilda will be performing in Very Merry Theater's production of Hadestown, January 3-5 at the ONE Community Center!

The BHS Chamber Choir will be performing at the following venues this weekend:

12/13 Madrigal Festival at St.Joseph's Cathedral 7:00pm

12/14 Caroling "Mini-Tour": Hotel VT 12/14 11am-1pm | Lake Champlain Chocolates (Pine St) 1:30pm-3pm | BTV Holiday Market 3:15pm-4pm

The BHS Chamber Orchestra has been invited to play at Senator Bernie Sanders' holiday event this Friday 12/13 at 4pm at the ONE Community Center!

YES Program 2025: Registration Opens on Dec. 16th

On Monday, December 2, the 2025 YES Course Booklet was released to the BHS community! Students are being given time during Advisory to review the courses and identify what they would like to sign up for. Registration opens on December 16 and closes on December 20. Students will be sent a Google form via email to complete. In the meantime, check out all of the YES course options for this year’s YES Session.

Important details to keep in mind:

The first day of YES is Thursday, May 29th, 2025. The last day is Wednesday, June 11th.
The Presentation of Learning (POL) is on June 11th and attendance/participation is mandatory in order to receive credit.
YES is a graduation requirement.
Attendance is crucial. If students miss more than two YES classes, then they will not earn credit and need to make-up for this lost credit before graduation.
Credit is earned on a Pass/Fail basis.
Some classes have “Notes” associated with them to give context for prerequisites, which may include financial fees. “Notes” can be found within a course’s full description (pages 12-36).
Registration is not a first-come, first-serve basis, so please (students) do not stress or rush to get this done on the first day. Take your time to review all of the options!
Seniors do not get priority.
YES course assignments will be announced as late as April. Students, please be patient, as this is a long process.
There is no “add/drop period” for YES, so schedule changes will not occur.

SEAHORSE CELEBRATIONS

BHS Students At Sundog Youth Poetry Summit

On the Friday before Thanksgiving break, English teacher Tammie Ledoux-Moody took a group of students to the Sundog Youth Poetry Summit, an all day workshop/writing event that was held at the Flynn Space Center, and culminated with an open mic event. All in all, about seven Vermont high schools and 100 students were present, and although BHS had the smallest group, all six of our 'Horses fully participated in the workshops and wrote and shared some amazing work. Two of our students (Avery Eringis and Matthew Moody), even read at the open mic event. It was an amazing experience to watch so many young people brought together by their love of the written and spoken word. The way all of the students present encouraged each other and shared their authentic selves was truly inspiring and it was an honor to be present for it. Congratulations to students Autumn Coccetti, Avery Eringis, Rory Jones, Matthew Moody, Lincoln Safran and Amelia Van Dreische!

Spotlight: Art @ BHS

Students in Art 1 classes are learning to mix colors with colored pencils and drawing (and occasionally eating) gummy bears! AP Art students are measuring and giving titles to their clay vessels they created while at Burlington City Arts (BCA) earlier this school year. Their artwork will be featured in an art show at BCA on Church St with an opening date of Friday, January 24th.

For Seniors and 12th Grade Families

Attention Class of 2025

It’s time to order your caps, gowns, and graduation announcements! The cap, gown, & tassel unit package is just $30 - order it here by 1/14/25!

Orders placed after JANUARY, will have an added late fee! Eek! Avoid the late fee and order today. Check out the variety of BHS graduation packages, including hoodies, class jewelry, and graduation announcements on our BHS Graduation Website.

If you are experiencing a financial hardship, please reach out to your student’s counselor to inquire about receiving additional assistance.

Technical Center Visits for '25-'26 Enrollment

As we approach winter break we want students and families to be aware of deadlines for Burlington Technical Center (BTC) and Center for Technology Essex (CTE) visit days registration and permission slips. Please note that if students want to apply to a technical center they must register and attend a visit session (advertised here) and also apply to the program (this link will be available at a future date.)

To visit BTC, students must use this link AND complete and return the BTC permission form to Ms. Stein in room 209a by January 9th.

To visit CTE, students must use this link AND complete and return the CTE permission form to Ms. Stein in room 209a by December 20th.

BHS Annual Title I Meeting on 12/9/24 @ 6pm (DtBHS or Meet)

BHS’s Annual Title I Information Session will be on Monday, December 9th from 6-6:50pm in the Cafeteria (with an option to join remotely). Interim Principal Westdijk will host this session, which will provide an opportunity to learn detailed information about what it means to be a Title I school, what services at BHS are funded by Title 1 funds, and what family rights and school responsibilities Title I status entails.

Senior PLP Conferences

PLP Senior-Led conferences will be April 8th and 9th, 2025. PLP Conference surveys are going out to Seniors this week in their BSD email. It’s important that all seniors complete this survey to request their conference date and panel members. Surveys are due by the end of December. If your the parent/guardian of a senior, please check in with your child to make sure that they take care of this important task!

Looking for Community Service Hours?

One of BHS's graduation requirements is completing 40 hours of community service by the conclusion of their senior year. It's best to start early and to complete 10 hours/year. The United Way has published a veritable catalogue of service opportunities across the region, organized across multiple categories.

Missing Something? Check out the BHS Lost & Found

Have your student’s belongings lost their way? We want to help get these items back to their owners! Please come claim your stuff from the main office. We will hold this batch of lost items for a few more weeks. If they are not found before the winter break, they will be donated!

Consider Burlington City & Lake Semester for Spring 2025

The real-world learning doesn’t stop. As they prepare for their final project with our artist-in-residence, BCL students have been exploring how public art helps a community thrive. They also continue to use youth-adult partnership as a model for community impact!

As a reminder, a few students’ schedules have shifted, and there are now a few spots available for Juniors and Seniors in Burlington City & Lake Semester’s upcoming spring semester! If you know any students who would thrive in BCL, consider mentioning the program! It would need to work with their overall schedule, so if they are interested, they should reach out to their Counselor.

BCL is a unique place-based experiential program that offers full BHS credit to Juniors and Seniors. In BCL, Burlington itself is both our classroom and our curriculum. It’s real-world, empowering, and fun! To learn more about Burlington City & Lake Semester, watch this short video, check out our blog, or follow us on Instagram: @btvcityandlake

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